Chapter 130 ‒ The Last Echo Before Nightfall
Chapter 130 ‒ The Last Echo Before Nightfall
The ghost army surged forward, their hollow eyes shimmering like dying embers beneath the flickering cave torches. Tyler’s breath rattled in his helmet, each inhale scraping his throat raw as shards of phantom cold pressed into his bones.
His hands gripped the twin swords tighter. The steel felt heavier than ever, as if every life he had taken weighed down the blades.
The first ghost lunged. Tyler ducked under its slash, his knee skidding through ash and dust, and slammed his sword upward. The spirit burst into a cloud of pale sparks, its shriek echoing like a fading wind chime.
[Enemies Identified: Wandering Ghost, Level 28 x107]
[Enemies Identified: Wandering Ghost, Level 37 x86]
[Enemies Identified: Wandering Ghost, Level 50 x64]
A second ghost stabbed from behind; Tyler twisted, barely deflecting the ethereal blade. He pivoted and swung with desperate force, cleaving through two more translucent warriors. His vision blurred at the edges as the cave spun around him in erratic pulses.
No gaps… no breathing room… they’re surrounding me from all sides…
Unlike the mindless locusts, these ghosts moved in a chilling, fluid formation, each arc forcing Tyler deeper into a tightening spiral.
A spear sliced across his shoulder, numbing the muscle instantly. Another ghost slammed into his ribs, knocking him into the cavern wall with a bone-cracking impact. His breath burst from his lungs in a strangled cry.
I… I can’t stop now… I can’t let them escape… I can’t let them win…
His gaze darted toward the passageway, catching the trailing edge of Yandeon’s cloak melting into the dark.
“No… he’s getting away… I have to follow him… I have to… but I… I can’t…! Ah!”
Myrrak’s presence had vanished completely, leaving only that roiling trail of poison mist. Tyler staggered to his feet, swords dragging against the floor like dead weights. Another wave of ghosts charged in, shrieking in spectral hunger.
He met them head-on, slicing through three in a single arc. A fourth ghost swung low; he leaped backward, boots skidding across shattered stone. His heart slammed against his ribs, each beat a panicked drum.
One ghost lunged for his throat. Tyler ducked, spinning beneath it to hack upward and sever its head. Another flanked him — he twisted and kicked it away, then drove both blades down into its core.
Phantom blood, cold and shimmering, splattered across his armour as more ghosts swarmed, shrieking like a thousand funeral dirges. His shoulders screamed under each parry; his breath shuddered, his pulse a storm in his skull.
“I can’t let them pass… can’t let them escape…!”
[Activated Skill: Gigantify] [PE: 20/50]
[Activated Skill: Firestorm] [PE: 0/50]
A raw roar tore from his chest, echoing like a collapsing mountain. His bones cracked and stretched, armour tearing and expanding in screeching pulses. In moments, he loomed near the cave ceiling, a colossal spectre of burning steel and flesh.
Flames exploded outward, coiling around his monstrous frame in searing spirals. His massive fists swung wide, crushing entire squads of ghosts in each brutal sweep. The cave floor quaked with each stomp, sending tremors up the walls and dislodging brittle stalactites.
Ghostly shrieks filled the cavern, echoing in Tyler’s skull like a funeral chorus. His fists hammered the last pockets of resistance, each blow scattering ash and ghostlight in a rain of embers.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
A ghost leaped from above, driving a blade into his shoulder. He roared and grabbed it midair, tearing it apart like wet paper. Another group rushed him; he spun, sweeping them away in a burning arc that melted the cavern walls.
But the flames thinned, his movements faltering like a dying forge. The giant’s form began to shrink, armour plates sliding back into place in tortured screeches.
Tyler’s lungs strained, drawing in air like shards of glass. His sweat hissed against scorched armour, each drop vanishing into the fading fires.
Just… a little more… stay upright… move… you have to move…
At last, the final ghost fell silent, its pale mist drifting away like morning fog. Tyler dropped to one knee, swords clattering to the ground. His hands trembled violently, fingers clawing at the cold stone beneath them.
[+514 XP]
[Leve…]
Suddenly the letters on the system messages started to blur. The afterglow of victory turned sour in an instant as a sharp, chemical burn crept into his lungs.
A sudden, glaring red warning pulsed across his visor, each beat like a hammer blow to his temple.
[Status: Affected by [Poison Mist] — Target will lose 20 HP every second. Duration: 00:00:20]
A sharp, acrid sting filled his nose and throat. Tyler’s head snapped up, eyes wide and frantic.
A smooth, lilting voice slid through the haze, dripping with venom and amusement.
“Ah… what a breathtaking performance,” Myrrak drawled, his voice curling through the air like smoke. “Truly, you exceeded my expectations, [Player]. Even I almost believed you’d pull off a miracle here… almost.”
Tyler’s eyes darted in wild desperation. His pulse roared in his ears like a waterfall crashing in the dark.
From nowhere — as if stepping through the seams of the cave itself — Myrrak appeared. The poison mist coiled and bowed around him, as though even the fog obeyed his presence. His posture was almost relaxed, clawed fingers tapping together in quiet amusement. His eyes glimmered with delighted cunning, his thin lips curled into a sly, almost playful smirk.
“You used that charming little trick of yours before, didn’t you?” Myrrak cooed, his voice silk-wrapped steel. “But look at you now… exhausted, out of breath, out of tricks. How poetic… the mighty [Player], undone by his own pride.”
Tyler’s shaking fingers shot up to his skill window, fumbling to find the familiar light of salvation.
[PE: 1/50]
A wave of dread crushed down on him, hollowing out his chest.
Myrrak stepped forward, each footfall echoing like a priest’s bell at a midnight funeral. “You thought you were the hunter… but all along, you were just the rabbit, prancing in my little garden. Such spirit… such tragic defiance… oh, I almost wish I could keep you around as a pet.”
Tyler’s eyes twitched, searching for anything solid in the swirling cave.
[Status: Affected by [Poison Mist] — Target loses 20 HP every second. Duration: 00:01:58]
His health plummeted in brutal, staggering jolts.
[HP: 779/900]
[HP: 759/900]
[HP: 739/900]
Myrrak’s laughter rang out, low and intimate, as though sharing a private joke. “Ah, how I would savour watching every flicker of hope drain from those pretty eyes of yours… But sadly, I must see to that old schemer before he decides to twist our agreement. Consider this your final act, [Player]. A closing curtain drawn by the world itself.”
[HP: 359/900]
Tyler toppled forward, his arms buckling under the poison’s creeping bite. Every breath was a ragged sob, each heartbeat a thunderous hammering echoing in the void of his skull.
The edges of the cavern rippled, shapes curling into unrecognizable shadows. Echoes of laughter, whispers of forgotten voices — Milo’s voice, soft and bright, echoed at the fringe of his mind.
[HP: 159/900]
[HP: 139/900]
“Milo… I’m sorry… I failed you… I couldn’t keep you safe… I couldn’t keep my promise…”
He saw Milo’s bright, mischievous face at the dinner table, flicking broccoli at him, laughing so hard he fell back in his chair.
“I wanted… to go back… to tell you it was okay… to tell you I didn’t mean to…”
A cracked, dry laugh tore from his chest, scraping his throat raw.
“Milo… if I open my eyes… please, let me find you again… even if it’s just one more prank… one more scolding… please… just one more breath… one more swing…”
[HP: 59/900]
His hand twitched, rising weakly toward his visor, as if to rip away this cruel mirage.
[HP: 39/900]
Then — a ripple in the darkness.
A massive shape emerged from the shadows, shoulders flexing beneath a shimmering hide, each movement thick and powerful like a great beast pacing the jungle at midnight.
It bent forward, knuckles brushing the cave floor in a slow, deliberate motion — a gesture more animal than human, yet filled with an eerie intelligence.
A tremor crawled up Tyler’s spine, his nerves flaring as if they recognized that presence before his mind could catch up.
The silhouette tilted its head, a low rumble echoing from deep within its chest, almost like a contemplative growl. One massive hand — fingers thick and calloused — tapped at its chin, as if inspecting a wounded prey.
Tyler’s pulse froze. The air felt charged, a silent promise of raw, crushing force hanging between each heartbeat.
[HP: 19/900]
Then, the figure leaned closer and, with a fluid motion, drew something from its side.
For an instant, two eyes shone inside the shifting haze — luminous, inhuman, but strangely familiar.
Tyler’s final thought shivered across his mind, dissolving like snow in flame.
I’m sorry… Milo… I’m—
The system warnings blurred into one final, searing line.
Darkness slammed down, cold and absolute, swallowing him whole.