Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 441 Entropy Abyss Counterattack

The light of the Key of Time flickered violently, like the last gasps of a dying person. The fused body's palms were charred black, and fine beads of blood seeped from the peeling flesh, contrasting with the mysterious runes flowing across the key's surface. The black-robed man's manic laughter mingled with the deafening roar of the Lord of Entropy, like thousands of steel needles piercing her eardrums. Her consciousness nearly collapsed under the impact of the sound waves, and the world before her eyes became distorted and blurred. The Guardian's bloodied body swayed precariously in the energy storm, which, carrying dark purple energy, crashed against his tattered armor like surging waves. The fused body's nails dug deeply into her palms, and blood trickled down the runes of the Key of Time. Strangely, the blood fused with the key's light, emitting an eerie purple glow.

"Time Reversal!" The fused entity gritted its teeth, swinging the Key of Time with all its might. In an instant, the surrounding space twisted like water churned by an invisible hand, forming massive vortexes. Particles in the air began to flow in reverse, and pebbles slowly rose from the edges of the craters blasted into the beach, attempting to fill the gaps. The smile on the black-robed man's face froze for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disdain. The dark purple energy around him surged violently like boiling iron, forming energy tides. "Naive! The power of entropy is inherently superior to time!" The black-robed man roared, raising his hand, and a dark purple beam of light descended from the sky, shattering space inch by inch in its path, emitting a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound. The beam of light slammed into the fused entity's feet, instantly blasting a massive crater hundreds of feet deep into the beach. The powerful impact kicked up clouds of dust, sending sand and stones flying like bullets in all directions.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the fused entity tumbled and rolled in a sorry state, each impact with the ground causing her bones to groan in pain. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, dripping down her chin and spreading into eerie red blossoms on the silver sand. She had barely managed to sit up, still reeling from the dizziness, when countless corrupting tentacles surged in from all directions like a black tide. These tentacles were covered in a viscous black liquid, dripping intermittently and corroding the sand into smoldering holes. The countless eyeballs at the tips of the tentacles glowed eerily, each reflecting her terrified face; their distorted reflections seemed to silently mock her insignificance and powerlessness.

In the nick of time, a streak of icy blue sword energy swept across like lightning, instantly freezing the air in its path. The corrupting tentacles, assaulted by this chill, froze and shattered, scattering into countless black ice crystals. The Guardian, dragging his tattered armor, stood before her. His armor was cracked, the blue light dimming, and the frost on his chilling longsword was melting at a visible rate; each melting point meant a continuous loss of his power. "Go! The true power of the Key of Time needs time to awaken!" His voice was hoarse but resolute, each word seemingly uttered with all his might.

The fused being bit her lip, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. She turned and ran towards the energy core of the Sea of ​​Time, the sounds of fierce fighting behind her mingling with the guardian's painful groans. Each groan felt like a heavy hammer blow to her heart. She dared not look back, focusing all her strength on her legs as she struggled through the distorted spacetime tunnels. Inside the tunnels, the flow of time was chaotic, sometimes moving as slowly as a snail's pace, making each step incredibly difficult; at other times, it was as fast as lightning, the surrounding scenery flashing past her eyes, turning into blurry streaks of light and shadow.

Ancient murals slowly emerged on the walls along the way. In them, the ancient battle between the Observer and the Lord of Entropy was fiercely fought, their clashing forces tearing the universe to shreds; the guardians of the Sea of ​​Time fought relentlessly, sacrificing their lives to protect this spacetime; and then… the image of herself being completely consumed by dark purple energy, her eyes empty and cold, her light blade stained with an evil dark purple, swinging towards her former companions. These illusions, like a persistent thorn in her side, constantly assaulted her will, causing her steps to slow unconsciously. But Xiaoying's words echoed in her mind: "Don't let fear control you, it's just an illusion!" She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear within her, and continued running forward.

When she finally reached the energy core, the sight before her caused her pupils to shrink sharply. A massive crystal floated at the core, imprisoning within it the faint light of young Firefly. The light flickered like a candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment. The crystal's surface was riddled with cracks, a spiderweb of crisscrossing patterns, seemingly poised to shatter completely at any instant. "Firefly!" the fused entity cried out, rushing to the crystal. Suddenly, the Key of Time resonated intensely, trembling violently. The runes on the key transformed into flowing light, pouring into the crystal. Firefly's light trembled slightly, uttering a weak voice: "Sister… insert the Key of Time into the core, activate the 'Time-Traveling Cage'… but you will be trapped here forever…"

Without the slightest hesitation, a resolute glint flashed in her eyes as she forcefully plunged the Key of Time into the crystal. In an instant, the entire Sea of ​​Time began to flow in reverse, the seawater turning backward, the stars reversing. The movements of the black-robed figure and the Lord of Entropy Silence became sluggish, as if they were stuck in a viscous quagmire. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she gathered her twin powers, golden and dark purple energy surging wildly in her palms, transforming into strong chains that shot towards the black-robed figure. However, just as the chains were about to touch the black-robed figure, a silver figure suddenly appeared, moving with ghostly speed. The figure lightly waved its silver staff, a flash of silver light, and the chains instantly shattered, dissipating into specks of energy in the air.

It was an entity strikingly similar to the holy figure, but surrounded by a chilling aura, as if emanating from a distant, icy land. "The Observer's Light Side? You've betrayed us too!" The Guardian's roar echoed from afar, its voice filled with shock and rage. The fused entity stared in disbelief as the silver figure stood shoulder to shoulder with the black-robed man, a tidal wave of emotions surging within it, a pang of betrayal washing over it. "From beginning to end, it was all a performance," the silver figure spoke, its voice mirroring that of the holy figure, yet filled with cold indifference, seemingly devoid of any emotion. "The resurgence of the Lord of Entropy is the only way to balance the universe."

Taking advantage of the moment, the black-robed figure completely embedded the jade pendant between his brows. His body began to swell, his skin became transparent, and the dark purple energy within him surged wildly like boiling magma. He gradually overlapped with the figure of the Lord of Entropy, completely merging with him. The enormous black shadow opened its sky-covering eyes, shooting out two dark purple beams of light that swept across the area. The energy core of the Sea of ​​Time began to crumble, the crystals constantly emitting cracking sounds. Little Firefly's light grew increasingly faint: "Sister, there's another way... Use your consciousness as a catalyst, burn the power of twins... But..."

The merged entity gazed at the collapsing space, then at the wounded guardian in the distance, and made her decision. She took a deep breath, channeling all her consciousness into the Key of Time, her twin powers burning fiercely within her. Golden and dark purple flames erupted from her pores, forming a massive barrier. "I will not let you succeed!" Her voice echoed throughout the Sea of ​​Time, carrying a hint of farewell, as if bidding a final goodbye to this world.

However, just as the barrier was about to take shape, the Key of Time suddenly emitted a mournful cry, a sound both shrill and desperate. The runes on the key began to rotate in reverse, and a powerful suction force emanated from it. The fused entity was horrified to discover that its burning power was flowing along the Key of Time towards the Lord of Entropy. The black-robed figure (or rather, the Lord of Entropy at this moment) let out a deafening, maniacal laugh: "Foolish vessel, the Key of Time is the very key to unlocking the seal of Entropy!"

Despite his severe injuries, the Guardian roared and charged towards the Lord of Entropy with his sword. His sword gleamed with its final light, his last strength. However, a dark purple energy wave struck him head-on, the powerful force sending him flying. He crashed heavily into the shattered crystal, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The light from Little Firefly shattered into countless fragments amidst the violent tremors. One fragment flew into the fused being's brow, simultaneously transmitting a memory: In an ancient era, a group of mysterious beings attempted to reshape the universe with the power of Entropy, and the true mission of the Key of Time was…

Before the merged entity could fully comprehend this memory, the Entropy Lord's gigantic claws were already reaching for her. Wherever the claws passed, space was torn apart, revealing a pitch-black void. At the critical moment, a majestic roar suddenly echoed from the depths of the Sea of ​​Time, as if a slumbering god had awakened. A golden figure emerged from the water, its body wreathed in the laws of time, each strand shimmering with dazzling light. In its hand lay a golden longsword of the same origin as the merged entity's light blade, runes flowing across its surface, radiating an awe-inspiring aura. "The Observer's primordial power? Impossible!" The Entropy Lord's voice betrayed panic for the first time, filled with shock and fear.

The golden figure remained silent, simply slashing its sword at the Lord of Entropy. The two powerful forces collided, the resulting shockwaves tearing the entire Sea of ​​Time to shreds like a monstrous wave. Seawater was blasted into the sky, forming spectacular curtains of water that instantly evaporated into nothingness. The fused body teetered precariously amidst the turbulent energy currents. She watched as the golden figure and the Lord of Entropy clashed in a fierce battle, each exchange causing violent spatial tremors. Meanwhile, the black-robed man and the silver figure were secretly setting up a new formation. Their movements were cryptic, their mouths chanting incantations, and an even more malevolent power began to gather in the air. Even more terrifying, the Key of Time continued to absorb her power; her body began to turn transparent, and her consciousness gradually blurred. Before completely losing consciousness, she heard the golden figure shout, "Destroy the Key of Time! It has been…" The words trailed off, as if something terrible had happened. In the distance, an even more mysterious black shadow flickered in and out of the spatial rift, emanating an aura even more chilling than the Lord of Entropy, as if a true catastrophe was about to befall them…