Tarak—the veteran goblin who’d survived eight previous battles and become an informal leader among goblin defenders—faced Sergeant Kelvan, a human veteran with fifteen years’ experience.

The battle was fought in a collapsed building’s rubble, both fighters using terrain for advantage.

Tarak’s guerrilla tactics served him well initially. He used goblin agility to strike from unexpected angles, his blade cutting Kelvan’s arm, then disappearing into rubble before the sergeant could counter.

But Kelvan adapted, using his superior reach to control space, preventing Tarak from getting close.

The decisive moment came when Tarak attempted a risky flanking maneuver, jumping from collapsed beam to attack from above.

Kelvan anticipated it—his sword thrust upward catching Tarak mid-jump.

The blade pierced the goblin’s stomach, a mortal wound.

But Tarak’s downward momentum drove him onto the sword even as his own blade struck Kelvan’s throat.

Both died in the same instant—Kelvan from throat cut, Tarak from impalement.

Mutual elimination.

Viss’s Rampage:

Viss—the serpentfolk warrior known for killing seventeen humans over three days—faced two human officers simultaneously when his position was overrun.

Lieutenant Gareth and Sergeant Bors attacked in coordination, trying to overwhelm the serpentfolk through teamwork.

Viss fought with serpentine fury, his spear and tail creating a defensive zone that neither human could penetrate easily.

He killed Lieutenant Gareth first—a spear thrust through the eye, instant death.

But Sergeant Bors used his companion’s death as distraction, his blessed sword cutting Viss’s tail off with one powerful strike.

Viss screamed, his balance compromised, his third attack vector removed.

Bors pressed the advantage, his sword cutting Viss down with three rapid strikes.

Viss died but took an officer with him.

Krix and Grix—The Goblin Twins:

Krix and Grix—goblin warriors who’d fought every major battle of the siege and developed nearly telepathic coordination—faced a squad of six human elite soldiers who’d isolated them from other defenders.

The twins fought back-to-back, their coordination allowing them to defend each other’s blind spots perfectly.

Krix’s sword and Grix’s spear created overlapping fields of attack, forcing the humans to fight cautiously.

Over five minutes of brutal combat, the twins killed four of the six elite soldiers through superior teamwork.

But numbers eventually told. The remaining two soldiers coordinated a simultaneous attack that the twins couldn’t fully defend against.

Krix took a sword through the chest protecting Grix’s back.

Grix, seeing her twin sister die, launched a berserker attack that killed one more soldier before the final human’s blade found her heart.

Both twins died within seconds of each other, still standing back-to-back.

Grumash’s Defiance:

Grumash—the orc who’d dug post-holes, who’d transitioned from laborer to warrior when battle demanded—faced three human soldiers with his post-hole digger as weapon.

The tool was ridiculous as combat weapon—a long wooden pole with iron blade designed for digging, not fighting.

But Grumash’s orc strength made it deadly anyway.

His first strike impaled a soldier through the chest, the digger’s blade punching through armor like paper.

His second strike caught another soldier in the head, crushing skull.

The third soldier, terrified by watching two companions die to a glorified shovel, hesitated.

That hesitation allowed Grumash to withdraw his digger and thrust again, impaling the third soldier.

But Grumash had exposed himself by killing three soldiers in rapid succession. Other human fighters had noticed.

Twenty arrows from human archers hit him simultaneously.

Grumash died standing, his body bristling with arrows, his post-hole digger still gripped in his hands, three dead enemies at his feet.

Hour Six:

The champion duels had raged across Third Line for ninety minutes of brutal single combat. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The results were devastatingly clear:

Human Commanders:

Major Aldrich: KILLED (mutual elimination with Vex’ahlia)Lieutenant Thorne: KILLED (defeated by Kelvin’s luck)Captain Marcus: KILLED (mutual elimination with Skar)Colonel Vras: KILLED (mutual elimination with Urgak)Commander Deren: KILLED (killed by Gruk’s revenge)Captain Hollis: KILLED (mutual elimination with Thrak)

All six senior human commanders dead.

Settlement Leaders:

Commander Vex’ahlia: KILLED (mutual elimination with Aldrich)Kelvin: SURVIVED (critically wounded but alive)Skar: KILLED (accidental throat cut during mutual combat)Urgak: KILLED (mutual elimination with Vras)Gruk: SURVIVED (critically wounded, saved by Jessica’s healing)Thrak: KILLED (mutual elimination with Hollis)Tarak: KILLED (mutual elimination)Viss: KILLED (killed two officers first)Krix and Grix: KILLED (killed five soldiers first)Grumash: KILLED (killed three soldiers, died to arrows)

The duels had been catastrophic for both sides but proportionally worse for the settlement—they’d lost more leadership and couldn’t afford those losses as readily.

But the duels had accomplished something crucial: they’d bought time and proven settlement defenders could match Church veterans in personal combat.

From his elevated command post, Commander Elric received casualty reports with growing concern.

"All six field commanders dead?" His voice carried disbelief. "Aldrich, Thorne, Marcus, Vras, Deren, Hollis—all killed in single combat?"

"Yes, sir," a messenger confirmed. "The settlement deployed their named fighters. Most duels resulted in mutual elimination. Both sides lost leadership, but settlement proportionally lost more."

"But we lost ALL our senior field commanders." Elric’s tactical mind raced through implications. "That’s... that’s unprecedented. I’ve never lost six senior officers in one battle."

"The settlement fighters are exceptional, sir. They’re fighting with desperation that makes them extremely dangerous in personal combat."

Elric absorbed this tactical reality. The champion duels had decapitated his command structure. He still had junior officers, but the loss of experienced field commanders would affect tactical coordination significantly.

"What about the heroes?" he asked.

"They are still fighting against the corruption specialist. They report twenty minutes minimum before they’re combat-effective."

"And the main battle?"

"We’ve penetrated Third Line at all three sectors, but settlement defenders are conducting organized withdrawals. We’re taking the ground but paying in casualties. Current strength: twenty-one hundred soldiers against approximately three hundred eighty settlement defenders."

The odds still favored humans overwhelmingly. But Elric had learned that mathematics alone didn’t win battles against desperate opponents with competent leadership.

"The settlement commander—whoever they are—is tactically brilliant," Elric said grudgingly. "They Sacrifice themselves in duels to buy time, boost morale, and trade leadership losses they could afford for commanders we couldn’t spare. They’ve turned our numerical advantage into a grinding battle rather than a quick collapse."

He made a decision.