"We need more force," Alvian said. "Sharpness isn't enough. We need blunt trauma. We need to shatter the plates, not cut them."

"I am a swordsman," Kenshin said. "I do not bludgeon."

"Then you distract him," Alvian said, equipping his [Draconic Storm Bracers]. "I'll bring the hammer."

Drakon laughed, watching them strategize. "Plotting? It changes nothing. I am the wall you cannot break."

"Every wall has a breaking point," Alvian said. "System. Divert all mana to [Strength]. Maximize [Genesis Mode] output."

[Warning! Soul Strain at 60%.]

"Do it."

Alvian's body began to glow. Not with the blue of ice, or the violet of the void. He glowed with the red crackle of the [Thundergod Bracers] and the golden hue of the [Tablet of the Earth Core]. He was combining conflicting energies, forcing them to coexist within his body.

"Kenshin. Now."

Kenshin nodded. He sheathed his sword, entering a stance.

"[Iaijutsu: Silent Death]."

He vanished. It wasn't a teleport. It was pure speed. He appeared behind Drakon, delivering a single, focused strike to the back of the Knight's knee.

"TING!"

Drakon buckled slightly. It wasn't a wound, but it unbalanced him.

"Now, Alvian!"

Alvian was already moving. He didn't use [Void Step]. He used the [Greaves of the Tide-Runner] to kick off the water itself, launching himself like a missile.

He didn't use his lance. He pulled his fist back.

"[Thundergod Strike] + [Gravity Well] + [Mass Increase]."

He combined the kinetic force of the bracers, the gravitational pull of the void skill, and the density manipulation of his armor.

He aimed for the chest.

"Physics Lesson Number Fifteen," Alvian roared. "Impact."

"BOOM!"

Alvian's fist connected with Drakon's chest plate.

The water around them vaporized. The shockwave dug a crater ten feet deep into the coral floor.

Drakon's eyes widened. For the first time, he felt it.

Pain.

[-25,000! Blunt Force Trauma!]

The white scales on his chest didn't cut. They spiderwebbed. A massive crack appeared in the center of the pristine armor. Drakon was launched backward, his feet carving deep trenches in the seabed as he slid fifty meters.

He stopped. He looked down at his chest. He touched the crack.

"You..." Drakon looked up, his vertical pupils dilating. "You cracked the White Scale."

"I told you," Alvian said, shaking out his hand. His knuckles were bruised, even through the gauntlets. "I'm the one who breaks things."

Drakon stared at the fracture in his armor. The white light that usually pulsed rhythmically beneath the scales was now sputtering, leaking raw mana into the water.

The invincibility was gone. The psychological wall was breached.

"Impossible," Drakon hissed. "This armor was forged in the core of the First Dragon. It is immune to magic! It disperses force!"

"It disperses normal force," Alvian stated, walking forward. His steps were heavy, sinking into the sand. The [Tablet of the Earth Core] was making him denser, heavier. "But force focused into a singularity? That's just math."

Alvian checked his status. The [Genesis Mode] was straining his soul. He had maybe two minutes before the backlash crippled him.

"Kenshin," Alvian said without looking back. "The cracks. Aim for the cracks."

"Understood," the blind swordsman replied. He sensed the weakness in the armor now. The imperfection.

Drakon roared. "I WILL NOT BE MOCKED BY INSECTS!"

He raised his greatsword. The blade began to glow with a blinding white light.

"[Draconic Art: White Nova]!"

He slammed the sword into the ground. A shockwave of pure, white energy exploded outward, tearing up the seabed. It wasn't fire; it was pure disintegration force.

"Dodge!" Alvian shouted.

He used [Void Step] to blink straight up. Kenshin moved sideways, flowing like water.

The shockwave passed beneath them, erasing the coral pillars and turning the sand into glass.

Drakon didn't let up. He leaped at Alvian, meeting him in the water column.

"You like to punch?" Drakon snarled. He dropped his sword. He swung a massive, white-scaled fist.

Alvian blocked with his forearms.

"CLANG!"

It felt like being hit by a train. Alvian was sent skipping across the water surface like a stone, crashing back down into the reef.

[-4,500 HP!]

[Left Arm Fracture Detected.]

Alvian grimaced. His physique was high, but Drakon's raw stats were still higher. He couldn't win a slugfest.

"Inefficient trade," Alvian muttered, popping a health potion.

Drakon landed on top of him, raising both fists for a finishing blow.

"DIE!"

"Now!" Alvian shouted.

Kenshin appeared from the dust cloud. He didn't aim for Drakon. He aimed for the crack Alvian had made in the chest plate.

"[Void Cut]."

He channeled all his aura into the tip of his katana. He thrust.

"TING-CRUNCH."

The blade slid into the crack. It wedged into the gap between the scales.

"Leverage," Kenshin grunted, twisting the blade.

The crack widened. A piece of the white scale chipped off, exposing the red, pulsing flesh beneath.

"ARGH!" Drakon howled, backhanding Kenshin. The swordsman took the blow on his shoulder, flying backward and crashing into a rock. He didn't get up.

"Kenshin!" Alvian yelled.

"I... opened the door..." Kenshin wheezed, his voice weak. "Walk... through it."

Drakon looked down at his exposed chest. The flesh was raw, bleeding magma-like blood.

"You hurt me," Drakon whispered, his voice trembling with rage. "You actually hurt me."

He looked at Alvian.

"I am going to peel you apart. Slowly."

Alvian stood up. His left arm hung limp. He equipped the [Thundergod Bracers] on his right arm. He maximized the output.

"System. Divert all remaining mana to [Right Arm Strength]. Overload [Thundergod Bracers]."

[Warning! Limb integrity critical.]

"Do it."

Blue lightning arced wildly around his fist, turning white hot. The water around his hand boiled instantly.

"You have a hole in your armor," Alvian said. "And I have a lot of voltage."

He used [Void Step].

He appeared directly in front of Drakon. The Dragon Knight tried to cover his wound, but he was too slow.

Alvian didn't punch. He thrust his fist into the exposed flesh.

"[Thundergod Strike]: Internal Discharge."

His hand sank into the wet, hot flesh of the Dragon's chest.

"DZZZZZT-BOOM!"

He released the charge. millions of volts of magical lightning exploded inside Drakon's chest cavity. The white armor contained the explosion, focusing it inward.

Drakon's eyes bulged. Smoke poured from his mouth, his nose, his ears. His heart—the massive, draconic engine powering him—seized.

[-80,000! Critical Internal Damage!]

[Target Stunned.]

Drakon fell to his knees. He coughed, a geyser of black smoke and sparks erupting from his throat.

"You..." Drakon rasped. "You... cheater..."

Alvian pulled his smoking hand free. He looked down at the fallen Knight.

"Efficiency isn't cheating," Alvian said.

He raised his [Lance of the Void Winter] with his good arm.

"It's winning."

But before he could deliver the final blow, the water around them darkened. A massive shadow fell over the arena.

From the deep trench, a roar echoed. Not a shout. A sound that vibrated the entire ocean.

Drakon laughed, blood bubbling on his lips.

"You think... you won?" he wheezed. "The General... enters the field."

Alvian looked up. Rising from the abyss was not another Knight. It was a dragon. A true dragon.

[Target Identified: Highlord Ignis (The Blood Tyrant)]

[Level: 70 (Raid Boss)]

[Status: Awakened]

The victory was short-lived. The real boss had just logged in.

"Inefficient," Alvian sighed, checking his empty mana bar. "Round three?"

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