Chapter 548: Champion Duel

"WAAAGH! For Gork, let the green tide surge!"

At dawn on the second day, Tiepi stood atop the tower once more; the night raid having yielded no results was nothing, and its appetite was not so great that it wanted to shatter an army led by a Demigod in a single encounter.

"Why doesn't King Belegar take a rest and let me fight this round!"

Clad in dragon-skin armor, wearing a Falcon Helmet, holding the Punisher Axe in his palm, and stepping on Kurgaz's Great Shield, Lord Alike-Lufusen of Karak-Hern was eager to display his martial prowess under the gaze of the Ancestor Goddess.

"Very well, we shall cover you!"

Having traveled thousands of miles from Haojiaobao with such earnest intent, Sinuoli naturally had to give him the chance; with a pat on the shoulder to bestow a buff, this young king, not much older than him, was hoisted up by the shield-bearer and arrived at the front lines.

"One stuntie on top, two stunties below, stack 'em up and they still aren't as tall as my Tiepi! Not even grown your fuzz yet and you're up here to die; all that shiny gear is just right for me to put to use!"

Tiepi was not skilled in fancy tricks like beast taming or chariots; walking the world, it relied on the biggest and toughest lads and warlords. A general whose chest had been replaced by a red-hot boiler led the army to charge once more.

The bitter battle lasted until the night of the third day, and in the camps of both armies inside and outside the Stone Mine Outpost, there were heated discussions: the Dwarfs' resilient shield walls and saturation firepower, and the Greenskins' combination of savagery and discipline, both made the other side feel deep pressure.

"If we keep grinding like this, my lads will be wiped out!"

"Big Brother, same here! If we keep doing this, it won't end well!"

"Those shiny choppas keep aiming for the kidneys; one slip and you're off to report to the Great Green!"

Grimgor's force still had not jumped out of the conventions of this world: a small number of elites capable of hard battles paired with a large number of rabble who could only fight when the wind was at their backs—it was just that its elites were more numerous and stronger.

"Da Orks, if we use up all the Big 'Uns here, how are we gonna WAAAGH across Black Fire Pass? If we WAAAGH across, will we still have enough to roll over the humies?"

After a quarrel and complaint filled with negative energy, relying on the courage provided by Mushroom Brew, a Great Shaman tremblingly voiced the concern shared by the generals—

Opposing the Dwarf army in front of them was like hacking at stone, which in the Greenskin concept did not involve a shred of "fun." And according to custom, they still had to fight a battle against the Empire of Man at Black Fire Pass.

"No one is more familiar with the terrain here than I am; the Earth Vein Network hasn't been repaired yet, so to get behind them, we can only rely on air transport!"

"Counting the Thunder Airship, a single delivery is only two hundred men; with that Enemy of the Mountains there, the risk is too high."

"Is it possible to send a surprise force to strike at Black Rock Castle and overthrow Dok Juyanbao so they fall into chaos without a fight!"

The Dwarf Coalition still had sufficient morale; everyone knew that with Sinuoli, the tall one, holding the line, letting Tiepi break into the Old World to wreak havoc would be the real disaster, so the discussion focused on tactical strategy.

"The Greenskin gods have intervened; it won't be easy to catch them off guard."

Sinuoli narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard in thought; the green faces of Gork and Mork flickered in the Warp. Having already finished off Skarsnik and then slaughtered Iblit of the Evil Moon Tribe, was he not also a "Greenskin Enemy"?

"If I grind out a pyrrhic victory, how much longer will it take to raise an army for the Northern Expedition? Will the Chaos Four Gods give me time to lick my wounds and rebuild my strength?"

"The Boss has an idea, WAAAGH! My man-killer axe is ready to see some blood!"

By unspoken agreement, the leaders of both sides made decisions based on more far-reaching goals—to end the meat-grinder war of attrition as soon as possible.

"Whoosh!"

On the morning of the fourth day, the Greenskins did not swarm out of the outpost as they had the previous day; instead, a Goblin Warlord riding a wolf drew his bow and shot a scroll of animal hide onto the Dwarf camp gate.

"Great Restorer, the green mushrooms have a letter to present!"

"Haha, I figured that Tiepi wouldn't be ready to surrender after just three days!"

It was always a good thing for the enemy to break before oneself; the Dwarf King unfolded the letter to interpret the Greenskins' sloppy handwriting. In the vast Badlands, one could always find someone with intellect; this was a reply to his earlier manifesto.

"What do they want?"

"Pass it around and read it; Tiepi wants to initiate a Champion Duel—best of five, to decide the outcome of the campaign. It wants my reply as soon as possible, and the battle will start by noon."

"Whatever the form, the Sons of the Mountains have never known fear!"

"Do you mean to accept the challenge?"

A fierce discussion unfolded in the hall, along with speculation about Sinuoli's thoughts, while he himself sat quietly with his eyes closed in meditation, analyzing the arrangement of the top combatants on both sides.

"First, the challenge letter isn't very specific about whether it's limited to the Sons of the Mountains or if anyone in the coalition can participate; this is something we need to fight for. Second, what does winning or losing actually mean, and what is it using as a guarantee? If the losing side doesn't acknowledge it and continues to fight, then it's meaningless."

He had to admit that a best-of-five was very difficult for him—King Kazador and Gotrek being absent was like losing both arms; Belegar and Alike were both combatants whose strength was built on equipment, and single combat might amplify their disadvantages.

"Tell Sinuoli, if he dares to use pointy-ears or humies, I'll invite that black-as-coal bag of bones from the south to see how he handles it!"

A bolt-thrower sent the reply, and before long, a Wolf Rider brought back an answer. When Tiepi incorporated the Crazy Swamp and the Wooden Palisade Idol, which originally belonged to the Savage Orcs, into its sphere of influence, establishing contact with Arkhan the Black was a logical progression.

"If you can win, you stay, and I won't leave Black Rock Castle!"

"If I am defeated, I will not cross the Eight Peaks to the north from now on."

"Gork and Mork love the toughest warriors!"

"I swear in the name of the Ancestor Gods!"

The leaders of both sides exchanged promises at the front lines, and this was also the first time the strongest of the two races had officially met—Tiepi's ears were calloused from hearing Sinuoli's name, and the Dwarf was also well aware of what kind of frenzy the Warlord could stir up in the original timeline.

"I, Ironbrow, Belegar, and Alike are easy to decide, but who should be chosen for this fifth spot?"

Ever since he stood up from the throne in the tent, Sinuoli had been thinking about this question; every named Dwarf wanted to fight for this precious opportunity, to go into battle as one of the Dwarf champions under the gaze of the Ancestor Goddess.

"Bulgin Fireblade, the champion of Desolate Keep, Yarsen the Giant Slayer from the Cold Keep, or perhaps, Henlide-Tulongzhe? King Luen's spirit-form characteristics might also be a factor."

Without a fifth peak-level mortal combatant, the remaining candidates each had their own advantages, making it hard to choose. If used well, this opportunity was a great honor; if missed, the best case was returning in embarrassment, and the worst was losing one's life.

"Your Majesty, count me in! I've been an adventurer and traveled far and wide, and I didn't hack fewer green mushrooms when I was in Zhufuba. Since following you, I've seen plenty of big scenes."

"Good brother, I'm counting on you!"

The declaration of his earliest follower moved the Dwarf Demigod—at a juncture of life and death, with the opponent uncertain, experience and versatility seemed to have the advantage.