Flames roared.
Steel cracked.
Jiwoon's blade locked against his younger self — the Ashborn Sovereign who had never known mercy, never loved, never doubted.
Their eyes met — same color, same fire… but not the same soul.
"You're weaker now," the echo sneered.
"Tainted by emotion. By guilt. By them."
Jiwoon gritted his teeth.
"And you… you're just a shadow who never moved forward."
Trial of the Past
Each strike from the echo was precise — forged from Jiwoon's own forgotten mastery.
He bled. He stumbled.
But he never stopped moving forward.
"I've changed. And that's not weakness… it's the reason I still stand."
Outside the Arena
Kaelya's hands clenched the edge of the viewing shield. "Why can't we help?"
Vera whispered, "Because this fight isn't about power. It's about choice."
Inside, the echo roared with rage.
"Then die like the weakling you've become!"
A torrent of ash-fire swept across the coliseum.
Jiwoon dropped his sword.
"Maybe I don't need to fight you…"
He stepped through the flame.
"Maybe I just need to forgive you."
Final Blow – A Choice Not to Kill
The echo froze.
The fire died.
And with a breath — Jiwoon embraced his former self.
The echo shattered into stardust.
System Update
Ash Trial Completed
Unlock: Sin Harmony – Tier 1 Achieved
Emotion-Stability Link Strengthened
Aftermath
Jiwoon collapsed, not from pain… but from release.
Kaelya caught him. Vera shielded them from residual flame winds.
"You didn't destroy it," Kaelya said.
"No," Jiwoon whispered. "I accepted it."
He looked up at the broken sky above the Remnant Coliseum.
"If I'm going to rule this system… I have to accept everything I've been."