"Ugh…"
A newly-turned Wight wailed, then was suddenly struck in the throat by an arrow. Fresh blood gushed forth, and then the warrior, newly transformed into a Wight, twitched and fell, becoming a pale, desiccated corpse, its blood seemingly evaporated.
Godric lowered his trembling longbow, placing it back in the quiver on his mount, as if he had just completed a mundane task.
At this moment, the horde of Wights was getting closer and closer, but the few of them showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, each of them seemed eager to fight!
Finally, under Marco's soul-linked command, Godric and the others launched their attack. With a burst of golden light, the knights charged towards the Wights in front of them. The 100-plus Wights around them also charged forward, their eyes glowing with purple light.
Godric was like a scythe, swiftly cutting down the Wights in front of him, carving a path through the Wight army with an arcing charge!
Then, the battlefield descended into chaos. Some of the Free Folk began to frantically run towards the gates of Hardhome, while the remaining warriors fought and retreated, dealing with the Wights' furious counterattacks. Several tribal leaders bravely led the charge, fending off the Wights' attacks, which prevented the entire force from completely collapsing!
Suddenly, from behind the wooden wall of Hardhome, three huge black spherical objects flew out. They arced through the sky and quickly landed, smashing down more than a dozen Wights. Black, crystalline shards were sprayed everywhere, and many Wights, hit by these crystals, turned directly into piles of black ash.
Before the Free Folk could react, a second wave of attacks rained down. Three massive Obsidian shards landed squarely in the center of the Wight horde. The fan-shaped explosions turned nearby Wights into nothing more than ash.
Near the hall of Hardhome, three giant Trebuchets had just finished their attack. Soldiers were laboriously cranking the winches beneath them, seemingly preparing for another volley.
These Trebuchets were specifically crafted by the master smith from Marco's workshop. Their purpose was to combat the Wight army. They were modeled after the counterweight Trebuchets from the system, standing over six meters tall with twelve-meter-long throwing arms, giving them an imposing presence. However, in this world, they were considered only medium-sized.
Many of the armaments in the world of Game of Thrones were never shown in the television series. Yet, many of the world's armaments had reached the pinnacle of the medieval era. Many super-sized Trebuchets and crossbows were standard defensive installations for many castles.
However, the three Trebuchets Marco now possessed were more than sufficient for launching Obsidian. After the Obsidian was packed into burlap sacks, they could be placed in the Trebuchet's throwing baskets. The forty-kilogram Obsidian projectiles, upon launch, were perfectly suited for targeting the Wight army. Although the shrapnel effect wasn't always triggered, the attacks from these three Trebuchets significantly slowed the Wights' advance.
Meanwhile, Godric and the others took advantage of this lull, weaving through the Wight army. Their horses' powerful impact, combined with the radiant light emanating from them, inflicted heavy losses on the Wights. Furthermore, the "Flames of Judgment" constantly emerging from their normal attacks turned them into Wight grinders. Wherever they charged, death and casualties followed!
Under the White Walkers' remote command, the Wight army slowed its advance and began to disperse their attacks. Brynden Rivers, who was in charge of operating the Trebuchets, also ordered a halt to the attacks. This new tactic of the Wights gave Mance Rayder's forces a brief respite.
The Free Folk's forces fought and retreated, eventually reaching the gates of Hardhome. Mance Rayder sent people to stop the Free Folk warriors who were trying to charge forward. He and several tribal chieftains walked to the front of the gate. The Wights had suffered heavy losses, and the pressure on the front lines had lessened considerably, allowing them some breathing room.
The area in front of the wooden gate was already prepared. Racks of buckthorn and chevaux-de-frise, studded with obsidian daggers, were set up. A large pile of obsidian weapons lay near the gate. Seeing the Free Folk approach, the crossbowmen behind the wooden wall raised their crossbows, nocking arrows and aiming at them.
Mance Rayder's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the rows of crossbowmen on the wooden wall!
Mance Rayder had been raised by the Night's Watch since he was a child, so he was more knowledgeable than the average Free Folk leader. He could see that the soldiers were all armed with crossbows. After all, this weapon was a relatively rare and highly destructive weapon even in the Night's Watch, but here there were hundreds of them. This made Mance Rayder feel a little apprehensive; he wondered how many people would die under such a deadly weapon if a conflict really broke out later!
So he turned to the King of Bones beside him. The King of Bones nodded in understanding and stepped forward, shouting at the wall:
"I am the King of Bones! Where is your lord? Our King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, has come here as agreed. Can he come out and talk?"
"Our lord said! If you are willing to pledge fealty to him! Then he will give you protection, so that you will no longer suffer such misfortune! You can also have the right to participate in the governance, just like those chieftains who are loyal to him. If you are unwilling, we will not force you to pledge fealty! Our lord is benevolent. The weapons to eliminate the White Walkers have already been placed at the gate. I believe that with your abilities, you can also eliminate these Wights!"
Wolf Fang's voice suddenly came from the wall, his tone very calm and unhurried, seemingly not at all worried that the Free Folk would jump the gun and attack the gate!
And his words seemed to carry a special magic, a faint golden energy constantly spreading through the battlefield, making his voice fall into everyone's ears.
"FU*CK! You all!"…
Many of the clan leaders who understood the common tongue all shouted in anger. They were extremely dissatisfied, and if Mance Rayder hadn't been holding them back, they probably would have ordered an attack long ago.
At this moment, Mance Rayder's expression became complex. He reluctantly stepped forward and shouted at the city walls:
"If we are all killed, then you won't be able to hold on either! We are all living people! The dead are our greatest enemy! Let our people in, and I, by the name of the King-Beyond-the-Wall, guarantee that we will not fight you before we eliminate these dead!"
"We have already prepared everything. If it weren't for the mercy of the lord, you would have already lost a large number of people. Our lord is a being recognized by the gods, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought us to this snowy land beyond the Wall!
If it weren't for his pity for you, your fate would be miserable! He values the lives of all, and doesn't want you to become Wights. This is already the greatest mercy! Now, either submit, or go fight the White Walkers, for the sake of us being living people! I will burn your corpses with a fire!"
At this moment, Wolf Fang's words also came over, his tone still so calm, as if he wasn't worried at all about the safety of Hardhome!
And his calm words were like a dagger, fiercely piercing the hearts of the wildling warriors outside the gate, especially the last sentence, which made many wildlings involuntarily think of the warrior who had just died!
Mance Rayder had been about to say something! But then a familiar figure caught his eye. Suddenly, a massive head poked out from behind the gate. Strong Mag, the Giant chieftain, addressed Mance Rayder:
"Mance! Good! Long! Time no see! Me! My Common! Tongue good? Understand?"
Mance Rayder looked at the familiar figure with disbelief, his voice filled with excitement.
"Mag! You! What are you doing here? Didn't you go south? Why are you back?"
The Giants had previously lived near the Red Hall, on the edge of the Haunted Forest. After the Red Hall was destroyed, Mance Rayder had invited the Giants to ally with him and march south to attack the Wall. But these big fellows, led by Strong Mag, had entered the Frostfangs, claiming they were seeking the future of their clan. Later, when Mance Rayder went to the Frostfangs to recruit the cave dwellers, he heard that they had all gone south.
Just moments ago, Mance Rayder had been thinking that if he had the support of the Giants, he wouldn't have to grovel and beg for the gate to open. With the Giants' great strength, they could breach the gate quickly!
What Mance Rayder hadn't expected was to see these big fellas again in this way. But he quickly recovered his senses and shouted to Strong Mag:
"Mag! Don't be fooled by these southerners! They only want to use you for war. They are greedy and arrogant, and there will be no good outcome if you follow them! Only we, the Free Folk, will treat you as good friends! Come and help us! Let us fight for freedom!"
Mance Rayder's tone was full of confidence, as if he was sure he was right. He looked at Strong Mag with hope, waiting for a reply.
"Hahaha! Thank you! For your concern! Mance! We! Have! Food and sea fish to eat forever! We're here to kill people! Lord! Is the one recognized by the gods!
The Squirrel People (the Giants' name for the Children of the Forest) prophets! All submit to him, and we also submit to him! The tribes have all become smarter, and the children don't get sick anymore, Mag is very happy, the Giants will always be loyal! Loyal to the Lord!"
Strong Mag answered with a laugh, as if he hadn't listened to Mance Rayder at all.
Hearing this, Mance Rayder's heart sank to the bottom. He felt that there was no hope this time. Strong Mag's words were like a thunderclap in everyone's hearts, causing many people to have different thoughts.
The Free Folk beyond The Wall all knew that the Giants and the Children of the Forest were notoriously exclusive. They would only communicate with humans they approved of, but, from ancient times to the present, no one had ever heard of these two races submitting to humans!
"As long as we are loyal to your Lord, we can go in, right?"
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from among the chieftains. The chieftains quickly looked over and found that it was Doghead Hamma who was speaking.
She ignored the crowd and continued shouting, "If my people and I surrender, can we get in!?"
"'Doghead' Hamma, you disgusting kneeler! You are not worthy of being Free Folk! Ugh! Ugh!..."
"Doghead" Hamma thrust the ice pick in her hand into the neck of the leader who was cursing at her. The leader stared at her in disbelief, clutching his neck, and fell to the ground. After a few spasms, he was still, and the light faded from his eyes!
"Doghead" Hamma pulled out her ice pick and spat on the corpse, cursing:
"To hell with the Free Folk! To hell with free will! To hell with fighting for freedom! I want to live! I want to live! I'm fighting the dead, and when my people die, they become wights! Even the dogs I kill come back to life! To hell with it all! I want to live! FU*K all of you!"
After she finished speaking, she took a piece of Obsidian from one of her followers and viciously stabbed it into the eye of the unfortunate man who was about to become a Wight.
She raised her head and glared at the tribal leaders around her, shouting at them in both the Old Tongue and the Common Tongue:
"Those who want to live! Follow me! We are going to Hardhome!"...
Her desperate cries echoed in the ears of the Free Folk, filled with unwillingness and helplessness, but even more so with a yearning for life!
Her words immediately caused an uproar among the Free Folk, and even the troops in front began to fall into chaos. Many, their emotions unstable, were seized upon by the Wights, who took the opportunity to drag them into the horde!
Seeing the defensive line about to collapse, Mance Rayder and the others panicked. They shouted and yelled, trying to stabilize the crowd's emotions.
"As long as you truly submit! Our Lord will appear and eliminate these Wights! He will let you live!"
Wolf Fang's voice suddenly rang out again, constantly echoing in everyone's ears. His powerful voice steadied the crowd's emotions!
Mance Rayder, somewhat dissatisfied, shouted, "Who does he think he is? One of the gods? He's just a sorcerer who knows witchcraft. One person's power is completely useless in a war!"
"No, no, no! Mance Rayder, King-Beyond-the-Wall! You know nothing about power!"
As soon as the words fell, a golden light suddenly appeared directly in front of the city gate. An object emitting a strange metallic glow slowly transformed into a humanoid figure.
"Do you know? Mance Rayder! My kin of the stoneborn call the Lord 'the Holy Son,' but in my eyes, the Lord is a god walking among men! Surrender to him, and your future will hold infinite possibilities! Just like me, possessing this power!"
Wolf Fang's voice echoed from the metal man, sounding incredibly strange, yet full of allure!