Tallies for the ranking of the 12 different communities in the tournament took no time at all. The US community came in first with 228 points, and 4 out of the 12 undefeated teams. Followed by Germany, Russia, and China. All with two undefeated teams each and 202, 191, and 159 points, respectively. The French, with 155 points, and the British, with 128 points, both held one team that won all 5 of their matches. India barely beat out the British with 130 points, but all their teams had suffered at least one loss. Egypt, Greco-Romans, Mongolians, Japanese, and Ottomans had scores between 127 and 75.

Though there was a large disparity between the current number 1 community and the lowest, the second part of the tournament would determine who could rightfully claim the top position. One single simulation amongst 12 of the best strategists on Planet 4. This simulation was worth 150 points. Save for the last place Ottoman community every other community had a shot to take home the gold.

First, a small ceremony for the team captains of the undefeated groups was held. Baron and Sun Tzu represented the Chinese community. Nicholas Adams, George S. Patton, Ulysses S. Grant, and Sara Triton had won the US community this same honor. Erwin Rommel and Gebhard von Blucher remained undefeated for their German community. As for Russia, it was Georgy Zhukov and Aleksei Brusilov. For France, it was Napoleon who prevailed. Lastly, Queen Boudica of Britain won all of her battles as well.

Many prizes were distributed to these team captains. There were blueprints, money, and all of the new recognition, respect, and reputation. Their names, along with their accomplices would be known the world over if they weren’t famous already. Which half of them were. This tournament served as a sort of debut for some of the participants. Particularly for the American, Russian, and German communities who had spent massive amounts of resources so that their strategists could place highly. Said communities were some of the newest ones, and they had a lot to prove to the world.

A banquet in honor of the victorious team captains commenced right after the announcement ceremony. As the 12 captains shuffled into the room, it was naturally Sun Tzu’s position to speak as he was one of the undefeated teams as well as the tournament being under his name. Boudica, George Patton, Erwin Rommel, Gebhard von Blucher, Ulysses Grant, Nicholas Adams, Sara Triton, Baron, Georgy Zhukov, Aleksei Brusilov, and Napoleon all showed their respect to Sun Tzu before he started.

“Well done all. You have all proved yourself to be some of the best strategists. As such, this would be a great time for us to get to know each other better as some of you are quite new to the scene,” Sun Tzu spoke as he scanned the room. First, he looked at Baron, then Sara Triton, Nicholas Adams, Napoleon, Zhukov, and so on. “Let’s get to know each other, in an environment full of our peers.”

As soon as those words fell out of his lips, Boudica was the first to act. Leading Sara Triton to talk to her alone in a flash. She did so in such a way that it came off as rude. Everyone looked to the pair of ladies for a moment before socializing amongst themselves. Sun Tzu had no trouble initiating conversations as he had been practicing for literally thousands of years. A few of the others did so after a slight pause. However, Baron was approached first by Nicholas Adams as well as the two others from the US community.

“Baron, I’d like you to meet-” Nicholas started.

“Ulysses S. Grant, and George Patton. Yes. I’ve researched so much about you two. I am a big fan,” Baron revealed, perhaps a bit too excitedly.

“Oh! Well, I don’t know if anything I’ve accomplished is that praiseworthy,” Ulysses admitted.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Your actions have impacted America more than you can know. Even if you didn’t want to be the president, there’s no doubt you were a pretty good civil rights leader,” Baron complimented.

“Haha, well, I wish I could’ve done more for my country.”

“Don’t we all, that’s why we are in this profession, is it not?” Nicholas pondered aloud.

“George Patton, Mr. Old blood and guts, without you, who knows how the Second World War would have unfolded,” Baron continued.

“Of course, my contributions are unmatched, after all. In terms of mobile warfare, not even that Erwin Rommel is my equal. Those Nazis were not a match for me at all. At least I helped to end the Nazis, they won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again,” Patton remarked with a sly smile as if remembering old memories.

Baron quickly glanced at Nicholas, but neither said anything. Just a long silence that even the most social turtle could tell was awkward. Patton’s smile faded.

“What! What do I not know?”

“...Sadly, in my time during the early 21st century, that ideology still prevails...in America,” Baron said slowly.

“No! What? Are you seriously telling me that the war against a fascist totalitarian state I helped to end never ended?”

“I can’t say for sure for anything after 2020, since that’s the year I died, but maybe Nicholas has the answer.”

“Ummm, wow, I can’t believe I’m being put on the spot here. The answer is that it certainly has died down, but it still exists in pockets around the world.”

“Hold on, what about the oppression of minorities? I have spent so much of my life dedicated to fighting that, tell me that gets solved?” Grant questioned.

“In my time, that was quite a dividing factor among a lot of politicians, and the public as well. At least, that was my impression when I visited the US for a few months,” Baron revealed.

“You know what! Forget this! It isn’t under my control anymore. I’ve got a question for you, Baron.”

“And what would that be?”

“Do you realize how fortunate you are that the circumstances all lined up for you to become one of the 12 uncontested teams? By all rights, your fourth match against those Japanese fellows should’ve ended your winning streak. Not to mention, the forfeiture of the Indian team you went up against is absurd. Those three would have given me quite a bit of trouble, not to mention you, a relatively inexperienced boy in a world full of larger than life legends among men. I mean you no ill-intent.”

“Patton, it seems like the rumors of you are true. Words as blunt as a club. However, I agree with your observations. I was lucky, that is all.”

“Luck can only get you so far, so you better hone your skills as best as you can. Frankly, your performance in the last battle was pretty ineffective and atrocious. Anyway, Grant and I have been wanting to meet a few of the others in attendance for a long time now. So I'm going to leave now.” And off they went.

“Yeah, he’s a bit much, isn’t he?” Nicholas Adams asked Baron.

“I’ll say, although I expected him to be a lot more egotistical than what he demonstrated.”

“Death and living for centuries afterward do change some people’s behavior. Whether for better or for worse,” Nicholas commented.

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you.”

“Ask away, Baron.”

“What is George Washington up to? I haven’t heard anything from the man. It seems as if there are just no traces of him here.”

“George Washington...is sort of a sore topic for us.”

“Why is that? I thought someone as instrumental to the American community would be a sort of celebrity here.”

“He is or was rather. Though he was not the best of the best in terms of strategic prowess, he was given an offer to participate in Luca’s challenge almost immediately upon his arrival to this planet. He took the challenge, and now, we don’t know what has happened to him. We can only assume he, like the hundreds of others who failed the challenge, will never be seen again. He was way before my time, so I’ve been told.”

“That’s unfortunate, I was hoping to meet him. Rebelling against the dominant world superpower at the time, even if they weren’t at their peak, is a bold move. Even more so for someone who isn’t all that great at warfare.”

“No kidding. Oh, hold on. I think Boudica is done talking to my girlfriend," Nicholas said as Sara Triton walked towards them from Boudica’s circle. “Sara, this is Baron, the fellow that I have told you about was in my war room. Baron, this is Sara, the love of my afterlife.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Triton. May I ask if Boudica invited you to join in her new community?” Baron asked.

“Yeah, some nonsense along those lines. How did you know?”

“A friend was approached with the same offer.”

“I see, is your friend interested in the offer?”

“From what I gather, she’s not seriously considering it.”

“That is my attitude towards this matter as well. However, if they manage to make a brilliant showing in the Death Match Tournament, I might consider it.”

“Hang on, what?” Nicholas had to interject.

“Yeah, I mean, they do have some valid points. Most people on this planet are guys, like 95% at a conservative estimate. In some communities, it is essentially 100%. Going with them for a fresh start and like-minded individuals, might not be so bad.”

“I thought you loved the US community?”

“I do, but just like any other community, there are a lot of flaws that are so ingrained in the culture and mindset of its people that it will rarely change. Sexism is a big part of that.”

“Didn’t you tell me that you wanted to rise above all of those bastards’ expectations and prove them wrong? That was the first thing you said when we met.”

“Umm. How about I leave you two to talk about this, this seems personal,” Baron said as he slowly backed up. However, the couple in front of him did not even pay him any attention as he left.

“Yes, that is what I said when I first met you. 40 years in the US armed forces, plus I don’t even know how many centuries of being on Planet 4. My conviction is strong, but it is starting to waver.”

“I’m sorry, the pressures that you undergo is not something I can comprehend. I hope you decide to stay. The US might not be perfect, but it is the country you and I call home. I will be sad to see you go.”

“Stop doing that. That is so uncharacteristic of you. It freaks me out a little bit. Plus, I haven’t decided yet. You can stop acting so sappy now. I know you are just messing with me.”

“Heh, you know me so well.”

Nicholas and Sara then went around and introduced themselves to the other undefeated champions. For the most part, they were still relatively young in the competitive scene of Planet 4. They haven’t made too much of a name for themselves. Although being part of this group was one hell of a way to debut their skills.

Baron introduced himself to the others as well. However, he would turn the conversation towards Luca’s Challenge. There was just so many unknowns about it that no one else cared to elaborate. However, his results were poor. The only thing he learned that he hadn’t already known was that no one was allowed to talk about their experiences with those who haven’t taken the challenge yet. That explained a lot.