> "Every story ends. But not every ending is written by the author."
The Throne stood atop the Citadel's central dais—sculpted from charred bone and molten obsidian, once forged by Azarion himself. Now, it shimmered with unstable power, fragments of reality folding around it like burning pages.
The Echo King landed before it, his cloak made of broken sentences. Dozens of corrupted warriors surrounded him—ghosts of characters Yui never finished.
> "You don't deserve it," the Echo King growled, voice cracked with sorrow and fury. "You gave us life… and left us to die."
Yui stepped forward, alone.
> "And you twisted what I left behind. I didn't mean for any of this—but I'm here now."
---
System Override Activated
> ⚔️ Final Phase: Ascend or Fall
Objective: Seize the Throne of Ashes before the Echo King stabilizes the world rewrite.
Optional: Redeem the Echo King or erase him.
Time Limit: 3 minutes until world overwrite.
---
The Final Duel Begins
The Echo King raised his hand—and the ground ruptured, forming a battlefield of flickering memory.
He struck first, sending waves of corrupted power laced with regret.
Yui countered—
> "Shatter."
Reality bent. The ground under the Echo King fractured, memory lines snapping like strings of fate. But he recovered instantly.
> "Burn."
He replied in her language now—his own version of Echo Command.
Fire rained down.
Yui rolled, calling up her second combat skill—Inkstep—teleporting between points of remembered detail: a broken lamppost, a name carved into stone, a fallen letter.
She struck—
> "Silence."
The battlefield trembled. His commands faltered for one breathless second.
---
Azarion's True Form
As the Echo King raised a final strike, Azarion moved.
Black flame enveloped him—and wings of shadow spread wide. His horns elongated, eyes glowing silver like twin moons.
> "Enough."
He stepped into the fight—not to kill, but to protect.
His aura forced corrupted characters to their knees, rewriting their bonds to Yui.
> "You are hers. We always were."
---
The Final Decision
The Echo King staggered, cloak disintegrating, memories spilling from his mouth like static.
> "I just wanted… to be remembered…"
Yui stepped forward, hand trembling—but certain.
> "Then I will remember you. All of you."
She extended the white quill she received in the City of Forgotten Ink.
> "Return."
---
System Message
> ✨ Author's Echo: Command Accepted.
Fragmented Storylines: Reintegrated.
Corrupted Characters: Redeemed.
Echo King: Transformed into Guardian of the Final Chapter.
The Throne pulsed.
Yui sat.
And the world… settled.
---