The Lord of Light R'hllor's string of accusations seemed quite reasonable, and for the moment Dany was left speechless.
But after a brief pause, she found grounds to refute him. "Are humans unwilling to sacrifice? Didn't Stannis sacrifice himself? Earlier, knowing full well that activating the red sword would cost me part of my divine soul, I still resolutely sacrificed myself. It was you who were too greedy, wanting my life outright!"
"And you still have the nerve to say that? If you don't lose your life, how can it be called sacrifice? From Nissa Nissa and Azor Ahai to Stannis, which of those heroes did not knowingly face death and still go to it without hesitation?"
"The problem is that I'm stronger than they were. I can kill the Night King without dying."
"And after killing the Night King? Summoning the sun, stopping the world from falling, does that not require effort? Your sacrifice is the price for me helping you humans save the world! It has nothing to do with how strong you are.
"It's like roast chickens in an inn. Each one costs five coppers. Naturally, not every chicken is equally plump. Some are fatter, some leaner.
"If I pay five coppers, I should get a whole chicken. You may be a very fat chicken, that's true, but you can't just give me a chicken butt. Perhaps next time I help humanity save the world, the same five coppers will only buy a scrawny little bird, but I won't complain."
"Fuck you!" Dany clenched her fists and said coldly, "How about I pay five coppers and buy your whole chicken instead?"
"Five coppers may sound simple, but it represents me exhausting all my strength to save the world once. Can you do that?" the Lord of Light sneered.
"Bring out the whole basin of chicken first. Once I've eaten my fill and gained strength, saving the world will no longer concern you."
"Sigh. You truly are obstinate. I painstakingly told you the story of the Lightbringer, explained the responsibility of the epoch's protagonist, and yet you failed to grasp even a trace of the fearless spirit of sacrifice befitting a hero?" The Lord of Light sighed in a fatherly, emotional tone.
Holding up the golden jelly, Dany said calmly, "Drop the act. I know you've said so much because you're afraid."
"What am I afraid of?" The Lord of Light looked at the jelly, his tone slightly unnatural.
"You're afraid I'll fuse it into my own soul."
"Destiny works only for the one it matches. I am the Lord of Light. Only I can use it. You are the destined ember of the First Flame. It does not suit you," he said sternly.
"You once said I am Nissa Nissa's reincarnation." Dany smiled.
"Reincarnation…" The Lord of Light sighed and spoke sincerely. "You may have misunderstood reincarnation. At present, there is no clear evidence that a soul can naturally begin a second life.
"I have studied in the realm of death for billions of years and discovered that every life possesses a most fundamental tag, a life imprint.
"Each newborn life gives rise to an independent life imprint.
"True reincarnation should preserve the original life imprint within the new life.
"But in reality, no god of death can accomplish that.
"Even the strongest among them, the Cold God, who nearly chanted the complete Song of Death, still could not achieve it.
"So-called reincarnation is merely two individuals with similar life imprints. You are the Stranger, the god of death worshiped by the Faith of the Seven. You should understand this."
"Heh. You've spoken ninety-nine percent truth, yet twisted the facts at the most critical point," Dany said with a smile.
"What did I say wrong?" the Lord of Light asked in a deep voice.
"The gatekeeper long ago explained reincarnation to me. It has nothing to do with similar life imprints, only with similar destiny and soul fluctuations.
"If I am Nissa Nissa's reincarnation, then her destiny would probably be nothing more than a high-grade tonic to anyone else, with no special effect."
"That piece of wood doesn't even count as a death god. What does he know?" the Lord of Light said dismissively.
"How about this: I am the Lord of Light. You hand over the destiny of the Daughter of Light to me, and I'll return your divine soul, divinity, and divine power?" he suggested sincerely.
"Chomp." Without another word, Dany swallowed the lump of golden jelly in one gulp.
Though she felt no hunger, she experienced the satisfaction of finally having eaten her fill.
Buzz… Her soul-body expanded, growing larger and larger, a pale golden radiance shining from within.
In an instant, Dany's soul resembled a massive humanoid sun, spanning the faith space.
"The effect is this good?" Feeling her divine soul power surge by more than double, along with the peculiar fluctuations deep within her soul, the frustration from losing twenty percent of her soul power, divinity, and divine force vanished completely.
The Lord of Light could no longer maintain his saintly demeanor and said coldly, "Do you know what you're doing?"
"Yes. The destiny of the Daughter of Light is unique. It allows me to naturally comprehend the laws of light. It might even be stronger than the Song of Light formed when the sun was artificially forged.
"So as long as I cultivate diligently, one day I will be able to chant the Song of Light." Dany said confidently.
In truth, her confidence was feigned to provoke the Lord of Light. Inside, she felt only helplessness and exhaustion.
She had barely begun the Song of Fire and the Song of Wind. She had almost no time to practice the "Lorne River" water witchcraft she learned from the turtle prime minister. Because of her role as the Stranger and her desire to gather the legendary Song of Ice and Fire, she also had to study the laws of death. It was overwhelming, and she had little genuine interest in the laws of light.
If a thousand or ten thousand years passed, after she had mastered the four elements and ice and fire, perhaps she would try to complete the Songs of Light and Darkness.
"If you dare covet the Song of Light, we will fight to the death. I will no longer concern myself with the Long Night or the Cold God. From now on, all my power will be devoted to hunting you down," the Lord of Light said coldly.
To be honest, Dany felt a flicker of fear.
Was it worth risking her life against a dog over a lump of filth? The dog needed that fresh, steaming pile to fill its belly. She only wanted it as fertilizer.
"Now that the sun is shattered, the Song of Light should be gradually fading. The fact that you don't want me to take it means it's still in your hands. What method did you use?" Dany showed no fear on her face.
Earlier, the Lord of Light had been willing to converse because he wanted to move her with the story of Azor Ahai and guide her back to the right path, to help her comprehend the true essence of a human hero.
But now that she had made the worst possible choice, why would he reveal his secrets?
So he said nothing, merely staring at her with cold, venomous eyes.
Dany split her focus. One part of her soul burned the sword-soul essence within the faith space, while her main consciousness controlled her body, facing the Night King's challenge.
Operating on two fronts, she remained utterly steady.
Winterfell.
Above the sky, thunder roared as white light and darkness intertwined, as if gods were locked in furious battle.
Beneath the firmament, the dim sky loomed like a massive black pot covering the earth, and the raging north wind nearly tilted the entire world southward.
Yet the howling wind and driving snow could not drown out Wind God Dany's voice.
"So, you knew about Lyanna and Rhaegar meeting, falling in love, and ultimately eloping, yet you didn't tell your father or brothers."
"Ah!" A girl's startled cry faintly carried through the snow not far away.
The Night King and Dany both cast brief glances in that direction.
Only a glance.
Dany continued, "In Robert's Rebellion, your father, your elder brother, Rhaegar, Lyanna all died, and the Seven Kingdoms were plunged into catastrophe because of your silence.
"You are guilty.
"Perhaps you did not intend evil. Perhaps you were kind, upright, noble at heart.
"Not long after the rebellion ended, you donned black and exiled yourself.
"An Other once said that only a noble heart entangled by sin is qualified to become the Night King. So you became what you are now?"
"No, no, that's not it…" Dany's words seemed to stir painful memories within Benjen Stark. The Night King's expression twisted in agony as he shook his head repeatedly. "I didn't know. I only suspected… When Lyanna eloped with Rhaegar, she didn't tell me. I only guessed she might have fallen in love with him. I told Brandon, and he became even more enraged.
"Only after Eddard returned from the Tower of Joy did he tell me the truth. Yes, they loved each other. Rhaegar was innocent…"
The anti-fire domain around the Night King vanished again.
"Seven hells! I suspected it back then. How could some northern country girl resist the charm of the universally adored Rhaegar?" Jaime shouted.
They had already formed a shield wall, holding wildfire torches, inching toward the sound of clashing blades. Now that the anti-fire domain had disappeared, the wind calmed, the snow eased, flames flared up, darkness receded, and visibility returned. They advanced even faster.
They were less than a hundred meters away to begin with. Soon, more than a hundred men quietly encircled the Night King.
"To fall into darkness over something like this and become the Night King, Benjen, what were you thinking?" the Great Bear demanded loudly.
"Uncle Benjen didn't want this. The Others captured him and forcibly transformed him with magic," Jon argued.
"Why say so much? The flames are stronger again, and the wind is weaker. Let's attack together," Darkstar Gerold Dayne said in a low voice.
"Wait. It's the queen's duel now. We have victory assured. If we rush in, those hundreds of Others may join the fight. A melee would not benefit us," Old Barristan advised.
"Victory assured? Are you certain?" Jaime asked skeptically.
"Even Stannis's swordsmanship surpassed Benjen's…"
They whispered among themselves while on the battlefield the Dragon Queen finished her verbal assault and seized the moment when the anti-fire domain vanished to launch her attack.
Jaime had watched her fight the first Other and had a rough understanding of her strength.
Effortless mastery.
Among the young, she was extraordinarily powerful. At her age, his swordsmanship had not been her equal.
But Benjen was no weakling either, especially with greater strength, faster speed, sharper dynamic vision, and physical abilities that surpassed humans in every aspect.
Yet now, the Dragon Queen's fighting style shattered his understanding.
Whoosh—slash—boom!
He saw only a flash of blue shadow, her cloak, and the Night King's chest exploded in a spray of ice shards. He was sent flying seven or eight meters, crashing heavily into the shield wall.
Two towering wildling warriors couldn't even hold their oak shields and tumbled across the frost-covered ground like bowling pins struck by a ball.
"Fuck, this is like a father beating his son. She was hiding her strength before?" Jaime stared in disbelief.
And that was only the beginning.
The Dragon Queen seemed dissatisfied with the effect of her sudden strike. Flames flared from her left hand gripping the sword, igniting the broad white blade in vivid red fire.
Whoosh.
Like a gale crossing seven or eight meters in an instant, she raised the flaming greatsword high and thrust it fiercely toward the Night King's chest as he struggled to rise.
(End of Chapter)
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