Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 585 The Mirror Image Puzzle and the Shadow of the Source of Annihilation (1)

The tremors outside the core of the original consciousness continued. The light band of the pale gold runes had been stained dark purple by the black vortex of the Abyss Gate. More and more gray tentacles were writhing in the light band, and some had even broken through the temporary protective layer of the core, leaving erosion marks of varying depths on the surface.

The Guardian held the original fragment of the Heart of Chaos. The silver-white runes on the surface of the fragment flickered irregularly due to the pull of the vortex, as if they were resonating with the core of the abyss in some dangerous way.

The merged entity, the gatekeeper, the remaining remnants of the Narrative Soul, and the clones surrounded him, all of them tense and on edge.

The moment of choice has finally arrived.

"Divide the troops into two groups."

The Guardian's consciousness broke the silence. He handed the original fragment to the Gatekeeper for safekeeping. "The Gatekeeper and I, carrying the remnant soul, will follow the positioning light belt into the core of the abyss, feigning to keep the appointment, while taking the opportunity to search for the core runes of the dimensional will. As for the fusion body, you and your clone will stay behind to stabilize the intercosmic energy hub and clear the gray erosion in the passage. Once we find the weakness of the dimensional will, we will immediately transmit the signal, and you will then mobilize the hub's energy to launch an attack from the outside, attacking from both inside and outside."

The merged entity's consciousness was filled with worry as she looked at the increasingly dense dark purple energy within the band of light: "The abyss must be full of traps. With only remnant souls assisting you, won't it be too dangerous? Why don't I go with you and leave the clone behind to stabilize the hub?"

"No."

The gatekeeper shook his head, injecting black energy into the primordial fragment to form a protective layer on its surface. "The energy of the Nexus is our last line of defense. Only you can perfectly control the resonance between the white light and the energy channels. The clones cannot cope with the potential erosion and spread on their own."

Moreover, the consciousness of the remnant souls is of the same origin as the Great Void, and they can sense the dangerous fluctuations in the abyss. With their assistance, our safety is more assured.

The three fragments of narrative souls flickered simultaneously, conveying a resolute wave, clearly indicating their agreement with the gatekeeper's arrangement.

The merged entity ceased its insistence and separated a wisp of its white light, injecting it into the guardian's consciousness: "This wisp of white light can resonate with the Nexus energy. If you encounter danger, simply activate the white light, and I can mobilize some of the Nexus energy to support you. Although the distance is far and the energy will be weakened, it will at least buy you some breathing room."

The guardian nodded, took the white light, and integrated it into his own silver-gray energy. Then, he, the gatekeeper, and the three remnant souls turned toward the black vortex.

The positioning light band resembled a twisted, dark purple road, stretching from the edge of the vortex into the depths of the abyss, with no end in sight.

"let's go."

The Guardian took the first step of consciousness, stepping into the positioning light band.

The dark purple energy in the band of light carried a chilling aura. When it came into contact with his silver-gray energy, it tried to seep into his consciousness through the gaps in the energy, but he immediately dispelled it with the white light of the fused body.

The gatekeeper and the remnant soul followed closely behind. The gatekeeper's black energy formed a barrier in the band of light, isolating the dark purple energy on the outside, while the remnant soul's light spots wandered around the barrier, sensing the hidden danger.

The light band extended faster than expected, and half an hour later, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The dark purple energy was gradually replaced by silver-gray, and the surrounding space was no longer a chaotic abyss, but instead transformed into the familiar appearance of the original consciousness core. The figure of the fused entity was standing next to the "core" and waving to them.

"A fusion entity? What are you doing here?"

The guardian's consciousness, filled with doubt, was about to approach when it was pulled back by a remnant soul beside it—the remnant soul's light flickered violently, conveying a "danger" signal, while pointing to the feet of the "fusion body": there was no shadow there, and within the fluctuations of consciousness, there were dark purple patterns identical to those of the dimensional will.

"It's a mirror trap!"

The gatekeeper immediately expanded the black barrier to block the "fusion entity" from approaching. "The dimensional will used abyssal energy to replicate a familiar scene, attempting to lower our guard and take control of our consciousness!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the figure of the "fusion" suddenly twisted and turned into a silver-gray human figure with the same face as the guardian, except that its eyes were filled with a dark purple "devouring" desire, and it held a dark purple longsword similar to the Twin Consciousness Chain in its hand.

"We've got you."

The Mirror Guardian's voice carried a cold laugh as he swung his sword at the Real Guardian. The dark purple energy on the blade resonated with the energy of the light band, forming countless tiny sword shadows that enveloped all of the Guardian's escape routes.

The other two remnant souls immediately took action, their points of light transforming into silver-gray light shields that blocked the guardian's path. The moment the light shields collided with the sword shadows, they emitted a piercing "sizzling" sound, and countless cracks appeared on their surfaces.

"Don't try to resist it! The energy of the mirror image comes from the fluctuations of our consciousness. As long as we cut off the resonance, it will lose its power!"

The gatekeeper shouted, merging his black energy with the guardian's silver-gray energy to form a twin consciousness wave containing "balance runes," which spread toward the mirror guardian.

The moment the consciousness wave came into contact with the mirror image, the dark purple patterns on the mirror image began to flicker, its attack movements became noticeably slower, and the number of sword shadows gradually decreased.

The guardian seized the opportunity, infusing the fused white light into the silver-gray energy, forming a dazzling arrow of light that shot towards the mirror image's chest.

That is the core location of the mirror consciousness, and also the key node where the dimensional will injects dark purple energy.

The moment the light arrow struck the node, the mirror image let out a shrill roar, its body began to become transparent, and finally turned into countless dark purple energy fragments, dissipating into the light band.

"Luckily, the remnant soul reminded us, otherwise we would have already fallen into a trap."

The guardian breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the three remnant souls and found that the light of one of them had become extremely weak due to resisting the sword shadows, and it might dissipate at any time. "Thank you for your hard work."

The remnant soul's light flickered gently, without transmitting any extra fluctuations, simply returning to the barrier to continue sensing danger.

The light band continued to extend, and similar mirror traps appeared one after another along the way.

Sometimes it's a controlled guardian clone, sometimes it's a familiar parallel universe scene, and once, the mirror image replicated the phantom of the 0th generation observer, attempting to lure them closer with the "secret of the twin seal."

But thanks to the remnant soul's sense of danger and the twin resonance between the guardian and the gatekeeper, all the traps were thwarted.

The breakthrough was achieved, but the remaining light of the remnant soul grew weaker and weaker, and the gatekeeper's black energy was nearly half depleted.

When the end of the positioning light strip finally appeared, the scene before them made everyone tense up.

That was not the "core space" as imagined, but a "cage" woven from countless gray tentacles. In the center of the cage, a black figure, clearer than any of the previous clones, floated, surrounded by silver-white energy of the same origin as the original fragments. It was the original consciousness of the dimensional will!

"You did not disappoint me; you broke through the mirror puzzle."

The voice of the dimensional will carried a satisfied smile as his gaze fell on the primordial fragment in the gatekeeper's hand. "That fragment is the 'primordial decoy' from the 0th experiment. The 0th generation observer left it behind, intending to lure me out, but unexpectedly, it became the key for me to absorb twin energy."

The Guardian's consciousness jolted, and he looked at the primordial fragment.

The part that was previously covered by the gatekeeper's black energy is now showing subtle dark purple runes. These runes are completely synchronized with the energy fluctuations around the dimensional will. It is clear that from the beginning, the dimensional will had planted "seeds of erosion" on the fragments, waiting for them to take the fragments closer and let the seeds be fully activated.

"You knew about the fragment all along, and even left runes on it beforehand?"

The gatekeeper's consciousness was filled with rage. He wanted to throw the primordial fragment out, but found that the fragment had already formed a connection with his black energy and could not be separated. "The so-called 'sacrifice' and 'balance law' are all lies you fabricated. Your purpose is to make us take the fragment into the abyss, help you activate the seed, and absorb our twin energy!"

The dimensional will did not deny it. He waved his right hand, and the gray tentacles around the cage began to shrink, constantly compressing the range of movement for the guardians and others: "The 0th generation observer thought that splitting the twin carriers and leaving fragments would stop me, but they underestimated the 'dimensional assimilation' power of the abyss."