Chapter 16: Clash Beneath the Hollow Sky
The air rippled like torn silk as Kael stood at the broken threshold of the shrine, flames licking along his forearms, eyes locked onto the descending horror.
The Echo of Ruin was no mere beast. It was a memory of wrath given shape—tall, humanoid, clad in shifting obsidian armor that oozed shadow and ash. Its wings were torn banners of flame and void, each beat warping reality. And its gaze… ancient hate condensed into blue fire.
Selene stepped beside Kael, her greatsword already pulsing with lunar aura. Thalaria flanked his other side, eyes storm-lit, lightning dancing along her glaive. Vaeloria remained just behind them, her palms glowing with celestial sigils.
"This thing... it's not alive," Selene murmured. "It's what's left behind when a god dies in hatred."
Kael didn't answer. His heart raced, but his resolve burned brighter.
[System Alert: Cataclysmic Entity Detected — Power Comparison: Host at Severe Disadvantage] [Crown of Sin Override Engaged — Battle Instance Initiated]
The Echo raised a hand. Space around it shivered—and then collapsed inward as a pulse of void-fire surged toward them.
Kael shouted, "Disperse!"
The shrine exploded.
Kael rolled through dust and rubble, blood trickling down his arm. He leapt to his feet just as the Echo hurled toward him, blade drawn—a saber of black flame.
Clash.
Kael blocked it, barely. Sparks flew, his flame struggling against the void-essence. He parried and dodged, his footwork dragging lines across shattered tile.
Selene appeared behind the Echo, slashing upward. Her blade carved sparks across the beast's leg, but it pivoted—fast—and knocked her away with a backhand of void-energy. She flew into a pillar, grunting.
Thalaria surged in, glaive spinning. Lightning burst with every sweep. She landed three rapid strikes—one to the leg, one to the shoulder, and one across its side. The Echo stumbled, but retaliated with a wave of sheer sound, sending her sprawling.
[System Warning: Multiple Party Members Hit — Sync Down to 48%]
Kael gritted his teeth. "I won't let you hurt them."
He charged. Flame burst from his fists as he unleashed a flurry of strikes—fists, blade, elbow, kick. The Echo blocked most, but staggered at Kael's final blow—a rising strike that burned across its jaw.
[System Boost: Combative Momentum Achieved — Bonus Strike Unlocked]
Kael spun, driving his heel into its midsection. The Echo skidded back, wings flaring in a shockwave of black fire.
[Caution: Heat Signature Spiking — Echo Entering Berserk State]
The sky pulsed.
The Echo's body shifted, expanding slightly, energy erupting from cracks in its armor. It screamed—a chorus of rage and forgotten pain. Blades of void emerged from its wings.
"Everyone, regroup!" Kael roared.
Selene limped forward, lips bloodied but blade firm. Thalaria nodded, her arm scorched but eyes steady.
"Together!"
All three launched forward at once.
Steel, lightning, and fire met shadow. The battle became a blur—Kael darting low and fast, Selene hammering with wide cleaves, Thalaria using piercing precision. Every strike chipped the Echo's armor. Every dodge kept them barely alive.
Their teamwork now flowed—not perfect, but unbreakable.
[System Trigger: Partner Resonance Boost Activated — Enhanced Reflex & Damage Resistance Shared for 90 Seconds]
The Echo roared, unleashing a barrage of void shards. Kael tanked two across his chest, but stood firm. Selene shattered one mid-air. Thalaria dodged the rest.
They pushed forward.
"Break it!" Kael yelled.
Together, they struck its core.
Crack.
But the Echo didn't fall. Instead, its body erupted in a surge of unstable energy, forcing all three back with a sudden explosion of shadow flame.
Kael crashed through a chunk of wall, coughing as the air grew thick with smoke and magic. Selene was sent tumbling across shattered stone, her sword clattering from her hand. Thalaria barely managed to land upright, her feet skidding in a burst of lightning discharge.
[System Alert: Echo of Ruin has entered Phase Two — Adaptive Combat Protocol Engaged]
From the shadows, the Echo reformed with terrifying speed—wounds sealing with each second, its body now reinforced with jagged void armor pulsing with violet veins.
It roared and launched into the air, wings folding inward. Then it dived.
Kael raised a barrier of flame just in time to absorb the brunt of its crash—but the shockwave tore the rest of the courtyard apart. Masonry lifted, trees split, and the very shrine cracked beneath their feet.
"Vaeloria, hold the ritual zone!" Kael shouted.
"I'm trying! This thing is disrupting the leylines!" she called back, sweat pouring down her brow as she maintained the protective glyphs.
The Echo's sword warped into a double-bladed scythe. It swept the ground, forcing Kael to duck, roll, and parry—barely. Selene reengaged, retrieving her sword and using short, explosive bursts to pressure its left side. Thalaria hit from behind, targeting joints and fractures.
[System Notice: Team Coordination Rating Rising — Synchronization Restored to 62%]
Still, the Echo adapted. It began predicting their rhythms, countering Selene with brutal knees to her side, and catching Thalaria mid-air with a sweep of shadowy force that sent her crashing to the outer shrine steps.
Kael was the only one left standing.
He breathed hard, his flame flickering.
"Time to bleed," he whispered, gripping his blade tighter.
He charged once more.
This time he didn't aim to win. He aimed to buy time.
Dodging, parrying, unleashing wide arcs of flaming slashes, Kael held the Echo's attention. Each block jarred his bones. Each impact made his vision blur.
[Health Critical — 23% Remaining] [Mana Core Flickering — Emergency Draw from Crown of Sin: Engaged]
A new surge of strength flooded him, wild and volatile.
[Overload Risk: High]
Kael ignored the warnings. He let go of restraint. Fire exploded from his form, bathing the entire courtyard.
The Echo screamed—not in pain, but challenge.
It met his charge. Blades clashed. Flame and void warred.
And for a moment, Kael was its equal.
Selene rejoined, bruised but burning with vengeance. Thalaria landed beside him, teeth gritted.
"Final push!" Kael roared.
Together, they executed a three-point assault—Selene breaking the right leg's support, Thalaria cleaving through a wing membrane, and Kael diving in to pierce the fractured core.
---
Kael rolled through dust and rubble, blood trickling down his arm. He leapt back to his feet just as the Echo hurled toward him, blade drawn—a saber of black flame.
Clash.
Kael blocked it, barely. Sparks flew, his flame struggling against the void-essence.
Selene came in fast, slicing across the Echo's wing. Thalaria followed, her glaive crackling with impact. The Echo staggered… then roared.
Its voice cracked reality. Trees wilted. Clouds evaporated. The celestial cub wailed.
[System Warning: Body Near Mana Exhaustion] [Unlocking Temporary Buff — Partner Resonance Boost Activated] [Flame-Kissed Bond: +15% Endurance, +10% Fire Damage Resistance]
Kael drew deeper from within—drawing not on skill, but fury. He launched upward, crashing into the Echo's chest with a shoulder charge that sent them both tumbling across the ruins.
He raised his blade high—and brought it down with a scream.
Steel met bone-shadow.
And cracked it.
The Echo screeched, stumbling back.
[Damage Inflicted — Core Fracture: 8% Integrity Breach]
Vaeloria chanted behind him. "Kael! On my mark!"
Sigils burst in the air—pure celestial fire.
"NOW!"
Kael thrust his palm forward, feeding his will into the glyph. It exploded into a beam of purging flame, engulfing the Echo in a column of divine fire.
Silence.
And then the Echo shrieked one final time before vanishing in a cascade of blue ash.
The Hollow Sky dimmed.
---
Kael collapsed to one knee. Breathing hard. Eyes dazed.
The girls rushed to him.
[System Notice: Battle Instance Complete — Temporary Buff Expired] [Reward Pending]
A screen opened before him.
[Quest Completed: "Echo in the Hollow"] Reward:
EXP +4800
System Synchronization +6%
Stat Boost: +2 Strength, +1 Intellect
Special Unlock: Sin Resonance Surge (Combat Auto-Trigger Threshold: 20%)
Kael smiled faintly. "We survived..."
Selene knelt beside him, brushing sweat from his brow. "You nearly got yourself erased."
Thalaria smirked. "And looked damn fine doing it."
Vaeloria simply pulled him into her arms.
"Rest now, husband. The Hollow Sky has witnessed your flame."
End of Chapter 16