Chapter 27 - Fighting A Genius (1)

The crowd was roaring with excitement as they watched Mythica chase Fable around, seemingly gaining the upper hand. Mythica herself, though, was a bit annoyed. "How long are you going to keep fleeing? My Resonance reserves are definitely higher than yours if you think you can outlast me. I've consumed the best elixirs, trained in the finest methods, and been to relic sites to temper and sharpen my resonance that people like you can't even dream of! Know your place!"

Mythica suddenly raised her sword into the sky. "Burning Skies and Weeping Winds, Spread and Fly Free!" Her entire blade shone with a deep orange light, growing several times larger and wider. She then swung it towards Fable, a wave of resonant energy, almost like the cry of a phoenix, burned towards him. This covered the entire direction, with the edges hitting the resonance forcefield and causing it to stretch somewhat. The crowd backed away as the heat from the attack could be felt.

Fable's eyes blinked as he stopped in a corner. Without worry, he moved both his hands out, then stabbed only his fingertips into the ground. Soon, leaves made of blue resonance shot up and encased Fable like a flower bud.

When Mythica's attack hit Fable's defense, it caused the bud-like shield to contort and bend, with several layers breaking and turning to energy-like ash that scattered. However, after blocking the central force of the attack, the rest of Mythica's attack dispersed, leaving Fable's defensive ability retaining a bit. It soon also dissipated, and Fable whistled a little.

"Wow. You do seem to go all out. That would have given me a pretty bad tan if it hit." Mythica's eyes focused seriously for the first time in this battle. The rune ability Fable used was a medium-tier defense. Although she could also use it, she couldn't do so without the incantation. What's more, Fable used it individually with both hands and no incantation—this was frightening!

"So you've got some hidden tricks up your sleeve. But if all you can do is run and protect yourself like a mouse, you're going to find I'm not easy to fend off. Eventually, I'm going to crush you into the ground."

Fable clicked his tongue, thinking about something. He unsheathed his blade and sighed. "Well, I just wanted to see what your new generation of talents are capable of. It's not like I get to fight you lot every day."

Mythica sneered but saw that Fable was finally taking her seriously. She dashed towards him, and Fable rushed towards her. Soon, the two began to trade blows, attacking and parrying.

Zenith didn't react much, other than the concealed joy in his heart. He knew and understood that this was not a level he couldn't reach; he had confidence in his own skills.

Jenabell, sitting on a chair, chuckled softly. "The brat is playing with her. He still can't bear to hit a lady." Zenith turned, looking a bit surprised. "You mean Fable is holding back on purpose?" Jenabell added, after hearing Zenith, "The only way he can lose is if his own stupid moral judgment stops him. Other than that, this girl has no chance." The crowd was enjoying the fight; this was at a level most of them couldn't dream of. Those at the level of Mythica and Fable were also watching eagerly. Despite reaching this level of combat, for the majority, if not all, of them, they were much older than the two.

An elderly man sighed in amazement. "The young really are something. The federation keeps advancing, and even an old man like me is left in the dust." He sounded a little melancholy. Another individual, a middle-aged man with several scars on his face and a missing eye, also chimed in. "Makes me wonder what the Retoran's and the Eltanians have. Both are a bit bigger than the federation."

Back to the fight between the two combatants, Mythica's armor was slashed, and her attire was cut in several places, revealing a bit more of her tantalizing body. Fable, meanwhile, didn't have a single mark on his clothing. His strength matched Mythica's, and his agility, too.

Zenith, though focused on all this, still understood from Jenabell that Fable was very much holding back. When Mythica and Fable traded a heavy blow, they knocked each other back a considerable distance, the air between them cracking and making a sonic boom. Fable pointed his index finger towards Mythica, using another rune ability with no incantation.

Mythica gasped as she was suddenly covered in earth pillars, sealing her movement. It was the same ability Fable had taught Zenith. She didn't have the room to swing her weapon and used her sheer strength to crack and finally cause the earth pillars to explode out. But just as she did, Fable was in front of her. Controlling himself, Fable felt it was time to end the fight as he had seen her abilities. Mythica suddenly thought of an incantation.

"The Mountain Moves The Heavy Heart!" Resonance flooded around her skin, forming a layer of resonance that encased her in a metallic-like earth substance, acting as a second armor. Yet what came next didn't just shock her but also the crowd, which went silent.

Fable's right hand emitted a soft light. He had used another resonance ability with no incantation, imbuing his blade and then cutting at her right sword arm. First, there was a chink, then an almost grinding sound of sparks, before a cleave downwards. The ground below was cleaved just like Mythica's first attack in the battle.

But this was different. A lone arm and blade went flying a few feet away. "Finally, the crowd was getting annoying…" Jenabell picked at her ear. It was clear where Fable had picked up the habit from.

Mirabell emitted a soft tune, not surprised. In her mind, she imagined herself eating the best of cuisines. Zenith, though, admired Fable's capability. Rune ability after rune ability with no incantation—wasn't this simply a level of power that was unfair?

Mythica screamed out in pain for a moment before stifling herself and clenching her teeth. The silence of the crowd was deafening as no one wanted to speak. For Lieutenant Amada, she sighed a bit. This would cause some issues but not anything big. At least she couldn't interfere unless someone gave up or if one's life was in danger. That being said, she wasn't even confident in her strength to stop these two.

"Are you done yet, Miss New Generation Princess? I have to thank you, though. You're making my grandma a lot of money, and you're handling the Scorpius issue for us. So I took an arm. Can we end this fight now?" Fable pressed the tip of his blade on the ground, with both hands atop the back of it, the hilt, leaning against it.

Mythica struggled a little, calming herself and remaining silent. "This… is… perfect." Fable looked confused. "Perfect?" He tilted his head. Mythica added, "My resonant ability is Flaming Bird… I'm sure you know about it."

Fable nodded. "Yep, able to imbue flame-based attacks, heal your wounds quickly, and all that stuff. Though I gotta say, you're pretty bad at implementing it in combat. I can teach you to better use it for a fee, of course. Heh." Fable laughed quietly, clearly thinking of a way to make money.

Mythica sneered a bit. Seeing this, Fable felt his heart skip a beat. His instincts kicked in, and he was about to dash away, but it was too late. A tyrannical fiery inferno blasted out from Mythica, encasing not just her and Fable but the entirety of the arena. The forcefield pressed and distorted, cracks forming around it. "STRENGTHEN IT!!!" Lieutenant Amada shuddered. The engineers gritted their teeth, pushing the forcefield to its maximum limits, having to draw power from other arenas. It took until it was 300% stronger before it settled. By then, the air was like a wave of twisted heat.

The heat from Mythica's attack forced the crowd to back away. Jenabell, though, felt her eyes narrow. She didn't move an inch. Mirabell then blinked and focused. Zenith quickly looked on in amazement. "Unleashed resonance…" he spoke under his breath.

When the inferno calmed down, Fable looked worse for wear. His outfit was tattered in some spots and burnt nearly everywhere. Even his hair was unkempt. But he managed to hold himself barely behind what looked like a bulwark shield, made of resonance. From the attack, it couldn't stop everything, and it was something he used on the fly.

The shield cracked apart, clearly unable to hold any longer before it dissipated. Fable stood with a serious expression as he looked at the sight in front of him. Mythica's body was seemingly made of fire, with flaming wings while retaining a humanoid form with her upper body. Her lower half resembled that of a phoenix. All were covered in pure red and orange fire formed of resonance. Even her missing arm had healed. Her face definitely had a more beautiful look to it, her hair dancing wildly, and the weapon in her hand seemed to be part of her right