The docking bay was a cauldron of violence. Alvian moved like a phantom, weaving between the attacks of three raid bosses with a precision that bordered on precognition.

Karkinos recovered from the lightning shock, his shell glowing red with rage. "[Crustacean Smash]!" He leaped into the air, bringing both massive shields down in a hammer blow that threatened to shatter the entire platform.

Alvian didn't block. He activated [Runic Aegis +2].

"Reflect."

The purple runes formed an angled ramp above his head. Karkinos hit the ramp. The kinetic force wasn't stopped; it was redirected. The massive crab slid off the shield, crashing into the wall behind Alvian with earth-shaking force.

Inkara, her magic silenced, tried to grab Alvian with her physical tentacles. They lashed out like whips.

Alvian switched to [Voidpiercer].

"Sever."

He slashed the air. The [Reality Sever] passive cut through the thick flesh of the tentacles like they were mist. Inkara screamed, pulling back her stumps, black blood clouding the water.

But Vipersia was the real threat. She was fast, intelligent, and lethal. She circled Alvian, weaving spells of poison and lightning, staying just out of his reach.

"You cannot dodge forever!" Vipersia hissed. She slammed her staff into the ground. "[Toxic Domain]!"

The water turned green. A cloud of neurotoxin expanded rapidly, filling the room. It was unavoidable. It seeped through armor, through skin.

[System Warning: Environmental Toxin Detected.]

[Health decreasing: -200/sec.]

Alvian frowned. His health bar began to tick down. Even with his high stats, poison was annoying.

"Time to end this," Alvian decided.

He looked at Vipersia. She was smug, thinking she had him trapped.

Alvian reached into his inventory. He pulled out the [Essence of the Kraken Queen] he had looted earlier.

"System. Consume Item. Temporary Buff."

[Warning! Consuming raw boss essence is dangerous.]

"Do it."

The black orb dissolved in his hand. A surge of dark, hydro-energy flooded his veins. His eyes turned pitch black. Tentacles of shadow erupted from his back, mimicking Ursula's power but controlled by Alvian's will.

"[Void Kraken Form]."

Alvian's presence exploded. He lashed out with the shadow tentacles. They ignored the water resistance. They ignored the poison. They shot across the room, grabbing Vipersia by the throat, the waist, and the tail.

"WHAT?!" Vipersia choked.

Alvian pulled. He yanked the Snake Queen across the room, slamming her into the ground at his feet.

"You wanted to poison the water?" Alvian asked, his voice distorted by the transformation. "Let's see how you handle the Void."

He raised his lance.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]: Execution."

He drove the spear down. Vipersia tried to block with her staff, but the black ice shattered the wood and pierced her heart.

"My... king..." Vipersia gasped, her eyes glazing over.

[You have slain Queen Vipersia!]

[Experience Gained: 800,000!]

The remaining two bosses froze. Their leader was dead. Their formation was broken.

Karkinos roared, charging in a blind fury. "I WILL CRUSH YOU!"

Alvian turned. He didn't use a skill. He used the momentum of the tentacles. He grabbed Karkinos by the leg and swung him. With his stats boosted by [Genesis Mode] and the [Kraken Essence], he wielded the massive crab like a flail.

"SMASH!"

He slammed Karkinos into Inkara. The two bosses collided with a sickening crunch. Inkara, soft and unarmored, was crushed instantly by the weight of the crab.

[You have slain High Priestess Inkara!]

Karkinos lay on the ground, his shell cracked, dazed.

Alvian walked over to him. He dismissed the tentacles. He looked down at the last Warlord.

"Yield," Alvian said.

Karkinos looked at the bodies of his allies. He looked at the monster in human skin standing above him. He dropped his shields.

"I... yield," Karkinos wheezed.

Alvian nodded. "Good choice."

He turned to the exit. The path was clear. But as he reached for the door controls, a slow, sarcastic clapping echoed from the shadows of the submersible.

"Bravo," a voice said. "Truly, bravo. I haven't seen a show like that since the Academy."

Alvian froze. He knew that voice.

From the dark interior of the Syndicate sub, a figure walked out. He wore black armor made of void-steel. His face was pale, his eyes burning with blue fire. He held a familiar spear.

It was Baron. But he wasn't the mutated monster Alvian had crushed in the arena. He was something else. Something colder.

[Target Identified: Baron (Revenant)]

[Status: Undead Construct / Syndicate Puppet]

"You," Alvian whispered.

"Did you miss me?" Baron grinned, revealing teeth made of steel. "Because I missed you. And I want my blood back."

-----

Baron stepped onto the metal grating of the dock, his movements stiff but powerful, like a machine forcing a corpse to walk. The violet light of the void had been replaced by the cold, sterile blue of Syndicate necromancy. He was a Revenant, a soul bound to a metal chassis, stripped of fear and pain.

"I killed you," Alvian stated, his grip on the lance tightening. "I crushed you into a singularity."

"You crushed my meat," Baron corrected, tapping his metal chest plate. "But the Syndicate… they have good insurance. They scraped me up. They rebuilt me. Better. Stronger. And without the annoying need for oxygen or sleep."

He spun his spear. It wasn't the ornate weapon of the Prince anymore. It was a jagged rod of dark iron, humming with unstable energy.

"Hand over the vial, Alvian. The Master is impatient."

"The Master," Alvian said. "Does he know he sent a recycling project to do a man's job?"

Baron didn't get angry. The old Baron would have raged. This Baron just smiled, a mechanical stretching of lips.

"Insults are inefficient," Baron said, echoing Alvian's own words. "Let's test the new hardware."

Baron moved.

He didn't charge. He blinked. It was a rough imitation of [Void Step], powered by a device on his belt. He appeared instantly to Alvian's left, thrusting his spear.

Alvian blocked.

"CLANG!"

The impact was heavy. Baron's strength had increased. He was pushing 300 Strength easily. Alvian slid back a few inches, his boots sparking against the floor.

"Not bad," Alvian admitted. "For a zombie."

He retaliated. [Lance of the Void Winter] lashed out in a series of rapid thrusts. Baron parried them all, his movements precise, calculated by a combat algorithm running in his new brain.

"I know your moves, Alvian," Baron said, locking weapons. "We analyzed the arena data. Every strike. Every spell. We built a counter-measure."

Baron's chest opened. A cannon.

"BOOM!"

A blast of concussive force hit Alvian point-blank.

Alvian was thrown backward, crashing into a stack of crates. He rolled, coming up to his feet. His armor had absorbed the damage, but his mana shield flickered.

"Analysis complete," Alvian muttered. "He's scripted. Adaptive AI."

Baron walked forward, his spear glowing. "Surrender. You cannot beat a machine designed to kill you."

"I don't need to beat the machine," Alvian said. "I just need to break the operator."

Alvian activated [Void Step]. He appeared behind Baron. He slashed at the neck.

"TING!"

The blade bounced off. Baron's neck was protected by a localized force field.

"Shields," Alvian noted. "Annoying."

Baron spun, his spear sweeping low. Alvian jumped.

"[Frost Descent +2]: Flash Freeze."

He blasted the floor. The metal froze. Baron's heavy boots lost traction. The Revenant slipped, his mechanical balance failing for a split second.

It was enough.

Alvian landed on Baron's back. He drove his lance into the gap between the armor plates on the shoulder.

"CRUNCH."

"Warning. Structural Integrity compromised," Baron's voice glitched.

Alvian ripped the arm off. Wires sparked. Oil sprayed.

"You're just a toy," Alvian said, kicking Baron away.

Baron crashed into the wall. He tried to stand, missing an arm, but he didn't look in pain. He looked focused.

"Distraction successful," Baron said.

Alvian froze. Distraction?

He checked his inventory. The [Vial of the Human King's Blood].

It was gone.

He looked at Baron. The Revenant was holding the red vial in his remaining hand. He had snatched it during the grapple, moving with a speed Alvian hadn't anticipated.

"Sleight of hand," Baron grinned. "Upgrade complete."

"Give it back," Alvian's voice dropped to absolute zero.

"No," Baron said. He turned to the wall. He punched a button on his wrist.

A portal opened behind him. Not a spatial rift, but a Syndicate extraction gate.

"The Master sends his regards," Baron said, stepping backward into the light.

Alvian lunged. "[Void Step]!"

He slashed at the portal.

But he was too late. The gate closed. Baron was gone. And he had the key to the apocalypse.

---

Alvian stood alone in the silent docking bay. The bodies of the Warlords lay around him, a testament to his victory. But it felt like ashes in his mouth.

He had lost the objective.

"DAMMIT!"

Alvian slammed his fist into the wall. The metal buckled.

The Syndicate had played him. They knew they couldn't beat him in a straight fight, so they used the Warlords as fodder to wear him down, and then sent a specialized retrieval unit to steal the prize.

"System. Trace the portal signature."

[Tracing...]

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