Chapter 13: The Abyssal Trench – War Drums in the Deep
The air in the Alliance jet was thick with the hum of high-grade mana-turbines and the silent tension of three generations of Tamers. Master Silas sat at a holographic tactical table, maps of the Abyssal Trench—a scar on the ocean floor ten miles deep—flickering in ghostly blue.
"The Vance Foundation isn't just a company anymore," Silas said, his voice grave. "They've mobilized a private army of 'Augmented Tamers'—men whose souls have been fused with machine-interfaces to force-control their beasts. It's an abomination."
[SYSTEM: War Preparation Mode Activated.]
[Strategic Analysis: Vance Foundation Forces]
Vanguard: 500 Augmented Iron-Raptors.
Defense: Underwater Sonic-Emitter Grid (Fatal to non-Void pets).
The 'God' Project: 85% Completion.
The Sovereign's Armory
Leo sat in the back of the hold, his white hair glowing with a faint violet light. He wasn't just resting; he was using the System Shop to spend the massive bounty of points from the Trial Tower.
"Sam, take these," Leo said, handing his friend three shimmering vials. "Draconic Bone-Marrow Elixir. It will temporarily grant your Raptor the 'Ancient Dragon Scale' buff. It's the only way he'll survive the pressure at 30,000 feet."
[SYSTEM: Shop Purchase Complete!]
'Void-Shell Plating' (Grade-A): Equipped to Nova.
'Nine-Tail Elemental Catalyst': Equipped to Amber.
'Sovereign's War-Banner': A temporary domain-buff for all allies.
"I'm ready, Leo," Samuel said, his Primal Earth-Dragon King let out a low, vibrating growl that shook the jet's floor. "If they want a war, we'll give them a catastrophe."
The Descent into Darkness
The jet transformed, its wings folding into sleek fins as it breached the ocean surface. They dived. The blue water turned to navy, then to a crushing, absolute black.
[WARNING: Entering SSS-Rank Zone: The Abyssal Trench.]
[Environmental Effect: Absolute Pressure. Mana-Regen -50%.]
"Nova, Astro-Shield: Void Bubble!" Leo commanded.
The Void-Aegis Sovereign (Nova) pulsed. Her shell, now a gateway to the void, didn't just block the water; it erased the concept of pressure in a 50-meter radius around the ship.
Suddenly, lights flickered in the dark. Hundreds of them.
"Incoming!" Kaelin's voice crackled over the comms—Leo's sister had joined the fray with a fleet of Heart Guild sub-fighters. "They've deployed the Mechanical Leviathans!"
The First Salvo: Fire in the Deep
The battle began with a roar that could be felt through the hull. The Vance Foundation's augmented beasts surged forward, their eyes glowing with that same artificial purple light.
"Amber, Amaterasu's Wrath: Underwater Flare!"
The Celestial Nine-Tail Kitsune leaped from the ship's hangar. Despite being underwater, her white flames burned even brighter, fueled by pure spiritual essence. She became a streak of white light, carving through the mechanical armor of the enemy's leviathans.
"Toro, Continental Shift: Trench Wall!"
Samuel's Earth-Dragon King slammed its massive obsidian wings together. The tectonic plates of the trench floor groaned and rose, creating massive stone pillars that crushed the enemy's formation and blocked their sonic-emitters.
The Shadow of the Pseudo-God
As they broke through the final defensive line, a massive underwater dome came into view—the Vance Research Sanctum. Inside the dome, a terrifying silhouette loomed.
It was a creature made of liquid silver and dragon-bone, its heart glowing with a familiar, pulsing violet light: The First Fragment of the Void-Heart.
[Eye of Truth: CRITICAL DANGER]
[Target: Project Deus-Vance (Pseudo-God Form)]
[Current Power: Peak Grade-S]
[Note: It is using the Void-Heart as an infinite battery.]
"Leo Heart..." Lord Vance's voice echoed through the water via telepathic broadcast. "You are too late. The 'God' has tasted the Heart. It no longer needs a Tamer. It only needs... a sacrifice."
The dome shattered as the Pseudo-God surged outward, its mere presence causing the water around it to boil.
"Kael," Leo whispered, his hand on his wrist. "It's time. Show them why the Void cannot be caged."
The Void-Dragon Prince uncoiled from Leo's wrist, growing from a small snake into a thirty-foot-long celestial dragon in a matter of seconds. His roar didn't make a sound, but the entire trench trembled.
"This isn't a tournament anymore, Vance," Leo's voice boomed through the deep. "This is the end of your foundation."