When the royal herald announced the start of the semifinals, the atmosphere in the entire jousting arena became eerie.
Jaime Lannister.
That name itself represented the pinnacle of knightly skill in Westeros.
His opponent, however, was just an unknown Black Knight who had barely clawed his way here through various dirty tricks and sheer dumb luck.
This wasn't a duel at all.
The outcome was already decided.
Jaime Lannister gracefully mounted his horse.
His golden armor reflected the dazzling sunlight of the afternoon, making him look like a god descended from the heavens.
He didn't even wear his helmet, simply tying his brilliant golden hair back casually.
A hint of boredom played on his handsome face.
He looked at the figure completely encased in black iron at the other end of the track, his gaze like that of someone looking at a dead prey.
On the high platform, Littlefinger's expression had returned to normal.
He held his wine glass, looking at the ridiculously high odds on his betting table, completely at ease.
Now that Loras's biggest opponent, the Mountain, had been eliminated, and although some people bet on Jaime, the outcome was already decided.
Jaime was slightly less skilled in mounted combat than Loras, so Loras had a high probability of winning the final victory.
As for Lynn, the odds were ridiculously high.
Littlefinger didn't even consider Lynn a threat; his previous performance was simply unbearable to watch, and he didn't believe Lynn could maintain his previous good luck against Jaime.
The game, it was time for it to end.
He was even too lazy to look at Lynn, instead turning his gaze to the House Stark viewing stand.
He wanted to enjoy the marvelous expression on Ned Stark's face when their hero was skewered by the Golden Lion's lance.
Lynn sat quietly on the Shire horse, "Storm."
He could hear the whispers from the audience.
"Poor crow, he's going to lose."
"Lord Jaime will skewer him, horse and all!"
Lynn's heart remained calm.
He simply slowly raised the lance in his hand.
At that moment, everyone noticed that his grip on the lance had changed!
It was no longer the clumsy, stiff way he held it in the previous two matches.
His arms, wrists, and lower back, along with the warhorse beneath him, formed perfect lines.
The black plate armor, which had seemed somewhat heavy on him before, now appeared to merge with his body as he straightened his posture.
Man and horse exuded a sense of cold, hard, yet fluid power.
In the Tyrell viewing stand, Loras Tyrell's smile suddenly froze.
That posture... that angle of holding the lance... He abruptly stood up, staring intently at Lynn in the arena, his eyes filled with disbelief.
That was his unique technique!
It was the most suitable way for him to exert force, one he had discovered through arduous training in Highgarden!
How did this crow from the Wall know about it?!
How was this possible?
"Begin!"
Robert's roar fell.
The horn blast echoed through the sky.
Jaime Lannister didn't even spur his warhorse immediately; he was still savoring the feeling of being the center of attention.
However, the black figure opposite him moved instantly!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The thick hooves of the Shire horse, "Storm," pounded heavily on the ground with each step, emitting a muffled thud like war drums!
That wasn't a charge.
That was a localized earthquake!
Jaime's expression finally changed.
He felt the overwhelming and unreasonable pressure rushing towards him!
He immediately squeezed his horse's flanks, urging his white steed forward to meet it.
Gold and black.
Two streaks of light rapidly approached each other under everyone's gaze!
A fierce glint flashed in Jaime's eyes; the long lance in his hand was as steady as a mountain, accurately thrusting towards Lynn's chest.
He intended to end this farce with a single thrust!
However, just as the two horses were about to cross paths!
Lynn secretly activated his Ice Magic.
Jaime felt a chill run through his body, and his movements seemed to stiffen.
"What's happening?"
And at this critical moment, Lynn's body subtly dipped, an amplitude almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
"Bang—!!!"
A thunderous crash seemed to explode in everyone's ears!
Jaime's long lance struck Lynn's shield.
However, the expected scene of overwhelming destruction did not occur.
Jaime only felt as if the tip of his lance had struck an immovable city wall!
A violently powerful force, beyond imagination, surged back along the lance shaft!
"Crack!"
His proud knight's shield instantly shattered before that brutal force!
"Pfft!"
A tearing pain shot through Jaime's right arm, which held the lance; his tiger's mouth was instantly split, and blood soaked through the gaps in his gauntlet!
His hand trembled uncontrollably... The warhorse beneath him also let out a mournful cry.
It was knocked back repeatedly by the terrifying impact, almost collapsing on the spot!
But Lynn was completely unharmed.
With 9 points of strength, except for some special races or those with extraordinary talents, he was almost at the peak of ordinary humans.
Plus the unpredictable Ice Magic.
Even the Mountain, Lynn was confident he could toy with him to his death!
The first round ended.
Lynn's figure on horseback was as steady as a mountain, without even a trace of movement.
Jaime Lannister, however, was in a sorry state.
He had underestimated his opponent.
Lynn's previous performance had actually misled him.
That's why he was caught off guard and suffered a huge loss.
His current condition was extremely poor.
The entire jousting arena fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was dumbfounded, their minds completely blank.
What had they just seen?
The Golden Lion!
One of the strongest knights in the Seven Kingdoms!
In the first charge, he was utterly crushed head-on by a crow from the Wall?
On the high platform.
Littlefinger's wine glass hung in mid-air, the smile on his face completely frozen, his eyes filled with absurdity and shock.
"Well done, Ser Lynn!"
Prince Joffrey excitedly leaped up.
He roared wildly, his face flushed crimson.
He felt no regret whatsoever about his "uncle's" defeat.
King Robert even stood up directly from his chair.
An unprecedented light burst forth from his cloudy eyes, and he cursed incessantly.
"Well done!"
"Damn the Lannisters!"
All the Lannisters present had grim expressions.
The King's words humiliated them.
But since the assassination was linked to Cersei, they could only swallow their resentment, their dissatisfaction with Robert growing even stronger.
Ned Stark clutched the armrest of his chair tightly.
He looked at the black figure in the arena, his heart pounding.
He finally understood.
Hiding his true abilities.
From the very beginning, Lynn had been hiding his true abilities!
He had fooled everyone!
Even he himself had been deceived at first!
"No... impossible..."
"How could he?"
Loras Tyrell slumped back into his chair, his mind dazed.
Beside him, Margaery's beautiful eyes sparkled with an inexplicable light.
No girl could resist a powerful knight.
She was no exception.
However, she quickly regained her composure.
Good feelings aside, she was a woman who aspired to climb to a high position.
Bringing benefits to her family, that was her goal.
"Again!"
Jaime Lannister's roar, suppressing his rage, came from the other end of the track.
He threw away his shattered shield, put on his helmet, and replaced his lance with a new one, daring not to show any contempt!
His handsome face was slightly twisted with humiliation and sharp pain, and his gaze towards Lynn was full of fighting spirit!
The second charge!
This time, despite his injury, Jaime exerted his full strength as much as possible!
The golden figure was like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky!
Lynn also met him.
Still with that unreasonable posture!
His nine points of strength attribute were pushed to their limit at this moment!
"Bang—!!!"
Another deafening crash!
Wood splinters flew!
This time, Lynn's lance struck first!
Before Jaime's long lance could touch him, it accurately slammed into Jaime's chest!
No skill.
No flashiness.
Only power that crushed everything!
Jaime Lannister felt as if he had been hit head-on by a charging mammoth!
His golden plate armor let out a groan of protest, and his breastplate visibly caved inward!
His proud body could no longer maintain balance on horseback.
He was instantly ripped from his horse, like a stone flung from a trebuchet!
"Bang—!"
The golden figure arced through the air in a clumsy trajectory, then crashed heavily into the muddy ground, covered in horse dung and blood.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone's breath hitched at that moment.
They watched the golden figure struggling to get up in the mud, only to fall back down weakly.
Then they looked at the knight still sitting steadily atop the black Shire horse, like a black demon god.
The whole arena erupted!
After a brief silence, there was a tumultuous roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami!
"Black Knight! Black Knight!"
"He won! He actually defeated Jaime!"
Cheers and screams merged into a massive wave of sound!
But there were no more jeers.
On the high platform, Petyr Baelish slumped onto his chair with a "thud."
His face, which always wore a playful smile, suddenly lost all its color, becoming paler than a dead man's.
He was insane.
No, he was going insane!
He was about to lose.
As soon as Lynn won the final.
Then he would lose utterly, lose everything he owned!
The rules were set by him, the Master of Coin, personally.
And all the gamblers in King's Landing had witnessed this astonishing reversal.
He was the one who tried to use clever tricks to accumulate wealth, and he was the one who would try to renege on his debts in the end.
If he really dared to do that, his reputation as Master of Coin would be utterly ruined.
Petyr felt truly unable to voice his grievances.
Lynn slowly removed his helmet, ignoring the deafening cheers around him, and didn't look at the disheveled "Kingslayer" on the ground.
His gaze, passing over the noisy crowd, fell precisely on the distraught and ashen-faced figure on the high platform.
Littlefinger, you're really finished.
"Next up, the Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell!"
"Against—"
"The unnamed Black Knight from the wall
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898