After the Champion City Siege battle fought by Neik and his K345 companions, the long-awaited moment had arrived.

It was time to play the second round of Ultimate Conquest alongside their alliance. After a disastrous start in the final phase due to an opponent far beyond their capabilities, such as RoD, which had a roster aiming to win the championship title at the end of it, the HOH group now had no choice but to win. Another defeat would mean game over for them, and their journey would end today.

Ready and lined up on the battlefield, however, Neik and his companions were anything but willing to say goodbye to their dreams of glory. Although their goal of reaching UC had already been achieved, securing at least one victory in it against the strongest alliances of Westeros was another goal they aimed for, and they certainly didn’t want to miss it.

During the final preparations, the group was waiting to find out who today’s opponent would be when, in the distance, the march of their enemies grew louder and louder until they arrived on the other side of the battlefield, raising their red and gold banner depicting a wolf into the sky.

It was...

LEG

An alliance that had fought tooth and nail to reach this stage of the competition, just like HOH. Led today by Boberman, Freyja V, and Axmat, the group knew they were at a disadvantage, but their presence on the battlefield meant they had no intention of raising the white flag they were here to do their best and take their chances.

Neik immediately noticed that the rival group was anything but large, and he was somewhat disoriented by this. He would never consider accepting defeat without at least trying, and that was exactly why he didn’t trust the opponents they were surely planning something, and he wouldn’t let his guard down.

“Listen to me,” Spimmer began. “We may be the favorites today, but we come here after a tough battle many of our members may still be dealing with the effects of the first round. Let’s focus on fighting safely, covering each other’s backs. Saving as much energy and resources as possible will be crucial if we advance to the next round.” The member concluded. The alliance leadership made it clear: they wanted to take a cautious, not reckless, approach to this match.

The heat from the blazing sun above their heads on the battlefield seemed to envelop them, while the dust rising from the combat ground made every movement more exhausting and every breath a struggle. The perils of the summer season in Westeros were yet another enemy for both alliances, as the almost unbearable temperatures took their toll. The sound of crickets filled the air, breaking the tense silence before the clash.

A good start was put on display by HOH, who managed to take control of three out of four buildings. “A good start,” thought Neik. After losing all the building openings in the previous match, seeing they were quicker off the mark today gave him a much-needed morale boost for future matches.

The alliance leadership’s first ideas were to perform some swaps to secure the most important buildings, such as Mother and Warrior. Both attempts were successful, and now defending them were Cubisinha and AK0086, certainly among the most fearsome members in their ranks.

“As soon as Targaryen Outpost opens, we should launch an attack on it without wasting time organizing rallies,” said Spimmer after consulting with the alliance leadership. The idea of striking individually demanded more effort from the attackers, but in terms of execution speed, it was unmatched.

When the attacks were launched and reached the walls of the only building LEG had captured in this combat phase, its loss seemed almost inevitable, with the opponents unable to defend its walls against the incoming wave of assaults.

As the ports were about to open, HOH held the advantage with all buildings under their control. The rivals’ timid attempts on Mother had not brought the desired success, and now both alliances were strongly focusing on the two buildings that would soon become available.

The conquest of the much-coveted locations went to… HOH.

Once again, without any surprise, it was Neik and his companions who secured control, with LEG's racers unable to keep up with their rivals.

An effective swap was made at Targaryen Port to place Tardis, the most reliable member of the alliance, in command. As for Lannister Port, it remained firmly in the hands of Neik himself, who was considered dependable.

In the following minutes, LEG once again attempted to break through the walls of Mother, but the strong defense and rapid reinforcements rendered ineffective the serious damage inflicted by Nominor's attacks. Despite hitting Cubishnia’s troops hard, the defender held firm without any real issues.

The match was proceeding just as HOH had hoped: secure control of all buildings and ineffective enemy attacks even if dangerousthat couldn't overpower their defenders.

"Let’s conquer Casterly Rock; it’ll be a blow to our opponents’ morale," said Neik, who saw the victory drawing near, and the next building could be an important step toward it.

The conquest of the castle at its opening went to… HOH.

Once again, it was one of their racers who reached the walls and took control, this time it was IrynaVely93!

“Well done!” exclaimed Neik to the ally whose potential and speed he knew well; for her it was almost too easy thanks to the great skill. The match was going very well for them, also thanks to the incredible work done by their racers.

A match without surprises was unfolding in this second round, with an opponent clearly outnumbered who couldn’t hold up against rivals aiming to reach the third round of the season.

“Let’s besiege our enemies’ bases; they won’t use resources for this match that has little left to decide,” was the plan decided by HOH’s leadership. Eliminating as many troops as possible would effectively put an end to a clearly decided encounter. Neik and his companions thus set out to besiege.

The assaults carried out by HOH’s members, especially by Neik, had the desired effect. Facing rivals like ORION36 and Wizp with a clear numerical superiority in available troops, the attacker’s Weakness-Spear formation performed excellently even in such a tough situation, practically never struggling. His fights in this round were completely different from those in the previous one, and he used these battles to sharpen his skills for future matches.

As planned, the rivals decided not to use excessive resources and energy for a match they were practically resigned to, raising the white flag with only 24 members against HOH’s 69. The contest between the two never really started, making it easy for Neik and his companions, who were glad to have qualified for the next round without much effort.

The victory at the end of the 60 minutes therefore went to… HOH!

MVP’s

The best fighters of the match were:

Diver for HOH. His attacks on enemy bases, exploiting the speed of his cavalry, were absolutely lethal against rivals struck by his ferocity.

Nominor for LEG. Among his allies, he was by far the most dangerous. He earned the title of best fighter of the match with his rallies hitting the walls of Mother.

"This second round was just what we needed after a terrible start in UC. For our rivals, due to their limited number of members, there was nothing they could do. But the third round won’t be so easy, and if we want to grab another victory, we must be fierce!" was the rallying message from HOH leadership before leaving the battlefield.

Neik was happy and satisfied with the victory achieved but disappointed by the surrender of today’s rivals; it was certainly not a last-ditch fight. However, he knew he would have a chance to make up for it in the next clash, facing even stronger opponents. After all, the important thing was to secure the passage to the next round—and that was accomplished!

HOH’s journey did not end here, and they will face a formidable rival in the next Ultimate Conquest round. Who? We’ll find out together soon!