The Magna Clan chieftain of King's Hall, Ma Shengdan, had been deeply troubled these past few days. The fabled fortress had already conquered the other two clan tribes on the island.
Now, the Rockborn of Skagos Island had basically all surrendered, with only King's Hall yet to be attacked.
And three days ago, a person calling himself an envoy from Griffin Fortress had arrived in the tribe. This fellow said they were now under the protection of Lord Marco Bellaris.
They were now issuing an ultimatum to the Magna Clan, proposing that in five days, both sides could send 500 warriors to the Decapitation Valley near King's Hall for a final decisive battle.
Furthermore, the envoy said that the lord of Griffin Fortress believed the Rockborn of Skagos Island would all be his people in the future. Therefore, to reduce casualties on both sides,
the Magna Clan chieftain, Ma Shengdan, could also choose to have a one-on-one duel with the lord. This would also prove who was the true king!
Ma Shengdan was about 2.4 meters tall and weighed around 160 kilograms. He looked almost the same as the Mountain from the Westeros Continent.
After Marco learned about his life and information, he was also very appreciative of him. If such a strongman was well-trained, he would be a god of war on the future battlefield!
Two days later, Decapitation Valley.
This valley was about 50 kilometers from King's Hall. The terrain was flat, with entrances on both sides, making it the ideal location Marco had chosen for the decisive battle.
Of the three major tribes on Skagos Island, Abyss Fortress was the furthest from Griffin Fortress, about 170 kilometers away. Driftwood Hall was the closest, about 80 kilometers away, and King's Hall was about 140 kilometers away.
The Magna Clan of King's Hall was the largest and oldest tribe on Skagos Island. Magna meant "Lord" in the ancient language.
With a population of around 15,000 and an army of over 1,600, they also possessed the best land and harbor on the entire island. No wonder the chieftain, Ma Shengdan, had always been reluctant to surrender!
Marco's forces had gathered here a day earlier. He led a force of 500 men, consisting of 140 thugs and tribal warriors.
In the forest on one side of the valley, he had positioned an archer unit of about 300 men, led by the archer captain, Lauren Hawkeye. These warriors were the best hunters from the two tribes.
They were also the foundation of Marco's future archer force. After this battle, Marco planned to invest resources in building barracks first. Only by training infantry would they have the strength to challenge The North.
The North on the Westeros Continent, though the poorest of the Seven Kingdoms, didn't mean their soldiers were just farmers with pitchforks.
The Andals on the Westeros Continent possessed the strongest steel smelting and warhorse training techniques of their era. The Northerners were like the medieval bears of the Blue Star, but without organized cavalry.
Therefore, even if Marco had the heroes of the invincible army, he wouldn't underestimate the Northern lords. Some of these families had ruled this land for hundreds of years.
He, an outsider, couldn't easily shake them. Furthermore, the Targaryen Family's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms wasn't solely reliant on dragons; their strategies and compromises accounted for half of the conquest's history.
Suddenly! Marco, still deep in thought, was lightly tapped by Sas Ting beside him. Marco turned his head and looked in the direction Sas Ting was pointing.
He saw a burly man riding a Woolly Rhinoceros, leading a troop of about 500 people, heading towards them.
These Magna Clan warriors were wearing thick fur coats, with simple leather armor on the outside, which looked somewhat formal. They all held an Obsidian spear and had an Obsidian sword at their waists.
Their chieftain, Ma Shengdan, was wearing a tattered piece of half-body scale armor, which looked like it had a long history.
The bracers and greaves were made of leather. In his hands, he clutched a roughly-forged Iron Battle Axe. Marco estimated that this guy probably had all the iron tools of his entire tribe.
After Ma Shengdan rode his Woolly Rhinoceros into the center of the valley, Marco also rode his Unicorn in slowly. When the warriors of the King's Hall saw the Unicorn, they all cried out in surprise.
Then, a series of eagle cries echoed through the sky. Griffin Siwang screeched and swooped down beside Marco.
Seeing this strange monster, the warriors of the King's Hall erupted in chaos again. Ma Shengdan was furious and roared at them.
BOOM!
The thunderous roar reverberated throughout the valley, making everyone present shudder. Their gazes involuntarily turned towards him.
Marco, however, appeared very calm. He slowly walked up to Ma Shengdan and said, "Greetings, Ma Shengdan, Chieftain of the Magna Clan! I am Marco Bellaris. Now that you are here, may I ask what your choice is?"
Griffin Siwang also obligingly neighed, causing the Woolly Rhinoceros that Ma Shengdan was riding to become agitated, as if it was about to be attacked.
Ma Shengdan roughly punched the Woolly Rhinoceros on the head, and the immense pain instantly quieted the one-ton beast.
Ma Shengdan said to Marco:
"I heard that you can summon Thunder and Stone Spikes, and even turn into a monster with an eagle's head! If you want me to submit, you must defeat me with brute force! You cannot use those powers on me!"
Upon hearing this, the two clan leaders on Marco's side began to curse, saying that Ma Shengdan wasn't worthy of being a Rockborn. Immediately after, he rode over on his Woolly Rhinoceros.
In their eyes, Marco was a mysterious wizard whose close combat abilities were probably only average. He definitely couldn't defeat Ma Shengdan, the strongest warrior on Skagos Island.
But Marco agreed despite their curses, which made the two clan leaders rush over to persuade him.
They thought Marco was being rash because of his youth, wanting to show off his bravery to the warriors, but his opponent was the infamous Ma Shengdan on the island. They didn't want their liege lord to be injured or killed.
After all, their good days had just begun, and after experiencing what it meant to have enough food and clothes, they didn't want to leave Griffin Fortress for a moment.
During this time, they had come to understand more about Marco and the wonders of Griffin Fortress, although they sometimes coveted the castle.
However, the shrewd priest, Caspar Ed, had once subtly hinted to the two of them that the castle's magic relied entirely on Marco's "magical" power.
If anything were to happen to him, the castle might disappear. Although the Rockborn were barbaric and crude, their worship of the strong and their fear of the unknown made them revere Marco.
Marco waved his hand to reassure them. After leveling up, he had obtained the skill Revenge Strike. Due to the system's modifications, it had become a combat skill.
Once activated, if Marco was attacked, it could instantly enhance his combat power. Marco also planned to use the magic Swift Response this time.
This would allow him to increase his speed, and for someone like Ma Shengdan, a warrior known for his strength, exploiting speed would be the most effective way to wear him down.
While Elok and the others were cursing, Marco had quietly cast this spell. Due to the Unicorn Silverflash's racial traits, this magic also took effect on it.
Two gusts of magical wind blew from behind Marco, making him feel lighter instantly. The magic's effect on the Unicorn became even stronger because of its racial talent.
This caused Silverflash to turn its head and give Marco a curious look, as if sensing its master's small movements. It let out a snort.
After preparing himself, Marco drew his Knight's Broadsword and dismounted.
Elok and the others watched Marco walk out and could only give up. However, they subtly gestured to the two guards behind them, as if preparing for something.
Ma Shengdan looked at Marco with some surprise. He had only wanted to use this as an excuse to negotiate. He hadn't expected Marco to agree directly.
For a moment, Ma Shengdan felt like he was in a difficult position. He could only dismount his own mount with a complicated feeling.
Next, Marco launched the first attack. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person from Earth, and the three of them, Sas Ting, had taught him swordsmanship.
The unit creatures in the Heroes of Might and Magic world inherited some battle memories from the Ashan World. These warriors of the Griffin Empire all had a set of general knightly swordsmanship.
Although Marco didn't have any talent for swordsmanship, he could still barely fight Ma Shengdan for a while thanks to the skills and magic he possessed.
In contrast, Ma Shengdan was somewhat hesitant, unable to exert his full strength. This left the Magna Clan warriors watching from a distance dumbfounded, making them think Marco was also a strongman.
Marco, on the other hand, was using his speed advantage to constantly wear down Ma Shengdan's stamina, causing his attacks to repeatedly miss.
Ma Shengdan was also shocked to see Marco, who was wearing armor yet remained incredibly agile. Although he didn't know what material Marco's armor was made of, as a warrior, he could sense it.
He could feel that the armor Marco wore was quite heavy, and such a battle would definitely be a huge drain. Yet, after several rounds of fighting, Marco was still as calm as ever.
Swish!
Distracted and unsettled, Ma Shengdan was careless and had his arm slashed by Marco. The blood and pain instantly ignited Ma Shengdan's rage.
The confusion about the future and the sense of frustration made him instantly lose his reason; he only wanted to vent his anger now.
"Aaaah!"
Ma Shengdan roared, both hands gripping the gleaming iron battle axe as he swung it towards Marco's head. Elok and the others behind him watched, their hearts pounding.
Marco parried, trying to use skill to deflect the axe's force. However, lacking experience, the impact of Ma Shengdan's terrifying blow still shattered his grip.