Chapter 55: The Twisted Devotee
The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"Form ranks!"
Accompanied by the repeated shouts of the heralds, several squads stationed in the harbor expansion district of Cutthroat Isle swiftly gathered.
After receiving supplementary arms and armor, Jon's soldiers were now equipped on par with a proper standing army. Archers bore sturdy bows and longswords; spearmen carried shields and well-forged heads.
Because the Chainbreakers trained primarily in coordination and formation warfare, Jon had divided them into specialized branches.
The spear phalanx included shield-bearers, short-spearmen, and long-spearmen. The first rank was composed entirely of archers carrying bows and longswords, while the special units of the third rank wielded short axes and slender blades for close combat.
As the ruined warehouse collapsed, more and more soldiers rushed to the scene. Following their usual drills, they quickly formed ranks.
Shields in front, spears braced behind, archers and axe-throwers supporting from the center. Their target: the monstrous octopus-like creature that had crawled from the wreckage.
"Hiss… hiss…"
The creature stood nearly three meters tall. It lashed its tentacles wildly, flinging broken bricks and timber at the advancing Chainbreakers.
Its structure was grotesque. Chunks of masonry flew like a storm of stones, clattering loudly against the raised shields.
The monster showed no sign of fleeing. Instead, it continued attacking as the soldiers gradually encircled it.
"Ready! Loose!"
Upon receiving the herald's command, the archers released a rain of arrows toward the creature.
Most of these men had already seen Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost, and the great dragon he commanded. Over time, they had grown accustomed to wonders and horrors alike.
Though the creature was terrifying in appearance, it was still flesh and blood—and it threw stones. Some soldiers even muttered that they might feast on its tentacles afterward.
"Hiss… hiss…"
Yet the arrows proved less effective than hoped. The creature blocked many with its tentacles, and those that struck sank into the mucus-slick flesh with little effect, as if piercing sodden leather.
"Bring fire! This one won't fall easily!"
Garo, commanding the formation, quickly ordered a change in tactics. Nearly a hundred men had gathered by now.
Several soldiers bearing slings stepped forward. In regions where iron was scarce, slingers often replaced archers.
Using braided cords, they spun stones the size of fists overhead before hurling them with lethal force.
Among Garo's former pirates from the Summer Isles were men skilled in this art. Jon had reorganized them into a specialized oil-flask unit.
In naval warfare, such weapons could ignite an enemy ship's rudder or deck, plunging foes into chaos and flame.
"Splat… crack…"
Under the aim of ten slingers, oil flasks shattered against the creature. Fish oil drenched its upper body, soaking the feminine, twisted torso.
Even the flasks that missed were smashed by the creature's own movements, splashing oil everywhere.
"Boom!"
"Hiss—!"
A volley of flaming arrows followed.
The oil ignited instantly.
The creature shrieked as fire engulfed it. Burning tentacles thrashed, leaving trails of flame across the ground.
Realizing it could not extinguish itself, the blazing monster roared and charged toward Garo's phalanx in a final frenzy.
"Hold! Brace the spears!"
Just as fear flickered across the front rank, a bone-chilling gust swept in from the left.
Ice pillars erupted from the earth like spears of winter, impaling the burning creature.
"Hiss—!"
The massive spikes pierced it clean through, lifting it into the air.
Fire and frost ravaged it simultaneously. Its struggles weakened.
"Good thing I arrived in time."
The pale-faced former pirate captain Kapo lowered the spellbook in his hands, breathing heavily.
Beside him, Merry eyed the tome with open envy. To this day, he struggled to accept that a coarse pirate like Kapo possessed such magical aptitude.
"Should we strike again? I don't think it's dead," Merry asked.
"Give me a moment," Kapo muttered weakly. "Magic isn't so easily cast."
The creature suddenly stirred.
Its body began swelling, as if something inside were inflating it.
"Fall back!"
Garo immediately ordered a retreat. Experience had taught him to distrust the unknown.
"Crack…"
The ice pillars fractured as the creature's expanding form shattered them.
Then—
A dark purple orb appeared near the monster.
Runic rings, like the orbit of planets, revolved around it.
The runes shattered. The orb collapsed inward, forming a violent vortex.
Energy twisted and compressed into a void-like singularity.
A portion of the creature's body was torn away, devoured by that force.
This was the dark magic Moonlight—a spell capable of ignoring magical resistance.
When the vortex faded, a gruesome cavity remained in the creature's body, as though an invisible hand had ripped a chunk from it.
"Long live Lord Jon!"
The Chainbreakers erupted into cheers as they spotted Jon Snow casting the spell.
He stood holding what appeared to be a scepter—though it was in truth Dark Sister, his Valyrian steel blade transformed.
The weapon bore the same rippling patterns of Valyrian steel. At its head gleamed a red gemstone, cradled within a wing-shaped guard.
"When did you acquire such a weapon, Lord Jon?" Garo asked, hurrying to his side.
"It is my sword—not a scepter."
Jon's eyes remained fixed on the creature.
Though grievously wounded, it still twitched.
This abomination had no place in the tales of Westeros Jon remembered. Unsure of its limits, he prepared another spell, raising Dark Sister once more.
His class, Dragon Lord, allowed him to blend blade and sorcery. With the proper permissions, he could channel spells from his grimoire directly through his weapon.
Unlike Kapo, Jon did not suffer immediate exhaustion. His affinity with the blade and his reserves of power made the casting far more efficient.
"Hiss—!"
The creature sensed danger.
Its body swelled again—
"Splat!"
Within seconds, it exploded.
Fragments of flesh and ichor scattered across the ground.
Jon narrowed his eyes.
"What in the Seven Hells is that thing?"
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