General Sylas was cornered, but he was not helpless. He was a Level 48 Elite Boss, a master of the dual-blade style of the Sea Snake faction. His scales were reinforced with alchemy, and his weapons were coated in a venom so potent it could dissolve dragon scales.

"I will not fail the Syndicate!" Sylas roared, his eyes glowing with fanaticism. "For the Eighth Race!"

He lunged. His speed was incredible. He didn't just move; he flowed, his body twisting in mid-air to avoid Alvian's guard. His scimitars wove a net of steel and green poison, aiming for the joints in Alvian's armor.

Alvian analyzed the attack pattern. It was fast. Chaotic.

"Inefficient," Alvian judged.

He didn't block. He didn't parry. He used [Void Step].

Alvian vanished. Sylas's blades cut through empty water. The General stumbled, his momentum carrying him forward.

Alvian reappeared directly above him, gravity reversed by his [Greaves]. He stood on the ceiling, looking down at the confused snake-man.

"You fight with anger," Alvian said. "Anger makes you predictable."

He dropped. As he fell, he activated the [Thundergod Bracers].

"Thunderstrike."

He drove his fist down. A bolt of lightning arced from his hand, slamming into Sylas's back.

"ZZZ-CRACK!"

[-8,500 Lightning Damage!]

Sylas screamed as the electricity coursed through his body, locking his muscles. He crashed to the deck, convulsing. But he was resilient. He rolled away, shedding his outer layer of skin to purge the paralysis effect—a racial trait of the Sea Snakes.

"You possess power," Sylas gasped, standing up, his new skin glistening and raw. "But you do not understand the stakes. The vial... it contains the blood of the Human King! The key to the Draconic Seal! If I deliver this, the Syndicate will rule the oceans!"

Alvian's eyes narrowed. "Human King Blood?"

He recalled the lore. The Draconic Legion had been sealed away a thousand years ago by a coalition of the Sea Races and the surface dwellers. The lock required the blood of the sealer's lineage to open. If the Syndicate had acquired the blood of a human king...

"Where did you get it?" Alvian asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous low.

"From the surface!" Sylas laughed, a manic sound. "The Syndicate has agents everywhere! Even in your precious Empire! The King bleeds just like anyone else!"

Alvian felt a cold fury rising in his chest. The Syndicate had reached the highest levels of the surface government. The corruption was deeper than he thought.

"Then I'll take it back," Alvian said.

He equipped [Voidpiercer].

"No more games."

Sylas hissed and charged again, desperate now. He activated his ultimate skill, [Venomous Cyclone]. He spun, creating a vortex of poisoned water that expanded outward, shredding the metal of the docking bay.

Alvian stood his ground. He raised his left hand.

"[Tidal Barrier]."

A shimmering blue sphere appeared around him. The poisoned water crashed against it, hissing and boiling, but the barrier held. The kinetic energy of the vortex fed the shield, charging it.

"Barrier Saturation: 150%," Alvian noted.

"Release."

He dropped the barrier and triggered the reflection. A shockwave of pure force blasted outward, countering the cyclone. The water was pushed back with the force of a tidal wave.

Sylas was caught in the blast. He was thrown against the hull of the submersible, his bones cracking under the impact. He slid down the metal, dazed and broken. The vial slipped from his grasp, floating in the water.

Alvian walked over. He picked up the vial. It was made of crystal, glowing with a deep, pulsating red light. The blood inside seemed alive, swirling with a power that made the air hum.

[Item Acquired: Vial of the Human King's Blood (Mythical Quest Item)]

[Description: The blood of a sovereign. A catalyst capable of breaking ancient seals. Highly volatile.]

"You... can't..." Sylas wheezed, reaching out a trembling hand. "The Eighth Race... they will... rise..."

"They can try," Alvian said. He looked at the broken General. "But they'll have to get through me first."

He raised [Voidpiercer].

"Goodbye, General."

He drove the dagger into Sylas's chest. The [Void Corruption] spread instantly, turning the snake-man into grey dust that dissolved into the water.

[You have slain General Sylas!]

[Experience Gained: 650,000!]

Alvian pocketed the vial. He had stopped the delivery. But as he turned to leave, the water around him grew heavy. The ambient mana in the docking bay spiked.

The shadows in the corners of the room deepened. The water turned cold.

"Warning," the System flashed red.

[Multiple High-Level Threats Detected.]

Alvian looked up. Blocking the exit tunnel were three figures. They weren't soldiers. They radiated the power of Warlords.

The remnants of the hostile factions had arrived.

The docking bay, once a place of mechanical hums and the quiet lapping of water, was now suffocating under the weight of three immense auras. Alvian stood alone in the center, the [Human King Blood] safely stowed in his inventory, but the path to freedom was blocked by a wall of high-level aggression.

Standing at the entrance were the new leaders of the hostile factions—the Triumvirate of Vengeance, hastily assembled by the Syndicate to crush the Anomaly.

On the left stood Warlord Karkinos, the successor to the Golden Crab General. He was even larger than Aurelius, his shell a deep, jagged crimson instead of gold, covered in spikes that dripped with black sludge. He wielded two massive tower shields, using them as crushing weapons.

[Target: Warlord Karkinos (The Crimson Bulwark)]

[Level: 49]

On the right floated High Priestess Inkara, the new ruler of the Octopus faction. She was draped in robes of woven shadow, her tentacles long and slender, each ending in a glowing magical orb. She didn't look like a warrior; she looked like a nightmare of arcane power.

[Target: High Priestess Inkara (The Void Weaver)]

[Level: 48]

And in the center, slithering forward with a grace that belied her lethality, was Queen Vipersia. The widow of King Ida. She was sleek, her scales a mesmerizing pattern of silver and green, and she held a staff topped with a skull that crackled with green lightning. Her eyes were slits of pure hatred, fixed squarely on Alvian.

[Target: Queen Vipersia (The Storm Matriarch)]

[Level: 50]

"The murderer," Vipersia hissed, her voice a sibilant whisper that echoed in Alvian's mind. "You killed my husband. You killed my brother-in-law. You think you can steal the key and leave?"

Alvian didn't flinch. He scanned them. Three raid bosses. At once.

"You brought friends," Alvian said calmly, equipping his [Lance of the Void Winter]. "Good. It saves me the travel time."

"Arrogance!" Karkinos roared, clashing his shields together. The sound was like a thunderclap. "You are trapped, surface dweller! There is no escape! The Syndicate has sealed this sector!"

Alvian glanced at the walls. Faint, geometric lines of light were glowing on the stone—a [Spatial Lock Array]. He couldn't teleport out.

"We do not need to defeat you," Inkara giggled, her voice bubbling like drowning air. "We just need to take the blood. The Master is waiting."

"The Master," Alvian repeated. "Megalos? Or the Syndicate handler pulling your strings?"

"It does not matter!" Vipersia screamed. "ATTACK! TEAR HIM APART!"

The three leaders moved at once.

Karkinos charged, a living tank. He lowered his shields and rushed forward, intending to crush Alvian against the submersible. Inkara raised her tentacles, firing a barrage of shadow bolts that homed in on Alvian. Vipersia summoned a storm, filling the room with green lightning and toxic clouds.

It was a coordinated assault designed to overwhelm a single target. Physical, magical, and environmental pressure all at once.

"Inefficient coordination," Alvian muttered.

He didn't retreat. He didn't dodge. He activated [Genesis Mode].

"System. Unlock Limiters. Duration: 30 seconds."

[Warning! Soul Strain increasing.]

"Do it."

Alvian exploded with white light. His stats doubled. His speed broke the sound barrier.

He didn't aim for the tank. He aimed for the mage.

He vanished, moving faster than the eye could track. He appeared directly in front of Inkara. The Octopus Priestess's eyes widened in shock. She tried to raise a barrier, but she was too slow.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]: Silence."

Alvian thrust his lance. The black blade pierced her magical ward like it was smoke. It struck her shoulder, injecting a massive dose of void mana directly into her channels.

"SCREEEE!" Inkara shrieked as her magic was cut off. The shadow bolts she had fired fizzled out mid-air.

"One silenced," Alvian said.

Behind him, Karkinos roared, unable to stop his charge. He smashed into the spot where Alvian had been, crushing a metal crate flat. He turned, bellowing in rage.

"COWARD! STAND AND FIGHT!"

"I am fighting," Alvian said, turning to face him. "I'm just fighting smarter."

Vipersia unleashed a bolt of green lightning. "DIE!"

Alvian spun his lance, catching the lightning on the blade. The [Void] enchantment absorbed the energy.

"Thanks for the recharge," Alvian said.

He pointed the lance at Karkinos.

"Have it back."

He released the stored lightning in a concentrated beam. The bolt struck the Crab Warlord in the chest, conducting through his heavy armor. Karkinos convulsed, his muscles locking up.

Alvian stood in the center of the three bosses, his coat billowing in the magical wind. He wasn't trapped. He was the trap.

"Is that all?" Alvian asked. "I expected a challenge."

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