Even after many eliminations, there were still lots of students running around. The number of students Alex and Abigail had run into was increasing rapidly. He was almost always engaged in combat just as he was now. As the continent shrunk, the students had begun to take notice and were heading towards the centre stage.
Some students planned to remain at the edges and move with the shrinking continent to avoid being overwhelmed but had no such luck as many had the same idea. This created a situation where there were many students around the boundaries rather than towards the centre.
"Surround him!"
"That's easier said than done. He's too fast!"
Even the exceptional students among them were having a hard time keeping up. They couldn't even see his moves whenever he struck with his spear, and he wasted not more than a few seconds to finish the others off. And since the fighting was taking place in close proximity, Alex held back the use of his abilities.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Multiple explosions and clashing weapons were happening all at once as Alex zoomed past many students evading their thrown attacks, weapons and dives. He also made sure to leave a few crippled and locked in place for his partner to finish off from her vantage point.
And unlike before where Abigail had to hide and shoot, right now she did not have that luxury and had to run around and shoot. She couldn't stay in one place for long. The duo had agreed beforehand to pretend to be enemies to prevent her from being targeted more than necessary.
A few minutes later, Alex and Abigail had finished off the students surrounding them. However, they could still see other students approaching from the distance as well as fights happening all over.
"This is an actual warzone"
Abigail stated as she looked at the chaos unfolding. With the continent shrinking, more and more students could be seen all over. Right now, they were in a large plain with short grasses that reached all the way to their knees. No trees could be seen around the plain. It was all flat lands; a stage, so to speak.
A few mountains could be seen in the distance as well, but those were also their own war zones.
"What did you expect? This is a battle royale." Alex responded with s solemn look. Sooner or later, he would be overwhelmed, and he wasn't sure if he could come out as one of the 5000 students.
"From here on out, you'd be on your own. Stay low and keep moving. Don't try to engage when you know you can't win. Try as much as possible to last till the remaining 5000." Alex said, looking at Abigail whose gaze was still looking ahead.
She turned around after hearing what Alex said and noticed how his visage had turned serious. She did not need to be a genius to know that once everyone was together, Alex would be the most targeted student. Aside from the massive amounts of eliminations he had accumulated, the person he was inevitably put a target on him.
"See you on the other side, Alexander Gray." She muttered with a small smile, leaving his side as the approaching mass of students were already on them. Alex nodded, watching her gradually create distance.
"Come find me when this is all over." He added after a while as he watched Abigail turn around and nod in acknowledgement.
'Now then, it's time to get serious.'
Alex thought as he did a few poses to relieve any stiffness in his shoulders. The wounds he had sustained earlier were mostly healed and all that remained with a dull ache that was not much of a problem.
Because he had mostly relied on his weapon, he had more than enough 'mana' to last the rest of the battle royale. Some students were already out of juice and were only relying on their weapons and physical abilities. But it was proving to be a challenge as the abilities flying around were not something anyone could just push through and come out unscathed.
'The grasses have begun to catch fire too.' Alex noted as fires had begun to spread. With the amount of energy and flames going around, the grasses were soon to dry up and be set ablaze. The smoke coming from them created a dark environment in some areas, slightly hiding the figures of some of the fighting students.
Alex's attention returned to the students who were already close by, focusing on the closest one to him. The student was a dark-sclera human with brown dark and a spear user as well.
He watched as the student got to a 50-metre distance from him and took to the skies, his spear brandished for a power throw.
"Let's see how much the miracle boy is worth!"
Alex heard the boy exclaim as he launched his spear forward. The speed of the spear throw was impressive as it cut through the air, spinning on its vertical axis.
BOOOOOM!
The spear impacted the position Alex stood a moment before, and while the energy the spear carried was impressive, it wasn't enough to create a large crater. Regardless, it was more than enough to take out anyone. Unfortunately, Alex was not anyone.
Before the spear reached him, Alex jumped backwards at an angle, launching himself upwards and also brandished his spear. Without uttering a word in reply to the boy's throw, Alex threw his spear forward, taking the boy by surprise.
Because he was still in midair, it was difficult to evade the spear throw and the spear impaled him from the chest through to his back, instantly eliminating him. He didn't even last a second after his domineering appearance.
Alex didn't relax after that and once he touched down, he dashed forward to confront the incoming wave of students. He did not plan to stay immobile while others surrounded him. That would be a stupid move on his path.
'The best path for me is to keep moving to avoid being surrounded. But even that is a temporary solution.' Alex thought as he finished off the last one. More were still incoming, whenever they saw him. A quick estimate from him revealed a little over 12,000 students remaining.
The ground was shaking continuously from the constant explosions of power and attacks. As he looked around him, he noticed the ward of light that represented the wall slowly closing in on them.
"Huu…." He released a heavy breath and dashed forward.