As they progressed, the ground gradually became more uneven, forcing them to have to watch their step. Speaking of which, Alice seemed to be struggling a bit compared to him and Caelum.
While her leg was good enough to walk on, it seemed that she was in no condition yet to traverse more adverse terrains that could come up.
Zero remembered the Seeker Crystal and Enlightened Crystal inside of his… Spirit Storage and summoned them into his hands.
"Here, my Spirit Level is already topped out. This should top out yours, too."
Alice smiled slightly and took the crystals.
"Thank you, this should help my leg heal up faster, too."
"Wait, they can heal?"
"Yeah, not as good as a skill, but it speeds up recovery like your Harvest Talisman. So both together, and I could be completely healed before today is up. Ah, about your talisman, is it okay if I keep using it until my leg is better?"
"Yeah, of course."
Now that Caelum was slightly suspicious of him, Zero found a new target to prod information out of. Next, he wanted to find out about the Tiers after Seeker, or Tier 1. He already had a guess that it went Seeker, Enlightened, skip a few, then Eternal, Primordial, Celestial, Heavenly or Forsaken, and Immortal.
But it was important for him to find out how to become an Enlightened. Zero found it safe to assume he started as a mundane person, then became a Seeker after touching the statue. From that, he deduced that becoming a Seeker had made him reasonably stronger, or at least leveling his Spirit did.
So if he could become an Enlightened and level his spirit more, his odds of surviving would go up.
'Why am I so scared of them finding out I have no memory?'
That was another fair thought. It already seemed Caelum would not report him for escaping the coliseum, though for Alice, he did not know yet. It was time to find out. But that would have to wait. In front of them was another Cave Snake.
This one was larger and a bit different from the last, so Zero figured it was likely an Enlightened Chaos Beast. It had the same black scales as the Small Cave Snake, but this one had four, opposed to two, fangs. Its head was much larger and could probably fit Zero's head in its jaws. Not that Zero would let that happen.
Now that they were in the light, Zero was able to switch into the fractured plane and get a good look at the beast. Its body was mostly the same as far as fractures went. Its head was a different story. The slit eyes were the largest fractures, but right above them, there was a noticeable crevice that descended quite deep.
"Zero, Alice, what is the strategy. We have become its next targets."
The snake was creeping up on them, likely oblivious that it had been spotted. But, its slow speed gave them just enough time for a quick plan. For now, Alice had no weapon, so it would be Zero and Caelum doing the killing.
The crevice on the snake's head was too small to accurately stab, especially with a curved blade, but if there was a broad attack, that could work.
The plan was rather obvious.
"Since I have poison resistance, I'll get its attention. Caelum, there is a weak spot right above its eyes, so go for that. A good hit from your staff could cripple it. Again, right above its eyes."
Caelum nodded while Alice bent over to pick up two nearby rocks. Zero donned on his dragon head.
"A good strategy, Zero. Let us do it."
The monster from the lake must have been an Enlightened, so this snake's poison posed no harm. Its large fangs begged another question, but Valiant Blade was both sharper and longer.
Zero approached the Cave Snake in the same wide, but loaded, stance Azarax would take. He did not focus on the snake's fangs, but rather took a broad look at the snake's center mass, just like he was taught.
Upon coming into striking range, he had an innate feeling the snake was gearing up to attack. So when it lunged forward, Zero was prepared.
Zero pushed to the side while flicking his blade the other way. He felt his wrists tense up as he struggled to keep the blade in place until the snake's head collided with the side of the blade and narrowly missed Zero's arm.
Then Caelum was there. Right in front of him, the snake's head was positioned defenselessly, but right past that was Zero.
Caelum shortened his attack and pulled down harder, so the air aiding his attack did not hit Zero. Unfortunately, while he was skilled at defending with the staff, such a versatile offensive move adjustment was not in the books. Or scrolls in his case.
The staff cracked out against the snake's brow ridged, and then a pulse of air pushed its head down. Since Caelum aborted his original strike, Zero found himself unmoved and prepped for another attack.
Zero shifted his blade upwards, then struck down at the snake's lowered head. But this time the snake was faster. The beast twisted its head, causing Valiant Blade to harmlessly scratch off one of the four fangs.
Then the snake twisted its whole body, accomplishing two tasks. Firstly, its new position threatened Zero by putting it in front of its mouth. Secondly, the snake followed through with the rest of its tail, causing it to hurtle at Caelum.
Effectively, it occupied the two and opened up a chance for the snake to kill either one.
Thankfully for Zero, his instinctual fighting ability in a head-on clash were far superior to an Enlightened Beast's. After all, he had the blood of a Forsaken Deity.
For Caelum, his defense was too impenetrable to be beaten half haphazardly.
Zero twisted his blade around and managed to strike the side of the snake's head, causing it to veer off its target, while simultaneously diving to the side to avoid being scraped. While Caelum shifted his hand up, to increase his leverage, and blocked the tail.
Zero hit the ground and was on his feet not a moment later. Next to him stood Caelum, who was pushed back by the snake's tail.
Both sides geared up for their next exchange.