Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 454 Dark Crystal Crisis

The ground beneath their feet surged like boiling magma, and scorching waves of air, carrying fragments of shattered spacetime, rushed towards them, burning their skin.

The fused entity clung to the guardian's arm, struggling to escape through the distorted spacetime. The surrounding space continuously collapsed and expanded, forming black vortexes that devoured everything. Each collision shook her internal organs out of place, as if she would be crushed by this chaotic spacetime at any moment.

The little firefly in her arms grew colder and colder. The light that had been flickering was now as faint as a candle in the wind, almost invisible. She could clearly feel life slipping away from this small body, like sand in an hourglass, the tighter you hold it, the faster it flows away.

"Head northwest! The spacetime fluctuations are weaker there!"

The guardian's voice was torn apart by the roar of the crack, sounding particularly hoarse and anxious.

His tattered armor had long since lost its protective function, and each step he took made a creaking sound as he struggled to keep up with the weight. Blood congealed along the wounds and metal fragments, leaving a winding trail of blood behind him, like a strange red ribbon.

Before he finished speaking, the gears above his head suddenly accelerated and plummeted down, like giant guillotines, whistling down with a sharp whooshing sound.

The fused entity's pupils shrank abruptly, and tri-colored light exploded around its body, forming a solid light shield that barely managed to blast the nearest gear into dust.

But the powerful shockwave still sent them flying dozens of meters, slamming them heavily onto the cracked remains of the Key of Time. Debris flew everywhere, dust billowed, and it was hard to breathe.

Just then, the sound of chains sliding came from the depths of the crack, a dull and eerie sound, like a whisper from the depths of hell.

The figure wearing the gatekeeper's mask slowly rose, stepping on the black crystal fragments, each step causing the surrounding space and time to tremble.

The evil crystal in his hand was expanding at a visible speed, and runes similar to those of the Chaos Infant appeared on its surface. The runes shimmered with an eerie light and seemed to move across the surface of the crystal as if they were alive.

"The second seal requires a sacrifice."

The voice beneath the mask was like sandpaper rubbing together, with a nauseatingly sticky quality, as if it could seep into one's very bones.

He raised his hand and waved it, and countless black chains burst forth from the crystal. The ends of the chains transformed into ferocious beast heads, opening their blood-red maws to reveal sharp fangs, and lunging at the three of them. A suffocating stench filled the air.

The guardian acted decisively, plunging his longsword into the ground. Blue energy surged forth like a tide, forming a solid ice barrier around him.

The beast-headed chains struck the barrier with a teeth-grinding gnawing sound, and the ice was corroded at a visible speed. Wisps of cold air intertwined with black mist, forming an eerie haze.

The fused entity clenched its back teeth and poured its last twin power into the star-shaped eyes, but the light was suppressed by the purple light emitted by the crystal as soon as it lit up.

She then realized that the surrounding spacetime had been stained with an eerie dark purple, and all the light was converging towards the crystal, as if the whole world had become a cage of that evil crystal.

"Watch out! He's absorbing all the energy in this area!"

The voice of the Time Watcher suddenly rang out, sharp and urgent.

Everyone turned to look, and saw her figure appearing and disappearing in the void. Her body, which had been backfired by the runes, gradually solidified in the purple light.

A crack appeared at the tip of the Star Staff in her hand, from which a tentacle covered in barbs slowly emerged. The tentacle twisted in the air, like a greedy venomous snake.

"The first observer thought that sealing the Chaos Infant would solve everything, but little did she know that the gatekeeper was the true player." Her voice was full of sarcasm and smugness, and her eyes gleamed with madness.

The merged entity felt the star-shaped mark on its chest suddenly burn, as if a raging fire was burning inside its body, and fragments of the first observer's memories flooded into its mind like a tidal wave.

In ancient times, the Gatekeeper attempted to reshape the order of spacetime with the power of the Chaos Infant, but the power went out of control, bringing the universe to the brink of destruction.

The first observer exhausted all his power to seal the Chaos Infant, while setting up three safeguards.

Starry eyes, the Key of Time, and... "the primal power within Xiaoying!"

The fusion entity suddenly shouted, its voice filled with shock and realization.

At that moment, the little firefly in her arms convulsed violently, and the light on her body suddenly surged. The golden light illuminated the entire dim space, like a sun in the darkness, dispelling some of the evil purple light.

The jet-black beast-head chains crumbled in the light, emitting piercing screams, and dissipated into black smoke in the air.

An angry roar erupted from beneath the gatekeeper's mask, the sound shaking the surrounding space. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the crystal's surface, from which twelve figures clad in black robes emerged. Their steps were synchronized, and each had the same runes etched between their brows as those on the gatekeeper's mask. Their eyes revealed indifference and murderous intent.

"Since there aren't enough offerings, let them all become fuel for the seal."

The black-robed man raised his hand simultaneously, and twelve dark purple beams of light shot towards the three of them. Wherever they went, the space seemed to be crushed by an invisible giant hand, making a "crackling" sound, as if the whole world was vulnerable to this powerful force.

The guardian's ice barrier shattered under the pillar of light, and the powerful impact sent him flying. He tumbled several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He struggled to his feet and swung his sword at the nearest man in black robes, only to find that the man's body was like a phantom, and the sword passed right through him without any obstruction.

The Time Watcher seized the opportunity to entangle the merged entity, its tentacles gripping her neck, the icy touch sending chills down her spine.

"Hand over Starry Eyes, and perhaps I can spare Xiaoying's life."

The voice of the Time Watcher was full of threat.

The fused entity glared angrily, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the other's face. The twin powers resonated with Xiao Ying's light, forming a rotating cocoon of light that enveloped the three of them. Mysterious runes flowed across the surface of the cocoon, radiating a soft yet firm light.

Outside the cocoon of light, the gatekeeper plunged the crystal into the ground, and the entire space began to flow backward, as if time were turning back.

The cracks that had just collapsed began to heal, but black thorns grew from the healed area, and the thorns were covered with rotten fruit.

After the fruit split open, countless eyeball-like monsters crawled out. Their bloodshot pupils reflected the figures of the three people, and they emitted sharp screechs, the sounds piercing and unpleasant, like wails from hell.

"Is this... a side effect of time reversal?"

The guardian stared in shock at the distorted scene around him, his eyes filled with fear and unease.

The cocoon of light suddenly trembled violently, and Xiao Ying's body floated up, surrounded by golden chains.

She opened her eyes, her pupils reflecting the runes of the first observer, her gaze revealing a majesty and vicissitude beyond her years.

"The third seal requires the sacrifice of the observer's bloodline."

Before the words were finished, the golden chains shot towards the fused body, but the moment they touched the starry eyes on her chest, they collided violently with the power of the gatekeeper crystal.

The entire space fell into a brief silence, followed by an energy storm powerful enough to tear apart dimensions.

Intense light illuminated the entire space, and powerful air currents raged everywhere, engulfing everything around them.

The merged entity saw the gatekeeper's mask shatter in the storm, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to the original observer, a face filled with madness and obsession.

In the deepest part of spacetime, the outline of the third seal is faintly visible. It is a huge sphere composed of countless eyes, each eye watching every move in the real world, as if waiting for something.

The moment the storm subsided, Xiaoying fell into a coma again. The gatekeeper and the man in black robes disappeared, leaving only the crystal on the ground, constantly pulsating. Each pulsation created an unhealable crack in the surrounding spacetime, as if telling the story of the fierce battle and the unknown future.