The stargate trembled violently under the crushing blow of the Entropy Shadow Colossus, and the seventeen-colored patterns on its surface splattered with sparks. Lin Yue was blown away by the blast, and the original thread of time barely entangled a suspended crystal. Lu Li's golden code disintegrated into a stream of data in the aftermath of the collision. As the six afterimages reunited into a solid body, blue-purple data residue oozed from the corners of their mouths. The calico cat's gear collar was shaken to pieces by the spiderweb cracks. It leaped onto the edge of the stargate with all its might, roaring down, "Hurry! This gate won't hold out much longer!"
From deep within the rift came the roar of meshing gears. The purple crystal on the Entropy Shadow Colossus's chest tripled in size. It waved its arms, summoning hundreds of black pillars, each entwined with the totems of a corrupted civilization. Lin Yue's notebook's fragments suddenly ignited, the ashes forming the battle formation of the First Guardians in the air. Gritting her teeth, she connected the silk thread to Lu Li and the calico cat. "Position according to the diagram! Use the resonance field to weaken it!"
Golden codes outlined an energy matrix in the void. The calico cat's geared collar emitted a high-pitched hum. Lin Yue's threads of time wove into strings of light. At the moment these three forces intertwined, the stargate erupted in brilliant light, vaporizing the approaching black pillar into dust. The Entropy Shadow Colossus roared angrily, and a purple crystal unleashed a spiraling beam of entropy that pierced directly through Lu Li's two afterimages.
"Leave me alone! Maintain formation!" Lu Li's data form flickered violently as he forcibly compressed the remaining code into a light shield. Lin Yue's seventeen-colored gemstone suddenly felt a burning sensation, and the consciousness of the civilization sealed within the crystal fragments awakened. The spells of the magical civilization transformed into golden runes, and the firewalls of the cyber world reorganized into silver barriers. These forces flowed along the silk thread into the star gate, outlining the vague outline of a furnace behind the gate.
The memories of the black-robed lifeform before its dissipation suddenly resurfaced, and Lin Yue finally saw the full extent of the Anti-Entropy Furnace—a massive device forged from the heart of the First Guardian, its core slumbering in the fragmented form of the Entropy Demon. However, the furnace's outer layer was covered in thorny sealing chains, each bearing a narrative totem from a different civilization. These chains were now crumbling under the attack of the Entropy Shadow Colossus.
"We have to enter the Crucible!" Lin Yue's voice was shredded by the energy storm. She thrust the thread into the stargate, and the gem's light resonated with the Crucible, opening a teleportation rift between the Colossus's attacks. Without hesitation, the three of them leaped in, only to find themselves in a metal corridor shrouded in chains. Glowing hearts were embedded in the walls, each beating a different color.
The calico cat's tail suddenly raised. "These are... the life cores of the Guardians!" Its geared collar resonated with the nearest heart, and an ancient warning appeared on the wall: "Those who touch will endure ten thousand years of solitude." Lu Li's golden code decoded astonishing data: "Each chain corresponds to a form of entropy. When all totems are shattered, the Entropy Demon will fully awaken."
At that moment, the ground suddenly cracked, and mechanical spiders emerged from the black vines. Entropy spells flowed from their compound eyes, and corrosive fluids emanated from their mouthparts, instantly melting the metal ground. Lin Yue swung out silk threads to entangle the corridor pillars. Lu Li's golden code transformed into blades of light, slicing through the spiders. The calico cat leaped high, generating sonic vibrations with its gear collar.
In the heat of battle, a distant sound of disintegrating gears echoed. Lin Yue looked up, her pupils constricting—the Entropy Shadow Colossus had breached the stargate. Its mechanical arms grasped the nearest sealing chain, its purple crystals frantically absorbing the narrative totems engraved on it. A chain engraved with a steampunk gear totem snapped with a bang, and the entire corridor began to spin counterclockwise.
"We must stop it from absorbing more power!" Lin Yue threw the thread at the colossus's joints, but it was corroded into ash by the entropic energy. Her seventeen-colored gem suddenly resonated with the guardian heart on the wall. Silver liquid seeped from the gem's cracks, condensing into an arrow in the void. When the arrow struck the colossus's purple crystal, the first crack appeared on its surface.
The Entropy Shadow Colossus roared with a deafening roar, then with a backhand swing, ripped the entire ceiling of the corridor apart. The three were exposed to the intense light from the furnace's core, finally glimpsing the massive chained cage suspended in its center. The fragmented Entropy Demon's body twisted and squirmed within, each fragment exuding a despairing aura. Beneath the cage, the core of the Anti-Entropy Furnace slowly rotated, twelve energy conduits connecting the narrative anchors of different civilizations.
"Find the conduit that corresponds to our power!" Lu Li's golden code scanned the air. "Steampunk gears, cyberworld codes, and the threads of time..." The calico cat suddenly arched its back and pointed to a conduit covered in gear patterns. "Over there! But the conduit is guarded by the Entropic Guardian!"
Lin Yue gripped the thread tightly, and the seventeen-colored gemstones shone brightly. "Clear the way! This time, we must restart the furnace!" Before she finished speaking, six black-robed mechanical guards emerged from the shadows. Their spears dripped with black slime, and the entropy spells flowing from their muzzles mirrored those of the Entropy Shadow Colossus. The battle was imminent, and the Entropy Shadow Colossus had already grasped the second sealing chain. The caged fragments of the Entropy Demon began to emit a piercing scream...
Chapter 75: The Battle of Narrative Reconstruction
The mechanical guard's spear ripped through the air, the entropic energy radiating from its tip melting a bottomless chasm in the ground. Six of Lu Li's afterimages attacked simultaneously, their golden code transforming into a web of light, attempting to trap the guard, but easily ripped apart by the opponent's spear. The calico cat leaped onto the wall, its gear collar spinning at high speed to form a sonic barrier, barely blocking two energy blasts.
"Their attacks carry memory contamination!" Data streams flashed through the calico cat's pupils. "Every wound implants an entropy narrative!" Lin Yue's original time thread suddenly contracted, wrapping around her arm in a defensive pattern. Her seventeen-colored gem resonated with the guardian heart on the wall. Silver light seeped from the cracks in the gem's surface, staining the thread with starbursts.
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