The competition officially ended several hours later.
Though truthfully—
Most people mentally considered it over the moment Zael defeated Zuko.
After that battle, the remaining platform exchanges felt almost insignificant in comparison.
By the twenty-four hour mark, the rankings had stabilized completely.
Platform One — Zael
Platform Two — Auralis
Platform Three — Lily
Platform Four — Aurelia
Platform Five — Zuko Blazeheart
Platform Six — Cassian
And the remaining positions filled accordingly afterward.
As the barriers surrounding the platforms slowly deactivated, exhausted participants finally descended back toward the arena floor.
Some looked satisfied.
Others looked frustrated.
Many simply appeared mentally drained after witnessing monsters completely beyond their level.
The central stage rose shortly afterward.
The camp manager stepped onto it calmly while dozens of personnel carried metallic cases and crystal containers behind him.
"Congratulations," the manager announced, his voice echoing throughout the arena.
"You are officially the strongest generation this camp has produced in decades."
The statement immediately caused murmurs throughout the crowd.
Because the manager wasn't someone known for exaggeration.
If he said this generation was exceptional—
Then it truly was.
His gaze swept calmly across the top-ranked awakeners afterward.
"Your rankings will determine your initial privileges upon entering the Gods and Demon Battlefield."
"Resources."
"Mission priority."
"Military authority."
"Protected zone access."
The crowd immediately quieted again.
Because everyone understood how important those things were.
Especially survival priority.
The manager continued.
"The top ten participants will additionally receive special rewards from upper command."
The metallic cases behind him opened instantly afterward.
Rich mana fluctuations spread throughout the arena immediately.
Even veteran instructors watching nearby looked impressed by some of the rewards.
High-grade mana cores.
Rare combat artifacts.
Skill enhancement crystals.
Advanced recovery medicines.
Specialized armor.
Weapon refinement materials.
The rewards were genuinely valuable.
One by one, the top-ranked participants stepped forward.
Auralis nearly looked emotional seeing the quantity of resources handed to her.
"We're rich," she muttered in disbelief.
"You were already rich," Lily replied flatly.
"This feels emotionally different."
Meanwhile, Zuko accepted his rewards casually with the expression of someone picking up laundry rather than treasures valuable enough to start wars in lower cities.
Cassian seemed far more interested in the enhancement crystals instead.
When Zael finally stepped forward, the atmosphere subconsciously shifted slightly.
Not because people knew about his bloodline.
Nobody did.
But because after the competition—
Everyone viewed him differently now.
The manager personally handed him a dark metallic case.
"This was selected specifically for your combat style," he explained calmly.
Zael opened the case slightly.
Inside rested a pair of high-grade dimensional compression bracelets forged from dark silver metal. Intricate runes covered the surface while powerful spatial fluctuations emanated from them faintly.
A high-tier training artifact.
When worn, the bracelets constantly applied immense pressure to the user's body and mana circulation, dramatically improving physical growth, mana refinement, and combat adaptation over time.
Extremely valuable.
Especially for close combat awakened.
The crowd nearby looked visibly envious immediately.
Even some instructors stared longer than necessary.
Zael however simply nodded calmly before closing the case.
"Thank you."
Truthfully, while the bracelets were undeniably precious—
Compared to the dragon bloodline he already possessed now, they weren't nearly as shocking to him personally.
Still—
They would definitely be useful.
The manager studied him briefly afterward before speaking quietly.
"Keep growing."
For some reason, the tone behind those words felt heavier than expected.
Meanwhile Aurelia accepted her own rewards calmly afterward without much visible reaction.
Internally though—
Her attention lingered briefly on Zael again.
He was attracting attention faster than expected.
And that could become dangerous later.
Once the rewards concluded, the manager addressed the arena one final time.
His expression turned serious again.
"You all now have two weeks."
The excitement throughout the arena dimmed immediately afterward.
"Two weeks to return home."
"See your families."
"Handle unfinished matters."
"Prepare yourselves mentally."
Then massive holographic projections appeared above the arena.
A colossal battlefield stretched endlessly across shattered dimensions.
Floating continents.
Ancient fortresses.
Burning skies.
Creatures larger than mountains.
And armies.
Endless armies.
The pressure from the image alone made weaker awakened pale instinctively.
"The Gods and Demon Battlefield."
Silence filled the arena afterward.
The manager's final words echoed heavily.
"Report to the designated transfer gates exactly fourteen days from now."
"Late arrivals will be treated as deserters and deserters are not well recieved."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"…Dismissed."
The arena immediately erupted into noise afterward.
Some awakened looked excited.
Others terrified.
Some immediately began contacting family members.
Others silently stared at the battlefield projection overhead.
Meanwhile Zael stood quietly with the metallic case in hand.
Two weeks.
Then everything would truly begin.
———
The arena slowly emptied as participants began returning to their residences to prepare for departure.
Some were excited about finally going home after months at camp.
Others looked anxious about the future waiting beyond those two weeks of rest.
Meanwhile Zael and his group walked calmly through one of the elevated pathways leading back toward the residential district.
Auralis was already enthusiastically talking about food.
"I'm serious," she declared dramatically, "the first thing I'm doing when I get home is eating enough meat for three people."
"You already do that here," Lily replied immediately.
"That's different. Camp meat tastes emotionally disappointing."
Lily looked genuinely confused by the statement.
Aurelia simply adjusted her glasses silently while Zael ignored them entirely.
Then—
"Zael."
A familiar voice called out from behind.
The group turned.
Zuko approached casually with both hands in his pockets, his silver hair swaying lightly under the evening breeze. Unlike during the competition, he no longer radiated intense combat pressure.
He simply looked relaxed now.
Though the faint sword aura around him still made weaker awakened instinctively avoid getting too close.
"Leaving already?" he asked lightly after reaching them.
"We were planning to," Zael replied.
Zuko nodded once before getting straight to the point.
"Give me your contact."
Auralis immediately raised an eyebrow.
"That straightforward?"
"Life's short," Zuko replied shamelessly.
Then his blue eyes shifted back toward Zael.
"We're definitely meeting again on the battlefield."
A grin appeared on his face afterward.
"And next time, I'll finish what we started."
Zael smirked faintly.
"That confidence survived getting blasted through half the arena?"
"Barely."
Zuko laughed afterward before continuing casually.
"I'll catch up quickly anyway."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Just certainty.
The kind belonging to someone who genuinely believed in his own potential.
And honestly—
After seeing his strength during the competition, nobody here found that claim ridiculous.
Auralis folded her arms afterward.
"You know deployment locations are random, right?"
Zuko looked at her.
Then shrugged casually.
"If I have to, I'll use my family's influence to make sure I end up on the same battlefield as him."
Silence.
Then he added calmly:
"I'm pretty sure you all are planning the exact same thing anyway."
Lily immediately looked away.
"…No comment."
The nervous chuckle escaping her mouth afterward completely ruined the denial.
Auralis coughed loudly.
Aurelia simply remained silent, which honestly felt more suspicious somehow.
Zael glanced at them briefly.
"…You already planned this?"
Auralis looked offended.
"Obviously."
"We're not trusting random teammates with our lives."
"Especially after seeing the nonsense monsters running around lately," Lily added.
Zuko laughed openly afterward.
"See? Exactly my point."
Then his expression relaxed slightly as he extended a small black communication device toward Zael.
"Still," he said calmly, "it'll be easier if we can contact each other directly."
Zael accepted the device after a brief pause.
Truthfully—
He didn't dislike Zuko.
The guy was strong, straightforward, and surprisingly easy to talk to despite being from one of the most powerful families in the world.
More importantly—
Zael respected him.
Because unlike many talented people, Zuko didn't rely solely on status or bloodline prestige.
He genuinely fought for his strength.
After exchanging contact information, Zuko began walking backward slowly.
"Well then," he said with a grin, "enjoy your vacation while you can."
His eyes sharpened slightly afterward.
"Because once we enter the battlefield…"
The playful atmosphere around him faded briefly.
"…things stop being a game."
Even Auralis became quieter at that statement.
Because everyone knew he was right.
Zuko eventually waved lazily before turning away completely.
"See you soon, Zael."
Then without waiting for a response—
He disappeared into the crowd.