VOIDBLADE: THE LAST SWORD OF THE END

The woods grew colder. The trees leaned in closer, their twisted branches clawing at the sky like broken fingers. I kept moving forward, following the faint trail of corruption only I could feel — a ripple in reality, like a wound festering beneath the world's skin.

Then I heard it.

A whisper.

It didn't come from one direction — it was everywhere. Words I couldn't quite understand, but the meaning slithered into my mind like a slow poison. Promises of power. Warnings of doom. Invitations to oblivion.

Presence of the Abyss flared instinctively, pushing back against the oppressive weight. The whispers hissed and retreated — but not entirely.

I stepped into a clearing.

And they were waiting.

[Corrupt Stalker – Level 20] x2

[Carrion Reaver – Level 22]

[Blight-Touched Acolyte – Level 24]

The Acolyte stood in the center — a robed figure with eyes like empty voids. Its hands twitched in strange, broken gestures, and the air rippled around it with dark energy.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I muttered, drawing Abyssfang. The blade vibrated in my grip, eager.

The Stalkers struck first — fast, blurring shapes with jagged claws. But Abyssal Insight made them slow. I sidestepped the first swipe and met the second with Void Piercer — a single, precise thrust. The Stalker's chest collapsed inward, and it fell without a sound.

The Reaver roared, leaping at me with wild strength. I let it come — and when it struck, Void Step carried me behind it. Abyssfang carved upward, and Sword Entropy did the rest. Flesh and bone rotted in an instant.

But the Acolyte was already chanting.

The air turned thick and wrong. Shadows stretched unnaturally. I could feel something trying to pull me down — into the dark, into nothing.

I answered with my own.

Presence of the Abyss surged. The clearing dimmed, the ground trembling under the weight of my will. The Acolyte staggered. Its whispers turned to screams.

I closed the distance in a blink.

Abyssal Sword Skill: Void Rend.

The Acolyte's body split — and then dissolved, like it had never been.

The whispers finally fell silent.

But the woods… they were still watching

Chapter 16: Shadows on the horizon

The air was lighter when I stepped out of the chasm — but it didn't feel right. The woods were too quiet, the wind too still. Emberpine's village lights flickered far in the distance, but I didn't move toward them. Not yet.

Something was still watching.

My new cloak — the Abyss-Touched Mantle — billowed behind me, its edges trailing faint wisps of shadow. The Warden's Hollowblade hung at my side, the weapon's black steel humming with power. I could feel the corruption within it, barely leashed. It suited me perfectly.

But the heart shard…

I pulled it from my inventory, and the world dimmed around me. It pulsed, slow and steady — the same rhythm as the Warden, the same beat I'd felt in the ruins. I could feel it trying to whisper again, but my will crushed it into silence.

Still, I knew this wasn't over.

The heart was only a piece.

And whatever it belonged to… was still out there.

I started toward the village.

—

Emberpine's village square was in chaos when I arrived. The people had gathered — frightened voices rising into the night. I caught pieces of it as I approached.

"The disappearances—"

"More people gone—"

"Shadows moving in the woods—"

Lira spotted me first. The relief in her eyes was almost enough to make me smile. Almost.

"You're alive," she said, breathless. "We— we heard something. A sound from the woods, like a—"

"Not a sound," I cut in. "A pulse."

Her face paled. "You felt it too?"

I nodded. "And it's not over."

The whispers were gone. The corruption in the air had faded. But that stillness… it wasn't peace. It was anticipation.

Something was coming.

"Get everyone inside," I told her. "Lock your doors. Light every fire you can."

Her eyes widened. "What—"

"Now."

She ran.

The villagers followed her lead without question. Within minutes, the square was empty — doors barred, windows shuttered. The only light left flickered from the torches I'd insisted they leave burning.

Then I waited.

The first shadow moved at the edge of the treeline.

[Abysslurker — Level 18]

Then another. And another. The woods came alive with red eyes and slithering shapes — more than I'd seen in the chasm.

And then it stepped into the firelight.

[Dreadmist Stalker — Level 25]

HP: 30,000

It was larger than the others — taller than me, with limbs too long and a face that wasn't a face at all. Just empty blackness. The air around it warped, tendrils of mist rising from its skin.

It didn't attack. It just… watched.

Testing me.

So I tested it back.

Presence of the Abyss rolled out in a wave. The fire dimmed, the ground trembled — and every creature in the treeline flinched. The Stalker tilted its head, considering me.

Then it moved.

I met it halfway.

Our first clash was a blur of speed and steel. The Warden's Hollowblade sang through the air, but the Stalker was fast — faster than something its size had any right to be. Its claws raked across my armor, and pain flared.

HP: 19,000 → 15,500

But I was faster.

Void Step.

One instant I was in front of it — the next I was behind, blade descending in a black arc.

Sword Entropy.

The wound festered immediately — flesh rotting as the corruption spread.

Stalker HP: 30,000 → 24,000

It howled, and the woods answered.

The Abysslurkers surged forward — a tide of teeth and claws. I didn't wait for them.

Abyssal Sword Skill: Void Rend.

The strike split the air itself — and five bodies fell before they reached me. The others hesitated.

But the Stalker didn't.

It came from my blind spot — faster than I expected. Its claw found my side, and the world flared red.

HP: 15,500 → 10,000

I grinned through the pain.

"Good," I said. "Now it's a fight."

—

The battle raged. The Stalker was relentless, and the Abysslurkers kept coming — but they were nothing compared to it. Every strike shook the ground, every attack a blur of speed and strength.

But I was getting faster.

Sharper.

Abyssal Insight (SS Rank) burned in my mind — every movement crystal clear, every opening laid bare. I dodged a killing blow by a hair's breadth, my blade carving another festering wound into the Stalker's side.

Stalker HP: 24,000 → 12,000

It howled again — but this time, there was fear in it.

It tried to run.

I didn't let it.

Void Step.

I was in front of it before it could take a step. My sword rose — and I ended it.

Void Piercer.

The thrust distorted the air itself. The blade punched through its chest, and Sword Entropy did the rest.

Stalker HP: 12,000 → 0

The creature fell — and the woods fell silent.

The remaining Abysslurkers scattered.

But I didn't move. Not yet.

The woods were still watching.

—

[System Notification]

[Dreadmist Stalker Defeated]

[EXP Gained: 10,000]

[Level Up: 19 → 20]

[Loot Acquired:]

Stalker's Shroud (Rare)

Obsidian Fang (Uncommon)

Gold: 5,000

[Reputation Increase: Emberpine Village — Shadowbane]

—

I stood in the firelight, blood still dripping from my blade. The corruption was fading. The village was safe — for now.

But this wasn't the end.

I could still feel it.

The heart was only a piece.

And the real nightmare… was still coming.