Seojun died. Such fate was a common result of summoner duels with no rules. As long as the summoner died, there was nothing else to fight over.

With his death, his summons were no longer bound to him and they did not have to obey his commands. The bristly worm and poison frog fled in two different directions while the huge beetle still lay on its back.

“Zachary is the winner. Recall your summon!” The captain's voice rang out.

At her words, squads of marines marched onto the field with their iron fur gorillas and ember cats. Two marines carried Seojun's body away while the others went after the wayward beasts that no longer had a master. The bristly worm and poison frog were quickly captured. The huge metallic beetle managed to flip itself right side up. It charged through the encirclement of iron fur gorillas and escaped into the jungle with fire orange fireballs from the pursuing ember cats splashing harmlessly off its tough armor.

The victor of the duel, Zachary, was left with no spoils at all.

Zachary shook his head and recalled all of his summons. He strode off the dueling field as if nothing had happened.

"Great win!" Jean-Pierre said, patting his back.

Heather gave him a quick hug while Nellie, Carlos, and Shuhua greeted him with smiles and congratulations.

Other survivors gave him strange looks, including Thomas of Riverside Village. He wasn't angry that Zachary had killed his deputy, only curious. Zachary had only revealed three summons and one of them was a giant seagull which was a known quantity to everyone. Whoever had to fight him in the second round had little idea what his true strength was.

It was difficult to tell if he was truly strong or if he just got lucky due to an advantageous matchup. Both summoners had chosen the same tactic, strong defense and long-range offense. Zachary won because his strange worm's long-range abilities were too strong, preventing Seojun from doing anything. If Seojun had a summon that could close the distance quickly, as Zachary had with the giant seagull, perhaps the duel would have ended differently.

"You're up against Casimir next. He's a tough one." Zachary said to Heather.

"I'll be fine, I can handle him," Heather replied confidently.

He smiled, "I know."

"Next duel, Casimir versus Heather!" The captain called out.

Heather walked across the dueling field, her gaze on her opponent all the way. Casimir was the same. The two people shared enmity that went back to the beginning. They had fought many times and were irreconcilable. They were both eager to settle the score once and for all.

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"Summoners ready? Begin!" The captain announced as she struck the bell.

Heather and Casimir both started immediately, without waiting to see their opponent's strategy. One summon, two summons, three... Six creatures appeared in front of Casimir, showcasing his prowess as a Six Paths Adept Rank summoner. Looking at the other side, Heather also had six. She was also at the Six Paths Adept Rank. At the beginning of the year, Aaron could claim to be the strongest prisoner with such a level of soul cultivation. Now, others had caught up to him.

Heather's summons included her trusty mantis Toby, her dependable gray wolf Max, Roger the treant, Mary the python, Alan the poison frog, and a golden butterfly with wings the size of an umbrella. She had named it Jenny. It was a recent addition to her lineup less than a week ago. Zachary hadn't seen it in action before.

On the other side, Casimir's summons included two porcupines, a large crocodile, a giant pill bug, a tall stag with wide antlers, and an iron fur gorilla. The appearance of the iron fur gorilla drew a lot of discontent from the republic sailors and marines. They finally knew what had happened to the airship that had been dispatched to this place half a year ago. Although the main culprit was the giant seagull horde, they still blamed Casimir for looting the remains.

The duel began in earnest once all summons were ready. Heather climbed onto Max's back while Casimir got on his stag. After a few hushed commands, the two porcupines found cover behind a large log and prepared to launch sharp quills across the field. On Heather's side, her poison frog hopped onto Roger the treant which provided a more mobile cover as well as an elevated attack position. As for the remaining summons, Jenny stayed on Heather's shoulder while Toby charged at its old foe, the crocodile. Heather's python also slithered forward, choosing the iron fur gorilla as its opponent.

The two porcupines open up with their quills. One aimed for the treant while the other attacked Heather directly. However, before the quills could make it halfway, Heather was already on the move. Under her command, Max dashed across the field toward the porcupines, zig-zagging to avoid subsequent volleys.

Casimir reacted quickly, turning his stag around and galloping toward Heather on an intercept course. Heather and Max veered away as she didn't want a direct clash this early. However, she retaliated with her own long-range attacks as Alan's poison spitballs chased after Casimir and his stag.

This duel was unlike any of the previous ones. Both summoners chose to go all out from the beginning. Both summoners also had mounts so it was a fast-paced, chaotic battle. The cries and howls of Ensouled filled the air, interjected with their summoner's rapid commands.

"Switch targets, fire at the porcupines!"

"Roger, keep moving! Don't just sit there and get hit by the quills!"

"Toby, I'm coming to help!"

Heather and her grey wolf charged towards the fight between her mantis and the crocodile. On one side was the overgrown mantis with a pair of sharp forelimbs that were like swords. The other was a huge crocodile at least five or six meters in length. Its sharp teeth were just as deadly as Toby's blades while its thick hide was tough to cut through. In contrast, the crocodile was too big and slow to catch up to Toby. Every time it snapped its massive jaws; the mantis was long gone.

"Max, pack bond!" Heather commanded once they were close to the action.

"Awooo!"

The gray wolf utilized its special ability that improved its allies in all aspects. Toby's strength increased drastically. With a slash, it easily cut through the crocodile's hide and opened a long bloody wound.

The beast roared in pain and anger.

"Stone skin!" Casimir shouted.

The crocodile's entire body pulsed with energy.

Clang!

Toby's subsequent attack fell onto a surface as hard as stone and his blades no longer had any effect. The two beasts were once again at a stalemate.