When neither side could use their abilities or special items, the three already injured members of Thanos's group were doomed from the beginning.
Death!
The battered Thanos finally closed his eyes.
Even in death, he remained standing upright, his back straight.
"He was a respectable opponent," Aurora said, breathing heavily.
Fenric looked at Thanos's corpse while catching his breath.
He didn't share her sentiment.
In Fenric's eyes, an enemy was simply an enemy—either you died or he died. There was nothing worthy of respect.
Besides, Thanos's skin was incredibly tough!
Even though Thanos had already been injured, Fenric and Aurora had still expended a large amount of stamina fighting him.
Fenric took a deep breath and looked at Aurora.
"Are you injured?"
Aurora shook her head.
"You were the one attracting his attention. How could I get hurt?"
"What about you? You took several punches. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Fenric replied.
He wasn't just being brave.
With his current physique, even without any healing abilities, a few punches were far from enough to seriously injure him.
"The commotion just now might have attracted the attention of others. It's not wise to stay here long."
"Everyone, follow me."
Fenric said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
At that moment,
the system's voice suddenly echoed in everyone's minds:
"Congratulations! Your team has eliminated another team. Team members receive a temporary bonus: Physical Fitness +20%."
"Note: This temporary bonus will last until the end of this mission."
"Hint: Continue eliminating other teams to receive additional rewards."
Hearing the system's announcement, everyone was surprised.
"Commander, did you hear the system message?"
"I heard it! I didn't expect we would get a bonus reward!"
"What a pleasant surprise!"
Several Samsara players began discussing it excitedly.
However, Aurora noticed that Fenric's expression had turned somewhat grim.
"Shura? What's wrong?" Aurora asked.
Fenric sighed.
"This reward is not a good sign."
"If killing other teams grants bonuses, it means our enemies will grow stronger and stronger the more they fight."
"If we don't keep up with these enhancements, we might suffer a huge disadvantage in the final confrontation."
"Originally, our plan was to avoid enemies as much as possible and conserve our strength until the end."
"But now it seems that plan is no longer viable."
"If we keep avoiding fights, the gap in strength between us and the other teams will only grow."
"The system… is forcing everyone to keep killing!"
After hearing Fenric's analysis, everyone fell silent.
Thinking about it carefully, it really was exactly as he said.
Eliminating other teams granted bonuses.
In other words, the more you killed, the stronger you became.
Could you choose to hide instead?
Yes.
But by the time the final battle arrived, the remaining opponents might already be monstrously strong while you remained weak.
How could you possibly win then?
Thinking about this, everyone's expressions turned grim.
The joy from earlier disappeared completely.
"Shura, now I finally understand why you receive Super God evaluations every time," Aurora said with a smile.
"You always notice problems that others overlook."
The others nodded in agreement.
The situation just now was the perfect example.
While everyone else had been celebrating the reward,
Shura had already realized the danger hidden behind it.
Fenric waved his hand.
"Let's stop discussing that. We should leave this place first and find somewhere to rest."
Then, everyone left the area and continued moving toward the center of the safe zone.
Not far from Fenric's group, Zhang Sanfeng and the Seven Heroes of Wudang were cautiously moving through the forest.
(Note: Wudang martial arts are known for using internal energy, softness overcoming hardness, balance, and Taiji-style techniques rather than relying only on brute force. Zhang Sanfeng is the master.)
Some of them carried long swords, while others held wooden staff.
The two swords had been found earlier in a nearby house.
In this dungeon, to ensure absolute fairness, everyone entered empty-handed.
All equipment and items had to be found after entering.
The Wudang swordsmen, who had long been accustomed to fighting with blades, felt extremely uncomfortable without weapons. When they found these wooden staffs, they immediately picked them up and used them as substitutes.
Only a top master like Zhang Sanfeng no longer needed to rely on weapons.
"Master, there are signs of battle here!" Zhang Cuishan suddenly warned.
Everyone stopped and examined the surroundings carefully.
Sure enough, the forest ahead showed clear signs of violent destruction.
Soon, they discovered a large number of corpses on the ground.
It was Kaido and his group.
"Hiss!"
Seeing Kaido's enormous corpse, Zhang Cuishan couldn't help gasping.
"What kind of monster is this? How huge is his body?"
Song Yuanqiao and the others were equally shocked.
"Who killed them?"
Looking at the battlefield, Zhang Sanfeng frowned.
With his keen eyesight, he could easily see how terrifying the power of the fighters involved had been.
The ground was filled with deep craters.
Nearby trees had been snapped in half.
Many large boulders bore deep fist marks.
Zhang Sanfeng walked over to a heavily damaged boulder and stared solemnly at the fist imprint embedded in it.
His expression turned serious.
A single punch capable of denting solid stone like this—even at his peak, he might not have been able to achieve it.
Although Taijiquan(*Supreme Ultimate Fist) emphasized overcoming strength with softness, there was still a limit.
If the difference in power was too great, even Taijiquan techniques might become useless.
"It is not safe to remain here," Zhang Sanfeng said firmly.
"Let's go."
None of the Wudang Seven Heroes questioned their master's order.
In truth, they were all shaken by the terrifying destruction around them.
Everyone followed Zhang Sanfeng and quickly left the area.
Unfortunately, their luck was terrible.
The direction they were heading happened to lead them directly into Vegeta and the others from the Dragon Ball world.
"Huh? Another opponent?"
Seeing Song Yuanqiao and the others appear, Vegeta's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Kakarot, don't steal this one from me."
Earlier, Goku had taken the chance to fight Thanos, which had already irritated Vegeta.
He had no intention of missing this opportunity.
"Vegeta, don't be impulsive!" Krillin shouted from behind him.
But how could Vegeta possibly listen?
He rushed forward instantly.
Trapped in this strange place with his powers restricted, Vegeta was already extremely irritated.
During this period, his temper was especially explosive.
Whenever he felt even slightly annoyed, he wanted to kill something.
Song Yuanqiao and the others were also startled.
This tailed alien was attacking without even exchanging a word!
However, since the opponent had already revealed killing intent, Song Yuanqiao would not retreat.
As the eldest among the Wudang Seven Heroes, it was naturally his responsibility to face the enemy.
"Whoosh!"
Song Yuanqiao gripped his wooden sword and struck diagonally, his blade aimed precisely at Vegeta's shoulder.
The sword thrust was sharp and precise, demonstrating Song Yuanqiao's superb swordsmanship.
Among the Wudang Seven Heroes, Song Yuanqiao had followed Zhang Sanfeng the longest.
Although he was not the strongest, his mastery of swordsmanship had the deepest foundation.