Rendaen agreed to the duel, but with conditions: the cession of territory and reparations would have to be doubled. Magni must cede one hundred miles of border land and two hundred thousand Gold Coins.
At the same time, the Bronzebeard Kingdom must open its borders to trade and unilaterally exempt Dark Iron from taxes.
This is an outrageous demand, Magni is unlikely to easily agree to such humiliating and unequal terms; there will certainly be some back and forth.
Unas acted as a liaison, shuttling between Magni and Rendaen several times, before both sides formally sent several envoys to negotiate.
It was easier than expected; the two sides reached an agreement in less than half a day.
Bronzebeard agreed that if he lost, he would cede sixty li of land to the north, pay 300,000 Gold Coins in compensation, open trade, and be exempt from taxes for three years.
The Dark Iron faction also made concessions: Saina Huohua withdrew from the pass and released Moira back to the Bronzebeard Main Camp, on the condition that three Bronzebeard Dwarf lords be sent over as hostages.
Among the Bronzebeard Clan were many willing to die for Magni, and soon three Bronzebeard lords arrived carrying white flags.
Rendaen ordered Saina Huohua to immediately retreat from the pass, and then Magni's personal guards escorted the Dwarf Princess back to Bronzebeard Main Camp, leaving Magni alone.
Bronzebeard King rode his black War Ram slowly to the center of the battlefield, where the two armies faced each other. He clashed his two hammers together with great force, and the metallic clang echoed throughout the battlefield.
He issued a spirited invitation. "Come and fight!"
The Dark Iron team, however, has yet to decide on their lineup for the upcoming match.
Originally, Rendaen should have been the obvious choice, but the other party's compromise made him hesitate.
Magni Bronzebeard was a top-tier Warrior, both in the Dwarf world and across the entire continent of Azeroth.
Since he dared to agree to such humiliating terms of defeat, he must have been certain of victory.
This shook Rendaen's resolve. He already lacked absolute confidence in facing Magni, and he became even more hesitant as the battle approached.
The king's dignity and power are inseparable; if he were to lose, it would be a great blow to his reputation as the new king. Therefore, he hesitated to make a decision—and with such a mindset, the chances of defeat were even greater.
The subordinate lords also realized this, and whether it was to show their loyalty or out of genuine sincerity, they all vied to volunteer for the battle.
They're all no good.
Rendaen was well aware of his subordinates' abilities; he knew he would undoubtedly lose to Magni.
However, there is one person who might be able to do it. His combat prowess has been proven in the war in Shadowforge City, and he even personally killed Thaurissan.
Moreover, there are rumors that he is having an affair with Bronzebeard, which could be a good test of his loyalty.
He's the one.
"Then, Knight Unas, the time has come to atone for your sins. Please step into battle."
The noisy Dwarf generals immediately fell silent.
Unas was also stunned. He had only feigned interest and shouted a few words about volunteering for the battle, so how did he get chosen?
But he immediately realized, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for entrusting me with such an important task. I will certainly not fail in my mission!"
All the Dwarves ' eyes were fixed on him, some with jealousy, some with anger, some with schadenfreude, but none with blessing—to take the place of the king as a duelist was both an honor and a risk.
A wave of opposition arose, but it was immediately and firmly suppressed by Rendaen. Unas had no reason to refuse, so he could only mount King Kong and slowly head towards Magni in the center of the battlefield.
He faced a huge problem:
If he wins, he will severely offend the Bronzebeard Clan, and he will become the sinner who makes Ironforge cede territory and pay reparations.
He lost, and he couldn't explain it to Rendaen. It was almost certain that someone would frame him for colluding with the enemy and deliberately losing, which would cause him even more trouble.
A draw is the best option, but unless it's a fixed match, it's very unlikely to happen.
Moreover, with so many experienced Warrior right under their noses, faking a fight is unrealistic.
Magni saw the Paladin and King Kong appear from afar and was surprised, so he put down his twin hammers, but quickly raised them again.
Unas approached to within a hundred paces, intending to stop and exchange a few pleasantries, perhaps reaching a tacit understanding with the other party.
But Magni was quite impatient, and with a roar he pulled on the reins and started the Charge.
Bronzebeard King's actions signaled to the Paladins: No need for words, let's fight!
Magni covered half the distance in an instant, Unas saw only one thing in his eyes—boundless fighting spirit!
Unas had no choice but to clear his mind of all distractions: forget about winning or losing, forget about the consequences, just fight!
Full speed ahead!
Under the control of the Enchanting Gem, the King Kong beneath him suddenly spurred its heavy body forward, Charge like a war chariot at full speed amidst a deafening rumble.
In an instant, the two collided violently, and the deafening roar, a mixture of wild beast howls and the clanging of metal, shook the entire arena.
Magni's twin hammers slammed mercilessly into King Kong's chest, while King Kong's long-handled axe swept across the Dwarf's mount. At the same time, Unas's steel spear pierced towards Magni's head.
With no one defending him, the War Ram beneath Magni didn't even have time to cry out before being smashed four or five meters away by the giant axe and died instantly.
The Dwarf King leaped into the air the instant his mount was struck, raising his hammers high to deflect his opponent's spear, but lost his balance in mid-air.
Unas twisted his hands together, using a clever technique, and spun his spear back, aiming straight for Bronzebeard's brow.
Magni ducked to avoid the blow, but his helmet was knocked off with a "bang," leaving a burning pain on his forehead and a bloody welt.
Using the momentum, the Dwarf King hovered in the air, then kicked off one of King Kong's thighs with both feet, quickly bouncing away. He rolled several times on the ground before finally standing up, covered in dust.
Although he looked disheveled, he managed to dodge Unas's subsequent spear thrusts.
Then, with a loud crash, the helmet that had been flung high into the air finally fell to the ground.
The entire arena fell silent. No one could have imagined that the Paladin would gain such an overwhelming advantage from the very first encounter.
The next second, cheers erupted from the Dark Iron Forces. No matter how much the Dwarf lords had previously despised human Paladins, they couldn't help but cheer for Unas.
"Charge! Kill that Bronzebeard brat!"
"May the Holy Light Lord be victorious!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Only Rendaen felt a little resentful, secretly cursing Magni for being all talk and no action.
The opposing Bronzebeard Forces, of course, couldn't show weakness and started cheering for their king.
Seeing the situation becoming somewhat unstable, Unas looked at the Dwarf King not far away, "Shall we continue, Your Bronzebeard?"
"Hmph!" Magni puffed out his chest and raised his hammer. "I didn't expect your beast to be so strong. There aren't many mounts that can withstand two of my hammer blows and still stand upright."
"Your Majesty flatters me."
"Come on! Continue!" Magni assumed a defensive stance.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Unas spurred King Kong on Charge at his opponent again. This time, Magni didn't fight head-on. Instead, he dodged to the side and waited for King Kong to lose speed after turning before daring to engage in battle.
From the very beginning, this was not a fair fight—the difference in their mounts was too great.
Magni's War Rams were already the most elite in Ironforge, but compared to the King Kong, they were like an elephant compared to an ant.
King Kong is one of Gunsel's most successful works. It is a terrifying monster in itself. Unas was able to defeat it by taking advantage of the narrow terrain and the slow, steady progress. In open areas, he would not have been able to win by sheer brute force.
Magni, unaware of King Kong's true nature, assumed it was just a hideous, deformed monster that he could easily kill. However, his two full-force hammer blows only managed to make it spit out some blood, which is why he suffered a great loss.
King Kong was a full three meters tall, while Magni was less than half its size. Unas, positioned high above, relentlessly thrust his spear at Magni, Magni, aside from defending against flying hammers, could not land a single blow on him. He was completely safe.
The main battle took place between the behemoth and the Dwarf, with King Kong using its hooves and giant axe to fight Magni head-on.
Hammers and axes clashed, and the wounds on both the man and the beast increased every moment. However, both were highly defensive, and what appeared to be a spectacular battle with blood splattered on the yellow sand to onlookers was actually not a fundamental injury.
If the battle continues like this, and the Dwarves are nearly exhausted, Unas, having the advantage of being well-rested, can easily win.
But Magni wasn't that stupid; he jumped back and shouted, "Warm-up over!"
"Avatar!"
Magni's body suddenly grew nearly twice as tall, his armor shattered, and his exposed skin turned into a black crystalline substance, making him look like a black stone giant.
At this moment, the Dwarf King's speed, strength, and stamina reached their peak.
The enchanted gems on his twin hammers were activated, emitting a blinding blue light. Magni's hair and beard bristled as he unleashed Intimidating Shout: "Kill!" (Intimidating Shout: Causes enemies to flee in fear.)
This battle cry, which resembled a mental attack, momentarily numbed the minds of Unas and King Kong.
"Thunder Hammer!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Dwarf hurled his weapons, the two Warhammers spinning rapidly like windmills as they hurtled towards the man and his horse.
The Warhammer struck, shattering the Sacred Shield instantly. Unas only had time to slightly turn his body before being struck heavily in the chest.
The spinning hammer only grazed his breastplate slightly, but the powerful impact still knocked him off his mount.
Even more terrifying, a bolt of blue-purple lightning shot from the flying hammer into his armor, numbing his entire body and forcing him to crash heavily to the ground.
The other Warhammer struck King Kong squarely in the chin, smashing his face into a bloody mess.
King Kong's massive body swayed backward, nearly stepping on its master on the ground. The paralyzing power of lightning had also caused it to lose its self-control.
Ignoring the weapons strewn on either side, Magni lunged forward with incredible speed, his massive, Rock- like fists opening like crab claws as he simultaneously pounded on King Kong's Temples.
With a deafening roar, blood gushed from King Kong's ears, eyes, mouth, and nose, and he collapsed to the ground.
This is the first time since its birth that this monster has been defeated by an attack of pure physical force.
Magni didn't stop, his hill-like body surprisingly agile. With a leap, he jumped into the air and slammed his feet down on the Paladin on the ground.
"Thunder Clap!"
Given the Dwarf's strength and weight at this moment, no matter which part of Unas is stepped on, there will be only one result: he will be reduced to dust.
At the critical moment, a brilliant silver shield appeared around the Paladin, blocking the fatal blow.
Magni relentlessly bombarded Unas with over a dozen strikes, blasting Unas into the ground, but even that couldn't shake the Silver Divine Shield.
Not wanting to waste his energy, he quickly jumped to the side and picked up his Warhammer.
Turning around, Paladin emerging from the ground. Magni immediately activated the Spellbreaker Blade attached to his weapon rune and was about to unleash "Shattering Throw" when the silver shield on the opponent's body turned into beams of light and disappeared, and the Paladin stood up completely.
"That's Divine Shield, isn't it? It's incredibly sturdy."
"It's a pity the time was too short."
Unas saw the magical white light emanating from the opponent's Warhammer and knew that "Invincible" was not unbreakable.
Similarly, the Divine Protection Shield cannot be activated easily.