Under the banner of the Golden Company, their knights charged into the battlefield, striking from behind Bloodbeard's Cat's Guild and the free sellswords led by the Myrish. The Golden Company's elephants, in particular, played a significant role.
Bloodbeard and the Myrish offensive crumbled, and the free sellswords fled for their lives. The Long Spears and the Second Sons all surrendered to the Wolfpack's camp, turning to attack the Cat's Guild and the Myrish.
On a nearby hillock, the high command of the Golden Company gathered, watching the shifting tides of battle. The Golden Company's arrival had completely buried the Cat's Guild.
Every spear around them had a gilded skull at its tip. One skull was particularly large and grotesque, and the one beneath it was the size of a child's fist. The fierce Maris and his unknown brother. The other skulls had no distinctive features, except that some had been killed by a hammer, their skulls cracked, and another had neat, sharp teeth.
"They fought well! The Wolfpack's elite are tough, just like the Northerners. Didn't expect the escaped slaves to be trained so well," said Gorold Eddon, the Golden Company's treasurer, a Valyrian.
Lanso Mar, the intelligence officer from Lys, added, "Bloodbeard is crude and bloodthirsty, but he's no fool. This kid has some skills in warfare. His harassment, flanking, and use of cavalry are all quite good. Even if we hadn't helped, Bloodbeard would have been hard-pressed to survive. He can work with us..."
"Your ideas are too risky!" sighed Harry Strickland, the Golden Company's commander, who feared battle. Unlike a warrior, he was portly, with a large, round head, pale grey eyes, and sparse hair that he combed over to cover his bald spot. "Wait for the Liberator, wait for this kid's enemies, the slavemasters and governors, to come at him from all sides. What can a few slaves do?"
"We have no choice, Harry! The butter and cheese merchants of the Free Cities can give us money, but no other help!" suggested Franklin Flowers.
"If we help the Wolfpack, it means we're pissing off all our major clients! If things go south and the Liberator and the Wolfpack's slave-releasing game fails, he'll be ruined before we even get to Westeros," Harry had a look of frustration on his face.
"According to the plan!" Harry cleared his throat.
"What plan? Yours or the fat man's? We're tired of this wandering life. Maris Blackfyre could cross the sea with the help of other Copper Kings, so can we. The Wolfpack's fighting strength is good, and these slaves are a never-ending army. Once the Liberator takes the Disputed Lands and Myr, he can help us cross, too."
"Robert Baratheon won the Iron Throne without a dragon, we can too. Even if things go wrong and people won't rise, we can always retreat across the Narrow Sea, just like Cold Iron and the others did."
Harry shook his head, "The risks of this!"
"—are not that great. We haven't broken any contracts, we haven't signed any treaties with the Myrish. We're just showing some goodwill to the Liberator, taking down Bloodbeard. Mercenaries attacking each other, how common is that? This battle, the Myrish are bound to suffer a crushing defeat, the Cat's Guild will be wiped out. If the Liberator takes advantage of the situation to defeat the Three Daughters, then we formally cooperate with him. If the Liberator's luck turns bad and the Three Daughters want to take him down, they'll have to rely on us more, court us more, and we'll get more gold. It's a win-win, we always come out on top!"
"So now, we need to charge!" Franklin Flowers laughed. "Let's all pitch in and do the Liberator a small favor first. This kid has guts, he's a man!"
Then Beck said, "I'd rather die in Westeros than grow old in the Disputed Lands, leaving my children to wander."
Marco Mandark chuckled, "Well, I'd rather live happily, enjoying fertile lands and a big castle."
Franklin Flowers slapped the hilt of his sword and shouted, "Let's help the King of the Wolfpack first, and I still want to take down a few rotten Fossoways!"
The commander's face looked like he'd been slapped. "You're all mad!"
The Golden Company's officers raised their arms one by one and charged down the hill. The last to do so was their commander, Harry Strickland.
The defeat came crashing down like a mountain. Bloodbeard saw the Wolfpack's infantry advancing, the heavy-armored Wolfpack infantry and the light-armored Free Army infantry. He saw the wandering sellswords drop their armor and weapons and flee into the surrounding woods.
Bloodbeard's elite vanguard was also in disarray. The Wolfpack and the Free Army's shield wall broke apart, and the cheering soldiers raised the grey-and-white Wolfpack banners and surged forward, their axes, vertical swords, greatswords, and spears bringing a smile of death.
"We did it!" Gendry breathed a sigh of relief. The Free Army's formation was at best a low-grade version of the Unsullied. The Unsullied were too inhuman, too costly. That's why they needed the Wolfpack cavalry and infantry to charge and let them form their ranks.
The longbowmen nearby, under the command of the Bowyer, launched wave after wave of arrows that fell like rain.
"Long live the Wolfpack!"
"Long live the Liberator!" Steel Fist led the Wolfpack infantry, Grey Wolf led the Free Army, and their ranks surged like a flood. The Cat's Guild and Myrish sellswords who tried to resist were quickly overwhelmed and slaughtered.
Bloodbeard was furious inside, "I lost this battle, but I still have a chance. I'll go back to Myr to recruit and seek revenge again."
Bloodbeard spurred his horse to retreat, but his appearance was just too conspicuous. Bloodbeard was a loud, barbaric brute, tall and broad-shouldered, with a large beard, fiery red sideburns and long braids.
Bloodbeard and Gendry met by a small river, with fierce flames burning around them.
"Kid, you ruined me, now I'm going to ruin you!" Bloodbeard shouted.
Bloodbeard drew his longsword, which turned into a sinister shadow. His sword was fast and venomous.
Gendry raised his warhammer and swiftly met the attack. He first countered, then feigned, and fiercely hammered Bloodbeard from the other side. Bloodbeard slashed at his face, but Gendry dodged, as agile as a lynx.
The warhammer struck at Bloodbeard's heart, heavy and fierce. Bloodbeard dodged hastily, and the warhammer hit his ribs, making it hard for him to withstand. Bloodbeard gritted his teeth through the pain and swung his sword. Gendry dodged the first strike, blocked the second, and parried the thrusting third. Their movements were so fast that others could hardly see clearly.
"Crack!" The warhammer roared terrifyingly and struck Bloodbeard's other side ribs again. The bones shattered, and there was a dent on the plate armor. Bloodbeard endured the pain, twisted hard, and pulled out another long knife from his saddle, a dark, grained Valyrian arakh blade, slashing at Gendry's face.
"Die!" Gendry dodged the blade, and Bloodbeard's speed had already slowed down. Gendry's warhammer hit Bloodbeard's temple, and his helmet had a big dent. Bloodbeard fell to the ground, with blood bubbles coming out of his mouth.
Gendry picked up Bloodbeard's arakh blade, which was as dark as smoke. It was said that the Windblown also had one, which was an unexpected bonus.
But why didn't Bloodbeard use the arakh blade from the beginning? Perhaps he preferred the longsword. After all, the Dothraki used the arakh blade best, or maybe he underestimated Gendry and kept it as a trump card to kill him.
The cavalry charge continued to surge, drowning Bloodbeard's corpse in hooves, blades, and fury.
"He's a good piece of iron!" The knights of the Golden Company also rushed to Gendry and praised him. They had witnessed the brutal and swift duel, and Bloodbeard had become the minced meat on the ground.