Awakening of the Mind Sovereign
Chapter 57: The Sovereign’s Paradox - 6

Chapter 57: The Sovereign’s Paradox - 6

Echo’s gaze didn’t waver.

"Why?"

The old man exhaled slowly.

For centuries, no one had dared to ask this.

No one had dared to seek the Fifth World.

Because those who did

Disappeared.

Every last one of them.

Erased from history.

Forgotten by time.

Gone.

Echo had spent years searching.

Reading through ancient texts.

Studying forbidden archives.

But every record of the Fifth World ended the same way

With nothing.

There were no failures.

No warnings.

No messages left behind.

It was as if the world itself had erased the knowledge.

And now, standing before the Grand Judge, Eiko was finally about to learn the truth.

The old man’s hands trembled.

"This world... It does not allow the Fifth."

Echo narrowed his eyes.

"What does that mean?"

The Grand Judge shook his head.

"Every civilization has tried to reach it. Every emperor, every god, every ruler of power "

He took a slow breath.

"And they were all... removed."

Echo remained quiet.

He wasn’t surprised.

Not really.

He had felt it.

Something watching.

Something controlling.

Every time he had come close to the answer, the world had pushed back.

People disappeared.

Records burned.

Paths closed.

Now, he finally had confirmation.

The Fifth World was real.

And something or someone had made sure that no one would reach it.

The Grand Judge looked at him carefully.

"You’re the strongest I’ve ever seen, Echo."

His voice was steady now.

"But even you... will not survive if you seek the Fifth World."

He stepped forward, his golden robes shifting.

"There is still time. You have power beyond imagination. You could rule."

The Grand Judge’s eyes hardened.

"Forget the Fifth World."

His voice was almost desperate now.

"Live. Take what you have and live."

Echo tilted his head slightly.

A small smile played at his lips.

It wasn’t a smile of arrogance.

It wasn’t a smile of amusement.

It was a smile of understanding.

He had suspected it all along.

And now, the truth was clear.

"I see."

His voice was calm.

Steady.

And in that moment, the Grand Judge knew.

He had failed.

Echo would not stop.

He would not be scared away.

He would not be silenced.

And that meant

Echo would either succeed.

Or he would vanish like the rest.

The old man closed his eyes.

He had lived for centuries.

He had guided kings.

He had shaped empires.

But for the first time in his life

He felt powerless.

"...Then you are truly lost."

He turned away.

And in that moment

The doors to the Hall slammed open.

Ten figures.

Draped in black.

Their faces hidden behind masks.

But their aura

It was unmistakable.

They were beyond Celestial Energy.

Beyond Divine Ascension.

The strongest killers in the world.

Sent only for one purpose.

To erase those who asked the forbidden question.

The old man did not turn around.

His voice was quiet.

"This is the only mercy the world will grant you."

He began walking toward the exit.

"This conversation never happened."

The assassins did not move until the Grand Judge was gone.

Then, they surrounded Echo.

Ten of the world’s deadliest warriors.

Silent.

Efficient.

Unstoppable.

And yet

Echo was smiling.

The assassins struck simultaneously.

Blades.

Fire.

Lightning.

Space itself bent under the force of their attacks.

The world seemed to shatter.

But

Echo didn’t move.

He didn’t need to.

The Outcome

A single heartbeat passed.

Then

The assassins fell.

One by one.

Not cut.

Not burned.

Not broken.

Erased.

They had been there.

And then

They weren’t.

Echo exhaled slowly.

His power was beyond them.

Beyond this world.

Beyond even the Judges.

But now

Now, he had a real enemy.

Not kings.

Not rulers.

Not warriors.

---

A heavy silence filled the air.

The world’s greatest weapon.

The King of Celestial Energy.

A man who had once stood at the threshold of the Fifth World.

A man whose very presence could shatter mountains.

A man who had ruled over all others.

Now

He couldn’t move.

His entire body felt paralyzed.

And standing before him was Echo.

Calm. Unshaken. Unstoppable.

The rulers had played their last card.

They had exhausted every option.

They had sent assassins. They had sent armies.

They had tried diplomacy. They had tried threats.

Nothing worked.

Echo was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

And so, they turned to him.

The one man who had ever glimpsed the Fifth World.

A warrior so powerful that his very name was spoken in fear.

He had once been the strongest.

But now

He was nothing.

The King of Celestial Energy struggled.

His muscles tensed.

His aura flared.

The energy of the heavens surged through his veins.

But it didn’t matter.

His body wouldn’t respond.

His legs wouldn’t move.

His arms were frozen in place.

It was as if the universe itself had turned against him.

"What... is this?" he whispered.

His voice was weak.

Almost... afraid.

And then, Echo stepped forward.

His presence was overwhelming.

Not through force.

Not through raw energy.

But through something greater.

Through something absolute.

The King of Celestial Energy felt it instantly.

His entire being was disintegrating.

Not from an attack.

Not from a technique.

Just from Echo’s existence.

And then, Echo spoke.

His voice was calm.

Unbothered.

Disappointed.

"Hmmm. You’re weak."

The words hit harder than any blade.

Harder than any energy blast.

Harder than any battle he had ever fought.

Weak?

Him?

The King of Celestial Energy?

The last warrior to touch the Fifth World?

Impossible.

But his body didn’t lie.

His mind didn’t lie.

His very soul knew the truth.

He had spent his entire life believing he was at the peak.

That no one could surpass him.

That he was untouchable.

But now

He saw the gap.

The infinite chasm between him and Echo.

And for the first time in his life

He felt fear.

---

His energy began to fade.

His body crumbled.

The great warrior

The legend

The ultimate weapon

Was nothing more than dust in the wind.

He didn’t die in battle.

He didn’t fall to a sword.

He wasn’t defeated by any technique.

He was simply

erased.

Echo watched as the dust scattered.

No emotion.

No remorse.

It wasn’t personal.

It was simply inevitable.

The strong lived.

The weak perished.

And this man

Despite all his fame.

Despite all his power.

Despite all his titles.

Was just another weakling.

The halls of the palace were silent.

The rulers watching from their thrones

Were paralyzed in fear.

Their greatest weapon was gone.

Their final line of defense was nothing.

And now, Echo was looking at them.

Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the trembling leaders.

Their robes of gold.

Their crowns of jewels.

Their faces, once filled with arrogance

Now, pale with horror.

"Is that it?" Echo asked, his voice bored.

No one answered.

No one could.

They had no more warriors to send.

No more assassins to call.

No more hope.

Echo took another step forward.

The rulers flinched.

Men who had commanded entire armies.

Men who had executed thousands with a single word.

Now, they looked like scared children.

Echo tilted his head slightly.

He wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t amused.

He was simply... uninterested.

They were nothing.

No different from the King of Celestial Energy.

Just another set of weaklings who thought they could control the world.

But they couldn’t even control their own fate.

Echo stopped.

He gave them one chance.

One option.

One path.

"Surrender," he said.

His voice wasn’t a request.

It was a command.

A law.

And the rulers—once the most powerful people in existence—

Kneeled.

One by one.

Their heads bowed.

Their will shattered.

They had lost before the battle even began.

And Echo?

He didn’t even see them as a victory.

They were insects.

Not worth crushing.

Not worth killing.

Just irrelevant.

Echo turned away.

His goal had never been to rule.

He didn’t care about thrones.

He didn’t care about riches.

He didn’t care about power over men.

There was only one thing that mattered.

The Fifth World.

The truth that no one had reached.

No one except

The King of Celestial Energy.

And even he had failed.

But Echo wouldn’t fail.

He couldn’t.

He had surpassed everything.

He had conquered every challenge.

Now, there was only one thing left.

The path to the Fifth World.

And he would tear reality apart to find it.

No more barriers.

No more lies.

No more limits.

The world had tried to stop him.

And the world had failed.

Now, it was his turn.