Chapter 258: Confrontation
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.