Prime Minister Eddard looked at the Hound and the Kingslayer with a sense of unease; both were from the Westerlands, one a Lannister and the other a Lannister house dog.
Ed hopes that both of them will suffer heavy losses.
The two horses began to gallop at full speed, the ground shaking. Ed, standing on the makeshift stands, also felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. The Hound, mounted on his horse, leaned forward, his lance as steady as a rock; the Hound was on the offensive.
Jaime Lannister was so arrogant that he didn't even take off his mask. He had a relaxed smile on his face and whistled a melodious tune, as if victory was in his grasp.
James also adopted an offensive strategy.
This is quite clever. Generally speaking, when two warhorses clash, if one side takes the offensive, the other side will adopt a defensive counterattack.
But James completely disdained defensive counter-attacks and instead went head-to-head with the Hounds!
The horses galloped faster and faster, and the two spears were raised at the same time, almost identical attacking motions. But just before the spears clashed, Jaime shifted his body, and Clegane's spear tip was cleverly deflected by his golden lion-patterned shield. At the same time, Jaime's spear struck the Hound's shield squarely. As pieces of wood scattered, the Hound took the brunt of Jaime's spear. He swayed on his horse, about to fall, but eventually regained his balance.
A cheer erupted from the crowd. It was unclear whether they were applauding Jaime's skillful evasion of the attack or celebrating the Hound's survival.
The Hound steadied himself, abruptly reined in his horse, turned around, and rode back to the sidelines to prepare for the second round. Jaime Lannister threw down his broken spear, grabbed a new one, and said to the squire who handed it to him, "Hey, if I win the match, I'll give you half of the Golden Dragon." While the squire was still dumbfounded, Jaime burst into laughter.
He was just joking with the servant.
The hound spurred the horse forward, and Lannister rode off to meet it.
Both of them adopted an offensive strategy once again.
The two warhorses drew closer, and almost simultaneously, both men shouted, their spears flashing out almost at the same time, each aimed straight for the other's chest. Jaime, seeing the spear coming clearly, shifted his body, his shield angled to meet the spear, easily deflecting the Hound's spear.
However, Sandor Clegane also turned his body to the side this time, his shield angled to meet the opponent's spear.
The two dodged at the same time, with the same angle and movement, which meant that neither of them could avoid the other!
With two sharp cracks, both spears pierced the opponent's shield, their tips exploding simultaneously. But when the wooden pieces hit the ground, a horse draped in a golden blanket—its master missing—ran off on its own. Ser Jaime Lannister lay on the mud, gleaming with gold, his helmet dented from the impact, wedged into his head.
In a direct confrontation, the Hound is superior to the Kingslayer!
Sansa was almost breathless: "What a wonderful match! It's a pity Arya is taking dance lessons with her teacher and won't even come to watch the finals!"
Arya was so engrossed in dancing with her dance teacher every day that she had no interest in the match.
The hound, victorious, pushed up its mask, its expression indifferent, and rode around the arena!
His next opponent: The Mountain!
The cheers from the crowd were sparse; they didn't particularly like the Hound or the Kingslayer! If it were Lord Renly or the Knight of Flowers, there would have been thunderous applause and whistles filling the air.
Jaime Lannister scrambled to his feet. The Hound had pierced his shield with such force that he couldn't absorb the impact and fell from his saddle. The impact dented his helmet, demonstrating that gold was no match for the hardness of steel. As a result, he couldn't remove his helmet. The nobles pointed and whispered, the commoners booed, and the ladies-in-waiting couldn't help but laugh.
The loudest laugh came from King Robert: "Look at the Kingslayer, he's fallen flat on his face! He thought his golden helmet made him so great, ha ha ha, now the gold has taught him a lesson!" The queen's seat next to him was empty; because of his reprimand last night, she hadn't come to watch the jousting. Soon, the blacksmith was summoned to devise a plan for the Kingslayer to safely remove the golden helmet.
The handsome and dashing kingslayer, head tilted, was helped off the field in a disheveled state by his attendants and blacksmith. His helmet was askew, making it impossible for him to see, like a blind man who needed guidance to walk. The training ground was a mess; what was once a flat area had been turned into a wasteland after yesterday's competition, as if trampled by thousands of wild beasts, with no flat spot to be found.
Jaime's disheveled state delighted the king, who ordered the Hound and the Mountain to prepare for a duel.
The Hound itself was very tall, but compared to the Mountain, it was much smaller. Eddard's stable boy, Hodor, was also a tall and strong man, though somewhat slow-witted and honest. No one in the North could compare to his height, but Eddard estimated that even Hodor was no match for the Mountain.
The Mountain is truly a born giant, unmatched!
Ed recalled the duel between the Mountain and the Hound on Ruby Beach, where the Mountain hadn't killed the fallen Hound. This made Ed ponder for a long time. He also considered the trick the Mountain had used to save Michael the butcher's son, deceiving the Queen, and how the Mountain had spared the Hound during their first duel. All these things didn't fit the Mountain's usual pattern. Putting everything together, Ed came to an impression he didn't want to have: the Mountain's violence and recklessness had been replaced by reason and calm, and his foolish anger by cunning and scheming. This made Ed worry and feel extremely uneasy.
If the Hound had no other hidden tricks up his sleeve, the Mountain would undoubtedly have won this time as well.
The Mountain's weakness lies in his recklessness and rage. He attacks with all his might from the start, displaying ferocity and ferocity. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. First, he is prone to excessive stamina depletion and his speed will slow down after a short time. Second, while rage makes his attacks terrifying, it also exposes many weaknesses.
With the first-rate martial arts skills of the Hound, Jaime, Loras Tyrell, Barristan, Thoros, and others, they would seize any opening the Mountain made and defeat him; in a life-or-death duel, it would not be surprising if the Mountain were killed.
But what if the Mountain's flaws disappeared?!
The Mountain's anger, rage, and killing may seem to have disappeared, but in fact he is becoming more terrifying and more frightening.
At least Ed felt a chill!
Ed's attention was focused on the Mountain.
The Mountain and the Hound took their spears. The Hound gave the Mountain a gloomy look and then choked, pulling his mask back shut. The Mountain also pulled his mask back shut and tested the spear; the massive, specially made spear felt as light as a feather in his hands.
At the king's command, the hounds kicked their warhorses, leaning forward with all their might, lances raised diagonally—an offensive move. The offensive was justified; no one could withstand the Mountain's full-force attack. Shields would shatter, and men would be sent flying.
The Demon Mountain, controlling his warhorse, trotted over unhurriedly. He brandished his spear, making light thrusts in the air as if testing his aim.
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The Hound's eyes were fixed on the Mountain through the gap in his mask, not daring to be careless for a moment. He seemed to be launching a strong attack, but it was just a bluff. He leaned forward, giving himself a lot of room to lean back on his horse. If he sat up straight, the space to dodge forward or backward would be very limited.
The Mountain's weakness only appears when it attacks.
If the Mountain doesn't attack, with his shield protecting him and his spear defending him, it will be very difficult for the hounds to knock this giant off his horse.
The Mountain is not a Kingslayer. If the Hound were to use the same power on the Mountain, he would not be able to defeat him; the Mountain might not even be able to move.
As the two horses drew closer, the hunting dog suddenly swayed slightly on its steed. This small detail, however, made the onlookers, who had been watching without taking their breath, even more worried about the dog.
The hound noticed his heart racing, his hand gripping the gun and his forward-leaning body stiffening rapidly, and his breathing becoming rapid, as if he couldn't get enough air. This was not a good sign, and the experienced hound immediately realized he was too tense.
His whole body tensed up like a bow without him even realizing it.
The hound quickly twisted its body, effectively relieving its stiffness and tension. The Mountain's horse seemed unusually slow, giving the hound ample time to adjust.
However, just as the hound relaxed and was about to adjust its posture, a dark shadow whistled through the air, grazing the hound's outstretched spear. The edge of the spear shattered like tofu, knocking the hound's protective shield askew. The edge of the shield shattered instantly upon impact, splashing like collapsing water. The shadow moved with lightning speed, continuing its advance and striking the hound's left breastplate.
A shot flew in!
Like a dragon soaring from the sky, or a giant python from the primordial era, it forcefully swept away the minor obstacles and squeezed into the small gap between the spear and the shield. This was an opening revealed when the hound adjusted its body.
Bang!
With a deafening roar, the Hound felt as if he had been struck by an incredibly heavy hammer; he dropped his shield and spear and was thrown backward.