After the battle at the inner gate of the Black Castle, Eddard and the Old Bear led their men to clear the tunnels.
As they passed through the inner gate, they were shocked to find the passage smeared with shredded flesh.
The ground, walls, and ceiling were covered in frozen organs, bones, and congealed fluids.
W
The entire passage looked like it had been recklessly painted by a mischievous child using yellow, black, and red pigments, presenting a bizarre and disgusting sight.
At the end of the corpse-filled passage sat Roman, resting on a door, along with the two knocked-out giants.
Everyone scrambled to drag the giants to the Black Castle, while Roman was protected by Fili and Harrenhal soldiers.
"Ser Roman, these wildlings... did you kill them all?"
Eddard and the Old Bear asked in disbelief, though they already had the answer in their hearts.
"Lord Eddard, Commander Mormont, we should burn those corpses first. Leaving them will only pollute the Wall."
The Old Bear nodded and then called the Nights Watch to help.
Currently, the Black Castle had no additional damage except for the destroyed Freight Passage.
Soldier losses did not exceed a hundred, mostly caused by their own fire oil.
After resting, Roman used Thunder to strip away all the frozen corpse fragments in the passage and transported them to the Cremation Square.
Counting them up, there were over 300 visible heads alone, not to mention the pure fragments; Roman's record would only be higher than this number.
Amidst the soldiers' whispers, White Flame ignited from the corpses, and over a dozen piles of bright white volcanoes instantly flared up in the square.
"Lord Roman, those two giants have woken up! They're struggling to escape, and we can't control them!"
But when Roman arrived at the scene, he found that Fili was already chatting happily with Mag the Mighty.
The two giants showed no aggression; instead, they were communicating with her.
"Are you from the north? What do you eat, meat or vegetables? Why must you charge the Wall?"
"Ah, Lord Roman! You're here."
Fili's words made the two giants' hair stand on end. They hurriedly looked back, but the injuries on their feet left them unable to move.
The monster of Harrenhal walked slowly toward the giants and asked Fili:
"Fili, you can communicate with giants now. Has your ability improved?"
The girl nodded happily. "Recently, I found that I can communicate with many animals and even view their memories. That's how I found the owl last time!"
Roman nodded and glanced at the giants.
"Did these giants say why the wildlings are attacking the Wall?"
"They said a terrifying storm is coming from the north. Any animal it touches turns into an ice sculpture. There are terrifying creatures in the storm, and it keeps moving south. The wildlings don't want to die."
Roman frowned slightly. The situation Beyond the Wall had already exceeded his imagination; wildlings with improved equipment, strange storms, and magical resonance had all appeared.
He knew he had to resolve the wildling issue quickly. If the legendary beasts from Martin's books were resurrected, it would be disastrous.
"Fili, help me send a letter to Mance Rayder. We need to talk."
"Ser Roman?"
The Old Bear was somewhat puzzled. With Roman's strength, he could simply lead troops to repel the wildlings in one go. Why bother talking?
"Commander Mormont, I have a premonition that something far more troublesome than wildlings is coming."
The raven quickly entered the woods and returned shortly after with Mance's reply.
"He asked to talk in detail in the clearing outside the Wall." Roman gave the letter to Eddard and the Old Bear.
After reading it, Eddard frowned. "It's too dangerous! Ser Roman, what if the wildlings launch an attack?"
"Lord Eddard, who said I was going to negotiate alone?"
When the scheduled time arrived, Roman led the Herrenburg Army filing out from the tunnel beneath the Wall.
Eddard, worried about Roman, also brought 4,000 Northern soldiers to assist, and the Black Castle sent Rangers to help.
Harrenhal's cavalry lined up in front, while the infantry formed phalanxes in the rear. Shields and blades, long spears, crossbows, and mobile ballistae were all deployed.
The catapults and ballistae atop the Wall were also ready, prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the wildlings at any moment.
Mance Rayder didn't play any tricks either, arriving at the negotiation site quite openly. Roman came to the meeting carrying his war hammer.
"Are you the lord who blocked the tunnel single-handedly?"
Mance looked him up and down, a hint of unease appearing in the depths of his eyes.
"Damn, when did the Seven Kingdoms produce a monster like you?"
"Mance, belittling your opponent won't give you an advantage."
The King-Beyond-the-Wall smiled. "You aren't my enemy right now, otherwise you wouldn't have come to negotiate. Tell me, what are your demands?"
"Tell me what happened Beyond the Wall, and then surrender with the wildlings."
"Impossible," Mance refused calmly. "The Free Folk do not kneel to anyone. Your laws cannot bind us."
Roman looked up at the distant clouds and then glanced at the woods behind, where many wildlings were hidden; their sparks of life were denser than the trees.
"So stubborn. If you weren't being driven by those terrifying things from the north, how else would you be forced to climb the Wall?"
Roman pointed to the wildlings behind Mance. "If you are truly their king, then you should think carefully for your people. Right now, it's not just the Nights Watch at the Wall. You should know better than I how many wildlings the Northerners have killed."
"Surrender is your only chance for survival. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind leaving you here, and you know exactly what would happen then."
The two were at a stalemate. Roman didn't understand why Mance was so stubborn, maintaining his ridiculous "Free Folk" mindset even with an army pressing down on him.
The Free Folk feared being swallowed by the horrors Beyond the Wall, yet they showed no fear of the death right before their eyes.
But what happened next broke the stalemate. Wretched screams erupted from the wildling camp in the rear.
Roman looked up sharply. He saw clusters of grey shadows; they weren't sparks of life, but things filled with cold and death.
A large group of wildlings ran frantically out of the woods, followed by a swarm of strange creatures.
It was a group of giant Ice Spider and a pack of frenzied wolves.
Seeing this scene, the composure on Mance's face vanished instantly, replaced by terror.
The vast number of wildlings collapsed at the first touch, slaughtered at will by the wolves and spiders. These beasts easily bit through the wildlings' throats and tore their bodies apart.
Even the icy snow couldn't block the smell of blood. Looking at the pathetic wildlings, Roman felt there was no longer any need for the negotiation.
Roman observed the beasts carefully. Without hesitation, he quickly shouted to the Harrenhal soldiers:
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Heavy weapons aim at large targets! Everyone else, advance slowly! Cavalry, charge with me!"
Roman left Mance behind, ignited his White Flame, and took the lead in the charge.
Roman's mount had worked with its master for a long time and was now completely adapted to the flames. Even as terrifying energy gathered above its head, it wasn't affected in the slightest.
The Ice Spider also noticed this dangerous presence and immediately shifted their targets to attack Roman.
But the Dragon-breed of Harrenhal smashed the Ice Spider' front claws with a single blow. The creatures' shattered bodies turned into fine ice chips, coating Roman.
A strange sensation spread through Roman's body with the ice crystals. He felt the magic power within him becoming more robust.
Facing the remaining Ice Spider, Roman swung his left hand to unleash several streaks of fire, forcing them back. Then he turned his horse and smashed their melting bodies.
In the distance, it was a combined attack by the Harrenhal and Northern cavalry. Under the impact of the cavalry legion, the wolves were stabbed to death one by one in the snow, while the remaining Ice Spider were pinned down by the Light Cavalry and then blown apart by the ballistae in the rear.
"Surround them! Don't let these things escape!"
As Roman's order was issued, the Harrenhal cavalry quickly formed a containment net, surrounding the wolves and Ice Spider before engaging in a ruthless charge and slaughter.
Clean and decisive, calm and efficient—Mance Rayder finally realized the gap between the wildlings and a regular army.
Roman dismounted swiftly and knocked Mance to the ground with a single punch.
"After all that, I thought you had some trump card, but this is it? I was a fool to think the wildlings could defeat my standing army."
Eddard and the Old Bear were nearby, surrounding and chasing the wildlings. This negotiation ended with the wildlings' own pathetic performance, and now the initiative was in Roman's hands.
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