Ignis stared at him. He saw the look in Alvian's eyes. It wasn't the look of a politician. It was the look of the man who had frozen a Dragon God. It was the look of a killer.

Ignis's magma skin dimmed. He looked at Shui. The water woman looked terrified.

"We..." Ignis swallowed hard. "We submit."

"Good," Alvian said, turning back to the map. "Kincaid, take their keys. Valeria, integrate their troops. We have a lot of work to do."

As the defeated Governors were led away, Seraphina whistled.

"Ruthless," she whispered. "Oceanus was right. You really are a tyrant."

"I'm a survivor," Alvian corrected, zooming in on the map. He pointed to the edge of the city, where the ocean floor dropped away into the infinite darkness of the open sea.

"The Syndicate failed here," Alvian said. "But they are still out there. And the Draconic Legion... the ones we killed were just the vanguard. The real army is still sleeping."

He looked at his friends.

"We have secured the city. But the world is still burning. We have six months before the Convergence finishes what the Syndicate started. We need to be ready."

He clenched his fist over the hologram.

"The tutorial is over. Now, we hunt.

The Council Chamber of the Royal Palace, usually a place of hushed whispers and subtle political maneuvering, was currently vibrating with the volume of shouting. The heavy doors were sealed, but the tension seeped through the cracks like cold water.

Alvian sat on the throne of coral and pearl. He didn't slouch, nor did he pose. He sat with the absolute stillness of a predator waiting for movement. In his hand, the [Heart of Azureus] pulsed with a rhythmic, soft blue light, syncing with the defensive wards of the city. He wasn't just sitting in a chair; he was plugged into the nervous system of the metropolis.

Below the dais, the remnants of the Council of Seven stood in varying states of agitation. Sarkos, the Hammerhead King, was silent, nursing his bruised pride and the knowledge that Alvian could crush him with a thought. The Crab Lord was cowering. But two figures stood defiant.

Lord Ignis of the Industrial District, a towering man whose skin looked like cooling basalt with veins of magma, slammed a fist onto the table. The stone sizzled at his touch.

"You cannot simply commandeer my district!" Ignis roared, his voice like grinding tectonic plates. "The Foundry belongs to the Fire Genasi. It is our ancestral home. We process the heat that keeps this underwater city from freezing! You are a surface-dweller. You do not understand the delicate balance!"

Beside him stood Lady Shui of the Deep District. She was a Water Elemental, her form fluid and shifting, holding a shape that was vaguely female but entirely hostile.

"And my district controls the filtration and sewage," Shui hissed, her voice sounding like rushing water. "We control the air scrubbers. If we shut down, Azureus suffocates in its own waste within six hours. You may hold the title of High Marshall, Alvian, but we hold the life support."

Alvian looked at them. His violet eyes were devoid of emotion. He didn't see political leaders defending their rights. He saw obstacles. He saw variables that were threatening the efficiency of his war preparations.

"I am not asking for ownership," Alvian said, his voice not loud, yet cutting through their shouting effortlessly. "I am demanding integration. The Draconic Legion is gathering. My scouts report that the main force will arrive in less than forty-eight hours. When they do, they won't care about your ancestral rights or your profit margins. They will eat you."

"Let them come!" Ignis bellowed. "My thermal barriers are impenetrable! The Industrial District can stand alone!"

"We will not submit our resources to a dictator," Shui added, her form rippling with agitation. "We declare neutrality. The Deep District closes its borders."

Alvian stood up. The movement was small, but the pressure in the room spiked. The [Heart of Azureus] flared.

"Neutrality is not an option," Alvian stated. "There is only the Void Sanctum, or there is the enemy."

He manipulated the holographic map hovering above the table. He zoomed in on the Industrial and Deep Districts.

"I am giving you one hour," Alvian said. "Surrender command of your local garrisons to General Valeria. Link your power grids to the central palace node. If you do not, I will classify you as hostile combatants."

"You wouldn't dare," Ignis sneered, smoke rising from his shoulders. "If you attack us, I will overload the thermal vents. I will turn the water in this city into steam. I will boil everyone alive!"

"And I will reverse the filtration flow," Shui threatened. "I will pump toxins into the residential districts."

Hostages. They were holding the population hostage.

"Inefficient," Alvian whispered.

"Get out," Alvian ordered, pointing to the door. "One hour."

Ignis and Shui stormed out, their guards trailing behind them. The heavy doors slammed shut, leaving a ringing silence in the chamber.

Alvian turned to Valeria, who was standing by the pillar, her hand resting on the hilt of her claymore. She looked tired. The battles of the last few days had taken their toll, but her eyes were clear.

"They're going to do it, aren't they?" Valeria asked softly. "They're going to sabotage the city."

"They are bluffing about the suicide pact," Alvian analyzed. "Tyrants love power too much to die. But they will use the threat to force a negotiation."

"And you don't negotiate," Valeria noted with a small smile.

"Negotiation takes time," Alvian said, walking down the steps of the dais. "And time is the one resource we don't have."

They walked out of the throne room and onto the grand balcony overlooking the city. Below, the plaza was packed with citizens. Merfolk, Naga, and humans crowded together, their faces turned upward, looking for reassurance. They had seen the sky crack open. They had seen the Red Rain. They were terrified.

As Alvian stepped onto the balcony, a roar went up from the crowd. It wasn't entirely a cheer. It was a mix of desperate hope and angry confusion.

"Save us!"

"Where is Lord Oceanus?"

"Food! We need food!"

The mob surged forward, pressing against the line of Vanguard knights holding the palace steps. The situation was volatile. One wrong move, one spark, and the city would tear itself apart before the dragons even arrived.

Alvian stepped forward to speak, but Valeria moved in front of him.

"Let me," she said.

She didn't use a spell. She used her presence. She activated [Titan's Aura], not for combat, but for command. A warm, golden light radiated from her armor, washing over the front rows of the mob. It wasn't aggressive; it was stabilizing.

"CITIZENS OF AZUREUS!" Valeria's voice rang out, clear and strong. "Oceanus fell defending you! He held the line against a God! Now, High Marshall Alvian holds that line!"

The crowd quieted, drawn to her light.

"We are not abandoning you," Valeria continued, taking off her helmet. Her hair spilled out, matted with sweat but shining in the city lights. She looked like a warrior queen. "We are fortifying. We are preparing. But we need you to be strong. We need you to trust us. Go to the shelters! Ration your supplies! The Vanguard stands between you and the dark!"

She raised her fist. The Vanguard knights below slammed their shields in unison. "HOORAH!"

The tension broke. The mob began to disperse, moving toward the designated shelters with a semblance of order.

Alvian watched her. He saw the way her shoulders slumped slightly once the crowd turned away, the exhaustion she was hiding from everyone else. He stepped up beside her.

"You're good at that," Alvian said. "Inspiring people."

"Someone has to be," Valeria replied, leaning against the railing. She looked at him. "You scare them, Alvian. You save them, but you scare them. They need to know there's a human behind the monster."

Alvian looked at his hand, encased in the black gauntlet of the Void Monarch. "Being a monster is efficient."

Valeria reached out. She placed her hand over his. Her gauntlet was cold metal, but he could feel the warmth of her hand underneath. She squeezed.

"I don't need a monster," she whispered. "I need an unbreakable wall. I need my partner."

Alvian looked at her. For a moment, the calculations stopped. The timers paused. He turned his hand over, interlacing his fingers with hers.

"I am unbreakable," Alvian said. "Because you are watching my back."

The moment held for a heartbeat, a fragile peace in the eye of the storm. Then, the [Heart of Azureus] vibrated in his inventory.

[System Alert! Energy spike detected in Sector 1.]

[Thermal levels rising rapidly.]

[Governor Ignis has engaged the lockout protocol.]

Alvian pulled his hand away. The cold mask slid back into place.

"He didn't wait the hour," Alvian said, his eyes glowing violet. "He's accelerating the timeline."

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