Sandor chose not to directly confront the raging beast.
He moved with agile steps, utilizing Highgarden advantage of his longsword, constantly searching for new weaknesses on Gregor's body.
The sword's edge repeatedly scraped against Gregor's armor, sending sparks flying.
But Gregor seemed to have completely abandoned defense, focused solely on grabbing Sandor.
Wounds on his body bled, and his steps faltered slightly due to a leg injury.
But this only made him more frenzied, more reckless!
The atmosphere in the stands was incredibly tense.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the two figures wrestling in the arena.
One was as heavy and violent as a mountain, while the other appeared nimble and deadly.
"Bang!"
After a dangerous dodge, Gregor's massive fist grazed Sandor's cheek and slammed heavily into the stone railing behind him.
A loud crash!
And in order to evade this powerful blow, Sandor stumbled, his body uncontrollably crashing into a huge brazier used for illumination nearby!
A blast of scorching air hit him.
The fiercely burning flames instantly magnified in Sandor's pupils!
Boom—!
Sandor's mind instantly went blank.
Time, at this moment, seemed to stop.
The deafening roar of the crowd seemed to vanish.
Gregor's twisted, ferocious face also disappeared.
His world was left with only that orange-red flame that seemed to devour everything.
That night twenty years ago once again clearly appeared before his eyes.
Simply because his younger self played with Gregor's toy, Gregor pressed him into the fire, resulting in his face being burned!
He seemed to smell his own flesh burning.
He heard Gregor's excited and cruel laughter.
He felt that bone-deep, inescapable burning pain that he would never forget!
"Ah..."
A groan filled with endless terror escaped Sandor's throat.
His sword-holding hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
His grey eyes, always filled with violence and disdain, were now filled with childlike terror and helplessness.
He was afraid of fire.
This was his deepest fear.
It was a nightmare he could never escape!
Gregor noticed Sandor's abnormality.
A cruel pleasure flashed in his eyes hidden beneath his helmet.
He found it!
He found his bastard brother's most fatal weakness!
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Gregor let out a low, maniacal laugh.
He didn't take the opportunity to attack, but instead stepped back, and despite the heat, grabbed the huge brazier!
"Whoosh—!"
He used all his strength to hurl the entire brazier towards Sandor!
The scalding charcoal and burning flames instantly turned the ground around Sandor into a sea of fire!
"No!!"
Sandor let out a desperate scream.
He instinctively retreated, wanting to get away from the sea of fire that made his soul tremble.
But as fast as he retreated, the fear in his heart spread just as fast!
His movements became stiff, his breathing became rapid, and his fighting spirit was completely burned away by the flames at this moment!
"It's over."
On the high platform.
The stiff expression on Petyr Baelish's face instantly melted, replaced by his usual confident smile.
He raised his wine glass, toasting Lynn from afar.
The curve of his lips was full of disdain and mockery.
Did you see?
This is the difference.
He admitted that Sandor was strong, and he had underestimated him before.
But in the face of true fear, even the most meticulous calculations and astonishing martial prowess were nothing but a joke.
Sandor was bound to lose!
Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns of Highgarden, frowned slightly and whispered to Margaery beside her.
"It seems our friend from the North is about to lose his first wager."
Margaery said nothing.
Her beautiful brown eyes, however, were fixed intently on Lynn.
There was a hint of worry in her gaze.
But to her astonishment, Lynn's face showed no sign of panic or loss of composure.
He even... closed his eyes.
What was he trying to do?
Had he given up?
This made Margaery a little disappointed.
Just as everyone thought the outcome was decided.
All the clamor around Lynn, Petyr's smug face, Robert's anxious roar, Sansa's worried gaze... all faded from his senses at this moment.
His consciousness, like an invisible thread, pierced through the spatial barrier, accurately probing into Sandor's spiritual world, which was filled with fear and fire.
Warg!
Lynn did not choose the more insidious Ice Magic for his outside move, but instead chose to use his Warg ability.
What he wanted was not a Sandor with weaknesses.
But a truly fearless warrior!
To be fearless, Sandor had to confront fear!
"Sandor!"
A cold and majestic voice, like a clap of thunder, exploded in Sandor's chaotic mind!
Sandor, who was being tormented by his childhood nightmare, trembled violently.
That voice... was Lord Lynn?!
Why was he in my head??
"Raise your head!"
Lynn's voice forcibly pulled Sandor out of that sea of fire-like memory.
"Look in front of you!"
"That is not the brazier from twenty years ago!"
"That fire is not your nightmare, it is your enemy's weapon!"
Sandor's consciousness struggled violently.
He saw, beyond the flickering flames, Gregor approaching him step by step.
Gregor's face wore a cruel smile, like a cat toying with a mouse.
"Do you want to live under his shadow your entire life?"
"Do you want everyone to see you, like a dog, being played to death by him with the very thing you fear most?"
"Where is your twenty years of hatred? Where is your twenty years of self-torment, day and night?!"
"Are you going to give up because of this small fire?!"
Lynn's voice burned fiercely deep within Sandor's soul.
No!
I don't want to!
I don't want to be a coward anymore!
A hotter, more violent emotion erupted from Sandor's chest!
It was the hatred suppressed for twenty years, enough to burn everything to ashes!
"That's it!"
Lynn's consciousness sensed the change in Sandor's emotions.
"Your hatred is hotter than that fire, sharper than any sword!"
"That is not the fire that burned you, Sandor!"
Lynn's consciousness guided Sandor, making him look back at the sea of fire.
"That is the fire of your vengeance!"
"Go! Take it! Use it to ignite your sword! Use it to cut down everything in front of you!"
"Let your brother Gregor, let all your enemies, let the whole world see!"
"You are not a dog!"
The moment the words fell!
Under Lynn's guidance, Sandor's grey eyes, which had been unfocused due to fear, suddenly refocused!
All fear and cowardice had vanished from them.
In their place was a near-mad determination!
He no longer retreated.
To everyone's disbelief, he actually stepped forward, plunging into the burning sea of fire!
The longsword in his hand was plunged fiercely into a piece of burning charcoal on the ground!
Sandor slowly raised his head, looking across the flickering flames at his brother, who was approaching step by step.
A grim smile spread across the half of his face that was hideously burned.
"Gregor."
"You like fire, don't you?"
"Today, I'll let you taste what it's like to be burned by fire!"
Sandor fiercely pulled out the red-hot longsword, and the entire person actually charged towards Gregor!
In his hand, it was no longer an ordinary knight's longsword.
But a branding iron burning with the flames of vengeance!
On the high platform, Petyr Baelish's smile froze again.
The wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, shattering into pieces.
He looked at Sandor, bathed in flames, like a demon returned from hell, and fear showed in his grey-green eyes, which were always calculating!
What in the hell... was happening to this world?
Hadn't Sandor been scared out of his wits?
Who gave him the courage to stand up again?
Gregor was also stunned by Sandor's astonishing transformation.
Facing the longsword, which radiated scorching heat and endless hatred, Gregor instinctively raised his arm to block.
"Pfft!"
The red-hot blade, with a skillful twist, easily tore through the thick leather armor on his arm.
The sword tip plunged deep into his flesh!
"Sizzle—!!!"
The smell of burnt meat instantly filled the air.
"Ow—!!!"
Gregor let out a scream more shrill and painful than any before!
It was the excruciating pain of flesh being branded alive!
He frantically tried to shake Sandor off, but Sandor was like a hungry wolf that had bitten its prey's throat, refusing to let go!
He used all his strength to fiercely twist the red-hot longsword in his flesh!
"Ah ah ah ah!!!"
Gregor went completely mad!
He abandoned all defense, and his other good arm slammed fiercely towards Sandor's head!
A ruthless glint flashed in Sandor's eyes!
He didn't dodge, similarly abandoning defense, and took the blow squarely on his shoulder!
"Crack!"
The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.
Sandor's left shoulder instantly collapsed, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
But he didn't fall!
He used this ruined arm to completely ruin Gregor's arm!
Both suffered heavy losses!
Trading life for life!
Sandor, in the most tragic way, dragged this arrogant giant down to the same level as himself!
"Madmen! They're all madmen!"
Petyr Baelish stood up from his seat, losing his composure.
Lynn slowly opened his eyes, looking at him calmly, as if looking at a dead man.
In the arena, the battle had entered its most intense and bloody phase.
Both men were severely wounded, yet they still tore at each other like two wild beasts.
Gregor had lost the advantage of his arms, and Sandor had only one hand left that could move.
Gregor headbutted, he bit!
Sandor smashed with his sword hilt, he kicked!
Blood stained the ground, and it stained everyone's eyes.
This was no longer a duel.
This was a blood feud to the death!
Finally, after a savage collision, Gregor's massive body, due to excessive blood loss and extreme pain, could no longer support itself and crashed to the ground!
Sandor, dragging his heavily injured body, walked unsteadily to Gregor.
Sandor looked down at his brother, whom he had hated for twenty years, and his grey eyes were filled with the pleasure of vengeance.
He raised the longsword in his hand high.
"It's over."
Sandor said softly, and then, with his last ounce of strength, aimed the sword tip at the eye slit of Gregor's helmet and plunged it down fiercely!
However, just as the sword tip was about to pierce.
Gregor, who should have lost all strength, suddenly erupted with a terrifying fierce light in his bloodshot eyes!
He used his last ounce of strength, and his charred hand, like an iron vice, lightning-fast grabbed Sandor's sword-holding wrist!
At the same time, his other hand clamped tightly around Sandor's throat!
"If I die... we die together!!!"
Gregor let out a roar like a demon from hell.
He used all his strength to fiercely pull Sandor's head towards his own twisted face!
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