Echo

The Remnants were not treasures, or at least not only that. They were a trial, because each Remnant had a so-called spirit. The spirit could take many different forms, often a combination of a deceased being, powerful energy, an element, and external influences from the territory.

Was it possible to destroy a Remnant without provoking the appearance of a spirit?

Quite. To do so, the spirit had to be erased before it was fully formed. This was only possible with superior strength, so it was no different from an easy victory.

Koros, Diatra, and Menir stood ready on the sidelines. Whether Ethan wanted it or not, his ability earned him a place at the forefront.

"It's begun!" Koros exclaimed as Ethan struck.

To summon a spirit, the Remnant's energy had to collide with a hostile force.

Ethan, who was in the center, had the least amount of time.

In a heartbeat, flesh covered the skull as a three-clawed paw swung at Ethan like a whip.

'Shit! It grew right out of...!' Ethan leaned back sharply as the claws whizzed past his eyes.

Cling.

Two arrows flew from the bowstring, trying to harm the spirit, but a burst of crimson energy simply threw them aside.

The great beast, nearly four meters tall, towered over the ravine. Rare stone plates covered its muscular, anthropomorphic body with thick black fur on its shoulders and back. A mask covered its face, leaving exposed a gruesome jaw, red eyes, and two curved wooden horns.

The Cursed Blood Hunter had awakened to protect its Remnant.

"ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!"

A furious roar erupted as the Cursed Hunter aimed one paw at Ethan.

"Dodge!" Koros shouted at the top of his lungs.

But it was too late.

A beam of energy burst from the red orb that emerged in front of the Cursed Hunter's palm.

Ethan's eyes widened as his legs jerked in an attempt to dodge.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The crimson hands rose from the energy, wrapping chains around the Cursed Hunter's paw to drag it down.

BLAST!

An explosion of red flame erupted to Ethan's right as the shockwave threw him sideways. He crashed into the nearest rock, but quickly got to his feet.

'Damn, did she just save me?' He glanced at Menir. 'Hah, that's nice, but if it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be here, right?'

"Go, Ethan! We've got your back!" Koros proclaimed as his circle began to move.

Electric discharges ran through his arm, forming a lightning bolt in his empty bow.

With a yellow flash, the arrow pierced the Cursed Hunter's right shoulder faster than the spirit could comprehend.

That wasn't the end of it.

Tremble.

With a tremor, the arrow stopped in midair before turning and aiming straight for the Cursed Hunter's unprotected neck.

"GRROOO!!!" the Cursed Hunter roared before turning and grabbing the lightning bolt.

Koros's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What the...?"

Diatra threw her bow aside and lunged at Koros, knocking him off his feet. Koros's eyes reflected the lightning flashing a meter above them. If it weren't for Diatra, there would already be a hole in his chest.

The explosion raised a pillar of dust, and splinters flew in all directions, but that wasn't going to stop them, because the Cursed Hunter didn't hesitate and was already moving straight toward them.

The ground shook with every step from the spirit, wanting to get rid of the Carriers who tried to destroy it.

Whooooosh.

Ethan lunged forward, holding his dagger tightly as he activated his Catalyst. He waved his hand, giving Diatra the command.

She nodded and placed her palms on the ground, staring intently at the spirit.

Impulses ran across the surface as huge green roots burst from the ground, twisting around the Cursed Hunter's waist and clearing a path for Ethan.

"Gha..." Ethan took a deep breath.

To defeat a spirit, it was necessary to either completely destroy it or deprive it of its core. The core of the spirit was its Remnant.

In other words, the Cursed Hunter was not created from a skull, he grew around it, keeping it somewhere inside its body, trying to hide its weak spot. No one knew where it was, but Ethan and the others had managed to discuss a plan of action before disturbing the Remnant.

This set the Remnant Spirits apart from monsters. Sure, monsters had weak spots like everyone else, but they weren't as obvious. The main task of everyone who fought against a Spirit was to figure out where the Remnant was hidden.

'All right. Here we go.' Ethan thought as the Cursed Hunter's paws came toward him, so close that its shadow fell on Ethan's face.

Slash.

The crimson cut flew out of the dagger, severing two claws and piercing the beast's chest. In fact, Ethan's goal was not to protect himself or get rid of the Cursed Hunter's paws.

No, he wanted to cut open the beast's torso, and he succeeded.

Among the muscles divided by a straight line, just behind the rib cage, a red crystallized core flashed from time to time.

The Cursed Hunter's pupils narrowed, he realized what Ethan was doing, and he couldn't risk continuing the fight. First, he had to heal his wound and secure his Remnant!

"Gra... Gra... Gra!!!"

The Cursed Hunter tried to escape, but before he could take two steps, Menir's crimson hands grabbed his ankle, knocking the massive beast to the ground.

"Rgh!" Menir, standing in the distance, coughed up a mouthful of blood from the strain, but she accomplished her task.

Ethan nodded. "Good job. Now it's time to finish this."

In a final burst, Ethan jumped off the root, landing directly on the Cursed Hunter's chest.

"GHOOR!!!"

The Cursed Hunter roared as his claws aimed straight for Ethan to throw him off.

The truth was that once a spirit showed its weak spot, it was all over. The spirits were strong, but all it took was one precise strike directly into their Remnant to destroy them.

Crash.

Ethan's fist, covered in darkness, smashed the Cursed Hunter's rib cage, hitting him right in his core.

A shudder ran through the spirit's body as a bright light fell on Ethan's face through the cracked core.

Then, multicolored streams of energy burst out, forming a trembling orb above the ravine — the Echo.

Inside, their reward awaited them, especially valuable to Menir, for the Blind Voyager led her here.