Lionel stood in the middle of the Black Tiger Guild's headquarters, his breath still unsteady from the harrowing escape. His older brother, the guild leader, approached him with a sharp gaze, gripping his shoulders firmly.
"Get a hold of yourself... What happened there? Where is the elite team I sent?"
Lionel didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if replaying the massacre he had just witnessed. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and unwavering:
"They were all annihilated."
A heavy silence fell over the hall. Everyone froze in place, even the strongest hunters bore expressions of shock. But before anyone could react, Lionel's brother suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace, as if trying to grasp the reality of his survival.
Then, in a low but deadly serious tone, he muttered:
"If you had died there, I would have burned those bastards to the ground."
This wasn't a threat. It was an absolute promise of vengeance.
---
State of Emergency
Wasting no time, the guild leader immediately began making urgent calls, summoning the strongest hunters in the country.
Within hours, 100 A-rank hunters and 20 S-rank hunters had gathered at the guild headquarters, forming the most powerful assembly of hunters seen in years.
"We will breach that black dome… and wipe out everything inside."
But before preparations could begin, Lionel stepped forward, ready to give a full report on the horrors he had witnessed inside the sealed-off city.
However, his words were suddenly interrupted by a mocking voice.
"How can a mere boy who isn't even 18 yet, and only a B-rank at that, tell me what to do?"
Thomas, an A-rank hunter, smirked with clear disdain, completely disregarding the tension in the room.
But Lionel's response was nothing like what anyone expected.
His aura.
A crushing force erupted from his body, a wave of sheer hostility sweeping through the room, forcing Thomas to drop to his knees, powerless.
No one had anticipated this from him—not even his brother, who raised an eyebrow slightly. The gathered hunters shifted their gazes from mild contempt to sheer disbelief.
Selena (shocked): "That aura…! Impossible!"
Marco (swallowing hard): "Was he hiding all of this?"
Ray (muttering): "Lionel… just what are you?"
But Lionel didn't care what they thought. His cold gaze remained fixed on Thomas as he spoke in a blade-sharp tone:
"The death I saw there… I have never witnessed anything like it. And nothing like it has ever happened before."
He stepped forward, his aura growing even heavier, making some of the lower-ranked hunters feel as if their chests were about to collapse under the pressure.
"So listen to my instructions carefully if you want to survive. I don't want weaklings in my ranks, even if that means I have to fight alone with my brother."
Then, he delivered a statement that made everyone hold their breath:
"If you don't understand that, leave now. I don't need people who will die for nothing."
Thomas couldn't reply. He was still kneeling, completely crushed under the weight of Lionel's presence, humiliated beyond words.
---
Amelia Fleur's Interest
Among the gathered hunters, there was one woman who had been watching the entire exchange silently. Her crimson hair and red eyes made her stand out effortlessly.
Amelia Fleur.
The second strongest hunter in the country, only surpassed by the guild leader.
She observed Lionel with a hidden interest. It wasn't just his overwhelming aura that caught her attention—it was something deeper.
As she studied his sharp features and the unshaken resolve in his eyes, she mu
rmured to herself:
"That boy… is quite intriguing."
---
End of Chapter 4.