CHAPTER 56: ECHO SWERT

The cave seemed to breathe with us, inhaling and exhaling mana like a living thing. The crystal’s glow pulsed steadily, slow and hypnotic, but I knew it was a trap. It wasn’t just sitting there, waiting for us to claim it—it was watching.

Wallace crouched by the rocky floor, pulling out his carving tools. He worked fast, but the process wasn’t instant. He needed time.

That was the one thing we probably didn’t have.

"Alright," I said, keeping my voice low. "Julien, Mira—you’re on disruption duty. Keep its attention off Wallace. Felix, Leo, stay back and watch for anything weird."

Felix gave me a look. "Weird? Professor, the whole cave is weird."

"Then watch harder."

Julien cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. "So, what’s our signal?"

"You’ll know."

Before they could complain, I raised my feet and stomp on the ground. A sharp pulse of mana radiated outward—deliberate, controlled. A direct challenge.

The reaction was immediate.

The air twisted, distorting like ripples on water. The crystal’s glow flared, and the shadows on the cave walls surged forward, stretching unnaturally as something unseen stirred.

Then—

Laughter.

Not loud, but wrong. A scratchy, static-filled chuckle that wormed into my ears, bypassing sound entirely and scraping directly against my mind.

Felix made a choking sound. "I hate this. I hate this so much."

The shadows thickened, pulling free from the walls like ink bleeding into reality. Then they took shape.

A figure.

It wasn’t fully formed, shifting between humanoid and monstrous—a warped echo of something that had once been human but had long since forgotten how. Hollow eyes locked onto us, empty yet full of something ancient and hungry.

"Why?" the voice rasped. "Why do you seek what is already claimed?"

Julien rolled his shoulders. "Oh good, it talks. That means we can piss it off."

Mira sighed. "You mean distract it, right?"

Julien grinned. "Same thing."

The entity twitched, head tilting unnaturally. "You do not belong."

"No argument there," I muttered.

Wallace was still carving.

"Alright," I said, shifting into a stance. "Let’s see if this thing can keep up."

The moment I stepped forward, the Echo Swert lunged.

Darkness stretched unnaturally, reaching for me like grasping hands, but I sidestepped with ease. The entity wasn’t fast—its movements were jagged, sluggish, like it was pulling itself through molasses. But that wasn’t what made it dangerous.

It laughed again. The sound crawled up my spine.

Then the others reacted.

Felix staggered back, his eyes unfocused. Mira’s breathing hitched, fingers tightening around her dagger. Leo looked pale, his lips moving in silent protest.

Julien took a shaky step forward, expression flickering between confusion and... fear.

I narrowed my eyes.

The Swert wasn’t attacking them physically.

It was in their heads.

The shadows rippled again, and I saw it—faint, ghostly strings connecting the entity to my students. They pulsed with an eerie light, feeding directly into their minds.

I gritted my teeth. "Focus! Don’t let it in!"

Mira let out a short, shaky breath. "K-kinda hard when it’s inside my damn skull."

Felix had his hands over his ears. "It’s not stopping! I can hear it—I can see things—"

Julien’s head jerked up, eyes sharp but distant. "It’s showing us something. Or making us see what it wants."

Illusions. Or worse—forced memories.

I braced myself, expecting the same attack to worm its way into my own mind.

But... nothing happened.

The laughter continued, but it was distant. I felt it, but it was like a muffled sound through thick glass. The entity’s influence wasn’t reaching me.

Why?

The answer came a moment later.

Mental fortitude.

My mental fortitude has been increased from two stars to three stars after the dream mist situation.

And along with my grey mana my mental resistance has doubled, which meant this thing’s tricks were useless against me.

The Echo Swert twitched again, its form flickering between solid and mist-like. It could tell something was wrong.

"You... why do you not see?"

I smirked. "Because I don’t feel like it."

I stepped forward, and the entity flinched. That was interesting.

It wasn’t used to this. It wasn’t just some mindless shade—it relied on its prey breaking before it even had to fight. The fact that I was unaffected wasn’t just unexpected.

It was terrifying.

The ghostly strings pulsed, tightening around my students.

"Ah, so that’s how it is." I clicked my tongue. "If you can’t break me, you’re doubling down on them instead."

Julien let out a shuddering breath, eyes flickering with something foreign. "Professor..."

Mira clenched her dagger so tightly her knuckles went white. Felix was outright trembling, mouth forming words I couldn’t hear.

The Swert wasn’t just showing them illusions—it was making them relive something.

I had to act now.

I raised my hand, channeling mana through it. "Enough."

The shadows quivered.

Then I swung.

A sharp, silver arc of mana cleaved through the air, severing the ghostly strings in a single stroke.

The reaction was immediate.

The Echo Swert screamed.

It wasn’t a sound made for ears. It was raw, mind-rending rage, a keening wail that sent tremors through the cave walls. The shadows recoiled, and my students staggered back, gasping as if surfacing from deep water.

Julien caught himself on one knee, chest heaving. "What... what the hell was that?"

Mira exhaled shakily. "I think I just saw my own death. Repeatedly."

Felix didn’t speak. He just sat there, staring at the ground.

Leo looked even worse.

But they were free.

The Swert twisted violently, its shape flickering erratically. "You dare...!"

"Yeah, yeah, I dare." I rolled my shoulders. "You gonna do something about it?"

The entity lunged again.

But this time, I was ready.

I planted my foot firmly, bracing for impact. The Echo Swert surged forward, its form distorting as it lashed out.

A clawed hand—if it could even be called that—swiped through the air, aiming for my chest. But its movements were sluggish, weighed down by its own unstable existence.

I twisted, sidestepping the attack with ease, then drove my hand straight into its center.

The impact sent a ripple through its form, like a rock thrown into still water.

The Swert shrieked.

Not in pain.

In frustration.

It had no physical body to wound. My strike had disrupted it, but not hurt it.

"Figures," I muttered.

This thing wasn’t bound by normal rules. It existed in a state between illusion and reality, feeding on fear and perception. If I wanted to finish it, I needed something more than brute force.

Behind me, Wallace was still carving, his hands steady but quick. We were running on borrowed time.

I needed to buy more time.