I had achieved Epic-Echelon 2 power by consuming the Storm Titan Core, a clear statement of war delivered in the form of a million-volt robbery. My presence in Solaria City was now impossible to ignore. I had anticipated a full-scale military hunt; instead, I received an invitation.
The message arrived hours after my retreat from the Guild compound, delivered not by a soldier, but by a single, frail-looking Rank B messenger. The parchment was sealed with the Grand Guild's highest mark, the Sunburst Rune.
The message was brief and chillingly formal:
Dax Jackal.
Your exceptional ability to breach our defenses and acquire the Titan Essence has been noted. Such talent is wasted on petty theft. We require a comprehensive accounting of your unique essence mastery.
You are invited to a private audience with the Grand Master tonight at midnight, in the Throne Room of the Solaria Headquarters. Come alone. We await your decision.
— Grand Master Theron.
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The Invitation was not an act of surrender; it was a trap disguised as an alliance. Grand Master Theron was not interested in punishing me; he was interested in owning me. He had seen the clean, surgical efficiency of my theft and recognized a weapon far too valuable to waste.
My past life experience confirmed this: the Grand Guilds rarely killed power. They consumed it. They wanted to dissect my Epic Gauntlet's fusion process, replicate my success, and turn me into their ultimate private asset.
My new philosophy, however, dictated that the best defense was to maintain unpredictable control. I could not afford to be dissected, but I also could not afford to ignore this. Confrontation was inevitable, but a direct assault was strategically sounder than a prolonged hunt.
I made the final preparations, equipping myself not only with the Epic Gauntlet and its new Storm Titan power but also with the final card I had purchased: a rare Mana Bomb contingency stored in my Shadow Locket Ring.
---
At precisely midnight, I approached the Solaria Grand Guild Headquarters. I didn't use Silent Form or Shadow Step. I walked through the main gate, letting the Epic Gauntlet pulse with visible, aggressive scarlet and white arcs of energy.
The outer courtyard was filled with silent Rank A and Rank S hunters—the security detail. Their eyes were fixed on me, a mixture of professional curiosity and profound hostility.
I was escorted directly to the Throne Room. The room was massive, tiled in black obsidian, and dominated by a raised throne carved from glowing white marble.
Grand Master Theron sat on the throne. He was an elderly man, cloaked in robes woven with gold thread and runes, his face lined with centuries of political maneuvering. He was Rank S, his mere presence radiating a crushing, controlled gravity. Beside him stood three silent bodyguards, each radiating the terrifying, unique aura of a Legendary-Rank hunter—the real deterrent.
Theron waved his hand, dismissing the escort. "Welcome, Dax Jackal," he said, his voice slow and measured. "You have caused quite the disruption. The Storm Titan Core was to be the heart of our new perimeter defense."
"It is now the heart of my offense," I countered, standing firm at the center of the room. "Your system is predictable, Grand Master. It needed an update."
Theron smiled, a cold, calculating gesture. "Indeed. Which is why I extend an alliance. Join the Grand Guild, Dax. We will give you access to unlimited resources, Legendary-rank essences, and the knowledge you seek about the Central Authority."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We can give you power without the struggle."
My response was immediate. I didn't move my body, but I moved my aura. I let the raw, consuming energy of the Crimson Lich Essence surge, a silent but palpable threat.
"I am not interested in your system," I stated. "I am here to take control of the secrets you hoard. You do not offer me an alliance, you offer me a cage. The Grand Guild will be my base of operations, but I will not be your asset. You will be mine."
The Legendary bodyguards stiffened, their auras flaring, ready to engage. The atmosphere turned suffocating, the true test of my power about to begin. The invitation had opened the door, and now I had to prove I was worthy of walking through it unchallenged.