"To fight something born from everything… you must be willing to lose anything."
> [Boss: The Crownless King – Phase 2 Active]
[Health Pools Remaining: 5 of 6]
[Clone Echoes: 3 – All must be defeated 5 times each before Final Form unlocks]
[Damnation's Clock: 11 Turns Remaining]
The tower cracked.
Time unraveled in spirals.
Each step forward meant something lost—a memory, a bond, a rule of the system. The survivors weren't just battling power—they were battling the price of progress.
Turn 1: The First Clone – "Echo of Regret"
The clone spawned as a twisting shadow of Kuro, wielding a blade drenched in ghostfire.
Kuro stepped forward.
"I'll handle my own echo," he said, knuckles white.
The clash was violent. Thunder rang with each blow. But this was no ordinary duel—Kuro's echo learned every second.
Strike for strike. Breath for breath.
Kuro roared. "I won't let my pain define me!"
His blade ignited, forged in pure intent. On the final clash, he severed the echo's head.
> [Clone Defeated: 1/5]
[Kuro's Passive Skill Evolved: "Phantom Memory Slash" – Deals bonus damage to shadow-type enemies]
But as the echo died, the Damnation Clock ticked—
> [Reality Erasure: "Kuro's hometown is now nonexistent in system history."]
Kuro staggered, eyes wide.
"My... my mother... I can't remember her face."
Ria touched his arm.
"We'll get it back. After we win."
---
Turn 2: Second Clone – "Echo of Joy"
This one wore Jayce's face.
It smiled, but its eyes were dead.
Jayce gritted his teeth. "Let me make myself laugh again."
The fight was... quiet. Slow.
Echo-Jayce didn't attack at first. He just spoke:
"Who are you trying to make smile? Them… or yourself?"
Jayce hesitated. Then lunged.
He fought dirty. Slapstick attacks—banana peels, explosions in pants, even a flaming duck decoy.
And when he finally landed the punchline—literally—the echo burst in confetti.
> [Clone Defeated: 1/5]
[Jayce's Vehicle Transformed: Golden Ice Cream Truck (Mythic Upgrade) – "Engine of Echoes" unlocked]
> [Reality Erasure: "Jayce's little sister never existed."]
He collapsed against the truck, face pale. "I had a sister?"
Ria knelt beside him. "We'll find what's real again. We have to."
---
Turn 3: Crownless Strike
The main body of the boss moved.
It swung a spiral blade that cut through dimensions.
Lian reacted instantly, using his Fate Diver powers—but the coin landed on its edge.
System glitch.
Time paused.
> [Glitch Activated: Fate Diver Talent Unstable]
[Lian must sacrifice one future he held dear]
He breathed deeply. And let go.
> [Lian's possible marriage to "her" is now erased.]
He didn't cry. But his eyes dimmed.
"I'll keep moving," he whispered. "Even if I forget who I was supposed to be."
Then he flipped another coin—and punched a hole in the Crownless King's ribcage.
---
Turn 4: Third Clone – "Echo of Judgment"
This one wore Ria's wings. Halo. Divinity.
But she no longer hesitated.
"Judgment belongs to those who bleed with the people."
She summoned her full seraphic power—flames of golden white engulfed her body.
The echo screamed, burning with every past verdict.
"I was wrong," she said. "That's why I fight now."
The final blow came as a spear of pure contrition.
> [Clone Defeated: 1/5]
[Ria's Wings Evolve: Seraph of Ash – Grants immunity to divine erasure for 3 turns]
> [Reality Erasure: "Ria's original homeworld is now purged from all timelines."]
She whispered a prayer.
Then stood taller.
---
Turn 5: Crownless King's World-Level Ability Activated
> ["Ruin Spiral – Collapse Layer 1" Initiated]
[System Rule Broken: Resurrection no longer exists. Death is now permanent.]
They all felt it.
No more second chances.
From here on out—one mistake meant erasure.
Lian looked at the others.
"This is what we've been building to."
Jayce wiped his eyes. "Then let's finish building it. Even if it's from rubble."
Kuro's blade ignited again.
"I'm not dying until that thing is dead."
Ria raised her new wings, burning with resolve.
"For every life erased—we make ours count more."
The Crownless King screamed.
The sky cracked.