The time for subtlety was over. Hiding was necessary for preparation, but dominance required visibility. Viktor needed to make a statement—a bloody, undeniable act of force that would erase the memory of the "reckless Novice" and install fear in its place.
His target was the Obsidian Shield Citadel, the regional headquarters where Gaius Trak was still stewing over his humiliation.
The Breakthrough
Viktor positioned himself in an abandoned, elevated warehouse overlooking the Citadel. It was a massive, fortified structure, guarded by dozens of Warriors and Epic-Warriors.
He had spent the last two days pushing the Aether Well to its maximum output. His Stage 8 core was violently saturated, brimming with compressed, refined mana. The final step to the Epic-Warrior realm was not more cultivation, but the breaking of the internal energy lock that defined the lower realm.
The risk of this public breakthrough was immense. The shockwave of pure energy released during the ascension would alert every major cultivator in the sector. But the fear he instilled would be worth the exposure.
Viktor closed his eyes. He didn't meditate; he commanded.
"Break."
The internal energy lock, built upon the concept of Stage 9, shattered like brittle glass. Mana, refined by the Special-Tier Aether Well, surged, transforming from liquid energy into a heavier, more resonant substance.
Boom!
A silent, concussive wave of power erupted from Viktor. Dust was blown off the rusted warehouse floor. For a fleeting second, his aura was no longer the faint, struggling light of a Novice, but the blinding, aggressive power of a higher being.
ATTENTION: Cultivation Realm Breakthrough!
Host has Ascended to the Epic-Warrior Realm (Stage 1).
The alarm systems at the Obsidian Shield Citadel shrieked instantly. Every single guard stopped, turning their attention to the warehouse. A new Epic-Warrior had just debuted—a rarity in this sector.
Viktor stood up, the shadow of his cloak falling away. He was now a Stage 1 Epic-Warrior, fueled by an Aether Well, and armed with a blood-forged Epic-Tier skill.
He was ready to kill.
The Overwhelming Assault
Gaius Trak, who had been reviewing security reports, exploded out of the Citadel, his massive body radiating the furious energy of his Stage 8 Warrior peak. He was flanked by six Stage 9 Warriors, all ready for battle.
"Find that new power!" Gaius roared, searching the skies.
Viktor didn't give them time to organize. He didn't descend; he launched.
Using his Epic-Warrior speed combined with the Shadow Form, he crossed the one-kilometer gap in a single, devastating burst.
He hit the guard contingent first, not with a fancy spell, but with pure, overwhelming physical force.
Target 1: A Stage 9 Warrior with Normal-Tier Shockwave talent. Viktor's fist, fueled by the Aether Well, bypassed the warrior's crude defense and exploded through his sternum. The guard crumpled, dead before he hit the ground, his organs liquefied.
Target 2 & 3: Two Warriors attempted a coordinated energy blast. Viktor didn't dodge; he utilized his Top-Tier Healing Factor as armor, letting the weak blast hit his shoulder while simultaneously stepping between them.
"Let's test this skill," Viktor whispered, a thin, ruthless smile on his face.
He activated the Phantom Blade Barrage.
The skill was not magic; it was sheer, impossible velocity. Viktor's hands—unarmed—became two blurs of motion, channeling Epic-Warrior mana into the sharp edges of his palms and fingers.
Zzzt-Kshh-Tschh!
Dozens of strikes landed on the two remaining Stage 9 Warriors in less than one second. The sound was like tearing silk, followed by a shower of crimson spray. The attacks targeted tendons, arteries, and pressure points. The Warriors didn't even have time to scream. Their bodies staggered, sliced into unrecognizable, bloody segments, before collapsing in a heap of mangled flesh and fragmented bone.
The ground was suddenly drenched in blood, but Viktor was untouched, the damage from the energy blast already fading under the effect of the Top-Tier Healing Factor.
The Duel of Shame
Gaius Trak froze, staring at the carnage. Six Stage 9 Warriors, annihilated in three seconds by a newly debuted Epic-Warrior. Fear finally replaced fury in his eyes.
"Who are you?!" Gaius bellowed, activating his Apex-Tier Stone Affinity, the ground around him instantly turning into hardened, gray obsidian.
"The Novice," Viktor replied, stepping over the corpses. His voice was calm, cutting through the chaos. "The one you mocked. The one you searched for."
Gaius recognized the face—the face of the punk who had gotten lucky. The rage returned, mixed with utter disbelief.
"You! You stole something!" Gaius lunged, summoning two colossal stone hammers and swinging them with the raw, brutal force of his Apex-Tier earth manipulation.
Viktor didn't block. Blocking was for equals.
He met the attack head-on, delivering a single, focused Phantom Blade Barrage to the exact midpoint of Gaius's chestplate. The Epic-Tier force of the skill, channeled by Special-Tier mana, shredded the armor like tissue paper.
The attack bypassed Gaius's talent entirely, driving a crushing force directly into his heart.
Krrrr-THUD.
Gaius stopped mid-swing. His eyes went wide, staring at the perfectly defined, star-shaped tear in his heavy armor. Blood instantly poured from his lips.
"How... so fast..." he choked out, his internal organs turned to slurry by the impossible strikes.
Viktor stepped closer, looking down on the dying, prideful man. "You rely on your talent to fight. I rely on your talent to cultivate."
He raised his foot and slammed it down on Gaius Trak's head. The force, backed by his Epic-Warrior might, exploded the man's skull against the obsidian ground he had so proudly created.
It was a total, bloody, and overwhelming victory.
The silence that followed was deafening. The remaining Obsidian Shield forces—low-level guards and panicked clerks—watched from the gates, frozen in terror. Their leader, a Stage 8 pinnacle warrior, had been butchered by a single, focused attack.
Viktor looked at the wreckage. Seven corpses, three of them torn to shreds by the precision of the Phantom Blade Barrage. He had spent a significant portion of his mana, but the Aether Well was already pulling in ambient energy, rapidly replenishing his core.
He turned and looked toward the upper sectors, the places where Monarchs and Emperors reigned. They had sensed the breakthrough and the overwhelming power behind it. They would be sending scouts.
"Tell your masters," Viktor yelled at the terrified remnants of the Obsidian Shield, his voice booming with the authority of his new realm. "The Novice is dead. The Overlord has arrived."
He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked away, disappearing into the city, leaving behind a scene of carnage that would forever change the power dynamic of the Lower Sector.