night.
late at night.
On the main street of Earl Harlowe, a lone rider slowly makes his way out of town.
Hooves clattering!
A fine horse, armor, and a conspicuous, ferocious dog helmet on the knight's head.
On the walls lining both sides of the street, every ten steps there was a torch. Beneath each torch stood a man in a golden robe, holding a long spear.
Golden Robes: A distinctive robe feature of the King's Landing garrison, distinguishing it from the cloaks of any other army.
None of the golden-robed men maintaining order in the town stepped forward to stop the lone rider general.
The centurions wisely turned a blind eye.
This man is not to be trifled with; he is the Queen's most trusted First Guard Captain, in charge of the Queen's five hundred red-robed guards.
His dog helmet was famous; everyone in the Golden Robes knew it.
Sandor Clegane's iconic helmet, unique to him and nowhere else.
The hoof of the lone hunting dog pounded on the silent street, shattering the tranquility.
This is very incongruous.
The town of Harroway, where the king resides, is under martial law, and no one is allowed to wander out after midnight.
However, there are always exceptions.
The hunting dogs obeyed Her Majesty the Queen, but not the Golden Robe Guards who roamed the capital with impunity.
The Golden Robe Guard, feared by all, was never taken seriously by the Hounds.
The Hound was one of the few generals who could freely enter and leave the private courtyard of the King and Queen's bedroom without having to wear a white or gold robe.
Golden-robed soldiers with long spears stood solemnly every ten steps down the street, as if they were being patrolled by hunting dogs.
The hunting dog rode its horse at a leisurely pace along the town's main street and arrived outside the town.
Outside the town was a similarly brightly lit camp.
These camps are numerous and varied!
Some were the camps of courtiers who had followed the king back to court, such as the camp of Count Saloth of the West; some were the camps of local nobles who had come to pay homage to the king; some were the camps of soldiers in gold and red robes; and the camps of the royal courtiers who had only arrived in town tonight were also here.
Outside the camp, a campfire burned, and some soldiers in golden robes, who were on guard duty, sat around the fire, chatting and laughing in hushed tones, making jokes about women.
The hound's tall figure stood out in the night.
The smiles of the soldiers in golden robes beside the campfire came to an abrupt halt!
The hound rode slowly to the camp marked by the Western Golden Lion Banner and the Three Dogs Banner.
Outside the camp, four soldiers were on guard duty.
The four soldiers watched as the hunting dogs slowly approached, then stood up simultaneously, their hands on their sword hilts.
The hound approached the four soldiers, one of whom said, "Who is the general who has come? Please stop!"
The hound's mask was not lowered.
At night, lowering the mask greatly obstructs vision.
The mask has only one narrow slit that allows you to see your face from the front, and an even narrower, downward-sloping slit at the mouth and nose that is not visible from the front, allowing you to breathe.
The Hound said calmly, "Call Demon Mountain out. I'll be waiting for him at Ruby Beach!"
After saying this, he reined in his warhorse, gave it a soft shout, and the horse trotted off toward Ruby Beach.
A moment later, the Mountain emerged from the tent, not wearing his heavy armor.
The armor of the Demon Mountain was too heavy for two ordinary soldiers to lift.
If a soldier can lift 100 jin (50 kg) without any problem, and two soldiers cannot lift it, then his armor must weigh at least 200 jin (100 kg).
Pure, massive plate armor! Take it off and you're just a pile of heavy iron!
A person who can wear over 200 pounds of clothing and still nimbly wield a sword to kill enemies, dodge and jump—his strength is beyond what ordinary people can imagine!
The phrase "a thousand pounds of divine strength" is insufficient to describe his formidable power.
Mounting the Demon Mountain, clad in leather armor, and wielding a two-handed greatsword.
Of the seven kingdoms, the Greatsword of the Demon Mountain is ranked number one.
This "first" has two meanings: first is length; other knights' two-handed greatswords, such as the greatsword of the Imperial Enforcer Ilyn Payne, are too long and can only be carried on their backs at an angle, and the length of those swords is only about 1.5 meters.
And the Greatsword of the Demon Mountain is two meters long! The longest sword in the Seven Kingdoms!
Second: The Mountain's greatsword weighs at least twice as much as the other heaviest greatswords.
A two-handed greatsword must be wielded with both hands, requiring extremely strong arm strength!
But the Mountain was an exception. He wielded the heaviest greatsword in the Seven Kingdoms with one hand, as lightly as a cleaver. If you removed his hundreds of pounds of plate armor, which was like a tortoise shell, he could probably wield such a heavy sword all day without getting tired. Because he was wielding it with one hand, his attack range was vast, unmatched by anyone in the Seven Kingdoms.
Mounting his horse on Demon Mountain, he rode alone towards Ruby Beach.
He rode on a tall horse, but it looked like he was riding a toy horse. His legs seemed to be touching the ground.
His huge, heavy oak shield covered in iron was of no use.
He wasn't wearing a flat-topped helmet either!
The hounds are fully equipped with plate armor, shields, and helmets!
*
The river outside Ruby Beach shimmered, resembling a giant silver ribbon under the bright moonlight.
The Hound and the Mountain faced each other.
"I'm here!" said the Demon Mountain.
"You're not wearing a helmet?" the hound said.
"Better visibility!" the Mountain said casually, "especially at night."
"You didn't bring a shield?"
"I don't defend!" said the Mountain. "My defense is offense. Offense, offense, and more offense until the enemy falls!"
The Hound felt a chill; the Mountain was clearly different now.
The Mountain would never have gone without his shield before, and he certainly wouldn't have said something like that. He was used to glaring, roaring, raging, and attacking relentlessly.
The Mountain is not a rational person, and it is difficult for him to calm down! He is easily angered, violent, and out of control; these are his weaknesses.
But he was very calm tonight!
"You're not wearing armor!"
"My armor is very heavy, weighing hundreds of pounds. Although it provides a very safe tortoise shell, tortoises are the slowest and most energy-consuming creatures. What I need to be is an agile rabbit. Hound, be careful tonight. My only method is a swift attack. Faster, faster, even faster! Speed is the only way to win!"
The hound's heart sank.
He knew he couldn't fight the Mountain head-on, so his tactic was to wear down the Mountain's strength, make him tired and slow down, and make him unable to wield his sword. Then he would stab the Mountain's elbow and leg joints and kill him.
"In a duel where there is no need for defense, shields and armor are cumbersome. A sword fight between two people is not a battlefield confrontation, so I don't need to worry about stray arrows!" the Mountain said.
The Mountain's words shattered the Hound's carefully planned tactics!
Shatter!
The hound slowly took off his dog helmet, which was very heavy. He had been wearing it all the way from his dwelling to Ruby Beach, and his neck was already slightly sore.
Dog helmets look fierce and imposing, and offer excellent protection, but they're also a huge lump of iron, with the weight pressing down on the neck.
The hound threw his helmet far away, and the night breeze made him feel a sense of ease in his breathing and neck.
The Mountain said, "What, you're not using a helmet either?"
"This way, the view is better, and breathing is easier!"
"indeed!"
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The hound began to remove its breastplate, a single, incredibly heavy piece of steel!
"You're not wearing plate armor?" the Mountain asked.
"I want to make myself faster. Although the tortoise shell protects my body, it will slow me down by half."
"Do you need my help?"
"Need not!"
The hound removed the plate armor from its chest, back, shoulders, and belly, and threw it on the ground.
He then took the shield hanging from the saddle and threw it far away.
"You don't use a shield either?" the Mountain asked.
"My only strategy tonight is attack, a rapid attack, a relentless attack. You need to be careful!"
"That's right, the best way to defend is to attack. Against fast-paced offensive tactics, carrying a shield is actually a hindrance."
"Tonight, only one of us can go back," the Hound said calmly.
"Do you think it will be you or me?" the Mountain laughed.
The hound remained silent.
He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword!
The Mountain immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
The hound didn't draw its sword!
The Mountain stared at the Hound, his fierce aura surging forth, unstoppable, but he did not draw his sword.
The Hound said in a deep voice, "Mountain, I want to ask you something about family matters."
"I'm listening!" The Mountain's voice was deep and powerful, brimming with killing intent.
"Did you kill your father?"
"..."
"Did you kill your younger sister?"
"..."
A gentle night breeze blows, the bright moon hangs high, and the silvery river flows slowly.
The Hound said calmly, "I know, Mountain. It is a deep shame that I share the same surname as scum like you. Tonight, you will surely die, for the sake of Father and Little Sister! After you die, I will not bring your head back to Clegane Keep. I will throw your head into the Trident River and leave your body in the wilderness to be fed to wild dogs and wolves. I swear in the name of the Seven Gods."
choke!
The hound drew its longsword.
A gleaming sword reflects the moonlight, as clear as autumn water!
What a sharp sword!
choke!
The Demon Mountain's greatsword was drawn, a gleaming sword that reflected the moonlight like autumn water.
A sword just as sharp!
"Hound, I have something to say."
"explain!"
"That's all in the past, and I can't change it."
"snort!"
But we can look forward together!
"Hmph! Have you finished speaking?"
"not yet!"
"explain!"
"You are no match for me!" The Mountain roared suddenly, his voice like thunder, as wild as a galloping horse. As he roared, he kicked the spurs hard, the sharp edges of which pierced the horse's body, blood spurting out. The warhorse, in excruciating pain, charged forward like a whirlwind, heading straight for the hounds.
A surprise attack! A very underhanded surprise attack!
It happened so fast!
Before the Mountain's roar was even finished, the man had already pounced on the Hound.
"Despicable!" the Hound roared, a chill running down his spine. He should have been constantly on guard against the Mountain's sudden attack. The Mountain was a scoundrel with no honor whatsoever!
The Hound gripped his sword with both hands, staring intently at the Mountain, having lost all initiative!
His fast-paced offensive tactics were once again shattered! He couldn't even launch a simultaneous counter-attack!
The Mountain was still outside the Hound's attack range, but in the blink of an eye, the greatsword that struck fear into the hearts of the warriors of the Seven Kingdoms suddenly appeared in front of the Hound and slashed fiercely at the Hound's chest!
Everything happened so fast!
Speed is the only way to win!