Quote Originally Posted by MikkoAkure View Post
I think you’re mixing up the Echo with the Traveler’s Ward. The ward is what provides protection from aetheric corruption, not the Echo, so the Unsundered wouldn’t have had that.
The thing about that is that I feel it doesn't line up with the artificial Echo that Fordola and Zenos had, and it is completely clear that Fordola is immune to Tempering, as well as clear that she has the Echo due to her visions, so unless you take a bit of a reach and assume Temu Hojo managed to unknowingly copy the Traveler's Ward when replicating the Echo, it doesn't rightly line up, does it? the introduction of the Traveler's Ward just feels like a retcon, tied to their goal to de-mysticize the Echo in post-ShB and EW.

Regardless, it is also briefly mentioned that Zeromus was so powerful his presence was causing Warding Scales to break down and that they would not hold up indefinitely, so the idea that aetheric corruption powerful enough that it bypasses any forms of protection isn't a reach either way, even if the Ancients took every precaution they could've taken before attempting the summoning.