The silence of the trench was shattered by the hiss of high-velocity harpoons tearing through the water.

"THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!"

Valeria slammed her tower shield into the silt, activating [Titan's Barrier]. A golden wall of force erupted, pushing back the crushing pressure of the deep and deflecting the harpoons. The projectiles sparked against the barrier, their dark mana payloads fizzling out.

"They're using armor-piercing rounds," Valeria grunted, bracing her shoulder against the shield. "These guys aren't messing around."

"They're Elites," Alvian said, scanning the enemy formation. "Standard tactics. Suppression fire while the flankers move in."

He saw three commandos detaching from the main group, activating propulsion jets on their backs to circle around Valeria's shield. They moved with the fluidity of seals, their blades drawn—vibro-knives that hummed with a frequency designed to cut through molecular bonds.

"I'll handle the flankers," Alvian said. "You hold the front."

"Don't take too long!" Valeria shouted as another volley of harpoons hammered her shield.

Alvian didn't swim. He stepped.

"[Void Step]."

He vanished from behind the shield and reappeared directly in the path of the left flanker. The commando, expecting a mage to cower, was startled. He thrust his knife at Alvian's chest.

Alvian caught the wrist. His [Thundergod Bracers] flared.

"ZAP!"

A bolt of blue lightning shot from the bracer, conducting through the commando's wet suit. The elite soldier spasmed, his nervous system overloaded instantly.

[-4,500! Lightning Damage!]

[Status: Paralyzed.]

Alvian didn't let go. He used the paralyzed commando as a shield, pivoting just as the second flanker fired a harpoon. The spear punched through the first commando's chest.

"Friendly fire is inefficient," Alvian whispered.

He shoved the corpse at the second commando and activated [Void Step] again. He appeared above the third flanker.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]."

He thrust downward with the Lance. The black ice blade pierced the commando's helmet, shattering the visor and the skull beneath.

[Double Kill.]

The main group of commandos realized their flank had failed. They switched tactics. They dropped their harpoon guns and drew serrated longswords, activating their jets to charge en masse.

"Valeria, bowling time," Alvian ordered over the comms.

"With pleasure!"

Valeria dropped the barrier. She didn't wait for them to hit her. She charged.

"[Titan's Charge]!"

She became a golden torpedo. She slammed into the center of the commando formation. The impact was devastating. Under the immense pressure of the deep ocean, the shockwave was amplified. Three commandos were crushed instantly, their armor crumpling like tin foil.

Alvian moved in the wake of her destruction. He was a shadow dancing in the chaos.

"Slash. Step. Stab."

He used [Void Step] to blink between targets, his [Voidpiercer] dagger cutting through their defenses as if they didn't exist. The [Reality Sever] passive ignored their high-tech armor. Heads rolled. Limbs were severed.

In less than a minute, the elite squad was reduced to floating debris.

[Combat Complete.]

[Experience Gained: 450,000.]

Alvian floated amidst the carnage, checking the bodies. He found a black communication device on the leader. It was flashing red.

"Encrypted," Alvian muttered. "System. Hack."

[Bypassing encryption... 10%... 50%... Complete.]

A holographic message projected from the device. It was a recording.

"To all units. Operation Tide-Turn is ahead of schedule. The Eighth Faction has agreed to the terms. The Heirs will be secured tonight during the Festival of Tides. Target Priority: Alpha."

The message ended.

"The Eighth Faction?" Valeria asked, swimming over. "I thought there were only seven major Sea Races."

"There were," Alvian said, his face grim. "Until someone woke up something ancient."

He recalled the lore from his past life. The Eighth Faction wasn't a race. It was a Legion. The Draconic Legion. Ancient, armored sea-dragons that had ruled the oceans before the current Sea Kings. They had been sealed away for a millennia.

"The Syndicate is trying to break the seal," Alvian realized. "They want to use the Draconic Legion to wipe out the Guardians."

"And the Heirs?" Seraphina's voice crackled in his ear. "Tonight is the Festival of Tides. All the Guardian apprentices and the noble children will be gathering in the Central Plaza."

"Hostages," Alvian said. "They need royal blood to break the seal. The Heirs are the keys."

He looked at the submarine dock. He could destroy it, but that wouldn't stop the plan. The plan was already in motion in the city.

"We need to get back," Alvian said. "The war isn't down here. It's upstairs."

"What about the base?" Valeria pointed at the hidden hangar.

"Seraphina," Alvian said. "Send the coordinates to Thorne. Tell him there's a nest of rats in his backyard. Let the Guardians clean up the trash. We have a festival to crash."

They swam back up, pushing their speed to the limit. The pressure eased as they ascended, but the weight on Alvian's shoulders grew heavier. If the Syndicate released the Draconic Legion, Azureus would fall in a day. And with it, the hope of uniting the oceans against the Convergence.

"Inefficient," Alvian growled, the water boiling around him as he engaged his thrusters. "They never learn."

The ascent back to Azureus was a race against a ticking clock. The Festival of Tides was the city's largest celebration, a time when the bioluminescent coral bloomed in a riot of colors and the currents were calmed by the Guardians' magic. It was a time of peace. Which made it the perfect time for a massacre.

Alvian broke the surface of the water in the Slipstream Sector, landing heavily on the dock. Valeria and Seraphina followed moments later, gasping for air as the water-breathing potions wore off.

"The Festival started ten minutes ago," Seraphina said, checking the city's mana-clock. "The Central Plaza will be packed."

"Where are the Heirs?" Alvian asked, shaking the water from his coat.

"They have a VIP viewing platform," Seraphina said, pulling up a map. "Right in the center. Near the statue of the Sea King."

"Guarded?"

"By the City Watch. But if the Syndicate has infiltrated the city like they did the Academy..."

"Then the guards are either dead or traitors," Alvian finished.

He looked at the map. The Central Plaza was miles away. The magi-lifts would be crowded.

"We take the high road," Alvian said. He looked at the massive water-tubes that transported water through the city. "We surf."

They jumped onto a passing mana-barge, hijacking it. Alvian kicked the surprised driver off (into the water, he'd live) and took the controls. He slammed the throttle forward. The barge shot through the canal, weaving between traffic.

"Review the intel," Alvian ordered. "Who are the targets?"

Seraphina projected the list from the comms device.

[Target 1: Elara (Apprentice to Lady Ola, the Third Guardian)]

[Target 2: Finn (Son of the Whale Shark King)]

[Target 3: Aria (Daughter of the Siren Queen)]

"It's a who's who of the ocean's royalty," Valeria noted. "If they take them, they control the politics of the entire sea."

"Elara," Alvian focused on the first name. Lady Ola was the Guardian of Chains. Her power was binding. If the Syndicate wanted to break a seal, they would need to neutralize the one person who could reinforce it.

"Elara is the priority," Alvian decided. "If they take her, they can use her blood to unravel the bindings on the Draconic Seal."

"Look!" Valeria shouted, pointing ahead.

They were approaching the Central Plaza. The festival was in full swing. Music echoed through the water. Lights danced. But beneath the music, there was a discord. A subtle shift in the crowd's movement.

"They're clearing a path," Alvian noticed. "Subtly."

He saw men in dark cloaks moving through the crowd, guiding people away from the VIP platform. They weren't using force; they were using subtle suggestion spells.

"Syndicate Mesmers," Seraphina identified. "High level."

"They're isolating the targets," Alvian said. "We're going in."

He crashed the barge into the dock at the edge of the plaza. The impact sent people screaming. Chaos erupted.

"Good," Alvian said, stepping off the wreck. "Chaos is cover."

He scanned the VIP platform. He saw Elara. She was a young mermaid with silver scales, looking confused as her guards steered her away from the other heirs.

"That's not the City Watch," Alvian said. "That's a hit squad."

Five guards surrounded Elara. They were moving her toward a side exit, toward a dark alleyway where a transport skiff was waiting.

"Valeria, cut off the exit. Seraphina, take the roof. I'm going for the girl."

"On it!"

Alvian activated [Shadow Weave +2]. He vanished.

He moved through the panicked crowd. He didn't push; he flowed. He reached the hit squad just as they were shoving Elara into the alley.

"Please, where are we going?" Elara asked, her voice trembling.

"Protective custody, my lady," the lead guard growled, his hand tightening on her arm painfully.

"Let her go," Alvian whispered.

He appeared directly behind the lead guard. He didn't use a dagger. He placed his hand on the guard's back.

"[Runic Aegis +2]: Compression."

Five runes appeared around the guard's torso and slammed inward.

"CRUNCH."

The guard's armor—and his ribs—collapsed. He dropped Elara, gasping for air.

"Ambush!" the other guards shouted, drawing weapons. They weren't standard issue spears. They were jagged, serrated blades that dripped with poison.

Alvian stood over the fallen leader, his eyes glowing violet.

"You tried to kidnap a child during a party," Alvian said, equipping his Lance. "That is extremely rude."

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