Val stood, his gaze piercing through the darkened battlefield, eyes trained on the Serpentine Syndicate leader. Her earlier bravado had waned, and beneath the malice, a glint of fear flashed across her face as she stared into the depths of his masked visage.

In HQ, the tension was palpable. The monitors flickered back on, catching every movement as Val stepped forward, a slow, measured approach that made even the hardened leaders back at HQ shift in their seats.

She raised her chin defiantly, snarling. "You think you can take me on alone, ARM user?" Her fingers crackled with dark energy, coiling like venomous smoke.

Val didn't respond with words. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, the faintest shift in his posture hinting at an unbreakable confidence. His silence was more unsettling than any threat.

Bo, Riggs, and Fon stood at the ready, watching Val closely through the mind link. Val's voice finally echoed in their minds, low and calm.

Hold your positions. I'll handle her myself.

But the command from HQ quickly broke in. Umbra, proceed with caution. She's not your usual enemy. The team should assist first.

A quiet frustration flashed across Val's gaze as he heard HQ's directive. Understood.

With a silent nod, he signaled his team. Bo, Riggs, and Fon, each exchanged quick glances, steeling themselves before moving forward to engage the enemy.

The Serpentine Syndicate leader let out a guttural growl as she conjured her dark energy once more, her hands lacing with volatile power that hissed and snapped.

"Think you're clever, sending your minions after me?" She sneered, her voice dripping with venom as she took a threatening step toward Bo.

Bo glared back, his voice a sharp retort. "Minions? You're in for a surprise, lady."

He struck first, sending a brutal wave of ice crashing forward, the ground cracking and freezing beneath her feet. Her steps faltered as her balance shifted, her face twisting in frustration as the biting cold surged through the battlefield.

Riggs moved next, a vortex of wind swirling at his command. "Time to pin her down!" he shouted, sending a powerful gust that whipped up debris and forced her to brace against the barrage.

"You think your tricks can stop me?" she spat, raising a hand to unleash her dark energy, but Fon was faster, slamming his fists into the ground and manipulating the earth beneath her.

The ground trembled and shifted, splitting open beneath her with a resounding crash that sent shivers through HQ's speakers. She staggered, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden upheaval.

From the command room, the sounds of her curses, mixed with the powerful clashes of energy, reverberated through the live feed, filling the space with a visceral intensity that left the onlookers wide-eyed.

One of the allied commanders leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the screen. "The team's... They're holding her off, but at this rate—"

The leader of the Serpentine Syndicate hissed, her expression turning deadly. "Enough of these games!" Her energy surged, dark tendrils spiraling outward in a violent burst, colliding with the ice, wind, and earth, sending all three of Val's team members stumbling back.

Bo grunted as he hit the ground, muttering a frustrated, "Damn it!" as he pushed himself up. Riggs clenched his fists, his wind swirling around him with renewed determination.

Fon spat into the dust, a steely glint in his eyes. "Alright, enough nice guy shit."

She laughed coldly, seeing their momentary disarray as her victory. "You fools should've known better than to cross me."

Her dark energy built, gathering around her like a storm as she prepared to strike.

But Val's voice, sharp and clear, cut through the mind link. Stand down.

Bo and the others stilled, their breathing heavy but steady as they shifted back, eyes trained on Val's every movement.

The Serpentine Syndicate leader's laugh turned brittle. "Afraid, ARM user?"

Val moved forward, his steps eerily calm, a deadly confidence radiating from him as he closed the distance to the Serpentine Syndicate leader. Her face twisted with rage and shock, the golden serpent tattoos on her arms seeming to writhe as her dark energy surged, filling the air with a palpable malevolence.

"Afraid?" Val's voice was low, cutting through the tense air. "Not at all. Just giving you the courtesy of fighting my team first. But this is where your luck runs out."

The leaders at HQ watched in silence, tension building as Val took his stance. A few murmurs of concern rose, but Dr. Lewis's steady gaze never left the screen.

The leader sneered, raising her hands. "You think you can handle this?" Her dark energy intensified, filling the air with a thick, oppressive weight that seemed to warp and twist the surroundings.

Val's lips curled slightly beneath his mask. "More than you could ever handle."

And in a blur of movement, he was on her.

The HQ fell into a shocked silence as the feed displayed Val's rapid, precise strikes. Each movement was lethal, an assassin's fluidity mixed with the power of his newfound abilities. His hands struck with pinpoint accuracy, each blow disrupting her focus, scattering the dark energy before it could take form.

She gasped, stumbling back, her guard faltering under his unrelenting assault. "What… how—?"

Val's gaze was unyielding. "You don't get to question this. You only get to fall."

She staggered, and he drove her back further, his strikes resounding through the battlefield. The sharp crack of each impact echoed back to HQ, sending chills through the allied leaders watching. Val's speed was unnerving; his movements were too fast, too calculated. It was as if he could see her every move before she even made it.

She cursed, swinging her arm to release a shockwave of dark energy, desperate to push him back.

But Val sidestepped, his heightened perception allowing him to anticipate her moves with ease. He moved in again, closing the gap, his strikes hammering against her defenses like relentless thunder, every punch fracturing her aura.

"Damn you!" she screamed, desperation leaking into her voice.

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In HQ, a strategist murmured, "He's... he's toying with her."

But Dr. Lewis shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "No, he's calculating her every move. He's dissecting her, piece by piece."

On the battlefield, Val's gaze turned steely, and a flicker of violet fire sparked in his eyes—a glimmer of his family's infamous Purple Fire, unseen by most, yet unmistakable. Without hesitation, he let the fire surge through him, his hands igniting with the ethereal, purple flames.

The leader of the syndicate was panting, her once-confident stance reduced to one of desperation. Her dark energy was flickering, fading, struggling against Val's unyielding onslaught.

And then, with a final, swift motion, Val struck a lethal blow, his hand moving so fast it was a blur. She staggered, clutching her side, blood seeping through her fingers.

The sight struck fear into the hearts of those watching. In HQ, murmurs erupted as the allied officials took in the live feed, disbelief mingling with a sudden sense of dread.

"Purple fire… that's… that's not ordinary," one official whispered, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and terror.

Dr. Lewis, however, remained stone-faced, knowing all too well the power Val wielded, though he said nothing, allowing the allied leaders to draw their own conclusions.

Back on the battlefield, Val's hands blazed with the purple flames, casting an eerie glow across his masked face. He lunged at her, the flames trailing his every move, leaving searing streaks in the air. The syndicate leader's eyes widened as his fiery fists collided with her dark energy, the two powers clashing violently.

Her shield cracked, a fissure of energy splitting apart under the force of Val's fire-infused strike. She screamed, stumbling back as her own dark energy seemed to recoil, unable to withstand the onslaught of the purple flames.

"You… what are you?" she gasped, her voice laced with panic. "You're not human."

Val said nothing, letting the flames speak for him. He lunged forward, fists blazing as he unleashed a wave of fire that seared through her dark energy. Her aura cracked, breaking apart under the relentless assault, her voice rising in a panicked scream.

"Damn you!" she screeched, her own energy surging in desperation, emitting a high-pitched hum as it fought against the Purple Fire.

Sparks flew as the two forces clashed, each crackling impact sending shockwaves through the ground beneath them. Stones rattled and fractured, and the air was thick with the smell of burning.

"You're not the only one with tricks!" she snarled, summoning a denser, more sinister darkness around her. Her aura pulsed, vibrating like a war drum, filling the battlefield with an ominous resonance.

Val tilted his head, unaffected by her display. "Your darkness is weak compared to the Void."

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Void alongside the Purple Fire, a swirling vortex of shadows merging with the flames. The energy collided with her darkness, creating a sonic boom that rattled the windows of the surrounding structures.

HQ's live feed picked up the reverberating clash, each blow echoing through the speakers and leaving a haunting silence in its wake.

She grit her teeth, rage burning in her eyes. "You think I'll let some masked ARM user take me down?"

Val's gaze hardened, and he threw a spiraling wave of purple and black fire that crashed into her shield with a bone-rattling impact. The flames clawed at her defenses, consuming the darkness with a violent, hissing roar.

"What the—!" She staggered, clutching her side as the fire scorched through her aura. The flames licked at her skin, and her twisted scream filled the battlefield.

In HQ, the officials winced, some even backing away from the screens as if feeling the burn of Val's attack themselves, some have watched in stunned silence. Their eyes flicked between the feed and each other, unsettled by the revelation of Val's dual abilities. Seeing both the Void and the Purple Fire emanating from him left a psychological impact that none of them could shake.

"Two powers… who is this man?" one general whispered, shaking his head.

General Luis leaned forward, expression unchanging. "Precisely who we needed."

On the battlefield, the syndicate leader stumbled, clutching her arm, her golden tattoos flickering as her energy wavered. She glared at Val, defiance still simmering in her gaze despite the terror seeping through her composure.

"You may have fire," she spat, her voice trembling, "but let's see you handle this."

And with a wild scream, she summoned a black aura that writhed like a living thing, twisting into serpentine tendrils that coiled around her, amplifying her power. The dark energy twisted and pulsed, filling the air with an almost tangible malevolence.

Val's eyes narrowed as he felt the familiar cold of the Void creeping closer. His senses, still heightened from the third seal, caught every shift, every flicker in her aura.

"Think you're strong enough to wield that?" Val taunted, his voice echoing with a dark amusement. He raised his hands, letting the Purple Fire and the Void meld, a delicate balance of two forces that only he, with his unique abilities, could control.

She hesitated, but only for a moment before lunging at him, her dark energy crashing forward like a tidal wave. Val met it head-on, releasing a surge of power that sent a shockwave reverberating across the battlefield, rattling the stone structures and sending a cloud of dust into the air.

His voice carrying over the crackling energy. "Your time is over. All that's left is the fall."

The leader snarled, her defiance still smoldering as she drew on the last of her energy, her aura flaring wildly in a final desperate attempt to shield herself. Dark tendrils coiled around her body, pulsing and hissing, drowning out every other sound.

With one last surge, she hurled the darkness toward him, a wave of shadowed force meant to consume everything in its path.

Val's lips curved in a faint, mocking smile. "Pathetic."

Val lunged forward and his strikes continued with unrelenting force, each blow a thunderous impact that fractured the syndicate leader's dark energy shield piece by piece.

She staggered, barely able to keep her guard up as the eerie purple flames and the Void swirled around her, tearing through her defenses. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, and a glimmer of fear finally flickered in her eyes.

Just as she attempted to rally the last remnants of her strength, Val paused. With a flick of his wrist, he discreetly cut off his Mind Link, severing the audio connection to HQ.

In the command room, the sudden silence over the link created an instant stir among the watching officials.

One of the commanders leaned forward, frowning. "Why has the audio gone silent? Is the link compromised?"

General Luis lifted a hand in calm assurance, his expression unreadable. "Likely interference from the high energy levels in the field. Visual is still up; let's maintain our observation."

Back on the battlefield, Val moved forward, his presence casting a cold, inescapable shadow over the leader. She was on her knees now, gasping, her dark aura flickering in unstable wisps around her. Before she could react, Val gripped her by the back of her head, forcing her gaze upward as he bent down, his voice a deadly whisper meant only for her ears.

"You should have never touched something you can't handle." His grip tightened as her eyes widened in terror. "Hades' Wrath, Black Lotus… we know what you're after. And you can be sure… they're next."

Recognition and horror flashed in her eyes as the truth hit her—a realization that there would be no chance to warn the others, no time to relay the danger now descending upon them. Her lips parted, a stifled gasp escaping as the weight of her defeat settled in, but it was already too late.

Her final, desperate attempt to speak was silenced as Val's eyes glowed, the Void and Purple Fire merging in his hand. With chilling precision, he drove the combined force into her core, igniting her aura in a violet and black blaze. Her scream pierced the air, a high, haunting wail that echoed across the broken cityscape before fading to silence.

In HQ, tension mounted as the audio feed remained off, leaving the officials watching in uneasy silence. A few exchanged anxious glances, muttering to one another.

One officer leaned toward General Luis, voice tight with concern. "There's no audio—should we investigate further?"

General Luis waved off the question, his tone steady. "The audio was likely disrupted by the clash of powers. Let's allow them to finish the operation."

Dr. Lewis's gaze remained fixed on the feed, an unreadable expression shadowing his face, though a slight glint of pride flickered in his eyes as he watched Val's merciless precision.

Back on the battlefield, Val released the smoldering remains of the leader's aura, standing over her fallen form as silence reclaimed the night. He reactivated his Mind Link, allowing the audio feed to reconnect just as he turned away from the leader's crumpled form.

In HQ, murmurs rose as the sound returned, though no one questioned the brief interruption further. Val's voice, cold and resolute, crackled over the link.

Target neutralized. Moving to secure the perimeter.

A ripple of relief washed through the command room, but an undeniable tension lingered. Though the syndicate leader had fallen, it was clear to all that this battle had stirred something deeper, a force that would echo far beyond the walls of Clareo.

With the leader's final defeat, the operation concluded, and Val's team regrouped, their silent efficiency a testament to the unyielding bond that made them more than a team—an unbreakable force guided by a purpose few could understand.

But in the shadows cast by this victory, an ominous truth loomed: Hades' Wrath and Black Lotus would be next, whether they knew it or not.