The stone floor cracked beneath Leo's boots as he advanced, each step heavy with rage and disbelief. The Veil-Touched Abomination stood tall, still regenerating—but slower now. The detonation from the Verdant Charm had disrupted something within.
Still, Aerin was gone.
And Leo felt it. An emptiness. A dissonance where the Soul Chain had been.
"⟪Temporary Status: Soul Disruption⟫ Effect: +15% damage dealt, -10% defense, duration: Unknown⟫"
Kaelgrun braced beside him. "We end it now, lad."
Leo nodded, silently.
The abomination surged forward again—both heads shrieking, claws tearing at reality itself. Its entire body was a weapon of chaos. Sylari shouted an incantation, glyphs circling her hands.
"⟪Skill Activated: Barrier of Thorns⟫ Rank: C Effect: Summons a reactive shield of nature magic. Returns damage on melee hit. Duration: 15 seconds⟫"
Kaelgrun charged first, slamming his hammer into the creature's left leg, breaking bone with a crunch. Leo followed, his form flickering.
"⟪Skill Activated: Shadow Step⟫"
He reappeared above the creature, driving the Verdant Fang deep into one of its necks.
"⟪Critical Hit!⟫ +75 Damage | Verdant Bloom Applied⟫"
The abomination roared and turned to bite him—but Kaelgrun threw his hammer, smashing into its lower jaw and forcing its head sideways.
"Now!" Sylari screamed.
Leo felt his soul burning brighter than ever. And then—
"⟪Resonance Spike Detected⟫ Unlocking Ultimate Skill: Verdant Requiem⟫
⟪Skill: Verdant Requiem⟫ Rank: B Effect: Channels nature's wrath through your weapon. Deals massive area damage and purges corruption. Cooldown: 1 day⟫"
Leo didn't hesitate. He slammed the Verdant Fang into the ground.
Green light erupted.
Vines, thorns, and raw life energy surged outward in a shockwave. The tower shook. The Veil-Touched Abomination was engulfed, its screeches turning into warbling, pained howls.
"⟪Boss Status⟫ HP: 620 / 12,000 Status: Severely Weakened. Corruption Integrity Collapsing⟫"
It staggered, blind, bleeding ichor.
Leo charged again, thoughts fixed on Aerin. On what they lost.
One final strike.
The Verdant Fang pierced through the boss's core.
Light. Silence. Then—
"⟪Boss Defeated: Veil-Touched Abomination⟫ EXP Gained: 2,500 Level Up! | Soul Resonance Increased: 34%⟫"
The abomination's body dissolved into ash and black spores that blew away into the fading storm.
Leo collapsed to one knee. Kaelgrun and Sylari rushed to his side, but he wasn't looking at them.
He was looking at the scorched mark where Aerin had vanished.
"She's not gone," he whispered.
The system pulsed.
"⟪New Quest Unlocked: Through the Veil⟫ Objective: Enter the lost resonance plane. Locate the soulmark. Uncover the truth.⟫"
He stared into the rising dawn.
This was just the beginning.