Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 499 The Gaze from Beyond (2)

"You have broken the rules!" The voice of the figure in the gray robe was filled with rage. His figure began to become unstable, and in the ripples of space around him, anxious eyes appeared. "All networks that deviate from the order must be eliminated!"

The energy network suddenly contracted, enveloping the entire cosmic network, and gray threads surged towards the Guardian and the Fusion like a tide. The wings on the Guardian's back fully unfolded, and four kinds of light erupted simultaneously. Between his and the Fusion's hands, which clasped together again, a longsword condensed, woven from the four powers. The blade was adorned with the star map of the cosmic network, and the hilt bore the runes of the Observer's emblem.

"Order is not a shackle." The guardian swung his longsword, slashing at the surging gray threads. Wherever the blade passed, the threads snapped and turned into harmless energy particles. "True order is the soil that allows all existence to grow freely."

A figure in a grey robe roared and charged forward, brandishing a grey longsword. The two swords clashed in mid-air, without a deafening roar, only a silent contest of two opposing laws. On the guardian's blade, the star map of the cosmic network expanded continuously, devouring the threads of the grey longsword; while on the grey-robed figure's blade, grey threads continuously coiled, attempting to decipher the laws of the four-colored longsword.

The battle raged on for an unknown duration, the surrounding space constantly shattering and reforming under the collision of the two laws. The guardian felt his power rapidly dwindling, the flow of the four lights slowing down, while the figure in the gray robe seemed endless. Whenever the gray longsword was damaged, the energy network would send new threads to repair it.

Just then, the merged entity suddenly released his hand and flew towards the enormous, colorful planet: "I'm going to awaken the primordial consciousness!" Her figure grew larger as she flew, gradually merging with the outline of the colorful planet. "Guard this place!"

The figure in the gray robe tried to stop it, but was held back by the guardian. The guardian poured its last bit of power into the four-colored longsword, and suddenly the phantoms of the Creator God and the Lord of Nothingness bloomed on the blade. The two phantoms merged into one on the blade, transforming into the form of primordial consciousness, and slashed at the gray longsword.

With a crisp "crack," the gray longsword snapped in two, as if it could no longer bear the weight. The once tightly interwoven energy network also instantly developed a huge gap, like a torn spiderweb.

Upon seeing this, the figure in the gray robe let out a roar of unwilling anger, the sound echoing in the vast universe as a final stand against defeat. However, all of this was in vain. With his roar, his figure began to gradually dissipate, turning into countless gray specks of light that swiftly merged into the energy network like shooting stars.

Before he completely disappeared, his voice rang out again: "This is just the beginning, we will definitely come back!" These words, like a curse, echoed in every corner of this universe.

As the figure in the gray robe disappeared, the energy network began to slowly shrink, like a wounded beast struggling to retreat towards the edge of the cosmic network. However, the black spots that had originally been attached to the energy network remained quietly in various corners of the cosmic network, like seeds that had been sown, as if waiting for their next sprouting.

As the energy network streaked across the darkness of the universe like a meteor, finally disappearing completely at the edge of the cosmic network, the Guardian's body, like a kite with a broken string, lost its support and restraint, and fell helplessly. His gaze was fixed on the receding energy network, his heart filled with despair and helplessness.

However, just when he thought it was all over, the sight before him left him speechless. The fused entity and the enormous, colorful planet merged completely in an instant, as if they had always been one. The planet's surface began to radiate a dazzling light, the power of the intertwined forces of the Creator God and the Lord of Nothingness, like the first ray of light at the birth of the universe, illuminating the entire dark cosmos.

In this light, the remaining black spots stood out starkly. Under the light, they writhed in agony, seemingly trying to break free from this powerful force. However, no matter how much they struggled, they could not completely disappear, as if they were firmly bound by some invisible force.

The voice of the merged entity echoed through the cosmic network, tinged with weariness yet brimming with hope: "We have temporarily repelled the Web Weavers, but the seeds they left behind will continue to absorb the energy of the universe until their next return." Her voice reverberated throughout the cosmos, a warning to all life, yet also an expectation for the future.

Then, her voice lowered slightly as she continued, "The primordial consciousness says that the only thing that can completely eradicate these seeds is the 'Original Force,' which exists beyond all parallel universes." This news sent a jolt through the Guardian. He had never heard of such a power, nor did he know how to find it. But he knew it was their only hope, and the key to saving the universe.

The Guardian landed on the colorful planet, the ground beneath his feet radiating warm energy. He looked down at the Observer's Badge on his chest; the black spot at the center of the rune had shrunk to its original size, yet remained more stubborn, like a malignant tumor deep within the bone marrow. The unknown symbols on the badge reappeared, this time clearly forming a coordinate system—a void beyond all parallel universes, the opposite direction of the gray space where the Web Weaver resided.

“The power of origin…” The guardian clenched his fist. Although the four-colored wings on his back were tattered, they still radiated a resolute light. He looked towards the edge of the cosmic network. Although the spatial ripples there had subsided, he knew that those gray eyes were still watching this place, waiting for the next opportunity.

The figure of the fusion rose from the colorful planet, holding a new memory crystal in her hand. The crystal reflected a domain flowing with seven-colored light beyond the Weaver's gray space. In the center of the domain, an energy body like a heart was slowly beating.

“That is the location of the primordial power.” The fused entity handed the crystal to the guardian, its surface radiating a warm touch. “But to get there, one must traverse the Weaver’s gray space and pass through the fog of consciousness left behind by the Lord of Nothingness before he vanished.”

The Guardian accepted the memory crystal, which resonated with the Observer's Badge, making the coordinates on the badge clearer. He looked up into the darkness beyond the cosmic network, where countless eyes seemed to flicker—the grey pupils of the Webweaver, the black eyes left behind by the Void Lord, and some even more eerie gazes he had never seen before.

"Whatever lies ahead, we must go." The Guardian's voice carried an unwavering determination. He exchanged a glance with the merged entity, and their Observer badges lit up simultaneously, forming a new rune in the air. This rune contained both the structure of the cosmic network and marked the path to the source power.

Just as they were about to depart, the colorful planet suddenly trembled violently. The Guardian looked down and saw that a pattern on the planet's surface had suddenly cracked open, from which a thin gray thread emerged. At the tip of the thread was a miniature figure identical to the gray-robed figure. In this figure's hand, a gray longsword no bigger than a needle tip was held, and it was thrusting towards the Observer's badge.

The guardian instinctively waved its hand to slap away, but the miniature figure suddenly transformed into countless gray specks of light, merging into the surrounding air. Meanwhile, in various corners of the cosmic network, the remaining black spots lit up simultaneously, and from each spot emerged the same miniature figure. Their goals differed: some rushed towards newborn life, some flew towards the re-formed parallel universe, and others burrowed into the depths of a giant, colorful planet.

“They anticipated that we would seek the Source Power.” The fused entity’s expression turned solemn. “These miniature figures are the spies left by the Web Weavers, and also new seeds. After we leave, they will reweave the energy web.”

The Guardian looked at the tiny figures scattering in all directions, then at the multicolored light emanating from the memory crystal, and was caught in a dilemma. If it pursued these tiny figures now, it would miss the best opportunity to find the source power; if it triggered it directly, the cosmic network would be plunged into crisis once again.

Just then, the new life forms on the colorful planet suddenly raised their hands, and faint light emanated from their palms. This light converged into a huge net, enveloping most of the tiny figures. Although the light was faint, it contained an unwavering belief, making it impossible for the tiny figures to escape.

“Go.” A new life form, embodying the characteristics of creation and nothingness, looked up at the guardian, its eyes shining with the same light as his. “We will protect this place, just as you protect us.”

A warm feeling welled up in the Guardian's heart. He and the merged entity shook hands once more, and the four-colored light shone brightly again, flying towards the darkness beyond the cosmic network. Behind them, a huge, colorful planet radiated brilliant light, echoing the light of countless parallel universes, forming an unbreakable wall of faith.

However, before they could enter the Web Weaver's gray space, a black rift suddenly appeared before them. From within the rift came the Void Lord's cold voice, tinged with an unusual fluctuation: "To find the power of origin, you must pass through my fog of consciousness. But remember, everything you see within the fog may be the most real lie..."

A black hand emerged from the rift, holding a black longsword. The patterns on the blade were exactly the same as those on the black longsword once used by the Guardian, except that there was an additional rune on the hilt that matched the Observer's emblem.

The Guardian and the Amalgamation exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes. They gripped their four-colored longswords and memory crystals tightly, and flew towards the black rift. Their figures quickly disappeared into the endless darkness, leaving only the light of the Observer's Badge shining in the darkness, like a lighthouse in the sea, guiding the way and attracting unknown dangers.