The battle to secure a place among the influential alliances was still long and winding. 

After starting off on the wrong foot this season, things had now turned around for HouseOfHeroes: securing two consecutive victories against opponents not quite at their level had cleared the clouds from the minds of the members of this glorious alliance that had come together after being defeated in the first round. 

However, the journey couldn't stop here, and today they had to do everything to achieve the third consecutive victory. It was crucial for them to continue proving themselves as a top-tier group. But to do so, they had to face the best alliances, and today, the fighting level of their rivals would inevitably be higher than before.

On the snowy battlefield, after the storm that had hit in recent days, 92 members stood for the group led by the leader Grombold and his loyal allies: another strong demonstration of how united, strong, and organized this alliance was, with their banner proudly waving the red colors framed in gold in the skies.

In the distance, the approach of their rivals for the day could be seen. When they were close enough to the battlefield, their banner depicting a dragon fluttered high. They were...

Vendetta (GCM)

An alliance well-known and faced several times in previous events by Neik and his companions. Their strong group came from a streak of victories just like HOH, led by the courageous Minity, who made group combat their strength to bridge the gap with the larger alliances of Westeros.

"It won't be an easy encounter," thought Neik, who had battled the formidable member leading the rival alliance before.

"Today it will be important to show that the victories in the previous rounds were not a fluke. We have to show who we are," were the words chosen by Grombold to motivate his allies and comrades of a thousand battles.

A light snowfall began to fall on the battlefield, and the fog posed a problem for the fighters: it could be used to try to lure the rivals and catch them off guard with attacks from behind.

The start of the match was imminent, and Neik's group received instructions: their first objective was to go for HotSprings. Removing the 100% healing buff from their opponents was essential to discourage them right from the start if the match went well for them.

Both alliances decided to heavily target HotSprings, with a large group from GCM on the way and the first clashes within it imminent. Neik was among the first fighters heading directly into it with his group, their eagerness to face strong opponents today higher than ever!

The initial skirmishes in one of the event's most important buildings began with a massive presence of HOH inside, arriving before their rivals. The clashes were brutal, and the decision to send Winterfell's group into it, where most of the alliance's skilled and courageous fighters were present, was a smart choice by leader Grombold. Under the guidance of Depravity, they could make a difference against any opponent.

As the rivals from GCM arrived to try to contest the position, they were pushed back outside. At the umpteenth attempt to breach its walls, however, the order came from the most skilled member in battle among their ranks, Minity: "Reform the group into Base 4, then besiege the walls from every side." Their idea was to launch an attack as a unified group since HOH's defenses didn't seem to be faltering.

On the other hand, Depravity, a master of combat strategy, understood the opponent's intentions and without wasting a second, ordered his group to pursue the opponents, not giving them time to organize!

The strategy adopted by the leader of the Winterfell group was absolutely effective.

The rivals had no time to organize and were swept away in an instant, both from Base 4 and Greyjoy Outpost.

"Excellent idea to suffocate our opponents' ideas," Neik addressed the leader of the group, Depravity.

After the first phase of combat, the match saw HOH in possession of all the enemy buildings. GCM's decision to focus heavily on HotSprings didn't pay off and backfired. Not sending enough troops towards Armory made it easy for HOH, who as soon as it was secure under the command of Urielki, the group set off towards the enemy base, conquering all the buildings along their path.

GCM's rivals were decidedly discouraged. The few who were not annihilated on the battlefield had to retreat behind their walls, which were immediately guarded by their adversaries, making it impossible for them to leave.

In the meantime, in Winterfell, Depravity had an easy time obtaining and delivering loot for his alliance. Not facing any enemies, he ordered his companions to go in support of Grombold and Urielki to ensure that any enemy attempt to leave their base to hinder HOH would be nipped in the bud.

Upon his arrival, Neik saw an enemy almost completely surrendered. The few attempts to leave the base were made at the northeast exit, and without much thought, he decided to go and lend a hand to his companions dealing with the small group from GCM.

Upon his arrival, however, due to the fog, Neik didn't realize that the enemies were more numerous than expected. The initial skirmishes caught him off guard, and he was attacked by multiple enemies simultaneously. He was heroic in attempting to withstand the enemy assaults, but after a long battle, they managed to overpower him. What proved most fatal were the Inf units used by Xarcon, perfectly countering Neik's Spears. However, the enemies couldn't stray too far from the base due to the massive presence of Neik's allies.

Nevertheless, he didn't give up. Once he regained some energy, he decided to face the formidable enemy again, but this time in a one-on-one encounter. The battle between the two was epic: the snowy terrain limited their mobility, but the two warriors gave each other a tough time. However, this time, in the end, Neik emerged victorious. Despite his opponent's countering him, he didn't back down, and after initially being defeated by his blows, this time he achieved victory.

The match effectively ended with GCM acknowledging the numerical and actual strength superiority of their opponents, who emerged as the winners of the fourth round!

MVP's

The best fighters of the match were:

Xoica for HOH, under his strikes, the enemies in HotSprings found themselves in trouble, and those who faced his blade didn't come out unscathed.

Minity for GCM, whose combat skills were well-known even before the start of the match. Individually, he was certainly the most formidable among his comrades.

The difference in available members, 92 for HOH and only 68 for GCM, was lethal for the morale of Minity's group. After being defeated in HotSprings, Base 4, and Greyjoy Outpost, they decided that continuing against such an opponent and with this difference would be a waste of resources.

"We had the right idea to go to HotSprings. Our opponents quickly agreed not to continue further, thanks in part to our strategy. The match in round 5 will be much more difficult. I hope there is this commitment from everyone in the next match," were Grombold's last words before leaving the battlefield to his alliance.

So, the fourth round ended with another victory for them. At this point, they were one step away from the podium to be classified among the top alliances of the tournament. However, to be in the top three, they absolutely had to achieve two more victories in the last two matches remaining in the season, which at this point would be truly tough. Will Neik and his companions make it?