The sky above Azureus did not just break; it bled.

The massive tear in reality that Alvian had watched form was no longer a void of swirling chaos. It had become a wound in the fabric of the dimension, and from that wound, a thick, viscous substance began to fall. It wasn't water, and it wasn't ordinary blood. It was a concentrated slurry of ancient mana and biological waste expelled from the dimension of the Draconic Legion—a dimension that had been sealed for a millennium, festering in its own power.

It fell into the ocean like ink, staining the pristine blue waters of the city a horrifying, opaque crimson.

"Warning," the System flashed in Alvian's peripheral vision, the text jagged and unstable.

[Global Event: The Abyssal Apocalypse has commenced.]

[Environmental Hazard: Red Rain of Corruption.]

[Effect: All biological entities exposed to the rain must pass a continuous Constitution Check or suffer [Draconic Mutation]. Mana cost for all skills increased by 200%.]

Alvian watched as the red rain touched the city. It was a scene from a nightmare. The bioluminescent fish that usually lit the streets spasmed and twisted, their bodies elongating, sprouting serrated spines and extra eyes before turning on each other in a frenzy of hunger. The civilians who had not yet made it to the shelters screamed. It wasn't a scream of pain, but of fundamental alteration. Their skin bubbled, scales erupting from their flesh as the aggressive draconic DNA overwrote their own.

"They're turning," Valeria gasped, her voice tight with horror. She stood beside Alvian on the dock, her golden armor stained with the black ichor of the previous battles. "Alvian, the people... they're turning into monsters!"

"Don't look," Alvian ordered, his voice cutting through the panic. "Focus on the threat above. The rain is just the terraforming. The invasion is next."

As if on cue, the tear in the sky widened. A roar echoed through the ocean, a sound so loud it vibrated the marrow of their bones. It wasn't the roar of a beast; it was the sound of a conquering army.

Shapes detached themselves from the darkness of the rift. They were massive, winged silhouettes that blocked out the faint light filtering down from the surface. They dove into the water with the force of meteors, the impact sending shockwaves that shattered the coral towers of the residential district.

These were not the hybrids Alvian had fought in the trenches. They were not the constructs or the stitched-together abominations of the Syndicate.

[Target Identified: True Dragon - Inferno Drake]

[Level: 62]

[Status: Voracious / Apex Predator]

[Passive: [Dragon Scales] - Immune to Physical Damage below 10,000 impact force.]

"Level 62," Alvian muttered, his grip tightening on the [Lance of the Void Winter]. "And there are dozens of them."

The first wave of True Dragons hit the city. They were engines of pure destruction, breathing plumes of magical fire that burned even underwater. Buildings melted into slag. The City Watch, brave soldiers who had held the line against the Syndicate, were vaporized in seconds. Their weapons shattered against the dragons' scales; their magic fizzled out against the creatures' natural resistance.

"We need to fall back to the Palace," Alvian shouted over the roar of boiling water. "The outer districts are lost. The Palace has the strongest wards. We make our stand there."

"We can't just leave them!" Valeria yelled, pointing at a group of unmutated civilians trapped on a crumbling bridge. A Red Dragon was circling them, its maw glowing with charging fire.

"Valeria, move!" Alvian commanded.

But she didn't move toward the palace. She moved toward the civilians.

"Damn it," Alvian hissed. "Inefficient."

He didn't hesitate. He activated [Void Step]. The world blurred and reformed. He appeared directly above the Red Dragon, gravity reversed by his [Greaves of the Tide-Runner]. He didn't use a skill; he didn't have the time. He used mass. He used the immense weight of his 240 Physique, amplified by the [Tablet of the Earth Core] fused to his bones.

He dropped.

"BOOM!"

Alvian landed on the dragon's neck. The impact was like a hammer hitting an anvil. The dragon's head was slammed down, its fire breath misfiring into the stone bridge, melting a hole through it but missing the civilians.

[-8,500! Heavy Impact!]

The dragon roared, thrashing wildly. It was strong. Much stronger than the hybrids. Its muscles coiled beneath its scales like steel cables, throwing Alvian off. He flipped mid-water, landing beside Valeria.

"Go!" Alvian shouted, shoving her toward the palace. "I'll draw the aggro!"

"Not without me!" Valeria countered. She slammed her shield into the ground. "[Titan's Taunt]!"

A wave of golden energy rippled out from her shield. The Red Dragon, along with two Wyverns that had been circling nearby, snapped their heads toward her. Their eyes burned with hatred. To them, the golden light was an insult.

They charged.

"Shield up!" Alvian barked.

Valeria raised her tower shield. The Red Dragon slammed into her, its massive horned head striking the metal with the force of a train collision.

"CLANG!"

Valeria slid back ten meters, her boots carving deep grooves into the stone street. She grunted, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth, but the shield held. The [Titan's Bloodline] made her density rival that of the dragon itself.

"Hold them," Alvian whispered.

He equipped [Voidpiercer] in his off-hand and the Lance in his main. He checked his mana. The [Tear of the Infinite] was working overtime, fighting the suppression of the Red Rain, but his mana was regenerating.

"System. Activate [Draconic Storm Bracers]. Max Output."

Blue lightning arced up his arms. He didn't attack the dragon's scales; they were too hard. He attacked the eyes.

"[Void Step]."

He vanished. He appeared on the dragon's snout. He drove the [Voidpiercer] into the creature's left eye.

"SQUELCH."

The dagger sank deep. The [Void Corruption] passive triggered instantly. The dragon shrieked, thrashing its head. Black veins spread from the eye socket, rotting the scales and flesh.

[-25,000! Critical!]

The dragon reared back, blinded and in agony. Alvian didn't let up. He jumped from the dragon's nose, spinning in the air. He brought the [Lance of the Void Winter] down in a sweeping arc.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]: Guillotine."

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