The final stretch into Solaria City was a surge of pure, focused adrenaline. I arrived under the cover of a massive midnight storm, slipping past the fortified perimeter walls like a drop of water through a sieve, thanks to my Silent Form.
The city was vast, chaotic, and brimming with power. The air was thick with the residue of Legendary artifacts—a constant, low hum of raw energy that made my own Epic Gauntlet feel, for the first time since the raid on Sola's Castle, small.
My immediate task was infiltration. The Solaria Grand Guild Headquarters was a colossal, obsidian fortress in the city center. It was guarded not by hired thugs, but by Rank S hunters—the best in the world.
I needed to secure initial intelligence and a safehouse without registering with the local guild—a direct violation of their iron-clad rules.
The encounter came sooner than expected. While traversing a crowded, darkened alley near the Guild perimeter, I ran directly into a territorial dispute. Two Rank A hunters—identifiable by their gleaming, unique Epic artifacts—were cornering a lone, young street vendor.
One of the hunters noticed me. He sneered, recognizing the power I exuded despite my common appearance.
"Well, look here," the hunter growled, cracking his knuckles. "A fresh Epic hunter wandering into my alley. Hand over your artifact, boy. Solaria takes a tax on all newcomers."
The Adrenaline surged, not from fear, but from the immense satisfaction of finally facing a real challenge on my own terms. These men were arrogant, relying on their predictable Rank A power structure.
I didn't answer. I didn't waste a second.
I activated my Epic Gauntlet's full Lich Soulfire offense and my Shadow Step defense simultaneously.
In a move that defied human reaction time, I Shadow Steppedbehind the nearest hunter, ignoring his partner. I then channeled a Soulfire Lance—a searing, scarlet bolt—not at his heart, but at his Epic-rank artifact.
The hunter shrieked in surprise as the Soulfire, designed to consume arcane bonds, hit his weapon. The Epic artifact, a massive war-axe, shattered instantly into glowing dust.
The second hunter, utterly shocked, fumbled for his own artifact.
"This is not a fight," I announced, my voice cold and resonating with power. "This is a demonstration."
I released a massive, localized Kinetic Pulse (Gorgon Essence) that slammed into the chest of the second hunter. The force was so immense, so focused, that it didn't kill him, but it shattered his ribs and launched him backward through a brick wall, knocking him unconscious.
The first hunter, terrified and disarmed, stood frozen.
"The Solaria Grand Guild is now aware of my presence," I told the disarmed man. "Tell your Grand Master that the rules are broken. Tell him Dax Jackal is here to dismantle his system."
I left the alley and used the chaos of the ruined wall to make my final escape. My blood was singing with the Adrenaline of true, unchained power. The fight was the perfect opening gambit. I had announced my arrival by destroying two Rank A reputations in seconds and violating their sacred territory.
The Grand Guild would now hunt me, but I had the initiative. The game of global power had begun, and I was holding all the cards.