(A man wearing chainmail, an iron helmet and shield takes his sword and swings at the camrea.)
Iberian Caetrati: Iberia's famed sword and shield fighters whose deadly steel weapons made them feared opponents.
(A Caetrati is seen dueling with a Roman Legionary during Cannae. He parries a blow from the Roman before running him through with his gladius hispaniensis.)
vs.
(Another man wearing chainmail takes his angon and hurls it at the camera.)
Frankish Warrior: Warriors of Francia who kept their kingdom standing from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages.
(A Frank is seen engaging a Moorish warrior during the Battle of Tours. The Islamic warriors takes a blow to the head from the Frank's angon before being finished off by the latter's langseax.)
WHO IS DEADLIEST?
To find out, we've assembled a team of world class fighters to test history's most lethal weapons. Using 21st century science, we'll see what happens when two warriors go head to head.
No rules. No safety. No mercy. It's a duel to the death to decide who is...THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!
Here in our elite fight club we have gathered a panel of doctors, military historians, scientists, and weapons specialists to test out the lethal arsenals wielded by each of our combatants to determine who would win a fight between two of the most famous warriors from the era of Antiquity.
Iberian Caetrati
Circa: 216 B.C.
Height: 5'6''
Weight: 160 lbs.
Armor: Iron Celtic Helmet, Chainmail, Caetra
Frankish Warrior
Circa: 723 A.D.
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 160 lbs.
Armor: Iron Spangenhelm, Chainmail
''It's been a while since we've done one-on-one battles gentleman and what better way to do it then to have two of Antiquity's best warriors duke it out? We have the famed Iberian Caetrati who fought in the Second Punic War where they helped Hannibal defeat the Romans at Cannae. Then you have the soldiers of Francia, the Frankish warriors who defeated the Moors at the Battle of Tours preventing Muslim domination of Europe. It's gonna be our best ancient battle this season.'' Ancient weapons, combat, and history specialist DeadAliveManiac began excitedly.
''I really like this match up between these two awesome warriors but in the end I'm siding with the Caetrati. The fact that they were able to beat the Roman legions at Cannae plus their skills in sword and shield fighting plays into their favor.'' Medical expert Zivon96 said explaining his choice.
''Then I'm siding with the Frankish warrior. His weapons are more advanced as well as his armor. I think he is gonna win for those facts and while this may be a generic explanation it's a fact that can't be ignored.'' Weapons geek MKDemigodZ-Warrior countered.
''These two warriors were famous for separate reasons. The Caetrati was famous for their barbarian life-style as was the Franks. The Caetrati had Spanish steel while the Franks defeated the Moors. It's definitely going to be an interesting battle.'' Modern warfare, history, and weapons specialist PFC Rice Man concluded.
The Caetrati were a type of light infantry in Ancient Iberia who often served as skirmishers. Iberian Warriors had been fighting as mercenaries throughout Europe for many years, their ferocity in battle and their fighting skills made them a very good addition to any army, and Hannibal made excellent good use of them during the Second Punic War where they fought vigorously against Roman legions. When the Romans defeated Carthage and conquered its colonies in Hispania, they soon began to expand their borders in the region and it took them 200 years to fully conquer and pacify the region.
''They had their best successes during the Second Punic War when they battled Rome at Cannae. They were agile in nature and they will definitely be a new nightmare for the Frank.'' Rice Man explained.
The Ancient Iberian light infantry spilled Roman blood with a deadly assortment of Iron-Age weapons.
Short Range: Gladius Hispaniensis
Mid-Range: Soliferrum
Long Range: Falarica
Special: Falcata
Today, the fierce light infantry will take on a brand new foe who under the leadership of one of the greatest military minds in European history prevented Muslim domination of Europe.
The Franks were a collection of Germanic peoples, whose name was first mentioned in 3rd century Roman sources, associated with tribes on the Lower and Middle Rhine in the 3rd century AD, on the edge of the Roman Empire. They are most famous for defeating forces of the Umayyad Caliphate in the Battle of Tours saving Europe from Islamic hegemony.
''Thanks to the tactics of Charles Martel the Franks were able to repel the Islamic armies of the Caliphate. Had they failed to do that Europe would now be a Muslim dominated continent. The Caetrati may have helped Hannibal slaughter the Romans at Cannae, but can he do the same against someone as dangerous as a Frankish warrior?'' Rice Man explained.
The Frankish warrior defended his kingdom with lethally crafted steel weapons.
Short Range: Frankish Sword
Mid-Range: Angon
Long Range: Francisca Axe
Special: Langseax
For close ranged combat, these two warriors brought with them the deadliest swords of their time to slash their enemies apart. Up first will be the Iberian Caetrati with his Gladius Hispaniensis.
''The gladius hispaniensis was a sword that was built from the same high carbon Spanish steel that the falcata was made from. It had a nice leaf shaped blade similar to that of the xiphos and it measured at 28 inches and weighs 2 pounds.'' Iberian Caetrati expert Carlos explained.
''That blade looks like it can certainly do damage.'' DAM said before pointing towards the set up. ''To test the sword out we're gonna have you attack this torso outfitted in the armor of the Frankish warrior to see what that thing is capable of doing. Up for the job?''
''I sure am, one dead Frank coming right up.'' The expert said confidently.
Carlos walks over to the set up and gets into position as DAM begins giving the countdown.
''3...2...1...attack!''
Carlos lets out a feral war cry as he swings his sword downward and strikes the spangenhelm leaving a dent sending out a jarring clang. He then takes a swing at the torso's neck decapitating it sending the head flying across the fight club before stabbing his sword into the Frankish chainmail multiple times sending blood splattering everywhere. He continued stabbing for a good minute and a half before he finally ceased his assault upon the poor torso.
''Damn, what kind of rage was that?'' Demigod asked as Zivon walks over to inspect the damage.
''So...checking the severed head right here if you remove the helmet we can see that he only caused a moderate dent on the helmet, he's not getting any kind of skull fracture but this guy is really dazed which will leave him open to other forms of attack. Moving onward to the body I can see that several of your stabs managed to pierce through the chainmail relatively easy and you got multiple blows in his chest striking his vital organs such as his heart and lungs and I can feel the aorta has been cut open and that alone will instantly kill the guy.'' The doc explained.
Frankish expert Charles Zimmer walked over shaking his head.
''Your sword is no doubt lethal, but compared to the Frankish sword we have the advantage in reach.''
Since the Frankish sword resembles the Viking's longsword in almost every aspect, we will let our panel decide on what to do.
''Okay, so we've seen what the gladius hispaniensis can do to the armor worn by the Frank so we need to see what the Frankish sword is capable of.'' DAM said.
Charles now stands before the panel in front of a fresh torso, this one outfitted in the chainmail, shield, and helmet of the Iberian.
''We want to see strikes to the shield, helmet, and the chainmail to see what kind of damage your sword can inflict, understood?'' Rice Man asked earning a nod from the expert.
DAM gives the countdown and Charles takes his sword and swings it at the shield full force. The sword cutting halfway into the shield from the rim to the center. Yanking his sword out he follows up by raising his sword high and bringing it down onto the Iron Celtic helmet as hard as he could twice before preparing his sword for a thrust into the chainmail piercing clean through as DAM calls time.
Zivon then walks over to assess the damage.
''Wow, I find myself quite impressed by the performance of this sword. I don't even have to explain your strike on the shield because you sliced literally halfway through and if this was a real person he would've lost his entire forearm.'' The doc explained before removing the helmet. ''Low and behold, we have a depressed skull fracture underneath due to you hitting the same area twice as hard as you could. This is a ticking time bomb and he will eventually die from a bleed in the brain. Finally, for the chainmail you struck in an area where the heart would be and you stabbed through it causing instant death.''
''Your sword is quite long, I'd rather have a shorter blade to allow me to get in and out faster than yours.'' Carlos said shaking his head.
''But my longer blade will keep you at a distance and I'll just cut your head off before you come within range to hit me with yours.'' Charles retorted.
After conducting the necessary tests of these two swords, which one does our panel believe takes the edge?
''I like the gladius hispaniensis for having Spanish steel in the blade but the length of the Frankish sword is what wins me over.'' DAM began.
''You also have to consider that the Frankish sword has much greater killing potential too compared to the hispaniensis. Seriously that thing hits like a pissed off mule.'' Zivon seconded.
''The Frank's sword is much more powerful and causes much more trauma than the gladius hispaniensis. It's length and more powerful blade are facts that cannot be ignored.'' Demigod said.
''The gladius is too short compared to it's competition, how the heck can the Iberian Caetrati get close to the Frankish warrior if the Frank's sword prevents him from getting close? Seriously, it's longer and the power in each swing is insane and comparable to the Viking's longsword.'' Rice Man concluded.
In short range weapons, the edge goes to the Frankish warrior for the Frankish sword.
Coming up next, two deadly mid-ranged projectiles come forth and then later, a tool used to spread flames goes up against a deadly throwing axe.
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For mid-range weapons, our warriors brought to the tables to deadly throwing projectiles used to impale their enemies from a distance.
Since we've already seen the Caetrati's soliferrum and the Frankish warrior's angon in the previous season we'll leave it to our panelists to decide what to do.
''We've seen the soliferrum with Hannibal and the angon with Charlemagne respectively. Now we need to see what these two weapons can do against the opposing armor.'' DAM said.
Both our experts now stand before two torsos clad in the armor of the competition.
''Okay you guys, we will give you four weapons each and we want to see the damage capabilities your respective weapon will have on the opposing armor. Understood? When you've expended your first three shots we want you to take your fourth copy and charge straight at the torsos and jam them into the armor to see what damage you can cause using them as melee weapons.'' DAM explained.
Both experts nod and grab the first of their weapons before getting into position to attack their targets. DAM gives the countdown and our experts grab the first of their weapons and casually hurl them towards their respective targets. Carlos's soliferrum sails through the air before striking the armored torso in the chest as Charles's angon does the same with his target hitting the Caetrati in the heart spilling blood. Both experts turn to look at each other with confident smirks before they take their second weapons and proceed to hurl them at their targets again. Charles's angon impacts the Iberian's shield getting stuck in it's surface while the soliferrum gets stuck in the stomach of the armor piercing clean through it spilling blood.
''I can tell they're getting good results.'' Zivon commented.
Taking their third weapons the experts take the time to aim at their targets and at the same time hurl their weapons at the targets with both hitting their marks. Now that they've completed the first part of their test they take the fourth copy of their weapon and charge straight at their targets and with their respective weapons jam them right into their targets.
The experts then walk over so Zivon can assess the damage.
''First with the Iberian's soliferrum, the first one was a pretty good shot that got him straight through the aorta and as we all know that is an instant kill so humor me there. The second one struck our stand in Frankish warrior in his gut and judging by the placement here it won't be an instant kill, however, him pulling this soliferrum out of his gut will cause him to rip out some of his entrails and causing heavy bleeding which will lead to a kill for you. The final one hit him in the chest piercing clean through the armor and dropping one of his lungs, not an instant kill. Then you took that soliferrum and used it as a melee weapon and shoved that damn thing straight through the throat for another instant kill as you severed the spinal cord.''
The Canadian doctor then makes his way over to the Iberian target.
''For you Charles, the first angon hit this poor guy straight in bottom portion of the heart lacerating it for a kill. The second angon was used to disarm the Iberian by taking away his shield and judging by the penetration you got you would only scratch the arm holding this shield I'm third angon hit the poor bastard right here and this is where the liver is sitting and you're gonna cause lots of bleeding for this poor guy and he will eventually bleed out if he doesn't get treatment for this injury. Then for the fourth angon you took that thing and jammed it straight through his face for an instant kill and the last thing he'd feel is steel in his head before everything goes black.''
''These two weapons performed very well from a distance as well as close up, excellent work gentleman.'' Rice Man commented.
After seeing these two projectiles in action which one do our panelists believe takes the edge?
''I'm giving this edge all to the soliferrum because it is designed to be used as a projectile much more efficiently than the angon plus it hits with much more force from a distance.'' DAM began.
''I have to call this a tie in my book, both are effective from a distance and can be used up close. There isn't much more for me to say here really.'' Zivon countered.
''I have to say even, they performed literally identical to each other and honestly, they are so similar to one another for their functionalities.'' Demigod said.
''What can I say? They both can pierce through the opposing armor with no problem, while the angon has the added protection of the Caetra shield to deal with it can easily defeat it leaving the Iberian exposed for a kill shot whereas the soliferrum doesn't have to worry about a shield. In my opinion, this edge is 110% even.'' Rice Man concluded.
In mid-range weapons, our warriors are dead even.
Coming up, intimidation by fire goes up against intimidation by volley and then later our warriors will be brought back to life to determine who is deadliest.
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Now the time has come for our warriors to unveil their long ranged arsenals. Up first will be the Iberian Caetrati with the falarica.
''This weapon is called the falarica and it was the predecessor to the Roman's pilum. It came with a 3 feet iron head that was very thin and sharp with a triangular point. It was sometimes covered in combustible material to ignite people or shields on fire. In total it was 6 feet long and weighs 3 pounds.'' Carlos explained.
To test out the killing potential and incendiary abilities of the falarica, Carlos will attack a pig clad in the chainmail of the Frankish warrior as well as a bare pig.
''You will have four falaricas Carlos and two of those will be wrapped in linen dowsed with flammable material, we want the falarica that will ignite aimed at the armored torso and the regular ones on the bare pig is that understood?'' DAM asked earning a nod from the expert.
Carlos walks over to the table where his falaricas were and grabs his first flaming falarica and sets his sights on the armored swine and lets the weapon fly. The projectile sails through the air and impacts the target setting the entire pig ablaze to the awe of the panel. Smirking at his work he takes the second flaming falarica and throws this one with as much force as he could muster and hits the target through the chainmail in the lower abdomen making a sizzling noise. Now with the first pig completely on fire he takes his two regular falarica and wasted no time in tossing them at the helpless swine getting straight through the body with a sickening rip spilling blood everywhere.
After Demigod and Rice Man dowse the flames out the rest of the panel walks over so Zivon can assess the damage done.
''Wow, we've seen injuries inflicted by fire before but this is cool, that weapon would've kill this guy if you hit the right spot but if you didn't the flames would take him out. His skin is completely charred and he will die a slow and agonizing death if he doesn't out the fire out. If you didn't have the flammable material in place one of the falarica hit him here and skewered him right through the heart and the aorta basically kabobbing it's way through them killing him instantly.''
Zivon then moves on to check up on the unarmored pig.
''For the unarmored pig the first falarica struck him in the upper arm which would definitely make his arm useless and leaving him open to other forms of attack and yes, the second falarica got this guy straight through the eye in a one in a million shot for another instant kill. Good work.''
''While the francisca axe doesn't skewer our victims, you focus way too much on making this an incendiary weapon and it moves so slow through the air that I can sidestep and it'll sail harmlessly passed me.'' Charles commented.
The panel now review the testing of the francisca axe from ''William the Conqueror vs. Charlemagne'' and after noting it's performance against chainmail armor the panel now comes to their decision.
''It's a rare case where we are dealing with two hand thrown weapons and in my mind I'm calling this edge as even because you have intimidation by fire against intimidation by volley of axes.'' DAM began.
''For me, I can't ignore the fact that the falarica can cause fires and since it's a pointed weapon it can easily penetrate through the Frank's chainmail and even if the Iberian doesn't cause an instant kill the flames will consume and slowly kill the Frankish warrior. So my edge goes to the falarica.'' Zivon said.
''Hm, well, I guess I will call it even because while you're totally right on what you say Zivon DAM is right as well. I wouldn't want either weapon flying right at my face.'' Demigod inquired.
''Would you rather take a falarica to the arm and set on fire? Or take a volley of axes coming straight at your face and die quickly compared to being set on fire? You know what you guys? I'm with DAM and Demigod. These two weapons have the advantage of intimidation on their side and that seals the deal for me.'' Rice Man concluded.
In long range weapons, the edge is dead even.
Coming up! We conclude the weapons testing by comparing two familiar blades and then after the armor of these warriors will be compared.
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Now we conclude the weapons testing by bringing out the favored special weapons of our warriors. Since we've already seen the falcata and langseax from the previous season the panel will determine what to do.
''Since the langseax perform against chainmail armor we'll bring the falcata back to see how it compares to the armor of the Frank.'' DAM said.
Carlos now stands before a gel bust clad in the armor and helmet of the Frankish warrior.
''Okay Carlos, we'll give you 15 seconds to dish out as much damage as you can, we want your main focus to be on the chainmail and one downward swing onto the Frank's helmet understood?'' Demigod asked earning a nod from the expert.
''Carlos on my mark, high speed is ready on 3...2...1...GO!" Rice Man called out.
The expert takes his falcata and with as much power as he can get be brings it down onto the Frank's spangenhelm leaving a loud clang echo throughout the fight club. A noticeable dent being left in the sword's wake. With the helmet dealt with he takes his falcata and thrusts it into the torso's gut piercing through the chainmail sending a spigot's worth of blood to spill from underneath the armor. With only a few seconds to spare he wasted no time in taking his falcata and swinging it horizontally slicing the head almost completely off the body just as DAM calls time.
Zivon then walks over to gauge the damage. He walks up to the torso and lifts the helmet up.
''I got some bad news for you Carlos, the pressure sensor only detected about 54 PSI and that is not enough to cause any kind of skull fracture. You did however hit him hard enough to daze him and that left him open for the near decapitation here and as you can see this thin piece of skin is all that is preventing the head from falling off.'' The doc explained while touching said area. ''You then jammed that blade right into this guy's gut and that alone would definitely kill him as he bleeds out a lot here as you can see from the blood stained armor.''
''That's why I love this sword, you can chop or thrust and pull it right back out thanks to the design of the handle.'' Carlos added.
''While you're busy winding up for a swing the langseax can stab and hack you to death a thousand times over.'' Charles commented.
After reviewing the testing of the langseax from it's debut episode the team will now decide which weapon takes the edge. Let's see what they say.
''I'm giving this one all to the falcata due to it's superior length and build.'' DAM began.
''Not only does the falcata have reach, it also strikes the body with much more force meaning it can cause more damage. The more damage a weapon causes the higher chance it wins me over.'' Zivon seconded.
''Hm, yeah I can see where you guys come from, it's basically comparing a sword to a dagger and the sword always wins in these types of comparisons.'' Deimgod said.
''The langseax most likely isn't gonna have an easy time getting through the caetra shield and we all know the Iberians are legendary sword and shield fighters. He can use the shield and falcata effectively and chop the Frank up. Edge to the falcata.'' Rice Man concluded.
In special weapons, the edge goes to the Iberian Caetrati for the falcata.
Now we move on and compare the armor of these warriors.
''I'm giving the edge to the Caetrati for the fact that he has a shield and while it will not last long against the weapons the Frank is bringing he still has an added level of protection.'' DAM started off.
''I'm calling this one as even, they're both wearing chainmail armor and their helmets are fairly equal.'' Zivon countered.
''The only real advantage the Iberian is packing is that shield, the Frank's armor is more technologically advanced than the Iberian's chainmail so I'm calling this even.'' Demigod quipped.
''Both are wearing chainmail armor, only the weapons each warrior is bringing will determine which one will protect the wearer more. Even all the way.'' Rice Man concluded.
In the armor category, both warriors are even.
Coming up, we go to our computer wizz Metal Harbinger to evaluate the x-factors of our warriors and then our battle begins!
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Welcome back to the Fight Club, here we tested the weapons and armor of Antiquity's most fierce warriors to determine who is deadliest.
For short range weapons, the Frankish warrior's longsword proved more powerful and deadly than the Iberian's gladius hispaniensis.
''The Frank's longsword has reach and strikes with much more power causing more trauma and that is what we look for.'' DAM explained.
Edge: Frankish Warrior
For mid-range weapons, both the soliferrum and angon proved to be evenly matched.
''Both weapons are well tailored to be used as throwing weapons as well as up close and have no problem piercing clean through the opposing armor.'' Zivon explained.
Edge: Even
For long range weapons, both the falarica and francisca axe were deemed equally effective.
''The falarica has the use of an incendiary weapon while the axe was commonly used as a volley weapon. We thought about this and in our opinion intimidation by fire and intimidation by volley were determined to be equal which is why these two are tied.'' Demigod explained.
Edge: Even
For special weapons, the Iberian's falcata decapitated the Frankish warrior's langseax.
''It has reach, it can slash and stab much more effectively, plus it's made of Spanish steel. It easily outshines the dagger...machete-like langseax.'' Rice Man explained.
Edge: Iberian Caetrati
And finally, for the armor category both sets of armor were determined to be equally effective.
''Both are packing chainmail armor and iron helmets and the only thing that will determine which is more protective of the warriors is their weapons.'' DAM concluded.
Edge: Even
And now, our computer wizz Metal Harbinger will gauge the x-factors of our warriors.
''Let's get this started.'' The metalhead said enthusiastically.
''First and foremost it's training and this one was dead even because the Franks grew up in a society based on warfare and expansion while the Iberians were trained for close range fighting as well as cavalry. Both warriors scored an 80 each.''
''For physicality the Frank took this category as he was a very large warrior compared to the Iberians who were smaller guys. It was close though as the Iberians crossed the Alps and many survived that trek. 93 to an 89.''
''Up next is endurance and this time it goes to the Iberian, they were constantly on the move and carried just as heavy armor...did I also mention they survived the Alps? 91 to a 90.''
''Fourth is metallurgy and it was actually a pretty tough decision. On one end you have the Iberian who has access to Spanish steel weapons and armor while the Frank is from a later time period therefore making his metals more technologically advanced. It was a razor thin margin but the Frank took this with an 87 to the Iberian's 85.''
''Fifth is ferocity and this was a draw. In the specific time periods we're using these two the Iberians fought the Romans and slaughtered thousands of them at Cannae and were helping Hannibal defeat them and for the Franks they defended Europe during the Battle of Tours from Islamic conquests. Had they not performed the way they did during these respective battles who knows what their respective opponents could've done had they not win. Both warriors scored a 93 each.''
''Finally, we covered killer instinct and our warriors are even again. The Iberians were dead set on killing Romans like Hannibal was and the Frankish warriors were ready to kill all their enemies during Tours to prevent Muslim hegemony of Europe and both were successful during their time. Both warriors scored pretty well with an 89 each.''
Now that we've completed the weapons testing and x-factors, Metal Harbinger will now run one-thousand battles to the death to determine who is deadliest.
Which of Antiquity's best known warriors will emerge victorious?
''In the end, we'll see who is the best warrior of Antiquity. Let's see and find out who it is.'' Metal said pressing the button.
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The lone Frankish warrior was seen making his way through a woody and forested trail and soon the path came to an end by a small open clearing in the forest. Charles Martel and his armies had successfully repelled the invading Caliphate armies and before they could celebrate they had received word of forces from Iberia making their way into their kingdom.
This Frank was sent by Charles himself to scout the nearby southern region of modern day France to see if he can pick up any signs of these new enemies.
Elsewhere in the woods we see a single Iberian Caetrati trekking through the region. After making their way into Francia thanks to the help of their new allies of the Umayyad Caliphate he was to scout the nearby kingdom for any defense flaws so that after destroying Rome, Hannibal Barca himself can wipe Francia off the face of the Earth further expanding Carthage.
The Iberian continues walking through the woods before hearing the sounds of metal clanging and he quickly rushes to hide behind a tree. He peeks out from behind and spots the Frankish warrior walking through the nearby clearing armed to the teeth and he automatically knew that this wasn't a Roman soldier.
He also knew that this had to be one of the soldiers from this Francia kingdom Hannibal wanted to destroy. Setting the falarica he had in hand beside the tree trunk he instead draws his soliferrum strapped to his back and takes aim at the unsuspecting Frank.
The oblivious Frank decides to take a rest and sets his angon and two axes on the ground in front of him and just before he can sit on a log he is taken by surprise when the soliferrum comes within inches of hitting him right in the face.
Looking up he spots his attacker drawing his gladius hispaniensis and charges forth with his caetra shield held in front of him.
Having no time to assess the situation the Frank quickly scoops up his two axes and hurls his left one first and the Iberian raises his shield slightly and deflects the projectile sending it flying away.
Undeterred by the failure he chucks his second axe at the Iberian but like the first one it was harmlessly deflected off the Iberian's shield chipping only the surface. As the Iberian draws close the Frank scoops up his angon and quickly shoves the spear forward striking the Iberian's caetra and the Frank gives an almighty shove prompting his opponent to freeze in place.
The larger Frank uses his size advantage to try and shove the Iberian away but the smaller warrior wasn't about to surrender as he tries his hardest to hold his ground. The Iberian sees the head of the angon slowly pierce through his shield and quickly with his hispaniensis brings it high and swings it downward and slices the head of the spear off catching the Frank by surprise.
The Iberian then goes in for a swing with his sword aimed at the Frank's head but the Frank manages to duck under the swing and draws his longsword and follows up with a thrust.
The sword manages to pierce through the Iberian's chainmail but just enough to cause a flesh wound making the man grunt in pain. The Frank pulls his sword out as the Iberian swings his gladius diagonally hitting him right on the helmet sending him stumbling sideways.
Recovering quickly from the blow the Frank looks upward to see the Iberian try to thrust his gladius into his face but the larger warrior brings his blade upward himself and manages to hit the gladius out of his opponent's grip before following through by swinging as hard as he could hitting the Iberian in the ribs.
Feeling a rib crack from the blow the Iberian uses his shield to bash the Frank's hand sending the longsword flying out from his hands and he tackles the larger Frank with force and sends him sprawling backwards and forces him against the log from earlier. Seeing his opponent go for another thrust the Frank sidesteps out of the way and draws his langseax.
The Iberian's gladius getting stuck in the log and the Frank takes the chance to swing his langseax as hard as he can hitting the Caetrati in the back of the head only for the helmet to block the blow making the man jump in pain from the powerful blow.
The Frank then grabs a hold of the Iberian's shoulders and thrusts the langseax into his opponent's chainmail enough to cut into his skin. Clenching his teeth in pain and kicks the Frankish warrior away while inadvertently yanking his gladius away. Clutching the hole in his chainmail the Iberian looks at his hand to see blood and decides to make a break for it where his falarica was in desperate move.
Looking at the gladius hispaniensis in hand the Frank tosses it aside and gives chase and watches as his opponent bends down beside the nearby tree and scoops up his falcata.
The two warriors meets in a clash of swords and the Iberian's longer blade gives him more leverage allowing him to bat the larger Frank's langseax away creating an opening for him to strike and as he goes for a thrust the Frank brings his langseax down knocking the falcata down allowing him to have an opening for himself to attack.
Reacting quickly the Iberian raises his shield and blocks the blow and goes to shove his larger foe away before scooping up his falarica and running off with his two weapons.
Growling in annoyance the Frank once again gives chase and soon the two warriors find themselves in a nearby outcrop. With no where to go the Iberian turns to face the approaching Frank and holds his ground as the larger man comes charging at him with his weapon in hand.
The Iberian raises his shield as the Frank's langseax comes down and chops halfway through his caetra. Letting the shield go the Iberian takes his falcata and quickly tosses it into the Frank's gut easily piercing through the chainmail.
The Frank stops in his tracks as the pain seared through his body and he gasps as the Iberian twists his sword in his gut.
Letting the falcata go he takes his falarica and walks a few feet away from the Frank who can only watch helplessly. The next thing the Frank knew and saw was the Iberian tossing the falarica at him hitting him in the gut and the combustible material ignites engulfing the Frank in flames.
The Frankish warrior screams in sheer pain and agony as the fire burns him alive and the Iberian only smiles at the sight briefly before deciding the man has had a enough suffering. Walking up to the Frank he yanks the falcata out of his gut before kicking him over the rocky outcrop sending his body tumbling to the ground below.
A loud, cracking thud is heard and looking over the edge the Iberian sees the Frank's broken body still slowly burning.
Victorious, he raises his falcata high into the air and screams in victory.
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Winner: Iberian Caetrati
Iberian Caetrati: 525
Gladius Hispaniensis: 88
Soliferrum: 135
Falarica: 171
Falcata: 131
Frankish Warrior: 475
Frankish Sword: 155
Angon: 167
Francisca Axe: 86
Langseax: 67
X-Factors
Training: 80/Training: 80
Physicality: 89/Physicality: 93
Endurance: 91/Endurance: 90
Metallurgy: 85/Metallurgy: 87
Ferocity: 93/Ferocity: 93
Killer Instinct: 89/Killer Instinct: 89
Armor Failure Rate
Iron Celtic Helmet: 3% - Iron Spangenhelm: 3%
Chainmail: 10% - Chainmail: 11%
Caetra Shield: 2% - No Shield
Following the conclusion of a stressful back and forth battle it would be the Iberian who would emerge victorious. He barely won with a total of 52.5% compared to the Frankish warrior's 47.5%. It was largely thanks to his superior falcata which chopped the langseax down combined with his specialty in close combat fighting as well as the added surprise of his combustible falarica. The Frank proved to be just as good in close quarters thanks to his technologically advanced sword which hack and slashed the Iberian to death many times over but it wasn't enough.
''I am happy with the results regardless of who won. I was leaning towards the Frank due to his being more advanced in terms of weaponry but the Iberian specializes in close range fighting. Plus, that falarica is something that also pushed him towards final victory.'' DAM commented.
''The Iberian proved to the world their battlefield capabilities when they helped Hannibal destroy the Romans at Cannae. Sometimes you may seem to have an advantage with more advanced metal weapons but against someone who is excellent in close combat you may come up short.'' Zivon said.
''I'm quite shocked, the Iberian didn't seem to have what it takes to win this match for me since he's against an advanced opponent, I was wrong. They were deployed superbly during Cannae and had the Franks and the Iberians met I can now see the Iberians emerging victorious.'' Demigod explained with a shrug.
''I've wanted to have the Iberian on this fic for some time now and the fact that he managed beat the Frank and earn his place as a victor proves to us including him here was the right choice. Another great episode by two more great warriors from history.'' Rice Man concluded.
(The victorious Iberian is seen walking along the path the Frank was walking through from earlier as he continues his way forth to scout the borders of Francia. After doing so he will report back to Hannibal and they may begin their attack on the Franks. Strapped to his back is the Frank's angon, a weapon to replace his soliferrum.)
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Next time on Deadliest Warrior: Rice Man's Edition, it's a battle of the indigenous warriors as two tribesman who resisted invaders to their homeland meet in battle.
Sioux Warrior: The hardened and fearless native American who endured famine and disease.
vs.
Mapuche Warrior: The fearless South American tribesman who resisted the Incas and Spaniards.
WHO IS DEADLIEST?!