The waves crashed and churned, revealing twenty-odd longships within the sight of Lykon and his men, illuminated by the soaring flames of the burning skiffs.
"Damn it! Quickly, go sound the alarm!"
Lykon didn't have time to spare Tristifer another glance. He turned and sprinted toward the harbor's bell tower.
Two ironborn followed close behind, dragging Tristifer with them.
In the midst of the chaos, Tristifer struggled with all his might, managed to break free from the ironborns' grip, rolled across the ground, and scrambled to his feet.
He snatched up a stray axe and leaped into the dark seawater behind him.
"Let him go!" Lykon shouted, glancing back at Tristifer swimming away before turning to his men.
"Get everyone organized! Send word to Lord Germund immediately—Asha has returned with the men of Ten Towers!"
The ironborn who had been enjoying themselves in the brothels nearby stumbled outside, their faces full of curiosity.
When the news of Asha and Ten Towers reached their ears, their fleeting pleasures vanished instantly.
Some were filled with surprise, others with dread, while the swifter among them immediately fled toward the interior of the island to report the news.
In the bell tower at the center of the harbor, the sentry who had been dozing finally heard the commotion.
He scrambled up and peered out over the sea, spotting the firelight from the burning boats at once.
"Seven hells, a raid!"
The bell-ringer did not hesitate. He struck the bell with all his strength.
Dong— Dong— Dong—
As the bell chimed, large groups of shouting ironborn began to converge from various corners of the harbor.
Within a short time, approximately three or four hundred men had gathered in the central square.
"Listen up! Asha, who was captured by the Northmen, has returned with the Harlaws!" Lykon drew his sword and pointed it toward the sky.
"The time has come to serve King Euron and Lord Germund! Brothers, charge!"
Lykon led the way, spearheading a surging crowd toward the shore.
But by the time they reached the water's edge, Galon was already leading a dense formation of Northern soldiers off the longships, wading through the knee-deep, icy water to storm the beach.
"Kill them!"
"Reclaim the Iron Islands for Lady Asha!"
"Long live Lady Asha!"
"Long live Ten Towers!"
Under Galon's direction, the Glover soldiers and Skagosi men surged forward like a black tide, shouting the names of Asha and Harlaw as they crashed onto the shore.
A chaotic melee erupted on the beach.
Sparta, his face contorted in a grimace, smashed the head of a nearby ironborn and let out an exhilarated roar.
His Skagosi followers were like bloodthirsty bears from the forest, swinging their weapons and throwing themselves into the fray with no regard for their own lives.
"Kill them all!"
Sparta's massive silhouette moved like a demon in the darkness.
Every swing of his crude but lethal warhammer was accompanied by the sound of cracking bone and the wails of the ironborn defenders.
He ignored the blades aimed at him, relying on his natural ferocity to carve a bloody path through the crowd.
Following their leader, the Skagosi let out inhuman roars, tearing through every obstacle with axes and spears.
It was as if they were not fighting a war, but conducting a violent hunt.
Faced with the savage Skagosi, the ironborn defenders—encountering such foes for the first time—were thrown into total confusion.
Only moments after the lines met, the Lordsport guard began to show signs of collapse.
The panic intensified when Galon led the Glover soldiers to cut off their retreat.
"Wait, these aren't men from Ten Towers!" Lykon shouted, narrowly dodging an axe swing.
He noticed the clothing and equipment of the invaders and realized they were not fellow ironborn.
"Who the hell are they?"
Lykon scanned the battlefield while parrying blows.
Soon, he saw a tall man in boiled leather leading a disciplined line of soldiers from the flanks.
"The North! It's the Northmen!"
"They're from the North!"
Lykon was struck with horror. He even spotted Asha following close behind the tall man, cutting down her own countrymen.
"Damn it all!"
Lykon ducked under the swing of a Skagosi axe and turned to rally his men, only to find that his forces had completely broken.
Of the original three or four hundred ironborn, fewer than a hundred remained standing.
"No..."
Despair flooded Lykon's mind. He realized that if he didn't leave now, he would die here.
The thought of flight flickered for only a second before he turned and bolted toward the center of the harbor.
His desertion signaled the final collapse of the Lordsport defenders.
"I... I yield!"
"Lady Asha, I surrender!"
One by one, the remaining ironborn threw down their weapons, kneeling in the seawater and begging Asha for mercy.
But Galon was the one in command.
He cut down a fleeing ironborn and scanned the battlefield with sharp eyes.
Seeing Lykon and his inner circle escaping, he had no intention of letting them go and immediately led a detachment to close in.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The thunderous battle cries eventually extinguished the last pockets of resistance on the shore.
Once the fighting ceased, Galon waved his hand, and the army began to systematically clear the rest of Lordsport.
The chaos in the town was like a stone thrown into a still pond, the ripples expanding into a tidal wave.
The Skagosi moved like starving beasts, killing anyone in their path.
Galon watched with cold indifference, allowing them to vent their primal urges.
He personally led the Glover soldiers and Asha to seize control of the harbor district, the warehouses, and the shipyards.
Key points fell into his hands with startling speed, the firelight reflecting off the wreckage and the corpses littering the streets.
By the time Lord Germund received word in the family castle, the entirety of Lordsport had fallen.
Galon did not pause.
Led by Asha and Tristifer, he immediately took a portion of his troops and marched toward the Botley stronghold.
"It's a disaster!"
A scout stumbled into the Great Hall, gasping for air.
Lord Germund, whose face bore a striking resemblance to Tristifer, looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
"Ten Towers... House Harlaw has actually rebelled..."
Germund couldn't believe it. Not long ago, he had been discussing the Iron Fleet with Rodrik Harlaw.
"Curse him! Rodrik hid his intentions well!"
He was about to curse the Reader further when another guard burst in, trembling with fear.
"My Lord, the rebels... they are almost here. There are people everywhere... at least... at least two thousand of them!"
Hearing the report, Germund's mind descended into total panic.
"So many... I only have two hundred... how can I hold?"
Terrified, Germund forgot to question whether House Harlaw could even muster such a force.
The instinct for survival overrode everything else.
"Go! Move!"
Germund jumped up, his face bloodless, and shouted to his closest guards.
"Ready the horses! We leave through the postern gate! To Pyke! Only King Euron can save us now!"
He practically crawled out of the hall.
Flanked by his guards, he fled like a stray dog, galloping out of the castle's rear gate and racing toward Pyke without a single backward glance.
When Galon and Asha stepped into the Botley castle, it was nearly empty.
All that remained were a few shivering servants and a handful of soldiers who had laid down their arms.
Galon stood in the center of the hall, looking at the dying embers in the hearth. His face held no joy of victory, only a cold, hard resolve.
"Clear the harbor. Tend to the wounded. Catalog the spoils," he commanded.
"Commander Sparta, restrain your men.
No more needless slaughter. Tell the remaining residents that anyone found on the streets will be executed."
He issued the orders with clinical brevity.
Then, turning to Asha—who was covered in blood and looking as though she wanted to speak—he said:
"Lady Asha, take Tristifer and a group of ironborn through the town and harbor.
Tell everyone that you and Ten Towers have come to strike down the kinslayer, the Crow's Eye.
Remember, do not mention the North. I want Euron to remain complacent. Also, let some of the stragglers escape. Let them carry the news to Pyke."
Asha looked at Galon with a complex expression, nodded, and departed with Tristifer.
Soon, the Northern soldiers holding the harbor began to shout according to Galon's instructions.
"Asha Greyjoy has returned!"
"Lord Rodrik of Ten Towers supports the rightful heir!"
"We seek only the kinslayer Euron Crow's Eye! Those who yield shall live!"
Under Galon's intentional negligence, panicked survivors fled toward Pyke, carrying the message that "Asha and the Ten Towers alliance only seek Euron."
As Asha rode through the cold wind, the fire in her heart burned brighter.
She knew Galon was adding fuel to the flames, intending to force Euron into a decisive battle outside the walls.
It was a massive gamble.
But as she thought of Galon's calm, almost chilling demeanor, her initial anxiety was strangely replaced by a sense of trust.
'Euron... kinslayer... how will you respond?'
'Will you hide behind your walls... or will you come out to fight as Galon expects?'
Asha looked toward the familiar silhouette of Pyke, her heart filled with anticipation for what was to come.
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