Surrounding Maximus, they simultaneously attacked.
Seeing different attacks coming from all directions, Maximus didn't panic.
Stone, arrows, whips, swords, darts—under the rain of attacks, Maximus leisurely dodged, not taking a single hit.
Although his ultimate fighting ability was thoroughly suppressed against mortal strength, it was like a cheat code.
Not needing to think, his body could automatically dodge and react.
Seeing Maximus seemingly read every one of their moves, Mars began to panic.
Although he was in awe of the Shadowcrest family's status, thinking they were all in the same mortal state, he thought this was their chance.
However, looking at the result, it seemed he was vastly mistaken.
Not wanting to give up, they hastened their attacks, making use of their various abilities.
As one of the top talents on the whole planet, each of them still had a thing or two up their sleeves.
Attacking relentlessly, even Maximus couldn't counterattack.
Going into overclock mode, he didn't have time to pick up his bow and arrows to attack.
"Not bad~" Seeing their seamless cooperation, Maximus praised.
However, given his unlimited stamina, he could kite them until they were exhausted.
Dodging and running, he began to exhaust them like cows.
"Is running all you can do?!"
"Where is the pride of the Shadowcrest family?!"
"Fight us like a real man, can you?!"
Being dragged around like mindless puppets, they felt helpless.
If this continued, they would be too exhausted to even pick up their weapons.
While provoking Maximus, they didn't stop attacking.
A slight change might cause a domino effect that would cause them all to collapse.
Meanwhile, deaf to their provocation, Maximus began to think of a countermeasure.
It was indeed not feasible to continue dodging.
Although he had unlimited stamina, he was only facing less than a dozen enemies.
Just a dozen was already enough to put him on edge—what about hundreds? Thousands? Or even millions?!
There were a billion talents in this competition, vying for a few places.
Being one of the strongest, he and the other top talents would surely face pressure from all sides.
"How do I get out of this…?"
Thinking of a solution, Maximus began to scan the environment, searching for a way out.
Running toward the bamboo forest, a plan formed in his mind.
Soon, under the barrage of attacks, Maximus arrived at a place full of bamboo obstacles.
Turning toward his pursuers, Maximus smirked.
Looking at the environment, Mars and his colleagues turned solemn.
Attacking Maximus, their strikes fell into a quagmire, sinking into the steel-like bamboo poles.
Using the environment to the extreme, Maximus finally had time to attack.
Drawing his bow, he aimed at Mars.
Under the flash of an arrow, Mars tried to dodge.
In the test of life and death, his body desperately moved out of the arrow's path.
Yet, as he turned to the side, he saw a hidden arrow following the first.
Not being able to react, the arrow precisely lodged into his eye.
"A double arrow—" Falling to his death, Mars felt unwilling.
Seeing their leader die, the others knew they couldn't take on Maximus.
Unfortunately, under the god of death, escaping was useless.
Knowing this, they fought until their last breath.
A few minutes later, their bodies lay on the ground.
"It's done." Sweating in buckets, Maximus felt refreshed.
Although the fight was not dazzling, it was thrilling.
Feeling alive and the joy of battle, Maximus decided against his original plan.
Instead of staying low until the end of the elimination round, Maximus decided to actively hunt.
"How can I pass up such a thrilling battle…?"
Unknowingly, Maximus began to be influenced by the fighting intent of the Plane Arena.
As one of the top architectural wonders, it not only could set absolute rules and shift realistic environments.
The most integral part of the Plane Arena was the fighting will.
Fighting in the Plane Arena, even the most timid and docile animal would become a fearless predator looking for prey.
The most crucial point was that this fighting will was not harmful but a nourishment—cultivating one's fearlessness in rationality, a perfect fighter unafraid of any challenges.
Turning from passive to active, Maximus began to travel with the wind and earth.
Taming birds and voles, Maximus started his hunt.
A year later, while Maximus was on a hunt, a massive earthquake shook the whole competition ground.
From his peripheral vision, a map appeared, showing the land slowly falling into destruction.
"It seems that this elimination round will be finished faster." Maximus deduced, seeing the map.
With the slow destruction along the edge of the map, the billions of contestants would begin to concentrate on the center.
In this way, no one would be able to hide, and all would be forced to fight for survival.
Fortunately, although the map showed the entire terrain of the competition ground, it didn't show their positions.
Otherwise, personal ability would be useless.
No matter how strong Maximus was, if he were surrounded and ambushed by thousands of individuals, he would be finished.
With the map revealing his exact position, he wouldn't be able to hide, run, or even strategize.
In this way, the elimination round would lose its purpose of sifting through the strongest and most adaptable.
"Let's go to the center…" Looking through the map, Maximus decided his next step.
Since the land would converge to the center, he didn't want to waste time going around.
Meanwhile, the members of the Shadowcrest family continued on their journey to survival.
Alone in the desert, sea, forest, swamp, cold, and wasteland, they began to thrive using all they had learned in the past.
Having undergone similar trials and training before, they quickly adapted.
From Liam forming a group, Neo sleeping on the ground, to even Asha stumbling around a paradise without danger.
Maximus' wives were even better, eliminating talents like cattle and sheep, letting their wildest nature take course—they became true Amazonians, the queens of battle.
Each having their own way of thriving in the elimination round, the time quickly began to pass.