Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 453 Gear Maze

The moment the enormous figure turned around, a stench of rust swept over us, as if carrying the vicissitudes and bloodshed of countless years.

The chains binding the figure were as thick as buckets, their surfaces pitted and covered with a dark red substance, whether dried blood or some kind of mysterious runic coating, it was unclear.

Xiao Ying, held in the fusion body, suddenly convulsed violently, her body trembling like a leaf, and the light on her body flickered, sometimes a dazzling gold, sometimes an eerie dark purple, as if responding to some ancient and evil call.

The guardian held his longsword horizontally across his chest, the tattered armor creaking under the immense pressure, each sound like a death knell. His knuckles turned white from the strain, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke:

"Be careful, the inscriptions on these chains... are of the same origin as the sealing runes left by the first observer!"

Before the words were finished, the enormous figure suddenly raised its hand and waved it. The chains wrapped around its body came flying through the air like a giant black python, so fast that it was difficult to react.

Wherever the chains passed, the space seemed to be sizzled by a hot iron, leaving charred marks and a pungent, burnt smell in the air.

The fused entity's pupils contracted sharply, and it hurriedly shielded Xiao Ying behind it. Golden and dark purple tri-colored light condensed into a shield in front of it, with mysterious runes flowing across the shield's surface.

The moment the chains struck, the powerful impact caused her feet to sink deep into the ground, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the shield, as if it would shatter completely in the next second.

The guardian roared and leaped up, his blue sword light slashing towards the chain joints like a bolt of lightning. The blade collided with the chain, sparks flying everywhere, but only a few shallow marks were left on the metal surface. The powerful recoil caused him to stagger like a kite with a broken string, kneeling on one knee, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The laws of time twisted and deformed in this desolate land, becoming bizarre and chaotic. The fused entity felt its movements become sluggish, each step like wading through water, each breath like pulling on viscous liquid, its lungs feeling as if they were being squeezed by an invisible force.

She suddenly realized that when the gears floating in the air turned, they would devour the surrounding light, plunging everything in their path into darkness.

The moment a gear meshed, a crack appeared in the distant sky, from which dark green mist seeped out. The mist surged like a living thing, and wherever it went, the remnants of the Key of Time on the ground began to melt, emitting a tooth-grinding "sizzling" sound of corrosion and rising up bursts of pungent white smoke.

"These gears are reconstructing spacetime!" The Time Watcher's voice came from the direction of the ruins, tinged with a mixture of pride and madness.

Everyone turned to look, and saw her standing at the eye of the array formed by glowing runes. The Star Staff was greedily absorbing the light from the runes, and the cracks on the staff were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her face was distorted and deformed in the purple light, a strange smile curving her lips, and a crazed glint in her eyes:

"You think you can stop the forces of darkness? From the moment the First Observer sealed the Infant of Chaos, all resistance has been futile!"

The merged entity was startled, and memories suddenly surged forth.

When she touched the fragments of spacetime, she saw a scene of the first observer and the gatekeeper arguing fiercely.

The gatekeeper, his face contorted with rage, insisted on destroying the Chaos Infant to prevent future troubles, while the observer, his face filled with sorrow, chose to seal it away.

Could it all be a conspiracy by the gatekeeper? This thought pierced her heart like a thorn.

The giant figure's attacks grew increasingly fierce.

A chain suddenly split into countless thin chains, which rained down on the fused entity.

These thin chains whistled sharply in the air, like the scythe of death dancing.

At the critical moment, the guardian rushed forward without hesitation and used his body to block the attack. Blue energy exploded behind him, creating a dazzling display of light, like fireworks.

The powerful impact completely shattered his armor, sending fragments flying like butterflies, revealing his scarred back. Blood gushed from the wounds, staining the ground red.

The fused entity's eyes were bloodshot, and the anger in its heart erupted like a volcano. The power of twins and the star-eye mark erupted at the same time, and golden light slashed towards the huge figure like a sharp sword.

The moment the light touched the chains, the ancient writing began to burn, emitting a shrill cry like that of a baby, a sound so shrill and terrifying that it made everyone's eardrums ache.

Just then, the gears in the sky suddenly accelerated, emitting a deafening roar, and formed a huge vortex.

The vortex shimmered with an eerie light, like a giant black hole about to devour everything.

The Time Watcher stood at the center of the vortex, staff raised high, a maniacal grin on his face: "Witness! The true seal of the Chaos Infant is about to be broken!"

She inserted her staff into the center of the array, and the light of the runes resonated with the power of the gears. The remnants of the Key of Time on the ground flew up and pieced together in the vortex to form a huge chained cage.

The light from Xiaoying's body was forcibly extracted, like threads, and injected into the center of the cage. A blurry infant figure gradually took shape, surrounded by mysterious mist.

The fusion entity tried to rush forward, but was firmly suppressed by an invisible force, as if a pair of giant hands were pressing her to the spot.

She watched as Xiaoying's life force was continuously drained, her little face growing paler and paler. Her heart was filled with anxiety, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Suddenly, a burning pain shot through the star-shaped mark on my chest, as if a flame was burning inside me, and a sealed memory flooded my mind:

At the source of time, the first observer hid fragments of his consciousness in the Star Eye, and the key to unlocking the fragments was the light emanating from Xiao Ying!

"Guardians, protect Xiaoying!"

The fused entity roared, her voice filled with determination and resolve. She channeled all her power into her starry eyes, causing them to blaze with golden light, like a raging sun.

In the instant the light surged, the phantom of the first observer appeared, dressed in an ancient robe, his eyes revealing both majesty and compassion.

He raised his hand and pointed, and the gears in the vortex began to rotate in reverse, making a "click-clack" sound, as if resisting this force.

The Time Watcher screamed in terror as her body, consumed by the runes, began to turn transparent, like a phantom shadow.

The enormous figure trembled violently in the light, its chains snapping with a crisp cracking sound, and fragments scattered like meteors.

However, just when everyone thought the situation had reversed, the figure of the Chaos Infant suddenly opened its eyes, which flashed with a red light that could destroy everything. Wherever the light touched, space began to distort and deform.

With a wave of its hand, the entire space began to collapse, and countless black cracks spread like a spider web, making a "crackling" sound.

The phantom of the first observer gradually faded away, leaving only a warning:

"Be careful... the gatekeeper..." Before he could finish speaking, the phantom vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

The fusion entity grabbed the guardian and desperately fled with Xiao Ying, the ground beneath their feet constantly cracking, threatening to fall at any moment.

Behind them, the laughter of the Time Watchers mingled with the cries of the Chaos Infant, echoing through the collapsing spacetime. The laughter was shrill and mad, the cries sorrowful and terrifying.

From the depths of the rift, a figure wearing a gatekeeper's mask slowly emerged. Mysterious runes were engraved on the mask, and a low murmur came from beneath it:

"It has finally been awakened... It's time to activate the second seal..."

As he finished speaking, a crystal radiating an evil light rose from his hand, turning space and time black wherever it went, as if foreshadowing an even greater catastrophe about to befall them...