The Core Chamber was vast, a spherical hollow carved out of the island's bedrock. The walls were lined with thousands of pulsating bio-cables, all feeding into the center. But it wasn't a machine in the center. It was a throne.

A throne constructed from the fused bones of dimensional beasts and the twisted metal of ancient artifacts. And sitting upon it was Subject Zero.

It—he—was humanoid, but only in the vaguest sense. He stood at least nine feet tall, his skin a translucent alabaster that revealed shifting black veins beneath. A halo of corrupted red mana floated behind his head, and massive, asymmetrical wings made of shadow and bone draped over the throne. His face was a mask of perfection, handsome and terrible, but his eyes were voids of swirling chaos.

Alvian narrowed his eyes. He recognized the face. It was distorted, aged, and corrupted, but the features were unmistakable.

"Arthur," Valeria whispered, her voice choking with horror. "The Student Council President... He went missing a year ago. The Academy said he graduated early."

The figure on the throne stirred. He opened his eyes, and the red light in the room intensified.

"Arthur..." the entity spoke, his voice a chorus of a thousand screaming souls overlaid with a smooth, charismatic baritone. "A name from a small life. I have outgrown it."

Alvian activated his analysis immediately.

┌──────[ Boss Profile ]──────┐

│ Name: Subject Zero (Arthur)

│ Level: 45

│ Status: Demon God Host / Perfected Chimera

│ Threat Level: Calamity (Low)

│

│ Description: The pinnacle of the Syndicate's research. A human soul fused

│ with the genetic material of a Demon God and powered by the planetary core.

└─────────────────────────┘

"Level 45," Alvian muttered. "And Calamity class. This is going to be expensive."

Subject Zero stood up. As he did, the cables connected to his spine detached with wet, sucking sounds. He didn't bleed; instead, pure liquid mana leaked from the ports before sealing instantly.

"You are the Anomaly," Subject Zero said, looking down at Alvian with mild curiosity. "The one who killed the Avatar of Engels. My... predecessor."

"Your predecessor was a finger," Alvian corrected, stepping forward. "You are just a puppet made of meat."

Subject Zero smiled. It was a terrifying expression that split his face too wide.

"A puppet? No. I am the Evolution. The Syndicate sought a weapon, but they created a King."

He raised a hand. The air in the chamber twisted.

"Kneel."

"BOOM!"

Gravity increased tenfold instantly. The floor plates buckled. Valeria cried out as she was forced to one knee, her armor creaking under the strain.

Alvian didn't kneel.

[Passive: Terra-Form]

[Status: Active. Density Increased.]

Alvian stood tall, his boots sinking an inch into the steel floor, but his posture remained unbroken. His [Physique: 110] combined with the earth essence made him as heavy as a mountain.

"Gravity magic," Alvian scoffed. "Inefficient."

He disappeared.

"[Shadow Step]."

Alvian reappeared directly in front of Subject Zero, the Lance thrusting toward the creature's heart.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]!"

The beam of black ice shot forward.

Subject Zero didn't dodge. He caught the lance tip.

With his bare hand.

"CLANG!"

A shockwave ripped through the room, shattering the glass of distant stasis tanks.

Alvian's eyes widened slightly. His strength was 135. With the lance's momentum, the impact force should have pulverized steel.

Subject Zero held the weapon firm, his skin sizzling as the Void Frost tried to eat his flesh, but his regeneration outpaced the damage.

"Is that all?" Subject Zero whispered.

He punched Alvian.

It was a simple jab. But it carried the weight of the planetary core.

"BANG!"

Alvian was launched backward. He flew across the entire length of the chamber, crashing through a pillar of machinery and slamming into the far wall.

[-4,500 HP!]

"Alvian!" Valeria screamed. She forced herself up, fighting the gravity. "[Titan's Roar]!"

A golden shockwave erupted from her, breaking the gravity field for a split second. She charged Subject Zero, her claymore glowing.

Subject Zero didn't even look at her. He flicked his wrist. A tendril of shadow shot from his back, slamming into Valeria and pinning her against the floor.

"Wait your turn, little knight," Subject Zero said dismissively. He looked toward the dust cloud where Alvian had landed. "I want to see if the Godslayer can bleed."

From the rubble, a figure walked out. Alvian dusted off his [Vestments of the Void Monarch]. The armor had absorbed most of the impact, but his chest ached.

He spat a glob of blood onto the floor.

"Good," Alvian said, a cold, predatory light igniting in his eyes. "I was worried you would break too easily."

He gripped his lance with both hands. The [Tear of the Infinite] inside his chest began to spin, pumping mana at a rate that made the air around him distort.

"Let's test the limits of your regeneration."

The air in the Core Chamber vibrated with a low, menacing hum. On one side stood Subject Zero, a monstrosity of science and dark magic, radiating a crimson aura of corruption. On the other stood Alvian, a beacon of violet frost and void energy, his mana pool overflowing like a broken dam.

"System," Alvian commanded internally. "Max output. [Solar Cycle] overdrive."

[Ding! Mana Regeneration: 4,500 MP/sec.]

[Warning! Mana density reaching critical levels.]

"Do it."

Alvian didn't charge this time. He raised his free hand toward the ceiling.

"[Frost Descent +2]: Orbital Array."

He didn't cast one blizzard. He cast ten.

Ten distinct magic circles appeared in the air above Subject Zero, overlapping and spinning in opposite directions.

"Drop."

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Pillars of absolute zero cold slammed down, one after another. It wasn't a storm; it was an orbital bombardment of ice. The temperature in the room plummeted to -150 degrees instantly.

Subject Zero roared, crossing his arms to block. The ice hammered against him, freezing his skin, shattering, and freezing it again.

[-2,500!]

[-2,800!]

[-3,000!]

The damage numbers flowed like a river. But his health bar barely moved.

[Target HP: 98%]

"Annoying," Alvian muttered.

Subject Zero flexed his wings. A pulse of red heat exploded outward, shattering the ice pillars.

"You fight with tricks," Subject Zero sneered. He vanished.

He was faster than sound. He appeared behind Alvian, claws extended.

"SLASH!"

Alvian activated [Runic Aegis +2]. Fourteen runes swarmed to his back.

"CRACK!"

Subject Zero's claws tore through seven runes instantly. The reactive force detonated, blasting him back, but he absorbed the damage with a barrier of red mana.

[-6,000! True Damage!]

"He takes the true damage but heals it instantly," Alvian noted, sliding back. "He has an external mana source."

Alvian looked at the floor. The cables underneath. He was still drawing power from the Academy's core wirelessly.

"Valeria!" Alvian shouted over the comms. "Cut the floor! Sever the connection!"

Valeria, pinned by the shadow tendril, gritted her teeth. She grabbed the shadow with her gauntleted hand.

"GET... OFF... ME!"

She activated her [Titan Bloodline] to its limit. Her muscles bulged, tearing her undersuit. She ripped the shadow tendril apart with brute strength.

She scrambled to her feet and raised her claymore.

"TITAN'S EARTHQUAKE!"

She didn't aim for the boss. She drove her sword into the ground with everything she had.

"RUMBLE!"

The steel floor buckled. The concrete beneath shattered. The hidden cables embedded in the foundation snapped, sparking violently.

Subject Zero flinched. The red halo behind his head flickered.

"Insolent insects!" Subject Zero roared. He abandoned Alvian and dove toward Valeria.

"Oh no you don't," Alvian whispered.

"[Shadow Step]."

Alvian intercepted him mid-air.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]: Point Blank."

He drove the lance into Subject Zero's chest.

"THUD!"

The impact stopped the boss's charge. They crashed into the ground together, rolling through debris.

Subject Zero grabbed Alvian's throat. Alvian grabbed Subject Zero's horn.

They were locked in a grapple.

"I will consume you!" Subject Zero hissed, his mouth opening to reveal rows of shark-like teeth. A vortex of suction appeared in his throat. [Soul Eater].

"Try it," Alvian challenged.

He activated [Klaus's Upgrade].

[Ding! Blessing Active.]

Alvian didn't use an attack skill. He used his transformation.

"System. Activate [Frost Heart]: Avatar State."

"BOOM!"

A pillar of blue light exploded from Alvian, blowing the roof off the chamber.

Wings of frozen starlight unfurled, knocking Subject Zero back. Alvian rose into the air, his skin turning into diamond-hard ice, a crown of frost manifesting on his brow.

[Status: Avatar of the Frost Monarch]

[Mana: Infinite]

[Cooldowns: -80%]

Alvian looked down at the demon-human hybrid.

"You call yourself a King?" Alvian's voice echoed, layered with divine authority. "You are just a battery with an ego."

Alvian pointed his lance.

"[Glacial Void Pierce]."

But with 80% cooldown reduction and infinite mana, it wasn't a single beam.

He fired it like a machine gun.

"PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!"

Hundreds of beams of black ice rained down. Subject Zero danced through the storm, deflecting and dodging, but the sheer volume of fire was overwhelming.

The Core Chamber turned into a light show of violet and red.

Subject Zero roared, realizing he was being pushed back. He slammed his hands together.

"[Demon God Art: Blood Moon Domain]!"

The room turned red. The shadows came alive, grabbing at Alvian's wings. Gravity inverted.

The two Avatars clashed in the center of the room, creating shockwaves that threatened to bring the entire Academy down on their heads.

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