Safety in numbers, fearlessness in arrogance!
The bald mercenary grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. Instead of shrinking back, he spat even more arrogantly. "What now, little iron bastard? Let's see who's seeking death?"
"You."
Euron's answer was a single word, yet it was more biting than glacial ice.
In the instant before his voice faded, blade light flashed like a venomous snake!
No one saw how he drew his swords. They only heard two almost simultaneous, tooth-aching tearing sounds, followed by erupted screams of agony. The two nearest mercenaries had just gripped their sword hilts when their hands fell to the muddy ground along with their weapons, blood spurting wildly from severed wrists.
Almost in the same breath, Euron's figure swirled like a ghost before the bald mercenary. The mockery on the mercenary's face hadn't even faded before it froze forever—a cold arc of light swept across his neck.
A second later, that head covered in greasepaint and a shocked expression left the body, rolling onto the ground. The headless torso stood stiffly for a moment before collapsing heavily, blood gushing from the neck cavity, dyeing the ground beneath red.
Euron didn't care about the warm blood splattered on his face. He reached out and pulled the terrified, blood-spattered girl over, gently pushing her toward safety. His voice was unquestionable: "Go!"
[Conqueror's Haki] Activated!
The bloodstained twin swords, Oto and Kogarashi, were flicked lightly by Euron. Drops of crimson blood drew two sharp arcs, splattering onto the sand with a pat, leaving shocking dark red marks.
Euron stood proudly among the corpses, a cold flame burning in his single eye. His voice exploded like thunder: "Those who insult the Iron Islands, die!"
The mercenaries of the Brave Companions were thoroughly overwhelmed by this terrifying aura. Each face turned pale, cold sweat pouring down. Though they held weapons, their hands trembled uncontrollably, and their feet involuntarily shuffled backward, as if facing not a human, but a terrifying existence crawling out of the deep sea.
The crowd parted slowly. A tall, lanky man with a sparse goat's beard strode out. Around his neck hung a necklace strung with various coins—each from a battlefield he had trodden or a city he had plundered. Drool dripped uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, his voice muddy and distorted when he spoke.
Vargo Hoat, Commander of the "Brave Companions," known as "The Goat."
"Such... big talk, Little Kraken..." Vargo Hoat spluttered, saliva flying. "Just for a wine-delivering smelly whore... you dare kill my men of the Brave Companions?"
"If I killed them, I killed them. Like slaughtering chickens or butchering dogs. Who they are doesn't matter. Those who insult the Iron Islands, die!" Euron's voice was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Just... just for that phrase 'little iron bastard'?" Vargo laughed strangely, cruel light flashing in his muddy eyes.
"Say it again," Euron's voice was low as the coming winter. "And I will wipe the Brave Companions from existence..."
Vargo Hoat grinned, revealing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. Suddenly, he shouted harshly, "Cut off his limbs! I want him to watch with his eyes wide open... how we entertain this 'Greyjoy girl'! Little... Iron... Bastard!"
Euron laughed loudly as he met the oncoming forest of blades. Instead of retreating, he crashed into the enemy ranks like a black whirlwind. His twin swords turned into two deadly silver arcs, churning up a rain of blood within the crowd.
His figure became eerie and unpredictable, like a piece of paper fluttering in a gale [Kami-e], always dodging deadly slashes by a hair's breadth at incredible angles. Occasionally, attacks that couldn't be fully dodged landed on him, but they only made dull clang sounds, as if striking a reef. Even if they tore through his tough chainmail, the defense of [Tekkai] meant the blades could only leave a white mark on his skin, unable to harm him in the slightest.
In his eyes was only the retreating Vargo Hoat. Every step forward trod on the corpses of Brave Companions members; every swing brought forth wretched screams. Finally, he closed in on his target.
A tall mercenary captain crossed his twin swords, roaring as he tried to block.
But Euron's right sword chopped down fiercely with the force to split mountains—[Dragon-Slaying Slash]! The moment the blades collided, a tooth-aching cracking sound rang out—the mercenary's twin swords were severed simultaneously!
And Euron's sword momentum didn't pause in the slightest. Carrying destructive, terrifying power, it continued to fall, from head to chest and abdomen—splitting the brawny man, along with his broken swords, straight in half! Blood and internal organs exploded outward, a gruesome sight to the extreme.
Now it was a fight to the death, with no retreat!
The bandits of the Brave Companions let out bloodthirsty roars, surging from all directions like a tide, hatred flashing in their eyes.
"We have numbers! Kill this Ironborn and avenge our brothers!"
Facing the surging enemy, a cruel arc curled on Euron's lips. Instead of retreating, he advanced. Twin swords flipped in his hands, creating two bright silver arcs like two sharks leaping from a tsunami, plunging fiercely into the bloody human tide.
The first slash struck out, precisely parrying an oncoming longsword. The other sword struck out like a viper, drawing a fine red line across an opponent's throat. The man's eyes widened; before he could even scream, he crashed to the ground.
Euron's steps never ceased, weaving and turning within the Brave Companions. Every step trod the rhythm of death; every dodge was just right; every parry was accompanied by a fatal counterattack. The twin swords seemed to possess life in his hands—sometimes fierce as a storm, sometimes treacherous as a deep-sea undercurrent.
A burly man raised a battle axe and pounced. Euron sidestepped the fatal blow. His left sword, Oto, flicked upward diagonally, accurately slicing open the armor gap under the armpit. His right sword, Kogarashi, whirled with the momentum, severing the wrist of an attacker from behind at the root.
Amidst screams, Euron spun away. Blade light flashed, and another fountain of blood soared into the sky.
This was a dance of death.
Euron's figure drifted unpredictably amidst the flash of blades and shadows of swords. Wherever he passed, heads rolled and severed limbs flew. Blood sprayed like rain, reflecting eerie luster under the setting sun. The ground was soon paved with corpses, yet Euron maintained his offensive rhythm, not retreating half a step.
Twin swords hung at his sides, blood dripping from the tips, making clear ticking sounds in the silence. Euron stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, like a god of war walking out of ancient legends.
Vargo Hoat's eyes were bloodshot. In a short time, nearly half his brothers were dead. He hissed, "He's... out of strength! Kill him!"
At this moment!
The thunderous sound of hooves and roars swept in from both sides. Two squads of fierce men and horses arrived like a torrent of steel, ruthlessly cutting into the fray.
On the left, a squad held high a banner of a white bone hand on a red field—House Drumm of Old Wyk had arrived. Dunstan Drumm took the lead, the legendary Valyrian steel sword "Red Rain" in his hand rippling with dark red patterns under the sunlight, flesh and blood flying wherever he passed. On the right, the black hydra on a silver field of House Goodbrother of Great Wyk fluttered angrily in the wind. Donnor Saltcliffe led his men to bite the enemy's flank like vipers.
Further back, a banner of black and green patterns marked that House Blacktyde of Blacktyde had also joined the battle. Baelor Blacktyde's battle axe swung with a chill like the deep sea.
"Kill them all! Leave none alive!" Euron's voice was cold, containing unquestionable majesty.
Seeing this, the mercenaries of the Brave Companions, already terrified by Euron, collapsed completely and scattered in flight.
However, a golden flash passed—a captain of the Golden Company unhesitatingly decapitated a Brave Companion member fleeing toward him.
This slaughter began suddenly and ended just as swiftly. Hundreds of Brave Companions mercenaries were completely wiped out within tens of minutes under the pincer attack of the Ironborn. The sand was strewn with mutilated corpses.
Finally, Dunstan Drumm hauled Vargo Hoat by the neck and threw him heavily onto the sand at Euron's feet like a sack of rags.
Euron looked down at "The Goat," who was limp as mud but still grinning. His voice carried the chill of the deep sea. "Now, do you know what kind of people the Iron Islands are?"
Vargo Hoat didn't avoid that terrifying gaze. Instead, he spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, a raspy "hehe" laughter coming from his throat. Surprisingly, there was not a shred of fear in his muddy eyes.
Euron was not moved by this bit of toughness. His left hand, holding the famed sword "Oto," swept lightly like a cold bolt of lightning. In the next second, that head, still wearing a twisted smile, rolled onto the ground, blood quickly seeping into the sand.
Bathed in blood, Euron didn't forget to turn around and give a smile—made terrifying by the blood—to the Golden Company captain who had acted. "Thanks for the help."
The Golden Company captain laughed heartily, flicking blood beads from his sword. "Scum like this bring shame to us mercenaries!" His gaze swept over the mess on the ground, and he said seriously, "I just wanted to let everyone know that not all mercenaries are as low as them."
Euron nodded to him but didn't reply.
Ashara and Tyrion nervously pulled him away to leave the scene as quickly as possible.
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