Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 464 The Mirror Enigma

As the black vines surged forth like a raging tide, their surfaces gleamed with an oily sheen, each strand wreathed in dark purple arcs of electricity, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of ozone.

The fusion entity instinctively unleashed its flames, the three-colored light shooting out like burning silk, but upon touching the vines, it strangely transformed into a dark purple smoke.

A sickening corrosive sound came from the smoke, like countless tiny sandpapers polishing metal. She looked down in horror and saw that the skin on her arm was festering at a visible speed. Dark purple lines, like greedy centipedes, spread wildly along the wound. Every place they crawled over brought a stinging pain, like ants gnawing at her.

"This is the power of the origin of chaos; you cannot escape it."

The figure, identical to the fusion body, chuckled as it turned the black stone slab. The runes on the slab's surface twisted and wriggled as if alive, and as each rune lit up, the surrounding stars decayed at an accelerated rate.

The light on the surface of the star gradually dimmed, black spots spread like a plague, and finally exploded into dust with a "bang".

Her voice was exactly like the gatekeeper's, but with a touch more seductive distortion.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the mirror image of the Gatekeeper, split from the Chaos Core, and also the cage prepared specifically for you."

As it spoke, the mirror image stuck out its tongue and licked its lips, its eyes flashing with a mad light.

The guardian suddenly leaped up, its damaged armor creaking as it moved. The silver-black light emanating from the new mark flashed like lightning, severing the approaching vines.

But black sap gushed from the wounds of the broken vines, and the sap quickly solidified into sharp spikes after hitting the ground, shooting towards the firefly with a "whoosh".

The fusion body stood in front of Xiao Ying without hesitation, its three-colored light and dark purple patterns intertwining to form a shield. The moment the spikes struck the shield, a deafening roar erupted. The powerful impact caused her feet to sink deep into the ground, and she felt as if her internal organs had been displaced, a metallic taste rising in her throat.

Suddenly, the mirror object raised the stone slab high above its head, and countless mirrors appeared in the space.

The mirror's edges were carved with distorted human faces, and its surface gleamed with an eerie, ghostly light. The sight reflected in the mirror caused the merged entity's pupils to shrink sharply.

Each mirror reflects a different future for her: in some scenes, she wears the mask of a gatekeeper, controlling the Chaos Infant to destroy the world, with countless corpses piled up at her feet, and the air filled with blood and despair.

In some scenes, she transforms into a ray of light and disappears into the end of time and space along with the guardian and Xiaoying, the three of them wearing relieved smiles.

What terrified her most was that in a mirror, Xiaoying lay in a pool of blood, while she herself held a blood-stained light blade, a maniacal smile on her face, her eyes filled with emptiness and numbness.

"These are all fates that are about to unfold, and I will help you choose the most interesting one."

The mirror image's laughter was full of malice, sharp and piercing, like fingernails scratching glass.

She manipulated the mirror to shoot out dark purple lasers. Wherever the lasers touched, space seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, making a "crackling" sound.

Despite the dizziness and blurred consciousness, the fused being tried to activate the power of the Star Eyes, only to find that the balance power within her body was being frantically absorbed by the mirror. The mark on her chest began to burn, as if it were about to break free from her skin, and the burning sensation made her forehead covered in cold sweat.

At the critical moment, Xiaoying suddenly broke free from the embrace of the fused entity.

Her eyes shone with unwavering determination, and the blue crystal on her chest blazed with light, forming a golden pillar that shot straight into the sky.

The phantom of the first observer emerged from the beam of light. The phantom had a kind face but also a hint of worry. With a wave of its hand, the corrosive vines began to grow in reverse, making a "crackling" sound, and turned back into tender green branches. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

For the first time, a crack appeared in the mirror image's expression. Her lips twitched, and she roared as she manipulated the fragments of the Chaos Sphere to smash towards Xiao Ying. The hideous face on the surface of the sphere opened its blood-red maw and spewed out black mist powerful enough to corrode the soul. From within the black mist came the wails of countless wronged souls.

The guardian roared, and the silver and black mark transformed into chains that bound the fragments of the Chaos Sphere.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably, every muscle spasming, and the last conversation between the first observer and the gatekeeper kept flashing through his mind: "When the container of chaos meets the force of balance, someone must make a sacrifice."

The gatekeeper from his memory suddenly turned to look at him, his eyes filled with the same madness as his mirror image, "And you, are the sacrifice."

The guardian's consciousness swam back and forth between reality and memory, roaring in agony, its voice filled with resentment and struggle.

Sensing the guardian's abnormality, the fused entity's eyes flashed with determination as she poured all her star power into the chains.

The moment the two forces collided, the entire space trembled violently. With a loud "boom," the mirrors shattered, and the fragments clanged and clattered in the air before reforming into a giant clock.

The clock face was engraved with chaotic runes, which flashed red light. With each tick of the clock's hands, the surrounding stars decayed ten years faster, and the sound of stars shattering echoed in the space like glass breaking.

Taking advantage of the moment, the mirror image embedded the black stone tablet into the center of the clock, and spacetime began to distort into a spiral shape. The three were drawn into a space filled with liquid chaos, with the whistling wind and the sound of chaotic liquid churning in their ears.

In this chaotic sea, the liquid is an eerie purple color, constantly churning and surging, making a "glug-glug" sound.

The fused entity saw countless figures resembling itself rising and falling. Some figures were completely covered in dark purple, becoming the gatekeeper's puppets, their eyes empty, mechanically repeating attack movements.

Some emitted a pure light, but gradually dimmed under the erosion of chaos, and the light became weak and unstable.

At the edge of the space, a colossal figure loomed in and out of sight. Its outline resembled that of the Chaos Infant, but it had the face of a gatekeeper, and countless shattered stars were embedded in its chest, emitting a faint light as if telling tales of past glory.

"This is the core of chaos, and the true purpose of the gatekeeper." The mirror image's voice came from all directions, sometimes near, sometimes far, filled with mystery. "You think you're fighting against one person? How naive. When the core of chaos and the power of the star's eye fully merge, the god of the new world will be born—and you are merely the nourishment for nurturing that god." Before she finished speaking, the liquid chaos suddenly transformed into countless sharp spears, slashing towards the three of them with a "whoosh," filling the air with tension.

Xiao Ying's blue crystal suddenly emitted a clear, melodious sound, like heavenly music, and within the light, the last wisp of the Sage of Time's consciousness appeared:

"Remember, balance is not stillness, but a flow that embraces all possibilities..."

The fusion suddenly understood something; her eyes became clear, and she released all the tri-colored light, dark purple patterns, and the guardian's silver-black power.

Four forces converged before her, their light growing brighter and brighter. The moment the Chaos Spear touched her body, they merged into a rainbow-colored barrier, its surface shimmering with mysterious light and radiating a powerful aura.

Before they could even catch their breath, a strange clapping sound came from outside the barrier, followed by an unfamiliar voice:

"A wonderful performance, but unfortunately, your understanding is far from sufficient."

With the sound, a door engulfed in black flames appeared in the space, the flames hissing as they burned. Countless agonizing screams echoed from behind the door, while the mirrored figure stood eerily in the center of the flames, a victorious smile on its face, its eyes filled with mockery and disdain…