Chapter 14 Finally Some Action Part 6
…
"Thanks for the gift, Nil," Zeke said as he'd copied the beast's ability, the word Nil being a jab at the beast for having no name and having the system saying Nil in the section that had its name.
He was ready for another round.
…
The words did little to curb the speed at which the beast charged at him, its hooves thundering against the cracked pavement with the force of a freight train. The acrid smell of sulfur and rage filled the air as the creature's massive form barreled forward, muscles rippling beneath its scarred hide.
Seeing this, Zeke clapped his arms with full force, generating a shockwave that pushed back the beast. The sharp crack echoed through the empty street like a gunshot, followed by a rush of displaced air that sent debris skittering across the concrete.
But with its stats, it wasn't pushed back as much as it would have been if it had used the ability. The creature's hooves scraped against the ground, leaving deep gouges in the asphalt as it fought against the force.
Having already predicted the outcome, and only using the ability to rattle the beast, Zeke pushed forward, stomping his feet on the concrete. The impact sent spider-web cracks radiating outward from where his flip flops struck, and he used the force to generate shockwaves to propel him forward like a human projectile.
This human had surprised it again—he copied its ability. The beast had noticed it when he—Zeke—had done it with one of the pest's abilities, but seeing him do it to his own ability, he was shocked and as well angry. The primal rage that had simmered beneath its consciousness now boiled over, manifesting in the way its massive hands clenched and unclenched, claws scraping against its own palms.
That power had come at the cost of a lot of hardship, earned through countless battles and near-death experiences, and now he copied it with ease.
HUFF
He bellowed, smoke billowing from its nostrils like a dragon's breath. The sound reverberated through the air, a bass note that seemed to vibrate through Zeke's bones. The beast's eyes, glowing with an inner fire, locked onto its target with predatory intensity.
It swung its axe, aiming to cleave Zeke's head off—as useless as it had known it would be—but anger does cloud one's judgment. Especially a beast with little intelligence. The massive weapon whistled through the air, its blade gleaming with a deadly sheen that reflected the scattered streetlight.
As the axe whipped close to Zeke, he used his right hand to hit the axe handle, activating the ability again. The concentrated shockwave shifted the axe with a metallic clang, the vibration running up the weapon's shaft and causing the Minotaur to go off balance, its powerful frame stumbling as its center of gravity shifted.
Taking the chance, Zeke hit the beast with a barrage of punches, each having Labyrinthine Wrath active. His fists moved like pistons, each impact accompanied by miniature shockwaves that rippled through the air. The sound was like thunder trapped in a bottle, each punch creating its own sonic boom on a smaller scale.
The punches ruptured the insides of the beast, forcing it to cough up blood as it plopped onto one knee. Dark crimson splattered across the concrete, steaming in the cool night air. The metallic scent mixed with the creature's musk created an almost overwhelming cocktail of violence and mortality.
"Your axe limits your ability. You can use your ability better without the axe, or even with a blunt weapon. And judging from the little I know about monsters, you recently awakened your ability, didn't you? You must have recently reached S Rank." Zeke's voice carried a conversational tone that seemed absurdly casual given the circumstances, as if he were discussing the weather rather than combat techniques with a creature that had just been trying to kill him moments before.
Zeke stared at the beast on its knees, and continued, his breathing steady despite the exertion. "With your traits, you must have fought a lot to get here, especially with your near-death boost. Which is why you favor your axe, but that was when you were weak. Now, you've reached the apex of where your race had found it hard to reach. Abandon your old combat style and fight with your hands, tear your opponents apart—well, until you find a good hammer or any blunt weapon to better utilize your ability."
'Hey Zero, I'm right about the Minotaur race not being able to reach S Rank, right? Otherwise his peak specimen trait would be for nothing, as well as his race. What's superior about reaching S Rank if normal Minotaurs can reach it?'
{Aura farmer. Yes, you are correct, he definitely..}
Zeke cut him off as he was speaking.
'As long as I was right.'
'I don't need you to spiral into lectures right now.'
The Minotaur, trying to get up, was hit by a kick from Zeke—powered by Labyrinthine Wrath. The impact connected with a sickening crunch, and the beast's jaw broke, blood and saliva spraying across the ground as it spat out fragments of bone and teeth.
"Aiya. So rude, I was still speaking, you know," he said in an annoyed voice, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. The casual gesture seemed almost comical given the brutality of what had just transpired.
"Listen to my advice, just throw your axe away so we can fight in a nice fist brawl. Don't you want to win?" His tone held a strange mixture of encouragement and mockery, as if genuinely trying to help while simultaneously enjoying the creature's predicament.
'I've got to stop using that ability now. My mana's low—I've got about three pumps left. Gotta use it well.' Zeke thought, feeling the emptiness that came with magical exhaustion, like a well that had been drawn dry.
The Minotaur, calm despite its injuries and very much aware of the condescending tone Zeke employed with him, threw his axe to the concrete ground with a resounding clatter. The weapon skittered across the pavement, leaving sparks in its wake before coming to rest against a overturned trash can. The beast was ready to engage in the fist fight Zeke so wanted, its massive hands flexing as muscles coiled beneath its hide.
BOOM!
Both combatants punched out at the same time, both activating their mutually shared ability. The collision created a thunderclap that shattered nearby windows, glass raining down like deadly confetti. The air itself seemed to ripple and distort from the sheer force of the impact.
The shockwave was enormous. Zeke, having already learned how to concentrate the shockwave for directed impact, caused a massive crater where they stood. Chunks of concrete and asphalt flew in all directions, some pieces the size of baseballs whistling through the air with lethal velocity.
While the beast, still primal in its usage of the ability, let out an AoE shockwave—still pushing Zeke backwards by the way—and created a wave of dust, sand, and little stones that formed a choking cloud around them. The gritty particles hung in the air like fog, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in any direction.
As Zeke landed from the knockback effect of the blow—all his injuries having regenerated, leaving his skin unmarked despite the violence he'd endured—he looked up to see the Minotaur rushing towards the trio, who were gassed out and huddled together watching the fight. Their faces were pale with exhaustion and fear, sweat beading on their foreheads as they struggled to catch their breath.
The beast had come to the conclusion that fighting the undying human would lead to its death, so it had to run while it had the upper hand—but not without causing despair for the human. Its tactical mind, limited though it was, had calculated that the best way to wound this regenerating enemy was through his companions.
At least it had to kill one of the pests, to make this nightmare worth something.
…
Kai had been born into a family of three: his parents and his older sister. His upbringing was quite nice, at least compared to others—he had his requests, reasonable requests, fulfilled by his parents and doting older sister.
His parents were hunters, his father an S Ranked and his mother an A Rank hunter. In these parts of the country, they were notable hunters and guild masters, their names spoken with respect in the circles that mattered.
His sister, having eclipsed his parents in talent as well as himself, had been a Hunter at their parents' guild where she gained battle experience before heading off to become a tower climber two years ago. Now she was an A Ranked awakened, her progress meteoric and seemingly unstoppable.
According to her, only in this side of the world do Awakened ranks matter. In the tower, your rank only protects you from human altercations—the tower trials have no mercy for your rank.
She didn't elaborate. According to her, she didn't want to shatter his dreams.
He'd gained two best friends along the way, and surprisingly, a stop for food before going to play football had netted him another friend—an older brother figure, if you would.
Zeke and his sister were age mates, a fact that had always amused him for reasons he couldn't quite articulate.
Aaron had occupied the role of older brother in the group before the arrival of Zeke—the older brother who only got better and better.
Bringing them into the folds of mysterious anime, which they didn't know how he acquired, manga, and similar treasures. A mysterious rich youth they'd met in a restaurant, like something out of a story.
If they were girls, it would be a nice love story—raw 18+ novels that the female community would die for.
Now, another little food stop had gotten them in this precarious situation, and he was learning that his older brother figure was a monster.
Amazing regeneration. Check.
An Edo Tensei in real life—Jude would eat this up.
Speaking of Jude, his friends and he were all Awakened, as were more than half of all eighteen-year-olds and above. The only person with combat experience was Aaron, and he was a year older.
He trained in a dojo.
He'd heard his family had given him a skill book the other day, something that had made Aaron's eyes light up with possibilities.
But they all had one thing in common: they had not yet gone dungeon raiding.
His family had a little issue to solve, so once it was done, they would all go dungeon raiding together—perks of having a rich hunter family.
They would gain battle experience before deciding if they wanted to go tower climbing or not.
But now they might not even get to do it.
As much as Zeke had saved them, drawn aggro, and trained them through their lengthy combat—all in hopes of defeating what Zeke had termed an anomaly—they were still going to die.
They really do say your life flashes before your eyes before you die, and Kai was finding the cliché to be uncomfortably accurate.
But wait—why was there a black trench coat in his face?