Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

However, just then, before Philip Ford could react, he saw a huge fist rapidly enlarging in his single eye.

bang——

Then, with a loud thud, it slammed into his cheek. The one-eyed knight had just been pulled up by Brienne when, to his utter surprise, the female knight punched him right in the face.

"Oh—"

The audience on stage, caught off guard by this scene, gasped and exclaimed in surprise.

"Good job, Cavaliers!"

"Beat him up!"

"Kick his ass!"

But then a chorus of jeers filled the room, and even the gamblers who had just lost money betting on Philip Ford sided with Brienne, loudly urging the female knight to beat up the good-for-nothing who had caused them to lose money.

The poor one-eyed knight was caught off guard and knocked to the ground by Brienne's punch once again. His mind went blank, and he kept having a buzzing sound. His nose also seemed to be broken, and blood was flowing out.

"Hold--"

"You shitty bitch."

Philip Ford was once again knocked down by the female knight's punch, completely disoriented. He lay on the ground, panting heavily, too weak to get up, but still muttering curses incessantly.

The One-Eyed Knight's habit of not wearing a helmet gave Brienne an opportunity. The female knight punched him hard, which vented her anger at being mocked as a 'beauty' and made her feel much better.

He then ignored the other party's incessant cursing, simply wiping the blood from his fist before picking up the longsword and shield he had just thrown away.

Brienne planted her longsword back into the ground, gripped her shield in one hand, and coldly stared at the one-eyed knight lying on the ground before letting out a cold snort.

"Watch your mouth from now on, understand?"

...

The first battle ended with Brienne Tass defeating Sir Philip Ford.

Then came the second match, where both sides' players were ready to fight.

The second battle was between Earl Beryl Dondarrion of Black Harbor and his former squire, the young, new generation 'Sword of the Dawn' Edric Dayne.

The new generation of young swordsman has a close relationship with Count Beric. In fact, the two are not only master and servant, but Count Beric Dondarrion of Black Harbor was also engaged to Aria Dayne, Edric's aunt, twelve years ago. Now the two are married and have three children.

Therefore, Berry is actually Edric's uncle.

Berry's participation in the tournament wasn't actually about becoming a Kingsguard; he was there to compete for honor and rewards. He knew he wouldn't become a Kingsguard, but he was already quite satisfied with making it to the final ten.

Unfortunately, his luck wasn't very good, and he couldn't go any further because he ran into the new generation of Little Sword Saint.

As for Edric's talent in swordsmanship, no one knew it better than Beryl, who was his uncle and former master.

Although Edric was young and had not participated in many duels or actual battles, he had been training hard in his hometown of Falling Star City.

This was actually his first time participating in a large-scale martial arts tournament, but his dedication and hard work over the past ten years, culminating in his emergence from seclusion, should not be underestimated.

"I was hoping to earn more bonuses, but I didn't expect to run into you, kid."

Meanwhile, on the battlefield below, amidst the lively cheers and encouragement overhead, Earl of Black Harbor stroked his golden-red hair and gave a wry smile.

"Come on, Lord Berry."

But the boy opposite him, with fair skin, platinum blonde hair, and deep blue eyes, seemed a little nervous. Then, he gripped the hilt of the sword under his snow-white cloak, raised his head, and spoke.

Edric Dane was in dire straits in the first round of the team competition. He didn't panic when facing more than a dozen knights by himself. Instead, he calmly defeated them while fighting and retreating.

But when facing his former master and uncle, this new generation of Dawn Sword felt a little nervous.

Who would have thought that this handsome young knight, who is almost like a girl and whose swordsmanship is cold and ruthless, is actually a person with social anxiety disorder?

His superb swordsmanship and aloofness, which kept strangers at bay, were merely his protective shield.

After confirming that both sides were ready, the battle commenced.

Although Berry Dondelion knew he was doomed to lose, he did not give up easily.

"bring it on!"

"Let me see how much you've improved!"

The Earl of Black Harbor stretched his neck, gripped the longsword in his right hand and the shield in his left, and then stepped forward.

The blond-haired boy opposite him was not wearing a shield; he simply stood there with his sword.

He waited quietly for his uncle to make the first move, as a sign of respect for his former master.

Once in battle mode, the tension in Edric Dane's eyes disappeared, replaced by calmness in his beautiful, clear eyes, reflecting the figure of his opponent.

"Be careful!"

Then the Earl of Black Harbor lost his composure. He felt he had found a weakness in Edric and pounced on him like a hungry tiger.

He held a shield in his left hand to protect his left wing, while his right hand held a sword and slashed down with it.

“I’ll give you two moves, Lord Berry.”

His sword strike missed its mark; Edric dodged it and spoke at the same time.

Chapter 960 Assembling the Team

The second battle below begins, and in the VIP seats filled with imperial nobles, Littlefinger has just wasted a hundred gold dragons.

A newly minted gold dragon coin of the empire is quite valuable; for many of the empire's people, it would take several months or even half a year to earn that much.

But Lord Petyr Baelish remained unfazed even after losing a hundred gold dragons. He looked at the second battle below, shook his head, and spoke.

"Although I don't understand the knights' battles, I have heard of the name of the Dawn Sword, Your Highness."

"It is said that the Dane family has a set of rules for judging successors. If an heir does not meet the standards, he is not qualified to wield the Dawn and call himself the new generation of the Dawn Sword."

Petyr tapped his fingers on the armrest and looked at the battle below as he spoke.

"This rule of the Dane family is to prevent any descendant from tarnishing the name of the Dawn Sword."

"Therefore, since this young man is qualified to wield the Dawn, his strength must be beyond doubt."

"Has Your Highness ever considered recruiting the Dawn Sword to your side?"

Petyr Baelish's reminder caused the young prince's expression to shift slightly.

He hadn't had such thoughts before, since he now lived in the Red Castle and didn't have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. The servants and guards in the palace were at his beck and call, so he never intended to recruit any staff.

But now it seems I really do need to build a team and recruit some useful people...

However, he is currently just a prince of the Targaryen family. Although he seems to have a high status and is always accompanied by a large entourage wherever he goes, the embarrassing truth is that princes and princesses of the Targaryen family do not actually have any real power.

Can Herlos command the capital's garrison now?

Catching a petty thief might be manageable, but mobilizing the army would be impossible without Sir 'Blackfish' Brynden. Others might fear the power of the imperial princes, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison is a key position in the empire, second only to the senior ministers of the Imperial Council. It would be difficult for Heros to get the other party to give him face.

However, Sir Blackfish was a seasoned veteran, and he certainly wouldn't directly and forcefully refuse the prince's request. Instead, he would subtly ask Heros to produce the imperial edict from his mother, Queen Renis.

This is a bit awkward, because after going around in circles, Heros still ended up asking his mother for help.

Although he appears to be the high and mighty heir to the empire, before he actually ascended the Iron Throne and ruled the empire, Heros didn't even have the power of a small earldom.

Therefore, after the Vale Governor Petyr Baelish offered a hint, the naturally intelligent eldest son of the Empire immediately grasped the meaning and applied it to other situations.

He wondered if he could take the opportunity to show filial piety to his mother and then ask for a fiefdom to manage on his own.

Unfortunately, Heros's birth mother, Queen Renis, was not a person who was very attached to power. She did not usually manage state affairs, except for major events that required her approval.

Moreover, given his mother's personality, the brown-haired boy thought she might not agree to his request, although he might have a chance if he persisted.

"However, Ariane's mother's birthday is in two weeks..."

Herlos Targaryen turned his head to look at the throne, his brows relaxing slightly.

He thought of focusing on the gift, carefully preparing a present that would please his mother, and then asking for a fiefdom; perhaps he could succeed.

But he still needed to ask Diana for help with this matter, since Queen Ariane was his sister's biological mother. He then looked towards Diana.

Then they saw the older sister playing some kind of game with her younger brother, Immon. Immon was flicked several times and looked very aggrieved.

...

Meanwhile, Petyr Baelish saw that after a few simple words of advice, the young prince seemed to have grasped the concept.

An enigmatic smile suddenly appeared on his face.

As the empire's foremost mastermind of intrigue, Littlefinger's true intentions are difficult for anyone but himself to fathom.

Surprisingly, Robert Arryn, whom everyone thought would soon die for some unknown reason under the guidance of his kind adoptive father, has actually lived to this day and successfully inherited the Eyrie.

Lysa, the virtuous wife of the Vale governor, was less fortunate; she died in childbirth while giving birth to Petyr Baelish's son.

The governor of the Vale was heartbroken and gave his wife a grand funeral. He vowed never to marry again and named his only son Robin, after Robert Arryn, the Earl of the Eyrie.

Later, some rumors circulated in the valley, with some claiming that Lady Lysa had lost her ability to have children due to five miscarriages.

Lady Lysa was actually killed by Littlefinger, who then adopted a bastard child from who-knows-where, claiming that the child was the cause of his wife's difficult childbirth, and thus the child rightfully inherited the Petyr family name.

However, this rumor was just that—a rumor. There was no real evidence, and even the Earl of the Eyrie, a boy with severe epilepsy, didn't believe it. So it quickly dissipated.

However, at that very moment, the outcome of the duel below had already been decided.

Edric Dane smoothly defeated his uncle, Earl of Black Harbor, Beryl Dondarrion, as expected.

Amidst cheers and encouragement from the audience, the remaining contestants took to the stage one after another and completed their matches.

Gendry, wielding the Stormhammer left to him by his father Robert Baratheon, decisively defeated Deacon Tarly, the second son of former River Reach general Randyll Tarly.

Arya Stark, the "little wolf girl," and Artis, the "giant prince," also defeated their respective opponents.

The Giant Prince used the same old tactics. Although he didn't have the same feeling of mowing down enemies as in the team competition, and his opponents were no pushovers, he still defeated them with sheer force.

Arya, on the other hand, had to put in more effort. She encountered another power-type opponent and eventually managed to win by using her agility to constantly maneuver around him.

Then all the victorious knights went on to compete in a further contest.

Gendry was unlucky enough to run into the giant prince Artis. He was originally a power-type fighter, but unfortunately he encountered the unreasonable species of giants and thus suffered a regrettable defeat.

Edric Dayne, the Sword of Dawn, encountered Brienne Tarth, the female knight, thus bringing her to the end of her journey of advancement. Her swordsmanship was full of flaws in the eyes of the young swordsman, allowing her to advance easily.

Arya, the little wolf girl, was lucky enough to get a bye. She won the first two rounds by default in the stands. However, Bran, who was eliminated early in the third round, cheered for his sister, while Lady Catelyn was sweating bullets.

However, Arya's good luck eventually came to an end. Of the three, Edric Dayne was left out, while Arya encountered the towering giant prince.