Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 587 Breaking the Silent Impasse and the Ultimate Question of the Origin Will (1)

The gray fog in the mirror maze grows thicker and thicker, and the consciousness of the Guardian, the Amalgamation, and the Gatekeeper is separated into three independent "mirror spaces".

In each space, there is a "mirror image" that is exactly the same as them. The clone's movements and consciousness fluctuations are completely synchronized with the original, but it carries the black patterns of the "source of annihilation" - these clones are not simple illusions, but "consciousness puppets" constructed from fragments of the original's consciousness and annihilation energy, with the aim of completely replacing the original's consciousness through "synchronous erosion".

In the Guardian's mirror space, the mirror image is holding the same four-colored longsword as him, the silver-gray energy on the blade now covered with black patterns.

"You can't escape."

The mirror clone's voice was exactly the same as the guardian's, but it carried a cold, annihilating aura: "The Mirror Maze is the 'consciousness prison' of the source of annihilation. Every time you resist, the clone will absorb more fragments of consciousness. Eventually, you will become me and become the 'vanguard' of annihilation devouring the void."

The guardian did not respond. He gripped the four-colored longsword tightly, but dared not attack rashly—his clone was synchronized with his consciousness, and any attack would be anticipated in advance, and might even accidentally damage his own consciousness.

On the other side, in the mirror space of the fused entity, the mirror clone is wrapping three fragments of narrative remnant souls in white light, attempting to transform the energy of the remnant souls into annihilation energy.

“The remnant of the narrative is your last ‘anchor of consciousness’.”

The mirror image's voice was mocking, "Once I devour the remnant soul, your consciousness will be completely chaotic, and you will no longer be able to guide the primordial energy. The intercosmic hub will collapse on its own."

The white light of the fused body flickered violently. She could feel the energy of the remnant soul rapidly dissipating, but she dared not approach the clone—the clone's white light shared the same origin as hers, and the moment they made contact, she would be devoured by the energy of annihilation.

The Gatekeeper's mirror space is the most dangerous. His mirror clone holds a "Fragment of the Core of Annihilation," which is constantly releasing black energy, transforming the absolute end energy in the space into annihilation energy.

"My energy originates from the same source as Absolute Termination, and is most easily contaminated by annihilation."

The mirror image's voice was filled with despair, "Look, even the Absolute End Key is turning into annihilation, what are you still holding on to? Why not give up the resistance and become part of the annihilation, at least you can preserve the 'integrity' of your consciousness."

The gatekeeper's black energy was indeed gradually turning black, and he could feel the resonance of the Absolute End Key getting weaker and weaker, as if it would completely collapse into the source of annihilation at any moment.

In the center of the three mirrored spaces, a black phantom is slowly coalescing – this is the “consciousness projection” of the Source of Annihilation. The black patterns around the phantom are completely synchronized with the patterns of all the mirrored clones, clearly indicating that it is the manipulator of the maze.

"I'll give you one last incense stick's time."

The phantom's voice echoed through the maze: "Either be replaced by a clone and become part of annihilation; or your consciousness will completely dissipate, leaving not even a fragment behind."

This is the inevitable end of 'annihilation,' a fate you have no choice but to accept; you cannot resist it.

Just then, the Guardian suddenly remembered the faint memory passed down by the remnant soul in Chapter 551—the remnant soul had come into contact with "Mirror Runes" in the Void Labyrinth. The weakness of this type of rune is "asynchronous consciousness": as long as the main body actively breaks the synchronization of consciousness and creates a "consciousness gap", the clone can collapse due to the inability to synchronize.

"A fusion! A gatekeeper! Breaking the synchronization of consciousness!"

The guardian immediately transmitted a signal through the remaining consciousness connection: "Actively create a 'consciousness void' so that the clone cannot predict the actions, thus finding an attack vulnerability!"

The merged entity took the initiative, deliberately interrupting its synchronization with the mirror image's consciousness, causing the white light to temporarily stop flowing—as expected, the mirror image's consciousness paused briefly, and the remnant soul light in its hand seized the opportunity to break free and fly towards the merged entity.

"It's now!"

The fusion entity combined the white light with the remnant soul energy to form a "consciousness shockwave," which shot towards the black patterns on the mirror image clone. The moment the shockwave struck the patterns, the clone's body began to become transparent, and the annihilation energy rapidly leaked out.

The gatekeeper acted immediately, deliberately tilting the black energy toward the annihilation energy to create the illusion of "voluntary surrender".

As expected, the mirror clone lowered its guard and approached him to absorb energy. The gatekeeper seized this opportunity and suddenly unleashed the pale golden energy of the Absolute End Key, shooting it towards the fragment of the Annihilation Core in the clone's hand.

The moment the fragment was struck, it made a crisp sound and shattered completely. The clone's body also dissipated, and the black patterns in the space began to fade.

In the Guardian's mirror space, he deliberately disrupted the energy of the four-colored longswords, creating the illusion of an "attack failure".

The mirror image indeed mimicked his movements, and the energy in the blade became chaotic in the same way. The Guardian seized this 0.1-breath gap, injected the silver-gray energy of the Heart of Chaos into the blade, and slashed at the black patterned core of the clone at an angle that the clone could not predict.

"impossible!"

The mirror image let out a cry of alarm as its body was instantly engulfed by silver-gray energy and completely dissipated into space.

The black lines in the three mirrored spaces faded simultaneously, and the thick gray fog began to dissipate gradually.

The consciousnesses of the Guardians, the Fusion, and the Gatekeeper reconverged, and the sight before them sent a shockwave through them—in the center of the Mirror Maze, the projection of the Source of Annihilation's consciousness had not dissipated, but instead condensed into a solid black figure. The figure held a complete "Core of Annihilation" in its hand, the surface of which was engraved with patterns similar to the Primordial Runes, yet it carried a terrifying aura of "ending everything."

“You have indeed broken the mirror puzzle.”

The black-clad figure's voice was no longer cold, but rather carried a hint of complexity, "But this is only the 'first test' of the Source of Annihilation; the real crisis has only just begun."

He held the Core of Annihilation in front of him, and the core erupted with a dazzling black light, within which a shocking memory appeared:

At the very beginning of the Great Nothingness, the "Origin of Existence" and the "Origin of Extinction" were simultaneously conceived. The two were originally twins in a balanced and symbiotic relationship—the Origin of Existence created the Great Nothingness space and parallel universes, while the Origin of Extinction was responsible for "clearing redundant existence" and maintaining the energy balance of the Great Nothingness.

However, during the 0th experiment, the ancient being forcibly intervened in the balance of origin, sealing the source of annihilation in the core of the abyss. This caused the source of existence to lose its restraint, and the narrative of the Great Nothingness fell into an infinite loop. The source of annihilation was also "distorted" due to the seal, turning from a "balancer" into a "devourer".

"So... you're not the enemy?"

The merged entity's consciousness was filled with shock as she stared at the black figure. "You created this mirror illusion just to test our ability to understand the fundamental balance?"

The black figure nodded, and his body began to gradually become transparent, clearly due to the loss of energy caused by being away from the abyss seal for a long time: "I am the 'consciousness carrier' of the Origin of Annihilation, not a puppet of the dimensional will."

"The dimensional will has distorted my seal, disguising itself as the 'Source of Annihilation,' with the aim of misleading you into believing Annihilation is the enemy, thus obscuring its true goal—to devour the Primordial Runes of Nothingness and become the sole ruler of Nothingness."

The Guardian's consciousness suddenly cleared, and he recalled the dimensional will's lie about "twin sacrifice" in Chapter 549: "The dimensional will deliberately distorted the meaning of 'sacrifice' to make us think that we needed to sacrifice our twin carriers, but in fact it was to make us consume energy in the fight so that it could take the opportunity to seize the core of annihilation and completely control the source of annihilation!"

A hint of relief flashed in the black figure's eyes: "You finally understand."

To combat the will of the dimensions, the origin of existence and the origin of annihilation must be rebalanced—and you, the twin carriers and the fused beings, are the 'key pivot' to this balance.

He handed the Core of Annihilation to the Guardian: "This core contains the 'Balance Code' of the Primordial Rune."

Only by fusing it with the original fragments of your Chaos Heart can you awaken the balance consciousness of the origin of existence and completely sever the connection between the dimensional will and the abyss.

Without hesitation, the Guardian retrieved the original fragment of the Heart of Chaos and fused it with the Core of Annihilation.