The throne of light pulsed like a living star, suspended in a sanctum where space itself bent around its divine gravity. Tianming stood at its edge, bathed in celestial glow. Below him spiraled the great stairs of sacrifice, and above him shimmered the stars of fate. Every breath he took tasted of aether and memory.
Across from him, the man wearing his face stepped forward—same height, same hair, same voice—but something was twisted. His eyes burned with malice and hunger. He was not a twin.
He was an echo.
A failed future.
A Tianming that could have been.
"I am Tianming the Severed," the dark one said. "Cast from a fractured fate. When you chose love, I chose power. When you spared the innocent, I devoured them. And now here I am. Not dead. Not forgotten. But denied."
The system's voice echoed in Tianming's ears:
> [Hostile Manifestation Detected. Classification: Temporal Echo – Inverted Fate.] [Warning: Entity is equally ranked. Victory required to inherit the Origin Crown.] [System Override Suspended. Manual Combat Protocol Engaged.]
Tianming's heartbeat slowed. This wasn't just another battle. This was a clash of destiny, forged by opposing choices.
"Are you even real?" he asked.
"I'm real enough to kill you," the echo hissed.
Lightning danced from his fingertips as he stepped forward. His aura mirrored Tianming's exactly—spiritual pressure, cultivation base, and even his system resonance. But darker. Crueler. Unrestrained.
Tianming drew the Blade of Resonant Echoes, the weapon reforged in the trials of sacrifice. Its edge glowed with mournful silver.
The echo drew the same blade—but his bled shadow and fire.
They clashed.
The void screamed.
---
Their blades met in arcs of destructive beauty. Waves of pressure shattered the crystalized constellations that orbited the sanctum. Each strike was perfect, mirrored, anticipated—because they were each other.
"You hesitate," the echo sneered. "Even after all your trials, you hold back. I sacrificed everything—family, lovers, humanity—and that made me pure."
"I held onto what matters," Tianming replied, parrying a downward slash. "That's why I'm stronger."
"You're not stronger. You're diluted. Polluted by emotion."
Their blades locked. Time trembled.
Suddenly, the echo vanished—blinking behind Tianming, stabbing straight for his back. Tianming twisted, allowing the blade to graze his side, drawing blood, but catching the hilt and hurling his twin away.
He landed hard, skidding across the glass-like floor.
> [Vital Integrity: 88%. System Assist Locked Until Final Blow. Continue Combat.]
The echo rose, laughing. "You think that hurt? I've walked through hell."
He raised his hand.
A dozen figures appeared behind him—ghostly visages of those Tianming had met. Elder Sun, Yuelan, Zhao Yueyin, his younger self. Each held a blade. Each moved to strike.
"Fear your attachments!" the echo shouted. "You'll never protect them all!"
Tianming lowered his weapon.
And closed his eyes.
He breathed deeply—not to prepare for defense, but to feel.
"I don't need to protect everyone," he whispered. "They walk beside me. Their strength lives in me."
The Blade of Resonant Echoes shimmered.
One by one, the phantom attackers faltered.
And vanished.
The echo screamed. "You reject power?! Even now?!"
"No. I redefine it."
Tianming struck.
His blade moved with a rhythm not of war, but of harmony. The echo fought viciously, brutally, but each strike he delivered weakened him—fed Tianming's calm, as if the universe itself were rejecting his cruelty.
> [Resonance Detected: Origin Law Awakening...]
The stars above flared. One descended—a radiant sapphire star crashing into Tianming's body.
> [System Integration: Origin Law Accepted. Soul Rank Increased. Host Has Surpassed Mirror Threshold.]
Tianming's form ignited with translucent flames. His hair whipped around his face, and his voice echoed across dimensions.
"You are the shadow of a broken path. I am the choice that endures."
With one final blow, he sliced through the echo's weapon. The dark twin fell to one knee.
"Why?" the echo choked. "Why did I lose?"
"Because love is stronger than fear."
Tianming turned.
> [Hostile Entity Neutralized. Final Path Opening. Proceed to Origin Crown.]
The echo dissolved into dust, his eyes never leaving Tianming's back.
---
The throne hovered ahead—pure white gold, wrapped in lotus blossoms and celestial fire. As Tianming approached, the pressure grew immense. It was not physical, but conceptual. The weight of countless choices. A future shaped by sacrifice.
He placed his hands on the armrests.
> [Do you claim the Origin Crown?]
"Yes."
> [Warning: Claiming will fix your fate. All potential diverging paths will close. You will become an Anchor. Time and Destiny will revolve around your decisions.]
"I understand."
The throne accepted him.
Light exploded. Constellations collapsed and reformed. Systems across dimensions shuddered.
He was no longer merely Tianming.
He was a Sovereign.
---
Far below, the world trembled. In ancient temples, cultivators gasped as prophecy scrolls rewrote themselves. Spirit beasts howled in harmony. Storms paused over oceans. The sky split open in a brilliant lotus pattern that was visible across nations.
In the pavilion, Yuelan looked up, tears glistening in her eyes.
"He did it," she whispered.
Zhao Yueyin bowed low. "Long live the Crowned Sovereign."
The Age of Anchors had begun.
---
[End of Chapter 27: Throne of Mirrors—The Duel of Two Fates]