With his Phantom Harbinger active, Colm sped through the crumbling ruins beneath the fountain, weaving effortlessly through the scattered debris alongside his empowered phantoms.

"Hmm... it really is just ruins upon ruins. I wonder how far this stretches..." He cast a quick glance upward, scanning the towering remnants of what had once been a structured labyrinth.

"Am I skipping the entire maze like this?" The thought gnawed at him as he pushed forward. "Did Luke and Tessa even know about this place? Is this a hidden section?" He frowned slightly, his mind racing. "From what little I saw before I fell, I feel like I've already covered the entire length of the maze..."

And then another realization struck him. "I haven't seen any more Cryosharks..."

"Kind of makes sense, though. If there were any left, they'd be in a real bind now. No water, nowhere to go."

As he continued sprinting, his thoughts spiraled with possibilities. "No treasures, no stronger monsters... What makes this place special?"

Before he could dwell on it further, a loud crash echoed through the ruins.

Colm skidded to a stop, twisting toward the source of the noise.

"What was that?"

Then, another crash echoed from behind.

His instincts flared, and he gestured for his phantoms to form a defensive formation, preparing for an ambush. But nothing came. No movement, no enemies.

Seconds passed.

Another crash.

Then another.

And another.

The sound was coming from every direction now.

What is going on? He whirled around, eyes scanning for any sign of movement. Behind him, Lance, Robin, and Carver finally caught up, both looking just as wary.

"You all see anything?"

They both shook their heads.

Colm grimaced. "What is it...?"

Then, another crash rang out directly in front of him.

His eyes snapped toward the source, and finally, he saw it.

The ruins...

The once-frozen structures, encased in ice and submerged in water, were melting. Drips of water streamed down the weakened stone, and the moment their frozen supports gave way, the structures collapsed under their own weight.

"The water was keeping them insulated... keeping them stable. Now that it's thawing, everything is falling apart."

The realization sent a cold chill through him.

All around him, the ruins were crumbling.

The crashing sounds became deafening, growing closer and closer, dust clouds kicking up and obscuring his vision.

Not good.

A particularly loud impact rocked the ground nearby, forcing his gaze upward. His eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh... shit."

Up until now, he had been focused on the smaller structures: the broken columns and archways near the ground. But when he had been swimming, there had been far bigger pieces of the ruins looming above.

And now?

Everything is crumbling down.

His heart pounded as he saw cracks spiderweb across a massive archway directly above him.

"Gotta move."

He lunged forward, sprinting at full speed just as the archway gave way, crashing down mere moments after he escaped.

The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, dust billowing out in every direction.

Colm winced, glancing back at the wreckage.

"Shit... this place is a minefield now."

Bobbing and weaving through the constant barrage of falling debris, Colm panted, his breath ragged.

"Fuck... this was way easier seconds ago."

The duration of Phantom Harbinger had ended, and the sudden tactical shift hit him hard. Without the massive knight's presence, his phantoms returned to their normal strength, the coordinated army formation dissolving just as the ruins became even more chaotic.

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A grim thought flickered through his mind. "If one of these structures crushes me outright... would Phantom Sacrifice save me? Or would it just leave me buried, trapped beneath the wreckage, only to survive for a few more agonizing seconds before my fate catches up with me?"

Another structure tumbled to his right, sending a shockwave of dust and shattered stone outward. He jolted away instinctively, his heart pounding.

"Yeah... don't want to find out."

Ducking and dodging, he threw himself forward, twisting through the narrow gaps between falling rubble. Amid the chaos, a random memory surfaced, and despite the situation, a chuckle slipped from his lips.

"If I can dodge a wrench..."

With a final leap, he narrowly avoided another crumbling ruin, landing into a sprint without missing a beat.

Then something caught his eye.

Cracks of light.

Above him, in the distance, thin fractures spread across the ceiling. The same ceiling that had once been the floor of the ruins above.

"What is that?"

The cracks spread rapidly, growing wider, jagged veins of light bleeding through the darkened stone. The sight made his breath catch.

"What the hell...?"

Before he could process it, the entire structure gave way. The ground, the very foundation he had walked on before falling into the fountain depths, was now collapsing.

"How does this even make sense?" he exclaimed, his mind racing. The entire maze was crumbling. The absence of water, the very thing that had preserved this place, was unraveling the space itself.

"What does this mean?"

Then, something else caught his eye, something far more alarming.

A shape.

At first, it was small, barely noticeable against the backdrop of destruction. But as it fell, it grew larger.

And larger.

Until realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Is that... the Frost Wyrm?"

He rubbed his eyes, disbelieving what he was seeing.

The enormous creature plummeted through the crumbling ruins, its body twisting midair, its fate uncertain.

Then came a sound.

A deep, thunderous roar, followed by a piercing screech. The same sounds he had heard before entering the Echo.

His jaw tightened as recognition clicked.

"That has to be it."

Colm tried to use Analyze, but the creature was still too far away.

But not for long.

"It's falling fast. Too fast. It might not survive the impact," he thought. "Maybe if I can kill it while it's incapacitated from the fall, I can get out of this broken echo."

Dodging crumbling ruins and the remains of the ground that had once been above him, he sprinted forward, pushing himself to close the distance between him and the Frost Wyrm. The ground beneath him was unstable, shifting with every step, but he kept moving.

"I'm not going to make it."

Then, like a perfectly with a rush of energy, he activated Phantom Harbinger.

"Perfect."

He activated the ability, spectral energy erupting around him as Herb materialized. The massive knight's presence immediately strengthened his and his phantoms forms. Herb stepped forward, its colossal sword ready, as they all pushed toward the descending Frost Wyrm.

With a thunderous crash, the Wyrm slammed into the ground, sending out a deafening shockwave that reverberated throughout the cavern. The ceiling continued to collapse, raining debris all around.

"This is definitely out of the norm," he muttered, skidding to a stop as he reached the aftermath.

An enormous crater had formed from the impact, jagged stone fracturing outward from the point of collision.

Then came movement.

Slowly, painfully, the Frost Wyrm began to rise.

"Well, shit," he exhaled, gripping his bow. "It's still alive."

Without hesitation, he activated Analyze.

Frost Wyrm (Level ???)

"Still can't see its level," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "But this time, I have an army."

As Herb took its position, his other phantoms fell into formation around the massive knight. The tactical advantage was overwhelming. He smiled, confidence burning in his chest. "You don't stand a chance."

Herb raised its colossal sword while Robin readied their bow and Carver and Lance flanked the sides. A coordinated assault was forming, and the Frost Wyrm was their target.

But just as he was about to fire, something flashed in the corner of his vision. A blur of blue, darting straight toward the Frost Wyrm.

His instincts screamed, and he froze, his arrow still notched.

"What the hell?"

His gaze sharpened as the blur slowed, its form coming into focus.

And then, he saw it.

A colossal creature, easily comparable in size to the Frost Wyrm, loomed overhead, its presence suffocating.

Jaws gaping wide, it descended upon its target with terrifying precision.

Colm's breath caught as he watched, stunned, unable to process what was happening.

Then came impact.

The newcomer's jaws slammed shut around the Frost Wyrm's head, cutting off its roars instantly.

It was over in a single, brutal instant.

He stared at the new creature, taking in every detail as his eyes traced along its form. His gaze followed the length of its enormous, muscular tail, ridged with jagged, icy spines running all the way to its base. Even at a glance, he could tell this thing was built for raw power and explosive movement.

As his eyes traveled upward, he noted the dense layering of thick, crystalline scales, each overlapping like frozen armor, reflecting the faint light around them. The creature's low, hulking frame rested on short but immensely powerful limbs, its stance reminiscent of a Paragon ambush predator, built for sudden, devastating bursts of speed. Despite its compact build, it was nothing but muscle, every movement radiating effortless lethality.

Its icy-blue appearance sent a chill through his bones, an almost unnatural cold radiating from its very presence. His breath hitched, his chest tightening involuntarily. His fingers loosened on the spectral bow, his arms lowering slightly as he absorbed the full sight of the beast.

But one thing unsettled him the most: its jaws.

Enormous, jagged, and serrated with rows of rigid, razor-sharp teeth, they had already severed the Frost Wyrm's head in a single bite. No hesitation. No struggle. Just raw, unrelenting force.

The burst of speed, the immense strength in its limbs, the sheer devastation of its bite. It all sank in at once.

Colm froze.

"What the hell do I do?"

His breath came faster as his mind raced, instinct screaming at him.

Without wasting another second, he activated Analyze.

Shivermaw (Level 97)

Colm gasped. "What the hell? Only level 97?"

His eyes darted back to the creature, disbelief settling in. "It looks like a damn alligator."

It had ended the Frost Wyrm in an instant. Granted, the creature had likely been injured from the fall, but still.

It wasn't even a triple-digit level threat.

His mind raced, trying to piece together the implications, but no matter how he framed it, the sheer disparity in power made his skin crawl.

Then, a single realization settled over him like a weight.

"It's Tier Five."

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