A few days passed after the straightforward victory against SKR. Neik and the HOH teammates had time to perfect their strategies for more intense matches and discussed the importance of never straying from the group. In an event like this, it could prove fatal, and the HOH fighter knew this well; often too reckless, he needed to pay more attention before making hasty moves.

Today, they presented themselves on the battlefield at peak energy, which could be a decisive factor. Fighting at full strength was a significant advantage, and having dominated the third match from the early stages to the point of forcing their rivals into a swift surrender could turn into a major advantage today.

"The fourth match we face today will be a turning point in our season. Winning it should secure us one of the sixteen available spots for the tournament that will take place once the season ends," reminded their leader Grombold to his allies. For an alliance with ambitions like HOH, being left out of the top sixteen alliances would be a tremendous blow and must be avoided at all costs.

Waiting under the sun that illuminated the battlefield, suddenly, in the distance, they began to see the banners of today's rivals. It was...

LEG

The strong and highly organized alliance led by a council of formidable warriors like Boberman, YUROK MASTER, and Alexander58 arrived at this match with a record of two wins and one loss, matching that of HOH. Their group unity was their strength; in past matches, there was a significant turnout with over 90 warriors coming to compete and elevate the alliance's name.

"It won't be an easy match," Neik said immediately. He had faced these rivals several times in different events and knew their potential.

Moments before the battle began, the leader spoke to reveal the tactic they would use today: "Our rivals today don't have numerical superiority over us. We've decided to approach the match by dividing into groups. We believe that forcing them to split up will prevent them from gaining the upper hand over us," Grombold decreed after consulting with his trusted companions.

Neik then joined the group led by Depravity. They were assigned to capture the Winterfell spoils, but initially, the group leader decided to support the effort in the Armory while waiting for their primary objective to become available.

A large contingent of LEG immediately set off for the Armory. The strategy that Depravity wanted to adopt was therefore successful in concept; without his group, the Armory would most likely have been lost. So, more energized than ever, Neik and his companions headed to what would be the first major clash of the match!

An incredible battle unfolded in the Armory.

Initially, the HOH fighters reached the building first and began setting up the initial defenses. Then, like a bolt from the blue, they were swarmed by an absurd number of rivals, and all hell broke loose. Neither alliance had numerical superiority, and they faced each other on equal terms.

The strategy used by LEG, undoubtedly Bomberman's idea, to hit the building's defenses all at once while initially leaving control in the hands of Neik and his companions, seemed to pay off at first. It was a battle that lasted much longer than expected, something rarely seen in the Armory's early stages, but in the end, the members of HOH emerged victorious! Once they overcame the shock of such a large-scale attack and were reinforced by the group led by their leader Grombold, they managed to gain the upper hand over their rivals minute by minute.

A strategic regrouping was mandatory for LEG, who had no choice but to acknowledge their loss in the first major battle of the match and to rethink their approach to devise something new.

Meanwhile, in HotSprings...

Having focused heavily on the Armory resulted in an easy battle at HotSprings.

A not very large group of rivals arrived at the gates when it had already been secured by the lightning-fast warriors of HOH. They attempted to break through the defenses, but it was all in vain.

Thus, the early phase of the encounter saw Grombold's alliance holding possession of the two most important buildings of the event!

A large contingent of rivals was gathering near Stark 1 Outpost, likely planning to regroup there for another offensive towards the Armory.

"We have had a great initial phase of the encounter, but now let's not give our rivals any breathing room," was the announcement from their leader. Upon hearing of the sightings, he intended to crush any rival attempts to regroup from the start.

So from the Armory, they set off for the new destination!

The attack carried out by HOH was a success!

Upon arrival, Neik saw with his own eyes a large group gathered at the destination, and without losing a second, he decided with his companions to storm the outpost's walls. The ensuing battle saw, as previously happened in the Armory, HOH prevailing over LEG minute by minute in this second major clash.

However, a message passed among the group members at the end of the battle: Winterfell needed them. In the confusion, some LEG rivals had astutely moved to the vicinity, waiting for the first spoils of the match, which could turn the tide of the encounter!

"Let's go support Tardis with the spoils!" said group leader DepravityXO, and so Neik, in a flash, began his march!

Upon his arrival in Winterfell, Neik found himself up against a powerful rival, Nemezisrelax, who excelled with Spears and had combat abilities balanced with those of the HOH warrior. The battle saw Neik prevail, thanks to the support of his companions, once again demonstrating the importance of teamwork. Moving forward to assist his teammate transporting the spoils, he successfully obstructed other rivals attempting to interfere, allowing Tardis to reach the goal without much trouble.

"Well done, Neik," praised the group leader for his comrade's efforts.

Meanwhile, the alliance leader successfully pushed the remaining rivals back to their base, taking advantage of the separation of several members trying to oppose the spoils' delivery. Neik and his companions, no longer needing many members near Winterfell, joined in. At this point, HOH found themselves at a significant advantage over their rivals, almost unexpectedly against such a strong opponent.

Without too much trouble, Tardis obtained and successfully delivered the second spoils of the encounter, and it seemed almost certain for HOH, who was now 15k points ahead.

Neik, tasked with guarding the northwest exit of the rival base, noticed some movement and decided to approach to check if there were any rivals nearby when...

He was ambushed by a large group of opponents!

The battle was very tough for him. The rivals quickly surrounded him, catching him off guard, and his decision to move away from the group was almost fatal. The small LEG group led by YUROK MASTER managed to overpower several opponents, including Neik. However, once other members of HOH, led by Depravity, arrived at the scene, they had no choice but to retreat back to base.

"Thanks, guys," said Neik, who narrowly escaped the fatal blow from the rivals. The group leader reminded the young fighter that he needed to be more cautious.

A few more attempts were made by LEG, but it was clear they had decided to raise the white flag. HOH's combat and numerical superiority (by a full 15 members) had been a decisive factor throughout the match, leaving LEG with little recourse.

Thus, the fourth round of the season was won by... HOH!

MVP's

The top fighters of the match were:

- SukunA for HOH: His powerful Cavalry units greatly aided him in events where swift movement was crucial for achieving a high score.

- Alexander58 for LEG: He proved to be a formidable opponent, especially in the battles at Armory and in attempts to regroup at Stark Outpost 1, where he was the toughest to face one-on-one.

"Our rivals today came with a notable winning streak. We did well to overpower them both in numbers and strategically on the battlefield. We must always strive to maintain this level of concentration in every match," were the leader's words at the end of the encounter.

A satisfied Neik was returning to k345, having faced opponents of such caliber and emerging victorious several times, which gave him the confidence and self-awareness he needed.

Thus, another day ended with a record of three wins and one loss, heading towards the fifth round of the season where they would likely face a highly skilled rival. Who that would be and whether they could continue their winning streak would be revealed soon!