The crash was so loud that Deon barely heard the splash afterward.

For a second, the entire southern side of Shinso Bridge was filled with shrieks, screams, and roars before they all went silent.

[Environmental Chain Kill Recognized.]

[5 Ruined Infantry defeated.]

[+50 Points Awarded.]

[Current Points: 84]

Deon stared at the panel before glancing at the broken railing, then back at the panel once more.

...Eighty-four, just like that? No, not really. I nearly had my face torn open and was lucky enough that the sedan was in a spot I could exploit.

Even so, a slow grin nearly spread across his face before he caught himself.

Don’t get excited. Don’t get excited. The game is trying to make you excited. You’ll look like an absolute maniac if you do.

But damn, it was hard not to.

"D-Deon..."

Hana’s voice came from much closer than he expected.

He looked down.

Only then did he realize that at some point before the sedan crashed through the railing, he had thrown one arm over her head and pulled her against him. His body had moved before his thoughts could catch up, shielding her from the burst of shattered stone and flying metal.

Hana was half-buried against his chest, both hands pressed awkwardly between them, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

"..."

"..."

Deon blinked before letting go, coughing into his hand. "Ah...ahem, right. Debris."

"Exactly."

"Mm."

"Don’t make that face."

"What face?"

"That face."

"I’m not making any face."

Hana lowered her head slightly, but the small smile on her lips betrayed her immediately.

Deon clicked his tongue and turned away, realizing that they weren’t in the home stretch just yet.

A few Hounds still lingered near the southern entrance.

After the Infantry had been thrown into the river, the survivors had stopped charging. They twitched where they stood, heads jerking between Deon and the broken railing.

Deon raised his katana again, expecting another head-first charge, but surprisingly...one took a step back.

Then another.

Then, as if some invisible signal called them back, the remaining Hounds scattered. Some crawled over the wrecked cars, others slipping through the gaps between fallen buildings, but all had vanished back into the ruined city.

Deon watched them go, grip loosening as he desummoned his katana.

These things aren’t just game monsters, are they? Seems like they have instincts, and they know whether they were predators...

Or had become prey.

Maybe they were real. Maybe everything here was real.

Deon managed to catch himself. Thinking like that now would only slow him down. There was only one thing he needed to do after all:

Survive and win.

He glanced over toward the empty road before turning around to check on the North side.

Jason stood near the front with his shield raised, chest heaving like he had been holding back a flood with his own body. Several claw marks scraped across the surface of the shield, deep enough that Deon could see how close some of those things had gotten.

Celine stood a few steps behind him, her quiver completely empty, but she was standing.

And Levi...well, he looked completely fine, like he never doubted he could clear this Round easily.

The last ball of flame vanished from his palm as the final Hound crumbled in front of him.

Then a panel appeared in front of all of them.

Ding!

[Defense Phase Complete.]

[Team 1 has successfully defended Shinso Bridge.]

[First Round of Musical Chairs has ended.]

They managed to regroup at the center, all staring at the message and the light that was emitting from their Flag.

Hana let out a breath so long it sounded like she had been holding it since the barrier broke. "It’s...over?"

"For now," Deon muttered.

Jason lowered his shield and nearly dropped it. "Thank God..."

Celine sank to one knee before plopping over onto a piece of concrete, catching her breath.

Before anyone could continue, another panel unfolded in the air above the Chair.

[Waiting Phase Initiated.]

[Please wait while the next Round is prepared.]

[Remaining Teams: 10]

[Remaining Contestants: 42]

Deon stared at the numbers and did the math in his head. Something about it wasn’t right.

Only ten teams? So five teams were gone. It’d been fifteen teams prior...

Three teams must not have found Chairs in time... and two others probably reached theirs, only to fail the Defense Phase.

Deon glanced at the number of remaining contestants. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It should add up to fifty. Which means...some teams lost members trying to defend.

"Tch...that rabbit thing was right," Deon clicked his tongue. "Almost sixty percent on the dot."

Hana heard him, coming to the same conclusion. She gagged, but managed to clamp a hand over her mouth before she could throw up.

A lot of people died...

But what could he even say? Were they just luckier with Cards? That they were more skilled? That the others should’ve tried harder?

All of it sounded disgusting.

Deon shook the thoughts away first. There was no use mourning strangers. But even as he told himself that, his eyes drifted toward Hana, who was still trying to steady her breathing.

After a brief hesitation, he placed a hand on her back and patted it slowly, awkwardly, the way someone close to him used to do for him.

Deon turned away, opening the Leaderboard almost by instinct.

[Leaderboard]

[1. Levi Knox — 96 Points]

[2. Deon Day — 84 Points]

[3. Mira Solenne — 76 Points]

"...Ninety-six?"

Levi glanced over, trying to hide the grin on his face. "Problem?"

His eye twitched as he stared at the actor.

How the hell is he above me AGAIN!? Damn it...that bastard really did put me on the side with fewer Points.

His side was probably packed with Hounds...which was perfect for his [Fireball] Card to wipe everything.

But still, even with Celine and Jason...Ninety-six divided by—wait, no, that’s not how it works. Whatever. Too many Hounds!

He looked at Levi with narrowed eyes. "You planned this."

"I didn’t," the actor simply shrugged. "Believe it or not, you decide."

"Using my own line against me, Levi?!"

But when the actor didn’t respond, he simply sighed, opening the Leaderboard again and looking at the third name. "Do you know who Mira Solenne is?"

Levi, who had been checking something on his own panel, looked up.

"Yes."

"Wait, really? She famous or somethin’?"

"I worked with her once," Levi said, swiping through his panel. "Once. She was assigned as my private bodyguard during an overseas shoot."

Deon glanced back at the Leaderboard.

[3. Mira Solenne — 76 Points]

"A bodyguard?" he muttered.

"Former bodyguard," Levi corrected. "Though calling her only that undersells her."

"She’s...skilled," the actor closed his panel before looking at the distant horizon. "During that shoot, we got caught in a bank robbery."

"Yet she single-handedly took care of that whole case even before police arrived on the scene."

"That’s right..." Deon muttered, vaguely remembering the news of that exact same incident a few years ago.

Hmm...so third place wasn’t some lucky contestant who found a good Card and farmed weak monsters.

If third place already had that kind of background, then fourth and fifth might be just as much of a problem.

Deon expanded the Leaderboard. The list shifted, revealing the next two names beneath Mira’s.

[4. Jason Crowe — 53 Points]

He glanced over at Jason, who was currently being healed by Hana. "You got 53 Points? That’s impressive."

The man scratched the back of his head, looking away. "Yeah...I just finished off the Infantries that Levi and Celine had damaged, that’s all."

But when he looked at fifth place...his whole body froze, visibly stiffening up.

[5. Vivian Queen — 58 Points]

For a moment, the ash drifting across Shinso Bridge, the glowing flag behind him, and even the waves of the black river beneath him all seemed to fade out of focus.

No...why is she here? There’s no way that’s her...

Deon stared at the name once more, and the only muscles that agreed to cooperate with him...were his fingers, as they tightened into a grip at his sides.

"Why are you here..."

"Sis?!"