Soon, a few decades later, the Skjǫldrún Stronghold began to move.
Seeing this, the people on board couldn't help but feel excitement and trepidation.
Excitement because they could finally see action.
Trepidation because they feared the notorious might of the dark creatures.
"Huh~ I wonder if we'll get unlucky and encounter a tier 12 dark beast?"
"Shh! Don't jinx it!"
"The leader shouldn't be that careless; otherwise, he wouldn't waste decades here."
"Just stay alert, and don't say anything!"
Meanwhile, in the newly built residence near the core of the stronghold, Liam leisurely sipped a drink, thinking of various problems in the city.
With his father on board, he wasn't worried about anything.
Since his father said they were good to go, they were good to go.
"You trust me too much," Maximus shook his head at Liam's complacency.
"If I don't trust Father, who will?"
"Alright, stop flattering me. Be careful, or you might capsize the gutter."
"Since you said there's no danger, then we wouldn't encounter any, even if I point in a random direction!"
"You're more confident than me. I only deduced that we wouldn't encounter a tier 12 dark beast. As for a tier 11 primal dark beast, it's still uncertain."
Because they were already at the very edge of the Aeon Plane, coupled with the influence of the thick, chaotic miasma, the power of the Ocean of Knowledge was severely limited.
"I see…" Hearing this, Liam became more solemn.
A tier 11 primal dark beast needed at least ten absolutes to kill.
Even with the Skjǫldrún and Lennox on board, they might crash if they encountered a tier 11 primal dark beast.
Taking his father's advice, Liam slowed the stronghold, issuing various reconnaissance missions to scan the void.
Filled with talents from all over the Aeon Plane, some individuals' sensing abilities were no worse than his father's.
Soon, under his careful direction, they finally encountered a wave of roaming dark beasts.
"No tier 11 dark beast," Liam heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the report.
"Since there's no danger, let's see what's going on with these dark beasts!"
With an order, all the talents quickly received a new mission.
"A wave of dark beasts?!"
"Finally, some action!"
"I've been sick of staying put. I can finally stretch my muscles!"
Seeing there were no tier 11 dark beasts in the report, they were fearless.
Although a dark beast was stronger than its peers of the same tier, it was only relative.
They were the most talented geniuses of the Aeon Plane.
If they couldn't even suppress someone from the same realm, their reputation would be in vain.
"Attack! Hahaha, I wonder how many points I can get!"
Soon, like a signal, all the talents on the stronghold swooped into the enemy.
Facing the dark beasts, although they were confident, they still felt dread in their hearts.
Seeing the thick, chaotic miasma looming around their deformed and disgusting bodies, their initial excitement was doused with cold water.
Noticing a group of high-energy beings, the dark beasts became frenzied.
Undeterred, they met the dark beasts with their attacks.
With a clash, the dark beasts merely faltered as if being hit by mosquitoes.
"This—how strong are their bodies?!"
"Hmph! Give them another salvo! I don't believe they're invulnerable."
With a rain of fire, they finally saw casualties among the dark beasts.
"It works! Give me another!"
Seeing the dark beasts weren't as strong as they had thought, their excitement returned as they began to look at the dark beasts like prey.
Hearing the beeping sound of points being added to their accounts, they felt unprecedented motivation.
In the past decades, they become aware of the value of battlefield points.
According to the exchange rate, each point was equivalent to a crystallized causality or a million strands of causality.
Although they came from various top forces, who wouldn't want more money?
Each time they killed a dark beast, about 0.001 points would be added to their account.
Looking at the countless dark beasts, they estimated they could earn dozens to hundreds of points in a single fight.
Filled with motivation, they began to push their bodies to the limit, bombarding the dark beasts relentlessly.
On the other hand, those confident in their strength dove directly into the heart of the battlefield.
Maximus, as if walking through his farm, didn't mind being attacked, treating each dark beast like a rampaging sheep.
"What magnificent creatures~"
While killing each beast, Maximus couldn't help but examine their bodies.
A dark beast wasn't merely built from chaotic energy but also contained an aggregate of something he couldn't identify.
"What is this dark energy? Too destructive…"
This so-called dark energy was incredibly destructive.
Any energy or matter coming into contact with it would be completely shattered.
Even the power of causality was helpless against such power.
He also deduced that this dark energy was the cause of the dark beasts' thoughtless drive for destruction.
They seemed to lack a mind, will, spirit, or even an origin of their own, existing only as condensed energy seeking destruction.
"A tier 13 energy matter? A tier 14 energy matter? A tier 15 energy matter?"
At this point, Maximus could only guess how high the tier of this energy was.
Outside of the Aeon Plane, he was ignorant of the world.
"No matter, I'll recognize it when I'm stronger…"
Setting aside the strange dark energy, Maximus proceeded with his wanton killing of the dark beasts.
Experimenting with all his methods, Maximus began to deduce the most efficient ways to kill them.
Soon, having had enough fun and gathered the data he needed, Maximus returned to the stronghold.
"Killing these thoughtless sheep is boring. How about we fight?" Zar suggested, seeing him return.
Fighting the dark beasts hadn't even come close to satisfying Zar's thirst for battle.
"No. Why are you always bothering me?"
"Look at those two over there. They look strong. Why don't you invite them?" Maximus pointed at Nyx and Sira, who were silently observing the battlefield.
"Those two are boring. They wouldn't even respond to me," Zar muttered, sounding like a wronged child.
"Can't you just beat them into submission?"