After entering the woods, Ned found a slightly denser area and was about to leap off his horse. However, he saw the warhorse's four hooves go soft, foaming at the mouth as its head plunged toward the ground. He had no choice but to roll onto the ground. Getting up, he looked at the warhorse, which still had a breath of life left, and sighed inwardly.
In this desperate situation, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that the Infant tied to his chest had not cried from beginning to end, remaining in a peaceful slumber throughout.
He wondered if, in this certain-death scenario, he should abandon the Infant somewhere in the woods. Even if he died, if the child was lucky enough to be discovered by the pursuers, they might survive.
Otherwise, in the foreseeable battle, the Infant would almost certainly die.
Thinking this, he carefully untied the cloth strips around his chest, intending to hold the child. To his amusement, he found the child's hands and feet tightly gripping the edges of his light armor, clinging to him like an octopus.
A faint smile appeared on his long face, which usually looked as if it held a deep-seated grudge. He tied the cloth strips back and stroked the back of the Infant's head. Then, his grey eyes scanned the surroundings. Crouching low and enduring the sharp pain from his right leg, he climbed a large tree.
If this child hadn't fallen from the sky, he might have died under Arthur's sword. Similarly, if Hollan hadn't pinned him down, he would have died in those ruins.
Being buried in those ruins along with his comrades, enemies, and family might have been his best end.
But this wasn't bad either; at least the culprit who caused the deaths of Hollan, his sister, and his nephew would die with him.
That way, when he met his sister and the others in the world of the dead, he wouldn't be met with resentment.
If a world of the dead even existed.
Ned's thoughts gradually drifted away until the sound of hoofbeats startled him awake.
A squad of five cavalrymen appeared in his line of sight. At the same moment Ned saw the five men, they also spotted Ned clinging to the large tree.
The round-faced knight at the lead couldn't help but let out a sneer, and the other four also burst into laughter. They slowly stopped beneath the tree, looking up and staring mockingly at Ned.
The round-faced knight took out a whistle and blew two sharp blasts. The shrill sound echoed through the small woods. Before long, the sound of many hoofbeats approached, and over a hundred cavalrymen soon surrounded the tree in multiple layers.
Ned quietly watched the crowd of cavalrymen gradually surrounding him. He saw a dragon banner that couldn't unfurl properly in the woods and a knight who emerged from the crowd, whom he guessed was the leader of this troop.
This Leading Knight scrutinized Ned for a moment with his red eyes.
Then he spoke: "Lord Stark?" Though it was a question, his tone was certain.
In Ned's estimation, if he were lucky, hiding in a tree seven or eight meters high, a moment of negligence from the knights might have allowed him to be overlooked and escape. But the old gods clearly did not favor him.
Thinking about it, the trees were sparse, and this wasn't some dense forest with thick foliage. Only a blind man would fail to see such a large person.
It wasn't that Ned had lost his mind; it was a desperate move. Other than doing this and gambling on luck, what else could he have done?
Hearing the Leading Knight's question, Ned's lips twitched. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Leading Knight wave his hand dismissively and coldly order: "Horse archers, prepare."
Following the command, twenty riders drew their bows and notched arrows from their horses, aiming at Ned in the tree.
Ned's pupils constricted instantly, and his whole body tensed. Rushing to speak before the Leading Knight ordered them to fire, he said urgently: "I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and warden of the north. Sir Knight, I request an honorable death!" Only then did Ned realize his voice had become very strange, hoarse and strained.
Hearing this, the Leading Knight smiled, his expression full of contempt. "I know, Lord Stark!"
"I also know the words of House Stark: Winter is Coming~" The Leading Knight drawled the latter half with mock solemnity, then his face turned stern.
"I wonder what kind of honorable death my Lord desires? What kind of honorable death does a rebel deserve? Hahaha..." The first half seemed like a serious answer to Ned, but for the second half, he scanned the surrounding knights and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The chill at his chest had not dissipated, spreading throughout Ned's body. However, the Leading Knight's rhetorical question still made Ned's face burn. He realized that by speaking, he was only inviting humiliation; it would have been better to wait for death in peace. Opening his mouth had only caused him to suffer an insult for nothing.
The Leading Knight suppressed his laughter and said, "My Lord, winter will only come after you die. And for you, death has arrived!"
His voice was excited as he delivered the final judgment to Eddard.
"Fire!"
The twenty horse archers released their bowstrings. Twenty sharp arrows burst from the strings, flashing with light.
Suddenly, everything seemed to freeze.
The dappled sunlight, the raised hooves, the contemptuous sneers, the arrows passing through the leaves, the grey eyes about to close... "Beep—"
"Damage to the civilization main body detected. Inquiring whether to initiate Emergency Armor coverage fusion."
"Beep—"
"No response from the civilization main body. Inquiring again..."
"Beep—"
"Still no response from the civilization main body. Transferring to main program for processing."
"Beep—"
"Main program is dormant. According to the supreme directive of the Nuoga Civilization: The civilization main body is above all else. Making the following judgment."
"One: Immediately destroy all low-level life on this planet. Commencing feasibility check. Beep— Energy insufficient. This plan cannot be implemented."
"Two: Attempt to awaken the civilization main body and perform Emergency Armor coverage fusion. Commencing feasibility check. Beep— Commencing implementation. Beep— Awakening attempts have reached the limit; still unable to establish contact with the civilization main body's consciousness. This plan implementation failed."
"Three:... This plan cannot be implemented."
... "465: Violating Nuoga Civilization Directive No. 746,503,201: sub-colony rigs may not be split without the consent of the civilization main body. Splitting emergency sub-colony rig to perform coverage fusion on the low-level organism in physical contact with the civilization main body. Commencing feasibility check. Beep— Commencing implementation. Implementation complete. Estimated success rate is 99.infinite-9 percent."
... The Nuoga Civilization Spark Armor, forced to become a necklace hanging on An Chang's chest, flickered with a dark purple light. It split off a sliver invisible to the naked eye, which suddenly plunged into Ned's body.
Everything seemed to return to normal.
Ned did his best to curl his body, protecting the Infant in his arms.
In the blink of an eye, twenty arrows drew shallow arcs, making whistling sounds as they landed on Ned's body.
A few arrows were obstructed by branches and lost their aim, thudding into the tree trunk beside Ned. But most pierced deeply through his light armor and easily entered his body. The most fatal was an arrow that entered from the back of his neck and passed through his throat, mirroring Arthur's death.
The child in my arms shouldn't have been hit, right? But even if he wasn't, what difference does it make? Is this my last thought before death? This thought flashed through Ned's mind as his consciousness began to sink into boundless darkness, just like his body falling helplessly toward the ground.
The Leading Knight had a smile on his face, his red eyes reflecting Ned's falling corpse. He narrowed his eyes; there seemed to be a bright light trying to pierce his retina.
Boom— Crackle—
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