The long journey to claim a top spot among the best alliances in the realm of Westeros continues relentlessly.

After emerging victorious in the first two matches of this long road of Ultimate Conquest, against GCM and DracaRYS, there was a sudden setback for Neik and his comrades: in round three, they faced BaN and were overwhelmed by their incredible ferocity, suffering a crushing defeat.

They had no other choice: they had to win every remaining match if they wanted to at least reach the final stages of the tournament and avoid being prematurely eliminated, as another loss would mean exactly that for the group led by Grombold. This thought haunted Neik on the battlefield; the HOH fighter was one of those most eager to elevate the name of his alliance, and obtaining anything less than a podium finish like last season would mean a failed journey for him.

Seventy members had gathered on the battlefield, each with the ambition to secure a victory today, but for them, the wait for the match to begin felt heavier than ever. The uncertainty about the rivals they would face was palpable in the air, a tangible darkness weighing on them.

During the preparations, in the distance, crows could be seen rising into the gray sky, scared off by the imposing march of the rival alliance heading toward the battlefield.

It was...

DracaRYS

A legendary alliance, one of the oldest in the lands of Westeros, known by everyone in the realm, still bore the marks of their defeat suffered in the second round against HOH. But this time it was different. Determined to redeem themselves and show their true strength, the warriors of DracaRYS were ready to give everything on the battlefield. Led by their leader QUEENY, fiercer than ever, flanked by Athena D God, Queen of Sin, and a total of 67 members, the group sought the coveted progression to the next round but, above all, vengeance for the crushing defeat they suffered in the second round of the tournament at the hands of HOH.

The air was charged with electricity. Grombold, a wise leader at the helm of his alliance, knew that today their rivals would be more motivated than ever. To prevent the match from being fought emotionally, after conferring with his trusted HOH leadership companions, he sought to spread calm among his members: “We’ve already proven that we can hold our own against a high-level alliance like DracaRYS. The strategy today will be to wait for our rivals to make mistakes, driven by their thirst for revenge. But I’m confident that if we stand by each other’s side, they won’t succeed in their intentions!” the leader declared.

Neik was filled with determination, his mind focused on the impending battle. The memory of yet another defeat at the hands of BaN still lingered, and his desire to claim yet another victory, this time in a decisive match, fueled him for today's clash—his spears were ready for war!

A light rain began to fall on the heads of the warriors ready to face each other on the battlefield, leaving a fresh scent of wet earth. The gray clouds covered the sky, giving a sense of unease, and an imminent storm seemed to be approaching at any moment.

The battle that would decide the fate of the two alliances under the pouring rain finally began.

The faction that started the match the best was HOH, led by Grombold and his trusted racers, who managed to secure three out of four buildings in the initial phase of the clash, once again proving themselves among the best in Westeros.

Following this, swaps were ordered to assign the most skilled members to defend the buildings. Among them was Neik, tasked with heading to Lannister Outpost. As the marches moved and the HOH member took over its defense, Arthurion from DracaRYS suddenly appeared like a ghost, seizing control of the outpost!

The swap there had been poorly timed, with reinforcements too slow, and the mistake immediately brought the match to a tie, with two buildings per side. However, the bad news was followed by good news, as the swaps at Mother and Targaryen Outpost were successful for HOH.

The first phase unfolded as a balanced battle, as expected. Both alliances were here to pursue their objectives, and to do so, they had to put on a great performance. Both were vying for a place on the final tournament podium.

After a phase of apparent calm, it was Grombold who initiated the action, ordering rallies at Warrior. Securing this objective would grant the alliance a significant buff, increasing their totals by 20%.

Defending the target was Athena D God, a formidable opponent and perhaps one of the most feared on the rival side. HOH’s organized rallies began hitting the walls one after the other, dealing great damage, but the incoming support for DracaRYS seemed to compensate for the losses—until, at the most unexpected moment of the siege, Vernei broke through the defenders! Vernei, who had joined HOH for the final stage of the tournament, once again proved to be a fearsome warrior.

But the bad news for QUEENY's group didn’t end there! Taking advantage of the confusion created at Warrior and the huge effort made to defend its walls, a large number of rallies headed toward Targaryen Outpost, previously lost during the swap. Arthurion was defending there but, without adequate reinforcements, couldn’t withstand the attack led by AK0086, who reclaimed the outpost!

“Excellent, it worked perfectly!” exclaimed the leader when news of the fourth position capture arrived. The idea of striking the two objectives almost simultaneously had been Grombold’s, knowing the focus would be on defending Warrior.

As the opening of the ports approached, QUEENY ordered a series of attacks to try to seize control of Mother’s Temple. The buff it granted, 100% healing, was crucial in a match that promised to be long and costly. There wasn’t much time to besiege the walls; other objectives would be available soon, and they needed to be ready for them. Rushing to the outpost, where Tardis had now taken command for HOH, DracaRYS's assault was not effective enough to break the defenses of one of the strongest fighters on the rival side.

The battle for the ports began with a twist!

The racers of HOH were once again overwhelmed by the speed with which DracaRYS seized control of the two ports. The conquest of these ports was vital for QUEENY's army if they didn’t want the match to take a turn for the worse right from the early phases, and as the great alliance they were, they demonstrated that no one could crush them so easily!

“Let’s keep an eye on the ports; they will definitely make some swaps,” suggested Neik.

Just as he finished speaking, ChainsawMan from DracaRYS took over the defense of Lannister Port. The formidable rival relied on Weakness formation and his Spears as his strengths, something Neik was well aware of, having faced him in other events—it was never easy to come out unscathed.

The second swap was imminent, and they knew it well. Just when the attempt was made... Derte from HOH arrived to intercept it! The overly predictable moment played a nasty trick on DracaRYS, which, after an excellent start in the port phase, found itself possessing one under imminent attack from Grombold’s alliance.

The rallies called at the moment ChainsawMan took command were already prepared for the siege, waiting for the right moment when their rivals would attempt to swap at the second port, thus having their focus elsewhere. That was the crucial moment when they launched their siege.

The armies immediately began to test the defenses of the DracaRYS member. Wave after wave, they charged into battle at the port until Novian delivered the decisive blow, capturing it! The timing between the rallies played a crucial role in the conquest of the position, as they didn’t give the rivals time to adequately reinforce their ally.

The central phase of the match had now arrived with the opening of Casterly Rock. After losing the port, timid attempts at attacks were launched at the Outposts, but thanks to nearly perfect support, they were defended without too much trouble. However, all attention from both alliances was now focused on CR.

No plot twist this time; it was the racers of HOH who were the fastest to secure it!

Following the conquest, a swap was executed without losing a second to place Xoica in its defense, ensuring possession with an adequate number of reinforcements.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly for Neik and his comrades, as they found themselves in the lead with all the buildings under their control and the path to victory appearing clearer and clearer. Just then, they heard the warning among the members of HOH: “Incoming attacks!”

With nothing left to lose, the rally leaders of DracaRYS organized a siege at Lannister Outpost, as it was the building closest to their base, and they would surely catch their rivals off guard, who expected an attempt at Casterly Rock. And so it was!

The dozen rallies launched against Urielki’s defenses one after another broke through, allowing them to take possession of the outpost a significant blow for HOH, demonstrating that they were indeed a formidable group!

“Another attack incoming!” was heard shortly after. Without leaving a second to gather their thoughts, the target this time was Targaryen Port, once again the nearest to their base. They knew that if they captured it as well, they would still be in contention for the final victory, with a bit of luck and the capture of the mines.

However, the siege and the recent defeat at Targaryen Outpost served as a wake-up call for HOH, reminding them that they needed to give 100%, even though victory seemed almost certain. The support for Oni Fae's defense of the port under imminent attack was overwhelming; when the rival rallies reached the walls, its defense was successfully mounted! No plot twist this time either, as the strongest fighter among HOH had no major issues, proving her mettle. DracaRYS's attempt was commendable, but perhaps aimed at the wrong target.

During the defense, however, Grombold didn’t sit idly by: taking advantage of the confusion created by their attack, he and a few other brave warriors rushed to besiege the previously lost building, taking advantage of the low number of reinforcements to reclaim it!

It was a match played almost perfectly for HOH, from the racers to the reinforcements sent when needed, against such a formidable opponent. The score gap continued to widen, but the final minutes showed that they couldn't consider the match over just yet. Grombold ordered the siege of the enemy bases to eliminate the last remaining troops along with their hopes for a possible comeback.

The attacks launched by Neik were devastating.

The strategy of the HOH member was to target rivals using Cavs. The first opponent faced was a top-tier player: xBABA YAGA. The duel between the two was decisively won by the HOH fighter, who emerged unscathed. The second target was Lord Pratap, a powerful warrior who combined his Cavs with his fearsome Female formation. The battle between the two commenced; the clash of Neik's Spears against the rival's Cavs seemed to favor Neik, but the defender tripled the numbers of the attacker, which played a crucial role in the encounter. Both fighters lost a significant number of troops, but the attacker came out victorious.

As soon as he returned to base, Neik was ambushed from behind by a rival seeking revenge; it was once again xBABA YAGA! The clash between the two mirrored the previous one, where the defender, now Neik, outnumbered the attacker by three times. Thanks to this advantage, the HOH fighter emerged victorious, inflicting heavy losses on the rival's troops!

It didn’t take long before the rival ranks were left with no troops to face. As hoped by leader Grombold, the assaults on the bases, combined with complete control of the battlefield, shattered the dreams of glory for the opponents, who soon decided to concede victory in advance.

Thus, DracaRYS's hopes for revenge were dashed once again, as HOH proved to be more organized and determined to move forward in the tournament.

At the end of the 60 minutes of battle, victory went to... HOH!

MVP's

The best fighters of the match were:

QUEENY for DracaRYS, whose commitment was commendable; she was by far the best among her fighters. If the rest of her team had even half of her desire to win, we would be talking about a very different match at this point.

SukunA for HOH, who, as happened several times this season, was always the standout among HOH's ranks. His cavalry was recognized as one of the most effective in Westeros, and thanks to them, he secured victories against unexpected foes!

“There isn’t much to say; they were the defending champions from last season, and despite their significant losses, they remain a top-tier alliance. But we were once again superior today. I thank all of you for your efforts in trying to elevate the name of our alliance so high. We’ll see you in the next round, where we’ll give everything to win!” was leader Grombold’s almost emotional speech at the end of the match before heading back to his kingdom.

It was a high-level match for Neik as well, who was pleased with the final result. His fighting skills improved with each encounter, and facing rivals of this caliber could only do him good. On his way back to K345, he was eager to compete in the next match!

Now there was just one last step to ensure they secured a podium finish by the end of the season, matching the result of the previous one and thus achieving their set goal. Who would be the formidable rival standing in their way in the next encounter? We’ll find out together!