Meeting his family, Maximus felt a sigh of relief.
Although he was confident they could survive, he feared one or two of them would be eliminated.
Fortunately, after asking around, besides some minor injuries, they were not too bad.
"Father, let's go back to the base," Liam invited.
"Base? It seems you have been here a few years earlier."
"That's right, brother's birthplace was here!" the others quickly nodded.
Liam didn't need to march to the center but instead consolidate.
Waiting for the end of the competition, he had a massive time to prepare.
Traveling the stone wasteland, they quickly reached a massive stronghold.
Along the place, thousands upon thousands were busy with their lives.
"It's the Order of Maxim."
Most of the members they solicited in the past weren't qualified.
Among them, only a few million manage to pass the second round.
Even then, few could stay alive and reach the center.
These thousands of members he gathered could be the most talented and most adaptable among them.
Seeing thousands of members survive, Maximus couldn't help but be happy.
Now that they had their protection, winning a place among the million was guaranteed.
Soon, Maximus began to tour the stronghold, looking at the foundation Liam laid in the competition.
Walking around, it seemed the stronghold was a mere bait.
Besides looking strong, it didn't even have much defensive capacity.
Once millions attacked the stronghold, it would collapse in a single touch.
However, beneath was a complex catacomb stretching hundreds of kilometers, forming a net.
With it, no matter how many enemies there were, they could fight a guerrilla warfare, taking out the enemies one by one.
"It seems you thought it through!" Maximus praised.
As the end of the competition got nearer and nearer, the fear they instilled would rebound, making them a live target.
Especially with the talents gathering in larger numbers.
Wanting to eliminate their greatest competition, they wouldn't care about anything and attack.
Soon, time continued to pass as a few years went by.
While Maximus was leisurely resting in the stronghold, a blaring voice sounded.
"Maximus, your friend is here! Come out!"
Walking outside, Maximus looked at Zar in puzzlement.
"Hehe, what about a fight?"
Looking at Maximus, severely weakened, Zar felt a little playful.
"Fight? You're out of your mind." Maximus quickly shook his head.
Feeling Zar's strength, he knew he had no chance of winning.
A power comparable to a Tier 4 knight—even if Zar stood still, he couldn't do anything.
"Coward!" Zar bellowed in dissatisfaction.
"You're cheating." He said back.
Knowing Zar's pseudo-plane physique, Maximus was not surprised his strength could reach such a height.
Although the plane arena was strong, Zar was stronger.
Even for him, though he was extremely suppressed, he felt he could still mobilize his Plane Level Ability.
Seeing that Maximus didn't want to fight him, Zar didn't push further.
"Do you want to join us?" Maximus invited.
Although this competition was a bit boring, remembering those endless tricks those enemies employed, Zar was a little amused.
Not expecting Zar to join, Maximus was not disappointed.
Inviting him to the stronghold for a meal, the time continued to pass.
A few years later, the competition ground came to merely a few hundred square kilometers.
Housing over 10 million contestants, there was a lot of chaos.
This time, besides Zar, who was still alone, most had already formed groups.
Whether it's thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.
Wanting to be one of the million remaining, the power of an individual was no longer enough.
Suddenly, a blaring alarm rang through the stronghold.
"It's Elbras, Tronin, and Harto Squad!"
"These are the three biggest groups in the competition."
"Let's retreat according to plan." Liam quickly deployed upon hearing the status of the enemy.
Elbras, Tronin, and Harto Squad were the largest groups in the competition, numbering at least a million each.
Combined, they numbered at least three million.
Facing such a tide of enemies, no matter how confident they were, they could only run.
Fortunately, they had already prepared for such a situation.
Going into the catacombs they dug, the stronghold was immediately emptied.
Underground, watching millions of enemies swarm the stronghold, they felt a little fear.
"Fortunately, we retreated quickly!"
"Brother Liam is still far-sighted!"
Building the complex catacombs for decades, it was enough to keep them safe from any number of enemies.
"I learned this from Father." Liam remained humble.
Compared to the cautiousness of his father, it was nothing.
"It's still thanks to you, Liam." Maximus didn't take the credit.
If not for Liam, they might not have hidden peacefully in the dungeon but fought with sweat and blood on the surface.
By then, even if they had amazing fighting ability, they would have had a hard time.
Soon, while they chilled underground, the three groups fell into chaos.
Not finding their target, they immediately fell apart.
The sole purpose of the groups was to eliminate the biggest enemy and then fight among themselves.
Now that they couldn't even find their common enemies, they could only brawl together, hoping they would be one of the million remaining.
As the fight continued, some found the hidden entrances of the catacombs.
However, because of the complex paths and traps, they no longer bothered, wanting to save themselves for the last.
As the chaos went on, the competition ground grew smaller and smaller.
With the countdown ticking the clock, they began to fight for their lives, killing all in their sights.
Joining the fray, Zar went on a rampage, slaughtering to his heart's content.
Once the counter hit the mark, a dazzling light emitted in the arena, taking the top million above the void.
Watching their power return to what it was before, the remaining million talents celebrated.