The Great Demon System

Chapter 434: Award Ceremony (1)

With its winner decided, the tournament finally came to its conclusion, yet the air of excitement never left the looming air.

The spark of fireworks followed by the crowd's boisterous cheers and the world-famous band, Baiken, playing its song of celebration marked the beginning of the award ceremony as one by one, in order of status, the top thirty-two fighters of the tournament proudly entered through the main gates.

One would expect nothing but upbeat smiles and a deep sense of pride from these people, however, reality was very different.

Some remained rather quiet and reserved like Regrit Oswald and Adam walker, and others did indeed arrive with their heads held high and their spirits over the moon, but in the same breath, there were people kicking dust with a frown of disappointment and anger upon their faces, some even with a hint of fear and anxiety.

Nearly every single person within that line belonged to a family with considerable prestige, and a varying degree of tolerance and expectations. And with so many families who had such high regard for their children, there were bound to be several crushing disappointments.

These expressions of gloom and anger were suppressed for the eyes of the public, yet to their fellow classmates who stood mere inches away, it was more than apparent. It was something that the victors found great delight in and further boosted their ego and extensive grins, yet even still, all that paled in comparison to the sheer presence one of them displayed— it was as though he possessed his very own gravitational force attracting the eyes of all, and how could he not after such a showing?

Of course, that man was none other than Moby Kane.

With both the grace and rigidness befit of soldiers, they all lined up upon the stage, their hands clasped behind their backs looking up expectantly at the canopy of judges above. And as they did, they could not help but notice there was something, or rather someone very crucial missing…

♦️ ♦️ ♦️

"Hey, do you have any idea where the supreme general is? I get he's supposed to have a dramatic late entrance and all, but shouldn't he have been here by now?" Vilhelm Ortiz, leader of the hunters guild subtly leaned over and whispered towards the chair to his side where the queen of flames, Ashley Orbec sat.

"The hell if I know." She shook her head. "But, knowing the supreme general, I wouldn't worry," She casually ignored his plight.

"I agree with lady Orbec here," Yuria interjected. "The general is both a strong and handsome man… He shouldn't be too long…" Her subtle smile took over her face as she crossed her legs and adjusted her hair.

"Yeah, I get that! But this is weird… All my time knowing the supreme general he's never been this late… I'm getting kinda worried…"

"Worried for what?" Gray could not help but chuckle. "Supreme general Cade Walker is very capable I'm sure you know. What would be able to loiter someone like him?" He casually commented.

"Hmmm… You know, he hasn't been acting very well lately… It's very… odd…" Principal Rayna Davis suddenly interjected.

"Not feeling well? You mean he's sick or something!?" Vilhelm blurted, his expression filled with clear worry.

"I'm not exactly sure…" She shook her head, trying to formulate an answer.

"She's right," Ashley sighed, drawing all attention now towards her.

"Right about what!?"

"The supreme general has been acting very odd. I've noticed it all day, it's like he's been hiding something. And it couldn't have been more apparent than after his grandson lost."

"Ah… Yes, I do admit that was rather out of character for a man like him…" Gray pondered. "But, at the same time, it's something wholly understandable. A man of high stature such as he must be under much stress, and he kept that hidden away from us all. I assume when his grandson lost so unexpectedly, he let it all out. Also, it is only natural for him, the supreme general to have various secrets, I do not see that as any problem." He spoke with a serious tone.

"Think what you wanna think, I know that there's something deeper going on and I plan to get to the bottom of it." She shrugged, only to be interrupted by the sound of sudden footsteps and a voice that startled even her from behind.

"Ahh— It seems so lively here now that all the tenseness has faded! What were you all discussing in my absence? From the looks of it, it seemed rather interesting."

"S— Supreme general! You're here!"

"Hmmm, yes, it does appear to be so. At least I think it's me." He jested, inspecting and patting his body with an open smile before he sat upon his throne-like chair looking down towards the crowds and the victors awaiting their award.

"Greetings to you all! I'm sure you know me quite well by now, so I won't bother with introductions. This tournament has truly been a spectacle. In all my years of experience and in all the countless tournaments I've spectated, nothing could match the sheer spectacle and calibre displayed today! It was certainly an honour that I could live to witness it! Truly, as the supreme general, watching the future generation fight has filled me with so much hope for our people! Everyone most definitely worked hard, and it showed! Not even I could have predicted the outcome!" He chuckled to himself as he addressed the crowd cheering and clapping, proudly congratulating the contestants.

"Now! Without further ado! Before we judges propose our offering to today's winners, let us present them with the awards they deserve! Let the ceremony begin!" He raised his hands up into the sky, and fireworks once again sparkled in the heavens above before the announcer took over where the supreme general had left off.

"ALLRIIGHHTTT!! Ladies and gentlemen! I don't know what I can say that's not already been said several times! So, I'll save you the talk and do what you all came here for! Give these winners what they deserve!" He pointed one finger to the sky with overexaggerated flair, his blond, gelled back hair wobbling like jello in the breeze.

"First is our prizes for our top thirty-two! Your reward will be something very simple but still more than exciting! Each of you will walk away with fifty million dollars!"

A light shined upon the arena, sixteen beams abruptly striking the ground mere inches in front of the feet of several students. And as the light faded away, it revealed a table were laid a single ring, encrusted in gold and engraved with red glowing words, mystical in nature.

Clearly, it was a storage ring that housed what they had won, yet at the same time, it served as an excellent award of distinction— a unique ring marking them forever as victors, better than any trophy they may have asked for.

In unison, these sixteen students gazed upon their reward and eagerly or hesitantly grabbed it, placing it on their fingers. And as they did, the table that housed what they claimed suddenly disappeared as if it were never there.

"Next is our prizes for our top sixteen! Your reward will be a varied assortment of rare training items to aid you in your training! Keep them safe and use them cleverly! They are extremely rare and nearly impossible to find and buy!!"

Eighth more beams of bright light struck in front of the next eight students, and in its stead appeared a nearly identical table. The only discernible difference was that the ring was coloured ruby red and appeared far more expensive than the last, signifying a superior rank.

"It's time for the top eights! Not only will you get TWICE as many training items, but you will also have a chance to attend a special training session with the supreme general himself where he might teach you some special secrets! This goes for all who ranked eighth or above, not just from eight to four!"

"Now! We have our top four prizes! The two of you who were just shy of the finals! And for you, we have something special! Each of you has won a voucher to freely choose a single weapon or item from the military's maximum-security vault housing some of the rarest items in the entire world! We knew you most likely, each of you had different opinions and preferences, so we decided to give YOU the choice! We hope you're satisfied!!"

As expected, there appeared a table before them with a white ring at its center.

The first of the top fours grinned eagerly ogling his ring, puffing out his chest and grabbing his ring with pleasure, yet whilst he did that, the other who stood to his side was unusually silent.

"Tch… Hope you're satisfied huh…" Regrit Oswald mumbled in a voice nearly indiscernible to the ear before for the first time, taking a single glance up towards the audience and grabbing his ring. It was as though the world was a complete, empty void to him; he was barely aware of his surroundings and the many gazes on him from not only the audience and judges but also his fellow classmates.

"ALLLRIGHHHTTT!! It's time to award our second place winner! Adam Walker! Not enough good could be said about how overly unexpectedly good and thrilling that finals was! And as such, I think we've chosen a very fitting reward! At least, that's what it said on my script…" He began chuckling to himself in front of the now confused crowd.

"It seems to be something top secret only for you. But that is all I know on that end. Still, whatever it is, I'm more than certain you will enjoy it!"

The table that now appeared seemed far different from all the rest, gray with blue, liquid-like lights flowing through like several intersecting rivers. And in its center was a pitch-black ring shadowy in nature. It was almost as though it was custom made with him in mind as the wielder.

"I shall humbly accept this reward. Thank you all for your generosity." He bowed before raising his head. "As I was previously unconscious, I did not get the opportunity to address all those who came to cheer me. I will not come here to apologize if I disappointed any of you. Because the answer to that is clear, I tried my absolute hardest, and I did not dissapoint. Moby Kane was simply the better fighter, that is no secret. This… Defeat... was a first-time experience for me, and like all things in life, I shall use it as a learning opportunity. It seems like I finally have something to strive for…" He giggled genuinely for the first time out of battle before grabbing his ring and turning his head.

"I did not have the chance to properly thank you for such an experience. I could never have imagined it, it was truly wondrous." He brought out his hands towards the man to his side going for a handshake, taking the initiative, unlike the last time.

"Yes, that battle really was something to remember. I hope we spar once again in the future. Not as fellow enemies or students, but as rivals or even comrades!" Moby fully accepted and shook his hand, and Adam's grin shone brighter.

"Like-wise."

The crowd joined in unison for such a moment, and even the announcer could not help but comment. Both sides, previously mortal enemies supporting their party cheering as one voice, truly a sight to behold.

"Now! Is the moment you've all been waiting for! The award for our champion! Moby Kane! It is something not physical, nor is it something one would be prepared for! His reward will be what has always been given out to every single winner over the history of this grand tournament! A reward usually reserved for heroes of war! You will be allowed to wish for a single wish that lands within the power of the military! Of course, there are limitations that will be deeply specified such as no killing the innocent or no wishing yourself to become supreme general! BUT! If one were to think creatively, this might be worth several times that of anything else awarded today!"