Chapter 213: Counterattack

'That's quite the thick armor.'

Viserys panted heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and he reached up to wipe away the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

He had been caught off guard earlier, thinking he could seize the opportunity to pierce his opponent's heart with a sword, but he hadn't expected the Mountain's armor to be so thick.

Gregor Clegane, though known as 'The Worst Man in the Seven Kingdoms', is exceedingly afraid of death and retribution. As a result, the armor he wears into battle is incredibly heavy.

Aside from the outer layer of plate armor, he also wears a layer of chain mail underneath, and the innermost layer consists of boiled leather armor and lined clothing, amounting to three layers in total.

Such triple layered armor would be near impossible for an ordinary person to even put on, and even a trained knight would struggle to move in such heavy armor.

But the Mountain is clearly an exception. Even in such heavy triple-layered armor, he can still freely move and fight.

So, even though Viserys' godly weapon is as sharp as Valyrian steel, he couldn't pierce the Mountain's armor from the chest, a heavily protected vital area, with a single strike.

'I raped his woman, killed his children!'

'And now, by the order of Lord Tywin, I will crush your skull too!'

Viserys, kneeling on the ground and panting heavily, heard the Mountain roar and charge at him once again, swinging his sword down.

'Die!'

Viserys, still kneeling, holds his sword in one hand, watching as the Mountain's sword comes crashing down.

But instead of clashing with him directly, he rolls to the left, once again dodging his attack.

Clang—

The greatsword hits the ground, creating a loud sound.

Viserys rolls to the side, his counterattack is swift.

Clang—

He swings his sword, aiming for Gregor Clegane's wrist, hoping to sever his sword-wielding hand.

But the Mountain, despite his enormous size and unrivaled ferocity, is not a mindless brute.

It would be a big mistake to think that the Mountain relies solely on his physical condition and is completely inept at swordsmanship.

Clang—

Gregor Clegane blocks Viserys' attack.

However, his greatsword bears a new scar.

The Mountain's greatsword, too, was forged by a master smith at great expense. Although it can't compare to Valyrian steel, it's still a fine weapon.

But this weapon is greatly suppressed when it comes across a godly weapon on par with Valyrian steel.

Gregor Clegane's face under the flat-topped helmet darkens upon seeing this.

Whoosh—

At that moment, Viserys seizes an opportunity to roll forward.

His silver-gold hair flows, and his longsword swings accurately into the gap of the Mountain's armor.

Thud—

The cold longsword pierces flesh, causing a strong burning sensation as if a flame were burning on the wound.

In the next second, it cuts cruelly across the Mountain's waist.

Hiss—

'Hmm!'

Gregor Clegane lets out a painful grunt.

Blood instantly gushes from the slit in the armor, staining the cold iron red.

Viserys rolls forward, stabbing the Mountain with his sword, and then stands up from the ground, his sword bloodied, and his silver-gold hair hanging down his back.

..."

["Huff..."

"Huff..."

Viserys's chest rose and fell gently with heavy breaths, but his pale purple eyes glinted with icy resolve.

"What did you just say...what have you done?"

"Ser Gregor, if I may?"

Thud—

The giant nearing eight feet tall and weighing thirty stone collapsed instantly, his heavy ironclad figure dropping to one knee.

"Hmph—"

Cold sweat trickled down from beneath Gregor Clegane's flat-topped helm, his muscular cheek twisted in pain as he let out a low growl.

This was indeed one of his unavoidable weaknesses.

Gregor Clegane's towering stature made him somewhat clumsy against Viserys's ground tactics.

Moreover, the other's swordsmanship was extremely precise, clearly tutored by a master. After a failed first attempt, he seized the opportunity in the second bout, piercing the gap in Clegane's armor with unerring accuracy.

It reminded him of the silver-haired young man who had knighted him personally.

The world remembered Rhaegar's melancholic melodies, but the Mountain remembered Rhaegar's exquisite art of killing.

Crack—

As Gregor Clegane fell injured, kneeling on the ground, his armor clanged loudly. He gasped for air, his cold armor stained red with blood that streamed down his thigh onto the ground.

All this happened so suddenly.

The onlooking Pentoshi soldiers didn't react immediately.

Then, there was an uproar.

"This..."

"How is this possible?"

The distant Pentoshi Magisters had not expected this turn of events either.

Just moments ago, Ser Gregor Clegane was firmly in control, even kicking the Mad King's son so hard that he spat blood.

But in an instant, the seemingly invincible Mountain, who seemed almost impossible to defeat, had collapsed?

The Magisters whispered among themselves.

They had initially thought they were merely watching a play with a predetermined ending, but they hadn't expected such a dramatic twist just before the end.

However, some of the more experienced Pentoshi Magisters saw through it. The Hoare Magister, whose family was in the weapons and armor business, noticed some clues and spoke up.

"The sword in the Mad King's son's hand might not be ordinary, perhaps it's a Valyrian steel sword."

He had noticed the Mountain being outmatched in terms of weaponry, losing out in several collisions.

While Gregor Clegane had an overwhelming advantage in terms of equipment against Viserys, who was merely wearing a suit of light leather armor, this disadvantage also translated into a crushing advantage in terms of agility.

The Mountain, in his heavy armor, might have fared well against ordinary weapons, but against a Valyrian steel sword, his defense might not be as sturdy as he had imagined.

Vital areas like the chest and back might still be protected, but weaker joint areas were as vulnerable as paper against a Valyrian steel sword.

...

And on the battlefield...

"Well done, Your Majesty!"

"Go! Kill him!"

Illyrio was overjoyed at this scene, shouting commands.

However, Viserys paid him no heed. He stood behind the Mountain, his icy gaze fixated on this colossal figure half-kneeling on the ground.

Then, he squinted slightly, and said calmly,

"Ser Gregor, why are you so quiet now?"

Viserys's words were taunting, and he could clearly see the Mountain's fist clenching slightly, seemingly enraged.

However, despite his taunting words, Viserys did not let down his guard for a moment.

He knew that this giant would not go down just because he had bled a little.