The matches Liante and the Bronze Hammers (elder brother) and Marcus and the Bronze Hammers (younger brother) will be played simultaneously.
The Dwarf brothers fought in the same way: charging forward recklessly and attacking without any defense. By law, they did not wear armor, but Dwarf Warriors had natural stone skin, and the weapons used in training were like tickles to them.
This gave the two humans a headache, while the Dwarf's stamina seemed inexhaustible, launching a relentless attack. As soon as they engaged, they overwhelmed Liante and Marcus, leaving them breathless. No one expected this scene to unfold, and the audience held their breath as the training ground gradually quieted down.
Liante probably had little experience dealing with Dwarves, and this style of attacking the lower body or from below was very unfamiliar to him, making it very difficult for him to cope.
Each time the Dwarf's heavy blow struck Liante's wooden shield, the sickening cracking of the wood assaulted everyone's ears. After a dozen or so blows, his wooden shield was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment. If he continued to defend like this, defeat was inevitable.
"Kill!" Enraged, Liante roared and slammed his wooden shield down on the Dwarf's head. The Dwarf neither dodged nor evaded, but met the attack head-on, simultaneously hurling his weapon at Liante's ribs.
With a loud crack, the two struck each other simultaneously. The wooden shield shattered into countless wood chips above the Dwarf's head, while Copper Hammer (the elder brother) stood motionless in place.
The blow sent Liante staggering back several steps, barely able to stand. He clutched his ribs, the intense pain reminding him that at least three ribs were broken, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
The Dwarf brushed the sawdust from his hair and charged at his opponent again as if nothing had happened. Referee Qiaosen quickly stepped in to stop him, saying, "There's no point in continuing. I declare Bart Copperhammer the winner."
As soon as he finished speaking, boos erupted. The audience didn't care that Qiaosen was actually doing it for Liante's good; continuing the fight would only lead to an even more humiliating defeat. Liante was well aware of this, so he didn't object. However, the chants from the audience for Qiaosen to get out continued unabated.
Unas had to step in to maintain order, sending men to drag out the loudest ones and give them a good lash before the commotion subsided.
Meanwhile, the battle between Marcus and Copperhammer (the younger brother) continued, and people's attention was quickly drawn to this match that concerned human dignity. If Marcus lost again, humanity would lose all face.
Fortunately, Marcus seemed more composed and experienced than Liante. Facing him, the Dwarf had a significant disadvantage: his arms were too short compared to humans. Marcus used his skillful footwork to maintain a safe distance from the Dwarf at all times.
Gradually, the Dwarf's fierce offensive began to weaken, and he seized the opportunity to counterattack, specifically targeting the Dwarf's throat, eyes, Temples, and other vulnerable areas. This time, the roles were reversed, and it was Copper Hammer's turn to be caught off guard.
However, breaking through the Dwarf's defenses was not easy. Copper Hammer only needed to defend a few vital points, and he could attack the rest of the dwarf without any problem. Marcus immediately changed his strategy, ostensibly attacking the Dwarf's body, but in reality, most of his attacks landed on the Dwarf's weapon.
The bronze hammer was made from a training log. After being struck repeatedly in the same spot on the handle, it finally gave way and snapped with a crack during the final clash of weapons. Marcus then pressed his sword against the Dwarf's throat.
The match wasn't particularly exciting; Marcus's victory was quite sudden, but he still received thunderous cheers. At that moment, he became a hero of the Human, and all the spectators chanted his name.
As expected of a former champion Knight, I wonder if he can win the championship this time? Just as Una was about to announce a break before the final battle, the Copperhammer Brothers walked towards him.
"Lord Unas, my strength is about the same as my brother's. If he loses, I have no chance of winning either, so I want to forfeit." Bart Copperhammer stated his decision neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The Dwarf was indeed in a difficult position. Winning would be a slap in the face to everyone, while losing would be painful for him. There was no good outcome regardless of winning or losing, so it was understandable that he wanted to forfeit.
Unas thought for a moment, then called Qiaosen and Marcus. After discussing it, they all agreed to Bronze Hammer's request to forfeit, and the final match ended without a conclusion.
As soon as this was announced, the dissatisfied audience made a great fuss, but given the precedent of the previous few who had been whipped, no one dared to really stand up and cause trouble, and could only accept the fact that the competition had ended badly.
Based on the combined scores of the three categories, the top-ranked player was Liante, who had the best average performance. His ribs had been healed by the army Priest, but he was pale and needed to rest for a few days to recover. He didn't seem particularly happy to hear that he had won first place overall, as he felt it was dishonorable to lose to the Dwarves.
Marcus came in second place. He performed well in riding and archery, and also won first place in swordsmanship. He was the biggest winner of this competition, Unas has decided to include him in the elite squad.
With the third and fourth place finishers, along with Ashina, an outstanding rider, and Amber, a master of archery, the five were assembled. Unas ordered them to report to him immediately after lunch.
He took some time to inspect the excavation project at Stonebrow. There were enough people and the efficiency was good. The number of holes on the mountain had increased from the original four to more than a dozen. Dwarves and Kobolds were digging at the same time, and he believed that the first layer would be completed soon.
Unas and Stonebrow had a simple lunch together at the construction site. Unas told Shi Mei to make the most of his time before returning to the main tent.
He had previously issued a summons to the Elves and Trolls who had agreed to join the elite squad. Soon, all ten members of the squad arrived: five humans, two Dwarves, two Elves, and one Troll gathered in the command tent.
"You are the elite personnel escorting me to the Swamp. Let's introduce ourselves."
The ten people looked each other over, and no one spoke for a moment. Marcus, being the seasoned veteran, was the first to step forward and introduce himself. He even jokingly greeted the two Elf ladies with great enthusiasm, which greatly eased the somewhat tense situation. Unas nodded secretly, having already decided to appoint him as the captain of this team.
After they finished introducing themselves, Unas began his leadership speech. "I believe everyone knows about the mushroom cultivation project. We absolutely must acquire the fertile Black Soil of the Swamp. My purpose in also is to conduct an investigation in the Canyon. I believe everyone can unite and overcome these difficulties together!"
Unas paused, but no one applauded, so he continued, "I've gathered you all here today not only to get to know each other, but also to conduct a practical exercise. In ten minutes, everyone must be ready for a long march and assemble at the camp gate. Now, dismissed!"
"Remember, you only have ten minutes. Those who are late don't need to come!" Unas shouted at their hurriedly scattering backs, thoroughly enjoying his experience as a superior.