CHAPTER 121
Within the narrow pass, every inch of ground became a bloody grindstone. Spears thrust forward like a forest, battle axes whistled through the air, and the sounds of slaughter echoed across the Kingsroad. Soldiers from both sides fought desperately for every step of ground, and every advance or retreat came at the cost of piles of corpses.
The battle had fallen into a brutal stalemate.
Meanwhile, as the horn of the North sounded, Jon, hidden on Garon's flank, was burning with anxiety. He still had not discovered any trace of Euron's movements.
"Could Garon have been wrong?"
"Are all of the Ironborn on the front line?"
"Damn it, am I the only one with nothing to do?"
Jon constantly scanned the dense forest like a hawk, hoping to find traces of the Ironborn. However, the morning mist had yet to disperse, while the dense sentinel trees and oak forests blocked the vision of Jon and his men like a maze. Furthermore, the sounds of fighting below the mountain concealed all other noises, greatly hindering their search.
Jon continuously recalled the surrounding terrain in his mind and quietly issued orders.
"Move deeper along the slope. Send out more scouts and stay hidden at all times..."
But before he could finish speaking, Shanks's ears twitched.
"No, there's movement!"
Having grown up in the Wolfswood, Shanks possessed an exceptional sensitivity to sound. He pressed an ear against the ground and carefully listened before instantly determining that a considerable force was moving through the forest ahead and to the south.
"It's the enemy!"
Following the direction Shanks indicated, Jon quickly spotted a dense mass of figures in the mist, faintly visible through the trees as they steadily climbed toward their position.
A cold sweat broke out on Jon's back. He had not expected Euron to slip so close beneath his nose.
But he immediately realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Jon made a hand signal.
Shanks instantly understood and quickly organized the archers along the slope.
"Archers, prepare!"
"Loose!"
At Jon's command, one hundred Glover archers positioned atop the slope drew their bows and unleashed a volley toward Euron's men.
Whoosh!
The Ironborn, completely caught off guard, were struck by arrows, and screams immediately echoed through the mist. Many of them could not even see how many enemies they faced. All they knew was that arrows were pouring down from the nearby heights.
"Damn it, it's an ambush!"
"Quick! Find cover!"
Euron's expression changed dramatically as he immediately threw himself behind a sentinel tree. The others followed suit.
After a brief moment of shock, he cautiously peeked out to observe the surroundings. The slope ahead was not particularly steep. Thick trees and scattered rocks offered plenty of cover from enemy arrows.
"Charge!"
Euron's face was filled with murderous intent as he let out a sharp command, displaying the adaptability that had made him feared throughout the Iron Islands.
"They don't have many men. Climb that slope and tear them apart!"
Drawing his longsword, Euron personally led the assault. Using trees as cover, he dodged arrows with surprising agility while charging uphill.
The morale of the Ironborn surged, and they followed him forward with savage roars.
"Loose!"
"Loose again!"
Jon remained calm and collected. The terrifying power of the new bows inflicted devastating losses upon the Ironborn struggling up the slope.
"What kind of bows are these?"
"Where did Glover find weapons with such power?"
Watching Ironborn warriors get hurled backward by the impact of heavy arrows, Euron was startled and quickly hid behind another tree.
For a moment, he felt the same confusion Asha had experienced at Deepwood Motte.
Yet after that brief confusion, Euron understood one thing clearly.
Advancing offered a chance to survive.
Remaining where they were meant certain death.
A fierce glint flashed through his lone eye. Without hesitation, he grabbed the corpse of a fallen Ironborn and used it as a shield, enduring the rain of arrows while pressing forward.
"Charge!"
"Kill!"
The Ironborn followed his example, constantly using the terrain to advance toward the summit.
Finally, after suffering nearly four hundred casualties, Euron's gaze locked onto Jon's.
"Stop them!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
"For the North!"
Amid the mist, the six hundred men behind Jon drew their weapons and charged forward with a roar.
The two sides immediately collided in an even more savage and bloody melee.
The southern slope of West Horn Mountain instantly became a second battlefield. Every tree and every rock was stained with blood.
Jon led from the front, his swordsmanship fierce as he desperately held back Euron's increasingly frenzied attacks.
He knew that every moment Euron remained delayed meant another step toward victory for the main battlefield.
Time passed bit by bit.
The brutal fighting had already continued for several hours.
On the main battlefield, the narrow pass was nearly clogged with corpses, while streams of blood flowed across the Kingsroad.
Garon organized his army into a solid shield wall that firmly defended the choke point. Whenever one soldier fell, another immediately stepped forward to replace him.
Each time Victarion led an assault, spears thrust out from behind the shield wall.
Though Victarion remained as fearless as ever, resembling a tireless giant as he repeatedly battered the Northern line, Garon used the terrain and the growing piles of corpses to firmly anchor his forces on the Kingsroad and steadily wear down the Ironborn.
No matter how fiercely Victarion attacked, he was repeatedly driven back by the forest of spears hidden behind the shields.
At that moment, the increasingly fierce sounds of battle from the western slopes pushed Victarion's anxiety and frustration to their limit.
After once again being forced back by the spear wall, he looked at the growing number of dead Ironborn and realized he could not continue like this.
"Euron is blocked."
"Damn it. I knew I couldn't rely on him."
"This battle can't continue this way."
He wiped the blood from his face and stared intently at the shield wall blocking the Kingsroad.
"My men can't maneuver. They're being skewered like rats."
"I need to lure them out of that rat hole and crush them all at once."
Victarion's eyes flashed.
He immediately ordered his remaining thousand warriors to regroup, intending to lure the Northerners from their position.
But at that exact moment, Garon sharply seized the opportunity.
"Bolton's forces are nearly destroyed, and the Ironborn aren't much better."
"If we wait any longer, something might happen on Jon's side."
"Now is the time to gamble and strike the decisive blow."
A sharp glint flashed in Garon's eyes.
Drawing his greatsword, he pointed it toward the Ironborn and shouted,
"The enemy is retreating! All troops, advance!"
"Kill every last Ironborn!"
"For the North!"
As his voice rang out, Garon personally led the elite soldiers of House Glover forward from the spear formation.
At the same time, the horn signaling the Northern counterattack echoed across the battlefield.
The forces of House Umber, House Manderly, House Hornwood, and the other Northern houses immediately surged forward. Even Ramsay Snow led the battered remnants of the Bolton army into the attack.
A large number of Ironborn began to panic amid the mist.
But almost immediately, Victarion raised his great axe and let out a savage roar.
"Kill these Northern rats!"
He swung his massive axe and charged forward.
The Ironborn behind him roared as they crashed into Garon's advancing army like a black tide.
Garon wielded his greatsword at the very front. As he cut down Ironborn warriors one after another, his eyes remained fixed on the towering figure resembling a black reef amid the enemy ranks.
Victarion Greyjoy.
At the same moment, Victarion's gaze locked onto Garon's burning red eyes.
Their eyes met, and for an instant, neither saw anyone else on the battlefield.
"Victarion, your path ends here!"
"Giant Bear Slayer, I'll offer your head to my axe!"
Thrilled by the prospect of the hunt, Victarion abandoned the protection of his warriors and strode directly toward Garon.
Garon casually cut down another Ironborn and stepped forward to meet him.
A moment later, both men swung their weapons simultaneously as their long-awaited duel finally began.