If two evenly matched ordinary men fought with knives, locked in a fight to the death, then after a burst of shouting and flashing blades, one of them would surely fall first. At most, it would take only a few minutes for victory or defeat to be decided. If, during the fight, one side could be a little more ruthless toward himself, with greater momentum, charging wildly and hacking madly, then that person would very likely emerge as the final victor. This was what it meant by, when enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave prevail.
But if the two combatants were replaced by two seasoned Battle Soldiers above level ten, then the time needed to decide victory or defeat might be longer. It was like two professional boxers of the same weight class fighting in the ring. Their wealth of experience and combat techniques, along with their not-too-different strength, would make it difficult for such a battle to be decided in a short time. Fights to the death were usually decided in the final stages of a grueling struggle. A tiny mistake by one side, a wrong judgment, or the slightest disparity in strength that made one's strike a moment slower, an inch off target, or a fraction weaker—even pure luck and probability—could determine the final outcome.
And if the two people fighting for their lives were replaced by two armies of equal numbers, then it would take even longer for those armies to determine victory or defeat. There would be more factors deciding the outcome, and the means and forms of struggle would become richer as well.
The more numerous, stronger, and larger an army was, the longer it would naturally take to decide victory or defeat on the battlefield.
It was like contests between nations, groups,