Chapter 23 - A True Battle

Zenith had convinced Fable to let him explore onwards a bit with the machine while Fable remained in the chamber to kill whatever he could lure out. Having been walking for a few minutes, Zenith was practicing and attempting to learn as much as he could using resonance, not even based on what Fable taught him but from his own methods as well.

Zenith's left hand was extended outward, a soft light formed from resonance shining, lighting up the tunnel a bit more than the small stream of magma that flowed at the far side of the path. Gazing ahead, Zenith saw two resonant creatures rush over with hissing sounds as they dashed at him.

Zenith quickly gripped the laser sword in his right hand, taking a soft breath before timing his strike and motion. -Swish!- In one motion, he cut horizontally, cutting both creatures in half with the blade. "How would I fare if it were a steel sword?" He second-guessed himself. Before his resonance strengthening due to his work at the refinery, he could lift an average of 9kg with one hand. But after the strengthening, including the training he had with Fable, he could lift 18 kilos in each hand. Fable had been impressed, telling Zenith that it was rare for the body to quickly adapt.

He then told Zenith that this might be his body's potential with resonance included and that his former lifestyle made it hard due to the lack of nutrients as opposed to now. That being said, Zenith was proud of himself. Despite his thinner side, the average man would need to bulk up on muscle to lift that amount equally.

"Hardening the muscle fibers or maybe a form of imbuing? What really is resonance? Why does it exist?" He thought to himself as several more resonant creatures appeared. Zenith took it seriously, rushing over to the one in the lead, and slashing upwards smoothly, his agility having improved as well.

When the second approached, he grabbed it by the head as it tried to squeeze its maw shut, but Zenith's grip with his gauntlet made it impossible. He used it as a club to smack the third one into the ground, then stomped the heads of both of them while they were stunned.

His eyes appearing cruel as he looked at the dead creatures so far he had killed. Sheathing the laser sword after switching it off, he grabbed the nozzle for the backpack device and used it to suck up the corpses. Looking at the bar counter on it, he was a little surprised that it only showed it was filled by 10%. "We've killed just over 100 of these things. I wonder if it will be enough for Miss Jenabell."

Quietly speaking, it was then that Zenith heard a roar in the distance. His body shuddered. "There's something bigger?" He heard another roar, finding it was getting a little further away. "Should I or..."

He wanted to ask Fable, but he knew he would obviously say no. However, Zenith really wanted a challenge. He had been told that pushing oneself to their limits and at death's door would let them grow quickly. Zenith's only worry was if he underestimated the creature's size. "Screw it, I'll go take a look. If it's too bad, I'll turn back." He rushed forward, vanishing into the darkness ahead.

Fable, meanwhile, sat on a nearby boulder, around him the corpses of over 50 creatures. He lounged back, a little bored. Looking at his device signal, seeing that Zenith was still going forward. "Hmm. Well, he knows his limits. He won't do anything stupid."

Just as he finished speaking, the ground shook. A large claw-covered frontal claw pressed onto the ground, causing it to shake. The creature that barely fit from the tunnel forced its body through. Enormous was an understatement; using Earth standards, it was as big as nearly 2 bull elephants, but as long as three, made of resonance. It looked like a demonic dinosaur, saliva dripping from its jaw that resembled a tyrannosaurus. When it hit the floor, it caused it to melt a bit.

Fable looked up nonchalantly and looked excited. "Holy fuck, nice! I can't believe I bagged a greater Resonant creature. Damn, I thought you were all killed. Grandma's gonna be happy!" He stood up and looked at it.

The creature opened its mouth. Despite its size, its lower jaw split into 4 parts, into a void-like maw. A heavy roar made the chamber shake. Fable looked unimpressed, licking his lips a little. "Well, I can finally exercise a bit," he mumbled, watching as the creature suddenly raised its frontal hand, causing 4 balls of pure darkness made of resonance to gather, able to manipulate it.

Zenith had run for a while, following the roar he had heard, unaware that Fable had met a creature of his own. He kept getting closer and closer until he eventually exited the tunnel into a magma chamber, the center with several open craters filled with lava.

Looking around, Zenith carefully inched forward, on high alert as he began to walk and explore inside. He could have sworn the creature's final roar had been just around the corner. He finally stopped with his back turned to one of the magma-filled craters.

"Did I take a wrong turn?" he mumbled to himself, a little disappointed. Though his heart soon skipped a beat, he quickly rolled to the side, barely in time to see a large claw extend out of the magma and smash down to where he had just been a moment ago.

Soon a resonant creature climbed its way out, the magma dripping from its body. It was nearly 2 meters tall and a meter and a half long, hunched over, almost identical to the one Fable was facing. Zenith removed his weapon, judging its appearance.

"A middle variant, but still ranked White Wolf. I can do this." Eyeing the creature, he calmed himself. "Mighty Earth, Seize & Imprison," he called out, his gauntlet-encased hand extended outward. The ground beneath the creature shot up to encase it in earthen pillars. The creature roared immediately, using its body's strength to attempt to free itself.

Zenith knew it wouldn't be able to hold it long. Rushing over, he slashed at its head, but right as he did, the creature freed a claw, using it to guard as the laser sword smacked into its claw, causing resonance-like substance to leak out, the wound not too deep or shallow. The creature roared in fury, going berserk to free itself, immediately doing so.

Zenith gasped, quickly jumping away, right as the freed creature used its long tail to swipe at him. He was clipped by it hitting his abdomen. He felt a sharp pain as he looked down, his outfit torn somewhat cleanly, his blood oozing out a bit. "Shit..." he mumbled. Thankfully, his own body's recovery was strengthened too, so he didn't need to worry in the meantime about bleeding out from a cut like this, but an inch deeper, his guts would have been falling out.

Zenith saw that the creature didn't seem to want to give him a chance to rest. His eyes widened when he saw the creature's mouth open, resonance seemingly gathering in a ball of condensed energy. A feeling akin to impending doom crept upon Zenith as he had a terrible feeling. He quickly rushed towards the nearby magma crater that was protruding outwards and hid behind it, just in time as the creature fired a mix between a breath of energy. Its head shot in the direction Zenith had hidden, the chamber shook somewhat.

"Did I mess up?" His chest thumping as a trace of fear surged. He tried to regulate his breathing, then thought of what had been heard about Aleren Vailen. "No... Everything is under control. Death's door is the best place to grow." A fierce predatory look in his eyes, waiting for the creature to finish its attack.

He then exposed himself. The creature made its way towards him. He noticed that its speed was neither too quick nor slow. Zenith slowly circled around it. He found it wasn't too agile in turning but would use either its hind legs or tail to attack.

He remembered what Fable said regarding analyzing everything you could. Even the battle area could be used to your advantage. Zenith's eyes scanned around. "The magma can't be used as it can handle the heat..." His eyes darted around before he looked up, his eyes narrowing, and a grin forming on his face. "Bingo!"

On the ceiling were enormous stalactites formed from dripping magma and condensation of minerals. "Now a strategy," he said, his gaze focusing back onto the middle variant resonant creature.