The air crackled with an unnatural intensity, the atmosphere thick with the energy of the awakening core. Ezra stood at the epicenter of the chaos, his sword still glowing with the strength of his allies. His body ached from the previous clashes, yet his spirit remained unbroken. Every fiber of his being screamed with the urge to push forward, to take down the Architect, to stop the core from consuming everything.
The walls of the castle were buckling under the pressure, cracks appearing in the stone like veins of a dying creature. The floor beneath Ezra's feet trembled, the very foundation of the building destabilizing with each passing second. The countdown on his system's interface blinked menacingly, a constant reminder of the time slipping away.
[Time Remaining: 134,885 Hours]
The Architect hovered before him, his form still shrouded in shadow. His laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls like the tolling of a bell. "You think you can stop this? You, who are merely a tool in this grand design? You, who have been manipulated by your very existence?"
Ezra didn't flinch. His eyes locked onto the Architect's. "I'm done being a pawn in your game."
The Architect's expression faltered, but only for a moment. He raised his hand, and the shadows in the room began to warp and twist. Tendrils of darkness shot toward Ezra, each one a blade of pure energy, aimed to tear him apart.
But Ezra was ready. With a swift motion, he deflected the first tendril, then the second, his sword cutting through the darkness like it was nothing. The third tendril came faster, more powerful, but Ezra didn't hesitate. He blocked it, the force pushing him back, but he remained on his feet.
"You cannot stop me," the Architect repeated, his voice dripping with disdain. "You cannot comprehend the power I wield."
Ezra gritted his teeth, his grip on his sword tightening. "I don't need to comprehend it. I just need to destroy it."
With a battle cry, he launched himself forward, his sword cutting through the air with blinding speed. The Architect raised his hand, summoning more shadows to shield him, but this time, Ezra's attack was too powerful, too quick. He sliced through the darkness like a hot knife through butter, his blade finding its mark.
The Architect stumbled back, his form flickering for a moment, as if the shadows were losing their grip on him. For a fleeting second, Ezra saw the true face of the Architect — an ancient, twisted being, its eyes burning with a cold, calculating malice.
"You're nothing," Ezra spat, his voice filled with rage. "You're just a coward hiding behind shadows."
The Architect's eyes narrowed, and a wave of darkness erupted from him, blasting Ezra backward. His body slammed against the far wall, the impact rattling his bones. He gasped for air, his vision swimming, but the fire inside him only grew stronger.
He couldn't stop now.
With a grunt, Ezra pushed himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest, but he ignored it. He focused on the one thing that mattered — defeating the Architect. Destroying the core. Saving everything.
He reached into the system's energy, drawing from the strength of his companions. He could feel them with him: Escanor's unbreakable will, Meliodas's relentless fighting spirit, Merlin's wisdom, King and Diane's unwavering loyalty. Together, they were with him, pushing him forward.
His sword glowed even brighter now, the energy within it reaching new heights. Ezra took a step forward, then another, each one bringing him closer to the Architect.
"You'll die here," the Architect growled, his form shifting, growing larger, more imposing. "This is the end."
Ezra didn't flinch. He didn't hesitate. He knew this was the moment. The moment when everything would change.
With a final, resounding cry, Ezra charged. His sword was a streak of light, cutting through the air as he collided with the Architect's darkness.
The force of the clash shook the very foundations of the castle. Energy exploded outward, the ground beneath them crumbling. For a moment, everything went black.
When Ezra's vision cleared, he found himself standing alone in a vast, empty void. The Architect was gone, vanished into the abyss of his own defeat. The core pulsed faintly in the distance, but its power was waning, no longer threatening to consume everything.
Ezra fell to his knees, exhaustion sweeping over him. He had done it. He had won.
But the victory was bittersweet.
The countdown flashed before him, a reminder that the battle wasn't truly over yet.
[Time Remaining: 134,755 Hours]
Ezra's heart sank. The true test was still ahead. The core may have been stopped, but there was still so much left to do.
The war wasn't over. Not yet.
And as the darkness of the void began to shift, Ezra knew that his journey was far from finished.