The vault door hissed open, revealing the final chamber of the Sub-Optimal Secrets. Inside, surrounded by shelves of ancient legal documents, stood Marcus Vance, Alistair Finch's former partner.
But this was not the sub-optimal man Kellan remembered. Vance's eyes burned with the unsettling green light of the dimension, and his body was subtly warped—enhanced with raw, unstable dimensional energy. He was the Terrestrial Guide.
"Kellan Thorne," Vance hissed, his voice layered with an inhuman, echoing texture. "You are an imperfection. We allowed Finch to steal your research because it was flawed, unstable. But you, the Apex's host, are a threat to the Optimal Disorder."
[Target: Marcus Vance (Dimensionally Possessed). Threat Level: Extreme (High Dimensional Energy Concentration). Sub-Optimal Point: The Dimensional Entity's dependence on the host's innate greed and fear.]
"You're not Vance," Kellan stated, walking slowly into the chamber, the Apex Scanner Rod ready. "You are a sub-optimal entity, using the remnants of a coward's soul as your anchor. You are still relying on Finch's failures."
"Silence! We are here to destroy the foundational documents of your pathetic Apex patent! Once gone, your entire empire is sub-optimal and meaningless!" Vance roared, projecting a massive, chaotic burst of green dimensional energy aimed at the shelves containing the legal archives.
Lyra reacted instantly. She slammed her hands down, projecting a massive wave of her Absolute Energy Control (AEC). The golden energy perfectly stabilized the chaotic green energy before it could touch the documents, freezing the blast inches from the shelves. The raw power of the clash made the ancient vault shudder.
"You rely on chaos," Lyra stated, her voice tight with effort. "I rely on perfection. Your energy is useless."
Kellan moved, not toward Vance, but toward the closest shelf of documents. He had to end this with intelligence, not power.
[Optimal Action: Exploit the entity's dimensional anchor within Vance's brain (Sub-Optimal Point: Right frontal lobe). Deploy Apex Shard Dust to separate the entity from the host, then use the Apex Scanner Rod for final acquisition.]
"You made a fundamental mistake," Kellan called out to the entity, his eyes focused on the faint green light pulsing in Vance's temple. "You chose a sub-optimal host. Vance's fear of Finch's wrath is the sub-optimal anchor that limits your power."
Kellan tossed a small handful of Apex Shard Dust into the air. The dust was inert to normal air, but it reacted violently to the chaotic dimensional energy saturating the vault. The air around Vance shimmered and seized up.
Vance screamed as the dust caused a localized dimensional allergy on the host body. The entity was temporarily stunned, separated from its control over Vance's physical form.
This was Kellan's chance. He jammed the Apex Scanner Rod directly into the glowing nexus point on Vance's head. The rod didn't destroy; it acquired.
[Acquisition in Progress! Target: Dimensional Entity Consciousness (Vance Host). Optimal Outcome: Entity Extracted. Host Subject Reduced to Optimal Sub-Optimal Status.]
The green light violently tore itself out of Marcus Vance's body, pulled directly into the Apex Scanner Rod. The entity was not killed; it was captured—its essence trapped within the Apex material.
Marcus Vance instantly collapsed, his skin turning a sickly gray, resembling Finch's final state. He was left alive, but vacant—a sub-optimal human shell, stripped of the dimensional power that gave him purpose.
[Processing Achievement: Dimensional Entity Acquisition. Experience Threshold Reached!]
[Optimal Insight Level Up! Optimal Insight (Level 4) Unlocked! New Function: Apex Prediction (Can calculate and view the entire sub-optimal action chain of multiple targets simultaneously).]
Kellan felt a massive surge of clarity. Level 4! The world was now a chessboard, and he could see every opponent's move three steps ahead.
"The entity is contained," Kellan announced, looking at the captured essence swirling in the Rod. "The documents are safe."
Lyra released her grip, the massive golden energy blast dissipating. She looked at Kellan, her eyes alight with fierce respect. "You won with logic, Kellan. You didn't even use physical force."
Kellan turned his cold gaze back to the twitching, sub-optimal body of Marcus Vance. The Final Vengeance Arc against the original betrayers was complete.
"Seraphina," Kellan said into the comms, his voice ringing with Level 4 authority. "Initiate the Finch/Vance Ultimate Penalty Protocol (as designed in the planning phase). Ensure they remain alive in a sub-optimal state of perpetual failure. They are now permanent Apex assets."
The Apex organization had survived the initial dimensional infiltration and crushed the remnants of the Finch/Vance betrayal. The path was clear for global expansion and the true war against the Optimal Disorder.