The Mountain rode forward in a charge, and everyone expected him to dispose of Ygritte easily.
Littlefinger even made a bet with Renly, who had already been eliminated.
"One Gold Dragon says Ygritte falls in one strike!" Littlefinger laughed.
"She's tough. I bet she lasts at least three rounds!" Renly countered.
"You're all underestimating her!" Loras interjected. Having fought Ygritte personally, he knew how formidable she was.
Although he had held back when she defeated him, Ygritte's strength was undeniable.
The Mountain and Ygritte clashed. On the first impact, Ygritte was nearly sent flying.
The Mountain's strength was simply too immense.
Lancelot used his Appraisal skill to check the Mountain's stats.
> Name: Gregor Clegane
> Identity: Landed Knight (Lord)
> Class: Knight
> Strength: 50
> Speed: 25
> Intelligence: 15
> Spirit: 20
> Mana: 15
> Talent: Giant's Blood. Awakened the giant blood flowing in his veins. Although not a pure-blood giant, his strength rivals that of a true giant.
This was the first time Lancelot had seen someone with a Strength stat reaching 50.
He estimated that the giants living beyond the Wall might have Strength stats as high as 70 or 80, possibly approaching 100.
As for anything above 100, Lancelot surmised that would be demigod territory. Stats in the thousands might belong to true gods.
Ygritte was like a lone boat in a storm, while the Mountain was the raging sea intent on destroying her.
But her resilience was incredible; she gritted her teeth and held on.
Ygritte withstood multiple impacts. Her shield was shattered long ago and replaced, and she had broken several lances.
Seeing the brutal beating Ygritte was taking, Jon Snow couldn't bear it and shouted her name.
"Yield, Ygritte! Don't throw your life away!"
Ygritte glared back at him furiously.
"Free Folk never yield!"
She charged again. This time, her lance snapped, and her shield shattered completely.
Many in the audience began to cheer for her.
"Go Ygritte! Beat the big bad Mountain!"
"Come on, Ygritte! Don't give up! The Mountain is faltering; big guys like him always lack stamina!" someone whispered.
"Who said that!" The Mountain glared at the stands.
"Keep making noise, and I'll make you pay!"
The Mountain roared.
His fierce, demonic appearance terrified a large group of sheltered noble ladies.
Lancelot whistled. From a distance, Hrakkar trotted over, letting out a low growl that drowned out the Mountain's roar.
Hrakkar carried a shield in his mouth—Lancelot's Valyrian steel shield. He approached Ygritte, opened his jaws, and dropped the shield.
"This is..." Ygritte was stunned. She looked back at Lancelot's position and saw him give her a big thumbs-up.
Ygritte felt a surge of fighting spirit. She picked up the Valyrian steel shield, selected another lance, and mounted her horse once more.
On the other side, the Mountain and his horse were unsettled by Hrakkar's presence.
Ygritte charged with renewed vigor. The Mountain, unable to defend effectively in that moment, was knocked from his horse, which then fell on top of him.
However, with his massive size and strength, he simply shoved the horse aside and stood up.
Ygritte had won. The entire arena erupted in cheers for her.
The Mountain strode toward Ygritte with heavy steps. She hadn't realized the danger yet.
Just as the Mountain was about to reach her, Hrakkar's massive lion head butted him, sending the Mountain face-first into the dirt.
He scrambled up to find a gigantic lion with a gaping maw right in front of him. His face went ghostly pale.
Lancelot didn't let Hrakkar eat the Mountain; after all, he was still Tywin Lannister's bannerman.
Ygritte achieved an excellent result, reaching the final four. But her remaining opponents were formidable.
Beside Ygritte, the other three semi-finalists were Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, Barristan the Bold, and Bronze Yohn Royce.
After a fierce round of combat, the final champion turned out to be Bronze Yohn Royce.
It was a huge upset.
In the betting pool between Littlefinger, Renly, and Tyrion, they were all losers.
Instead, Varys, who had bet the least, won.
"I didn't expect Lord Yohn Royce to give us such a surprise!" Varys chuckled.
Because he was a eunuch, many people avoided him. Even while watching the matches, no one was willing to sit next to him.
It was rumored that Varys doused himself in perfume daily to mask a peculiar odor.
With the jousting concluded, the melee was even more brutal. King Robert displayed his prowess, hammering two men to death and crippling three others to claim the championship.
In the subsequent archery contest, Joffrey won the championship, though not without a few close calls.
The three champions stood together, accepting the cheers of the crowd.
Then came the crucial moment. Six Kingsguard carried the black coffin into the arena.
Jaime Lannister looked at Lancelot, who nodded in return.
King Robert now held House Stark's greatsword, Ice. Bronze Yohn Royce had borrowed Heartsbane from Lord Randyll Tarly.
Joffrey switched to dragon glass arrows.
Jaime opened the black coffin, revealing the wight inside.
"Who is that? Why is he in a coffin?"
"Seven Hells! That's my brother, Waymar Royce!" exclaimed Ser Robar Royce, a knight from the Vale and Bronze Yohn's second son.
"Father received a letter from the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch saying he was missing, but to think he's dead? And why did they put his body in a black coffin and bring it here?" asked Andar Royce, Bronze Yohn's eldest son.
Inside the coffin, Waymar Royce began to move slowly. Then, he opened his one good eye, revealing the blue pupil within.
Waymar Royce stepped out of the coffin. His walking-corpse appearance terrified the many noble ladies present.
"Now, the three champions shall slay this wight!" Robert announced.
"Do not fear! Though it is a wight, it can be killed!"
Joffrey fired arrows from a distance, while King Robert charged with Ice.
Their coordination was poor, and the single wight actually managed to hold them both off.
Bronze Yohn Royce didn't attack initially; he was still reeling from the shock of seeing his son turned into a wight.
Finally, steeling his resolve, he personally struck down the creature that had once been his son, Waymar Royce.