The captain started at the northern end of the cliffs. She stepped off the eagle and approached the first group of survivors.
“What’s your name?” She asked.
“Renata,” A tall woman with short brown hair answered.
Jean-Pierre leaned into Zachary and whispered, “Daybreakers gang, she’s the second in command of their little group.”
They could hear but were too far away to see her pile of anima crystals and summoning cards.
“Next.” The captain said.
“Sergio,” A bearded man with tanned skin answered.
“Their leader,” Jean-Pierre whispered.
After the Daybreakers, the next group was Riverside Village. They had the most people but only a few had good expressions. Zachary noticed that Katherine was among them, her small stature almost hidden by others. He was sure that she would make it through. He didn’t know why but he just knew.
After Riverside Village was their group, Roan Oak Village. Each person declared their name and presented their contributions. The captain quietly noted their points in a notebook. She didn’t even change her expression at the large number of soul orbs. Once done, she left without a word.
Zachary let out the breath he had been holding and glanced toward the south. Some distance away, there was the Dark Star Gang. He recognized Casimir but nobody else. Further down, there was only one group left. Aaron White stood tall at the edge of the cliff. He exuded confidence and strength, as if he owned the whole place. Even the captain’s menacing aura could not suppress him.
Zachary snorted in annoyance. That person was his biggest competition. It had been true when they first landed on this beach and it was still the case.
The captain mounted her eagle and flew up once more. The scores were all counted. It was finally time for the results. A collective silence fell over the jungle as the survivors looked up at the person who would judge their fate. Even the soldiers scattered across the beach didn’t utter a sound.
“I have sixteen people here,” The captain waved her notebook, “Luckily, there were no ties for the sixteenth place. I have ranked you according to your scores. Listen carefully, these rankings are important.”
“First, Aaron, one hundred and five points!”
Carlos cursed. Shuhua sucked in a cold breath. Even Zachary couldn't help but frown. Getting over one hundred points was ridiculous.
“What a showoff,” Heather muttered.
“Second, Zachary, seventy-six points!”
His score was less surprising but still earned him a few looks. He was now one of the frontrunners.
“Third, Casimir, sixty-eight points!”
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“Fourth, Sergio, sixty-seven points!”
“Fifth, Thomas, sixty-five points!”
Heather snorted, “He took most of the points for himself.”
Thomas Harrington was the leader of Riverside Village and one of her biggest rivals throughout the past year. She was happy that he was so selfish, unlike her. It meant that other members of Riverside Village wouldn't be able to compete.
“Sixth, Elke, sixty points!”
“Seventh, Theo, sixty points!”
Zachary frowned. He didn’t recognize those names. If he had to guess, they had to be the two people that followed Aaron White. They were definitely not pushovers.
“Eighth, Jan, fifty-nine points!”
Zachary knew the name but not the face. According to Heather, that person was the deputy leader of the Dark Star Gang.
“Ninth, Jean-Pierre, fifty-eight points!”
“Ah! There I am, good!” Jean-Pierre said cheerfully.
“Tenth, Renata, fifty-seven points!”
She was the deputy of the Daybreakers so her position was expected. As for who came after her...
“Eleventh, Nellie, fifty-five points!”
“Twelfth, Shuhua, fifty-five points!”
“Thirteenth, Carlos, fifty-four points!”
“Fourteenth, Heather, fifty-three points!”
“Yes!”
“We did it!”
Heather hugged Nellie. Nellie hugged Shuhua. Even Carlos received a hug from Shuhua. They were all ecstatic.
“Haha!”
“Yeah!”
Jean-Pierre stood next to Zachary and grinned, watching the four of them laugh and cry.
“See?” He said.
“I never doubted you,” Zachary replied.
Jean-Pierre slapped his back, “That’s my good brother, haha!”
Zachary chuckled.
While they were celebrating, the captain announced the last two places.
“Fifteenth, Seojun, fifty points.”
“Sixteenth, Katherine, forty-eight points.”
She barely made it.
Zachary glanced in her direction again only to find her looking at him too. Her green eyes were still so bright and clear, even from a distance. He felt an uncomfortable pang in his chest and looked away.
It wasn’t attraction. It wasn’t longing. He didn’t feel that way towards her. Perhaps he never had.
Instead, she was someone who represented his past. She was connected to the Ice Saint Beast Cult. Her presence reminded him of Yaoyao, of what he had lost, of his weakest moments, the days and weeks where he had almost lost the will to live, the will to fight and survive.
But he was a different person now.
“Hey.” Jean-Pierre nudged him.
The captain had started talking again.
“… Those who did not make the cut, that’s too bad. You can only wait for your souls to perish in the New World. I won’t kill you but let me give you a warning. You are still criminals who deserve death. The Republic will soon establish a colony here. At that time, I better not see any of you around here.”
Her glare told them all that she was completely serious about her threat.
“As for the lucky few, tomorrow, you will face your final challenge. I have four pardons. There are sixteen of you. I am sure you can guess what is going to happen… We will hold one-on-one summoner duels. It will be free-for-alls, no rules. Whoever remains standing in the end will be the winner. Heh… You just have to win two duels to win your freedom. This is the most gracious gift the Republic can give you.”
Zachary glanced behind him at Heather and the rest. They had worked together to hunt the seagulls. They were battle-hardened allies. Now, they had to fight each other?
The captain continued, “For the first round, your opponent will be determined by your ranking in the first challenge. It can be considered your seeding. The first seed will duel the sixteenth seed. The second seed will duel the fifteenth place. So on and so forth. After the first round, there will be eight of you left. For the second and final round, we won’t care about seeding. Your opponent will be randomly drawn... That is all, you have until tomorrow morning to prepare.”
With that, she patted her eagle and soared into the sky, leaving the beach and the survivors to their own devices. Whether they started killing each other like the previous night or if they decided to make new alliances, it didn’t matter to her.
Zachary looked up at the sky with a sigh, “Two duels and we can go home. Wander, are you ready?”
“Haha! Bring it on!”
---
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