The chamber where the seventh bell had fallen silent still trembled, the broken steel and ice scattered like remnants of a fallen giant. Qin Mo stood, the Frostflame Core's heat a steady pulse against the deepening cold, the bells' chime from his pouch a faint, eerie whisper that seemed to fade into the distance. The FFD System buzzed, its tone a quiet caution in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 33% / Cold 67%.]
The team pressed forward, their steps cautious on the icy path, their breaths fogging in the frigid air. Ren supported Wei, whose pale face showed a flicker of returning strength, his eyes clearing but shadowed with confusion. Yi's frost threads coiled at her sides, her gaze sharp with a mix of hope and wariness, while Lian clutched her relic and the new shard, their combined energy pulsing in sync with the path ahead. Qin Mo led with his blade ready, the Frostflame Ascendancy tingling through him like a call to action.
The tunnel spiraled upward, its walls narrowing, the runes shifting from blue to a deep violet, their glow casting an otherworldly light. The air grew warmer yet heavier, the pressure mounting as the eighth bell's silence loomed ahead, a void that seemed to swallow sound itself. Shadows flickered, and the FFD System chimed a sharper warning.
[FFD System: Silent Tax Entity detected, 20m ahead, threat level: Extreme.]
The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling shrouded in a thick mist, its floor a smooth expanse of ice etched with a circular pattern of runes that pulsed with a sickly green. At the center stood the eighth bell, a towering monolith of blackened steel and frost, its surface silent but radiating an oppressive power. Beside it hovered a figure wreathed in shadow and frostfire—a Silent Tax entity, its form shifting, its eyes a void of red that locked onto the team. The air crackled, the silence pressing down like a physical weight, and the entity raised a hand, unleashing a wave of frost that forced them to brace.
"You trespass on the old gods' domain," it rasped, its voice a hollow echo, and it charged with a speed that shook the chamber. Qin Mo met it head-on, 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 form shifted, its frostfire lashing out, forcing him to roll aside, the heat draining from his limbs.
"Spread out!" Qin Mo shouted, his voice cutting through the silence. Yi's threads lashed out, coiling toward the entity, but the shadow resisted, the runes flaring as it broke free with a snarl. "It's tied to the bell!" she yelled, dodging a swipe of frostfire. Ren darted in, supporting Wei against a pillar, then joined with his daggers flashing, striking at the entity's side, the blow drawing a hiss of steam. Lian raised her relic, the shard and stone 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 frost array, blue 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 red eyes flaring.
"It draws from the bell!" Lian shouted, her relic glowing brighter. She channeled the shard's energy, a second beam striking the bell's base, the crack widening. The entity faltered, its form thinning, and Qin Mo seized the chance, the Frostflame Dominion surging. He drove the blade into the bell's crack, the shockwave erupting, shattering the steel. The chamber trembled, the green light exploding outward, knocking the team back.
The entity shrieked, its form dissolving into mist, the silence breaking into a faint chime. Qin Mo dropped to one knee, the shard absorbing the essence in a torrent that made his vision blur, his body trembling with the strain.
[Devour progress: 32%. Balance: Heat 30% / Cold 70%.]
Qin Mo rose, the shard stabilizing, the cold pressing harder. Yi rushed to his side, her threads retracting, her face flushed. "You're pushing yourself too far," she said, her voice rough but warm. Ren checked Wei, a flicker of recognition returning to his brother's eyes, while Lian approached the broken bell, her relic dimming as she pulled a fragment—a piece that pulsed with ancient energy.
The chamber shook, the eighth silence lifting, but a deeper resonance echoed from the ninth spire. The team gathered, their breaths visible, the fight's adrenaline fading into a weary resolve. The entity's defeat had weakened the Tax, but the path ahead promised a final stand, each step drawing them closer to the bells' heart.