*
Stony Sept, Riverlands
"Look out!"
"Watch for falling stones!"
...Sam Rivers, a hedge knight well-respected in Pinkmaiden, had served House Piper of the Riverlands for a full ten years.
Throughout these long years, he had always upheld his knightly vows, winning glory for House Piper in various tourneys.
As a loyal hedge knight, Ser Sam Rivers knew his duty well.
In this battle, Sam Rivers also exerted his greatest strength, fighting hard on the battlefield to win more glory and merit for himself.
To achieve this goal, he constantly honed his martial skills and improved his combat prowess.
Sam Rivers's skill with the lance was superb, and his horsemanship was highly proficient, both developed through long practice in the lists; because of this, he had become House Piper's trump card.
"Boom..."
"Screech..."
After narrowly avoiding a sack of rubble falling from the sky, Sam Rivers began to charge toward the enemy's infantry phalanx.
After just encountering those terrifying Drakons, Sam Rivers felt like a survivor of a catastrophe; his squire, Billy, was not so lucky.
The boy hadn't followed Sam Rivers in bypassing the Drakon's charge, but had bravely thrust his lance at the terrifying monster; unfortunately, the lance that Sam Rivers considered incredibly sharp left no mark on the beast, simply sliding off its hide.
Afterward, Sam Rivers's squire, Billy, was sent flying by the impact of that terrible monster; because it happened so suddenly, he had no time to look after his young squire.
"May the Seven protect you, Billy of Shallowford."
Billy was a very loyal squire; though he lacked noble blood, he had always been learning everything related to knighthood.
Sam Rivers had always intended to wait a little longer, until the boy reached adulthood, to seek an opportunity for him to be knighted by the lord; unfortunately, all of this was ruined by this detestable war.
"Yah!"
Casting aside the heavy and somber thoughts in his heart, Sam Rivers once again steeled his resolve to charge.
He knew very well that the enemy commander was in the center of the army; he could even clearly see the figure standing on the high platform.
Sam Rivers had heard legends of this bastard dragon king; Ser Spike Waters of King's Landing had once sworn that the bastard dragon king had transformed into a dragon before the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, nearly burning the King and Queen Mother of House Baratheon to death with a single breath of dragonfire.
Meanwhile, Bruce Stone from the Vale said that the bastard dragon king had summoned a lightning storm at Moat Cailin, and their grain transport team, watching from afar, had seen the castle being split apart by the strikes.
Although Sam Rivers didn't quite believe these legends, he had just seen that giant black sphere of light appearing in Stony Sept.
Although the Maesters of Pinkmaiden said that magic was false and deceptive, after witnessing it with his own eyes, Sam Rivers also began to feel afraid.
When facing the unknown, people naturally feel fear; under these circumstances, even a powerful knight like Sam Rivers could not completely ignore the existence of magic.
"May the Seven protect us!"
Sam Rivers knew very well that the reason he was thinking such stray thoughts was entirely because he might encounter an enemy magic attack.
But he was a knight, and a knight was the avatar of a warrior; only through courage and fearlessness could all enemies be defeated.
"No matter what the enemy is, I will continue to charge bravely!"
After cheering himself up in his heart, Sam Rivers tightened his grip on his lance; after this period of charging, the enemy's phalanx was clearly visible before him.
After enduring the Drakon charge and the baptism of falling rubble, the number of knights who had successfully charged out alongside Sam Rivers had dwindled significantly, yet they still persevered.
For they all knew that once the enemy commander was captured or eliminated, they would achieve final victory.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
"Huff, huff..."
As the enemy infantry phalanx grew clearer, Sam Rivers's heart pounded wildly; even after taking two deep breaths, the feeling did not subside.
Through the narrow slit of his helmet, Sam Rivers found a suitable opening—a gap between two shield-bearers where the pikes protruding from behind were not too densely packed.
If he used his lance to eliminate the spearmen behind that gap in advance, Sam Rivers was confident he could break through both the shield and pike formations.
Having realized this, Sam Rivers kicked his horse's flanks hard to make his old partner, "Sweet Apple," charge even faster.
"Ready!"
"Flame Combo!"
Just as Sam Rivers charged forward, a series of shouts erupted from behind the enemy's lines; immediately after, he saw countless men and women wearing cloaks.
Light seemed to shimmer on these cloaked figures, though it might have just been the sun reflecting off their clothes; what surprised Sam Rivers most were the books they held in their hands.
For some reason, Sam Rivers actually felt a hint of threat from those books—a very strange sensation that only appeared when facing a powerful opponent.
"Are these people septons?"
Just as Sam Rivers was feeling puzzled, he suddenly noticed that those hidden in the middle of the formation raised their right hands at the same time.
"What does this mean?"
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Sam Rivers's question did not remain unanswered for long; after only about two seconds, countless roaring flames directly answered all his questions.
Many Riverlands knights charging at the front caught only a glimpse of light before being instantly swallowed by fire.
These flames were like burning lava, clinging directly to the knights' armor; the knights first felt a surge of heat through their plate, followed by more intense heat spreading everywhere.
As the second wave of flames appeared, the knights began to feel a searing sensation on their bodies.
Then, more and more knights fell from their horses, wailing; they were either trampled to death by the following cavalry or dragged along by their stirrups.
"Boom..."
"Crack..."
"Whinny..."
With the violent collision of the two forces, the sound of horses neighing and the din of impact continuously erupted in front of Jon's infantry phalanx.
Some knights were unhorsed by pikes, while others violently smashed through the shield-bearers and pikemen blocking their path.
However, after pushing through for a short distance, these knights discovered rows of chevaux-de-frise behind the infantry formations; with their momentum already depleted, they could not continue their charge and were either pulled down from their horses in frustration or stabbed to death by pikes.
The only ones who could emerge unscathed from this round of charging were the well-equipped knights of the Great Houses, but they fared little better; as their horses' strength failed, they were helplessly dragged from their mounts.
In just a few minutes, those incredibly powerful knights had fallen before Jon, while Jon, atop the high platform, remained unresponsive, still channeling the "Lunar Eclipse" magic.
Meanwhile, within the damaged castle of Stony Sept, a battle was raging; Lord Tytos Blackwood and his knights wore red ribbons around their left arms.
The families allied with House Blackwood were also among them; because the two sides were already embroiled in a melee, the soldiers with bows and arrows did not launch any attacks.
"I knew you were a traitor!"
Lord Janos Bracken shouted and gestured from the rear of his troops, commanding his noble companions, while other Riverlands nobles watched from the sidelines.
"His Majesty Aegon Targaryen was always the legitimate ruler; we should have been loyal to him from the start!"
Tytos Blackwood spoke with his usual calm demeanor, cutting down a knight who tried to approach him as he spoke.
Since this was their own territory, most people were not wearing armor, which gave Tytos Blackwood an opportunity; after signaling his soldiers and allies, he launched a direct attack on Janos Bracken's side.
Because Lord Tytos Blackwood struck first, their assault was extremely fierce, and Janos Bracken's faction was constantly being pushed back.
"Kill them!"
"Squelch..."
As Tytos Blackwood and his men continued their assault, soldiers belonging to Janos Bracken's side kept falling.
The blood of soldiers stained the battlefield, and the air was thick with the heavy scent of iron.
Lord Janos Bracken stood among his soldiers, his gaze grim as he watched the battle below.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his heart filled with anger and helplessness; he knew this battle was a matter of life and death for them, and they had to give their all to keep their positions.
However, in the face of Lord Tytos Blackwood's powerful army, their resistance seemed to grow weaker.
The soldiers were exhausted and their morale was low, while the enemy's offensive only grew more intense.
"Clang!"
"I surrender!"
"I am willing to pledge fealty to His Majesty Aegon!"
...Under this terrifying pressure, more and more of Janos Bracken's soldiers and nobles began to drop their weapons and surrender.
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