HOH vs FDH | Ultimate Conquest | Round 3 |

The decisive day arrived.

After Neik and his loyal K345 teammates had fought a long battle in Champion City Siege over the previous few days, in which they had managed to achieve their goals without expending too much energy ahead of today's match, they arrived on the battlefield for the long-awaited battle that would see them face FDH again in the third round of Ultimate Conquest!

Gathered together with their comrades, the members of HOH, during the final preparations for the imminent start of the match, awaited the arrival of their opponents on the battlefield where war would soon be unleashed. With one defeat each under their belts, both sides had no choice but to win if they wanted to continue their journey in UC. The odds were stacked against Neik and his teammates today, but they were determined to prove the naysayers wrong!

On the horizon, along with the clouds that slowly covered the sky above their heads, the march of the rival army could be heard getting closer and closer until they finally lined up on the other side of the arena!

The roster was the same as in the first round of UC. Led by their leaders such as Steel96 and valiant members such as GameOfKorea and Dirkem, to name a few of the brave fighters under the FDH banner, the group, after suffering a defeat at the hands of FFS, was thirsty for blood and eager to continue their journey. But to do so, they had to face a determined HOH, who knew they would be able to hold their own against their rivals after the first match against them. For them, it was a rematch!

“We saw it in our previous match, if we give it our all, we will definitely be able to have our say until the last minute of the match, nothing is decided at the start as the predictions suggest!” said the leadership members to their teammates in an attempt to convey their determination to them as well.

“We have to watch out for their racers. Even though we held our own in the first match, they proved to be in great shape against FFS,” suggested Neik, who watched the latter clash as a spectator. He had the difficult goal of conquering one of the buildings at the start of the match. It would be anything but easy, but the HOH fighter was more determined than ever.

The battle was about to begin. Scattered raindrops began to fall from the sky, making the air colder and more tense than it already felt. The fighters on both sides were in surreal silence during the final preparations, understanding the importance of the moment and that a fierce battle would break out at any moment. Almost as the match was about to begin, thunder began to crack across the sky, its rumblings providing the backdrop to the war cries and the sounds of swords clashing against the shields of their opponents. 

The match got off to an incredible start... for HOH!

The alliance managed to gain possession of three of the four buildings initially available, putting them temporarily in an advantageous position.

Without wasting a moment, Tardis and his teammates decided to swap Lannister Outpost to try to secure it in the hands of R0nY, who would take care of defending it. The attempt was successful in the early stages, but with repeated blows from FDH, who had anticipated this, they ended up losing possession under the final siege led by Astrryx and his Bleeding-Inf formation, which countered and was superior to his rival's Weakness-Spear!

However, a dramatic turn of events ensued!

A clumsy swap attempt by FDH ended up proving fatal for them. The intention was to free Astrryx from the newly conquered building so that he could attack other positions, but SirPlantalot sensed their intention and brought the building back into HOH's hands!

To remedy the mistake and bring the match back to a tie, Steel96 and his teammates launched a direct assault on Armory. When the rival armies came to strike BloodWick's defenses, they proved ineffective in breaking down the HOH member's defenses.

Without losing hope, however, they made a second attempt, and this time the outcome was different! The coordination and precision of the attackers did not give the support forces time to arrive in time, and the position fell, bringing the match back to two buildings each!

“Let's focus on the imminent opening of the Ports” was the plan of the HOH leadership, who did not want any loss of concentration after their rivals brought the score back to a tie. They knew the importance of the upcoming buildings that were about to open.

This time, the outcome was different... the two alliances managed to win one each!

In an attempt to take their rivals by surprise, who were probably expecting a siege on the port, the HOH leadership decided to attack Warrior, the building they had previously lost. The attacks carried out by their rallyleaders dealt ruthless blows to the defenses, but FDH managed to keep their ally in command of it by a hair's breadth.

Neik and his companions, sensing how close they were to conquering it, attempted to besiege the walls again, and this time the attempt was successful! Their rivals were unable to effectively reinforce their defenses.

However, FDH's response was not long in coming...!

Taking their opponents by surprise, FDH's offensive forces launched an attack on the port controlled by BloodWick before the imminent opening of Casterly Rock. Thanks to the proximity of the target to their base, the assaults were incredibly fast and devastating for the defenses, which, due to the low number of reinforcements arriving, were unable to remain in command and ended up being repelled under the final blow delivered once again by Astrryx!

“He's proving to be a tough opponent, as was easily predictable,” Neik commented on the actions of his rival, who continued to strike relentlessly at their defenses.

“Casterly Rock is imminent, we must focus all our forces on it,” said Tardis, addressing his allies in an attempt to refocus their attention on the imminent objective. The match was once again tied with three buildings on each side, and the conquest of the latter could begin to significantly sway the match in one direction or the other.

When the castle opened, the fastest to reach its walls was... BloodWick for HOH!

The member who broke free from the Port's defense in the previous minutes, to make up for its fall, launched himself to conquer CR in an attempt to redeem himself, managing to anticipate both his teammates and his rivals!

“Well done,” Neik said to his ally, recognizing his incredible abilities. 

In the later stages of the match, it was HOH who took the lead. They knew that their rivals would launch their attacks on CR, so to consolidate their advantage before defending it, they attempted to conquer Lannister Outpost. When the attacks came... they were a success! The final blow delivered by TheVIKING put them on the defensive.

However, a move that took HOH's defenders by surprise came from their rivals!

Before even focusing on the siege of the port, Astrryx and his companions decided to return to the attack on Warrior, which had meanwhile come under the defense of JackTheToad. The fall of the outpost was a major setback that they wanted to remedy by conquering the tower.

Their attempt was... a success! The defenses, under great stress from the rival offensive forces, ended up collapsing when the fatal blow was dealt by MysticGolden.

HOH's leadership knew that they couldn't allow their rivals to remain in possession of the tower, as it would give them significant buffs to their offensive stats for the rest of the match. They absolutely had to regain possession of it.

The assaults began, and when they hit their target... they crumbled under the well-defended walls of the FDH member. His Bleeding-inf formation was top-notch and withstood the impact with great skill.

Another unexpected move came from FDH shortly after.

Steel96 and his leadership decided to attempt a siege in Mother when their rivals were once again expecting the expected siege in Casterly Rock. However, the waves of assaults that hit their target under the position defended by Xoica ended up crashing against its walls. The HOH member's Weakness-Spear formation was of the highest level and difficult to break down when well reinforced.

With the match score leaning 5k in FDH's favor thanks to their possession of both ports and outposts, this time the moment of the long-awaited siege finally arrived, giving them a decisive boost to their advantage before the opening of the mines...

Where BloodWick's defenses triumphed!

The repeated attempts by FDH members did not have the desired effect. BloodWick's fighting skills, this time well supported by his alliance partners and their arriving troops, managed to keep the defender firmly in command, repelling every attack until the very end!

But the good news for HOH didn't end there...!

Taking advantage of a counterattack just minutes after the mines opened, Neik and his companions' armies launched another attack on Warrior, managing to wrest possession from them and obtain buffs to their stats that would prove crucial in the upcoming battle.

“An exceptional job,” said the leadership members who waited for the rival's attempt in Casterly Rock precisely to score this blow in order to take the defenses by surprise.

The battle was more intense than ever. FDH still had the advantage, but the upcoming mines would decide the outcome. The fighters on both sides felt the pressure of the moment and were ready to fight until the last second of the match.

When they became available...

Once again, both alliances managed to win one each!

Followed by an unexpected move followed, this time from HOH! The leadership launched attacks on Lannister Port, managing to surprise their opponents and take possession of it. Thanks to this, the score would have decreased minute by minute if they had managed to remain in possession of their buildings.

However, FDH did not stand idly by.

Knowing that the momentum of the match was on their rivals' side as they attempted to secure their victory, the leadership ordered the siege of Lannister Mine under Ferrious' defense. Capturing the latter would have been fatal for HOH. When the attacks hit their target... they failed! The defense did an incredible job with the support and fighting forces of their well-known allies, managing to resist the wave of attacks that came relentlessly but did not have the desired effect!

In the following minutes, another heavy blow was dealt... again by HOH!

Lannister Outpost also fell from FDH's control, which now found itself in serious difficulty with the advantage that, in perspective, would inexorably close for the greater number of buildings under the control of their rivals.

Steel96 and his companions returned to the charge, setting their sights on conquering Lannister Mine. But once again, Ferrious's rock-solid defenses prevailed over the rival offensive forces.

“Let's keep it up. If we maintain possession of our buildings, we'll turn the match around,” Tardis told his allies.

When everything seemed to be going well, however...

FDH regained possession of Warrior!

A wave of repeated and relentless attacks finally brought the desired result for the rivals, who managed to regain possession of the tower just a few minutes before the end of the match.

With the points available in the mines now exhausted and HOH's lead almost microscopic, there was nothing left to do but go for broke, but subsequent attempts by Neik and his teammates to recapture one of the positions under rival control proved insufficient thanks to FDH's strong defense, which focused on defensive actions until achieving a mathematical victory in the match, which ended with a difference of only 1500 points.

MVP’s

The best fighters of the match were Astrryx for FDH and Xoica for HOH. The former, with his continuous and repeated attacks on rival positions, was a torment throughout the 60 minutes of battle. The HOH member, on the other hand, who managed to maintain possession of Mother throughout the match, was an added value for his team.

“We did everything we could, but it wasn't enough,” Neik said bitterly as he watched his rivals celebrate their victory.

“Today's battle, even though we were the underdogs against rivals like FDH, showed that by fighting to the best of our ability, we are not defeated, even if it wasn't enough to win,” said the leadership members in an attempt to spread awareness of the group's level among their allies. “Our goal of reaching UC has been largely achieved, even if we have to say goodbye to the competition so soon. Next season, we will try to improve on this result!” were the last words before everyone returned to their respective kingdoms.

A disappointed Neik headed for k345 found a positive note in the match. “You managed to keep possession of the mine until the end against such a strong opponent,” he reminded his ally Ferrious, congratulating her on the incredible result. “That's true, I was also lucky that reinforcements arrived in time to help,” she replied, acknowledging the importance of having a group willing to sacrifice themselves.

HOH's journey had come to an end, but Ultimate Conquest would continue without them! Many more matches would be fought to determine the season's champion. Which alliances will make it to the final stages? We'll find out together!