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C1565

As soon as the time was up, the points and rankings were set irreversibly. Everyone was told to quickly make their way back to the teleportation portal, so they could return to the Silvermane Arena.

Hundreds of packs, thousands of wolf half-bloods formed a line as they were seen walking through the teleportation portal for their walk of glory and shame. Since most of the top hunters were in the innermost part of the island, they naturally became the last batch of people to return.

The sound of loud cheers reverberated in the air as the hundreds of thousands of people present at the Silvermane Arena gave a standing ovation as they walked out of the portal. At the same time, the names of the top 20 packs could be seen on the screen.

[Rank 1 - Twilight Fang - 176 creatures - 995 points]

[Rank 2 - Corvin One - 113 creatures - 993 points]

[Rank 3 - Wolf of Karst - 77 creatures - 891 points]

[Rank 4 - Locarios Mechanicus - 88 creatures - 888 points]

[Rank 5 - Blue Warhound - 131 creatures - 870 points]

[Rank 6 - Corvin Two - 92 creatures - 851 points]

[Rank 7 - Locarios Angels - 110 creatures - 832 points]

[Rank 8 - Bone Coyotes - 121 creatures - 818 points]

[Rank 9 - Knight of Karst - 100 creatures - 796 points]

[Rank 10 - Sacred Rose - 122 creatures - 788 points]

As for the final ten packs that made it into the top 20, they were Jester of the rebel group, three from the Talbots' Warhounds, four from other well-known Wolf factions and two more from the Corvin.

This meant the Corvin and Talbots' Warhounds both managed to secure 4 spots in the rankings, demonstrating their respective dominance as they almost grabbed half of the top 20 winners.

But even though both factions achieved great accomplishments, everyone's attention was not on them.

Every pair of eyes in the arena focused their gazes on the last group of people to exit the portal. The one who managed to rank first, was a new, unknown pack of wolves led by the silver wolf, Twilight Fang.

Emery, Morgana, Beowulf, Andrei, Tatyana and Yoro. The six of them passed through the portal with confidence, as they were welcomed by thunderous applause from the crowd.

After the wave of applause died down, all other participants were told to stand on the corner, outside of the arena apart from the 20 packs on the list. The next and final round of the Royal Hunt didn't start immediately as the hunters were given a little time off.

As they prepared and recovered from their condition, everyone wondered what kind of creature they would be up against.

If they were to base their guesses on what happened in past events, they would be randomly faced with selected high-tier Legendary creatures and fight them alone or alongside other groups.

There was also a chance for them to run into a Mythical creature as an opponent. In fact, the creature was already caged under the arena and was just waiting to be unleashed.

While it might seem extremely unfair to those who got the short end of the stick, this particular aspect of the Royal Hunt had always been its main attraction. It was also the reason for its horrific 30 percent death rate and the other 30 percent who chose to give up altogether.

As time ticked towards the final round of the Royal Hunt, up on the VIP balcony, prominent figures and faction leaders were discussing the preliminaries that had just ended.

"It's really a disgrace to let a nobody get first place."

"I agree. This generation is such a disappointment."

"Well, I have to say that Evan is certainly interesting. Does anyone know who he is?"

"The last time I was this impressed was with that wolf kid in the Magus Academy."

"You're right! Now that you said it, I can see some similarities between them!"

Unable to hear any more praise of the new champions, Meryl Locarious with a frown on her face said, "My sources tell me that some of them used to be part of the Corvin."

Hearing that, Lord Rikard Karst immediately turned to the Corvin Patriarch, who was also present to watch the event. "What do you have to say about this matter, Philips?"

Once again, the Karst and Locarious tried to corner the Corvin Patriarch, thinking the man was planning something behind their back. Looking at his colleagues, Philips smiled wryly as he spoke.

"I really have no knowledge of this. And if I did, why would I let him humiliate my own son in front of so many people?"

His words were met with a snort.

"Hah! Who knows what you are planning behind all this."

The fact both the Corvin and the Alpha King's loyal warhounds had so many packs in the top 20 rankings bothered them in a way, especially when there was a chance for a group fight in the final round of the event.

In the front area, a glimmer of smile emerged on the Alpha King Marcus Silvermane's face before he stood up, attracting everyone's attention – participants and spectators alike, and said, "The Wolf bloodline is truly blessed to have such an extraordinary Hunt and amazing warriors participating."

These words once again drew cheers and applause from the audience as they also agreed this year's Royal Hunt was indeed better than usual.

When the Alpha King raised his hand into the air, the arena quickly turned silent as he proceeded to speak. "However, the Royal Hunt is not yet over." Looking at the 20 groups of people who had proven themselves to be the best, he said, "Hunters, prepare for your final hunt."

As those words were spoken, the Alpha King looked toward the man with glasses next to him. Warwick nodded before sending his order.

Moments later, the one-mile radius arena suddenly shook. The ground began to open up as platforms could be seen rising from within, appearing on three different sides of the arena.

Cheers rang through the air as everyone was excited to see what kind of creatures had been prepared for the final hunt. But then, the arena suddenly turned dead silent.

Everyone without exception was shocked and confused when they saw the three platforms were not creatures. In fact, they were familiar figures, three humans, with their bodies bound by chains.

A dark-skinned middle-aged man, widely know as Ridick Karst, a fierce-looking woman with messy white hair, Vivian Locarious, and a renowned rugged-looking rebel leader, Tidus the Chain Breaker.

Ignoring the repercussions of the shocking revelation, the Alpha King's voice rang through the air once again.

"Hunters, this is your final hunt. Earn your glory by killing these criminals!"

To be continued