Chapter 120: Paradox of Time |
- The Paradox of Time
Jonas did not draw his sword, but the life energy had already condensed into a crystal-clear orb in his palm, its gentle glow illuminating his tense face. Albert stood amid the blue light of the holographic projection; his mechanical artificial eye rippled with data streams, and ancient gears silently turned behind him, each interlocking as if recounting forgotten history.
“Explain all of this clearly.” Jonas’s voice was low and resolute, the energy in his palm pulsing with his breathing, casting dancing light spots on the cold metal floor.
Albert fell silent for a moment, his gaunt fingers tracing complex patterns in the air. Instantly, the starry dome of gears ceased turning, and the wall projection shifted to a dark red vortex, like a giant eye watching them. The screen displayed a live image of Shadow Gorge—the purple mist had formed a tornado piercing the heavens and earth, with Retifus’s figure faintly visible at the center. He wore a black robe and held the intact Hourglass of Time. Instead of starlight, the sand inside flowed like thick asphalt-black substance, warping the space it passed through and revealing countless faces twisted in agony.
“Three thousand years ago, Mobius discovered the ultimate secret of the Fountain of Life.” Albert’s voice trembled with mechanical resonance, echoing through the vast Clockwork Between. “It is not only the source of healing but also the regulator of the world’s time flow. At the beginning of creation, the gods used the Fountain of Life’s power to forge twelve Time Gears, constructing the framework of space-time. But greed always consumes reason. When someone tried to manipulate time with it, disaster became inevitable.”
The holographic projection switched to an ancient mural depicting a fierce battle in the starry sky between the Mech Spirits and Abyssal creatures. Countless gears floated around the battlefield, some radiating dazzling light, others corroded by darkness. “During the First Time War, half of the twelve gears were destroyed. The survivors scattered and hid the remaining gears, founding the Mechanical Church to guard this secret for generations.” Albert paused, a flicker of pain in his eyes. “Now, Retifus has gathered the scattered gears and reassembled the Hourglass of Time. He intends to... reboot the world.”
“Reboot the world?” Jonas frowned, the energy in his palm rippling slightly. “What does that mean?”
“The purple mist you see is the materialization of the Abyss.” Albert summoned data streams; the purple tornado’s size was visibly expanding rapidly. “Retifus plans to use the Abyssal Force to corrupt the Fountain of Life, reversing the flow of time and returning the world to a state of primordial chaos. In his vision, everything will start anew, and he will become the new creator god.”
The projection suddenly shook violently, and a deafening roar echoed from within the purple tornado. Retifus’s voice pierced the space, twisted with mocking laughter: “Albert, you are still so naive. The Mechanical Church only guards a lie that is about to collapse! The Fountain of Life was never meant to be controlled by mortals!”
Jonas looked at Retifus’s face becoming clearer in the projection—a half-mechanical, half-flesh visage, with black energy veins writhing beneath the skin, identical to those of Abyssal creatures. “So my mission as the Seventh Gear is to stop him?”
“Not only that.” Albert displayed another star chart, twelve flickering points scattered across the world. “You need to gather the remaining six gears and awaken their guardians. Each gear carries different space-time laws. Only by reintegrating them into the Hourglass of Time can the damaged temporal order be restored. But be cautious...” His mechanical eye suddenly emitted an alarm. “The Abyss will send Corruptors to stop you. They consume all life energy, converting it into Abyssal Force.”
Before he finished, the ground in the Clockwork Between trembled, and a crack spread from the center. Black mist surged out, forming three figures cloaked in black robes. Their faces were indistinct, hollow eye sockets flickering with purple flames. “Seventh Gear, surrender your power.” The leading Corruptor extended a scaly hand, black liquid dripping from its fingertips corroding the floor.
Jonas injected the condensed life energy into the ground. Golden gear patterns spread from his feet, forming a protective barrier. “You’re too late.” He gripped the sword hilt tightly; energy flowed across the scabbard’s surface. “I will not let you destroy this world.”
Albert activated the Clockwork Between’s defense system. Gears around them spun rapidly, firing blue laser beams. “Jonas, run! These Corruptors are Abyss elites. I can only hold them off temporarily! Head to the Clockmaker’s Workshop and find the second gear!”
Jonas nodded and dashed toward the elevator. Fierce battle sounds erupted behind him. Albert’s mechanical artificial eye flickered in the darkness, his voice accompanied by the grinding of gears: “Remember! Time is not on our side! Every second that passes, Retifus moves closer to success!”
The elevator rose swiftly. Jonas watched the shrinking Clockwork Between, a surge of indescribable responsibility welling in his heart. When he stepped out of the steel spire, Giant Spirit City’s sky was completely shrouded in purple clouds, distant thunder rumbling like the prelude to the apocalypse.
Following Kaelo’s guidance, the Clockmaker’s Workshop lay beneath the clock tower in the old city. Jonas crossed the streets, finding the once bustling city plunged into chaos. People ran in panic; broken mechanical devices and overturned vehicles littered the roads. Corruptor shadows flickered in the darkness, leaving withered life turning into black dust wherever they passed.
At a crossroads, Jonas encountered a group of resistors wielding crude weapons, battling a gigantic corrupted beast. The creature resembled a spider but had a metallic shell, eight eyes glowing with evil light. Without hesitation, Jonas drew his sword; life energy poured along the blade, tracing a golden arc through the air.
The sword’s light flashed; the corrupted beast let out a piercing shriek and began to disintegrate. The resistors stared in surprise at the sudden savior. A young man ran over. “Who are you? Are you here to save us?”
“I am Jonas.” He sheathed his sword and pointed toward the clock tower. “I’m going to the Clockmaker’s Workshop. It might hold the key to saving the world.”
“The workshop is sealed by an Abyss barrier!” The young man said urgently. “We’ve tried many times but couldn’t get close.”
Jonas clenched his sword hilt, a determined light flashing in his eyes. “Let me try.” He approached the barrier, feeling a powerful resistance. The Abyssal Force was like a viscous liquid trying to engulf him. But his Seventh Gear inside suddenly trembled violently. Golden light burst from within him, colliding fiercely with the purple barrier.
With a loud crack, the barrier fractured. Jonas seized the chance and leapt through. As it closed behind him, he heard the resistors’ cheers and the Abyss’s furious roars.
Passing through the barrier, Jonas found himself inside a giant clock’s interior. Countless gears turned in orderly rhythm, emitting a steady ticking sound. Sitting on the central pendulum was an elderly man with white hair, focused on repairing a damaged gear.
“You have finally arrived, bearer of the Seventh Gear.” The old man didn’t look up; his tool precisely fitted into the gear’s crack. “I am Otto the Clockmaker, guardian of the second gear. But unfortunately...” He raised the repaired gear, its surface covered in cracks. “The Abyssal corruption has damaged the gear’s core. Unless...”
“Unless what?” Jonas asked urgently.
“Unless it is repaired with the Fountain of Life’s power.” Otto lifted his head, hope gleaming in his eyes. “But the Fountain of Life is now polluted. Reckless use would only accelerate the gear’s decay. We must find a way to purify the Fountain before the gear can regain its strength.”
Jonas pondered briefly, recalling Albert’s words. Perhaps gathering all the gears and reactivating the Hourglass of Time was the key to purifying the Fountain of Life. He clenched his fist and said to Otto, “I will find the other gears. Together, we will save the world.”
Otto smiled and nodded, handing the damaged gear to Jonas. “Though damaged, this gear can still sense the others’ locations. The path ahead will be tougher. The Abyss’s claws will not let us go easily.”
At that moment, the clock’s interior trembled violently. Countless Corruptors crawled out from the gear crevices. Otto activated the defense mechanisms; the ancient clock began to deform, revealing hidden weapon systems. “Jonas, you go ahead! I’ll hold them off! Remember, the third gear is at...”
Before he could finish, a massive corrupted beast smashed through the clock’s outer shell and swallowed Otto. Jonas swung his sword in fury; life energy surged like a towering wave, driving back the Corruptors. He looked at the damaged gear in his hand, silently vowing: no matter the cost, he would gather all the gears, stop Retifus, and save this world on the brink of destruction.
With a heavy heart, Jonas leapt out of the clock. The purple tornado in the sky had grown even larger, and Retifus’s laughter echoed throughout the city. Time was running out. Jonas gripped the gears tightly and set off toward the next target. Awaiting him were stronger enemies and even greater challenges. But he had no retreat—because he was the Seventh Gear, the world’s last hope.
Jonas kept the damaged second gear close; the metal’s cracks pressed against his chest like a burning warning. Otto’s final whispered words, “Mechanical Forest,” echoed in his mind. He looked up at the sky torn by purple clouds. Suddenly, his locator beeped sharply—three ghostly blue lights flickered intensely in the northwest, far stronger than before.
As he passed through the ruins of the old city, the ground trembled rhythmically. Black vine-like tendrils emerged from the cracks between rubble, turning concrete into powder as they passed. Jonas swung his sword, severing the entwined vines. The moment his blade touched them, the black substance emitted a shriek like a baby’s cry. When the last vine retracted underground, he noticed fine corrosion marks covering the blade, as if centuries of rust had formed instantly.
The entrance to the Mechanical Forest lay hidden in a twisted fold of space-time. The moment Jonas stepped inside, the surroundings distorted—towering metal trees rose from the ground, their crowns formed of interlocking gears, leaves sharp saw teeth gleaming with cold light. Strangest of all, each trunk was embedded with translucent amber containing various mechanical creatures, frozen in combat or flight poses, even the sparks flying from metal joints suspended in time.
“Outsider!” A roar came from the treetops. Jonas looked up to see a giant clad in gear armor rise between the branches. His massive axe was pieced together from three broken gears, the blade dripping green slime that corroded deep pits into the ground. “The Mechanical Forest does not welcome Abyss’s hounds.”
“I am the bearer of the Seventh Gear.” Jonas revealed the damaged gear in his arms. The metal surface suddenly glowed faintly, resonating with the patterns on the giant’s armor. “I am searching for the third gear.”
The giant froze suddenly, dropping to one knee, causing gear-shaped cracks to spread on the ground. “Guardian of the Forest, Leonardo, has waited for you three hundred years. But the third gear... has been taken by Abyss Corruptors.” He pointed deep into the forest where a massive inverted Gear Fortress floated, its shell emitting an ominous purple glow. “Three days ago, the Corruptor leader entered the fortress with the tainted gear. Now the entire forest’s mechanical creatures are being transformed.”
Jonas was about to ask more when the ground split open. Dozens of monsters fused from scrap iron and flesh burst forth. Their chests pulsed with purple cores—the mark of Abyss corruption. Leonardo swung his massive axe, cleaving through the creatures. Sparks flew from blade clashes, coalescing into spinning gear afterimages in midair.
“Stay close!” Leonardo’s voice mixed with the grinding of gears. “There’s an energy furnace at the fortress core. Only by destroying it can we stop the spread of corruption!”
They fought their way toward the fortress. Jonas noticed that whenever his blade touched a monster’s core, his Seventh Gear resonated, golden energy flowing through his sword and purifying the purple corruption into pure mechanical parts. By the time they breached the fortress, Jonas’s sword looked brand new, but Leonardo’s armor was riddled with cracks.
Inside the furnace hall, a gigantic gear device was pumping purple energy into a central container. The third gear soaked inside was originally silver-white, now covered in black veins like a virus-infected circuit board. The Corruptor leader stood at the control console, his body composed of countless gears, each rotation producing a nauseating grinding noise.
“A touching reunion.” The leader rotated his neck; the clashing gears made a sharp sound. “But you are too late. The purification program for the third gear... is irreversible.” He pressed a button; the container suddenly exploded, the corrupted gear floating in midair and releasing a devouring beam.
Leonardo hurled his massive axe toward Jonas. “Use it to cleave the gear! I’ll hold off the beam!” He spread his arms; the gear armor expanded into a massive shield but rapidly shattered in the purple light. Jonas gripped the massive axe, feeling the weapon’s dormant power awaken—the three broken gears simultaneously lit up, resonating with the Seventh Gear inside him.
Golden and purple lights clashed fiercely inside the fortress. Jonas swung the massive axe; the blade’s light revealed a complete gear totem. When the light blade struck the corrupted gear, the entire fortress trembled violently. The polluted metal peeled away, revealing its original pure silver-white. But the Corruptor leader seized the moment to pounce, claws aiming for Jonas’s back.
At the critical moment, Leonardo’s damaged mechanical arm suddenly entangled the leader. The remaining armor parts exploded, sending a shockwave that blasted the leader into the furnace core. “Go! The furnace is about to explode!” Leonardo’s voice came through the flames. Jonas grabbed the restored third gear and leapt out just before the fortress collapsed.
Standing at the edge of the Mechanical Forest, Jonas looked at the gear glowing anew in his arms, softly chiming with the damaged second gear. The locator’s light points still flickered, and farther away, the roar of the purple tornado grew louder. He knew the Abyss’s conspiracy was still advancing, and Retifus’s Hourglass of Time was greedily devouring the world’s time.