Chapter 358: The Rout

"Now that the Unsullied have left the city, should we act?"

Atop the walls of Meereen, a soldier wearing a fox mask whispered to his companion, who was concealed by a bull mask.

"Wait a little longer," replied the bull-masked man, his tone cautious. "Something doesn't feel right."

Both men were former members of the Windblown mercenary company, tasked with infiltrating Meereen and staging a betrayal on behalf of Yunkai.

Their original orders were to sow chaos inside the city while the Yunkai'i army attacked from outside, seizing control of Meereen.

But as they surveyed the battlefield below, Mellis—the man behind the bull mask—hesitated.

The Yunkai'i forces outside the city were in complete disarray, their formations broken under the relentless assault of the dragons and Unsullied. Collapse seemed inevitable.

What use was sabotage within the city if the army outside had already fallen apart?

"Yunkai'i," Mellis muttered to himself, "only strong in the bedroom."

"Look! The Windblown!" the fox-masked soldier whispered urgently.

Mellis turned his gaze to see the Windblown's banner flying amidst the chaos. Riding a white horse, the Tattered Prince was leading nearly a thousand mercenaries in a charge toward the Unsullied's left flank.

"Too late," Mellis sighed.

Had the Tattered Prince struck the Unsullied while they were still forming ranks outside the gates, he might have turned the tide. But now...

As expected, the Windblown's wedge formation collided with the Unsullied phalanx like a wave crashing against a cliff.

The mercenaries let out high-pitched, frenzied cries, while the Unsullied remained eerily silent, their discipline unshaken.

Even in the face of wounds or death, the Unsullied uttered no screams, fighting like emotionless war machines.

Spears gleamed in the sunlight, an impenetrable forest of steel that engulfed and obliterated the Windblown's charge.

The mercenaries' wedge failed to pierce the phalanx. Instead, the Unsullied counterattacked, breaking the formation apart.

The once-cohesive wedge was torn into disjointed fragments, mercenaries screaming in terror as they fell to the ground amidst the clash of steel and the crimson spray of blood.

On the walls, the fox-masked soldier watched the slaughter unfold, relief washing over him. "Looks like the Windblown is finished."

Mellis nodded grimly. "Which means we're no longer pretending to defect—we're defecting for real. Forget the Tattered Prince's orders and gold. From this day forward, we serve the Dragon Queen wholeheartedly."

The fox-masked man said nothing, silently acknowledging the decision as the massacre below served as a sobering reminder.

Just then, heavy footsteps echoed up the staircase.

Mellis turned to see Ser Barristan Selmy ascending the walls. Clad in his pristine white armor with a snow-white cloak draped over his shoulders, the veteran knight carried a white shield in his left hand and wore a matching helmet that concealed his silver hair.

His gaze swept over the soldiers on the walls before he announced:

"By order of Her Grace the Queen, the Beast Men shall no longer wear masks. Remove them immediately!"

Mellis's heart raced. Is this aimed at us?

The fox-masked soldier hesitantly asked, "Ser Barristan, why are masks no longer required?"

Barristan fixed him with a piercing stare.

"Because the Sons of the Harpy are dead. There will be no more assassinations targeting you, and therefore no need for masks."

The fox-masked soldier opened his mouth to speak again, but under Barristan's cold, unyielding gaze, he decided against it.

Beast Men commander Skahaz was the first to remove his mask, shouting loudly:

"Thank you, Your Grace!"

The other Beast Men followed suit, removing their masks and praising the Queen in unison.

Mellis felt cold sweat trickling down his back. But he knew that refusing to comply now would only arouse suspicion. Reluctantly, he removed his mask.

The dozen or so other infiltrators followed his lead, revealing their faces.

The Tattered Prince had chosen these men specifically for their Westerosi features, hoping they could blend in among the Beast Men, who were predominantly native Ghiscari.

But without their masks, the infiltrators stood out starkly.

"Ser Barristan..." Mellis stammered, forcing a smile. "We joined the Beast Men to repay the Queen's mercy..."

"You don't need to explain," Barristan interrupted, shaking his head. "The Dornishmen have already confessed your entire plan. Surrender peacefully, and Her Grace may yet spare your lives."

Mellis's expression shifted between anger and despair. Seeing the surrounding Beast Men ready their weapons, he sighed and dropped his blade.

"Your Grace is just. Though we were sent by the Tattered Prince to infiltrate your forces, we have done nothing to betray you."

"Her Grace will judge you fairly," Barristan said curtly, gesturing for the Beast Men to take them into custody.

Turning to Skahaz, he ordered:

"The Beast Men will accompany me in launching a counterattack against the Yunkai'i."

"Yes, Ser!"

"Retreat, Marshal! The battle is lost!"

A Yunkai'i noble wailed in despair as the chaos below reached a fever pitch.

Grand Marshal Grazdan glared at the man but couldn't find the words to rally his forces. A piercing scream cut him off:

"A dragon! The dragon is coming!"

Grazdan snapped his head up to see the massive white beast bearing down on his hilltop position, its shadow and fire sowing terror in the Yunkai'i ranks.

"Run!"

One of the nobles turned his horse to flee, and the others quickly followed.

Grazdan, too, snapped out of his stupor and urged his mount to retreat.

But the dragon was too fast. Before they could escape, searing flames engulfed the hill, consuming more than a dozen nobles and their horses in an instant.

The surviving guards tried to respond, firing volleys of arrows at the beast. But the projectiles bounced harmlessly off its scales, producing a symphony of futile metallic clangs.

Panic overtook the remaining Yunkai'i. Abandoning all thought of resistance, they scattered in every direction like frightened rats.

High above, Samwell guided Cleopatra, keeping his focus on the nobles whose brightly colored attire marked them as commanders.

With their leaders in disarray, the Yunkai'i forces completely lost their will to fight.

Wave after wave of soldiers dropped their weapons, surrendering or fleeing. For the Unsullied and the newly mobilized Beast Men, it was a feast.

Though the lack of cavalry prevented a full annihilation of the Yunkai'i forces, the rout was absolute.

Samwell drove Cleopatra through the chaos, hunting down Yunkai'i nobles and commanders while leaving the rank-and-file soldiers to scatter.

The once-mighty army dissolved into a fleeing mob, their path south littered with corpses. Few would survive the journey back to Yunkai.

The pursuit lasted five days. The Unsullied pressed the retreating army relentlessly, eventually storming Yunkai itself and seizing the city.

With Yunkai's fall, Samwell brought all three cities of Slaver's Bay firmly under his control.

(End of Chapter)