The Mountain ducked, and the Hound's longsword missed its mark.
His massive oak shield, almost as tall as an adult, resembled a door, protecting the Mountain behind it. However, the crowd gasped in alarm, many shouting – "Watch out!"
With a loud clang, the Mountain was struck hard on the left arm by the Hound's sword, sparks flying. A terrible crack appeared in the heavy armor.
After successfully striking, the hound immediately rolled backward to avoid being pursued by the Mountain.
"Good!" Prince Joffrey and the others shouted.
The Hound's thrust was just a feint. By the time the Mountain ducked and hid behind his shield, the Hound had already dodged to the Mountain's left. In a fight, the Hound's right side was the Mountain's left side, which gave the Hound a significant advantage in dodging and attacking.
The Hound's sword is in his right hand, while the Mountain's shield is in his left.
The Hound feinted with his sword, then dodged to the right, appearing to the left of the Mountain. His longsword flashed like lightning, striking the Mountain's left arm squarely.
The sword strike was swift and fierce, with a flash of cold light, sparks flying, and a deafening roar.
The Mountain's arm armor was extremely thick, his plate armor was made of reinforced steel plates, but under the Hound's full-force strike, a terrible gash was still opened.
As the hunting dog landed and rolled away, a roar of cheers erupted from the entire audience!
Prince Joffrey was overjoyed, and Queen Cersei's stiff expression immediately softened, her eyes showing relief. She extended two long, slender, snow-white fingers, picked up a grape, and elegantly placed it between her red lips.
The Mountain glanced at the tear in his left arm armor, unconcerned. Beneath the plate armor, he wore soft armor lined with leather; this wasn't specifically for protecting against the hounds, but rather what he normally wore.
After cutting through the plate armor, you still need to cut through the soft armor and tear through the leather before you can hurt the Mountain's skin.
The Mountain's soft armor was a chainmail custom-made by Master Tob Mort, and this type of soft armor was extremely strong and durable. The knights' gauntlets, because they needed to be worn on the hands while maintaining finger dexterity, were all made of the same type of soft armor. However, in terms of quality, they couldn't compare to the Mountain's soft armor.
Master Tob Mort's craftsmanship is unparalleled in the Seven Kingdoms. The soft armor he meticulously crafted for his lord is of such high quality that it is currently the only one of its kind in the Seven Kingdoms.
"Hound, not strong enough!" The Mountain said casually.
For the Hound to wound the Mountain, it needs to strike twice in the same spot!
This is an extremely difficult task, requiring the hunting dog to have extraordinary luck.
It's not that the Demon Mountain can't go fast, it's that he doesn't want to go fast!
He has his own tactics!
The Hound stared at the Mountain, feinting with his first strike before landing a direct hit on the second, which gave him the courage and confidence to win. However, the Mountain's steel plates, as had already been verified, were indeed far too thick.
Meanwhile, Eddard Stark, Jaime Lannister, Ser Barristan Selmy the Bold, and other masters were startled, their eyes sharpening as they stared at the Mountain with strange expressions.
Because the Mountain did not fly into a rage!
The hounds feigned an attack, causing the Mountain to duck and dodge. The surprise attack succeeded, but the Mountain remained calm, showing no rage or the furious attack that everyone expected.
This is something that sends a chill down the spine of anyone who knows the Mountain's character!
Top swordsmen like Jaime Lannister and Barristan know that to defeat the Mountain, you must provoke him into anger; that's when you basically have a chance of winning.
However, the Mountain was not angry. He simply glanced at the spot where he had been slashed and remained calm.
Amidst the deafening cheers for the hunting dogs, several top experts and meticulous individuals felt a sense of fear.
In their eyes, the calm and rational Demon Mountain had no weaknesses!
Duke Eddard looked at King Robert, who was drinking and eating heartily, seemingly in high spirits. This king, the mighty general who had been renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms sixteen years ago, hadn't noticed anything different about the Mountain? Had he truly fallen from a great general into a fat and foolish king?
James was the most surprised!
The Mountain was his family's retainer, and he knew him very well. He had never seen the Mountain not get angry after being stabbed.
This made him unwilling to believe what he was seeing!
In the arena, the Hound launched his second attack, spinning left and right, hoping to make the Mountain follow him. In the past, the Mountain would always follow the Hound, but this time, the Mountain seemed not to see the Hound's graceful footwork and the provocative swordplay. His shield remained planted in the ground, which reduced the burden on his arms, and his greatsword remained resting on the shield. He had adopted a perfect defensive stance, impenetrable, unless the Hound circled around from the front to the side or behind him again.
The Demon Mountain neither attacks nor moves.
This will conserve your energy to the maximum extent!
To defeat the Mountain, the Hound must circle around to the side or behind him and engage him head-on. The Mountain is impenetrable and has a perfect defense!
The hunting dogs moved swiftly, darting left and right.
He wasn't wearing heavy plate armor or a dog helmet, only leather for protection, which ensured maximum agility. Of course, his helmet and armor were practically useless against the Mountain's sword.
The hound circled around to the back of the Mountain.
The opportunity came, but the Demon Mountain didn't turn around.
The Mountain could have easily executed a perfect defense by simply moving his shield, alternating his footwork, and turning around, leaving the Hound helpless. But he didn't!
There was a moment of silence, followed by a roar of "Hounds attack!"
The Hound naturally attacked, dodging to the left and striking unexpectedly. Before everyone could shout, he slashed at the Mountain's left arm: the same spot as last time!
Like everyone else, the Mountain is right-handed. Compared to the right hand, the left hand is naturally much less dexterous.
A flash of cold light, and the hound missed its target, nearly falling over.
Without a loud bang, without sparks, without a shield to block, and without the Mountain's greatsword to counterattack, the Mountain simply took a large step forward and dodged a fierce slash from the Hound's left rear.
But the hounds gained the upper hand because of this.
Using the momentum, the hound rolled forward and slashed at the Mountain's left leg.
If the hounds are wearing armor, they cannot roll nimbly and nimbly on the ground.
The Mountain's plate armor has a weakness in its legs.
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the Hound's longsword transformed into a streak of light, slashing fiercely at Demon Mountain's left leg.
However, this sure-fire strike missed again!
The Demon Mountain didn't even look back; instead, he strode forward. His stride was as large as a normal person's full-force leap. He was full of energy and powerful; with this burst of speed, he moved like a galloping horse.
By the time the Hound reluctantly stood up from the ground, the Mountain had already reached the other edge of the dueling circle.
Then, something astonishing happened: The Mountain threw his greatsword out of the circle. The sword flew like a streak of silver light, soaring over the heads of everyone in the circle, and with a crack, embedded itself far into the sandy riverbank. He then removed his flat-topped helmet and threw it far away as well. Afterward, he gripped his shield, which was as thick as a door, and glared at the Hound!
The only sound in the entire arena was the wind!
Everyone was stunned!
King Robert's hand, holding a wine glass, froze in mid-air; Joffrey forgot to sit down, hunching over with a roasted rabbit in his hand; Queen Cersei's mouth gaped open like a dried-up fish.
The Mountain has given up using the sword!