In the clearing in the center of the mine, the torchlight cast the long shadows of Kurzadh and Keziaz.
The greenskin armies on both sides watched menacingly —the orcs of the Blackrock Clan gripped their round shields, axes glinting coldly behind them, and the tips of the hobgoblin archers' arrows were constantly aimed at the night hobgoblins; the night hobgoblins of the Green Poison tribe, riding spiders, were scattered across the surrounding rock walls, poisoned arrows nocked, ready to unleash a fatal strike at the slightest movement.
The air was thick with tension, and even the crackling of the burning torches sounded exceptionally jarring.
"Let's begin!" Keziaz shouted in a low voice, flipping onto the back of the Death Crawler.
The spider instantly tensed its eight limbs, its black carapace shining with an oily luster under the firelight, its two compound eyes fixed intently on Kurzadh, spitting fine silk threads.
Sitting on the spider's back, Keziaz drew his short bow taut, the arrow tip coated in pitch-black poison, aimed at Kurzadh's chest—night hobgoblins never fought unprepared battles, even in a duel, he always sought to gain the advantage first.
Kurzadh spread his feet, lowered his center of gravity, and locked his gaze firmly on Keziaz and his spider.
His body, enhanced by the system, made his reactions extremely quick; his muscles were taut, ready to dodge an attack at any moment.
He knew clearly that Keziaz's advantage lay in the spider's mobility and the threat of the poisoned arrows; he had to disrupt the opponent's rhythm first.
"Whoosh!"
The poisoned arrow tore through the air, carrying a sharp whistling sound, aimed directly at Kurzadh's face.
Kurzadh lunged sharply to the left, planting his palm on the stone floor, his body springing up like a coiled wire. The poisoned arrow grazed his scalp and embedded itself in the rock wall behind him, the black venom instantly corroding a small pit in the stone.
Before Kurzadh could steady himself, Keziaz's spider had already lunged forward.
Its eight spiky legs scraped against the ground with a grating sound, and clear viscous fluid dripped from its open chelicerae, obviously carrying potent venom.
Kurzadh dared not meet the attack head-on. He pivoted on his toes, rapidly backed away, and simultaneously reached down to grab the iron axe on the ground, swinging it fiercely at the spider's leg.
"Clang!"
The iron axe struck the spider's carapace, producing a crisp metallic crash, yet only leaving a shallow white mark.
The Death Crawler's carapace was much harder than he had imagined! Startled, Kurzadh quickly used the force of the impact to leap backward, evading the spider's counterattack.
Keziaz, sitting on the spider's back, curled his lip into a cold sneer.
He controlled the spider, maneuvering flexibly within the cramped mine—sometimes crawling rapidly along the rock walls, sometimes leaping up suddenly to attack from the air. The short bow in his hand was unerring, poisoned arrows raining down on Kurzadh like raindrops.
The mine had limited space, and Kurzadh's area for evasion grew smaller and smaller. Several times he narrowly avoided being hit by the poisoned arrows, and his beast-hide armor was already slashed in several places.
"Go, boss! Kill him!"
The greenskins of the Blackrock Clan watched anxiously, roaring their encouragement.
Bone Tree clenched his fist, his eyes filled with worry—it was the first time he had seen Kurzadh so passive in a duel.
Kurzadh, however, showed no panic.
While dodging attacks, he silently observed Keziaz's movements: all of Keziaz's attacks relied on the spider's mobility; once separated from the spider, his close-combat ability was negligible. Furthermore, before every attack, the spider's legs would tense up first, which was a clear warning sign.
Finding the flaw, Kurzadh's gaze sharpened.
He deliberately slowed down his evasion speed, intentionally exposing a weakness in his shoulder.
Keziaz indeed seized the opportunity, controlling the spider to lunge fiercely. He drew his short bow taut again, the poisoned arrow aimed at Kurzadh's shoulder.
"Now!"
Kurzadh suddenly exerted force, rolling sharply to the right, while simultaneously sweeping the iron axe horizontally. The target was not Keziaz, but the spider's leg! He put all his strength into this swing; the magical effect of Bear Strength instantly exploded, and the iron axe, whistling through the air, chopped fiercely into the spider's hind leg.
"Crack!"
This time, the iron axe directly split the spider's carapace, and green blood sprayed out.
The Death Crawler cried out in sharp pain, its hind leg buckling, nearly causing it to fall to the ground.
Keziaz swayed precariously on the spider's back, almost falling off, and the poisoned arrow in his hand flew wide, embedding itself in the ground.
Seizing this chance, Kurzadh jumped up and lunged toward Keziaz.
Keziaz quickly drew a bone dagger from his waist and thrust it at Kurzadh.
Kurzadh sidestepped the attack, grabbed Keziaz's wrist with his left hand, and pressed the iron axe in his right hand against his neck.
The two instantly grappled, tumbling off the spider's back and rolling on the ground, punching and kicking each other.
"Bang!" Kurzadh punched Keziaz in the face, smearing the white paint. Green blood immediately streamed from Keziaz's nose.
Keziaz was not to be outdone; he bit Kurzadh's arm, making Kurzadh grimace in pain.
The two traded blows and were soon bruised and swollen, covered in cuts, yet neither was willing to let go—this duel concerned not only personal honor but also the fate of two tribes.
After fighting for a full quarter of an hour, both men were exhausted. They separated, breathing heavily, staring at each other.
Keziaz's face was covered in blood, one eye swollen shut; Kurzadh's arm was bitten and bleeding profusely, and his face stung painfully from several punches he had taken.
"You... you truly are strong..." Keziaz panted, his voice hoarse, but there was no hint of retreat in his eyes. "But I haven't lost yet!" he said, preparing to lunge forward again.
Kurzadh secretly thought this was bad—if the fight continued, even if he won, he would be severely injured, and if the night hobgoblins took the opportunity to ambush him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, and he suddenly spotted the arachnari giant spider egg protected within the shield formation. An idea instantly formed in his mind.
"Since you refuse to admit defeat, I will destroy your sacred object!" Kurzadh suddenly yelled, turning and running toward the giant spider egg, raising his iron axe high as if to chop it.
"Stop!"
Keziaz's expression instantly changed drastically. He completely forgot about the duel and shrieked as he chased after him.
The arachnari giant spider egg was the sacred object of the night hobgoblins. If it were destroyed in front of him, he would be a sinner to the entire night hobgoblins race, and even if he won the fight, he would be scorned by his tribe members.
He didn't have time to think; he could only rush forward with all his might, trying to stop Kurzadh.
This was exactly the effect Kurzadh wanted! After running a few steps, he suddenly stopped, sharply spun his body around, and crashed right into the arms of the pursuing Keziaz.
Before Keziaz could react, Kurzadh grabbed his shoulders, gave him a violent toss, and slammed him onto the ground.
"Thud!" Keziaz crashed heavily onto the stone floor, the pain making his vision swim.
Before he could get up, Kurzadh was already straddling him, his fists raining down like hailstones.
"Do you submit?!" Kurzadh roared, punching Keziaz in the chest.
"N-no... I don't submit!" Keziaz gritted his teeth, attempting to resist.
"Think again!" Another punch landed on Keziaz's face. "Do you submit?!"
Two of Keziaz's teeth were knocked out, green blood flowed all over his face, and his consciousness began to fade.
He looked at Kurzadh's ferocious eyes, felt the intense pain radiating from his body, and finally couldn't hold on any longer, saying haltingly, "I... I submit... Stop hitting me..."
Only then did Kurzadh stop, standing up from Keziaz's body while panting heavily.
He wiped the blood from his face, looked at the surrounding night hobgoblins, and shouted loudly, "Your leader has admitted defeat! Green Poison tribe, are you willing to follow me?!"
The night hobgoblins exchanged glances, none of them speaking. They looked at the severely bruised Keziaz, then at the aggressive Kurzadh, and finally at the army of the Blackrock Clan. They all knew that resistance was meaningless.
Keziaz climbed up from the ground, wiped the blood from his face, and yelled at the night hobgoblins, "Don't just stand there! From today onward, our Green Poison tribe will follow the Blackrock Clan!"
A glimmer of hope remained in his heart—since they had submitted, Kurzadh might hand the arachnari giant spider egg over to them for care, which was the thing he cared about most.
Sacred object! I'm coming!
Hearing their leader's command, the night hobgoblins quickly put down their weapons, jumped off their spiders, and bowed to Kurzadh: "Boss!"
Although the voices were uneven, they carried a hint of reverence.
The greenskins of the Blackrock Clan instantly erupted in thunderous cheers: "The boss won! He won!" The Orc Boyz brandished their axes, and the hobgoblin archers jumped for joy, their voices echoing throughout the entire mine.
Kurzadh looked at the night hobgoblins who had submitted before him, then at the surrounding iron ore, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Not only had he secured the iron mine, but he had also subdued a night hobgoblins tribe. More importantly, with the help of the night hobgoblins, mining iron ore and digging tunnels would be much easier in the future.
He walked up to Keziaz, patted his shoulder, and said, "Follow me properly, and you won't lack benefits. As for that giant spider egg..."
Keziaz's eyes instantly lit up; he stared intently at Kurzadh, waiting for him to continue.