Chapter 8: Midnight Bloodshed

Viserys used wine bottles and jars to create makeshift alarm mechanisms. Whether Banergar and his men tried to climb over the wall or sneak in through the door, they would be detected. Hiding in the shadows of the corner of the wall, he waited quietly, listening intently for any sound outside.

Soon, he heard a rustling noise at the door. Before he could figure out what the men were up to, there was a loud crash. The door fell straight from its frame, hitting the ground with a thud and sending up a shower of leaves and dust. They had actually broken down his door!

Several men armed with wooden spears burst in, quickly taking over the yard. Some even carried torches. This was what it meant to have a weapon in hand.

Just as they were about to break into the room, two loud sounds echoed through the yard. A man with a torch and another with a wooden spear let out muffled groans. They turned to see where the crossbow bolts had come from.

There stood a young man with silver hair by the wall. Banergar recognized him immediately and shouted, "Kill him!"

The two men who had been shot didn't even have time to realize where they were wounded before collapsing. Their feet seemed to melt beneath them, and they could hardly stand.

Time was running out. Viserys didn't have time to reload both crossbows, so he threw the one in his hand at the man closest to him. He then took the opportunity to reload the other crossbow and fired, killing another man.

"He's out of arrows! Get him!" Banergar, the first to react, picked up the fallen torch and shouted.

At this point, Banergar stood with two others: a swordsman and a spearman. He had thought this attack foolproof but didn't expect to lose half his men so quickly.

Banergar looked at Viserys, his exposed fangs gleaming in the torchlight, making him look like a ghost crawling out of hell. He licked his lips menacingly.

Viserys and the swordsman simultaneously drew their swords and faced off.

"This guy's got some skill," Viserys thought as he sized up his opponent. The next moment, the swordsman Enghis attacked, his speed incredible, the sound of his sword slicing through the air sharp and menacing.

Viserys quickly felt the pressure; Enghis's swordsmanship was clearly superior. Worse, the spearman beside him harassed him intermittently, adding to his frustration. Desperate, Viserys drew back, pulled the dagger from his waist, and hurled it at the spearman.

A sound like fabric tearing filled the air as the dagger found its mark, piercing the minion's body. But Enghis seized the opportunity and lunged at Viserys. Despite his best efforts to evade, a gash five or six inches long was carved into his side.

Viserys threw his dagger again, but Enghis easily dodged it. Banergar, holding a torch, was shocked. He had prepared meticulously, yet this kid had managed to survive. This couldn't continue. Though Enghis had the upper hand, Banergar decided to intervene. He threw the torch aside, picked up a wooden spear, and circled around to Viserys's back.

Viserys knew Banergar's intentions but was too preoccupied with Enghis to react. Soon, Banergar saw his chance and thrust the spear at Viserys's lower back. Despite being outmatched in swordsmanship, Viserys's close combat skills were masterful. His vigilance and reflexes were top-notch. He grabbed the spear before it pierced his skin, preventing further injury.

Enghis took advantage of the moment and swung his sword. Viserys blocked it with his own, holding the spear in his left hand and parrying with his right. Enghis's face contorted in a grimace of exertion and excitement at the thought of killing a prince, his brown eyes full of cruelty like a hyena.

Banergar growled and pushed harder with the spear, but Viserys felt his grip weakening. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer—maybe three seconds, five at most, before he would be overpowered.

Suddenly, Banergar's body shook, and his strength deflated like a punctured balloon. Sensing the change, Viserys pulled and twisted, yanking the spear from his body and thrusting it forward. Banergar, unable to control his momentum, drove the spear into Enghis.

Enghis, caught off guard, had his center of gravity on his sword. It was too late to evade. The wooden spear pierced his abdomen, and Viserys seized the moment to slash Enghis's throat. Enghis dropped his sword, a wheezing sound escaping his lips as he clawed at his neck, choking on his own blood.

The sudden reversal was all due to Banergar's inexplicable loss of strength. Viserys turned and saw Dany standing there, crossbow in hand, ready to shoot.

"Good! It was worth practicing!" Viserys thought, grateful he had made the right decision to save him and his sister.

Dany dropped the crossbow and quickly ran to Viserys's side. "Brother, you're hurt!"

"It's nothing! Just a superficial wound!" Viserys reassured her. He knew that if a wound felt hot, it was usually superficial. Only if you felt weak after being injured was it truly dangerous. Although the two wounds on his body hurt, they were not fatal. As long as he kept them clean and prevented infection, he would be fine.

He was lucky that Banergar, perhaps fearing he might injure his own men in the dark, had not smeared his weapons with strange substances.

But Viserys felt no gratitude for that. During his scouting, he had learned that Banergar had two sons, both in their late teens. Banergar planned for one son to continue his underworld business while the other inherited the legitimate businesses.

Viserys knew he couldn't kill everyone; it would complicate the court's decisions. But Banergar's two sons had to be eliminated. Otherwise, the entire Fierce Fish Company would retaliate against him under their leadership, with endless consequences.

Besides, a young man defending his sister against intruders was already a remarkable feat. No one would expect him to take the fight to the man's home. Not only would they not think of it, but they also wouldn't believe it. If he didn't seize such a good opportunity, he would be a fool.

He tied up the unconscious men and instructed Dany to shoot them if they woke up, forbidding her from communicating with them in any way. Meanwhile, Viserys slipped into the night with his crossbow and dagger.