Chapter 119

The king put on the crown and then laughed loudly, quickly walking toward the high platform seat; when he turned around again, his left eye became blood-red, as if anger was circulating within it, and his blue eyes grew even brighter, like the icy azure.

"I feel it," Youlun shouted madly, "the magical power is in this crown, haha, it will finally be mine."

His lips began to change color again.

The ironborn rose from their seats and surged forward, looking at their king.

No one would think a normal person could become like this. Buleini felt terror flowing in their gazes.

"I feel it," he laughed loudly, "this is a crown created by Waleiliya magic, the Huoer family carved a curse with their bloodline, imprisoning the soul of the dragon Beileli'en; only this is fitting for the head of the king of the Iron Islands."

The ironborn let out soft exclamations.

The crown seemed like red molten lava beginning to glow and heat up; the king's hair began to be burned and fall off, his scalp began to melt, the crown sank deep into his flesh, yet he seemed unaware.

The guards who had been restraining Buleini released her and began to retreat cautiously.

The ironborn might support a mad king, but it's hard to say whether they would support a mad monster.

Buleini struggled to stand, picked up the fallen dagger, and retreated cautiously with the crowd.

He finally seemed to discover something, touching the crown on his head with his hand; a slight touch burned him, he thrust his hand forward, his eyes showing a resentful expression.

"Hmph!" he let out a furious voice, "these false gods dare to scheme against me!"

The black-red hue in his left eye kept flowing, as if it were contending with the crown emitting scorching molten lava.

Within the flowing black-red light, the crown gradually cooled from scorching heat back to its original color.

Like a defiant wild horse subdued by his overbearing force.

Buleini couldn't comprehend this power, but he must have exerted effort in this process.

"Hahaha," in a short time, having seemingly completed the "subjugation," he again let out a mad laugh, unmindful of the burnt hair ash still piled on his head.

He was once a handsome king, now merely a bald head wearing a crown, disgusting.

"Let you see..." he coughed, "let you see this power..."

He reached out to draw his sword, but the sword melted in his hand, turning into molten iron that fell to the ground.

"This is..." he strained to make a clear sound, "this is... the energy of the dragon Beileli'en..."

He covered his throat with his hand, as if it felt uncomfortable.

"Haha, Helunhuoer... using his descendants' fate to bind Beileli'en in the crown, haha, this is a great dragon..." he covered his throat and hoarsely shouted, "this dragon is mine... I... control it..."

The crown slowly contracted in the flesh atop his head, as if it wanted to merge with him.

He kept rubbing his throat with his hand, emitting an inexplicable cough. The spot on his right hand where the regrettable guest poisonous snake had bitten also began to emit an obscure purple light, which started to travel along his arm toward his body and then slowly spread throughout his physique.

He staggered, barely managing to stop by the pillar; azure light swirled in his right eye socket, while black-red light flickered in his left eye socket.

He began to turn into a true monster. She didn't know what had happened, but at this moment he was a weak monster.

Buleini could wait no longer, charging forward with her dagger.

The monster extended its palm toward Buleini; in the gesture, a gale surged, blowing Buleini over; the banquet tables, basins, and food within the great tent rolled about, and the tent's canvas sounded with repeated booms.

After performing a series of motions, he weakly leaned on the post, his other hand firmly pressing his throat, his face turning crimson, as if he could no longer breathe.

He opened his mouth wide, continually howling.

"Asha!" Youlun let out a painful howl, "do you think this mortal poison could kill me... I am a spirit..."

His eyes and lips continually shifted light; the crown already embedded in his skull began to slowly extrude outward, and then, like burning, turned into red and white high-temperature molten lava.

"Huh... haha... I... I won't let you escape... Beileli'en! haha..." he clung tightly to the wooden post.

His appearance made the nearby guards hesitate, unable to discern who the true enemy was here.

"Mortal poison? You don't think I wouldn't seek magical poison, do you?" Asha picked up a long sword and shouted at the ironborn and the guards, "Kill the monster!"

She wore the gold sea monster's battle dress and lunged at Youlun from the side.

Youlun suddenly opened his mouth, red firelight flashing in his throat.

"Dracarys!"

Buleini seemed to hear a dangerous call from the soul, lunged forward, wrapped Asha and rolled to the side, narrowly escaping his breath.

Has he already become a dragon?

Violent flames erupted from Youlun's final mouth, the high temperature instantly incinerating everything before the fire.

The guests at this point no longer had any thought of watching; they all rushed in a clamor toward the outside of the tent.

Buleini saw Daifosi pulling Shansa along with the crowd as they fled.

The tent made of pelts immediately burst into flames.

In the flames, several unlucky soldiers didn't even utter a howl before their flesh and blood streamed down from their bones; then their bones shattered, falling to the ground as flying ash.

Dragon breath is not merely fire; it also includes magical annihilation.

Buleini helped Asha up, smothering the flames on the sea monster's banner.

"Get out quickly!" Buleini hurriedly told her.

If such a monster were left here, she didn't know how many more would die, nor could she be sure whether Shansa would continue to face danger; but if she could settle Youlun, settle the monster before her, perhaps Asha could tidy up the remnants on the island and send her a beautiful maiden.

Asha bit her lip, nodded, without hesitation grabbed her sword, slit the tent, and darted out.

"Monster! I'm here!" Buleini shouted; today could be her doom, but hopefully not Shansa's.

Inside the tent, smoke made her cough incessantly, and she could barely see where Youlun was; but she could sense him in a nearby mass of fire or smoke.

"I won't let you escape, haha!" he strode out of the firelight, aside from that suit of Waleiliya demon scale armor, he was no longer his former self.

His lips were completely gone, the edges scorched black by the flames; where his lips had been, only bare teeth remained exposed, and the flesh on his face kept sloughing off.

So horrifying.

Purple light extended from the back of his hand to his chest, until blocked by the scale armor; the black-red and ice-blue hues in his eye sockets became more distinct amid the smoke.

"Want to escape? Haha, you can't get away, Beileli'en!" Youlun's voice grew deeper, like a low rumble from his belly, "I am the dragon-slayer! Haha! I am your new master, no, I will utterly devour you, hahaha!"

Buleini could not understand these.

She only knew that this crown was related to King He Lun, related to the conqueror's Dragon Prince Li En, related to Waleiliya's magic, and also knew that it was related to King He Lun's curse.

Youlun seemed able to feel more from the crown.

Is he fighting the giant dragon? She doesn't understand.

She couldn't worry about all that; it's best to let Youlun die, let the monster die!

Obviously, the crown will bring him new power, but before that, he needs to take control.

Brienne locked onto his position, charging out from the smoke, the Valyrian steel dagger aimed straight at his throat.

He turned his gaze toward Brienne.

His two eyes had already become vertical pupils.

He opened his mouth, fire gathering at his throat. Brienne had no choice but to turn away.

"Dragonfire!" she didn't know where the voice came from, fire chased her, burning.

She stepped out of the tent in a single stride, picked up a great hammer outside, and slammed it into the tent's supporting beam, instantly toppling a corner of the tent. Fire began to burn fiercely from the scorched fur.

The sea wind howled, distant starlight speckled, and all around were fleeing crowds.

She didn't know where Davos had taken Sansa, but she knew that at this moment, only she could slightly hold back the monster.

The cold wind blew the flames higher.

She clenched her fist, a burning pain shot through her left hand; she had merely caught a tiny spark.

She sheathed the dagger at her waist, gripped the great hammer, and waited for the monster.

Not long after, Youlun indeed tore through the fur of the tent and burst out from the firelight.

"Haha, woman," he no longer resembled a human, "I want to thank you for bringing... something full of power..."

He panted, purple light on his arms climbing up his neck to his face, extending to both eyes.

The light surged across his body.

He appeared both powerful and fragile.

The crown on his head blazed like fire, continually drawing power from his eyes while his eyes continually output power, overwhelming the flames.

They were fighting. Brienne realized.

"I am the storm..."

He raised his hands, already somewhat charred from the fire, and Brienne almost saw the sky change color, dark clouds swiftly covering the sky, the cold wind instantly turning frantic, whirling sand and stones constantly striking her.

Instantly, he vomited a mouthful of blood, and the cold wind ceased at once.

The crown shifted again from the red of molten lava, embedding into his skull.

His eyes were no longer human.

Brienne restrained herself to observe it.

"Overcome fear, this is the first lesson." She seemed to hear the instructor's words.

She threw aside the great hammer and drew again the dagger given by Sir Jaime.

The Oathkeeper's sword had broken, but oaths and promises cannot be broken.

Brienne stepped forward, feeling great power within the vertical pupils; she had sensed this feeling in the forest, that of a dragon's might, and what she faced seemed like a giant dragon.

She didn't understand what was happening inside Youlun's body, but she felt several different forces struggling within him.

Storm, dragon, curse, Valyrian magic, perhaps also the Drowned God and some inexplicable magical poison.

She felt the coastal seawater also exuding unease—the scent of seaweed thick, the salty tang of sea salt already filling her nostrils.

She quickly walked toward Youlun, if he was still Youlun.

Black-red eyes and blue eyes flickered continually; the crown on his head constantly shifted between lava and flame, and as she drew nearer, Brienne almost heard the dragon's roar, heard the surging breath, and seemed also to hear King He Lun's sharp curse.

Blocking out everything she heard and even saw, she only wanted the dagger in her hand to slash his throat, to utterly end this Iron Islands monster.

Lightning flashed across the sky.

In the sandy shore, a clamor of crows rose.

A dense mass of birds formed a black barrier, keeping her out; she fiercely flung her dagger, sweeping it through.

"Croak!" the crows cried, black feathers raining down.

Dark clouds began to gather, thunder flashing with lightning.

The tide surged.

The storm gathered nearby.

The crown shone like a blazing dragon, swirling around its circular band.

What kind of sight is this? Is this truly what the forest witch intends for her to endure?

"Ah!" she wildly charged into the flock of crows, the birds beating their wings, tearing at her clothing, arms, face, and eyes.

She struggled forward, her hands torn at everywhere by the crows, blood flowing freely.

Every crow had black-and-red eyes.

Brienne slashed through the blocking crows with her dagger; the crow's blood was scalding, landing on her skin and making her feel a sharp sting.

She saw those two vertical pupils, one red eye, one blue eye.

One was scorching, making approach difficult; the other was icy, freezing her into immobility.

She poured all her strength into driving the dagger into that black-red eye.

She felt the satisfying sensation of the dagger sinking into flesh.

"Ooo..." a huge sound came from beside her.

The seawater trembled, the storm swept across the sea surface, the crows shrieked, and the dragon roared.

The monster reached out; a violent whirlwind lifted her high and flung her away. She saw him use his other hand, already turned into a claw, to tear the crown from his head and clutch it tightly.

Brienne fell onto the beach, retching violently, not knowing whether it was blood or something else.

The monster struggled to pull out the dagger on its eye with another claw, emitting a sharp hissing sound, like the voice of a devil.

"I am the storm..." he knelt weakly on one leg, his claw gripping the crown tightly, his body quickly rotting, finally like a puddle of mud spread on the sand.

At that moment, a red-eyed large crow fell beside him, its talons snatching up the crown and scale armor.

Brienne struggled to stand, holding the longsword that had fallen from somewhere, and charged forward again.

The crow tossed aside the scale armor, instantly dodging her slash.

Brienne lifted her head to look at the crow; the crow, unwilling, glanced back at her.

The crow's left eye was black-red, its right eye bearing icy blue; it gave Brienne a final look, clutching the crown as it flew into the dark storm crackling with lightning and thunder.

Brienne could no longer hold on, she knelt down, propping herself on the longsword.

At that moment, the waves slapped the sandy shore, making a swishing sound, as if cheering.