Game of Thrones: From a deserter to a high-ranking official

Chapter 63 Bloody Fight

"...Tsk tsk tsk, Lisangluo, your country bumpkin instructor is quite good at making those mules and donkeys march in formation, putting on a show! But it's so boring it makes me want to doze off! My servants are much more interesting when they clean the stables!"

It was Mario. He stood up from the platform, his face full of contempt and a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

"Why didn't my army receive such a welcome!" he thought angrily. "My army is clearly more magnificent, my soldiers are braver, and their skills are far superior!"

So he deliberately put on an arrogant look and gave the Lightning Team a thumbs-down gesture.

"Your level of organization is comparable to my sheepdogs! Hahahaha!" He laughed unrestrainedly, and the spoiled brats around him echoed his mockery. "Besides, what's the point of poking straw men? Those things don't even move! Li Sangluo, how about we go all out?"

"What do you mean?" Lisangluo asked in a deep voice.

Then, a bloodthirsty smile curled up at the corner of Mario's mouth.

"Blood Battle." He slowly uttered two words. "Blood Battle, let all of you have a good look at it. After all, an army is meant to go to the battlefield, and its ultimate goal is to kill! Not to put on a nice-looking formation that is actually useless on the battlefield!"

"True warriors need to shed blood! They need to fight! Only then can you gentlemen enjoy the spectacle! Lisangluo." He leaned forward, a malicious grin on his face: "Are you afraid? Afraid to let your obedient beasts see the real deal? Or has the 'martial virtue' of the Luo Jiaer family declined to this extent that you want to refuse even a small bloody duel?" He emphasized the word "small" to strengthen his tone.

"You..." Lisang Luo's face turned pale with anger.

Mario spreads his arms wide, making an exaggerated gesture as if embracing the audience's anticipation: "You! Won't! Dare! You! Dare! Let your obedient mules try the blade of my true warriors!"

"Blood battle!" The word instantly ignited the entire arena! The audience went wild, roaring and screaming, their blood pumping with excitement at this most primal and bloody proposal.

"Blood battle! Blood battle! Blood battle!"

A tremendous roar swept across the entire arena.

Lisangluo's face turned pale.

At this point, the only option left is to go for it! Should we really back down to Mario in front of so many people?

But before that, he glanced at Tiberius.

"Hey, Tiberius, what do we do?" he asked, his face grim.

"What do you mean, what do we do?" Tiptoe spat. "Fight! Are you going to back down now?"

[Damn it, why are they all a bunch of bloodthirsty spectators?] In fact, Tiberius cursed inwardly, but he showed no mercy with his hands.

"Whoosh—"

A javelin was thrown, arcing beautifully before landing squarely in the center of the training field. The butt of the javelin trembled violently, emitting a chilling hum.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

All eyes turned to the source of the javelin—the young training officer Tiberius Mode, who had been standing silently at the front of the formation.

"Come on then!" Tiberius said coldly, pointing sideways at the javelin on the platform.

These three words, like sparks thrown into boiling oil, completely ignited the arena! The frenzied cheers and howls nearly lifted the roof off!

Rissanro stared in astonishment at Tiberius, gritting his teeth and replacing his panic with a fierce determination. He abruptly drew his ornate sword and pointed it at Mario: "As you wish! Bloodbath!"

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"The market is open! The market is open!"

"Six to one! My God, the bookmakers are convinced that Lightning Boy is doomed!"

"Nonsense! Look at the field, seven hundred against three hundred, almost double! Even if there were seven hundred pigs, they'd take three hundred men ages to chop them down!"

"That's right! I'm betting on young master Mario! Ten golden dragons!"

"I'm betting on Mario too! The odds are low, but it's a sure win!"

"Heh heh, I'm thinking of taking a gamble and betting on that Lightning Kid... what if a miracle happens?" someone muttered, but was immediately drowned out by the laughter of those around them.

At this moment, the number of people gathered behind him had reached over seven hundred! That was almost twice the three hundred or so of Tiberius's "Lightning Legion"! Although this hastily assembled group was poorly equipped and its formation was far less disciplined than that of the Lightning Legion, the sheer number of heads created a heavy sense of oppression. They brandished their weapons and let out rough howls, trying to completely overwhelm their opponents with sheer force of will.

Mario was determined to humiliate Lizan and Tiberius in front of everyone, and even to destroy them completely on this sandy land.

While this practice may be secretly disapproved of by some who value traditional competitive spirit, given the brutal rules of Bloodbath, such temporary alliances are indeed within reasonable bounds as long as an agreement is reached before the start of the match.

Yes, Mario is going to use sheer numbers to crush the "Lightning Boy" and his damned team that have repeatedly embarrassed him.

[From today onwards, everyone in Ris will know that Rissanro and his "Lightning Boy" are a bunch of damned idiots! Only I, Mario, am the true hero of Ris!] He thought to himself with a touch of jealousy.

Looking at the densely packed enemy opposite him, Lisanro's face grew even paler, and his palms were covered in cold sweat. In fact, if Tiberius and the Lightning Bolts hadn't been by his side, his legs would have already given way.

Lisanro looked to Tiberius for help, but found no panic on Tiberius's face, only an almost frozen focus. He was rapidly scanning the opposing formation, and then invited Lisanro to stand on the chariot with him.

"This is essentially a command platform. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we have to use chariots instead of a temporary platform," Tiberius explained to Lisanro with considerable regret, explaining why they had to stand here. However, his true thoughts were:

Don't let this spoiled brat actually go to the battlefield! Otherwise, even if they win, it will be a defeat! Swords have no eyes; they won't recognize any young master of the Luo Jiaer family!

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The atmosphere in the stands was lively and restless. A shrewd gambling den employee weaved through the excited crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Bet is open! Bet is open! Fresh and hot bloody battle! 'Golden Shield' Mario versus 'Lightning' Tiberius! Who do you think will win? Place your bets now, the outcome will be decided tomorrow!"

He waved a wooden sign in his hand, on which the odds were written in bold letters:

"Mario wins—1 to 1.2 odds!"

"Tibbs the Lightning wins by a narrow margin—6 to 1!"

The huge odds immediately attracted attention.

"Such high odds? Lord of Light, doesn't that mean the bookmakers think Lightning Boy is doomed?"

"Nonsense! Didn't you see the number of people below? Mario's army is more than twice his! They'd be crushed by sheer numbers!"

"I bet ten silver coins, young Mario wins!"

"I'm betting on Mario too!"

"..."

The betting trend was almost one-sided, with almost everyone believing that Tiberius's "Blitzkrieg" had no chance of winning against the overwhelming numerical disadvantage and Mario's clearly more "fierce" mercenaries.

Not far from the noisy betting table, Legion Commander Jules Maud, the "Guardian," stood with his arms crossed, expressionless, watching the two sides below as they were finalizing their ranks, especially the "Lightning Legion," which stood out starkly alone against the massive enemy.

He remained silent for a moment, then, without turning his head, instructed his two trusted captains behind him:

Calvin.

"Yes, boss!"

Jules took a heavy bag from his purse, which, judging from the sound, contained at least a hundred gold coins. He tossed the bag to Calvin:

"Go, find the one that opened the betting line. Bet everything on Tibbs slightly winning."

Calvin took the money bag without hesitation and nodded emphatically, "Yes, sir!"

Then he grinned and said, "Old Tom made a fortune off that bet. And he's still complaining, 'If only I hadn't thrown those coins at him when he lost!' Heh heh!" He let out a low, enigmatic laugh.

"Now I'm going to be rich!"

He turned and squeezed into the noisy crowd, heading towards the hawking gambling den clerk.