The frozen heart pulsed, its bell runes blazing, their light swallowing the cathedral's shadows. Qin Mo's shard burned, its heat a faint spark, the cold freezing his veins. Yi, Ren, and Lian stood with him, Ren's brother stirring weakly, the FFD System's warnings a final cry.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 2% / Cold 98%. Warning: Silent Tax heart at full resonance, threat level: Lethal.]
Yi's threads hovered, her voice fierce. "My village's blood fuels this. I'll end it."
Lian's bow was taut, her eyes steady. "My family's fight ends here."
Ren's daggers glinted, his brother's hand gripping his. "Wei's free. We finish this."
The heart summoned a frost god's echo—a colossal figure of ice and flame, its eyes blazing with bell runes, wielding a blade of frostfire. Its strike cracked the ice, shards flying like daggers. Qin Mo dodged, Frostflame Shield flaring, deflecting the blade, but the cold numbed his limbs.
[FFD System: Frost god echo essence detected. Heat loss: 30%. Balance: Heat 1% / Cold 99%.]
Lian's arrows pierced the echo's arm, frost shattering, while Yi's threads bound its blade, slowing it. Ren's daggers slashed its side, blood freezing mid-air. Qin Mo unleashed Frostflame Pulse, ice and fire bursting, staggering the echo. Eagle Eye spotted a bell rune in its core—the heart's final anchor.
He charged, Frostflame Blade flaring, ice and fire cutting through the echo's core. The shard devoured its essence, cold flooding him, heat flickering out.
[FFD System: Echo essence absorbed. Devour progress: 25%. Balance: Heat 0% / Cold 100%. Binding risk: 95%.]
The heart flared, runes pulsing, the bells' song deafening. Qin Mo staggered, vision darkening, but Yi's threads steadied him, Lian's arrows struck the heart's runes, and Ren's daggers carved a path.
"I defy you," Qin Mo roared, plunging his blade into the heart's core, the shard erupting with heat, breaking the cold's grip. The heart shattered, runes fading, the bells' song silenced.
[FFD System: Silent Tax heart destroyed. Balance restored: Heat 50% / Cold 50%. Binding risk: 0%.]
The cathedral stilled, ice crumbling. Yi's threads relaxed, her eyes wet. "For my village."
Lian lowered her bow. "For my family."
Ren held his brother, smiling faintly. "For Wei."
Qin Mo stood, the shard calm, the bells silent. "For us all."
The FFD System chimed, a new path opening.
[FFD System: Silent Tax broken. New trace: Mountain's exit.]
The abyss glowed, the mountain's heart free at last.