I respectfully wish people would not use the term 'battle' between 2 players.
I go for my silvers and bronzes - I dont care what the name of the gold holder is.
Tabs, I would understand a little more if you didn't like referring to it as a 'war', but what's wrong with battle?? I think battle is the perfect word. It creates great competition and really allows players to extract as much as they can out of levels because of the bar being raised.
However, if it bothers you, as it clearly does, I will change my viewpoint regarding your efforts to see it more as a 'relentless strive for excellence'.