The Revenant towered above them, its body split with glowing cracks, each pulse shaking the cavern. The Anchor throbbed behind it, veins of green light spreading through the stone.Oliver’s sword trembled in his grip, shadows coiling along the steel. His chest seared with fire, every heartbeat syncing with the Revenant’s.[System Alert: Resonance 82%][Warning: Hollow Seed Progression nearing critical limit.]The whispers roared, louder than the clash of battle. “Yes. Yes. Finish it. You are the Revenant. It is you. Why fight yourself?”The monster lunged, its claws tearing a trench through the floor. Oliver blinked aside.[Skill Activated: Echo Step Lv 3]His sword slashed upward, tearing through the Revenant’s arm. Shadows burst, green light spraying from the wound.[Critical Hit, Integrity Reduced 12%]The Revenant shrieked and swung back, its claw slamming into Oliver’s chest. He flew backward, crashing against stone, blood spraying from his mouth.[HP Reduced, 19%][Current HP: 4

The cavern floor buckled, splitting in jagged lines that glowed with Hollow fire. The Rift pulsed like a bleeding wound, vomiting Phantoms faster than they could cut them down.[System Alert: Hollow Rift Collapse, 1:59 Remaining]Oliver swung his blade in a storm of shadow and steel.[Skill Activated: Shadow Sever, Overdrive Mode][Remaining Duration: 15 Seconds]His sword tore through another cluster of Phantoms, the ash burning against his skin. Each strike came faster, heavier, as though the Hollow Seed itself guided his hands.The rebels stumbled behind him, their blades swinging wildly, their voices high with panic. “This is impossible!” one cried. “We’ll never make it out alive!”Mara’s knives flashed as she cut down another Phantom lunging for Elias. Her chest heaved, sweat streaking her bloodied face.She looked at Oliver, shadows swirling off him in violent waves. “You’re burning yourself out!”Oliver’s crimson eyes glowed, his voice a hollow growl. “If I stop, you die.”The

The cloaked figure stepped forward, its boots cracking the stone with each slow stride. The air warped around it, shadows bending toward its body like servants bowing to their master.The rebels backed away instinctively, their breaths ragged. One dropped his blade altogether, the clatter echoing too loud in the strange silence.Mara shifted Elias in her arms, her knives poised. Her voice was low, sharp. “Stay back.”The figure chuckled, the sound hollow and wrong, echoing like ten voices speaking at once. “Oh, little warrior… you don’t even know what stands beside you.”Its mask turned toward Oliver, the glowing cracks stretching wider into a smile. “He is not your ally. He is not your savior. He is Hollow born, and Hollow bound.”Oliver’s sword rose, shadows hissing across the blade. His crimson eyes blazed, his breath ragged. “Shut your mouth.”The figure tilted its head, amused. “Do you feel it? The ache in your chest, the fire in your veins? That is not corruption. That is truth.

The Envoy screeched, its cracked mask glowing with blinding green fire. Black wings of shadow burst from its back, spreading wide across the jagged plain. The broken ground trembled as it lunged again, faster than before, both arms forming jagged new blades.Oliver met it with a roar, his sword blazing. Sparks and shadowfire exploded with every strike, the air filled with shrieks and steel.[System Alert: Stability, 20 Seconds Remaining][Warning: Corruption Lock Failing]The Hollow Seed screamed inside him, hungry. “Yes! Tear it apart! Devour it! This is your birthright!”Mara fought beside him, knives darting in and out, carving shallow cuts across the Envoy’s cloak. Each strike tore a piece of shadow away, but the enemy reformed instantly, laughing through the pain.“Fragile,” it hissed, its blades clashing against Oliver’s sword. “You hold back. You fear yourself. That fear will be your end.”Oliver’s chest burned hotter. His crimson eyes glowed too bright, his vision swimming.

The plain burned like the heart of a dying world. Shadows streamed from Oliver’s back, wings spread wide, each feather dripping with fire that hissed against stone. Cracks spread across his skin, glowing with black light, his sword trembling in his grip.[System Alert: Hollow Transformation, 58%][Warning: Host Integrity Failing]His roar shook the air, layered in two voices, one human, one Hollow. The sound drove the rebels to their knees, terror choking them.Mara staggered forward, bloodied but unbroken, Elias clutched against her chest. The boy’s faint threads flickered weakly, tethered to Oliver’s chest. Each flicker dimmed faster, burning the boy out.Mara’s throat tightened. She shouted into the storm, her voice raw. “Oliver! It’s me! Don’t let it take you, fight it!”His head lifted slowly. His crimson eyes locked on her. For one heartbeat, she saw him, the man she knew. His lips parted, his voice breaking. “Mara…”Then his face twisted, eyes blazing brighter, the Hollow voic