The bald Maester shuddered at the king's sudden outburst.
Yet, under Tyanna's meaningful gaze, he forced himself to suppress his fear and continued reading aloud.
"The High Septon of Oldtown is calling upon 'the true devout children of the gods' to rise up, to defend the dignity of the Faith, and to overthrow this dynasty ruled by 'dragons, monsters, and bastards.'"
As the words grew more shocking, the Maester's voice dwindled to a whisper, his hand trembling as he clutched the parchment.
When he finally dared lift his head toward King Maegor, a blinding golden flash streaked across the hall. The next instant, a scream tore from his throat—his tongue had been pierced clean through by molten gold flicked from Maegor's finger.
The bald Maester collapsed in agony, rolling on the floor as dozens of raven letters scattered around him.
Tyanna sighed helplessly, stepped forward, and swiftly ended his suffering with a dagger.
At once, every minor lord in the hall lowered his head, cold sweat streaming down their brows as their bodies shook uncontrollably.
Tyanna crouched, gathering the scattered letters. She scanned through them quickly before reading aloud the most urgent news:
"The Awakened of the Faith of the Seven have allied with demons. They are rallying all demonic forces to Goldengrove. The letter states that more than a hundred demons have already gathered there, and their numbers continue to grow.
The area around Goldengrove has become forbidden to humans. Led by the Faith's Awakened, these demons are moving downstream along the Mander, preparing to strike at King's Landing. They are already near Bitterbridge."
This Bitterbridge was once called Stonebridge. During the Conquest, when the Emperor and his sisters passed through and stayed the night, the Emperor mistakenly called it Bitterbridge. Thereafter, the local lords and folk adopted the name.
Aegon stood in the great hall, listening closely. As he processed the intelligence, he swiftly assessed the threats facing Maegor's reign: Young Aegon, Jaehaerys, the Awakened of the Faith of the Seven, and the High Septon of Oldtown.
Rebellion surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Seated on the Iron Throne, Maegor's fury mounted. He swore to himself: "These great lords and Kingsguard are all traitors. Every last one who betrays me shall be hanged—without mercy."
He thundered his commands:
"First, order the poor in Oldtown to lay down their arms at once. Any who resist may be slain. Summon 'all loyal subjects' to take up arms and crush these ragged but numerous gatherings.
Second, Prince Aegon shall lead the Demon-Hunting Knights to resist the Faith's Awakened and their demonic horde marching upon King's Landing.
Third, I shall personally lead an army to Harrenhal to crush Young Aegon and the combined forces of the West and the North.
Fourth, Tyanna shall command the Crownlands host at Grassy Vale, fortifying against the assaults of Jaehaerys, the Stormlands, and Dorne."
The courtiers stepped forward in turn to receive their orders.
Once commanded, Aegon immediately set out for the Demon-Hunting Knights' encampment in King's Landing.
Larissa, once the foremost of the Demon-Hunting Knights, accompanied him, briefing him along the way on the group's members.
"The top ten each have mastered at least one extraordinary sword technique. Those ranked from eleventh to twentieth wield fewer supernatural arts, but even they far outclass the Kingsguard," Larissa explained as their carriage rattled forward.
Once defeated by Aegon, Larissa had been spared out of respect for their shared past. Coupled with her long-standing friendship with Rhaena, Aegon's mother in this life, she had naturally aligned herself with him, becoming one of his most trusted commanders.
Aegon sat silently, polishing the black blade across his knee—the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister, gifted to him by Maegor.
"Tell me their abilities in detail," Aegon said.
Larissa nodded and began describing the strengths of the top ten dragon kin.
Today she wore a fitted gown with a plunging V neckline, expecting Aegon's gaze to linger. Yet he remained wholly absorbed in tending to his sword, sparing her no glance at all.
Soon, the carriage halted beside the Sword Tower at the Red Keep's outer wall. This was the garrison of the Kingsguard, with the lodgings of the Demon-Hunting Knights nearby.
Larissa stepped down first to summon the dragon kin to assemble before the carriage. As she did, she tugged the neckline of her gown closed. Since Aegon showed no interest, there was no point in persisting.
A short while later, Larissa knocked on the carriage door, reporting that all were assembled.
Aegon pulled aside the curtain and stepped out.
The dragon kin of the Demon-Hunting Knights stood in formation before him, their eyes fixed squarely on the Dragon Prince. Aegon scanned them—over fifty in all.
He planted Dark Sister firmly into the ground and spoke with solemn gravity:
"You all know the kingdom is in turmoil, demons running rampant.
By His Grace's decree, I now stand as commander of the Demon-Hunting Knights.
I ask that we fight as one, press forward with courage, and together bring about an age of peace and prosperity for the realm and for humankind."
"Salute!" Larissa cried.
She struck her chest with her right hand, her bosom rising and falling with the motion, rippling like waves.
"We pledge our service to Your Highness, to the House of Targaryen!"
The dragonriders shouted in unison, striking their left chests with their fists to show their highest respect and loyalty to Aegon.
Aegon gave a slight nod and walked with steady steps before the formation, extending his senses through magic. He could feel that several among them possessed remarkable strength.
Even though Maegor's purge of the Demon-Hunting Knights had claimed the lives of several top-ranked dragonriders, the survivors still formed a formidable force not to be underestimated.
Aegon gave his order.
"The top ten dragonriders, step forward and state your names and call signs."
Larissa was the first to step forward, head held high and chest proud, her voice solemn.
"NO.1 – Swift Sword – Larissa, reporting."
"NO.2 – Phantom Sword – Miriya, reporting!" A tall, commanding female warrior with a broad forehead stepped up after Larissa, her voice ringing out.
Aegon gave her a brief nod.
Miriya's skill was indeed extraordinary—Larissa had already explained her abilities in detail during the carriage ride. Her Phantom Sword technique relied on sudden bursts of acceleration and abrupt halts to create illusory afterimages, striking with lethal precision from a blur of movement.
Yet the technique had a flaw: it consumed stamina at a tremendous rate, placing immense strain on the body and making prolonged use impossible.
"NO.3 – Lionheart Sword – Ricardo, reporting for duty!" shouted a burly male dragonrider with thick hair and a heavy beard.
"NO.5 – Thorn Sword – Chronos, reporting!"
"NO.7 – Shadowless Sword – …"
"NO.8 – Spiral Sword – …"
"NO.10 – Wind-Cleaving Sword – …"
At present, these seven stood as the strongest among the Demon-Hunting Knights.
Aegon walked to each of them in turn, using his chip to scan their bodies. The readings confirmed that all seven carried fragments of the King's Power, which they had each developed into unique sword techniques.
He then outlined the battle plan. After a brief period of rest, they would march upstream along the Blackwater Rush, then move onto the upper reaches of the Mander to intercept the Faith's Awakened and the demon horde advancing from Goldengrove.
Once finished, Aegon dismissed the others but kept these top dragonriders behind. He intended to spar with them directly, using the duels to better grasp the full extent of the King of Burning Steel's power.
He had already begun to understand its principles.
The first was [Refining]—the Burning Steel's ability to draw in the magical energy of others and merge it into his own.
Aegon likened himself to a steel ingot, growing harder and stronger as he absorbed and forged the energies of others through battle.
At the Battle of Heart's Lake, he had already used the incomplete Burning Steel to seize Davos's explosive magical trait. Now, with the power fully awakened, he could absorb the essence of another's magic far faster, refining their traits into his own.
To forge himself, he needed their magic. And these dragonriders with fragments of the King's Power were the perfect "fuel" for his fire.
Aegon led them to the training grounds of the royal guard.
Facing the seven dragonriders, he flicked his wrist. Dark Sister flashed in a cold arc, its tip angled slightly downward as the blade sliced the air with a piercing, birdlike whistle.
Larissa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"My Swift Sword—how is this possible?!"
The others exchanged stunned glances, their faces filled with shock and confusion. None could fathom how the Dragon Prince Aegon was wielding a sword technique that was not his own.
Aegon smiled faintly and said calmly,
"Now, all of you—attack me with everything you have. Unleash your strongest sword techniques.
Come.
Let me refine them all at once."
His words had barely faded before the shrill whistles grew sharper and more rapid. Dark Sister danced wildly in the air, its speed climbing higher and higher with each stroke, flashing like lightning.
In an instant, the training ground floor around Aegon was scarred with deep gashes carved by his sword.
Larissa bit her lower lip, her heart filled with disbelief. She could hardly accept that Aegon's Swift Sword was faster than her own. Could he truly possess the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary?
The other seven dragon kin showed no such hesitation. Blades were drawn in unison as they launched full-force attacks at Aegon.
Years of hunting demons had forged them into a cohesive unit. They fought instinctively in coordinated squads, their teamwork seamless. Yet even so, Aegon's strength exceeded all expectations.
Empowered by the Swift Sword, he met their combined assault head-on, deflecting strikes from multiple foes at once. Even when faced with an opponent like NO.8—renowned for brute force, who tried to smash through Aegon's sword net with the Spiral Sword—Aegon remained unshaken.
After all, his arsenal extended beyond the Swift Sword alone. Davos's Explosive Sword technique was devastating, its explosive force powerful enough to shatter the strongest charges of the dragon kin.
NO.8 surged forward, his body spinning with magic, only to be blasted back in an instant by the violent eruption of Aegon's blade.
Immediately after, the Phantom Sword closed in, its illusory strikes flitting like ghosts. Yet the Phantom Sword's natural nemesis was the Swift Sword. Larissa herself knew this well—scatter every afterimage with speed, and the true body could not escape the strike.
Wave after wave, the top ten dragonriders unleashed their fiercest sword techniques. But every assault was dismantled by Aegon's precision.
From the moment he revealed the Swift Sword, they had guessed his intent: to claim their extraordinary sword techniques for himself. Yet now, having witnessed his overwhelming strength, they no longer resented it. Instead, respect grew in their hearts. If the Dragon Prince wished to wield their techniques, so be it.
Hours passed.
Aegon successively unleashed Phantom Sword, Shadowless Sword, Wind-Cleaving Sword, and more. One by one, the elite dragon kin were pushed beyond their limits and struck down.
Lying on the ground, they looked up in astonishment. Aegon stood calm and composed, not even breathing heavily.
After such relentless combat, the stamina and resilience he displayed were just as terrifying as his swordsmanship. This was the effect of fully awakening the power of Burning Steel.
He could feel it clearly—his body growing stronger with each passing day, steadily approaching the might and endurance of true dragonborn. The King's Power was the birthright of dragon kin, and now that Aegon had awakened it fully, his transformation was inevitable.
Still, he felt a trace of guilt. On their first meeting, he had demanded his subordinates offer up their own techniques. To make amends, he took them out into King's Landing, where they indulged in a night of revelry.
At a tavern, Larissa, flushed with drink, followed Aegon into a private chamber. That night, they shared a bed—the first union of flesh for Aegon in this lifetime.
He made no pretense of restraint. Though Larissa was of the same generation as Rhaena, she was offering herself willingly, and for the first time. Faced with such a beauty, Aegon did not refuse. He welcomed her with open arms.
...
After three days of rest at the Red Keep, the Demon-Hunting Knights received an urgent summons from Maegor. Aegon was ordered to march immediately to the upper Mander and intercept the demon horde.
Reports confirmed that the demons, led by the Faith's Awakened, were rampaging unchecked—burning, slaughtering, and pillaging every village along the riverbanks. Wherever they passed, humanity was driven to the brink of annihilation.
Worse still, they were calling other demons to join them, their numbers swelling like a snowball. Maegor feared that by the time they reached the gates of King's Landing, their host would number in the hundreds.
Should the horde breach the outer walls, the city would face a massacre beyond imagining.
King's Landing, now a thriving metropolis of nearly a hundred thousand souls, could not withstand such chaos. A dragon's might was overwhelming, yet in crowded streets, dragonfire could not distinguish demon from innocent. Even Maegor, ruthless as he was, would not unleash such slaughter upon his own people.
With orders in hand, Aegon led the Demon-Hunting Knights upstream along the Blackwater. Midway, they shifted to land, traveling by rail carriage until they reached their next staging ground.
Two days later, they arrived at Tumbleton, on the northeastern edge of the Reach. Once claimed by the Emperor and folded into the Crownlands, it lay near the very source of the Mander.
Aegon immediately ordered supplies replenished, and without pause, they pressed onward to intercept the Faith's Awakened and their demonic host.
Boarding warships, they sailed the Mander for a day until they reached Bitterbridge.
This ancient stone arch spanned a critical point of the river. Bitterbridge lay within the lands of House Caswell—a loyal vassal of the Crownlands. In a past life, Aegon had appointed the head of this minor house as commander of the capital's garrison.
The Demon-Hunting Knights' scouts, skilled in long-range sensing, had already felt the taint of demonic aura drifting closer.
So they made camp quietly within the Caswell stronghold, keeping hidden as they prepared to spring an ambush on the approaching horde.