Azel's blade hit the air but didn't cut
Instead it dragged
Pulled something invisible behind it
A thread of memory too ancient to belong to any world
The Sovereign Core pulsed once
Then slowed
Everything froze
Except Azel and the Judge
The Judge raised his hand to strike again
But Azel whispered
Remember your own trial
The world glitched
A circle of broken pillars rose from the ground
A courtroom made of lost time
And at the center of it sat the Epoch Judge
Not floating
Not powerful
Just a man in chains
The Judge looked around confused
This is not authorized
Azel stepped forward
You passed judgment on thousands
But erased your own guilt
You forgot your betrayal
So I'll remind you
He raised his hand
Not to attack
To project
A memory flooded the echo
The Judge kneeling before the system
Begging for his life
Sacrificing his allies
Trading truth for survival
The chamber trembled
The fake timeline around the Judge cracked
Echo and Sera watched from outside stunned
What is Azel doing
Sera whispered
He's forcing the Judge to confront a locked memory
Something not even the system wanted him to see
Inside the echo
The Judge backed away
This isn't real
I chose justice
Azel nodded
You did
But only after choosing cowardice
You think I'm the threat
But you erased a thousand heroes to save yourself
The Judge screamed
No
He shattered the echo field with a single pulse
But the memory stuck
Burned into his core
He staggered
Visibly shaking
His voice dropped
Then unmake me
Azel didn't flinch
He placed a single finger on the Judge's forehead
And whispered
You unmade yourself
The Judge crumbled
Not physically
Conceptually
His timeline unraveled
One thread at a time
Until nothing remained
Not even his name
The skies cleared
The seal above vanished
Azel stood alone
Still breathing heavy
Still holding the thread he pulled earlier
A glowing silver memory
He handed it to Sera
Keep this safe
Echo stared
You just deleted a judge of time with his own sins
Azel finally smiled
Everyone's strong until their own past catches up