Echoed Lands

Colm stood there like a commander watching his phantoms weave through the chaos, each movement instinctual, each breath sharpened by adrenaline. What felt like hours passed in the span of seconds, stretched thin as the clash dragged into minutes. Herb was surrounded on all sides, and the Phantom Harbinger struck without hesitation, spectral blade carving arcs of shimmering blue as the massive phantom danced through the undead horde.

The battlefield was awash in tidal waves and mangled bodies, a rhythm of violence shaped by the phantoms carrying Colm's will and the relentless support of his spells cast amid the chaos. Within the storm, a sudden lull fell over the immediate area, a fleeting reprieve in the sea of combat.

He exhaled, gathering his thoughts.

"Okay… not sure why there are level one-hundred-plus berserkers mixed in with the low-level walkers," he mused, scanning the twisted ranks reforming in the distance. "But at least when the walkers show up, it gives me a bit of breathing room between the real fights with the berserkers."

"Whatever this formation is, it's not random. Something, or someone, is directing this."

Undead Berserker (Level 102) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Undead Walker (Level 2) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

Undead Berserker (Level 109) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

…

Undead Berserker (Level 104) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Wavebound Surge (Level 5) has increased to Wavebound Surge (Level 6).

Wavebound Surge (Level 6) has increased to Wavebound Surge (Level 7).

Wavebound Surge (Level 7) has increased to Wavebound Surge (Level 8).

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Sighing, Colm pushed through the droves of corpses, weaving between broken bodies and twitching limbs as the echo of battle slowly faded behind him. He dismissed the flurry of notifications blinking in the corner of his vision with a lazy swipe of his hand. "Can't complain about the levels," he thought with a grin, already allocating his newly earned stat points with quick precision. Each point felt like another layer of certainty beneath his skin, more strength, more resilience.

The gate behind him now stood clear, and as the final traces of spectral energy unraveled around him, he felt the empowering aura of Phantom Harbinger fade. A wave of fatigue followed in its place, but standing around him were his three loyal phantoms, Carver, Lance, and Robin, silent as always yet ever present.

"Good job, everyone," Colm said quietly, nodding to each of them. "Let's keep moving."

Colm and his phantoms darted deeper into the ruined city, empowered spectral limbs flashing as they cut down stray undead in their path. Every movement was precise, efficient, blades rising and falling in rhythm. The deeper they ventured, the darker the streets became, but Colm's stride never faltered.

"We're just getting started."

Colm shrugged, rolling his shoulders to ease the tightness still lingering from the recent bout.

"It's a constant stream of Berserkers and Walkers in this area. The further I push in, the more interesting it gets and has me looking over my shoulder. But why?"

Carver slashed downward, cleaving through another Berserker as it lunged. A tug in Colm's chest marked the end of Phantom Harbinger. In a flash, the empowered state faded, and Carver returned to his normal form beside him, finishing the creature off. Colm glanced over his shoulder to see Robin launching another Phantom Volley into a crowd of undead.

"Why am I not getting overwhelmed by numbers?" he wondered. "These aren't swarms, they're manageable. Small bouts, spaced out. It's like they know they can't kill me… like they're just trying to stall."

His eyes widened. "That's exactly what they're doing."

He swept his gaze across the area, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. But nothing stood out.

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"There's gotta be something."

He kept watching as Carver and Lance fought in tandem, cutting through a group of Undead Berserkers. Then, in the distance, on one of the cathedral spires, he caught a flicker of light. It was faint, lasting only a moment. Simultaneously, a new undead group turned the corner of a nearby building.

"Could be a coincidence," he thought, observing his phantoms engage the new arrivals. He glanced back to the cathedral, and there it was again. Another flash, just as his phantoms finished the fight and another group rounded a corner behind him, forcing him to retreat and backpedal.

Thinking fast, he muttered, "It's just trying to keep me from moving forward. It's having me move in circles."

He replayed the past few encounters in his mind.

"That's exactly what it's been doing."

Colm directed his goal towards Robin and the both bolted forward. Their feet barely touching the ground, strength surging through them, and as he moved, he caught multiple red flashes flaring in the same spot atop the cathedral.

"It's panicking," he realized, coming to an abrupt halt. Instantly, the flashes ceased.

He spun around, sensing movement. Several groups of undead were converging on his location. "Hmm, I need to rethink this," he mused, activating Abyssal Lance. Dark energy coalesced at his fist as he channeled the spell. Spectral projectiles erupted forth, each one piercing clean through the undead ranks with lethal precision. Carver, Lance, and Herb closed ranks at his flanks, cutting down the rest with brutal efficiency and Robin provided support right beside him.

Colm scanned the war-torn landscape and spotted a collapsed ruin forming a narrow alcove with a broken ramp spiraling upward. "It's not much," he thought, "but it's something." He darted toward it, slipping into the shadows just as another flicker lit the cathedral spire.

"Out of sight, at least. Let's see what I can do," he thought grimly.

Another group of undead shuffled around a nearby corner. "This is getting ridiculous," he thought, irritation flaring.

Carver and Lance met them head-on, blades flashing. Colm peeked out from the alcove, summoning dark energy into his hand once more. "Wait for it…"

He tuned out the chaos around him, trusting his phantoms to hold the line. His vision locked on the rooftop, the location of those telltale flashes. He waited, breath slow, heartbeat steady.

"There!"

Without hesitation, Colm unleashed Abyssal Lance. The projectil screamed through the air, making an eerie swishing sound before vanishing into the distance. He held his breath.

"Did I miss?"

Seconds dragged. Then, ding.

A system notification, with a name different from his other kills, blinked into existence and his eyes widened.

Undead Usher (Level 117) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Before Colm could even register the success of his strike, a piercing screech tore through the streets, then another, and another. Each one echoed with a rising, unnatural pitch, like alarms signaling the city's slumbering dead.

"Release the hounds," Colm muttered with a dark chuckle, stepping boldly into the central street with Lance and Carver flanking him.

He clenched his fist tightly as dark energy crackling along its surface, scanning ahead as his phantoms moved in practiced formation to cover their surroundings.

An undead lurched into view. He released Abyssal Lance and before the projectile struck its target, another undead appeared. Then another. And another.

The floodgates had opened.

Spell after spell: erupted from his hand, each shot precise, instinctual. His mind narrowed to the rhythm of battle as undead poured from alleys, doorways, and broken windows. Notifications flared across his vision, a stream of kills and experience gains filling his senses. The real battle had begun.

Undead Berserker (Level 108) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Undead Walker (Level 12) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

Undead Walker (Level 25) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

…

Undead Berserker (Level 104) Defeated. Experience Gained.

"Fuck," Colm muttered. "Was that a mistake?"

He grunted, watching as Robin released Phantom Volley in an arc. Spectral arrows tore through the advancing horde, piercing dozens of undead as they closed in. All around him, Carver and Lance unleashed bursts of deadly tidal energy, crashes of spectral force sending bodies flying, the air thick with pressure and decay.

Herb stomped through the undead, crushing them underfoot as if they were ants, the harbinger's massive blade slicing clean arcs through the horde and clearing a path.

A sudden lunge from his side disrupted his concentration. The Abyssal Lance he'd released veered off course, striking a different undead than he'd intended. Still a kill, but not the one he'd been targeting.

He twisted to see what had struck him, but before his eyes could catch up, Carver was already there, blade flashing, cleaving the attacker clean in two.

"Thanks," Colm muttered, barely catching his breath as he dove forward, narrowly dodging a heavy swipe from another corpse.

"There's just so damn many of them," he growled, rising to his feet with dark energy already swirling around his weapon.