Chapter 61: The Flames of Blackwater Bay
Seven days later.
King's Landing, Blackwater Bay.
The most brutal and spectacular naval battle in human history was about to erupt.
Stannis Baratheon's massive fleet, like a black cloud, blotted out the sky and slowly pressed in from the horizon.
Nearly two hundred warships, carrying his sixty thousand vengeful troops, pointed their swords at King's Landing!
And on the walls of King's Landing.
Acting Hand Tyrion Lannister was nervously watching the approaching invincible fleet.
His palms were covered in cold sweat.
"My Lord! The… the Northerners!" A Gold Cloak scrambled up, his voice filled with despair!
"Young Wolf Robb Stark's main army has appeared on the Kingsroad! They… they've blocked the North Gate!"
"What?!"
This news was like a heavy hammer, striking Tyrion's chest!
Blackheart Aegon!
Wasn't he supposed to be in the Westerlands?!
How could he… be so fast?!
"Where is Aegon himself?" Tyrion asked anxiously.
"I… I don't know! Only Robb Stark's direwolf banners were seen! No… no dragons were seen!"
Tyrion's heart sank instantly to the bottom.
He understood.
He had been played by that damned Targaryen!
Aegon was using Robb's main force to tie him down on land, preventing him from fully focusing on Stannis at sea!
This was a… conspiracy!
He could even guess that Aegon himself was surely hiding in some corner outside King's Landing, like a venomous snake, waiting to deliver the fatal blow to both him and Stannis!
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Tyrion angrily slammed his fist on the battlements.
But now, he had no retreat.
The enemies at the North Gate wouldn't break through for a while.
But the enemies at sea were already upon them!
"Give my command!" He roared hoarsely at Bronn beside him, "Everyone, to your stations! Prepare… to light the fires!"
… "All troops, charge!"
On Stannis Baratheon's flagship, he coldly gave the order for a general assault!
Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, commanded the vanguard of the fleet, charging fearlessly into the mouth of Blackwater Bay!
However, as they entered the river, they found it eerily deserted… The river surface was empty.
Had the Lannister fleet fled without a fight?
"No…" Davos's weathered face showed a hint of unease, "It's too quiet…"
Just then!
A small, empty, ghost-like barge slowly drifted out from the harbor of King's Landing.
A long, green, viscous trail remained at its stern.
"wildfire!!!"
Davos's pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks! He let out a heart-wrenching roar!
"Quick! Retreat! All troops, retreat!!!"
However, it was too late.
On the city walls, Tyrion Lannister, with all his might, raised a small banner.
"Now!!!"
Bronn, who had been waiting below the city walls, shot a pre-prepared, burning arrow!
The arrow drew an arc of death in the air.
With pinpoint accuracy, it landed on the ghost ship filled with wildfire!
"Boom—!!!!!!!"
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Then, there was a world-destroying explosion!
A hellish, emerald-green mushroom cloud, hundreds of meters high, rose with a roar at the mouth of Blackwater Bay!
Thousands and tens of thousands of pots of wildfire were detonated simultaneously!
The entire Blackwater Bay instantly turned into a sea of green fire!
The terrifying shockwave instantly tore dozens of the closest warships, along with the soldiers on them, into pieces!
And the unquenchable, demonically spreading green flames rapidly devoured Stannis's massive, trailing fleet!
Steel melted, wood shrieked, and soldiers screamed inhumanly in the green flames!
Blackwater Bay, on this night, became a living hell!
The green flames illuminated the entire night sky of King's Landing.
Stannis Baratheon stood on the deck of his flagship, his eyes splitting with rage as he watched the hellish scene before him.
His proudest, most powerful fleet in Westeros, in an instant, turned to ashes in those terrifying green flames.
"No…"
On his face, which was always as firm as rock, for the first time, despair and madness appeared!
"Land! All troops, land!" He drew the legendary Lightbringer, and flames blazed on the sword!
"The lord of light protects us! Charge! Kill them! The throne is mine!!"
Under the King's roar and the priestess's prayers, the surviving warships, those lucky enough not to be engulfed by the first wave of wildfire, desperately launched a suicidal charge towards King's Landing's Mud Gate docks!
Thousands of soldiers leaped from the burning warships, waded through the scorching river water still burning with green flames, and launched a fierce assault on the beachhead!
"Hold! Hold the line!"
On the city walls, Tyrion Lannister's eyes were also bloodshot!
He knew this was the final battle!
Once Stannis's landing force broke through the Mud Gate, King's Landing would be finished!
The two sides engaged in the most primitive and bloody hand-to-hand combat on that narrow beachhead, illuminated by green flames!
Shouts of killing, screams, and the sound of blades piercing flesh echoed through the sky!
Sandor Clegane, The Hound, was hired by Tyrion with a hefty sum to be the temporary commander of this battle.
Wielding a greatsword, he was the first to charge down the city wall, splitting a charging Stormlander knight, man and shield, in half!
"Cowards afraid of fire! Get in there! Or I'll chop off your heads first!"
Under his coercion and slaughter, the Gold Cloaks, though their legs were weak, could only grit their teeth and charge, clashing with the frenzied followers of the lord of light!
The battle devolved into a brutal tug-of-war, an inch of land for an inch of blood!
…Meanwhile, in the Kingswood south of King's Landing.
Lin Hao sat on his horse, silently watching the grand fireworks display he had orchestrated in the distance.
Beside him were five thousand fully equipped, battle-ready Northern cavalry.
"Your Majesty," a scout galloped up, knelt on one knee, "Stannis's main force has all landed! They and the Lannister defenders are fighting like mad at the Mud Gate!"
"The time has come."
Lin Hao slowly raised his head, looking at the huge black shadow circling in the clouds in the sky.
He stretched out his hand and, in Dragon Speech, issued the final, cold command:
"Yetsan… Suleyk… Vahzen!" (Night Fury… Power… Destruction!)
"Roar—!!!!!!!"
A dragon's roar, full of supreme majesty and savagery, echoed over the entire King's Landing at this moment!
Everyone fighting, whether Stannis's soldiers or Lannister's Gold Cloaks, suddenly froze in their movements!
They subconsciously looked up.
Then, they saw… a terrifying sight that would forever be etched in their memories, enough to freeze their very souls!
Under the moonlight, a giant dragon, with a wingspan of over twenty meters, pitch black like ink, descended from the sky like a demon god from the abyss!
Its eyes, like molten lava, coldly looked down at the humans below, who were like ants!
"Dragon… a Dragon… it's really a Dragon!!!"
"God! Save us!"
Fear!
Boundless fear instantly swallowed everyone's reason!
"Night Fury!" Lin Hao's voice was as cold as snow.
"Burn… Stannis's first!"
"Roar!"
The giant dragon let out a roar, opening its enormous mouth like an abyss!
A thick, destructive, black stream of dragonfire, like the scythe of Death, descended from the sky!
It did not attack the city walls, nor did it attack the scattered soldiers.
Instead, with pinpoint accuracy, it struck the dense ranks of Stannis's reserves, who had just formed up on the beachhead!
"Boom—!!!!!!!"
Black flames and green wildfire, at this moment, shone brilliantly together!
If wildfire was the inferno of hell.
Then dragonfire was the divine punishment from the gods!
The black flames, with an irresistible, all-destroying will, instantly incinerated hundreds of Stannis's soldiers, along with their armor and weapons, into nothingness!
Not charcoal!
Nothingness!
Before this terrifying, absolute power, everyone collapsed!
Stannis's soldiers completely lost all will to fight!
They screamed, cried, and turned to jump into Blackwater Bay, which was still burning with wildfire!
They would rather be burned to death by the green flames than face the black death from the sky!
Stannis Baratheon watched his army crumble in an instant.
He watched the black demon dragon, wantonly spewing destructive flames in the sky.
On his resolute face, finally, two lines of desperate, hot tears flowed down.
"No… no… this is impossible…"
"Melisandre… you lied to me…"
"The lord of light… has abandoned me…"
He was forcibly dragged by his personal guards onto the only remaining small boat, fleeing in disarray from this hell that belonged to him.
And on the city walls, Tyrion Lannister and all the defenders watched this god-like scene in stunned silence.
They won?
No… they had merely fallen from one hell into an even more terrifying abyss.
Tyrion watched the black giant dragon in the air, slowly turning, its molten-lava eyes fixing on the walls of King's Landing.
His body began to tremble violently, uncontrollably.
Chapter 62: The Fall of King's Landing
The appearance of Night Fury completely ended the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
Stannis's army, under the dual assault of wildfire and dragonfire, crumbled and fled in disarray.
Meanwhile, the defenders of King's Landing, after a brief moment of relief at their survival, immediately fell into a deeper and more complete despair.
Because the black demonic dragon had not departed.
It merely circled silently above King's Landing, like a patient Grim Reaper scrutinizing its prey.
And at the North Gate of King's Landing, Robb Stark's twenty thousand North Territory Guards also began to let out earth-shattering battle cries, like the howling of wolves!
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The heavy sound of battering rams, like the footsteps of giants, began to resonate!
The North Territory Guards had begun their assault on the city!
"Hold them! Hold them!"
Tyrion Lannister let out a hoarse, desperate roar!
He knew he no longer had wildfire, nor reinforcements.
All he could rely on was this high wall and the Gold Cloaks inside the city, who were already terrified out of their wits!
However, just as the fighting at the North Gate was at its fiercest!
At the Mud Gate on the south side of King's Landing, the most weakly defended point!
"Boom—!!!!"
Another deafening roar!
A black stream of dragonfire descended from the sky!
The city gate, already dilapidated from recent fierce fighting, did not even last a second before Night Fury, instantly turning into a shower of charcoal and ash!
A huge, gaping hole appeared in King's Landing's defenses!
Immediately following, the ground began to tremble!
Five thousand North Territory Guards cavalry, led by their Black Dragon King, charged out from the shadows of the Kingswood like a black tide of death!
At the forefront was Blackheart Aegon, riding a pitch-black warhorse and wielding the greatsword Ice!
Behind him was the colossal dragon, Night Fury, like a demon god!
Man and dragon, like avenging emissaries crawled out from hell!
"Long live His Majesty!!!"
"The North Territory Guards never forget!!!"
The five thousand cavalry let out roars like crashing mountains and surging seas!
With an unstoppable, overwhelming force, they surged through the breach at the Mud Gate into the city that should have belonged to them long ago!
Tyrion Lannister on the city wall watched the black torrent, like a sharp blade, tearing through all his defenses.
He knew... it was all over.
"Pfft!"
A stray arrow, fired from who knew where, accurately struck his unguarded back.
He grunted, then fell from the city wall, unconscious... Inside the Red Keep, chaos had already erupted.
When the dragon's roar and the North Territory Guards' battle cries echoed through the streets of King's Landing.
Cersei Lannister completely broke down.
She sat on the iron throne, clutching her youngest son, Tommen, with a bottle of potent poison she had prepared long ago.
She would rather poison her own children than let them fall into the hands of that Targaryen bastard and suffer torture!
"Mama... I'm scared..." Tommen trembled in her arms.
"Don't be scared, my darling." Tears of despair streamed down Cersei's face. "Soon... soon it will all be over. We'll be... very safe."
Trembling, she pulled out the stopper of the poison bottle... However, just as she was about to pour the poison into Tommen's mouth!
"Boom—!!!!"
The massive throne room doors, crafted from oak and steel, weighing tons, were violently smashed open from the outside with an extremely savage, inhuman force!
Countless splinters of wood and dust flew everywhere!
To the terrified, ghost-like gazes of all the Lannisterguards.
The Hound, Sandor Clegane, covered in blood, holding a dripping greatsword, strode in like a god of slaughter from hell!
He ignored the trembling guards and walked directly to the iron throne.
He looked at the queen, once so high and mighty, now holding her child, her face full of despair.
"If you don't want to die."
He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, like grinding sand and stone:
"Come with me."
...Meanwhile.
The main doors of the Throne Room were also slowly pushed open.
Lin Hao, clad in a fearsome black and red battle armor made from the scales shed by Night Fury during his infancy, and wielding the greatsword Ice,
escorted by Robb Stark, Brynden the Blackfish, and countless North Territory Guards lords, stepped, one by one, into this hall of supreme power that he should have inherited.
His black eyes coldly swept over the southern nobles kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear.
His gaze finally fell upon the so-called king, JoffreyBaratheon, who had already collapsed in terror beneath the iron throne, having even wet his pants.
"Eddard Stark, the traitor's... bastard..."
Joffrey, looking at the figure approaching him like a demon god, still let out his final, pathetic, blustering shriek.
"I am the King! I am the King! You cannot..."
Lin Hao ignored his roar.
He merely stepped forward and, with one hand, effortlessly lifted the scrawny youth from the ground.
He looked at his face, contorted by fear and rage.
He remembered the noble head that had been severed before the Great Sept of Baelor by this idiot's command.
He remembered his nominal sister, who had endured humiliation and abuse in King's Landing.
"Don't you enjoy... watching people get beheaded?"
Lin Hao's voice was devoid of all emotion, chillingly cold.
"Bang!"
He delivered a powerful punch to Joffrey's face!
The immense force instantly broke Joffrey's nose! His teeth, mixed with blood, gushed out!
Joffrey let out a pig-like scream, then immediately fainted.
"Drag him away!"
Lin Hao tossed him to the North Territory Guards behind him like trash.
"Imprison him in the dungeon! Guard him strictly!"
"Without my command..."
"He is not to die!"
He wanted this fool to witness with his own eyes how he would utterly crush the family he was so proud of!
Having done all this, he slowly turned around.
Under everyone's awestruck and fervent gaze.
He ascended the steps to supreme power, one by one.
Finally, he arrived before the iron throne, forged from the melted swords of countless vanquished foes in dragonfire, symbolizing ultimate power.
He slowly sat down.
The cold touch of steel emanated from his back.
But in his heart, a black flame burned, enough to incinerate the entire world.
On this day, King's Landing fell.
On this day, the Targaryen dynasty was restored in a way no one could have imagined!
Chapter 63 Liquidation
The day after King's Landing fell, a bloody purge began.
Aegon Targaryen I, the newly crowned Lord of the iron throne, known as "Blackheart," declared his rule over the entire continent of Westeros with the most ruthless and iron-fisted methods.
No one who participated in Eddard Stark's "trial" and "execution" at the Great Sept of Baelor was spared.
The executioner, Ilyn Payne, was sentenced to "drawing and quartering."
His silent body was torn to pieces by five warhorses.
Former City Watch Commander Janos Slynt was sentenced to "flaying."
His wails echoed in the dungeons of the Red Keep for three days and three nights.
As for the nobles and ministers who had impeached Eddard Stark in court and immediately sided with House Lannister after King Robert's death, their homes were all raided.
All male members were sent to the Wall to become "Night's Watchmen."
The female relatives were demoted to slaves and bestowed upon the North Territory Guards and Riverlands soldiers who had achieved great military feats in this war.
For a time, the entire King's Landing was shrouded in a bloody, suffocating terror.
People finally understood the true meaning of the new king's epithet — Blackheart.
He was not the benevolent Eddard Stark, who would grant his enemies "dignity."
He was the true dragon of Targaryen.
And dragons never show mercy... Inside the Tower of the Hand in the Red Keep.
This had become Aegon (Lin Hao)'s temporary council chamber.
"Your Majesty, these are the account books we found in the mansion of the Master of Coin, Petyr Baelish."
Robb Stark, the new hand of the king, placed several thick account books, filled with dense numbers, before Lin Hao.
His face showed an undisguised shock and disgust.
"This bastard…" Robb's voice trembled slightly with anger, "He not only embezzled nearly six million gold dragons from the national treasury! He also… he also used that money to open countless brothels, casinos, and smuggling channels in King's Landing and even throughout the Seven Kingdoms!"
"He used this dirty money to bribe officials, raise assassins, and weave an all-pervading, filthy web!"
Lin Hao calmly flipped through the account books.
This was all within his expectations.
"Where is he?" he asked faintly.
"He ran away." A hint of unwillingness flashed across Robb's face, "During the most chaotic period of the Battle of Blackwater Bay, he took all his confidants and fled King's Landing on a merchant ship from Braavos."
"Fled?" A cold arc formed on Lin Hao's lips, "He won't escape."
He looked up at the man with half-red, half-white hair, standing in an inconspicuous corner in the shadows.
Jaqen H'ghar.
"A man owes me a debt," Lin Hao whispered in High Valyrian.
"A man will pay his debt," Jaqen H'ghar bowed slightly, and his figure vanished like a ghost.
Lin Hao knew that Petyr Baelish, no matter where he fled, his name had already been written on the death list by the "God of Many Faces."
"Your Majesty," Robb continued, "Then… how should we deal with the remnants of House Lannister?"
"Cersei, Joffrey, Tommen, Myrcella…" Lin Hao intertwined his fingers, tapping lightly on the table.
"Joffrey, the prime culprit who murdered my uncle," a cruel pleasure flashed in his eyes, "I will not let him die so easily. I will imprison him in the dungeons of the Red Keep and make him watch with his own eyes how he loses everything."
"As for Cersei…"
His gaze fell upon The Hound Sandor Clegane, who stood to the side, tall and with a complicated expression.
"Ser Sandor (Aegon had knighted him), where did you take her and my 'sister' Sansa Stark?"
"To answer Your Majesty." The Hound's voice was still hoarse, "As per your command, I took them both to the Great Sept of Baelor."
"Very good."
Lin Hao stood up, his black dragon-scale armor reflecting a cold light in the candlelight.
"Let's go."
"It's time to meet our noble, former queen."
"And it's time to bring my sister home."
...Great Sept of Baelor.
This once sacred hall, symbolizing the faith of the Seven Gods, now appeared exceptionally cold and ironic.
Eddard Stark had his head cut off here.
And now, his surviving family and his enemies would face their final judgment here.
Inside the Great Sept, all the statues were covered with black cloth.
In their place were the direwolf banners of the North and the three-headed dragon banner of House Targaryen, symbolizing "blood and fire!"
Lin Hao sat high on the ornate throne that originally belonged to the High Septon.
Robb Stark, Brynden the Blackfish, and a host of lords from the North and the Riverlands stood solemnly on either side.
"Bring them in."
At Lin Hao's command.
Two figures were escorted forward by The Hound Sandor Clegane.
It was Sansa Stark and Cersei Lannister.
Sansa's face still bore traces of unshed tears, and her body trembled slightly with fear and excitement.
When she saw the black-haired king, both familiar and strange, sitting on the throne, her beautiful blue eyes were filled with complex emotions.
As for Cersei Lannister, though her face was also haggard, the pride belonging to House Lannister still supported her, preventing her from collapsing on the spot.
"Sansa."
Lin Hao looked at the once innocent girl, his voice unconsciously softening a few degrees.
"You have suffered."
"Now, you are safe."
"Hodor… no… Your Majesty…" Sansa's tears could no longer be held back and streamed down her face.
She knelt down with a "thud," "Please… please, spare my brother, Tommen… He is still just a child… He doesn't know anything…"
She was, after all, too kind.
"Hmph, what a foolish girl." Cersei, at the side, sneered, "Are you still pleading for your enemies?"
"Shut up, bitch!"
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Hao's eyes!
He stood up abruptly and walked step by step to Cersei's front.
He looked down at the once high and mighty queen.
"Cersei Lannister," his voice was as cold as the northern wind, "You committed incest with your brother Jaime Lannister, bore bastards, deceived the late King Robert, poisoned Jon Arryn, and indulged your foolish son in murdering my uncle Eddard Stark…"
"Every single one of your actions is enough to make you die ten thousand times over!"
"What else do you have to say?"
Cersei Lannister looked at the handsome, yet tyrannical and majestic face before her.
She knew she had no leverage left.
Her father was dead.
Her army was gone.
Her son was a prisoner.
Even she herself had become a lamb to be slaughtered.
"Heh…"
Suddenly, she let out a tragic laugh.
"If you want to kill me, then kill me."
She slowly closed her eyes, a nearly pathological, relieved smile on her face.
"To die at the hands of… a true Targaryen."
"Is better than dying at the hands of those… northern barbarians, and… my foolish dwarf brother."
"Do it, my… Your Majesty."
She was, in fact, actively seeking death.
Lin Hao looked at her coldly.
He knew this woman had gone mad.
He slowly drew the greatsword "Ice."
The cold blade rested against Cersei's still fair and smooth neck.
Sansa, terrified, covered her eyes on the spot, daring not to look.
However, Lin Hao's sword did not descend.
"Die?"
He sneered mockingly.
"My uncle Eddard died at the hands of you vipers precisely because of his ridiculous 'mercy.'"
"Do you think I would make the same mistake as him?"
"Killing you is too easy."
He sheathed his greatsword.
"Guards!" he shouted loudly.
"Shave all her hair off!"
"Strip off her clothes!"
"Make her parade through the streets, starting from this Great Sept of Baelor, all the way to the Red Keep!"
"I want all the commoners of King's Landing to get a good look! Just how… 'holy' their once high and mighty queen truly is!"
"No—!!!"
Upon hearing this verdict, ten thousand times more cruel than killing her!
Cersei Lannister's emerald eyes, which had been feigning composure, finally revealed true, shattering terror!
She let out a hysterical scream!
"You can't do this to me! You devil! You bastard!!"
"I curse you! I curse you to die a terrible death!!!"
However, her curses seemed so pale and powerless before the cold, iron-like hands of the North Territory Guards.
She was forcibly dragged away.
A most humiliating trial against the "queen" was about to begin.
And Sansa Stark, looking at the queen she had once envied so much, now being dragged away like a madwoman, and then at her cousin, who sat on the throne with a cold expression, like a demon king.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
She knew this world had changed.
And her "Cousin Hodor" was no longer the boy who would gently teach her how to discern "true intentions" in Winterfell.
He had become a true king.
A terrifying king.
Chapter 64 The Octopus Spider's Pledge of Allegiance and the Invitation of the Queen of Thorns
Cersei Lannister's "Walk of Atonement" became one of the most "famous" scenes in the centuries-long history of King's Landing.
When the once brilliant and arrogant queen had her head shaved and walked naked through the long streets, lined with the heads of Eddard Stark's men, the entire King's Landing erupted.
The commoners who had once groveled at her feet, daring not to speak their anger, now burst into the most primal and malicious revelry.
They hurled excrement, mud, and stones at her.
They shouted vile insults like "whore" and "incestuous bitch."
Cersei's dignity, pride, and everything she represented as a Lannister, were trampled to dust during this mile-long, humiliating procession.
When she was finally dragged back to the Red Keep's dungeon like a dead dog, her spirit had completely broken.
Blackheart Aegon, in this cruelest and most direct way, declared his resolve for revenge to everyone.
As for Sansa Stark, after witnessing the procession, she fell gravely ill.
Lin Hao did not press her further, simply settling her in Maegor's Holdfast, where she was "protected" by heavy guards, and sent the best maesters to treat her.
He knew that his nominal sister would need a long time to digest the successive, world-altering upheavals that had occurred.
After thoroughly purging all remaining Lannister forces in King's Landing with swift and decisive action, Lin Haobegan to establish his own new order of rule.
He did not rush to fill the vacant positions with his own Northern confidantes.
He knew that governing a country could not rely solely on military force. He needed "professional" talent.
That day, in the Tower of the Hand, he summoned a key figure who had "disappeared" after the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
The Spider, Varys.
When the corpulent, silk-robed eunuch appeared silently, like a ghost, in the study, there was no fear on his face; instead, he wore a smile of relief.
"Greetings, His Majesty Aegon I," he bowed respectfully, "The True Dragon, after all, has returned to his rightful throne."
Lin Hao looked at him, his gaze calm.
"You seem not surprised at all."
"I am never surprised," Varys smiled. "I was merely... waiting. Waiting for a master truly worthy of my 'little birds' to pledge their loyalty to."
"Did you know, Your Majesty," he said slowly, "that even when you were still in Winterfell, building that ""greenhouse"", my little birds were already singing for you."
"The 'great gift' you gave to Tywin Lannister at Harrenhalalso had my poor, homeless 'children' lighting the torches for you."
Lin Hao's pupils contracted slightly.
He knew Varys's intelligence network was formidable, but he hadn't expected the eunuch to have been secretly "investing" in him from such an early stage!
The granary fire had even involved him!
"What do you want?" Lin Hao asked directly.
He disliked beating around the bush with such intelligent people.
"What I want, Your Majesty, you have always known," Varys's expression became incredibly sincere. "What I want is simply the peace and tranquility of the realm."
"I served Aerys 'the Mad King,' and I saw his madness."
"I served Robert, and I saw his debauchery."
"I served Joffrey, and I saw his foolishness."
"And now," he looked at Lin Hao, his eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical light, "I see hope."
"You possess the blood of the Targaryen, and the benevolence of the Stark (he evidently still did not know Blackheart Aegon's true nature). You have wisdom, cunning, and even... the power of a god, enough to crush everything."
"You are the one destined to bring true order to this war-torn kingdom."
"I, Varys, am willing to offer you all my 'little birds' and... my humble loyalty."
Having said that, he slowly knelt to the ground.
Lin Hao looked at the "King of Whispers" of Westeros, kneeling before him, and remained silent for a moment.
He knew that Varys's words were half-truths.
He had never pledged allegiance to a person, but rather to the "kingdom" in his own heart.
But at least, on the common goal of "restoring order to the kingdom," they were, for now, allies.
"Very well," Lin Hao nodded slowly. "Then, Lord Varys, from today onwards, you are still my 'Master of Whisperers.'"
"I need your little birds to fly throughout the Seven Kingdoms."
"I need to know where Stannis has fled to."
"I need to know what my so-called 'aunt,' Daenerys, far away in Essos, is doing now."
"And even more, I need to know..." A cold glint flashed in his eyes, "what House Tyrell is plotting now."
"As you wish, My Majesty," Varys replied respectfully.
Just as Aegon (Lin Hao) was in King's Landing, vigorously carrying out post-war reconstruction and a reshuffle of power, a magnificent delegation from the south arrived in King's Landing.
Leading them was none other than the true power behind House Tyrell—the Queen of Thorns, Olenna.
This silver-haired, sharp-tongued old woman, upon hearing of the "divine punishment"-like dragonfire battle in King's Landing and the mysterious death of Tywin Lannister, immediately made a decision that surprised everyone.
She came in person.
She came alone to seek an audience with the newly ascended Blackheart Aegon.
In the Red Keep's reception hall, the Queen of Thorns looked at the excessively young, black-haired king sitting on the iron throne and directly posed her first question:
"Your Majesty, I hear you... are not yet married?"
Lin Hao was momentarily stunned, then smiled.
He knew that the most astute old woman in all of Westeros had come to... "hawk" her "Rose of Highgarden," the most beautiful in the Seven Kingdoms.
Chapter 65 The Queen of Thorns' Deal
"You jest, Lady."
Lin Hao leaned against the cold, rough back of the iron throne, his posture languid, but his black eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the short yet imposing old woman below.
"I have just concluded a war, and the entire kingdom is still in chaos. Is it… too soon to discuss marriage now?"
"Not at all, not too soon."
The Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell, tapped the ground lightly with her rose-carved wooden staff.
"Your Majesty, war is fought with swords and dragonfire. But peace relies on alliances and grain."
Her weathered eyes met Lin Hao's on the throne without fear.
"You used your terrifying black dragon to burn Stannis's fleet and break the Lannister's courage. You won the war. But, Your Majesty, have you considered how you will feed the millions of hungry mouths in this city?"
She pointed out the most pressing issue Lin Hao currently faced with pinpoint accuracy.
King's Landing has never been a self-sufficient city.
All of its grain depends on external input.
And the largest granary in Westeros is in The Reach.
"Your Stark soldiers are brave warriors. But they can't fight on an empty stomach, can they?"
"You burned the Westerlands and offended Stannis. Now, the entire southern grain supply is in the hands of my good-for-nothing son."
A foxy smile appeared on the Queen of Thorns's face.
"I admit, you have a dragon. But, Your Majesty, a dragon can breathe fire; can it breathe bread?"
"You can use dragonfire to burn down a city. But can you use dragonfire to force a farmer to plow for you?"
"You won the Throne, but if you cannot feed the people, within three months, this city will erupt in a hunger riot more terrifying than the Battle of Blackwater Bay!"
"By then, your iron throne will likely not be so stable."
These words caused all the Stark generals present to change their expressions slightly.
They only then realized that the war was far from over.
The real test had just begun.
Lin Hao looked at this sharp-tongued, insightful old woman, and couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration.
"Then," he leaned forward slightly, the suffocating pressure belonging to Blackheart Aegon slowly releasing, "your meaning, Lady, is… you wish to exchange your granddaughter's marriage for my 'bread'?"
"No, no, no." Lady Olenna shook her head. "I am not here to 'exchange.' I am here to 'give.' "
"Highgarden will present to you our most beautiful rose—Margaery Tyrell. And a continuous supply of grain from all of The Reach for the next ten years."
"And," she emphasized, "my foolish son, Mace Tyrell, and his untouched army of fifty thousand men from The Reach."
"We will pacify The Stormlands for you, contend against Dorne, and even sweep away Stannis, who fled back to Dragonstone!"
"We, House Tyrell, will become your most loyal and most powerful ally."
This offer was incredibly generous!
It was practically delivering half of Westeros on a platter to Lin Hao!
Robb Stark and Blackfish Brynden couldn't help but show signs of being moved.
With the support of The Reach, Lin Hao's Throne would truly be stable.
"Then, what is the price?" Lin Hao asked calmly.
He did not believe that the Queen of Thorns would be a selfless philanthropist.
"The price is simple."
Lady Olenna's face showed a meaningful smile.
"First, my granddaughter, Margaery, must be your sole, lawful Queen. Her offspring must be the first heir to the iron throne."
"Second…" Her voice lowered slightly, and a cold killing intent, understood only by Lin Hao, flashed in her eyes.
"I heard that Queen Cersei and her bastard Joffrey are still alive in your dungeon?"
"My poor granddaughter almost married that little beast."
"We, House Tyrell, do not like to keep old enemies around."
"I hope that at my granddaughter's wedding, when she marries into King's Landing…"
"There will be some entertaining, bloody 'performances.' "
Chapter 66 The King's "Justice" and Joffrey's Death
The Queen of Thorns' conditions were both reasonable and within Lin Hao (Aegon)'s calculations.
He knew that Olenna Tyrell hated Joffrey the most, the one who almost killed her granddaughter.
And he had never intended for Joffrey to live another day.
"Madam," Lin Hao's face broke into a gentle, spring-like smile, "You seem to have misunderstood something."
"The execution of Joffrey and his mother, Cersei, is not House Tyrell's 'condition'."
"Rather, it is the 'justice' that I, Aegon Targaryen I, am imposing upon the entire Seven Kingdoms!"
He slowly rose to his feet, his black dragon-scale armor making a soft clatter.
"They murdered my uncle, Eddard Stark, with the most despicable means."
"They defiled the honor of the iron throne with the most shameless lies."
"Their crimes are too numerous to count!"
"I have long prepared the most 'grand' funeral for them!"
"Guards!" he shouted loudly.
"Hear my command!"
"Three days from now, in front of the Great Sept of Baelor!"
"Before all the people of King's Landing, I will personally execute the 'false king' Joffrey and the 'former queen' Cersei Lannister with my uncle Eddard Stark's greatsword, Ice!"
"I will use their blood to wash away the filth of this city!"
"I will use their heads to comfort all the innocent souls who died in this war!"
These words were filled with murderous intent and resonated powerfully!
The Northern lords in the hall immediately erupted in a thunderous cheer!
"Long live the King!"
"Avenge Lord Eddard!!"
The Queen of Thorns, Olenna, looked at the young king on the throne, exuding boundless majesty and cold killing intent.
For the first time, a truly satisfied smile appeared in her eyes, which were always full of calculations.
She knew.
She had made the right gamble.
This young Blackheart Aegon was far more ruthless and decisive than she had imagined.
And far more suited to be a king than she had imagined.
"Then," she slowly bowed, "Highgarden awaits His Majesty's good news. And my unworthy son, Mace, will personally escort the first shipment of one hundred thousand bushels of grain to King's Landing within a month."
"We can discuss the wedding slowly."
...Three days later.
In front of the Great Sept of Baelor, there was a sea of people.
The same place, the same execution block.
Only this time, the people kneeling on it were the once arrogant Joffrey Baratheon and the already mentally broken Cersei Lannister.
Joffrey was so terrified that he had soiled himself, and he looked at the faces below, which once cheered for him but now were filled with hatred and glee, letting out a cowardly, pig-like scream:
"I am the King! You traitors! My grandfather... my grandfather won't let you get away with this!"
"Your grandfather?"
Aegon (Lin Hao) personally presided over the execution, and he sneered as he threw a majestic head, preserved with lime, in front of Joffrey.
"Are you talking about... him?"
That head was Tywin Lannister!
When Joffrey saw his grandfather's unseeing head, he rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot from fright.
And Cersei, beside him, after enduring the shame of being paraded through the streets, was already like a withered husk.
She just stared blankly at the head, letting out a series of nonsensical, foolish giggles.
"Execute them!"
Aegon (Lin Hao) gave them no more time for pointless words.
He personally picked up the greatsword, Ice, stained with Eddard Stark's blood.
"This strike," he raised the sword and declared loudly to all the people of the city, "is for my uncle, Eddard Stark!"
"Pfft!"
Blood splattered!
Joffrey's foolish and cruel golden head flew into the air!
"This strike," he then aimed the sword at Cersei, who was still giggling foolishly.
"Is for all the innocents who were harmed by Lannistertyranny!"
"Pfft!"
The second head rolled to the ground.
The Lannister rule in King's Landing, at this moment, was declared to be over in the most bloody and absolute way!
"Long live the King!!!"
"Long live King Aegon!!!"
The square erupted in the most fervent, heartfelt cheers since the fall of King's Landing!
They were finally free from the tyranny of the lion!
And Sansa Stark, from a tower in the Red Keep, witnessed it all.
She looked at the king, who had personally avenged her father, a figure like a demon god.
Two lines of tears flowed from her eyes, whether from relief or fear, she did not know.
She knew she could never go back.
Chapter 67: Visitors from the North and News of Dragon Crystal
The public executions of Joffrey and Cersei, like a grand, bloody ritual, completely solidified Aegon (Lin Hao)'s terrifying rule in King's Landing.
The fearsome reputation of Blackheart Aegon, accompanied by the myth of the "Dragon King," spread to every corner of the Seven Kingdoms.
Under the mediation of the Queen of Thorns, grain from The Reach began to flow continuously into King's Landing, alleviating the famine crisis within the city.
Public sentiment quickly stabilized under the dual influence of "bread" and "fear."
Aegon (Lin Hao) also began his sweeping reforms.
Using the enormous wealth confiscated from Littlefingerand the war reparations from House Lannister (he sent Blackfish Brynden, leading a large army, to formally take over all the gold mines in the Westerlands), he began to rebuild order in King's Landing.
He abolished all the exorbitant taxes from the Lannisterera.
He established a new City Watch—the Dragonfang Guard—led by The Hound, Sandor Clegane, which used iron-fisted methods to purge all gangs and crime from the city.
He also reorganized Varys's little birds into an exclusive royal intelligence agency; for the first time, the shadows of the country were firmly grasped by the King.
Everything was steadily progressing towards a new, iron-blooded order.
However, just as Aegon (Lin Hao) was busy dealing with southern affairs and preparing for the "final battle" with Stannis Baratheon, an unexpected force from the North arrived in King's Landing.
Leading them was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, and a figure both familiar and somewhat strange to Lin Hao—Jon Snow...
Inside the iron throne Hall.
Aegon (Lin Hao) looked at the two "crows" below, clad in black and weathered by their journey, his expression somewhat complex.
"Jon," he slowly began, breaking the silence.
"Your Grace," Jon Snow knelt on one knee, his expression equally complex.
The man before him was no longer the brother who had trained swords with him in Winterfell and who had been branded a "bastard" like him.
He was the King.
He was a descendant of the Targaryen, who possessed dragons.
He was his relative, and nominally, his King.
"Rise," Aegon (Lin Hao) waved his hand, "Lord Commander, Jon. Why have you risked your lives, traversed the war zone, and come to King's Landing?"
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont stepped forward, his old face etched with solemnity and a hint of despair.
He did not speak, but merely unfastened a heavy bundle from his back.
He threw the bundle into the center of the hall.
"Bang!"
The bundle opened, and a charred, twisted, inhuman-like object rolled out.
The object could vaguely be identified as half of a human corpse.
"Your Grace!" The Lord Commander's voice was hoarse and heavy, "We found this beyond the Wall."
"We call it... 'wight.'"
"They are dead men. Dead men awakened by an ancient, evil power! They fear neither blade nor cold; they... cannot be killed!"
"Unless..."
"Unless, with fire," Jon Snow took over, his eyes gleaming with lingering fear, "Your Grace, I saw it with my own eyes! I personally burned them!"
"They... are here."
The Lord Commander looked up, his gaze almost pleading, at Aegon on the throne.
"The prophecies of the First Men are true. The Long Night is coming."
"The Others... are marching south!"
These words caused all the Northern lords present in the hall to drastically change their expressions!
They had grown up hearing tales of the "Others."
But they had always believed them to be mere stories to frighten children.
But now, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch had personally brought evidence before them!
However, Aegon (Lin Hao)'s face remained calm.
He slowly rose, descended the steps, and approached the charred remains.
"I know."
He spoke two words faintly.
Both the Lord Commander and Jon froze, looking at him incredulously.
"You... you know?"
"Of course I know." Lin Hao's eyes flashed with a profound light, one that did not belong to this world.
"The reason I wanted to seize the iron throne at all costs..."
"The reason I wanted to unify the Seven Kingdoms as quickly as possible..."
"Is because I know that our true enemy..."
His gaze passed over the hall's dome, looking towards the distant, cold North.
"Is not Lannister."
"Is not Stannis."
"It is not even those so-called 'Others' who are about to arrive."
"But rather, that winter... that is capable of destroying all life."
"So," he turned to Jon Snow, "have you come merely to tell me this news that I already know?"
"No!" Jon Snow urgently pulled another item from his embrace.
A shard of black, glass-like, sharp stone.
"Your Grace, we found this below the Fist of the First Men.'Sam,' my friend, he calls it... 'Dragon Glass.'"
"We found that this stone, like fire..."
"It... it can also kill those 'wights'!"
"Dragon Glass?!"
Lin Hao's pupils suddenly constricted!
He snatched the black shard from Jon's hand!
The moment he touched the "Dragon Glass"!
The "Dragon King's Blood" within him actually boiled!
A vast and ancient surge of fire magic, originating from ancient Valyria and sharing the same bloodline as him, roared into his body from that cold stone!
"Ding! High-purity magic energy source detected: Obsidian (Dragon Glass)!"
"'dragon king system' energy charging... 10%... 50%... 100%!"
"System upgrade! New function unlocked: Valyrian Fire!"
"Valyrian Fire: You can now infuse your 'Dragon King's Blood' into obsidian (Dragon Glass) to forge or reshape it into indestructible Valyrian steel weapons!!!"
Chapter 68 The Secret of Dragonglass and the Legacy of the Mad King
valyrian steel!!!
The system's notification, like a bolt of creation lightning, struck Lin Hao's mind!
He held the cold dragonglass, feeling the 'Dragon King's Blood' within him surge and heat up, becoming even more powerful due to the abundant energy, and a colossal wave of emotion rose in his heart!
valyrian steel!
The most mysterious, most powerful, and long-lost god-tier weapon in this world, capable of fighting the Others!
He could actually make it?
This... this was simply a super cheat, sent by the system, enough to defy fate!
He had always been troubled.
Even if he unified the Seven Kingdoms, even if he had Night Fury to assist him.
But, facing the overwhelming army of hundreds of thousands, even millions of wights, and those 'Others' who couldn't be killed by mortal fire.
He still wasn't confident of victory.
But now, it was different!
As long as he could control the 'dragonglass' mines, he could continuously produce valyrian steel weapons, enough to arm his entire army!
At that time, let alone mere 'Others'.
Even if the 'Great Other' himself arrived, he would dare to drag him down from his pedestal and burn him to ashes with dragonfire and valyrian steel!
Dragonstone...
An unprecedented, fervent greed erupted in Lin Hao's eyes!
He suddenly remembered!
In the original story, the largest known 'dragonglass' mine in Westeros was on Dragonstone!
That place, the ancestral home of House Targaryen, was currently being used by Stannis Baratheon as his last stronghold!
Stannis...
The corners of Lin Hao's mouth curved into a ruthless and cruel arc.
He had to take Dragonstone!
At all costs!
Your Majesty... Your Majesty?
Jon Snow looked at Aegon, who was holding the dragonglass, lost in thought, with a somewhat 'eerie' smile on his face, and couldn't help but feel a chill.
Oh, sorry.
Lin Hao snapped out of his ecstasy.
He put away the dragonglass and resumed his calm, kingly demeanor.
Lord Commander, Jon.
His voice became incredibly solemn.
You have brought the most valuable intelligence and hope to the kingdom.
I, Aegon Targaryen I, in the name of the Lord of the iron throne, promise you.
The Night's Watch oath will no longer be an empty promise.
From today onwards, the entire Seven Kingdoms will become your strongest backing!
I will order all royal granaries to be opened, providing you with enough food to last ten years!
I will order all my prisoners of war (Lannister surrendered soldiers) to be sent to the Wall to bolster your forces!
I will even send my best craftsmen and maesters north to the Wall to help you reinforce the ice wall and research weapons against the dead!
These 'pies' falling from the sky, one after another, made Lord Commander Jeor Mormont and Jon Snow dizzy!
Before they came, they had imagined countless possibilities.
Being treated as madmen and driven away.
Being treated as deceivers and locked up.
But they never dreamed that this Blackheart Aegonwould be so generous?!
Your Majesty... you...
The Old Bear was so moved that tears streamed down his face; he knelt down with a 'thud', "I... I represent all the brothers on the Wall, and I thank you... thank you for your benevolence!"
This is not benevolence, Lord Commander.
Lin Hao helped him up, "This is... a transaction."
I will help you guard against the 'ghosts' in the North.
And you,
his gaze turned to the sea in the south, "need to help me take down the 'god' in the South."
He turned and looked at The Spider Varys beside him.
Lord Varys.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Where is my so-called 'aunt', Daenerys Targaryen, now?
Varys's face showed a strange smile: "Reporting, Your Majesty, according to the latest news from my 'little birds'. Miss Daenerys,'Stormborn', she... she just burned several warlocks in Qarth with her three small dragons and seized a large sum of money."
Now, she is preparing... to go to Slaver's Bay to buy... an Unsullied army."
Three?
Lin Hao's eyebrow twitched slightly, "Very good."
Issue my command!
In my name, Aegon I, proclaim to the Seven Kingdomsand all the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea!
I, Aegon Targaryen, will hold an unprecedented 'Dragon Slaying Tournament' at the Dragonpit in King's Landingone month from now!
What?!!
At these words, everyone was shocked!
Robb Stark even cried out, "Your Majesty! No! Night Furyis..."
I am not going to slay Night Fury.
Lin Hao interrupted him, a devilish smile on his face.
I am going to... slay the lord of light, whom Stannis Baratheon worships as a god!
I want that witch Melisandre to witness with her own eyes!
How vulnerable her 'god' is before my 'dragon'!
I will use her blood to commemorate Renly Baratheon, who was innocently murdered by her'shadow'!
I want everyone in the world to know!
In this world, there is... only one god!
That is, me!"
Chapter 69: The End of Stannis
The news that Aegon (Lin Hao) was going to hold a "God-Slaying Assembly" in King's Landing, openly declaring war on R'hllor, the lord of light, swept across the entire continent of Westeros and even the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea like the fiercest storm.
Everyone was utterly shocked by the new king's arrogance and blasphemy!
Since the Doom of Valyria, no mortal had ever dared to so openly challenge an ancient deity!
The lords of the North were deeply worried, believing this was provoking the Old Gods.
The people of King's Landing, led by the High Septon, prayed day and night, fearing that the black heart king's blasphemous act would bring new "divine punishment" to the city, which had just endured the ravages of war.
When the news reached Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon and The Stormlands lords who had just submitted to him erupted in unprecedented fury!
"Blasphemer!"
"Arrogant liar!"
"He dares… insult our lord of light!"
In the gloomy council chamber of Dragonstone, the veins on Stannis Baratheon's somber face bulged!
The crushing defeat at Blackwater Bay had cost him everything.
He fled back to this isolated island like a stray dog, enduring the humiliation of failure and the questioning gazes of his subordinates every day.
And now, that Targaryen bastard was going to rub salt in his wounds!
"Melisandre!" He suddenly turned his head, letting out a beast-like growl at the red priestess standing by the fire, "Is this what you meant by… 'destined by fate'?! Is this the lord of light's guidance for me?!"
"My fleet is gone! My army is gone! Now, everyone in the Seven Kingdoms is mocking me, Stannis Baratheon, as a useless man who couldn't even defeat a 'false king'!"
Facing Stannis's roar, Melisandre's face remained calm, without a ripple.
Her fiery red eyes simply gazed quietly at the flickering flames in the hearth.
"Your Majesty, you must remain calm." Her voice carried a peculiar soothing power, "The darkness is only temporary. The more rampant the lord of light's enemy, the more it shows… his inner fear."
"Fear?" Stannis laughed in anger, "He is now the master of the iron throne! He has dragons! He has the North and the Riverlands! He also has… the damned dragonglass mines! He would be afraid?!"
"Yes, he is afraid." Melisandre slowly turned around, her red eyes shining terrifyingly in that moment!
"He is afraid of the true 'darkness'!"
"The reason he is so ostentatiously holding a 'God-Slaying Assembly' is not because he truly has the ability to kill the lord of light."
"It is because…" A strange curve appeared at the corner of her lips, "He wants… those 'stones' on your island."
"Dragonglass?!" Stannis instantly understood.
"Exactly." Melisandre nodded, "The sacred fire tells me that the 'false king' already knows of the existence of the Others. He also knows that only dragonglass and fire can kill those monsters."
"He is… forcing your hand."
"He knows that you are the lord of light's most devout follower. By openly insulting your faith in this way, he wants to force you to leave this strong castle and go to King's Landing to fight him to the death!"
"And King's Landing is his home ground. He has dragons, he has an army. Once you go, you will be walking into a trap."
Upon hearing this, Stannis trembled, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
He hadn't expected that young Blackheart Aegon's schemes were so deep and malicious!
This was not just an insult to him, but also a blatant ploy to force him into submission!
"Then… what should I do?" For the first time, Stannis's proud heart felt lost.
"Wait." Melisandre slowly uttered a single word.
"Wait?"
"Yes, wait." Melisandre's eyes gleamed with profound light, "He wants dragonglass, so we will give it to him."
"What?!" Stannis was both shocked and angry, "You want me to give him our only bargaining chip?!"
"No, Your Majesty. We are not 'giving' it to him."
Melisandre's face revealed a cold, snake-like smile.
"We are 'inviting' him to take it."
"Send word to Aegon Targaryen." She slowly said to Stannis.
"Tell him that you, Stannis Baratheon, are willing to set aside personal grievances for the sake of the living beings of the Seven Kingdoms."
"You are willing to offer all the 'dragonglass' on Dragonstone."
"But on one condition…"
"He must come to Dragonstone in person to meet with you."
Chapter 70: The Hongmen Banquet at Dragonstone
Stannis's "peace" letter was sent to King's Landing with the fastest possible speed.
When Aegon (Lin Hao) publicly read the contents of the letter at the Small Council meeting, the entire hall erupted in cheers of victory!
"Long live His Majesty!"
"That old stubborn Stannis has finally caved!"
"The Dragonstone Dragon Glass is ours!"
Robb Stark and Blackfish Brynden exchanged glances, a joyful smile on their faces.
If they could take down Stannis and the Dragon Glass mine without shedding blood, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.
However, amidst everyone's cheers, only Aegon (Lin Hao) and his Master of Whisperers, Varys, by his side, showed no joy on their faces.
"Your Majesty," Robb Stark stepped forward and advised, "Although Stannis is stubborn, he is also a man who 'keeps his promises.' Since he is willing to 'meet in person,' this... this might be an opportunity for us. We can..."
"Cousin Robb," Aegon (Lin Hao) slowly interrupted him.
"Do you think a proud stag, cornered and desperate, would suddenly wag its tail and beg for mercy from a vicious dragon who has just stolen everything from him?"
Robb was stunned, the joy on his face gradually freezing.
"This... this is a 'Feast at Hong Gate.'"
Varys's effeminate voice rang out opportunely.
"Stannis is not a man who easily bows his head. And the 'Red Priestess' by his side is even less likely to resolve issues 'peacefully.'"
"They are luring you away from King's Landing, away from your army."
"Then, on that isolated island of Dragonstone, they will use their dirty, incomprehensible 'magic' against you."
"Just like they dealt with Renly Baratheon!"
"Shadow!"
Blackfish Brynden suddenly remembered the chilling description that Catelyn Stark had brought back!
The hall instantly fell silent!
Fear and apprehension appeared on everyone's faces.
They were not afraid of mortal swords.
But that "shadow assassin" that could ignore armor and guards!
How... how could they defend against that?!
"Your Majesty! You cannot go!" Robb Stark was the first to kneel on one knee, "Dragonstone is a trap! You cannot put yourself in danger!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Please reconsider!"
"We can send envoys to negotiate!"
All the lords knelt, pleading with Aegon to retract his command.
However, Aegon (Lin Hao) looked at the vassals below, who were panicking because of the "unknown," and suddenly smiled.
"Magic?"
"Shadow?"
He slowly stood up, and a dragon king's pressure, darker and more tyrannical than any "shadow," erupted from him!
"Night Fury—!!!"
With his roar, an even more deafening dragon's roar came from beyond the Red Keep's dome!
"Roar—!!!!!"
The black giant dragon Night Fury descended from the sky!
Its massive body directly shattered the stained-glass windows of the throne room!
"Boom—!"
Amidst everyone's terrified screams, it landed steadily behind Aegon (Lin Hao)!
Its lava-like dragon eyes coldly looked down at the mortals kneeling on the ground below.
"Before absolute 'power,'"
Aegon (Lin Hao) slowly walked down the steps, coming before the vassals who were already trembling with fear.
"All conspiracies, all schemes, and even so-called 'magic'—"
"Are nothing but..."
"Worthless!"
He turned and looked at Varys.
"Reply to Stannis Baratheon."
"Tell him."
"I accept his 'invitation.'"
"In three days, I will 'personally' go to Dragonstone to take what rightfully belongs to me!"
Not only would he go, but he would also, in front of everyone in the world, use the most overbearing and unreasonable "power" to crush Stannis and his "lord of light's" last, pathetic illusion!
He wanted everyone to see clearly who truly ruled this world!