The defeat suffered at the hands of HD! in the fourth round of the Alliance Conquest season was a heavy blow for HOH.

With a record of two wins and two losses behind them, the alliance members now knew they had no choice but to win the last two matches of the season if they wanted any chance to qualify for the final stage of the event, Ultimate Conquest, where the top 16 alliances of the AC season would face off in head-to-head battles.

Gathered on the battlefield today to compete in the penultimate round of the season, Neik and his allies were ready to do their best to uphold the glorious name of HOH. "We should have an easier draw today," Spimmer said thoughtfully, discussing with his teammates. The loss in the previous round had cost their alliance several points, which meant facing another rival who had also been unlucky in the match played in the fourth round.

During the final preparations, a large group began to approach the battlefield from afar, their march audible in the distance.

It was...

7FD

A mid-level group, performing beyond their expectations this season, found themselves in the fifth round fighting against the greatest alliances of Westeros. Led by skilled members like Gut Scrapers and Kashou, the group knew their chances of victory today were slim, but they would do everything possible to make the match at least a hard-fought battle.

"Today's battle will be on a different level compared to the one with HD!" was Neik's thought, knowing he was the favorite today.

"We must keep our focus at its highest; our rivals are having a strong season, and if underestimated, they could make life difficult for us," was the determined speech from HOH's leadership during the final preparations before the fight began.

The sun high in the sky lit up the battlefield and warmed the air breathed by the fighters lined up on the ground, where in a few seconds hell would break loose. The tension was palpable; on one side, 7FD knew they were clearly the underdogs, while on the other, HOH had no choice but to win. A misstep today would mean goodbye to their dreams of participating in UC, and they couldn’t afford that for the second season in a row.

The match began with a balanced start from both alliances. The racers of ess managed to secure two buildings each, showing great speed. For HOH, it was an unexpected beginning; the speed of the 7FD members caught them off guard.

Neik and his companions were the first to take the initiative: they aimed to counter 7FD's strong start, so they quickly moved to besiege the walls of Targaryen Outpost and… the attack was a success! The strategy of striking the rivals individually paid off, as they were unable to reinforce in time.

Driven by momentum, without giving their opponents a moment to breathe, their focus immediately shifted to Mother’s Temple, where Kashou of 7FD, one of the most feared members, was defending. This time the strategy was to launch rallies led by their best fighters; the rival could not be faced with single attacks. When the rallies hit the walls of the position... the siege was a success for HOH!

A very good first part of the match for HOH, who after a balanced start immediately put pressure on their rivals and conquered all the buildings on the battlefield before the ports opened. The opponents of 7FD were overwhelmed by the fury of their enemies. In the following phases, they tried to retake the lost buildings but without success; the defenses of Neik and his companions were superior.

“Focus on the ports now” was the clear message from HOH’s leadership, who did not want to be caught unprepared again.

At the opening of the Ports, once again, incredibly, balance reigned supreme. Both factions managed to secure one port each. Despite the gap between the two alliances, the racers of 7FD proved to be truly formidable, showing on the battlefield why their alliance ranked high in AC standings.

The first priority for both alliances was to secure their positions by performing swaps as soon as possible. HOH was the first to take the initiative, quickly putting the fearsome Xoica in command to guarantee the defense of their port.

7FD, despite good timing that initially placed Gut Scrapers in command, failed to reinforce properly under the attacks of Neik and his companions, and after yet another assault, they lost control of it!

Following the conquest, HOH’s leadership immediately called for a swap to defend the second port as well. However, when they tried to execute it, something went wrong, and they were overwhelmed by Kashou’s speed, who intercepted the swap in a flash—revealing an extremely fast opponent.

“We’ll worry about the port later; the opening of Casterly Rock requires full focus,” said Spimmer just before the match’s climax, reminding everyone how crucial this phase was, as holding the castle guaranteed a high score gain.

When CR became available, HOH took command thanks to the speed of Sir Simpalot! This time, HOH’s racers’ speed prevailed over their rivals.

The match was looking good for Neik and his allies, who could now focus all their forces on attacking the walls of the port lost earlier during the swap, aiming to crush their opponents.

Gathering rallies with their best warriors, Neik and his companions launched the siege of Targaryen Port. When they reached the walls, the conquest was ruthless; the rivals failed to repel the HOH members' offensives.

Meanwhile, 7FD made a timid attempt at CR, trying to catch their rivals off guard, but Tardis’s rock-solid defense was impenetrable.

At Targaryen Outpost, meanwhile, HOH members executed a risky but effective swap, putting TheViking in command.

“Our rivals are cornered; let’s attack their bases to discourage them completely,” was the clear message from leadership to Neik and his companions, who immediately launched attacks to eliminate as many troops as possible and end the match early. HOH’s strikes were fast and merciless rivals like flind, Mr Rico, and the fearsome Gut Scrapers were powerless against their formidable Spear-Weakness formation.

Visibly pressured, 7FD’s leadership clearly threw in the towel. The huge gap in deployed numbers and power between the two alliances made the match extremely one-sided after HOH’s rough start. Building by building, they discouraged and took out their rivals. When the mines opened, the opponent didn’t even try, leading to an easy conquest by HOH, effectively ending the match with nothing left to do but wait for the timer.

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

MVP's

The best fighters of the match were:

Kashou for 7FD. By far their best player. The buildings he captured with extreme speed and the difficulty in facing him on the battlefield earned him the match’s best fighter award, a bittersweet satisfaction for him.

Env0y for HOH. A member who joined HOH’s ranks to help allies reach UC. Although today’s match wasn’t one of the toughest, his effort was clear from the eliminations he scored, making him the top among his allies.

“A simple match, just as we expected. It was good because it allowed us to save our strength for the season’s final big battle, which will decide if we qualify for UC. See you on the battlefield!” was the clear message from HOH’s leadership to their teammates before returning to their kingdoms they expected their best performance in the next match.

Neik, back in k345, was already mentally focused on the next match; he felt it deeply. He was ready to do whatever it took on the battlefield to help his teammates reach the season’s goal.

How will this thriller ending for HOH conclude? Will they manage to grab the last victory of the season and qualify for Ultimate Conquest? We’ll find out together!