BXBX NOVEL Chapter 331 : Finals; Begin!
"All of you will be transferred into a different plane where you will be faced with waves of enemies. Said enemies could either be demons, humans, fierce beasts, etc. We introduced variety to truly determine the ceiling of your skills and help you judge your performance better."
"The more waves of enemies you defeat, the stronger and larger their number becomes. Of course, you will be given a brief period of rest in between waves. Any kind of restorative skill, technique, or something that falls under this category will be neutralized and could only be used during the designated resting period after each wave to make things fair for everybody."
"Skills or techniques that leave a lasting effect on the battlefield, like flaming grounds, toxic rain and puddles, thunderstorms, etc., will be cleared after each wave. Again, this is for the sake of fairness."
"Your results will be decided by how many waves you cleared. Obviously, the higher your final rankings were, the richer the rewards you\'ll get. Are there any questions or violent reactions? If you do, say them now because once the finals begin, it won\'t be paused just to entertain your curiosity."
Cedric spoke at a moderate pace for everybody, ensuring that they could all follow and analyze the rules of the final challenge. He deliberately scanned the crowd to see if there was anybody who wanted to ask a question, but even after a minute, nobody raised a hand.
"Alright, it seems that there are none." Cedric smirked. "We\'ll give you 10 minutes to prepare for the final challenge. Afterwards, we\'ll begin with the finals."
After saying this, Cedric waved his hand, and he, along with the High Marshals, disappeared from everybody\'s sight.
He didn\'t take them far. He just took them directly above the large and fluffy clouds above the collesium to wait. This is where he was previously before he made an appearance earlier.
Seeing as how there\'s tables and chairs here, above the clouds, waiting for them, made the High Marshals wear strange expressions. It\'s so weird and unnecessary, but they can\'t really complain. Besides, there\'s a first time for everything. Who could seriously say that they\'ve experienced drinking tea while riding a cloud?
Not a lot—that much they could tell...
"It\'s been a while since I last saw you all. Sorry if I was MIA for the most part; I\'ve been preoccupied with things I can\'t really reveal right now." Cedric\'s apologetic and soft voice echoed in their ears, shaking them off of their stupor.
They panicked and hurriedly told him that there was no need for him to apologize and that they completely understood.
"Actually, it should be us who should apologize for troubling you with something this trivial." Filius stated, "We should\'ve known that you were occupied with other things that are far more important than this event."
"That\'s right," the other High Marshals droned.
"Oh, no. It\'s not really troublesome." Cedric made a gesture of dismissal. "I needed a break anyway. Besides, how could I miss such a grand event like this? Isn\'t this what we\'ve fought so hard for? If anything, I\'m actually really honored to be a part of this, so please don\'t feel burdened."
His polite and enthusiastic words comforted the high marshals as much as they made them uncomfortable. Truly, this Sun Sage of theirs was one of a kind. Not only was he unfathomably powerful, he\'s also humble and polite. He didn\'t put on any airs in front of them. He gave them due respect according to their seniority.
This not only inflated their egos but also made them feel ashamed.
Their conversation flowed by, and soon, the ten-minute grace period for preparation was over. Cedric excused himself and appeared in front of the participants again.
He smiled when he saw their combat readiness and said, "I see that you guys are ready. Well then, without any further ado, let\'s begin the finals."
Cedric shifted his gaze to the skies. He lifted his hand and swiped it to the side very slowly. With his gesture, a thick purple and silver mist appeared on his palms, which quickly blended with the surrounding environment. In addition, space and time warped around the collesium, bringing about mind-boggling changes within.
Everybody, whether it\'s the participants themselves or the people who are watching at home, gaped at the sheer display of Cedric\'s power.
They all watched as the space within the collesium turned into a world on its own. Space folded and expanded until it became an independent realm. Initially, the space between the participants was only a few dozen inches apart, but as Cedric made his move, that changed too. Soon, the participants found themselves standing in the middle of an isolated field.
Everyone felt and could vaguely see a wall of light seperating their field from the rest. They then saw Cedric standing on the air as if it were a flat surface. It didn\'t seem like he moved at all. Above him was an incandescent sun shining down on all creation, making him look as if he were a god who brought life and light to this tragic field.
This scene, including the warmth they feel due to the sun, definitely left a permanent impression on everyone who\'s watching.
With another wave of his hand, a large system window unfolded before everyone\'s eyes. This one displayed the current wave and time.
"Brace yourselves."
Cedric\'s words echoed in everybody\'s minds. Every participant summoned their weapons and focused on the battlefield to prepare for the first wave of enemies.
"Begin!"
As soon as Cedric declared this, the participants saw a spatial tear within their field, which immediately began vomiting demons. Those who had more experience than the others wasted no time. They immediately culled the number of demons with their techniques and skills before they were swarmed.
The livestream format changed as soon as the survival round began. Those who were watching were given the freedom to focus on a particular participant. They could watch everything, of course, but there were many of them, so it\'s hard to see everything. They\'re not Cedric after all.
One has to know that the number of enemies each participant faced differs depending on whether they were from the Superhuman Bracket or the Planar Traveler Bracket. Obviously, the latter will face stronger and more enemies because of their strength to make things fair and to save time.
Once the final challenge began, everybody\'s attention left Cedric, and he disappeared without any sound. He simply went back to the same area where the High Marshals were and joined them as they watched the final round with great interest.
He brought out tea, coffee, and snacks with him for everyone to enjoy. This made them speechless, but they were quick to accept this strangeness as is.
"Isabella and Garrick will surely dominate the Planar Traveler bracket. There\'s almost no suspense to this," Anthony calmly stated. "The other participants also know this and could only compete for 3rd place and so on."
"Well, they\'re veterans after all," Cassandra responded after taking a sip of her tea. "Besides, they are qualified to participate, so others could only blame their bad luck."
"Isn\'t it too early to say this?" Filius raised a brow. "I mean, yes, they\'re strong, but there\'s got to be a dark horse somewhere, right?"
"That dark horse will only appear later. Besides, whether they are a dark horse or not is something to be determined still," Raven replied.
He then looked at Cedric and asked, "What about you, Sage Cedric? Is there anybody that caught your attention?"
Cedric nearly winced at the way the man referred to him, but he was able to control himself. He hummed briefly and said,
"Well, there\'s nobody so far. But I am paying closer attention to the Superhuman Bracket. The ones at the Planar Traveler bracket are too old and predictable after all."
He wasn\'t lying here. Compared to the performances of the old and experienced, it\'s more refreshing for him to watch how the youngsters performed.
They are the future, after all. If there\'s anybody who\'s daring and flexible enough, it would be them.
And so far, their performance hasn\'t been too disappointing. Sure, most of them were inexperienced, but that\'s to be expected; they\'re young after all. But that doesn\'t mean they can\'t keep up with the changes around them.
The few kids he investigated earlier were performing way ahead of their peers. He saw them panic for a bit, but that\'s fine since they eventually picked themselves up.
They wielded their weapons with purpose and studied the battlefield as they went. Their performance could even put some people in the other bracket to shame.
It was gratifying to see that, at least in terms of combat readiness, the kids aren\'t falling behind the old guys.
With how the finals were set up, it will surely take some time. Who comes out on top is still unknown since it\'s way too early. The only thing left to do for now is to watch and wait.