The city of Branded is high and thick-walled, resembling a giant, armored tortoise. Count Leo of Goldtooth City is the giant hammer that the Mountain brought to break the tortoise's armor.
Even if Count Leo realizes something along the way and refuses to cooperate with the Mountain, it's beyond his control.
That's right, The Mountain will definitely force Count Leo to open the gates of Branded City.
They rested at the source of the Tengshi River so they could reach this place at night. Under the cover of darkness, the Mountain could better conceal its enormous size. Even if Count Leo hadn't suggested entering Branded City to rest and avoid meeting Count Damon, the Mountain would have forced him to!
*
Count Leo stared in disbelief as the Mountain brandished his greatsword and charged straight at Count Damon.
By the time he realized what was happening, Clegane's twenty-two riders had already swept across the drawbridge like a whirlwind and stormed into Branded City.
With only twenty-two riders, under the leadership of Demon Mountain, they displayed the momentum of two hundred and twenty, two thousand two hundred, and twenty thousand two thousand men.
With overwhelming momentum!
The Mountain charged in like a galloping horse, and Count Damon was so terrified that he almost fell off his horse.
The Earl's guards were completely unprepared. When they saw the Demon Mountain appear, the sound was like thunder. They were all terrified, and several warhorses were frightened and ran around wildly, causing the formation to fall apart immediately.
When the Demon Mountain charged at Count Damon like a ferocious tiger, Count Damon and his horse were still circling in place.
The effect of creating chaos in the team is really powerful!
Several guards, knowing they were no match for the Demon Mountain, still risked their lives to come and resist.
Just as one man drew his longsword and his warhorse charged towards Demon Mountain, a small arrow pierced his throat, and he collapsed. Demon Mountain, with a single sword stroke, cleaved the frightened, charging warhorse in two.
The sound of whistling arrows filled the air as black arrows whizzed past. The three knights screamed in agony as they were thrown from their horses and fell dead to the ground.
Julie Clegane's adopted daughter's crossbow is a great weapon for close-quarters combat during night raids.
Count Damon was terrified!
He finally turned his horse around. It didn't take long, just a few breaths, but it felt like a hundred years. His guards, after the initial panic, were now determined to die to intercept the demonic mountain—a humanoid beast that seemed to have emerged from the primordial wilderness!
With the Demon Mountain Greatsword sweeping wildly, the combined length of the sword and his arm reached an attack range of over three meters. The heavy two-handed sword in his hands was like a small knife, wielded with ease. The sword light flashed like lightning, showing no mercy. Those who stood in its way were invincible, and he instantly killed five people.
Two startled horses charged toward the drawbridge, but were knocked off by the Demon Mountain's punch and kick, crashing into the moat and creating huge splashes.
The dozens of garrison soldiers on the city wall stared in disbelief, their bodies stiff as if they had been subjected to a black magic spell, unable to move.
This scene unfolded suddenly and unexpectedly. Most of the soldiers on the city wall had just woken up from their sleep and were stunned by the sudden turn of events.
After all, sixteen years of peace without war, who would be serious about defending the city? None of the soldiers guarding the city gates of Branding City had the mindset or psychological preparation for war.
The Demon Mountain killed one by one, two by two, with wild sweeping and slashing. Count Damon was so frightened that his hands trembled and his whole body went limp. He could no longer care about anyone or anything, and he spurred his horse to gallop. Suddenly, it felt like he had been hit in the back with a heavy hammer. Everything went black, and then he felt a great force lifting him into the air. The feeling of weightlessness terrified him to the extreme. The ground was getting farther and farther away, and the cold night wind filled his mouth, eyes and nose.
The threat of death was so real, so close.
Does the Demon Mountain really dare to kill me?
How is that possible?
If I had known the Mountain was truly capable of murder, I certainly wouldn't have insisted on taking those plots of land from Westerling.
However, there is no going back in life.
Count Damon was so terrified and filled with regret that he fainted before he even landed in the air.
Medically speaking, when a person is in extreme fear, their body will automatically activate a self-protective mechanism: fainting.
Fainting is a form of apparent death.
boom!
Count Damon fell to the ground and crashed heavily onto the street.
Fortunately, he faked his death in the air, so when he landed, he felt no pain and was spared from suffering.
*
Count Leo stood motionless in the night, standing before the drawbridge over the moat.
The scene he had just witnessed was etched into his mind.
A pack of ferocious Cleganes seized the drawbridge, swords and bows raised, cutting down the Earl's dozen or so guards and the city's defenders like butter. Some soldiers didn't even have time to draw their swords before being pierced in the throat by arrows. Many more knights and soldiers were forced into battle without even wearing helmets or armor, and were hacked down by Dunson, Pollifer, and Big-Headed Chiswick. Blood and limbs flew everywhere, and screams echoed through the river.
A horrific scene of massacre.
Count Leo had heard the sound of a knife cutting through bone many times; that tooth-grinding, stomach-churning sound was truly unique compared to other sounds.
These people are really ruthless. Every time they strike, it's as if they're cutting down a blood feud.
Just as the Earl was about to escape on horseback, the Mountain grabbed Big Head Chiswick, who was chopping people up beside him, and with a roar threw Chiswick away. Chiswick flew over like a compressed spring and knocked the Earl off his horse.
The Mountain is ruthless to the people of Branded City, and just as ruthless to his own people, he actually did such a thing!
Look at these people, they're no different from the ruthless bandits who massacred the city.
Is the Mountain really going to kill Count Damon?
The Earl of Damon is Tywin Lannister's cousin. Half of Tywin Lannister's blood is from the Earl of Damon's family.
Count Leo stared in disbelief, his eyes bulging as if frozen in place by dark magic.
Waaaaah!
Soldiers on the city wall sounded the bugle call signaling an enemy attack.
Then, the bugle call for an enemy attack sounded in the city, north, west and east.
Throughout the city, countless dogs barked, and all sorts of sounds rang out loudly.
The city of Branding usually has a garrison of over a thousand men, but once the enemy's attack horn is sounded, it can quickly assemble three thousand troops.
Count Leo listened to the chaotic cacophony of voices converging in the city, and found himself unable to think or move, his body ice-cold.
*
Bighead Chiswick rolled over and got up from the ground, and The Mountain was already rushing in front of him: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing!" Chiswick grinned, his face and body covered in splattered blood, looking like a demon from hell.
Like a god, the Mountain swept past Chiswick and picked up the unconscious Count Damon.
"Who's injured? Speak up!" Demon Mountain said in a deep voice.
No one answered.
Perhaps someone is hurt, but no one answers.
All that could be heard was the sound of rapid breathing mixed with the heavy stench of blood.
Twenty-two blood-soaked figures, each with eyes as bright as wild beasts, their expressions distorted by extreme excitement!
"It's good that no one is hurt!" the Mountain said, then roared, "Adam Marbrand! I am the Mountain, and you get out here!"
A thunderous voice echoed through the city of Branding, reverberating far down the streets in the night: Adam Malbran, get out here, get out here, come out…