The night was silent.
Too silent.
Ryojin moved through the outskirts of Solara like a phantom, his presence a mere flicker against the city's golden glow. The divine barriers hummed softly, unseen to most, stretching high above the grand citadel like an unbreakable dome.
To anyone else, infiltrating Solara was impossible.
To Ryojin, it was inevitable.
He extended a hand. The black runes etched into his skin pulsed, responding to his will. The Abyss stirred around him, its whispers coiling through his mind like a blade being drawn from its sheath.
Break.
Reality fractured.
A thin crack split through the celestial barrier, a wound in the fabric of divine protection. It was small—nearly invisible—but it was enough.
Ryojin stepped through.
The moment his boots touched the pristine streets of Solara, he felt the shift. The city itself rejected him. The divine energy woven into every stone, every structure, recognized his presence as an intrusion.
Good.
Let them feel his presence.
Let them fear it.
A flicker of movement.
His eyes snapped to the rooftops. A pair of golden-clad figures had already taken notice of the disturbance. Celestial Sentinels. Warriors bound by divine will, their bodies enhanced beyond human limits.
One of them raised his hand. A glowing spear materialized from pure energy, its tip aimed directly at Ryojin's heart.
"Intruder," the sentinel spoke, voice hollow. "You have trespassed upon holy ground."
Ryojin exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "Holy ground?" His hand hovered over his katana. "Not for much longer."
The sentinel's eyes flared. "By the will of the gods, we—"
Ryojin moved.
Faster than sight. Faster than thought.
A whisper of steel.
A single step.
And then—
Blood.
The sentinel's words died in his throat as a deep slash tore through his chestplate, black energy searing into his flesh. He collapsed without a sound.
The second sentinel barely had time to react. He thrust his spear forward, but Ryojin was already behind him. A single backhanded strike—**not even a full swing—**and the warrior was sent crashing into a nearby wall, his golden armor crumbling like brittle stone.
Ryojin straightened, flicking his blade clean.
The city remained quiet, but he could feel it.
The ripple of his actions spreading. The moment of stillness before the storm.
And then—
The bells of Solara began to ring.
The hunt had begun.
Ryojin smirked, stepping forward as torches flared to life and golden-clad warriors flooded the streets.
"Come then," he whispered, his voice carrying into the night. "Let's see what the gods have left to offer."
The city of Solara had awakened.
Bells rang from the high towers, their chimes echoing through the streets like a divine war cry. Celestial Sentinels flooded the district, their golden armor gleaming under the moonlight as they searched for the intruder.
For Ryojin.
But he was already moving.
Darting through the winding alleys, he was a flicker in the darkness, his abyssal energy weaving shadows around him. He had no intention of facing an entire city's worth of warriors at once—not yet.
A group of five Sentinels patrolled the
nearby plaza, their weapons drawn, their eyes scanning every shadow.
Ryojin dropped behind them like a phantom.
His blade whispered through the air—one step, one strike.
A clean cut severed the first warrior's throat before he could even scream.
The others reacted, spinning toward the sudden disturbance—too slow. Ryojin had already slipped through their formation. His next strike cracked armor, sending a second soldier crashing into the cobblestone, blood pooling beneath his broken form.
The remaining three hesitated.
They were afraid.
Good.
Ryojin's violet eyes gleamed. "Run."
One of them did. The other two charged, their weapons radiating divine light.
He met them head-on.
The first lunged with a radiant spear, aiming for his chest. Ryojin twisted, sidestepping with inhuman precision. His katana flashed —**a single, perfect arc—**and the spear-wielder's body crumpled, severed in two.
The last soldier didn't even try to fight. He turned to flee—
A mistake.
Ryojin's free hand snapped forward, and a tendril of abyssal energy lashed out, wrapping around the man's throat. He struggled, choking, his golden armor
dimming as the void leeched away its power.
Ryojin pulled him close, their faces inches apart. "Tell your masters." His voice was barely above a whisper. "l've come to end their order:"
He released the soldier, letting him collapse. The man scrambled away, running blindly toward the city's inner sanctum.
Ryojin exhaled, flicking his blade once more.
The Celestial Order had declared him an
enemy.
Now, he would show them why.
And this was only the beginning.