Chapter 242: Undead Attack, Great Battle at Eastwatch

Emperor Eddard, Daenerys, and Jon's magic dragon arrived in the sky above Castle Black at the Wall.

Initially, the Night's Watch was in great decay, with only the Shadow Tower, Eastwatch, and Castle Black still in use, while the other castles had all fallen into ruin; Eddard restored these castles and stationed troops at every castle along the Wall. The ice storehouses of the Wall were piled high with seafood and grain.

Today, the castles and the Gift of the Wall are filled with mills, manors, and workshops, crowded with armies from all over Westeros, as well as the Golden Company, the Stormcrows, the Second Sons, Dothraki cavalry, the Unsullied legion, and others who followed Daenerys to Westeros.

At Castle Black, the small Children of the Forest, with their deep green skin and large ears, possessing golden eyes and wearing clothes of leaves, were reinforcing the stairs of Castle Black alongside the giants.

The Children of the Forest and the giants, once two great enemies, now fought side by side with humans under the banner of House Stark's direwolf.

Former mortal enemies, the Wildlings and the Night's Watch, were also patrolling and standing guard together on the Wall, repairing the catapults and artillery emplacements of the Wall, and transporting cannonballs, crossbow bolts, and other military supplies.

Speaking different languages and worshipping different gods, warriors from all over the world—Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai in Slaver's Bay, the Summer Islands, the Dothraki Sea, Lys, Tyrosh, Ibben, Braavos, Yi Ti, Qarth, Pentos, Myr, and elsewhere—gathered at the Wall to resist the undead alongside the people of Westeros.

Even after joining the Night's Watch, the excellent remain excellent wherever they go; now, Tywin and Kevan quickly stood out among the brothers of the Night's Watch, while Jaime became a fierce warrior among the Rangers.

Eddard clapped his hands, and Ser Jorah walked before the Old Bear Mormont, choking up as he said, "Father."

"You only defeated me by using the magic horn that originally belonged to me; hurry up and do it! This is merely a feint by the Night King. Eddard, please remember, no matter how many times you kill me, I will be reborn at the Dark Altar, and under the rule of the Night King, I am immortal!"

Originally, Eastwatch was just a dilapidated port under the jurisdiction of the Night's Watch, but now it has become an important ice-free port of the Shivering Sea; the fishing boats of the North rely on Eastwatch to catch large quantities of cod, sturgeon, saury, crabs, and shrimp from Seal Bay and the Shivering Sea, and seafood has become an important part of the North's winter food reserves.

Westbridge and the Shadow Tower are located at the far west of the Wall, Skull Bridge guards the mouth of the Milkwater at the Gorge on the west side of the Wall, Castle Black is in the middle, the Nightfort and Stonemoor are positioned relatively to the west, and Heidiao Ting is located between Castle Black and Eastwatch.

Among the officers of the Night's Watch, the figures of Tywin, Jaime, Kevan, and others appeared prominently.

The Three-Eyed Raven said, "No, the Children of the Forest have already helped us perfect the magic on the Wall; the undead cannot bypass the Wall to attack the south."

The Balrog ignited the Silence, and Euron became a drowning dog, trapped in fishing nets by mermaid warriors and escorted to Eastwatch.

Euron had to divide his attention to deal with the Balrog, while Eddard, on the back of the magic dragon Flying Wolf in the air, chanted a spell and conjured a pile of magic horns.

Halfway through the banquet, the Three-Eyed Raven came to Eddard's side: "Emperor Eddard, the Night King's fierce general, the Undertaker, is leading a plague army composed of stitched monsters and funeral convoys to attack Skull Bridge, the Shadow Tower, and Westbridge."

Eddard said, "How is the defense of the Wall?"

Maester Aemon shook his head.

"We will never let the Night King and the undead succeed; the forces of the Reach, Dorne, the Vale, the Riverlands, the Crownlands, the North, and the Westerlands are all united, and we will win this great war."

The Old Bear hugged Ser Jorah, "Son, you have finally come home! Back then, you sold poachers to slave traders along the way and fled to the other side of the Narrow Sea; how foolish, hurry and put on the black, join the Night's Watch to atone for your sins!"

"Dozens of frost dragons, including Vhagar, Balerion, and Meraxes, have all been resurrected; furthermore, the Night King has also resurrected Aegon the Conqueror, Queen Wisangniya Huanghou, and Queen Rhaenys Huanghou."

Emperor Eddard raised his voice.

Tywin used to like wearing crimson and gold silk, but now, Tywin wears a black wool coat, appearing much simpler. The Kingslayer Jaime used to wear the pure white enameled scale armor of the Kingsguard, and when participating in tournaments, he wore gorgeous gilded plate armor; now, Jaime wears a suit of plate armor as black as night.

Brienne solemnly accepted the gift, "Mother of Dragons, I will certainly fight bravely and never fail your expectations."

The frozen seawater outside Eastwatch melted instantly, and the water began to smoke and boil.

Emperor Eddard said, "Ser Jorah followed the Mother of Dragons Daenerys and liberated tens of thousands of slaves in Slaver's Bay on the other side of the Narrow Sea; he has been exiled for many years, his debt is paid, and he does not need to join the Night's Watch."

"Lady Brienne, do not let me down either."

A flash of white light appeared, the stars shifted, the world turned upside down, and Eddard, Jon, Daenerys, and the magic dragon instantly arrived at Eastwatch.

"The Night King resurrected Aegon the Conqueror, Queen Wisangniya Huanghou, and Queen Rhaenys Huanghou, but clearly, Valyrian Steel is the bane of the undead; Aegon the Conqueror can no longer wield Blackfyre, and Queen Wisangniya Huanghou can no longer use Dark Sister."

Earl Weiman Mandele is truly meticulous; after all, with the Night King's undead army approaching, Eddard did not want Tywin to stage a mutiny and backstab him on the south side of the Wall.

"Emperor Eddard, through the trees and crows, I have scouted that the Night King has resurrected the necromancer Ogbeta, the Death Knight Rhaegar, Robert the Death Storm, the Horse Lord Drogo, the Sleeping Dragon Viserys, the Mountain Gregor, Bittersteel, Euron, and others."

"At the same time, the Bat Enchantress is leading ice bats and an undead army to attack Castle Black."

A hearty victory; the Night's Watch at Eastwatch, the Winter Wolves, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, the mermaid warriors, and the soldiers of the Royal Fleet let out bursts of cheers and shouts, and the people chanted the name of Emperor Eddard.

The ocean witch Grace and the Eastwatch commander Cotter Pyke came before Emperor Eddard and the Three-Eyed Raven.

The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the Old Bear Mormont, grasped Eddard's hand.

Emperor Eddard came before Maester Aemon, who was over a hundred years old, frail, and blind.

Originally, after Eddard annexed the Westerlands, thousands of members of House Lannister from Casterly Rock and Lannisport were all relocated and settled in the Gift of the Wall, working in the farms and workshops of the Gift.

Many of these were items Euron had painstakingly collected; Eddard blew the Storm Horn, a gale whipped up, and many undead ships were instantly torn to pieces by the storm, with only Euron's Silence escaping the disaster.

The Three-Eyed Raven said, "The Night King also resurrected the Corpse Queen Serxi, just to satisfy his bestial desires."

The mermaid fleet of the ocean witch Grace, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, and the Royal Fleet commanded by the "Sea Snake" Corlys Velaryon and "Oakfist" Alyn Velaryon had already arrived at Eastwatch.

Emperor Eddard shook his head, "No, the Night King's frost dragons are nearby, and we do not know how strong the reborn Euron is; staying at Eastwatch to face the enemy is the best choice."

"The Spider Baron is leading ice spiders and the undead to attack Stonemoor."

Euron's undead fleet was soon beaten into a rout; the magic dragon Flying Wolf spewed flames, and the Xuanbing Changjian in Euron's hand unleashed ice to freeze the dragon fire; Euron tried to flee with the Silence but was surrounded by the Balrog and the Nagas.

Daenerys was extremely excited, "With the teleportation stone, we can quickly transfer along the Wall."

Euron sneered, "Eddard, the Night King has made me powerful; I will slaughter your relatives and friends and take everything you love."

"Or perhaps, the undead will bypass the Wall, land in the North, and together with the undead beyond the Wall, attack the Wall from the north and south?"

"Your Majesty, the Night King has come with an undead army; only you can defeat the Night King and the undead; you are the hope of the Night's Watch and the Seven Kingdoms."

Cotter Pyke was worried, "Your Majesty, Eastwatch has been an ice-free port for thousands of years; now, however, the sea surface shows signs of freezing. This must be the cold brought by the undead."

The names of the Death Knight, the frost dragons, Aegon the Conqueror, and his queens made the officers of the Night's Watch begin to grow restless.

The Old Bear worried, "As everyone knows, Serxi is the puppet of the undead in King's Landing; fortunately, Emperor Eddard destroyed the undead court in King's Landing. If the undead were to bypass the Wall again and raid King's Landing, Oldtown, Gulltown, White Harbor, Lannisport, and other places, wouldn't that cause a deep catastrophe?"

When the Kraken Horn sounded, golden krakens and Nagas emerged from the sea together; the golden krakens used their tentacles to drag the undead warships into the seabed, while the Nagas opened their blood-red maws and swallowed one undead warship after another.

A few days later, Euron arrived in the waters near Eastwatch with hundreds of undead warships; the "Sea Snake" Corlys and "Oakfist" Alyn immediately took the Royal Fleet, followed the mermaid fleet of the ocean witch Grace, sailed out of the port, and stood in a distant standoff with the undead fleet.

Eddard drew the Valyrian Steel Sword Ice; the Balrog within the Ice was leaping; Eddard brandished Ice and pointed it at the gloomy sky; the sky was instantly filled with fire clouds; under the burning sky, the Balrog tore through the sky and plummeted into the frozen sea.

"The largest undead army has appeared at the Nightfort; the Night King is personally leading the Death Knight and the frost dragon legion to attack the Nightfort."

The Old Bear Mormont said, "From Westbridge to Eastwatch, all nineteen fortresses along the Wall have been equipped with artillery, catapults, and ballistae, and fire-spitting crossbows are densely packed; we have prepared sufficient obsidian weapons, landmines, and wildfire according to Your Majesty's instructions."

Eddard said calmly, "I easily defeated you at Whispering Sound outside Oldtown; I can defeat you just the same at Seal Bay outside Eastwatch; don't forget, the Old Gods are most powerful in the North and beyond the Wall."

They might worship different gods such as the Old Gods, the New Gods, the Drowned God, the Black Goat of Qohor, the Night Lion of Yi Ti, the Pale Maiden, the Hooded Walker, the Horse God, the Great Shepherd, the Love God, and others; however, in Westeros, many warriors regard Emperor Eddard as the incarnation of the gods; after all, this is a man who manipulates storms, waves, Nagas, Balrogs, and magic dragons, easily dominating the sky, the ocean, and the land.

Euron reeked of the stench of death as he stood at the bow of the Silence.

The Balrog brandished its flaming whip and pointed lazily, and the undead warships began to catch fire; burning ash fell, flames danced wildly, and Euron was depressed, "That damn Balrog again!"

Daenerys scanned the crowd and saw the large Tarth woman, Brienne.

Emperor Eddard said, "Have you ever seen your younger brother Aegon V, as well as Ser Duncan?"

Brienne of Tarth was flattered, "Mother of Dragons, this is an ancestral sword of House Targaryen; it is not appropriate for me to use this blade."

Daenerys said, "If you truly do not wish to accept this gift, then just return the sword Dark Sister to me after we defeat the undead. Back then, in the Red Waste, I once gifted my bridal presents—a Dragonbone Longbow, a Dothraki arakh, and a silver-handled whip—to my bloodriders Rakharo, Aggo, and Jhogo, and they never disappointed me."

"Euron, after the Night King resurrected you, you mastered some ice magic. It is a pity that after I seized these magic horns you worked so hard to collect, your strength at sea was greatly diminished. I have no choice but to use ice once again to chop off that ugly head of yours."

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "The Night King was once the Thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. At that time, he lived at the Nightfort, ruling over the Night's Watch, and he fell in love with a Corpse Queen whose skin was as pale as the moon and as cold as ice."

"Maester Aemon, the Night King's army is attacking, and The Wall is no longer safe. I want to send you to Oldtown to spend your remaining years in peace."

Eddard patted the sturdy shoulder of the Old Bear, Mormont.

Euron knelt before Eddard, and Eddard showed off the horn.

"Your Majesty, I am already very old and could pass away at any time. I have served in the Night's Watch for nearly seventy years and assisted more than ten Lord Commanders of the Night's Watch. Now, encountering a Great War like the White Walker invasion, I would rather stay at The Wall."

"Once The Wall falls, the warmth of the human world will be extinguished, and the world will enter an endless Long Night and winter."

Euron Greyjoy drew his Xuanbing Changjian, "The Old Gods can only tremble before the Great Other!"

Euron brandished the Xuanbing Changjian, carving out a lethal arc. A blast of ice struck out, instantly freezing the magic dragon flying wolf in the air and Eddard on its back. Eddard channeled his Element Power, the surrounding temperature rose, and the ice instantly thawed. Eddard rode the magic dragon flying wolf and charged out of the encirclement.

"The Children of the Forest have installed teleportation stones in every castle on The Wall for spatial travel. No matter where the enemy appears, Emperor Eddard and the magic dragons can arrive at the battlefield in an instant."

"The Prince Who Should Not Have Been King" Aegon V, the Dragonfly Prince, Ser Duncan, and others were resurrected at Summerhall by the red priestess Melisandre, becoming Lieyan Zhanshi. These people have all arrived at The Wall.

After Tywin was exiled to The Wall, to prevent him from colluding with his Lannister relatives and causing trouble at The Wall, the Warden of the North, Earl Wyman Manderly, ordered the Lannisters to be relocated to settle in Wolf Castle at Long Lake City, Red Wolf City at the mouth of the Last River, Dawn Watch at the Wolf Castle in the Barrowlands, Warhorse City at the Wolf Castle in the Rills, and Stony Shore Castle on the Stony Shore.

"These two swords are the legendary Targaryen family swords Blackfyre and Dark Sister. Blackfyre was once the sword of Aegon the Conqueror, while Dark Sister belonged to Queen Visenya. Many legendary kings and princes have possessed these two swords. I am gifting these two swords to the true dragon bloodlines of House Targaryen, Jon and Daenerys."

"Lady Brienne, you are the most outstanding female warrior I have ever seen. When you were with the undead, you captured the necromancer Ogbeta. You have shown the potential to become a bane of the undead. A Valyrian Steel Sword happens to be the bane of the undead, so I entrust this sword, Dark Sister, to you."

"Eastwatch!"

The ocean witch Grace said, "Shall we take the initiative to intercept Euron's fleet in Seal Bay?"

In the Great Hall of Eastwatch, people opened barrels of ale, blueberry wine, and Dornish Red to celebrate the victory. They shared delicacies caught from the Shivering Sea such as cod, saury, and caviar, as well as freshly baked, golden-brown and crispy salted bread.

Eddard drew Ice and chopped off Euron's head. Black blood sprayed out, and Euron's ghost drifted toward the frozen North.

After the Mermaid Fleet and the Royal Fleet arrived at Eastwatch, they were all equipped with cannons and fire guns. The cannons began to attack, and the cannons on these rowed warships let out earth-shaking roars.

Jon took Blackfyre, and Daenerys took Dark Sister. Daenerys said, "This is a precious gift, but it is a pity that I do not know how to use a sword."

Daenerys raised one eyebrow, "Why does the Night King have a special fondness for the Nightfort?"

Tywin, Jaime, and Kevan exchanged awkward glances. Jaime said indignantly, "My sister has already been executed and paid the price for her crimes. The Night King still refuses to let her go."

It seems the Night King is attempting a full-scale assault from The Wall, searching for a weak point.

A three-eyed crow landed in the hall of Castle Black and transformed into the bloodraven Brynden Rivers.

Subsequently, Eddard blew the Wave Horn. The waves instantly surged, and a tsunami appeared in the waters where the undead ships were; half of the undead ships were swallowed by the tsunami.

Emperor Eddard smiled, "Does the Night King intend to have Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters ride Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes once again to conquer Westeros? It is a pity that they would lose very miserably."

Euron Greyjoy revealed an evil smile.

Even for the well-traveled Euron, who had sailed to the ruins of the Smoking Sea of Valyria and been resurrected from hell, this was his first time witnessing the power of cannons in naval warfare. The undead crew on the spirit fleet screamed, exploded, and died after being hit by the cannons.

When the Green Seer, the Three-Eyed Crow, traveled south, he brought hundreds of Children of the Forest. They established their own cave dwelling deep in the Wolfswood. After the Night King's army approached, the Children of the Forest came to The Wall one after another to participate in the defense of The Wall.

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "Through the trees, I scouted and saw Euron Greyjoy assembling an undead fleet at Hardhome beyond the Wall. This undead fleet is currently approaching Eastwatch under the lead of Euron's Silence."

The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the Old Bear Mormont, Maester Aemon, Benjen Stark, First Steward Bowen Marsh, First Builder Othell Yarwyck, the one-armed smith Donal Noye, the sharp-tongued master-at-arms of Castle Black Ser Alliser Thorne, Ser Ottyn Wythers, Jarmen Buckwell, and other Night's Watch officials welcomed the arrival of Emperor Eddard and Daenerys.

"The necromancer Ogbeta is leading many White Walkers to attack Heidiao Ting."

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "The Night King's army has appeared outside the Nightfort, Euron has appeared in the waters north of Eastwatch, the Spider Baron has appeared near Skull Bridge, and the Bat Enchantress has appeared in the forest outside the Long Car Tower."

To test the effectiveness of the teleportation stones, Eddard, the Three-Eyed Crow, Daenerys, and Jon, along with the magic dragons Rhaegal, Drogon, Viserion, the flying wolf, the koi, and Eagle Eye, arrived at the teleportation array on The Wall at Castle Black.

"The Night King's fierce generals, the Spider Baron, the Bat Enchantress, and the Undertaker, have all appeared beyond the Wall."

Back then, in order to survive, Tywin, Kevan, and Jaime chose to take the black.

Euron Greyjoy chanted a spell, the temperature plummeted, and snow drifted down. Humans, mermaid warriors, and the Night's Watch all felt as if every breath was like a knife stabbing into their lungs. The ocean instantly froze, and the mermaid ships, the Royal Fleet ships, and the Night's Watch ships were instantly frozen.

"I am very happy that Your Majesty controls the Element Power and has subdued the Balrog, allowing my brother Aegon and Ser Duncan to possess self-awareness. Aegon chatted with me about many childhood memories, talked about his youth following Ser Duncan to travel the Seven Kingdoms, talked about the fallen 'Egg' at the Ashford Tourney, Rohanne of Coldmoat, and the rebellion at Whitewalls."

The Three-Eyed Crow presented two Valyrian Steel Swords.

Maester Aegon revealed a smile on his face.

The current Night's Watch relies on House Stark for every aspect of food, equipment, horses, and castle maintenance. The Gift is full of Winter Wolves, and the armies of the Seven Kingdoms are gathered in the Gift. House Stark possesses magic dragons, Nagas, Balrogs, and a legion of skinchangers, and now they have even gained the service of the Children of the Forest and giants. Even if Tywin wanted to commit treason, it is estimated that no one would follow him.

Emperor Eddard rode on the back of the magic dragon flying wolf, appearing above the ocean, "Euron, when I chopped off your head in Oldtown, you were still the King of the Iron Islands. Now, you have become the Night King's lackey, a Dark Servant."

"Old Bear, you have done very well. I have prepared a gift for you."

"The undead have no reason to split their forces. Their power is unprecedentedly strong, and they can completely break through The Wall from the front. Once The Wall falls, the Night King can open the graves all over the North. By then, the Barrow King, the King in the North, the Red King, and countless people who once lived on this land will all be resurrected by the Night King. The undead will also kill the living, turn them into wights, and make them members of the army of the walking dead."

Emperor Eddard stroked the weirwood bracelet on his right wrist.

"The moment of the final battle has arrived."

Thanks to Wanbang Ryker Ju, Drunkard Returning for Gold, I Love A Dai, 20220602092204632, tt Heaven Is Not Dark, Yuan Yuan Yuan Yuan Yuan, 20200729190501619, Muse Huilang, and 20220602092204632 for the monthly tickets sent. Thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)