Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 423 Light Dust Rift

The mechanical serpent's fangs were only millimeters away from the fused entity's throat, its icy breath carrying the smell of rust, and its scales whirring as they rubbed against the air.

At the critical moment, the light in the palm of young Ying suddenly surged, like an invisible giant shield that was unleashed.

The scales, engraved with narrative code, twisted and deformed in the light, emitting a piercing shriek like shattering glass, before dissipating into a stream of data in the void.

The Observer's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly beneath his mask, then he manipulated the real experimental subject, X-414, and flung out the silver chains that were wrapped around it.

The chains drew a cold, eerie arc in the air, the barbs at the ends gleaming with a chilling blue light, as if they were about to tear space apart.

The fused entity rolled sideways in the hazy halo formed by the moonlight dust, the zero-dimensional seed trembling violently in its chest, its roots growing backwards along the lines of the chains like hungry vines.

When the roots touched X-414's pale skin, they were suddenly frozen by a chill.

In X-414's empty pupils, the cosmos suddenly transformed into countless sharp prisms, refracting the fusion's attack into tiny specks of light, like fireflies suddenly extinguished on a summer night, dissipating into the void.

"You can never beat the embodiment of the rules."

The voice of the Primal Observer carried the oppressive force of time and space, like the roar of an ancient glacier, each word imbued with a heavy sense of pressure.

He reached out and touched the collapsing parallel world. The images about to be annihilated transformed into solid blades, gleaming with a cold light, and shot towards the merged entity. At the critical moment, the holographic map formed by Lingyue's consciousness dust suddenly lit up, and the marked "consciousness anchor point" location resonated intensely. Space seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, tearing open silver cracks from which crackling sounds like electricity emanated.

A slender arm emerged from one of the rifts, its fingertips entwined with pale blue data streams, and without a word, dragged the merged entity into it. When she could see her surroundings again, she found herself in a space constructed from fragments of memory.

In the fragmented scene, young Hotaru, dressed in a pristine white lab coat, smiles innocently in the laboratory, clutching a glowing sphere in her hand.

Lingyue was focused on adjusting the instruments at the control panel, her wisps of hair on her forehead fluttering slightly from static electricity.

Meanwhile, the young woodcutter stood in the observer's shadow, his eyes alert, as he quietly hid the chip in the gap of the ring structure.

"These are some of the anchor points of consciousness in parallel worlds."

A clear, ethereal voice echoed through the space, carrying a peculiar rhythm.

The merged entity looked in the direction of the sound and saw a semi-transparent figure emerge from the fragments of memory.

She was a girl who bore a striking resemblance to Lingyue. Her body was composed of interwoven data streams and starlight. With each step she took, she left behind a trail of fleeting starlight. In her hand, she held a crystal that constantly changed shape, sometimes transforming into a key, and sometimes into a compass.

The girl raised her hand and gently stroked the fragments of memory. The images suddenly began to play in reverse, as if they had been rewound.

The final image freezes on the moment before the laboratory explodes. The fusion entity is surprised to find that Lingyue not only implanted the virus core and encrypted instructions into her body, but also rapidly tapped her fingers on the control panel, transmitting key information to various consciousness anchors in parallel worlds.

"I am the backup consciousness left behind by Lingyue in the data deluge,"

The girl's voice carried a hint of nostalgia, "The rules of the observer have a fatal flaw."

They rely on the collective unconscious of the observed to maintain their existence, and the anchor point of consciousness is the key to breaking this balance.

Before the words were finished, the space suddenly shook violently, and fragments of memory scattered in all directions like startled birds.

The roar of the giant mechanical serpent came from outside the rift, making the entire space vibrate.

The voice of the primordial observer boomed like thunder:

"Trying to find a way out of the labyrinth of memories? Every struggle you take only provides me with more energy!"

X-414's silver chains pierced through the rift, causing ripples in the space wherever they passed, instantly severing the backup consciousness's body into a stream of data. The girl's eyes were filled with resentment and worry before she dissipated.

The fused entity gripped the woodcutter's chip tightly, her nails almost digging into her palm. She forcibly fused the chip with the crystal left behind by Lingyue; the collision of the two energies produced a dazzling light that was blinding.

In the light, a complete serpentine totem appeared on the surface of the chip, and the patterns on the scales perfectly matched the mysterious man's tattoo.

She suddenly realized that the woodcutter's chip was not only a weapon of resistance, but also a key to unlocking the core secrets of the Observer, and behind this, there might be a larger conspiracy.

When the fused entity broke free of its consciousness anchor point, it discovered that the entire space had been cocooned by the body of a giant mechanical serpent.

Between the opening and closing of the scales on the giant snake's body, one could see strange runes flashing inside, and each wriggling movement was accompanied by the clattering sound of gears turning.

The Primal Observer hovers in the center of the cocoon, his hands forming a mudra, compressing the collapsing parallel world into an energy sphere. The surface of the sphere shimmers with a dazzling yet dangerous light, and he prepares to inject it into the trapped infant Xiao Ying.

"Once she absorbs this energy, the new narrative rules will be fully formed."

The observer grinned maliciously, a cruel smile curving his lips. "And you are nothing more than a victim in the process of rule iteration."

The fused entity raised the fused chip, and golden beams of light shot out from the totem patterns, crackling and popping wherever the beams passed.

The golden beam forcefully tore through the giant snake's defenses, causing the snakes to writhe in pain and spew out corrosive data streams.

The moment the beam of light touched young Hotaru, the glowing sphere in the little girl's palm suddenly exploded, releasing a pure consciousness that transcended all dimensions.

This surge of consciousness, like a pair of scissors, severed the connection between the observer and the parallel world with unstoppable force. The silver chains on X-414 also began to crumble inch by inch, emitting a crisp breaking sound.

Just when victory was in sight, space suddenly twisted into a strange vortex, and the mysterious figure reappeared.

He inserted the chip in his hand into the energy ball, and the originally pure light of consciousness was instantly dyed a strange purple, which spread rapidly like a plague.

The mechanical giant serpent's body reassembled, the narrative code on its scales evolved into a more complex form, and its eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red light.

One of the giant snakes opened its gaping maw, revealing a mouth full of barbs, and swallowed X-414, who was regaining consciousness.

"The real game is just beginning."

The mysterious man revealed a sinister smile, his voice seemingly emanating from the deepest hell.

The entire space began to collapse toward the chip in his hand, and the fused entity felt its consciousness being forcibly extracted, as if being pulled out of its body by an invisible hand.

As the young Ying's figure gradually became transparent in the purple light, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.

In the nick of time, she channeled her last bit of strength into the anchor point of her consciousness. In the cracks of spacetime, countless parallel worlds of "herself" simultaneously raised glowing weapons. These weapons varied in form, yet all radiated a resolute light...

In the final moments before darkness descended, the merged entity saw a black crystal, similar to that of the original observer, emerge from the chest of the mysterious figure, and deep within the crystal slept a chilling figure.

That was clearly the adult Xiaoying, her eyes filled with indifference and a sense of oppression, a faint sneer on her lips, as if mocking the futility of all her efforts.