CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 405: TWO AGAINST ONE, I HAVE THE ADVANTAGE

"It’s over!" At that moment, everyone on board had the same thought.

The Redeemer Sisters and Silent Men on the ship all bowed their heads in prayer. Waves of light radiated from their bodies, forming a layer of ice that wrapped around their ship and the surrounding vessels.

Almost simultaneously, the extreme cold light gathered in the Ice Dragon’s mouth burst forth and struck the ice shell.

Yet a miracle occurred. Though the ice shell was thin, the extreme cold light from the Ice Dragon’s mouth couldn’t pierce through it. Instead, the light thickened the shell, inadvertently strengthening its defense.

Sensing that something was wrong, the Ice Dragon stopped breathing its freezing flame and instead lunged directly at the ice shell, slamming its massive body into it and forcefully smashing open a hole.

The moment the ice shell was breached, all the Redeemer Sisters and Silent Men participating in the prayer felt a powerful backlash. Their heads throbbed with sharp, needle-like pain. Even though they had endured even harsher trials, the sudden agony caused their vision to black out, followed by a wave of dizziness that broke their concentration and ended their prayers.

Without the continued support of their power, the ice shell’s defenses collapsed further, the gap widening rapidly.

The Ice Dragon rose into the air again and then plummeted downward, aiming to shatter the ice shell completely.

But halfway through its descent, a massive, lightning-fast shadow struck the Ice Dragon’s neck hard, sending it tumbling through the air. The dragon spun several times before stabilizing, a massive dent now visible where it had been struck. Silver-blue blood seeped from the wound, dripping onto the snow-covered ground below.

Despite the injury, the Ice Dragon ignored the wound, its cold eyes locked on the shadow that had attacked.

It was none other than Lynd and Deltos, who had just flown over from Westwatch-by-the-Bridge.

The Redeemer Sisters and Silent Men had all undergone sacrificial ceremonies, each bearing the rune mark of the Nameless King within their bodies. Through their prayers, Lynd could sense the situation around them, immediately realizing that the Ice Dragon was attacking.

Lynd wasn’t surprised by the Ice Dragon’s assault on the patrol fleet along the Frozen Shore. In fact, after hearing about the attack on the fleet in the Shivering Sea, he had anticipated this next move. That was why he had immediately ridden Deltos to the Frozen Shore, managing to arrive in time to rescue the fleet from disaster.

"Set sail immediately and move away from the coastline," Lynd ordered through the Nameless King’s rune mark as he faced off against the Ice Dragon.

Receiving the command, the Redeemer Sisters and Silent Men immediately issued orders to all the ships, steering them away from the coast to avoid being caught up in the battle and distracting Lynd.

Throughout this, the Ice Dragon didn’t launch an attack on Lynd—not because it didn’t want to, but because the sudden blow from Lynd and Deltos had dealt it a significant wound. It was seizing the moment to recover.

Lynd saw through the Ice Dragon’s strategy and chose not to press the attack either. He knew that if he struck now, the fleet below could suffer disastrous consequences. So, he too waited, giving the ships time to reach the relative safety of deeper waters.

Though both sides waited, neither was idle. Each prepared for the inevitable clash. Around the Ice Dragon, countless ordinary-looking ice crystals and snowflakes floated down, sparkling under the light. But each contained the power of extreme cold—enough to freeze a person solid at the slightest touch.

Meanwhile, Lynd summoned the power of the Storm Dragon Rune, gathering the surrounding clouds until a dense storm mass covered the sky. Lightning flickered through the dark clouds, and the ensuing thunder roared like war drums, intensifying the tension of the standoff below.

Almost simultaneously, Lynd and the Ice Dragon launched their attacks. The Ice Dragon, with its enormous body wrapped in countless icy crystals, charged directly at Lynd and Deltos.

At the same time, Lynd sprang from Deltos’ back without hesitation, soaring at full speed into the storm clouds above. Freed from Lynd’s control, Deltos became even more agile, using his four wings to generate four distinct protective barriers around his body. Shielded by these layers and moving with incredible speed and agility, Deltos deftly dodged the Ice Dragon’s assault, engaging it in a fierce aerial battle.

Although the Ice Dragon was much stronger than Deltos, its attacks were far too simple. Its massive size made its movements sluggish, like a slow-moving person trying to swat away a fly constantly buzzing around them, unable to land a single effective blow.

Moreover, while the Ice Dragon’s core power—extreme cold—was deadly to most creatures, it posed little threat to Deltos, who also wielded the power of frost.

In contrast, Deltos possessed four types of power, three of which could inflict damage on the Ice Dragon. Even though each individual strike caused only minor harm, when all the attacks concentrated on the previous wound on its neck, the accumulated damage was enough to cause the Ice Dragon considerable pain.

And the Ice Dragon was not only contending with Deltos, but also with Lynd, who was hidden within the storm clouds. While Deltos kept the Ice Dragon entangled, Lynd continuously directed bolts of lightning from the clouds above, striking the Ice Dragon and shattering the thick ice that armored its body, leaving deep craters in the surface.

Although this layer of ice acted as a protective shell and there was still some distance to the Ice Dragon’s actual scales, the lightning could pierce through the ice and strike its body directly, eliciting pained roars from the creature again and again.

After a prolonged skirmish above the sea, the Ice Dragon seemed to realize that it was completely on the defensive and that prolonging the fight would only worsen its situation. It suddenly unleashed a burst of powerful energy, whipping up a fierce blizzard that forced Deltos back. Then, banking sharply in midair, it beat its massive wings and fled swiftly toward the Frostfangs.

"Deltos, don’t chase it!" Lynd, flying within the clouds, immediately saw that the Ice Dragon had lost its will to fight. He quickly called out to Deltos, stopping him from giving chase, and dropped down from the clouds to land once more on Deltos’ back.

Although the earlier battle suggested that the Ice Dragon had not been directly affected by the ocean’s force that suppressed White Walkers, the sea’s latent power still exerted pressure on it. The fact that the Ice Dragon had remained high above the sea, never venturing near the surface, made that clear.

Now that the Ice Dragon had retreated inland—specifically into the lands beyond the Wall—it was effectively back on its home ground. Meanwhile, Deltos would be affected by the chaotic magic that permeated that territory, inevitably weakening his overall strength. With the enemy growing stronger and their own side diminished, they would be at a disadvantage.

More importantly, Lynd still didn’t know if there was only one Ice Dragon. He had only heard from the elven White Walker, Peinan, that the White Walker Queen could transform into an Ice Dragon. He had no idea how many Ice Dragons might inhabit the Land of Always Winter.

Lynd returned to the fleet, inquired about the casualties, and then ordered them to cease patrolling near the coastline. Instead, he had them relocate to the Bay of Ice near the mouth of the Milkwater River, using Bear Island as a base to monitor conditions beyond the Wall and provide support to Westwatch-by-the-Bridge when necessary.

When he returned to Westwatch-by-the-Bridge, he found that the cliffs opposite the fortress, where wights had recently been cleared out, were once again swarming with them. However, this time he didn’t act personally. Instead, he reported the situation to the Night’s Watch commander stationed there, instructing him to regularly hurl wildfire jars from the hills to destroy the wights and prevent the White Walkers from constructing giant siege engines.

Additionally, Lynd left Deltos stationed at Westwatch-by-the-Bridge to assist in defending against White Walkers. He also ordered the Cannibal, who had been resting at the Iron Islands, to take over the previous patrol fleet’s duties, patrolling the waters near the Frozen Shore and keeping watch over the wights there.

After setting up the west coast’s defenses, Lynd set off alone, following the newly built road at the foot of the Wall toward Castle Black. However, as he passed through Icemark, he was stopped by men stationed at the crossroads—sent ahead by Willas.

After stopping Lynd, the Night’s Watch brother immediately bowed and said, "Your Grace, Lord Willas asked me to wait here for you. He has something important to discuss with you."

"Something to discuss with me?" Lynd hesitated for a moment, then entered the ice cave alone and approached Willas. He glanced around the cave and asked, "Where are Bran and the Reed siblings?"

Willas fell silent for a moment before saying, "They are where they’re supposed to be."

Lynd’s expression darkened as he asked, "They’ve gone Beyond the Wall?"

Willas nodded.

Lynd fixed his gaze on Willas and demanded, "I ordered all passages through the Wall to be sealed. How did they get through?"

Willas answered truthfully, "There is a very ancient maze-like secret passage at the base of the Wall. They used it to pass through."

Hearing this, Lynd’s heart tensed. He immediately asked, "Can the White Walkers bypass the Wall through that secret passage?"

Willas replied with great confidence, "That passage is lethal to White Walkers and wights. If they really tried to pass through it, it might actually save us a lot of trouble."

Lynd was unconvinced by Willas’ assured tone. He pressed further, voice low and grim, "Why? Why would Bran and the others knowingly go Beyond the Wall when it’s overrun by White Walkers and wights?"

Willas paused briefly before slowly explaining, "Our calculations were off. Some sacrifices cannot be avoided. Without them, the White Walker Queen would never walk into our trap willingly. This war would drag on for a very long time, possibly until the extreme cold weather sweeps south. By then, it would be nearly impossible to eliminate the White Walkers. So, we’re taking a risk—letting the White Walkers see our weakness. Once they sense it, their attacks will become fiercer and more aggressive. Then, we can lure them into our trap and wipe them out all at once."

"You’re using Bran and the Reed siblings as sacrifices!" Lynd’s face darkened further, his voice cold and heavy.

"No, not me. Bran chose this himself. Meera Reed and Jojen Reed also volunteered," Willas shook his head, defending himself. "If Your Grace doesn’t believe me, you can ask Ella and Yara."

Only then did Lynd remember that he hadn’t seen Ella and Yara in the ice cave. He asked, "By the way, where are the two sisters now?"

Willas explained, "They should be at the Arcane Hall, training the new abilities they acquired from the Wall."

"New abilities?" Lynd hesitated for a moment before asking, "What abilities?"

"I don’t know," Willas said with a sigh. "She’s more suited than I am to serve as the node of the Wall. If she had taken my place, even if the Horn of Winter were intact, it would have been nearly impossible to shake the Wall’s foundations. Unfortunately, it’s too late now. There’s no way for me to give up my position."

Lynd could tell that Willas truly didn’t know much about Ella and Yara’s situation, so he didn’t press further. Instead, he demanded, "Tell me the location of the secret passage. I need to send someone to seal it."

Even though Willas insisted it was impossible for White Walkers to use the passage, Lynd wasn’t willing to gamble on his assurances. He could sense that today’s Willas was very different from the Willas he once knew—it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say they were two different people—so he couldn’t fully trust him.

Willas seemed to sense Lynd’s distrust but offered no resistance. He honestly revealed the location of the passage.

The secret passage lay near the Nightfort, connecting to its underground storerooms and wells. It was a natural fissure in the earth, later discovered and transformed into a labyrinthine tunnel filled with traps to prevent anyone from crossing the Wall through it.

Because it had been built so secretly, and because the Nightfort had fallen into ruin, its existence had been all but forgotten. It was only because Willas had merged with the Wall that he had discovered it.

After learning the location, Lynd prepared to leave and arrange for the passage to be sealed.

"Please wait, Your Grace," Willas called out again. "Bran’s journey Beyond the Wall will ensure the success of the plan. When the time comes, his collaborators will also make their move. I hope Your Grace will..."

Lynd immediately cut him off, stating bluntly, "You want me to go Beyond the Wall and work with them to kill the White Walker Queen?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Willas admitted openly, nodding. "When the time comes, I will also take action."

"You will take action too?" Lynd frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "When the time comes, let me know. I will act. I hope your plan truly succeeds."

With that, he didn’t wait for any further response and strode out of the ice cave.