Chapter 13 Invitation from the Elite

"Did all of you come here seeking protection?" Killian's voice thundered throughout the entire hall.

A skinny young man with burn scars across his face stepped forward, clutching a small injured cat in his arms.

"We heard... we heard there's someone here who doesn't care about System rankings. We have nowhere else to go, Sir. The Grand Titans are about to clear out this district for their expansion project. We'll be killed if we stay outside."

"The Grand Titans want to get rid of you because they think you're useless," Killian said coldly. "They see you as dust that needs to be swept away. But look at me."

Killian raised his right hand. Giz leaped into the air, and suddenly his body expanded to the size of a leopard, radiating an overwhelming purple aura so powerful that several people collapsed under the mental pressure.

"I used to be trash just like you. My Pet was a caterpillar that couldn't even bite," Killian continued. "But I refused to die in the pit they prepared for me. I took the power they hid away, and now I am the one who controls my own destiny."

The crowd stared at Giz with wide eyes. They had never seen a Pet with an aura so deep and dense.

"If you join the Void Faction, I won't promise you safety," Killian said, his golden eyes gleaming. "I promise you power. I promise you the chance to tear out the throats of those who once mocked you. But the price is absolute loyalty. Your lives belong to me."

"We'd rather die under your command than die like dogs in the streets!" shouted the burned young man, followed by cries of agreement from the others.

"Killian, are you really going to evolve all those trash Pets? That'll consume a lot of your energy," Bianca whispered as she stood beside him.

"I don't need to evolve all of them directly, Bianca." Killian smiled faintly. "My Eyes of Evolution have already shown me a collective pathway. I can create a Void energy field that will stimulate their natural mutations."

"Then what's our next move?" Bianca asked.

"The Grand Titans will send another envoy." Killian gazed through a gap in the window toward the distant city lights. "This time, they won't send drones. They'll send arrogant humans who think they're gods. And when they arrive, we'll show them what it feels like to be dragged down into the void."

Suddenly, Silas came running into the hall, breathing heavily.

"Sir! Sir Moretti!" Silas shouted in panic. "An unmarked carriage has stopped outside the main gate! It's not the Grand Titans... but the symbol... it's the Valtor family crest!"

Killian narrowed his eyes.

Leo Valtor?

He's faster than I expected.

"How many guards?" Bianca asked sharply, her hand already poised over the defense system's control panel.

"Only one person, Ma'am! He said he didn't come to fight. He's carrying a message from the Valtor family elders." Silas swallowed nervously.

Killian jumped down from the balcony, landing with a muted thud on the hall floor.

"Open the gate. Let's hear what that family of rats has to say."

The gate slowly swung open.

An elderly man in an immaculate suit and white gloves stepped inside. Despite being surrounded by former gang members and outcasts, he remained perfectly composed, displaying the refinement of a chief butler serving an elite family.

"Mr. Killian Moretti?" the old man asked with a polite bow.

"Get to the point." Killian crossed his arms over his chest while Giz growled softly beside him.

"Young Master Leo Valtor informed us of the... incident on the streets the other day. The Valtor family acknowledges that there may have been untapped potential within you." The man produced a golden invitation scroll sealed with red wax. "The Patriarch invites you to a dinner banquet at the Valtor main residence tomorrow evening. He wishes to discuss 'cooperation' between factions."

"Cooperation? Or a trap to lock Killian inside your cage?" Bianca scoffed.

"The Valtor family values talent, Miss Valenti. Even talent that emerges from... unexpected places such as this." The old man smiled faintly. "If Mr. Moretti declines, it will be interpreted as a declaration of open war against the ruling regional family."

Killian took the scroll and crushed it in his hand until it disintegrated into golden dust.

"Tell your master," Killian said as he stepped forward until his face was only inches away from the old man's, "I'll come. But don't blame me if his dining table ends up covered in blood. I don't enjoy food served with a side of arrogance."

"I will deliver your message, Mr. Moretti. Good evening."

The old man answered calmly, though his body trembled ever so slightly. After the envoy left, the atmosphere inside the warehouse became tense. Bianca approached Killian with a serious expression.

"This is suicide, Killian! Walking into the Valtor residence is the same as walking into a lion's den. They have Diamond-tier defense systems and hundreds of Gold-tier Pets!"

Killian stared at the hand that had crushed the invitation.

A crimson notification appeared in his vision.

[New Mission Detected: Conquest of the Valtor Residence]

[Target: Plant the Seed of Fear Within the Core of Regional Power]

[Evolution Reward: Increased Void Capacity for Giz]

"Bianca." Killian turned toward her, his eyes gleaming with cold light. "You said our faction still doesn't have an official name in the public eye, right?"

"Not yet." Bianca nodded, confused.

"Tomorrow night, the entire city will know our name. Silas, prepare the team. We're not just going there for dinner. We're going there to take over."

In the corner of the room, the newly joined outcast Pet Tamers exchanged glances. They could feel both exhilaration and terror woven into the words of their new leader. They didn't know what would happen tomorrow. But for the first time in their lives, they felt as though they were standing on the side of history that would change the world.

Killian walked toward the large window and stared at the horizon where the sun was beginning to set. In the distance, Bianca's radar detected a massive energy explosion, a sign that the Grand Titans had begun moving on something far larger as well. The three-way war between the Anomaly, the Elites, and the Conglomerates was on the verge of erupting into a fire that would consume everything.

"Tonight, sleep well, Bianca," Killian whispered.

"Because starting tomorrow, the world will never give us time to rest again."