The finals were nearing their end. Only a handful of people left from the hundreds that went in earlier.
The audience had long since become numb with shock after seeing the terrifying enemies the participants had to face, especially the ones that appeared at waves 20 and above. If one of these creatures were set free on the continent, havoc and bloodshed would surely follow them.
But at the same time, this also allowed everyone to see hope because, while the enemy was certainly terrifying, their people aren't pushovers either.
The ones that are still fighting for the top rankings of the tournament are all fierce and powerful Superhumans. The skills they displayed were incredibly terrifying; each one was powerful enough to face the threats coming their way.
Amongst the people who are left, there's two people who were just above and beyond the norm—ones that stood on a completely different level than the rest.
Obviously, it's Isabella Frostwind and Garrick Stoneheart.
They were already famous even before joining the tournament because of their active participation in the war for liberation. However, nobody truly saw the complete extent of just how powerful they were back then.
In this tournament, though? They could all see it, and the audience could only say that their reputations were well deserved.
Garrick was on Wave 40 and is facing hundreds of 5th Change Planar Traveler-level enemies. Anyone who's watching the stream with him as the focus would have a difficult time keeping up with what's happening since everything was going on a little too fast.
There's a lot of flashing lights and miserable cries going on in his field. Garrick's greataxe practically turned into a blur with how fast he's swinging that thing around. The earth trembled with his advances, and blood drenched the entire battlefield. The sheer might of his swings caused bits and pieces of flesh to scatter everywhere, painting a hellish scene that displayed Garrick's ferocity.
To everybody's eyes, Garrick seemed to have lost his mind, but in reality, he hasn't. Garrick was in complete control now; he had already put a leash on his barbaric instincts and trained himself to the point of not losing himself in madness. Otherwise, it'd be embarrassing for him if he couldn't even do such a simple thing.
Garrick was like a slaughter mill with an endless energy source. While the rest were still modestly at waves 25 to 30, he has already advanced to wave 40 simply because he didn't need any rest at all. The action in his field never stopped once it started; enemies continuously poured in and were killed soon after they appeared.
Those who were watching his performance had been rendered completely speechless by his amazing stamina. From the very start of the finals up until this point, Garrick hasn't rested at all. He kept going and going, making the audience think that he's a machine instead of a human.
This was the overwhelming advantage of Garrick's Indestructible Vajra Physique. Ever since it matured with him, he found himself being able to tap into seemingly bottomless stamina and endurance.
It's not that it's bottomless or limitless, truly. It's more of an 'absurd recovery speed' for him. Garrick recovers the energy he spent as soon as he uses it; that's why it seems that he's not running out of stamina anytime soon. This has limits, of course, but it would take an insane amount of effort to force Garrick to that point.
The 'Slaughter'King'—that's what people are calling him now.
The third place was a man named Wilson Briggs, the fourth place was a lady named Jessica Denvers, and the fifth place was Mark Redstone.
On the Superhuman bracket, Herny Taylor stood tall in first place, lasting up until wave 51. In second place was Rupert Lockheart, who finished at wave 49. Next was, surprisingly, Rachel Summers, followed by Christopher Miles. The former cleared wave 45 before forfeiting, and the latter was done at wave 43. The fifth place was taken by a young lady named Kaye Parker, who lasted up until wave 42.
The top five for each bracket now stood on a pedestal while the rest of the finalists were gathered below to look up at them. The setting is a bit distasteful, but it can't be helped.
Before the atmosphere turned inexplicably weird, the High Marshals, along with Cedric, appeared to congratulate them.
"Good work, everybody. We, at the Prime Earth Federation, are extremely happy to witness the skills and heroic aura of the new generation," Raven Armstrong stated with a wide smile on his face.
"To reward your efforts, everyone who participated in the finals will be given the position of an Army Officer. This position comes with authority and access to resources that could only be purchased in the army," Cassandra followed up.
This reward caused the finalists' eyes to shine brightly, except for a few people, of course.
"To those at the 50th to the 30th place, they will receive a minimum of 10 King Essence Souls, the first section of any cultivation techniques of your own choice, and one year residence on the outer courtyard of the Law Communion Hall," Anthony Selner declared.
Gasps of shock and surprise were heard from the finalists, followed by elation and thrill. Even the audience was shocked because nobody was expecting such rich rewards.
"For the 29th to 11th place, you will receive a minimum of 100 King Essence Souls, two to three sections of any cultivation techniques of your own choosing, and one year of residence in the Inner Courtyard of the Law Communion Hall. The rewards will be adjusted according to your rankings," Filius Greenwood announced.
"And finally, the 1st to 10th place winners will be given 500 to 1000 King Essence Souls, one to three sections of any of the Planetary Level Cultivation Techniques we have available so far, and five years of residence in the Core Depths of the Law Communion Hall."
"In addition, I will personally create a growing artifact for those at the 1st to 5th rank as an extra reward," Cedric personally announced.
Now, everybody was restless. Even Isabella was visibly moved by this generosity, and if she's like this, one could only imagine how the rest reacted to it.
But whether they're happy or not, it doesn't change the ending of this tour.
Cedric looked at the drone and said, "I'd like to thank everybody for tuning in so far. Please look forward to the next Continental Superhuman Tournament, which will happen five years later. The details will be announced later on the federal site."
"Goodbye, and be kind to each other."