The plan was set. The Whale Shark King was the next target, the "Tank" of the ocean who controlled the heavy infantry of the deep. Alvian turned toward the temple exit, his mind already calculating the most efficient route to the Armored District.

"Wait," Lady Ola called out, her voice trembling slightly as she leaned against the altar. She looked at the [Pearl of the Deep] resting in the holy basin, its light pulsing in a steady, calming rhythm that kept the city's transport grid locked down. "The currents… they are shifting again."

Alvian stopped. He checked his [Tablet of the Earth Core] passive. The vibrations in the earth were changing. It wasn't the rhythmic thrum of the city's machinery. It was a chaotic, churning disturbance coming from directly beneath them.

"Thump. THUMP."

The floor of the Sea Temple, made of ancient white marble and reinforced with centuries of mana, cracked.

"Below us?" Valeria drew her claymore, stepping in front of Elara. "I thought the trench was clear!"

"It was," Alvian said, his eyes narrowing as he sensed a massive spike in necrotic mana. "We cleared the palace. But we didn't clear the basement."

"BOOM!"

The center of the temple floor exploded. Debris and holy water sprayed into the air. From the gaping hole, a mass of writhing, black tentacles erupted, thick as redwood trunks and covered in glowing, violet runes. These weren't just biological limbs; they were augmented. Metal plates were fused into the flesh, and the suckers were lined with mechanical drills.

Ursula rose from the depths. She wasn't the defeated, fleeing creature Alvian had bombed in the trench. She was twisted, her body swollen with unstable void energy, her eyes burning with a madness that transcended simple greed. The Syndicate hadn't just allied with her; they had experimented on her.

[Boss Detected: Ursula, The Void-Infused Queen]

[Level: 50]

[Status: Unstable / Mutated]

[Threat Level: Calamity (Low)]

"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD TAKE MY CITY?" Ursula shrieked, her voice a psychic scream that shattered the stained-glass windows of the temple. "I AM THE DEEP!"

Four tentacles lashed out simultaneously. Two aimed for Alvian, one for Ola, and one—the fastest—snaked toward Elara.

"Alvian!" Valeria shouted, activating her [Titan's Bloodline]. She grew in size, her golden armor flaring as she intercepted the tentacle aiming for Ola. She slammed her shield into the flesh, stopping the blow with a thunderous crash that shook the foundations of the temple.

Seraphina moved like a blur, her daggers deflecting the strike meant for Elara, but the force of the blow sent the assassin skidding across the wet floor.

Alvian didn't dodge. He stood his ground as two tentacles crashed down on him.

"[Runic Aegis +2]."

The purple runes materialized, forming a solid wall. The tentacles slammed into the barrier, the impact sending a shockwave through the room.

[Reactive Force Triggered!]

[-8,000 Physical Damage reflected!]

The tentacles recoiled, charred by the kinetic backlash. But Ursula didn't care about pain. She laughed, a wet, gurgling sound.

"Distraction," she hissed.

The floor beneath Elara turned to liquid ink. It wasn't a spell Alvian had seen before. It was a spatial trap.

"Elara, jump!" Alvian commanded, using [Void Step] to bridge the distance.

But he was a fraction of a second too late. Black chains—Syndicate tech mixed with shadow magic—shot out of the ink puddle, wrapping around the young mermaid's ankles.

"Master!" Elara screamed as she was yanked down.

"NO!" Ola cried, abandoning her defensive posture to lunge for her apprentice.

Ursula slammed a tentacle into the altar, shattering the basin. The [Pearl of the Deep] flew into the air.

"I'll take that, and the girl!" Ursula roared. She caught the Pearl with one tentacle and Elara with another, then retracted rapidly into the hole in the floor.

Alvian arrived at the edge of the pit just as the darkness swallowed them. He looked down. He could see the red glow of Ursula's augmented thrusters fading into the abyss.

"She's heading for the Draconic Seal," Alvian stated, his voice devoid of emotion, though the air around him froze. "She needs the blood of a royal heir to open it manually since she can't control the grid anymore."

Ola crawled to the edge of the pit, weeping. "My apprentice… she's just a child. Alvian, please. The Draconic Legion… if they are released, they will consume everything. They are eaters of worlds."

"I know," Alvian said. He turned to his team. Valeria was helping Seraphina up. They looked battered but ready.

"We go after her?" Valeria asked, checking her sword for cracks.

"We hunt her," Alvian corrected. He looked at Ola. "The Pearl is gone. The grid is unlocking. You need to stay here and manually hold the defenses. If the Syndicate realizes the network is down, they'll launch a full-scale assault."

"I… I can hold the city," Ola said, her face hardening with the resolve of a Guardian. "But I cannot go into the Deepest Trench. The pressure there… it strips the magic from my bones. Only a monster can survive there."

Alvian equipped the [Lance of the Void Winter]. The violet frost from the blade mingled with the dark energy of the pit.

"Good thing I'm a monster," Alvian said.

He checked his status. Level 52. His stats were capped for the current expansion, but his gear and skills could still push the limits. He looked at the new skill he had learned from Ola earlier—[Chains of the Void Leviathan].

"System. Analyze tracking capabilities of [Chains of the Void Leviathan]."

[Analysis: Skill possesses [Soul Anchor] property. Can track targets previously bound or targets carrying high-density void energy.]

"Ursula is dripping with void energy," Alvian muttered. "She's a lighthouse in the dark."

He raised his hand. Black chains materialized from the air, not physical metal, but solidified void mana. They snaked down into the pit, tasting the residual energy.

"Lock on."

The chains vibrated, pulling taut, pointing straight down.

"Valeria, Seraphina. This dive is going to be deep. Deeper than the wreck. Can your gear handle it?"

Valeria tapped her breastplate. "I have the Titan's endurance. Pressure just makes me harder."

"I stole a pressure-suit prototype from the Syndicate base," Seraphina grinned, tapping a button on her collar. A sleek, black helmet folded over her head. "I'm ready."

"Then we dive," Alvian said.

He jumped into the hole. The darkness rushed up to meet them. This wasn't just a rescue mission anymore. It was a race against the apocalypse. If Ursula opened that seal, the "Game" would enter a phase humanity wasn't ready for.

Alvian accelerated, his [Vestments of the Void Monarch] flaring with power. He would catch the Queen. And this time, he wouldn't just blow her up. He would erase her.

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