The mystery people explain that they are from the NESTS cartel, and have seen that Maxima's abilities were superb. They would offer Maxima a REAL job: working for Krizalid, one of the main agents of the cartel, and enhance his strength far beyond his belief. Seeing this as his exit from the harsh life, Maxima accepts. He is soon transported to an underground base, where he meets with his new boss, Krizalid. Krizalid dons Maxima with a special battle armor, that aside from enhancing his physical attributes and giving him built-in weapons, also allows him to perform battle data analisis. Then, Maxima is introduced with his new partner, a quiet and short-tempered chap named only K'. Maxima and K' don't talk too much, but they both share a grudge against life that allow them to be closer than they think....

After eliminating several threats to the NESTS cartel, Krizalid assigns Maxima to a new mission. He must go with K' to join Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo Yabuki, two of the strongest fighters, and collect battle data to activate the Kyo Kusanagi clones that Krizalid had created in order to conquer the world. The scene would be the King of Fighters tournament that Krizalid himself would be host of. Maxima joins up with Benimaru and Shingo, and thus begins their venture in the competition, where Maxima displays an incredible amount of strength, delivering blows that would make whole buildings shake at impact!

Maxima is comissioned to meet at a designated point in a sewer in order to travel back to the underground base, along with his partners. Upon arriving, they are greeted by Krizalid himself. Not willing to fight his own boss, Maxima holds back while Benimaru and Shingo fight it out. However, it seems illogical to Maxima that they would fight without a chance of winning. Maxima notices something special in those fighters' hearts, and accords with K' to help them. In that moment, Benimaru manages to strike Krizalid down, and Maxima knows that this would be the time for the true battle. Krizalid dons his battle suit, charged with battle data from the past battle, and demands the traitors to die as the scum they are. Maxima and K' proceed to prove him otherwise....

Despite being as strong as a mountain, Maxima can't stop Krizalid's divine power. However, he manages to hold out for his life, and during a moment of distraction by Krizalid, Maxima manages to tag him for long enough for his friend K' to finish the job with a well-timed crimson flame blast. However, this doesn't seem enough as Krizalid still stands, furious and more than willing to end their lives. Maxima awaits his death, when suddenly, a huge flame shot cruises the room, and strikes Krizalid down. Maxima wonders, and it is then when the original Kyo Kusanagi jumps into scene. So this is the person from which K' was taken from.... Soon after that, the NESTS cartel condemns all to death. Maxima feels betrayed by his superiors, and shrugs them off. A steel door closes both him and K' off. Maxima is then pointed by several laser aims. It seems they got company...the Ikari extermination squad had arrived to scout the place. Maxima manages to stop the impact of several bullets with his bare hands. "Shish-kabob, K'!", shouts Maxima, urging for his friend to help him out in the time of need....

Maxima and K' manage to push the squad back with their remaining forces. Maxima wields his gattling gun from his forearm, and blows the rest of the competition away. After spending all his strength, Maxima helps his friend K' up. K's special glove, which worked as a shield for his inmense power, had been broken, and K's hand was engulfed in flames. Still, Maxima helps him up. K' is worried about the flames burning Maxima. "Don't worry", Maxima happily replies. "I'm used to play with fire".

After barely escaping from the NESTS underground base, Maxima and K' are left to wander the world. From here on, they become fugitives, and have to escape from both the Ikari Warriors (who wish to prosecute them for their crimes), and the NESTS cartel (who wishes to punish their treason). Maxima and K' have been covering each other's backs, but they knew it wouldn't be long before they are caught off guard.

Hearing about the new King of Fighters tournament, Maxima realizes that this is their big chance to destroy the NESTS cartel and finally win some favor in the eyes of the Ikari Warriors. The problem is that they no longer have Benimaru or Shingo with them. Suddenly, during one of Maxima and K's bold escapes from the Ikari Warriors, they meet up with an enigmatic woman, named Vanessa, who is accompanied by a high-hoped Mexican wrestler called Ramon. Vanessa offers them their services, which Maxima doubts. But if they are going to take a risk, they might as well do it now. Maxima and K' accept the two onboard, but not without according to keep a watchful eye on them.

With the help of Maxima's incredible strength, K' and the others raise once again to the top of the charts in the King of Fighters tournament. Now that he has liberated himself from the chains of opression of the NESTS cartel, Maxima can now concentrate on doing what he does best: beating the living hell out of his opponents! Maxima proves to be a vaulable asset up until the finals, set to be in Southtown, where Maxima expects a final shodown with the NESTS cartel....

However, during a scouting through the docks, another NESTS bio weapon takes them by surprise. It is the "anti-K'": Kula. Maxima is more than ready to fight, but K' affirms that he will take her down, and that they should keep going to the designated point for the finals. Maxima tries to object, but deep inside, he knows he can't do anything to convince K'. With a bit of regret, Maxima leads Vanessa and Ramon to the industrial zone of Southtown, wishing K' the best of luck.

Upon arrival at an abandoned factory, Maxima seeks out for their last rivals. To his surprise, though, he reunites with Benimaru and Shingo, who have also made a new team with two mean-looking persons: Lin and Seth. Surprisingly, Maxima and the others are caught off-guard by the NESTS soldiers which now surround the whole complex! Maxima leads the others to a dark room in the back of a factory...straight to a trap.

Maxima regretfully finds out that the whole tournament had be plotted by Zero, a NESTS madman that plans to use their ultimate weapon, the Zero Cannon, and use it against NESTS themselves! Zero needs the fighting energy of the others in order to charge the Zero Cannon. Maxima fights bravely in order to stop it, but Zero keeps Maxima at bay with his sort of dirty tricks. Despite all that, Maxima fights to the bitter end, and with the final help of Lin and K', manages to defeat Zero.

After Zero is defeated, and the Zero Cannon activated, Maxima helps the others to escape. On his way out, he catches a running figure pass by him. Was it Kyo Kusanagi? With no time to figure out, Maxima sends the others off, and remains with K'. Maxima shelters them both with his super armor body from the incredible explosion, that levels Southtown to nothingness. Maxima is left weak, and K' thanks him. Suddenly, a mysterious figure appears in front of them. K' suffers a bad case of deja vu, which awakes the suspicions of Maxima. It turns to be one of their persecutors: Whip, of the Ikari Warriors. Maxima doesn't trust her one bit, but K' seems to accept her. Maxima realizes that she may be the figure in K's dreams: his sister! Maxima watches how K' finally rips his glove off, and does not burn out of control. With a beautiful meteor shower as a background, Maxima can finally consider some peace and quiet. That is, until next year...!

Always by K's side, Maxima travels with K' and Whip to scout on several NESTS bases that Whip has managed to investigate thanks to her contacts. But when they arrive to each base, they find out that it's already deserted. Could this mean that NESTS has anticipated their moves? Maxima notices something funny is going around, but remains alert when he notices that they are having company with them. Maxima analyzes the area, and finds out that Lin, the lethal Hizoku ninja, has also been tracing the steps of NESTS. Whip tells the others that Lin must be looking for Ron, a traitor to the Hizoku cause and who happens to be a member of NESTS as well. Whip offers Lin to team up with them in the upcoming King of Fighters tournament, and he accepts out of his own personal affair. Maxima doesn't trust Lin one bit, but in order to destroy NESTS, they even had to trust the devil himself in order to win!

As the King of Fighters tournament begins once again, Maxima shows off his updated moves. His incredible power, enhanced by his own superior technology, allows K' and the others to access to the finals once more. Despite having worked for NESTS for so many years, Maxima is baffled at what they will do next. Their final match is scheduled to take place in a blimp that would cruise the skies. But as soon as they get on, the blimp reveals itself to be a rocket ship, and when they arrive at the ship's bridge, a familiar figure reveals himself: Zero! This happened to be the original Zero, and that the one that was destroyed last year was merely a clone. Maxima previews a huge battle, and more so by the fact that Zero has a few partners of his own: a clone of Krizalid, Zero's pet lion, and Ron. While K' is left to deal with Zero, Maxima and Whip have to deal with the lion and with Krizalid as Lin settles his score with Ron.

The fight turns out to be rather gruesome, but Maxima already knows the tactics of Krizalid, and the lion is not a really decent match. K' deals with Zero as well, and Zero admits defeat, something that isn't really normal for NESTS agents to do. The ship docks in a strange place, and as soon as it does so, it begins to self-destruct! Zero hurries the team to enter the facility where they have just docked, as he stays behind. Maxima realizes that Zero wasn't really a bad guy to begin with, and rushes out of the crumbling ship.

Maxima and the others realize upon arrival that they have docked in a space station! Maxima knows almost for a fact that this must be the main HQ of NESTS. And they soon get to meet the NESTS president himself, face to face! The president is accompanied by two people by his sides: a tall blond man in a cloak and an attractive female secretary. The voice that sounds in the the throne room is mostly directed to K' and his whole past. Maxima is willing to help K' out in any way he can, but it turns out that the old man that was sitting in the throne was merely a decoy! The president's head is grabbed by the blond man by his side, who calls himself Igniz, the CEO of NESTS. Igniz disintegrates the president, and claims that he will assume the role of a leader to the new world order ahead of them! He soon claims that he will eliminate K' and the others as his first act as a human god!

No matter how hard he tries, Maxima and the others are no match for the incredible strength of Igniz, who proves why he was so highly ranked in the NESTS cartel. Maxima has to let K' and the other heroes to do the job on Igniz. Once Igniz is defeated by K', he drags himself to a couple of pillars atop some stairs. Igniz begins to lose his sanity as he condemns those who defeated him to a swift death! Igniz places his hands on the pillars, and sets the whole space station crashing down to Earth! Igniz then encloses himself, and Maxima and the others are left to escape on their own. The NESTS space station falls on sea, and Maxima escapes. After arriving at shore, Maxima looks back on the sinking station, and wonders what it will be like to finally be free from the shadow of NESTS. He also wonders what lies ahead for K' and Whip, who has been proven to be another clone created by NESTS. Maxima knows that whatever should happen, this should be a head start for their new life.

Maxima is a silent and lumbering giant with the need for some action! His harsh behavior really hides a vulnerable person, who has lived in need for friends. K' is the closest person to a friend that he can mention. During the past fights, Maxima realizes the importance of friendship. Still, when Maxima gets berserk, it's recommended to stay out of his way!