As the Fifth Duel of the Twelve Battles commenced, the villainous Gurevi-ye Zereh—the dark-souled Turanian champion whose hands were stained with the innocent blood of Prince Siyavash—strode into the arena like a ferocious div. Against him rode Giv, the valiant son of Goudarz. Without a word of hesitation, the two warriors spurred their warhorses, driving their lances into each other with such fury that it seemed they were blending venom with blood. The sheer force of their collision was so tremendous that the iron spearheads snapped cleanly from their shafts under the terrifying shock.
Dropping the broken lances, they reached for their bows of tough poplar wood, circling and charging at one another like ravenous leopards. Yet Giv harbored a fierce, singular purpose in his heart: he sought not to slay Gurevi outright, but to drag the murderer alive from his saddle. He vowed to bring Siyavash’s butcher back in heavy chains to Shah Kay Khosrow—a sacred, living offering of royal retribution.
With a blood-curdling roar, Giv bore down upon his adversary. Terror seized Gurevi’s heart, and his bow slipped from his trembling fingers. As the Turanian reached desperately for his broadsword, Giv gave him no respite. Raising his heavy steel mace, Giv struck Gurevi squarely upon his helmet. The force of the blow shattered his armor, causing dark crimson blood to stream from his crown down over his face. Before Gurevi could recover, Giv leaned out from his saddle, seized the dazed champion around the waist, and squeezed him with crushing strength. Stripped of all vitality, Gurevi slid from his horse and fell senseless onto the dusty earth.
Leaping down like a warlike panther, Giv bound the murderer's arms tightly behind his back with cords as unyielding as solid rock. Mounting his steed once more, Giv drove his bound captive on foot before his galloping horse all the way back to the Iranian encampment. High upon the rocky ridge, Giv held his battle-banner aloft, his triumphant shouts resounding across the valleys as he invoked blessings upon King Kay Khosrow and the victorious champions of Iran.