He exhaled slowly, gently shaking his head. "Because, Limitless, something within that stone resonated only with him. It chose him, even across the endless sea of beings I have met and despite the barriers between our reality and wherever it originated. I believe it is tied to his destiny in ways neither of us can fully comprehend."
A contemplative silence settled between them, the weight of Echo’s revelation pressing upon Lumi. Her thoughts churned, processing these ancient truths, still filled with unanswered questions.
But before she could voice another query, Echo’s expression hardened with resolve, the gentle sorrow in his eyes replaced by determination.
He raised his hand slowly, golden threads of ancient cosmic law spiraling around his fingertips once more, prepared to mend the devastating fractures in Orion’s body and soul.
Yet just as the celestial power reached its apex, space itself quivered abruptly, and a deep, resonant voice echoed sharply through the frozen stillness with absolute and immeasurable authority.
"Halt, Throneless Emperor."
The voice did not emerge from any single point in space. It resounded everywhere, etched directly into the essence of existence itself.
Each word vibrated with impossible power, shattering the fragile calm Echo had carefully woven. Above, darkness thickened—an oppressive abyss swallowing the frozen stars.
From this boundless darkness, something stirred, immense and ancient, heralding its arrival with an aura of profound dread.
A colossal shadow unfurled slowly, stretching across the horizon of this suspended moment. Formless at first, it coalesced gradually, weaving itself into the unmistakable shape of an enormous dragon.
Its body seemed formed of condensed void, its scales glittering obsidian black, absorbing all remaining light like cosmic maelstroms. Its eyes blazed with a cold, cruel light—like twin dying stars peering down with dispassionate, immeasurable authority.
The Death True Dragon Emperor had arrived.
Lumi’s avatar trembled visibly, her digital form nearly flickering out of existence under the overwhelming magnitude of this entity.
Her eyes were wide, her projection wavering in and out of focus, struggling desperately to maintain coherence in the face of such crushing power.
Yet Echo stood unfazed. His expression remained calm, solemn, though his eyes held a quiet sadness, recognizing the inevitability of this confrontation.
Slowly, he lowered his hand, the golden threads dissipating gently, fading away like dying embers.
He turned his gaze upward, meeting the Death Dragon Emperor’s massive, oppressive presence without flinching. His voice was steady, carrying the quiet defiance and wisdom of countless eons.
"You would interfere now, Death Dragon Emperor?" Echo asked quietly, a subtle challenge woven into the calm of his tone.
The Death Dragon Emperor did not answer immediately. Instead, reality itself strained as more ancient presences began to descend, rupturing the frozen heavens with violent, cascading waves of dark, primordial energy.
One by one, they emerged from the darkness behind their leader, stepping forward into the suspended world of time and space, each presence more terrifying and profound than the last.
The Darkness Dragon Emperor appeared first, his massive form shrouded entirely in coils of corrupted shadow and anti-light, his mere existence devouring nearby stars into nothingness.
Next came the Blood Dragon Empress, surrounded by rivers of flowing crimson that dripped with ancient violence and endless warfare. Her scarlet gaze pierced the stillness with a cold, calculating cruelty.
Beside her stood the Decay Dragon Emperor, his skeletal visage covered in moss and rot, an aura of entropic decay emanating from every step he took.
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