The minion's weapon, a blade of condensed cosmic judgment, reached its apex. It began its final, merciful descent towards Nero and his broken friends. There was no strength left to resist, no trick to pull. This was the end.
Then, the universe stopped.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
The descending blade froze a hair's breadth from Nero's brow. The sneers on the minions' faces solidified. The swirling cosmic dust of the annihilated Earth hung motionless in the void. The only thing that moved was the slow, deliberate sound of footsteps on the fabric of spacetime itself.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A figure walked into the frozen tableau, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of a sleek, modern jacket. It was Obsidian. He looked around at the army of Gate Users, gods, and angels as if surveying a mildly interesting art exhibit. His gaze finally landed on the pile of his defeated friends.
"Oh my, my," Obsidian murmured, a calm, almost playful smile gracing his lips. "Now what do we have here? The great and mighty Karmic Hounds, ganging up on my little friend?" His voice was a soft taunt that carried through the silent void. "I'm afraid I can't let that happen."
He walked past the frozen minion, gently pushing the deadly blade aside with a single finger. He stopped before Nero, who could only look up, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock, relief, and utter confusion.
Obsidian's eyes then traveled up, up, past the legions of powerful beings, to lock onto their leader. His smile widened into something sharper, more knowing.
(Taunting) "Well, well. If it isn't you. Hello there, Cutie Pie. Causing trouble again, I see?"
The leader of the celestial army remained still, but a flicker of immense, ancient annoyance passed through its otherwise impassive aura.
One of the minions, a Fourth Gate User empowered by his leader's presence and furious at the disrespect, broke free of the temporal hold for a split second. Ignoring the frozen state of his comrades, he lunged at Obsidian, roaring, "You dare address the—?!"
The leader's command was swift. "Hey, stop—!"
It was too late.
Obsidian didn't even turn. He didn't raise a hand. He simply glanced in the minion's direction.
The Fourth Gate User didn't explode. He didn't scream. He simply... unmade. His form dissolved into a fine, shimmering mist that scattered into the nothingness, his existence erased as easily as one might wipe dust from a shelf.
A profound, terrified silence fell over the entire army, those who could process it. The casual display of power was beyond comprehension.
Another minion made to step forward, rage overriding sense.
"Enough," the leader's voice boomed, final and absolute. The command froze the entire army more completely than Obsidian's power ever could. The leader's gaze remained locked on Obsidian, a silent conversation of millennia passing between them in that single look.
"We have already acquired what we came for," the leader stated, its voice devoid of emotion, yet laced with a reluctant acknowledgment. "This engagement is concluded. We retreat."
Without another word, the celestial army began to withdraw, stepping back through the rips in reality from which they came. The leader gave Obsidian one last, unreadable look before turning and vanishing into the light, the Eternal Fragment secured.
The temporal freeze ended. The minion who had been about to strike Nero stumbled forward, his blade hitting empty space where Nero's head had been a moment before.
On the last fragment of Earth, surrounded by the infinite void where a planet once lived, only Obsidian, Nero, and the survivors remained. The unimaginable threat was gone, leaving behind only the chilling echo of their power and the devastating cost of their victory.