Within the cracks of space and time, in the darkness as thick as asphalt, Lin Yue's original thread of time was being torn apart like never before. The cracks on the surface of the seventeen-colored gem spread like a spider web, and each crack oozed a faint blue light slurry, condensing into fleeting runes in the quantum turbulence. Lu Li's data form split and reassembled in the violent tremors. The six afterimages were like electronic ghosts blown away by the wind. The surface of the golden code was covered with dark red corrosion lines, as if some kind of cosmic virus was frantically eroding the essence of his existence. The gear collar of the calico cat emitted a sharp humming sound on the verge of collapse. The sparks flying between the gears drew a broken parabola in the void. It arched its back and screamed, and the hairs on its tail stood up like exploding steel needles: "There is something in this crack that is tampering with the laws of space and time!"
Before she could finish her words, thousands of crimson points of light suddenly lit up from the depths of the rift, like demonic eyes opening from the cosmic abyss. These points of light flickered in an eerie rhythm, forming ever-shifting geometric patterns. A glaring afterimage shone across Lin Yue's retina. The pages of the notebook in her arms suddenly flipped frantically, black slime seeping from the blank pages as words slowly emerged: "The Seventh Universe... is a forbidden place... All who enter will become fuel for the narrative..." As soon as the words took shape, they burned violently, leaving the ashes suspended in the air, forming a distorted human face that grinned silently at her.
A deafening roar echoed from behind. The Entropy Shadow Colossus's mechanical feet shattered space, each step sending ripples through the cracks of time and space. Lin Yue's hair, nearly rippled from her scalp by the turbulent energy, gritted her teeth and tightly wrapped the silk thread around Lu Li and the calico cat's waists. At that moment, the thread suddenly glowed with a mother-of-pearl iridescence, and a translucent holographic projection emerged from the depths of the cracks. In it, the first generation of Time Guardians, clad in tattered silver armor, fought each other in a torrent of entropic energy. The beating hearts beneath their armor shone with the same light as Lin Yue's seventeen-colored gem.
"So Universe Seven is... the last line of defense for the First Guardians!" Lin Yue's screams were ripped apart by the quantum turbulence. Seventeen-colored gems suddenly burst forth with a dazzling sun-like light, tearing a silvery gap through the dense darkness. The three stumbled through the gap, only to be choked by the icy mist that washed over them. Before them lay a misty space dormant with countless crystal fragments, each containing the apocalyptic scenario of a different civilization. In some crystals, mechanical insects devoured iron planets; in others, liquid flames burned magical continents to ash; and in one crystal, shimmering with a faint violet glow, the Entropy Colossus, holding aloft a purple crystal, mercilessly pierced the entire galaxy.
The calico cat's pupils instantly shrank to needle-like shapes, and the hair on its back stood on end. "These crystals... are imprisoned narrative anchors!" Its gear collar suddenly emitted a shrill, long whine. Deep in the fog, a subtle metallic grating sound emanated, like countless rusty scissors opening and closing simultaneously. Lu Li's six afterimages immediately formed a defensive formation. Golden codes flowed and converged in the void, transforming into a triangular light net emitting a cold glow, tightly enveloping the three of them.
The mist suddenly and strangely parted, and twelve black-robed mechanical lifeforms stepped out of the darkness. Liquid starlight dripped from the edges of their robes, and their chests were inlaid with purple crystal fragments similar to those of the Entropic Shadow Giant. With every step, black mandala-like energy patterns bloomed beneath their feet. "Outsiders, you should not set foot here," the leading mechanical lifeform said, its voice like rusty gears gnawing. The moment it raised its hand, countless black vines burst forth from the ground, and the buds at the tips of the vines slowly unfolded into human faces, which twisted and screamed: "The Seventh Universe is a cage for the power of entropy, and an altar for the sacrifice of the entire multiverse!"
Lin Yue flicked her wrist, and the original thread of time shot out like a spirit snake, emitting a sizzling, burning sound the moment it touched the vines. She was surprised to discover that the thread had a hidden connection with the energy fluctuations of these life forms—like the different teeth on the same key. Lu Li's golden code suddenly flashed wildly, and the six afterimages exclaimed in unison, "These guys are the remains of the first generation of guardians! Their consciousness has been twisted by the entropic energy and transformed into... gatekeepers!"
The black-robed beings simultaneously removed their hoods, revealing cracked silver armor. Lin Yue gasped. The patterns on their armor were identical to those of the silver-armored leader, except that the pulsing purple crystals on their chests greedily devoured the lingering light of humanity in the armor's cracks. The calico cat arched its back and growled a warning, "Be careful! Their attacks carry narrative contamination!"
Battle erupted in an instant. From their fingertips, the black-robed beings blasted dark purple beams of entropy. Wherever they passed, crystal fragments crumbled into black dust, suspended in the air to form a hideous skull pattern. Lin Yue wielded silk threads to weave a shield. Where the threads touched the beams, green smoke billowed. Black liquid oozed from the cracks in the seventeen-colored gems, spreading along the threads to her arms, revealing eerie purple veins beneath her skin.
Lu Li's six afterimages transformed into six golden blades of light that attacked, but were deflected by the purple crystals on the black-robed lifeforms' chests. The blades then swung back, flying towards the unsuspecting calico cat. In the nick of time, the calico cat's gear collar emitted a deafening roar, and all the black-robed lifeforms froze in their tracks, their chests cracking with fine cracks.
Lin Yue seized the opportunity to pierce the thread into the nearest crystal, drawing upon the power of the civilization's narrative sealed within. The fragments of the notebook in her arms once again revealed words: "Use their weaknesses... Reverse resonance..." Lu Li immediately understood, and the golden code transformed into a sonic frequency, creating a resonant field with the vibrations of the calico cat's gears. The black-robed lifeforms clutched their chests in pain, the purple crystals began to vibrate violently, and the light emanating from the cracks in their silver armor grew increasingly intense.
Lin Yue thrust the thread fiercely into the opponent's chest, and the light of the seventeen-colored gemstones mingled with the silver light. Countless fragments of memories flooded into her mind: in the distant past, to seal the power of entropy, the first generation of guardians willingly allowed themselves to be contaminated, binding their consciousness to the entropy core, becoming the "living lock" protecting the seventh universe. "So you are the real key!" Lin Yue shared the memory fragment with her companion. The calico cat's gear collar reconfigured into a key shape, and Lu Li's golden code constructed an energy socket.
The moment the two merged, the purple crystals of the black-robed lifeforms exploded, their bodies transforming into streams of silver light, forming a star gate covered in seventeen-colored patterns in the void. A furnace-like roar echoed from the star gate, as if some ancient and powerful force was awakening. However, at the moment the star gate fully opened, the fist of the Entropy Shadow Colossus pierced through space and smashed down with the momentum of destruction...
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