A few days had passed since the victory achieved against LEG; contrary to the predictions, it had been a rather simple match. The final result was overwhelming. Their season continued with three wins and an inevitable defeat, which wasn't bad all things considered.

"Our next opponent will undoubtedly be of the highest level; we're coming off a streak of two consecutive victories, and we aim to maintain it," were the charged words of Grombold as he directed himself towards the battlefield with his trusted teammates.

The season was almost coming to an end, and securing at least one more victory was of vital importance to ensure a good position in the Ultimate Conquest. If they finished the season among the top positions, their first match would be against an alliance that ranked among the last of the best 16. If they couldn't secure a good placement, it meant starting the final act of the tournament in the worst way possible, facing an opponent of absolute caliber—something to be avoided at all costs.

Upon their arrival, they discovered who their rivals would be in this fifth phase of Alliance Conquest. It turned out to be...

NoFreakingIdea (NFI)

The NFI alliance, led by the charismatic Dreamon, a skilled and shrewd leader capable of inspiring his allies to fight with courage, supported by incredible warriors in terms of skill and experience such as Wallace 1st and Missim, was a high-level group. The prediction slightly favored HOH, but it was a match that promised to be a true battle. In response to the 95 members deployed by Grombold's faction, the opponents appeared with 91 members, a minimal disadvantage.

The air was electric, and the tension between the two factions was palpable. As the two armies lined up on the battlefield, their majestic banners proudly waved in the wind, dampened by a few drops of rain that were beginning to fall on the ground.

"The enemies seem formidable," Neik said, turning towards the rally leaders he had initially been assigned. His subsequent task was to intercept the returning enemy troops heading towards the bases.

"I'm confident that we'll achieve the final victory," Novian, his long-time friend, replied confidently. The two had fought side by side since Neik's early adventures in TAG.

The brief conversation between the two was interrupted by the imminent start of the battle. The racers were ready for the initial capture of the first positions as the drops falling from the sky began to turn into a full-fledged rain.

And shortly thereafter, the match began!

There was a strong start from HOH as they managed to capture all four available buildings!

The alliance's high-ranking members immediately ordered a swap in Mother to give possession to one of the most skilled members for its defense. However, the plan did not go as expected: Savada45 noticed the intentions of the rivals and intercepted the position before the arrival of the new troops!

After a rough start for NFI, they recovered by securing the 100% healing buff from this last position, and they didn't stop there. The alliance immediately decided to gather the troops and launch a fierce attack on the Targaryen Outpost.

The granite defenses of AK0086, well-supported by alliance comrades, held firm and managed to withstand all incoming waves of enemies!

However, during these last attacks, there was a raid by a few soldiers from HOH towards Mother. With the enemies engaged in the assault, it was relatively easy for Grombold to disrupt the insufficiently supported troops of a rival.

After the initial combat phase, the battleground saw HOH in the lead with all buildings under their control, and the opening of the gates was imminent...

Ports

...Missim's speed was incredible for NFI, and they managed to secure one of the two ports. The second fell under the possession of DepravityXO; it would be challenging to see attacks on the latter as the opponent to face would truly be of absolute caliber and difficult to defeat.

However, just as it happened previously in Mother, NFI made the same mistake this time: during an attempt to swap, Urielki, keenly aware of this possibility, intervened at the opportune moment, securing the conquest without significant issues.

All buildings were under their control, including the ports. At this point, the next move was up to the opponents, whether to attempt some offensives or wait for the opening of Casterly Rock. Dreamon decided to try to besiege Lannister Outpost under the control of Q Coldwater. It was probably the least challenging building to attack, and time was running out; the focus had to shift to the main castle in a few minutes. The Rally Leaders, under the orders of their leader, organized direct attacks on this last position...

The number of rallies that struck the defenses was impressively high, and despite HOH's hard efforts to reinforce the building, it eventually fell after yet another attack carried out by the rivals, led by Dreamon!

Galvanized by this victory, despite the limited time available, they also attempted the siege of Targaryen Port, previously lost to Urielki, who was in possession of it. However, things went differently this time: the number of successful attacks was not sufficient, and the reinforcements from HOH were more effective.

The second phase of the match also ended with an advantage for Neik's faction. It was time to focus on the most crucial building!

Casterly Rock

The capture of it also went in favor of HOH and was carried out by Delthulu!

The match proceeded as predicted, favoring the alliance led by Grombold. Even when losing control of secondary buildings, they managed to regain possession without major issues by launching counterattacks. The turning point would be the mines or, even before them, when it would be possible to attack the enemy bases. Resetting the opponents' troops would prevent them from besieging the buildings, ensuring victory. However, the time for this phase had not yet arrived, and if they didn't want the opponents to close the 10k points gap they had created, they had to recapture all the lost buildings!

After cunningly launching fake attacks directed towards Outpost and Port, NFI hit their real target: Casterly Rock! R0nY succeeded in delivering the decisive blow to the defending troops, taking control of it.

"Don't worry about it; soon we'll be able to attack their bases, and once they can't send troops to defend it anymore, we'll reclaim it," was Grombold's plan. HOH's advantage was significant, and even though it was the most crucial position on the battlefield, it alone wasn't enough to turn the tide of the match, and they knew it well.

So, the long-awaited moment finally arrived, and they could attack the enemy bases and intercept the fleeing troops from the positions.

Thus, the members assigned to this final task set out for the sieges!

Neik, while searching for enemies to face, was heavily attacked by a skilled NFI member like Missim. Missim put Neik in great difficulty, perfectly countering his spear-weakness formation using the female-inf. It was a fiercely contested battle between the two, and the rival member emerged victorious.

For HOH, on the other hand, everything went, once again, according to their plans. The powerful blows individually dealt to NFI members diverted their attention from the buildings, allowing HOH to take possession of them. However, this time, NFI didn't have to worry about defending them, as the siege on the enemy bases made this task unnecessary. They didn't have the necessary time to gather sufficient troops and coordinate attacks.

The score difference before the mines opened was 30k, meaning the mines wouldn't be enough to reverse the outcome. The match was won by HOH!

The best fighters of the match were...

Spimmer for HOH: By now, it was becoming a constant for him. With most opponents preferring to fight with Infantry, his mastery in using Cavalry made him a formidable adversary, and his female formation was devastating for them.

Vitoo for NFI: Among the fighters in his alliance, his attacks caused the most damage to the enemy defenses, earning him this recognition!

The match, all in all, had been rather straightforward given the great skills of the allied rally leaders. Facing individuals like Grombold, DepravityXO, Oni Fae, Spimmer, and many others was truly challenging for the opponents. Even the slightest distraction could lead to a fatal outcome, and their expertise in combat and leading their alliance members made the final result seem inevitable, even in more balanced matches like today's against NFI, which was a high-level opponent.

The penultimate match had ended, and now they stood with four victories and one defeat, placing them among the top 16. The last match could only improve their position, which was not in question even in the case of a defeat.

"Our minimum goal of qualifying for the Ultimate Conquest has been achieved, but we will approach our next match with maximum commitment because a victory could greatly help us in the final act of the tournament. I demand the utmost effort from everyone," were the leader's final words. He knew that their next opponents, after three consecutive victories, would be of absolute caliber.

Would they manage to secure victory in the last match as well?