Rings of Honor

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Following Shakira's death, a tournament of Baron's was held to determine the 59th Overlord of the Duel of Swords. The five Barons to participate in the event were Anubis Karos, Cory Havoick, Goon, Sartan and Topaz Eludes.

With a final record of 3-1, Cory Havoick was able to push himself beyond his fellow Barons and ascend to the highest title in the Duel of Swords.

Before the Baron's tournament had even concluded, the winner of the second Warlord tournament of 2004, Kaja Adair, was patiently waiting to utilize her prize and challenge for the mantle. Cory's assent to the top did not deter Kaja in her efforts to claim the prize for herself.

Cory chose the challenge to be settled in a best-of-three format and quickly showed to any who doubted him that he deserved to win the Baron's tournament. In a short six rounds, Cory shut Kaja out to claim the first match. The second match lasted longer, however the end result was the same as Cory walked away with a 5-3 victory in ten rounds to secure his first defense of the throne.

Cory's second challenge sparked a little bit of a controversy around the Duel of Swords. Cory called Max Blue's challenge selfish and blatantly claimed he had no respect for the titles of the sport. Opinions were cast on the cork supporting both duelists. Some said the Overlord's words had crossed the line, and others called for Max to be tested. At first Overlord Cory announced his intentions to test Max, but on the day of the challenge, the Overlord elected a single match to decide the fate of the crown. The single match tested both men's limits and remained extremely close throughout the entire twelve rounds. It was only through two quick strikes at the end that Cory was able to take the lead and then extend it far enough to defeat Max 6-4.5.

Cory's next challenger came out of a desire to appease his sense of honor and honor the memory of the fallen Overlord Shakira. Anubis Karos did not hesitate or regret his decision to challenge Cory, but made it clear that this challenge was to honor Shakira's memory and reiterate the fact that she was not defeated in the ring. With a sense of decorum that was lacking in his previous challenge, Cory met Anubis in a best-of-three format. Anubis proved to be determined to prove victorious and was clearly dominant throughout the challenge. In two quick duels, Anubis defeated Cory with a 5-2 in five round and a 5-3 in eight round victories. Initially, Cory had declared himself Renegade after accepting the Third ring, but days later changed his alignment to show his loyalty for the man who ended his reign.