The Remnants were not a treasure, or rather, not only a treasure. It was a test because each Remnant had a so-called spirit. The spirit could take many different forms, often a combination of a deceased creature, powerful energy, an element, and the external influence of the territory.
Was it possible to destroy a Remnant without provoking the appearance of a spirit?
Not quite. To do so, it was necessary to destroy the spirit before it was fully formed. This was only possible with superior strength, so it was no different from an easy victory.
Koros, Diatra, and Menir were ready, standing aside. Whether Ethan wanted it or not, his spell determined his place at the forefront.
"It's started!" Koros exclaimed as Ethan struck.
To summon the spirit, the Remnant's energy needed to collide with hostile energy.
Ethan, who was at the very center, had the least amount of time.
In a heartbeat, flesh covered the skull as a three-clawed paw swung at Ethan like a whip.
"Shit! It grew right out of...!" Ethan leaned back sharply as the claws whizzed past his eyes.
Cling.
Two arrows flew from the bowstring, trying to harm the spirit, but a burst of crimson energy simply threw them aside.
The great beast, nearly four meters tall, towered over the ravine. Rare stone plates covered its muscular anthropomorphic body with thick black fur on its shoulders and back. A mask covered its face, leaving exposed a terrifying jaw, red eyes, and two wooden curved horns.
The Cursed Hunter of Blood awoke to protect its Remnant.
"ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!"
A furious roar erupted as the Cursed Hunter aimed one paw at Ethan.
"Dodge!" Koros shouted at the top of his lungs.
But it was too late.
A beam of energy burst from the red orb that appeared in front of the Cursed Hunter's palm.
Ethan's eyes widened as his legs jerked in an attempt to dodge.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The crimson hands emerged from the energy, wrapping chains around the Cursed Hunter's paw to drag it down.
It worked.
BLAST!
An explosion of red flame erupted to Ethan's right as the shockwave threw him aside. He crashed into the nearest rock but quickly got back up.
'Damn, did she just save me?' He glanced at Menir. 'Hah, that's nice, but if it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be here, right?'
"Go, Ethan! We've got your back!" Koros proclaimed as his circle sprang into action.
Electric discharges ran through his arm, forming a lightning bolt in his empty bow.
With a yellow flash, the arrow pierced the Cursed Hunter's right shoulder faster than the spirit could comprehend.
That wasn't the end.
Tremble.
With a tremor, the arrow stopped in midair before turning and aiming directly at the Cursed Hunter's unprotected neck.
"GRROOO!!!" the Cursed Hunter roared before turning and grabbing the lightning arrow.
Koros's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the…?!"
Diatra threw her bow aside and lunged at Koros, knocking him off his feet. Koros's eyes reflected the lightning bolt streaking a meter above them. If it weren't for Diatra, there would already be a hole in his chest.
The explosion raised a pillar of dust, and splinters flew in all directions, but that wasn't going to stop them, because the Cursed Hunter didn't hesitate and was already moving straight toward them.
The earth shook with every step of the spirit, wanting to get rid of the mages who had tried to destroy it.
Whooooosh.
Ethan lunged forward, holding his dagger tightly as he activated his Catalyst. He waved his hand, giving Diatra a command.
She nodded and placed her palms on the ground, staring intently at the spirit.
Impulses ran across the surface as thick green roots burst from the soil, twisting around the Cursed Hunter's waist and clearing a path for Ethan.
"Gha..." Ethan took a deep breath, concentrating.
He was not a professional assassin or military instructor, but he was capable of making several jumps.
To defeat a spirit, it was necessary to either completely destroy it or deprive it of its core. The core of the spirit was its Remnant.
That is, the Cursed Hunter was not created around the skull, it grew around it, keeping it somewhere inside its body, trying to hide its vulnerable spot.
No one knew where it was, but Ethan and the others managed to discuss a plan of action before disturbing the Remnant.
"All right. Here we go," Ethan thought as the Cursed Hunter's paws reached for him, so close that a shadow fell across Ethan's face.
Slash.
The crimson cut flew out of the dagger, severing two claws and slashing straight into the beast's chest. In fact, Ethan's goal was not to protect himself or get rid of the Cursed Hunter's paws.
No, he wanted to cut open the beast's torso, and he succeeded.
Among the muscles divided by a straight line, just behind the rib cage, a red crystallized core flashed from time to time.
The Cursed Hunter's pupils narrowed, he understood what Ethan was doing, and he couldn't risk continuing the fight. First, he had to heal the wound and secure his Remnant!
"Gra... Gra... Gra!!!"
The Cursed Hunter tried to escape, but before he could take two steps, Menir's crimson hands grabbed his ankle, knocking the massive beast to the ground.
"Rgh!" Menir, standing in the distance, spat out a mouthful of blood from the strain, but she had accomplished her task.
Ethan nodded. "Good job. Now it's time to finish this."
In a final burst, Ethan jumped off the root, landing right on the Cursed Hunter's chest.
"GHOOR!!!"
The Cursed Hunter growled as his claws reached out to Ethan to knock him off.
The truth was that as soon as a spirit showed its weak spot, it was all over. The spirits were strong, but all it took was one precise strike directly at their Remnant to destroy them.
Crack.
Ethan's fist, covered in darkness, smashed the Cursed Hunter's rib cage, striking directly at his core.
A tremor ran through the spirit's body as a bright light fell on Ethan's face through the cracked core.
Then, multicolored streams of energy burst out, forming a trembling orb above the ravine—the Echo.
Inside, their reward awaited them, especially valuable to Menir, for it was here that the Blind Voyager had led her.