*
Stormlands, Storm's End
"Roar..."
"Defend!"
Accompanying the roar of the dragon, a faint, blood-red glow seemed to flash behind the gray mist in the sky.
This was Storm's End in the Stormlands. Led by Jaime Lannister and Loras Tyrell, they had not directly attacked Storm's End.
Instead, they employed a strategy of besieging a point to strike at reinforcements, luring Stannis Baratheon into sending troops to attack. Although Stannis had achieved some successes in the Stormlands during this period, all of it had been undone by the naval battle that occurred recently.
The Arbor fleet from the Reach had directly raided Tarth. When Stannis sent troops to support Tarth, the main force of the Arbor fleet launched a surprise attack from the rear, directly defeating Stannis's Royal Fleet.
If the Iron Bank hadn't provided Stannis with a mercenary fleet, he likely would have lost his entire fortune in this single war.
Following the defeat in the "Battle of Tarth," the lords of the Stormlands began to treat Stannis with superficial compliance while secretly defying him. It was because of this that Stannis desperately needed a victory to prove himself.
For this reason, Stannis ignored the advice of the "Onion Knight," Davos Seaworth, and directly deployed his main force.
Storm's End is located near the Kingswood; the city also serves as a buffer zone between the Kingswood and the rainforest of the Stormlands. At this moment, on the Kingsroad leading to Storm's End, the Royal Allied Army, clad in heavy armor and wielding spears and shields, was arrayed in formation to face the charging dragons.
Stannis was currently seated on a high platform at the far rear of the allied forces, observing the situation on the battlefield through a telescope. Beside him were his Hand of the King, Davos Seaworth, and the Master of Laws, Oberyn Martell.
Watching his side's charge, which moved like crashing waves, a victorious smile appeared on Stannis's face.
"Do you see, Davos? Our army is the strongest existence. The rebels of House Lannister and House Tyrell can only wait for death in misery."
After putting down the telescope, Stannis spoke to Davos beside him.
"Your Majesty Stannis! Don't you think this battle is going a bit too smoothly? The enemy retreated quickly upon seeing us; they are clearly luring us in on purpose!"
Davos saw the tactical situation very clearly. If the enemy truly intended to attack Storm's End, they wouldn't have placed only a single catapult there.
"What do you think, Lord Oberyn?"
After hearing Davos's words, Stannis's already serious face soured even further, and the faint smile that had just appeared vanished without a trace.
"Our dragons are powerful, but we must be careful in combat. The forest will limit their combat effectiveness, as well as that of our cavalry."
Oberyn's statement did not favor anyone; he simply spoke his mind.
"Rest assured! I have already thought of that. Our knights will attack the enemy's flanks during the charge; they won't strike the forest head-on."
"Roar..."
Just as Stannis was explaining his plan to Davos and the others, the dragons charging at the front suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar.
"Ready!"
"Fire!"
At that moment, a series of shouts suddenly erupted from within the Kingswood, echoing continuously through the forest.
Clack...
Whir, whir, whir...
At the command of the heralds, the scorpion bolts hidden in the forest began their attack, dense as raindrops.
The scorpion was designed and built by the newly appointed royal advisor, Qyburn. The design of this crossbow was very unique; its torsion mechanism was highly complex, making it three times more powerful than an ordinary ballista.
The specially treated arrowheads could pierce straight through the iron-hard, massive skull of the Black Dread, Balerion.
Puchi...
"Roar..."
"Aaaah..."
The two dragons at the very front were the first to encounter the attack. However, because the distance was too great, these bolts only wounded their bodies.
In pain, these two massive dragons let out angry roars. While the dragons withstood most of the attack...
The knights charging behind them did not possess such good luck or defense. Under the sniping of the scorpion's special bolts, these fully armed knights in plate armor were pierced through. Some unlucky fellows were even sent flying, man and horse together, by the impact.
"Prepare, begin the second round!"
"Wind the winches..."
"Load the bolts..."
...Under the command of the heralds, the soldiers shouted in unison, operating according to their usual training. Then, after adjusting their aim, they pointed the scorpions at the massive dragons whose charge had already slowed.
With a series of "whoosh" sounds, the second volley of scorpion bolts shot toward the dragons like a rainstorm.
Although the dragons had thick hides, they were overwhelmed by such a dense attack. This second close-range volley, in particular, left the two dragons bristling with bolts.
The two massive dragons roared in fury, attempting to use their enormous bodies to crush the enemies who were now within reach.
Unfortunately, due to the bolt strikes and continuous bleeding, the bodies of these two dragons began to stagger. Their movements became sluggish, and their eyes were filled with pain and hatred.
"Hurrah!"
Upon seeing this, the morale of the Royal Allied Army's soldiers surged. The infantrymen who had already formed their ranks were especially excited; many of them had prepared themselves to be trampled to death by the dragons.
But now, the dragons that had been flaunting their power moments ago had actually collapsed and died right before them.
"Advance..."
With the annihilation of the enemy's cavalry unit, the infantry phalanxes of the Royal Allied Army quickly began to advance under the orders of their officers.
The rhythmic sound of the soldiers' footsteps echoed across the battlefield, their gazes steady and fanatical. As they advanced, any enemy cavalrymen who were not yet dead were finished off by their hands.
Neigh...
Meanwhile, the cavalry units hidden in the woods, led by their knights, began to build up the rhythm for a charge.
They gripped their weapons tightly, bodies pressed close to their horses, ready to launch a fierce attack at the critical moment.
Leading the charge was the Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell, dressed in ornate armor. His eyes were filled with fire; now, he could finally avenge his lover, Renly Baratheon.
Having lost his cavalry and dragons, Stannis watched this scene in stunned silence, seemingly having no idea how to counter-attack.
His face was a mask of horror and helplessness, unable to comprehend how his once-powerful army could be defeated so easily.
"Your Majesty, please issue your orders quickly!"
Though equally flustered in his heart, Davos managed to offer his advice in time, quickly pulling Stannis back to reality.
Hearing Davos's words, Stannis quickly regained his senses. Looking at everything before him, the despair in his heart deepened. He knew his army had lost its combat effectiveness and could no longer contend with the Royal Allied Army.
However, he was unwilling to give up just like that. He decided to seek one last chance to try and turn the tide of the battle.
"Davos!"
"Yes, my respected Majesty, I will lead..."
Just as Davos was about to volunteer to lead the reserves into the fray, Stannis cut him off.
"I order you now to take your men and return to Storm's End. I leave my daughter in your care. I left a letter with her; it will tell you what to do!"
As he spoke, Stannis's voice carried a hint of finality and was beyond question.
"My King..."
"Remember your oath, Davos! I am ordering you to execute your command!"
Seeing Davos about to protest, Stannis directly invoked the knightly oath to bind him.
"Yes... Your Majesty Stannis!"
Watching Davos depart with a heavy step, Stannis looked toward a handsome middle-aged man beside him.
"Oberyn!"
"Your Majesty Stannis, the hatred between House Martell and House Lannister remains unresolved. Three of the Martell bloodline died at their hands. Now that there is a Lannister here, it is impossible for me to retreat. The unyielding spear shall pierce the Lannister neck today!"
Oberyn rejected Stannis's suggestion without a second thought. The proud Oberyn did not believe he would die here, for he had not yet killed the culprit, Tywin Lannister.
Thus, after arranging everything, Stannis hurriedly ordered the remaining soldiers to regroup, attempting to launch a final counter-offensive.
Stannis was quite capable at military discipline; though his cavalry had failed, his infantry phalanx remained as tough as an iron wall.
"Prepare to assemble!"
Following Stannis's command, massive tower shields were erected at the front of his phalanx. Immediately after, countless sharp spears were thrust out from behind the shields.
Seeing his formation was set, Stannis drew his own longsword. When the flaming Lightbringer appeared on the battlefield...
Many of the soldiers who had been brainwashed by Melisandre began to shout and cheer excitedly. Although Melisandre had disappeared, her will remained.
"Fight for redemption!"
"For our Majesty Stannis!"
"Hurrah!"
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