In the middle of the arena, Gregor finally loosened the reins and stirrups, rising to his feet with raging fury.
He violently tore off his helmet and slammed it to the ground, his face dark and full of anger, hair hanging down to cover his eyes.
"Bring me the sword," he shouted to his squire, who hurriedly ran forward to hand it to him. His mount also rose to its feet at this moment.
Gregor swung his sword and struck his horse with such force that it nearly severed the horse's head. Cheers turned instantly to screams.
The horse screamed in agony, kneeling to the ground and dying, as Gregor, gripping his bloodied longsword, strode toward the masked knight at the edge of the field.
"Seize him!" Ed yelled, but his voice was drowned out in the shouts, everyone screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Stop him, tell someone to stop him! Please, Father," Sansa pleaded tearfully.
Arya's hand had already reached for her Needle.
She realized this was Prince Joffrey's scheme and intended to jump down from the spectator stand to stop Gregor's actions, but her master grabbed her shoulder and held her back.
"Just watch for now," Syrio said. "He'll be fine; that Mountain can't harm him at all."
Facing the imposing figure of Gregor wielding a sword, the masked knight remained composed, as if the wooden prop he held was for mere sparring.
He gracefully dismounted and walked towards Gregor, seemingly ready for a direct confrontation.
"Why isn't he even carrying a lance?" Arya exclaimed in shock at the sight of the unarmed masked knight.
Just as surprised was Sansa, who screamed for the masked knight to run, but her voice was immediately drowned out by the surrounding cacophony.
Everything happened so quickly; the two men soon faced each other, and Gregor swung his greatsword at the masked knight, only for him to easily evade.
The masked knight charged forward, quickly closing the distance to Gregor's side, then delivered a sharp uppercut to Gregor's chin with his left hand.
Gregor towered over the masked knight by more than a head, but the punch was swift and fierce, immediately snapping his head back, blood gushing from his chin.
However, this blow only fueled Gregor's ferocity. Ignoring his own injury, he roared loudly, swinging his sword with all his might once again at the masked knight.
With the two so close, the masked knight was completely within his range.
Yet the masked knight ducked low, maneuvering behind his opponent like a cat, rendering the powerful swing useless.
Gregor attempted to turn, but too slowly and too late.
This time, the masked knight viciously kicked him in the back of his knee, the clash of metal against metal ringing in everyone's ears.
Though Gregor was strong, this brutal kick caused his knee to buckle, completely throwing off his balance.
The next blow struck the back of his head, the steel gauntlet seemingly crushing his skull, blood immediately streaming from the back of his head, quickly soaking his hair.
Gregor uttered no words, only howling like a wild beast, but the blow to the back of his head nearly knocked him unconscious, causing him to stagger before falling forward headfirst.
The greatsword slipped from his hand as he slowly, heavily, toppled over.
The masked knight approached, stepping on his chest with one foot.
Gregor groaned, attempting to crawl with his elbows, but the masked knight pressed down hard on his knee, making it impossible for him to stand, a pool of red spreading from the back of his head.
The sight of the masked knight defeating the towering Mountain sent the crowd into a frenzy, cheers resounding loudly.
Among them, Sandor Clegane cheered the loudest, even King Robert was wearing a surprised and pleased smile.
Watching her beloved crush her enemy underfoot, foiling Joffrey's plot, Sansa went from tears to laughter.
Observing the masked knight's actions, she speculated that he hadn't decided how to deal with his opponent.
After a while, the cheers slowly subsided, and the masked knight glanced towards Robert, seemingly waiting for the king's decision regarding Gregor.
Robert realized this and nodded approvingly, apparently about to speak.
However, just as he was about to speak, a sudden change occurred.
Clegane clapped his hands suddenly, grabbing the masked knight's knee from behind, seemingly attempting to ambush him.
This astonishing scene immediately ignited the crowd once more.
However, the masked knight's reaction was faster than Gregor had anticipated.
Before Gregor could act, the masked knight, using the grabbed leg as a pivot, immediately raised his other leg and ruthlessly stomped on Gregor's raised arm.
The stomp was forceful, causing Gregor to cry out like a wild animal in pain.
People noticed that the armor on his arm was twisting abnormally, with a visible bend along his entire arm, clearly indicating that it had been snapped by the stomp — a situation even less conducive to holding onto the opponent's leg.
But the masked knight seemed provoked by Gregor's actions.
He felt that merely breaking Gregor's arm wasn't enough to vent his anger. Stepping forward two steps, he came to the side of Gregor's head, then viciously kicked it.
With this kick, the steel-boot was immediately stained with blood.
Gregor's half-face was already smashed, unrecognizable in its bloody mess, teeth turned to fragments, one eye seemingly pulverized, even bones exposed.
This gruesome scene stunned the audience, many noblewomen unable to bear to look.
Sansa had expected herself to look away, to feel repulsed by the masked knight's behavior, but she suddenly realized that she wasn't afraid of Gregor's bloody face, nor did she dislike the masked knight causing this bloody scene.
Instead, she felt a sense of relief and was happy for the masked knight.
Earlier she used to like elegant duels and wasn't a fan of such gruesome battles, but now she has changed.
Was this change due to the masked knight?.
At this moment, she felt like she had figured something out.
Was this, indeed, true love? No matter what the other person did, she was willing to stand by their side, even abandoning her own ideals.
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