Once again on the stage, the fences and ramps were removed to leave a rectangular arena where the rest of the competitions would take place.
Two categories of horseback riding followed. In the first, they fought on their horses, one against the other in four pairs chosen at random, first with short swords of half a meter long, wide blade and double edge and then with spears without tip. In both cases until they were disarmed or one of them fell off the horse. Then came the foot categories, starting with fencing, which was performed with flaming swords with wavy blades and concluded with the disarmament of the opponent. This was followed by one-on-one wrestling, the objective of which was to immobilize the opponent on the ground. Little by little the places began to separate. The strategy of the Barrio Norte quickly came to light: while the young Kinder tried to open the way for him, Amin Kramer took advantage of the opportunity and accumulated as many points as he could, which put him among the finalists; just behind Northen and Maric, who were tied for first place. In fourth place, as the last of the finalists, was Victhrom Neuman, who needed only ten more points to tie for second place.
From among the finalists, a single winner was chosen through two bouts of high fencing, a martial art that looked more like a dance than a real combat. The contestants carried fine swords, as long as their arms, called Etoque. They wore armor made of thin steel plates painted with the colors of their Houses so that they would not blind the audience when the midday sunlight hit them and leather joints to give them more mobility. The armor plates covered the chest, back and the front of the thighs and arms, but it was only preventive because the objective was not to hurt the opponent, but to force him out of the circle in the center of the ring, where the combat took place.
In the first round Northen faced Amin in a bout that lasted 5 long minutes in which Lord Krieger constantly bragged about his son's skill; and he continued vociferating for another 10 minutes after the bout ended with Northen as the winner. The second bout was Maric vs. Victhrom in which the final result left the audience in shock for a few seconds before bursting into applause. Against all odds Victhrom Neuman moved on to the final bout to fight Northen Krieger.
The confrontation was unexpectedly long. His brother used his stoutness to deliver quick, strong thrusts that drove his opponent back almost to the edge of the ring. Neuman, despite his characteristic southern hair, skin and eyes, possessed a lean and athletic body that he used to make last minute turns and dodges that several times nearly knocked his brother off balance.
Almost twenty minutes had already passed when his brother feigned a thrust to the left of his opponent, which he dodged to the right. Just at that moment the sword deflected and hit Victhrom in the center of the chest and, together with the momentum of the dodge, the boy lost his balance and fell over the edge of the circle into the arena.
All the bleachers erupted in shouts, cheers and whistles that became a single roar that must have been heard throughout the city. Barrio Sur had won the Summer Festival.
