A figure emerged from a pillar of pulsing static.
It was Leon.
But older. Hardened. His armor engraved with battle-marks, and Echofang was larger—twice as thick, humming with Resonance beyond Tier IX.
This was an Echo Shade—a projection of what he could become. Or fail to become.
They clashed instantly.
Blade vs blade.
Shell Pulse vs Shell Pulse.
Reverb Chain vs Absolute Loop.
Origin Flow vs Karmic Rift.
The Shade didn't speak. It didn't need to.
Leon could feel his own thoughts inside its moves.
Each strike tested his resolve, his tempo control, and his future rhythm.
At 40% health, Leon was forced to activate:
Shell Reverb Form: Titan Loop Drive – A sustained pulse mode where each echo move strengthens the next.
He struck five times.
The sixth came automatically, echoing across time.
The Shade tried to block.
But that sixth strike hit from the next second—a future it couldn't reach.
The Shade vanished, nodding slightly as it dissolved.
