The semifinals!

The battlefield of Ultimate Siege stood unchanged from how it was in the past rounds, but for Ashun, everything felt different this time. This was it, the semifinals have arrived, and the biggest and most important match of the season was here for him and for his alliance, RoD. The moment he had been waiting for all season long, the deciding factor of the chance for revenge which his alliance had for the previous defeat in the regular season. The victory over HOH in the quarterfinals had not given them the chance to prove once more that RoD could stand among the best, and Ashun had played his part with everything he had. But now, that was not going to be enough, he needed to give it even more against this formidable opponent: NBe.

They are the only alliance that had managed to defeat RoD during the regular season and for now the only threat between them and their first victory of the event. Ashun had carried the memory of that loss the whole time, hoping for more improvements on the synergy and unity he believed that RoD lacked before, as a newly formed alliance. This was a statement that he knew it hadn’t been just about raw strength in their previous encounter, but their unity had changed. They had evolved and thus this time, Ashun believed it would be different.

The semifinal was more than just a match and more than just a battle for redemption, it was a final step toward achieving their goal, as Ashun believed NBe was the strongest force in the entire tournament, apart from RoD. And judging by how both alliances entered the battlefield with full force, neither side intended to let the opportunity to win it all slip away.

RoD and NBe mirrored each other in numbers and strategy, this was no surprise as both were fighting at the highest level possible, it was normal that there would be no gaps between them. MooON, the strategist of the event for RoD, once again orchestrated the battlefield with precision, showcasing her vast experience. She was splitting RoD’s army evenly between the Hot Springs and the Armory sides whilst 2 other separate teams created with a different purpose than holding the two sides of the map. The Winterfell team, of which Ashun was still a proud part of, would play its usual role: secure and deliver the Winterfell resources, a high risk but high reward mission that had often been the difference-maker.

Yet, despite the symmetry of both teams' strategies, cracks began to show early due to variables in the formations that each warrior used. The Armory side, where RoD had stationed the weaker of their fighters, began faltering under NBe’s pressure. The Hot Springs held for now, but just barely.

Seeing the pressure mount, MooON made a call for the Winterfell team to support the Armory side, thus Ashun and the others were now on their way there. The plan was holding on and it was now or never to hold the buildings and maintain points.

Not long after however, what followed was chaos. RoD and NBe clashed at full force, and for the first time in the tournament, Ashun felt overwhelmed. NBe’s movements were coordinated and relentless. They didn’t just take buildings but they controlled the flow of the battlefield due to sheer speed of their marches, the researches done by the warriors were just too far ahead compared to RoD. And thus, slowly, the score began to tip in NBe's favor.

RoD was losing the map, but not the match, as MooON's strategy was not over yet, the last part of it was to entrust the Winterfell team with delivering the resources, those would provide just enough points to gain the points advantage if the delivery is fast enough. If Ashun and the others could get the resources through, they could pull the points back, risky, but it was their best shot.

And so began the longest, most exhausting part of the battle. Three times the Winterfell package appeared and each time Ashun fought with everything he had to deliver it. Each run felt like an eternity, RoD bled for every meter of ground and somehow, each time, they succeeded. But the cost for it was high.

While the Winterfell team was occupied, NBe had slowly reclaimed the buildings and controlled the map, with these captures of buildings, the points gained from the resources did not have the anticipated result.

When the battle ended, Ashun stood still, in disbelief of just how close the outcome was, only 2k points were separating the teams, 2 minutes only of difference had made this possible for NBe to win, or rather, the research deficit.

This was undoubtedly the closest match of the season but RoD is eliminated in the semifinals, the first season together as an alliance was over, but they will go out with their heads held high, as the display they've put in was amazing.

Ashun didn’t cry, but his heart ached in a way words couldn’t express, he's done everything he could and so did everyone else. They have grown as a team, the strategy was flawless but sometimes in war and battles like this, even that will not be enough.

RoD had come far, and as an alliance, this was only the starting point, they were going to aim for revenge next season, and they will have a chance to do it. Until then, they were going to improve even more.