The low, rhythmic thumping of heavy rotor blades tore through the thick midnight smog of Sector 3, shattering the quiet luxury of the upper skyline.
Three armored tactical helicopters, completely unmarked and coated in radar-absorbent obsidian paint, descended rapidly toward the roof deck of the Aegis Horizon Tower.
These aircraft carried the elite vanguard of the capital’s underground syndicate — highly trained Tier 2 mercenaries driven by the lure of the fresh five-hundred-million-dollar bounty placed on Grant Cross’s head.
Inside the shattered penthouse, Grant stood perfectly upright against the howling gale rushing through his cracked smart-glass windows.
He unhurriedly adjusted the collar of his dark linen shirt, his golden draconic pupils tracking the sweeping infrared spotlight beams cutting through the smoke-filled room.
Beside him, Violet Vance tightly gripped the edge of the marble counter, her high-level spiritual senses vibrating in pure terror as she monitored the incoming signals.
Over two hundred high-velocity assassin signatures were currently breaching the outer perimeter walls of the tower, completely cutting off every elevator shaft and emergency exit stairwell.
“They’ve locked down the entire building grid, Grant,” Violet whispered, her voice barely carrying over the deafening roar of the helicopter engines outside.
“The syndicate mobilized three distinct S-tier mercenary cells simultaneously.
The lead aircraft is carrying Executioner Bale, a notorious Stage 4 Astral Vein butcher with an active combat rating of twenty-three thousand points.
We are completely boxed in.”
“A circle of paper tigers is still just paper,” Grant replied smoothly, his low voice vibrating with a terrifying, absolute calm that completely bypassed the external engine noise.
He willed his thoughts deep into the system core, tapping directly into the newly expanded reserves of his Stage 3 Master attributes.
“Initialize Skill Deployment: Sovereign Domain – Tier 2,” Grant commanded silently.
“Maximize the gravitational output vector to one hundred and fifty meters.”
Ding!
« SYSTEM EXERTION SEQUENCE: MAXIMUM OUTPUT »
• Executing Upgraded Skill: [Sovereign Domain – Tier 2]
• Active Radius Engaged: 150-Meter Spherical Boundary
• Target Parameters: All airborne and ground-level hostiles within proximity.
• Physical Property Modification: Localized gravity multiplied by a factor of eight.
• Enemy Status: Target circulation networks and structural trajectories severely compromised.
An invisible, god-like wall of crushing kinetic pressure dropped straight from the clouds, instantly enveloping the upper atmosphere of the Aegis Horizon Tower.
The air pressure inside the 150-meter boundary collapsed into a complete vacuum, causing the heavy turbine engines of the three tactical helicopters to violently stall as their rotor blades cracked under the sudden, immense weight.
The mercenary pilots let out collective screams of panic as their flight control sticks locked up entirely, the internal electrical systems of the aircraft short-circuiting under the sheer intensity of Grant’s passive presence.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Unable to maintain lift against the eight-fold gravity multiplier, all three multi-ton armored helicopters plunged straight out of the sky like falling boulders.
They crashed violently into the reinforced concrete street and lower commercial plazas eighty floors below, erupting into massive, towering pillars of orange fire and twisted steel shrapnel that illuminated the dark alleyways.
The vanguard forces inside the aircraft were thoroughly erased before their boots could even touch the structure.
« SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: AIRBORNE THREAT ELIMINATED »
• Core Targets Destroyed: 3x Tactical Armored Gunships
• Enemy Casualties: 42x Syndicate Vanguard Shock Troops
• Experience Points Accumulated: +1,200 EXP
• Status: Processing residual spiritual cores into the Spatial Vault…
Grant didn’t spare a single glance toward the explosions burning below the window line.
He calmly turned his back on the glass, stepping through the ruined frame of his living room and walking directly out into the long, carpeted penthouse corridor.
The heavy steel fire doors at the far end of the hallway had been completely blown off their hinges.
Dozens of elite shadow assassins dressed in reinforced crimson tactical mesh flooded the corridor, their high-grade titanium katanas and suppressed submachine guns raised, their faces contorted into masks of pure greed as they locked eyes with the target.
At the head of the ground cell stood Executioner Bale, his massive, scarred frame pulsing with a volatile 23,000 Combat Strength aura.
His twin custom battle axes hummed with thick, dark crimson mist as he took a heavy martial stance, his boots tearing the expensive corridor carpet to shreds.
“The stray actually walked out to die!” Bale roared, his deep voice echoing off the concrete walls as he prepared his lethal vanguard technique.
“Surround him!
The five hundred million belongs to my cell tonight!”
Grant advanced directly toward the charging line of killers, his posture completely loose and unbothered.
He reached his right hand into the open air, a clean ripple distorting the spatial grid right beside his hip.
“Extract: Obsidian Dragon Blade,” Grant commanded silently.
With a heavy, metallic ring that vibrated directly through the marrow of everyone in the hallway, the light-devouring black sword materialized smoothly into his palm.
Moving with his newly maximized 490 Agility, Grant’s physical frame completely detached from normal human ocular perception, transforming into an invisible ghost amidst the narrow corridor.
SLASH!
The strike delivered absolute, unmitigated structural annihilation.
The sheer physical force of his 580 Strength attribute combined with the sword’s +250 Armor Desolation modifier created a terrifying vacuum wave.
Executioner Bale’s crimson defensive shroud popped like a fragile soap bubble the exact millisecond the edge of the wave made contact.
The black steel cut through Bale’s reinforced battle axes, his heavy body armor, and the forty shadow assassins flanking behind him simultaneously, slicing through their high-level internal meridians with absolute ease.
BOOM!
The massive kinetic back-pressure of the dragon energy exploded within the narrow hallway, blowing out the structural concrete walls and launching the remains of the elite syndicate cell through the side of the skyscraper.
A heavy downpour of dark crimson blood and shattered tactical gear rained down into the neon-lit avenues below, completely painting the lower levels of the Core District in a gruesome display of dominance.
The entire first wave of the capital’s top bounty hunters had been systematically dismantled in less than three seconds.
« SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: GROUND ENGAGEMENT CLIMAX »
• Primary Target Neutralized: Executioner Bale (Stage 4 Master Executioner)
• Secondary Casualties: 45x Elite Syndicate Shadow Assassins
• Experience Points Gained: +1,500 EXP (Current Progress: 1,300 / 2,500 to Stage 4)
• Premium Loot Recovered: 150x Low-Grade Spirit Stones (Transferred to Spatial Vault)
• Total Current Progress Status: System core operating at peak efficiency.
Grant slowly lowered the tip of the Obsidian Dragon Blade, the pitch-black steel entirely dry and spotless, without a single drop of crimson blood clinging to its flawless edge.
With a single flick of his mind, the weapon dissolved into particles of dark light, vanishing back into his soul-bound Spatial Vault.
He walked calmly through the settling cloud of plaster dust, stepping over the ruined floor as the low wail of distant capital sirens began to fill the midnight air.
Behind him in the doorway, Violet Vance stood completely frozen, her mouth slightly open as she stared at the empty, blood-splattered corridor.
The youth she had tried to protect hadn’t just survived an S-tier syndicate ambush — he had completely turned the capital’s absolute apex executioners into mere experience points for his next evolution.
Grant stopped at the elevator core, tapping the calling panel with a clean, unblemished finger as his golden draconic pupils flashed with a cold, unstoppable hunger for absolute conquest.
“Two cells down,” Grant whispered smoothly into the dark corridor.
“Bring me the rest of the Pillars.”
Chapter 20 is officially complete!
Grant just combined his upgraded Sovereign Domain and the Obsidian Dragon Blade to completely wipe out three tactical gunships and Executioner Bale’s entire 45-man elite assassin cell in less than three seconds!
The night of red rain has officially begun in the Capital Core District!
Grant is actively harvesting the syndicate for experience points, and his combat power is hitting terrifying new heights!