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A heavy cavalry horse was still carrying its rider as he fought his enemy. Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Feeling his right hand go numb from the impact, the rider looked at the Winterfell rider before him in shock.
His opponent didn't seem to feel the recoil at all. In the next instant, another blow was already coming at him.
Clang! Clang!
After three exchanges, the rider's right arm had gone numb, and he no longer had the strength to raise his weapon. The next strike cut straight through his throat.
Blood sprayed from his neck, and his body slumped limply over the horse's back. But the corpse remained caught on the saddle and did not fall to the ground.
Feeling the weight on its back, the horse obviously did not know its master was already dead.
But that rider seemed not to know either.
He kept swinging his sword without stopping, striking the corpse's armor again and again.
Awoo!
Covered in enemy blood from head to paw, Bloodwind dashed to his side and let out an anxious howl.
By then, corpses covered the battlefield, and almost no heavily armored Bolton riders were still in the saddle.
Hearing the howl, Edd turned his head and immediately saw Robb still hacking hard at the body of a dead rider.
Clang! Clang! Bang!
As he rode closer, the sound of the sword crashing against the armor grew louder and louder. When he reached Robb's side, Edd shouted:
"Lord Robb, he's already dead!"
Robb, who was wielding a sword already chipped all over while hacking fiercely at the corpse's armor, paused for a moment when he heard that.
Then, without warning, he turned and slashed at Edd.
Seeing Robb's strange behavior, and already on guard, Edd reacted quickly and blocked the attack with his own sword.
'Lord Robb is far too strong!'
With his right arm numb, Edd was shocked inwardly, but he kept shouting without pause:
"Lord Robb, Lord Robb! It's me, Edd! There are no more enemies!"
Awoo... Awoo!
Bloodwind, watching from the side, had clearly sensed that something was wrong with Robb.
An anxious look appeared in his eyes. Then he drew in a deep breath, lifted his head, and let out a long howl that carried across the entire battlefield.
Inside the Dreadfort, Roose Bolton, who had just returned to his study to write his letter, also heard the howl.
He let out a cold smile and muttered to himself:
"Hmph, proclaiming victory?"
On the walls of the Dreadfort, Bolton soldiers crowded the battlements. Some remained on guard, keeping watch. Others kept throwing corpses down from the walls, clearing the battlements.
When they heard the direwolf's loud howl, all of them paused for a moment. Then unease spread through them, and they began whispering among themselves.
"I heard the Young Wolf was blessed by the old gods. Looks like it's true after all!"
"Yeah! Look at that wolf. It's almost as big as a warhorse!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen Lord Roose lose his temper like that!"
"The forces outside have already been wiped out. Good thing we're inside the Dreadfort."
Bloodwind's long howl echoed in Robb's ears, and the red in his eyes finally cleared a little. His sword also stopped.
"Lord Robb! It's me, Edd!"
The moment he saw Robb stop attacking, Edd immediately pulled his horse back out of Robb's reach, but he did not stop shouting his name.
He only dared shout to him from a distance, not daring to come closer. He knew that if it had gone on any longer, he would have died by Robb's sword.
Constitution. Add points. Add points!
With some clarity returning to his eyes, Robb turned his head and stared at the wolf beside him as the urge to use his blood pact points rose in his mind.
The red mist surrounding Robb's body began to flow like a stream, pouring into Bloodwind's body as the points were invested.
The red mist gradually faded, and Robb's eyes became clearer and clearer until all the blood-red color was gone.
When Robb felt that the urge to slaughter insignificant ants had completely disappeared from his heart, he stopped strengthening Bloodwind.
All of the red mist had poured into the wolf's body, yet he showed no emotional reaction at all.
Perhaps, compared to humans, the sturdy physique of an extraordinary creature could absorb a greater amount of that red mist.
Name: Bloodwind
Contract Holder: Robb Stark
Constitution: 29
Speed: 11
Strength: 11
Species: Spiritual Direwolf (6)
Pack: war wolf: Nymeria; servant wolf: Lady
Blood Pact Points: 39
As soon as he regained his clarity, the first thing Robb did was check Bloodwind's stats.
In the days before the battle, Robb had gained a total of 7 blood pact points. He kept 1 and distributed the other 6 evenly across Bloodwind's three attributes.
Since once an attribute passed 10, it took 2 blood pact points to raise it by 1, Bloodwind's attributes before the battle had been: Constitution 12, Speed 11, Strength 11.
Just a moment ago, confused by the side effects brought on by the red mist and consumed by a mad urge to kill, Robb had instinctively started investing in Bloodwind's Constitution.
In other words, in that short span of time, he had spent 34 blood pact points on the wolf's Constitution.
Based on the blood pact points gained, Robb silently worked it out and concluded that in that battle, he and Bloodwind had taken thirty-six lives.
Without realizing it, I've already become someone who kills as easily as pulling weeds.
"Lord Robb, Lord Robb! It's me, Edd!"
Loyal Edd was still calling out to Robb from a distance, while also stopping the other riders from getting close.
"I'm fine!"
Only when he saw Robb answer with a smile and a wave did Edd dare ride closer again.
"I wasn't in good condition today. Don't speak of this to anyone, and don't ask questions. Understood?"
The moment Edd drew near, Robb spoke at once.
"As you command, Lord Robb!"
Hearing the order, Edd's heart tightened, and he answered without hesitation.
"Good. Go tell Theon and the others to clean up the battlefield. Have the rescue team move quickly to save the wounded. Hm, our men first.
Then tell Lord Rickard to keep one thousand riders on alert, in case of a surprise attack."
"I'll go at once."
Watching Edd leave, Robb, still shaken by the side effects of the red mist, reached out and stroked the large head Bloodwind pressed against him, his gaze drifting blankly.
Destroying had always been easier than building.
The work of clearing the field of blood and flesh before the Dreadfort went on for more than half a day and still was not finished.
Only when night began to fall did the rear lines manage to clear enough space for the soldiers to rest. After a full day of fighting, all of Winterfell's men except those standing watch finally began to rest.
Before sunset, a messenger carrying a white flag came out from the Dreadfort.
Robb quickly read the letter sent by Roose. In short, House Bolton did not accept the reason Robb had used to declare war on them. They claimed that it was the bastard Ramsay who had pillaged the North.
Roose asked Robb to return the prisoners of war and withdraw his troops.
As for Winterfell's losses, House Bolton was willing to pay war reparations.
Roose Bolton really takes me for some impulsive boy who knows nothing.
After finishing the letter, Robb let out a light laugh and tore it to pieces right in front of the Bolton messenger.
Then he sent the man back with a message.
If Roose surrendered of his own accord, he would be allowed to take the black.
Otherwise, Robb himself would kill him.
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