The moment Azel stepped out from the echo collapse the sky dimmed
The Sovereign Core stabilized but the pressure in the air thickened
Too quiet
Sera gripped her spear
Echo's eyes scanned the clouds
Something's wrong
Then the air cracked with a divine seal
A spiral of glowing blue runes formed above the ruins
Each rune older than recorded language
A voice thundered from every direction at once
Judgment protocol activated
Target Azel Kael'Naros declared existential threat
Summon code accepted
Releasing Epoch Judge
The clouds bent inward
Forming a ring
And from its center a shape descended
No wings no armor no face
Just robes of white stitched with time itself
He didn't fall
He arrived
Instantly
The world slowed
Birds froze midflight
Mana itself stopped flowing
Azel didn't move
His grip tightened slightly
Epoch Judge
A relic
Not of this era
But of the very first reset
Echo looked confused
Who the hell is that
Sera's voice cracked
The last person to break the system
Before it was rebuilt
Epoch Judge's voice was flat like cold steel
You carry echoes that shouldn't exist
You revived fragments the core sealed
You walk outside time
And for that
You must be unmade
He raised his hand
No magic
Just intent
Azel blocked with his sword
The impact didn't explode
It reversed
The ground around them rewound ten seconds
Flowers unbloomed
Dust flew backward
Even blood reversed its trail
Echo shouted
He's manipulating world history itself
Azel stepped forward
Then I'll cut history too
He slashed but his blade hit nothing
The Judge was already behind him
A tap on the back
And Azel's age surged by a hundred years in a blink
Hair faded
Bones cracked
But then the Sovereign Core pulsed
Rewinding Azel to balance it
Echo launched shadows at the Judge
They passed through like whispers
Time ignores tricks
Sera formed a domain of runes
Locked it tight
And Azel reset his stance
The Judge pointed at him again
Erase your name from time
Or I'll do it for you
Azel smiled
Names don't matter
Legends echo forever
He charged
Straight into the path of judgment