Chapter 58: [58] The Last Echo
"Among those who walk the burning edge between worlds, one name is whispered with equal parts awe and fear. She is the final voice of a legacy written in blood and crystal. The Last Echo—where her spear strikes, reality itself trembles. They say she fights with the wisdom of a hundred lifetimes, each movement a symphony of inherited power. Some claim she cannot be killed, for how do you silence an echo that carries the voices of those long gone? When gates tremble and monsters flee, you will know—The Last Echo has arrived."
—Hunter Network promotional segment, sponsored by Phoenix Imperium
***
Thalia hated that tagline.
She adjusted her spear harness, tightening the strap across her chest as her team filed into the simulation chamber. The purplish haze typical of Tier-2 gates enveloped them, casting everything in an eerie glow that made the crystalline structures sprouting from the ground shimmer like wet obsidian.
"Are you getting this?" Ryan Matthews held his camera at arm’s length, his face too close to the lens. "We’re here with the legendary Last Echo herself, about to enter a recreation of the infamous Osaka Incident gate that claimed an entire C-rank team back in 2040!"
"Ryan." Thalia’s voice carried a warning edge.
"Come on, Thalia." Ryan’s boyish face broke into a grin that never failed to annoy her. "Think of the first-years watching. We’re showing them what real hunters do."
Thalia ignored him, scanning the terrain. The simulation had recreated the gate with impressive accuracy—twisted crystal formations jutted from the ground at impossible angles. The air smelled wrong, like ozone and something sweetly rotten.
Cassandra Moore approached, her twin daggers already drawn. The redhead stood at Thalia’s right shoulder, where she always positioned herself during missions. "Perimeter’s clear. Eliot and Vince are checking the western approach."
"And the gate core?" Thalia asked.