To everyone else, the two figures moved almost simultaneously, colliding briefly at an extremely high speed before quickly separating. Daenerys's body slid more than ten meters across the snow, while the White Walker only suffered three times the speed. In terms of strength, Daenerys was still finding it difficult to suppress this magical creature.
"Drink..." Dani shouted. She moved again. Her longsword thrust forward, the White Walker parrying. Black fire struck the blade of the ice crystal sword, producing a crisp clang.
One strike missed, and the next was already upon her. The black fire in Daenerys's hand transformed into a silver-gray sword dance, enveloping the White Walker's entire body. Both of them moved at speeds far exceeding the limits of ordinary humans. Their blades clashed at breakneck speed, producing a series of continuous clanging sounds.
"Cough cough cough..." This was the sound of some fool who had forgotten to breathe choking. They were truly astonished by the sword fight between the two sides.
"By the Seven Gods, if it were me, I would have been beheaded in a single exchange."
"One encounter? I bet Your Majesty, with just one sword, you'd wet your pants."
"Don't talk about me, you're no different. I dare say, no one here can last three breaths in front of the Dragon Queen."
"I'll bet two breaths."
Black armor with gold trim, long golden and silver hair flowing through the snow. Daenerys's figure became a symbol—a symbol of the perfect fusion of strength and beauty.
The two swords clashed once more. This time, however, they didn't bounce off but remained locked in a stalemate. Visible frost spread from the White Walker's icy longsword.
Daenerys, equally unyielding, moved with a thought. Suddenly, black fire ignited. The next second, the clash between ice and fire resumed. This time, the battle escalated once more. Every move Daenerys made was aided by the dragonfire.
Each sword strike unleashed a fiery sword aura over two meters long. The swirling flames added unparalleled spectacle to the duel. In terms of skill, Daenerys hadn't yet reached the level of a fully-fledged apprentice that Lu Xuan demanded. However, the White Walker opposite her was only so-so. He relied entirely on immense strength, speed, and some kind of ice magic to fight. Technically, he was even inferior to Daenerys.
Daenerys's skills improved rapidly in this actual battle. After all, Lu Xuan wouldn't truly aim for a fatal blow in combat. This was the first time Daenerys had used all her trump cards in a life-or-death duel. Although Lu Xuan was there to support her, Daenerys had ignored that, focusing all her energy on the duel itself.
The scorching sword energy blew away the surrounding snow. The snow, which had filled the sky, was vaporized by the flames, but quickly turned into snowflakes by the surrounding cold. In the end, the two combatants formed a small snowflake around them.
Amidst the swirling mist, a figure suddenly flew out—a White Walker. As the saying goes, prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat. It couldn't keep up with Daenerys's equally, or even faster, swordsmanship. It could only manage a weak defense, but after a while, Daenerys finally found an opening. A single elbow strike sent the White Walker flying.
Before it could even land on its shoulder, Daenerys was already upon it. Black fire, drawing a piercing arc, slashed towards the White Walker's neck.
He swung his sword to parry, but this time, he couldn't stop it. In the instant the two swords clashed, the black fire in Daenerys's hand trembled at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. The White Walker felt its opponent's power suddenly surge. The ice crystal longsword in its hand flew out of its grasp.
Before it could even react, black flames had already slashed across its throat. Its pale head shot skyward, exploding in mid-air into countless shards of ice crystals.
The scene was completely silent. A good dozen breaths passed before someone finally reacted.
"We won! We won..."
"By the Seven Gods, the Dragon Queen has slain that monster."
"The Dragon Queen has won! The Dragon Queen has won!"
"Long live the Dragon Queen! Long live the Dragon Queen..." The chaotic shouts eventually coalesced into the single phrase, "Long live the Dragon Queen!" which spread rapidly among tens of thousands of people. In the end, the cheers were so loud they could shake the snowflakes off the Great Wall.
Daenerys walked back to Lu Xuan's side amidst endless cheers.
Looking at her expectant eyes, Lu Xuan chuckled softly.
"Well played."
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Chapter 293 Defeat After Defeat (First Update, Please Subscribe and Vote)
Daenerys, amidst a sea of thousands, single-handedly slayed a White Walker, instantly reaching the pinnacle of her prestige. Simultaneously, countless people present, amidst their cheers, all turned their gazes to Stannis.
It's quite interesting that if Stannis hadn't declared himself the chosen one at the start, hadn't flaunted his Lightbringer as the one destined to defeat the White Walkers, and hadn't even had Daenerys personally engage the White Walkers, no one would have had high expectations of him. They wouldn't have expected him to personally step into the fray.
After all, he is a duke, and even the heir to the throne. Everyone knows that such important figures usually don't appear in person.
However, he is now cornered. Partly because Daenerys forced him, and partly because of his own actions. The current situation is that if he doesn't intervene, he will lose all prestige, not only among the wildlings but also among the Night's Watch.
However, he truly dared not, for although he could awaken the Lightbringer, his own swordsmanship could not be improved, and his speed and strength were far from keeping up with the White Walkers.
The Lightbringer's effectiveness against White Walkers might be greater than that of a regular Vulcan sword. But even the strongest weapon is useless if it can't hit its target.
Stannis's face darkened as he saw everyone staring at him. He almost drew his sword and charged forward recklessly. Fortunately, Melisandre stopped him and stepped forward in his place.
Although Stannis himself didn't make an appearance, the sight of the handsome wizard taking action still excited the onlookers.
As Melisandre walked out, she gave Lu Xuan a provocative look. The meaning was clear: Stannis couldn't possibly control Daenerys, but she could get her revenge on Lu Xuan.
"Ha..." This time it was Daenerys who laughed out loud. Although she quickly suppressed her laughter, Lu Xuan still saw it. He glared at her and then stepped forward.
The two White Walkers opposite them seemed to know they had no other choice. They also stepped forward to face Lu Xuan and Melisandre.
Lu Xuan gently raised his hand, signaling Melisandre to make the first move.
Melisandre didn't hesitate either, turning her head to glare at the White Walker in front of her. A ball of flame instantly erupted from the White Walker. Silently, her magic had already struck its opponent. However, others couldn't see it, but Lu Xuan saw it clearly. Before she made her move, a ball of powder in her hand flickered. Clearly, she had used some kind of magical artifact for assistance.
Melisandre's flames were clearly inferior to dragonfire, or even Daenerys's demonic flames. However, they were still able to inflict significant damage on the White Walkers.
The White Walker was almost powerless to resist, rolling on the ground screaming in agony. It writhed and struggled in the snow. But no matter how it rolled, the flames on its body showed no sign of going out. Lu Xuan noticed that Melisandre was continuously channeling magic to ensure the flames persisted. This seemed to be quite difficult for her, as her forehead was even slightly damp with sweat.
The awkward thing was that despite the White Walker's screams and writhing, it just wouldn't die. Melisandre's face flashed with a fierce light. Lu Xuan even heard a crisp cracking sound, like something breaking. The next second, the burning White Walker exploded into fragments with a bang. The flames engulfed the flying fragments, turning them into nothingness.
This reignited the excitement of the onlookers. Countless people began cheering for Stannis again. They didn't know Melisandre's name, but calling her "Lord" was undoubtedly correct. This was exactly what Melisandre wanted. Her intervention was to save face for Stannis.
Melisandre subtly wiped the sweat from her forehead, then looked at Lu Xuan defiantly before walking back to Stannis's side.
That one glance immediately drew all eyes to Lu Xuan. Having not received such attention in a long time, Lu Xuan even felt a sense of novelty.
He took a step forward, and the White Walker opposite him immediately bowed in wary attention. It sensed that it was unlikely to leave alive today. But if it could kill the human hero before it died, then it would have fulfilled its mission.