Chapter 101: The Tipping Point

Su Nian and Zhang Chengying didn't hesitate. Su Nian's chains crackled through the air like lightning, wrapping around the entity's left arm and yanking hard. "Over here, you oversized glow - stick!" she shouted, her voice laced with defiance. Zhang Chengying, who had managed to pull himself back onto the platform, used the shard of debris to carve runes into the ground. A wave of earth - colored energy shot up, crashing into the entity's leg and staggering it.​The colossal entity bellowed in anger, its red - glowing core pulsating wildly. It turned its attention to the pair, swiping at them with a massive hand. Su Nian leaped into the air, her chains acting as a grappling hook as she swung around the entity's arm. Zhang Chengying rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the impact, and sent another burst of earth magic towards the creature's feet.​While they distracted the entity, Lyra readied herself. Her hands were still trembling from the earlier failed binding attempt, but her eyes were fixed on the small flaw in the entity's form that Chen Jiuzhang had described. She began to gather energy, the air around her crackling with silver - hued magic.​Chen Jiuzhang, his eyes closed in concentration, let the crystal - key's energy course through his body. The key glowed brighter and brighter, projecting a complex pattern of light onto the entity's body. The pattern seemed to interact with the flaw, making it more pronounced. "Now, Lyra!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the platform.​Lyra launched herself forward, her hands outstretched. A stream of concentrated silver energy shot towards the flaw. The entity let out a screech as the attack made contact, and its form began to flicker. But it wasn't defeated yet. With a violent convulsion, it released a shockwave of pure light, sending Su Nian, Zhang Chengying, and Lyra flying.​Chen Jiuzhang, however, stood his ground. He raised the crystal - key and channeled all of his remaining strength into creating a shield. The shield held firm against the shockwave, but he could feel his energy rapidly depleting. "We're so close," he muttered to himself.​Just then, the ground beneath the platform began to shake even more violently. Cracks appeared in the sky above, and strange, dark tendrils started to seep through. The entity, seeing these changes, let out a roar that was almost a scream of triumph. It seemed to draw power from the emerging darkness, and its form began to grow even larger.​Su Nian, who had landed hard on the platform, pushed herself up. "What the hell is that?" she asked, her eyes wide with alarm.​Zhang Chengying, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead, shook his head. "I don't know, but we can't let this thing get any stronger."​Lyra, her magical reserves nearly empty, joined them. "Chen Jiuzhang, the key... it has to have more power. We need to find a way to use it to stop this madness before it's too late."​Chen Jiuzhang nodded, his mind racing. He could feel a connection between the crystal - key and the dark tendrils in the sky. The key was vibrating, as if it was both drawn to and repulsed by the emerging power. With a deep breath, he made a decision that could either save them or destroy them all. "I'm going to try to channel the key's energy to seal those cracks in the sky. If we can cut off the entity's new power source, we might have a chance."​The group exchanged nervous glances. They were all exhausted, on the verge of collapse. But they also knew that they had no choice. With a final, collective nod, they prepared to face whatever came next, their fates intertwined with the power of the crystal - key and the outcome of this desperate battle.​