Into the Dark City

Echo left the hill where the Bright Castle was located, while doing so he took out some the soul shards inside the box and fully saturated his core, while the left over ones he kept on his pouch.

Soul Fragments: 1000/1000

Echo relished on the feeling, like strength getting seeping onto the very fiber of his every muscles.

'This is addictive.' Echo thought as he stretched some of his muscles. And walked straight onto the dark city, his goal… The Ruined Cathedral. 

—

Echo navigated the dark city with expert proficiency, especially because of his Aspect ability. It almost took no effort.

Aspect: [Apex Perception]

Aspect Description: [Your perception is limited to your current rank, allowing you to perceive the world with unparalleled clarity and depth.]

His steps were graceful and steady not a single waste of energy on miscalculated movement it was fluid and precise, if you look at it closely it was like Echo is gliding in the midst of the ruins of the Dark City. This was due to his attribute that he got on his first Nightmare.

Attributes: [Ethereal Grace]

Attribute Description: [Grants you with seamless agility and grace, it enables you to navigate through spaces with an ethereal lightness and imbues you with an enchanting presence that captivates those around you.] 

He avoided every threats that he deemed unable to kill such as Fallens which the city was brimming off. 

Echo's abilities were highly regarded by a lot of people in the Dark City, when he first got here Gunlaug made it very clear that he wants Echo to join his ranks with the promise of riches and protection while the unassuming Echo joined, and left his original party. Through the years of fighting and learning Echo became one of the strongest people to ever grace the forgotten shore, honed with rich battle experience and a nearly saturated core he was living what most of the people here would only dream of. 

'It was really unfortunate that he died early.' Echo thought, and looked up, there he saw the structure of the black cathedral. 

It was a huge and imposing structure amongst the ruined buildings in the Dark City. 

'I think Sunny said he's got a very nasty roommate around here.' 

That's true, from the novel there was a fallen terror lurking here guarding the cathedral from nightmare creatures that entered it. 

Echo took his time to observe the cathedral from a distance, before he circled it accounting every alley, road and houses that's surrounding it. 

After a little bit of time has passed— he is currently inside one of the houses, Echo is planning on getting closer towards the cathedral and go to the roof to find an entrance to the hidden chamber inside the cathedral when he heard heavy footsteps. 

'Nightmare creatures, lets see what kind of abomination it is this time.' 

Echo then moved closer towards the footsteps and observed them through a broken window. There he sees a Bone Spear Fiend.

It looks menacing with its glowing eyes and protruding deadly bone like speaks that it can lunch towards it's enemies. It has a humpback like appearance as it navigated the ruins, from Echo's memory, Bone Spear Fiends is an Awakened Beast and often wanders around the Dark City and doesn't really have any territorial instinct it is mindless and would fight anything it lays its eyes to.

'It looks like dinner is ready to be served.' Echo thought confidently, its not like its not the first time he killed one, though he still remembers to be careful of course the past Echo died due to overconfidence and unfortunate circumstances.

Echo stepped out of the broken window ready to dive straight into battle, and activated his Aspect ability, Echo's eyes glowed, his skin felt the air brush up against it, all the hair in his body stood up, his mouth felt like it tasted something rotten, his nose was ravaged with horrid smell he never knew existed, his ears twitched as he hear every single thing from miles away, and he felt his perception and body getting much more easier to move he has even access to muscles he never knew existed. But most of all he felt his being shaking from excitement facing the abomination that presented itself to him.

"Haaaa…" Echo relished on the feeling and looked at his prey with intense glare in which the Blood Spear Fiend seemed to notice it looked up, and screeched. 

Echo sized it down and jumped out from the window, it immediately rushed towards him in mad bull charge, He already predicted this though and simply side stepped out of the way letting the Fiend collide with the brick wall of the house, Echo, unbothered by it summoned Eclipse in his hand his face forming a wide grin. He waits for the Spear Fiend to gather itself again, since there wouldn't be a battle at all if he finished it too quickly. 

It looks like the fiend was about to charge again, but Echo heard differently otherwise; right when it was like it was about to charge, it pointed one of the Blood Spear towards him instead and launched it with extreme accuracy, Echo, instead of being shocked ran towards the launched blood spear and ducked at the very last second, he skidded on the ground and sent a shallow stab towards the Blood Fiend, It reached its mark. 

The blood fiend tried to screech but found that it's throat was the one that was stabbed. 

It cannot produce any sound anymore, Echo stood up and immediately sent a cut towards its body. This one much deeper, it tried to resist and charge at echo in point blank range, but to no avail, Echo simply avoided it and slashed towards one of its ankles. 

Limping the fiend looked at Echo, still having the same glowing eyes as before, but this time it has a much deeper meaning, it saw Echo as a predator not a prey. Echo rushed towards it before it can properly go through with another attack, he butchered it with scary precision. Blood painted the now broken brick wall of the house. It tried to resist again but once again denied, slash after slash its life waned and for one last time it drew its breath, and succumbed to Echo's endless barrage of slashes. 

Echo just stared at it for a while, with a little sweat forming on his forehead. He breathed deeply before looking behind him, there he found 2 more Blood Spear Fiends, and his eyes regained its color once more and said with a grin. 

"Come!"