Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 446 The Mystery of the Endgame

The fused being's fingertips still retained the burning sensation of the time reversal, as if an inextinguishable flame burned beneath their skin. The eerie purple sky before them, like an ancient and fragile piece of glass, suddenly cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures, from which wisps of dark purple mist seeped, carrying a pungent, sweet-smelling odor, like the stench of rotting blood. The little firefly in the black-robed girl's arms was lifeless, like a delicate glass ornament. She stroked the firefly's hair with the gentleness of someone handling a fragile treasure, each touch filled with extreme care. Yet, the smile on her lips, identical to the mysterious man's, sent chills down one's spine—a cold and twisted smile, like that of a demon from the deepest hell. "I've been waiting for you for a long time, the Observer's container." The little girl's voice was clear and childlike, which should have been full of innocence, but at this moment it seemed to come from the bottom of the abyss. The last syllable had a chilling echo that kept reverberating in this desolate space, making the fused body's eardrums ache.

Suppressing the surging fear within her, the fused entity gathered the power of twins in her palm. Golden light, like a dazzling sunrise, and dark purple light, like a deep night sky, intertwined, forming a defensive barrier like two fighting dragons. Mysterious runes flowed across the barrier's surface, shimmering slightly and radiating a soft yet resolute light. Her gaze was fixed on the little girl, her eyes filled with vigilance, and her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Who are you? Why do you possess the power of the Key of Time? What happened to Xiaoying?" However, before she could finish speaking, black liquid suddenly seeped from the cracks on the surface of the enormous Key of Time statue. The liquid was incredibly viscous, emitting a pungent, putrid stench, like the smell of countless rotting corpses piled together. The liquid, like a living thing, twisted and writh on the ground, extending countless tiny tentacles that crawled rapidly towards her.

The little girl giggled, her laughter clear yet carrying an inexplicable eeriness, as she gracefully leaped down from the top of the statue. With each step, a blood-red lotus bloomed beneath her feet, its petals as crimson as blood, its stamens shimmering with an eerie light, as if watered with fresh blood. "Who I am isn't important, what's important is..." She paused, a sly glint in her eyes, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish. She snapped her fingers, and instantly, the space around the fused entity began to distort. The air seemed to be kneaded by an invisible hand, becoming distorted and wrinkled. Countless blood-red chains shot out from the void, like hungry venomous snakes, their scarlet tongues flicking, baring their fangs and claws as they coiled towards her limbs and neck. The chains were covered in sharp barbs, radiating a chilling dark light. "The power within you should be returned to its rightful owner!"

The fused form rolled sideways, its movements as agile as a leopard. The black liquid on the ground grazed her clothes, leaving a trail of corrosive residue that emitted a bluish wisp. She swung her arm, the light blade slicing through the air with a hissing sound, shattering the approaching black liquid. However, the severed liquid seemed to possess a life of its own, instantly splitting into countless tiny droplets, like swarms of black locusts, continuing to swarm towards her. She could feel the powerful corrosive force within this liquid; once it touched her skin, it would rapidly corrode her body like sulfuric acid, causing her skin to fester instantly.

In the fierce battle, the merged entity's eyes shone brightly as she suddenly noticed a rune, similar to the mysterious Key of Time, flashing between the little girl's brows each time she cast a spell. The moment the rune flashed, the surrounding space would tremble slightly. A thought struck her; she remembered Xiao Ying saying that the secret of the Key of Time was closely related to the First Observer. Could this little girl…? Before she could ponder further, a dark purple beam of light suddenly shot out from the statue, moving with lightning speed. The beam struck her shoulder directly, and excruciating pain overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, nearly causing her to fall to the ground. Blood dripped from her arm, corroding small, smoking pits in the ground, and a burnt smell filled the air.

"Sister!" A faint call suddenly reached the fused entity's ears, the voice like a spring breeze, carrying a hint of warmth and hope. She turned her head and saw that Xiaoying's body had begun to emit a faint light, within which ancient runes emerged. The runes emitted a soft light, slowly rotating in the air, as if telling an ancient story. The little girl's expression changed drastically, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She intensified her attack on the fused entity, and more crimson chains and black liquid surged towards her like a raging tide.

The fused being gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead, ignoring her injuries, and charged towards Xiaoying with all her might. Her twin powers and the guardian's blue energy surged wildly within her, like boiling magma. The two forces collided, generating a powerful shockwave that repelled all surrounding attacks. The crimson chains shattered under the shockwave, and black liquid was scattered everywhere. The moment she touched Xiaoying, a warm and familiar power surged into her body, like parched land receiving rain. At the same time, a memory surfaced: in the distant past, the first Observer created three key containers to prevent the power of entropy from spiraling out of control, and the little girl was one of them!

"So that's how it is. You're also a pitiful being twisted by power." The fused entity looked at the little girl, a flicker of pity in its eyes, like a mother looking at her wounded child. However, the little girl burst into maniacal laughter, her laughter filled with despair and resentment, like a wild beast trapped in a cage. "Pitiful? You think I wanted this? From birth, I was merely a vessel, a tool to balance power!" Her body began to swell, and countless tentacles covered in eyes emerged from beneath her black robe. These eyes varied in size, their pupils a strange purple, staring intently at the fused entity, their eyes filled with hatred, as if they wanted to devour her alive.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the purple rift in the sky suddenly widened, like a gigantic mouth about to devour the entire world. A familiar figure plummeted from it—the Guardian! His armor was tattered, riddled with cracks and dents, the blue light dimming and weakening, yet still radiating an indomitable will. "Watch out! Her power comes from the rift in time!" the Guardian shouted, his voice hoarse, as if he had exhausted all his strength. He swung his sword at an oncoming tentacle; the blade clashed with the tentacle, erupting in dazzling sparks. At the same time, a powerful spatial fluctuation spread out from them. Space distorted and warped in the fluctuation, and time seemed to stand still.

The merged entity seized the opportunity, fusing the power of the Twins with the power of the Guardian once more. The two forces intertwined within her, forming a massive spacetime vortex. Within the vortex, golden, dark purple, and blue light shimmered, intertwining like a magnificent rainbow. Emerging from the light were the phantoms of past Observers and Guardians, their faces resolute, their eyes filled with fearlessness and determination. They roared in unison, their voices deafening, as if shattering the darkness-shrouded space: "In the name of time, seal away chaos!"

However, just as the seal was about to be completed, the little girl suddenly plunged her hand into her chest, a crazed expression on her face. She pulled out a beating purple heart, its surface covered with veins, still pulsating rhythmically. "Since we can't live, let's perish together!" She crushed the heart, and instantly, the entire spacetime began to tremble violently, as if the end of the world had arrived. Countless spacetime rifts appeared in the void, from which surged massive amounts of chaotic energy. The chaotic energy, like a raging flood, tore space apart and distorted time wherever it went. The fused entity and the guardian were forced back step by step by the energy's impact, their bodies teetering on the brink of collapse. And Xiao Ying's light grew weaker and weaker, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

In the chaos, the merged entity saw the little girl's figure gradually become transparent, a relieved smile appearing on her face, a pure and beautiful smile, as if she had returned to her original state. "Perhaps, this is the best ending for me..." The little girl's voice grew softer and softer, like a feather drifting in the wind, finally dissipating into the chaotic energy. But the matter did not end there. A sinister laugh echoed from the spatial rift, a low and hoarse laugh, like a summons from hell. A figure more powerful than the mysterious man slowly emerged, his body bound by countless chains of time, each chain inscribed with ancient curse runes. The runes flickered with an eerie red light, as if telling of ancient evil forces. "Interesting, truly interesting... It seems this game has only just begun." The mysterious figure's voice reverberated throughout the space, tinged with mockery and disdain. The merged entity and the guardian exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with vigilance and worry. They knew that the real crisis had only just begun...