The chamber where the Silent Tax Heart had dissolved into mist still quaked, the shattered ninth bell a testament to the battle's ferocity, its broken steel glinting under the fading green glow of the runes. Qin Mo stood, the Frostflame Core's heat a flickering ember against the lingering cold, the bells' chime from his pouch reduced to a distant whisper that barely stirred the air. The FFD System buzzed, its tone a quiet relief in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 35% / Cold 65%.]
The team gathered, their breaths fogging in the frigid air, their bodies marked by the strain of the fight. Ren knelt beside Wei, whose pale face showed a flicker of awareness, his eyes clearing with a mix of gratitude and guilt. Yi's frost threads hung limp at her sides, her chest heaving with exhaustion, while Lian clutched her relic and the final fragment, their combined energy pulsing faintly, a sign of the Tax's weakening grip. Qin Mo lowered his blade, the Frostflame Ascendancy settling into a steady rhythm within him.
"We did it," Qin Mo said, his voice rough but steady, scanning the chamber for any lingering threats. The team nodded, their resolve tempered by weariness, and they began to tend to their wounds, the silence broken only by the faint drip of melting ice.
But the calm shattered as the chamber trembled anew, the ice cracking underfoot. A deep toll echoed from beyond the towers, a sound that carried an ancient weight, and the runes along the walls flared crimson, pulsing with a power that made Qin Mo's shard thrum. The FFD System chimed a warning.
[FFD System: Old God Resonance detected, threat level: Unknown.]
Before they could react, the mist parted, revealing a figure wreathed in shadow and frostfire—a remnant of the old gods, its form towering, its eyes a void of violet that locked onto the team. "You've broken the Tax's shell," it rasped, its voice a rumble that shook the ice, "but the awakening begins." It raised a hand, unleashing a wave of frost and shadow that forced them to brace.
Qin Mo charged, the Frostflame Blade igniting as it clashed with a tendril of shadow, sparks flying in the frigid air. The cold surged, testing his balance, but the Ascendancy flared, his movements fluid as he parried a second strike. The entity's frostfire lashed out, forcing him to roll aside, the heat draining from his limbs, the binding risk climbing again.
[Binding risk: 45%.]
"Flank it!" Qin Mo shouted, his voice cutting through the toll. Yi's threads lashed out, coiling toward the entity, her movements fueled by a fierce determination despite her exhaustion. "Not again!" she yelled, her threads tightening until the shadow cracked. Ren set Wei against a pillar, then joined with his daggers flashing, striking at a tendril, the blow drawing a hiss of steam. Lian raised her relic, the fragments merging their energy into a beam that struck the entity's core, staggering it, the mist thinning.
The entity roared, its form expanding, and summoned a shadow array, dark tendrils snaking across the chamber toward the team. Qin Mo raised the Frostmirror Shield, the barrier flaring to absorb the brunt, though the effort left his arms trembling. The Frostflame Harmony resonated, syncing his defense with Yi's threads and Lian's beam, weakening the array's impact. Ren lunged, his daggers carving a path, and Qin Mo followed, channeling the Frostflame Surge. The wave of ice and fire crashed into the entity, shattering its outer shadow, but it reformed, its violet eyes flaring.
"It's tied to the towers!" Lian shouted, her relic glowing brighter. She channeled the fragments' energy, a second beam striking the chamber's runes, the crack widening. The entity faltered, its form thinning, and Qin Mo seized the chance, the Frostflame Dominion surging. He drove the blade into a rune cluster, the shockwave erupting, shattering the ice. The chamber trembled, the green light fading, but the entity struck back, a tendril piercing Ren's shoulder, sending him crashing down.
"Ren!" Wei cried, his voice weak but clear, struggling to his feet. The distraction cost them—Yi's threads slipped, and the entity closed in, its frostfire aimed at Qin Mo. He parried, the blade grazing his side, the cold burning through his cloak. The shard drank the pain, fueling his next strike, and with a final thrust, he drove the Frostflame Blade into the entity's core, the Ascendancy flaring.
The entity shrieked, its form dissolving into mist, the chamber falling silent. Qin Mo dropped to his knee, the shard devouring the essence in a torrent that left him dizzy, his body trembling. Ren clutched his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers, while Wei stumbled to his side, tears freezing on his cheeks.
[Devour progress: 37%. Balance: Heat 33% / Cold 67%.]
Yi rushed to Ren, her threads retracting, her face pale. "Hold on," she said, her voice breaking as she pressed a cloth to his wound. Lian approached, her relic dimming, her gaze lingering on the fading mist. "The old gods stir," she murmured, her voice heavy.
The chamber stabilized, the runes dimming, but a faint toll echoed from beyond, a promise of more to come. The team gathered, their breaths visible, the fight's adrenaline fading into a somber victory. Ren's injury and Wei's return marked the cost, but the path ahead loomed, each step a step toward an uncertain dawn.