The first enforcer moved without warning.
No shout.
No signal.
One moment he stood still—the next, the space he'd occupied cracked under his step.
He launched upward.
Straight toward the rooftop.
[Threat Response: Immediate]
Alpha Phantom didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
Their fists met midair.
The impact thundered across the warehouse, concrete fracturing beneath Alpha's boots as shockwaves rippled outward.
The enforcer landed lightly, eyes narrowing.
"Body Tempering," he said. "High refinement."
Alpha tilted his head. "You noticed."
Below, the other four spread out, forming a loose containment arc. Their movements were disciplined, synchronized. This wasn't a gang.
This was procedure.
Nyx backed toward the stairwell. "Five enforcers," she said quietly. "They're trained to suppress, not kill."
Alpha didn't look back. "Then they'll learn."
The rooftop shimmered.
[Shadow Sense: Combat Mode — Active]
The second enforcer attacked from the side, palm glowing faintly blue.
Regulated technique.
Clean. Legal. Lethal enough.
Alpha slipped inside the strike and drove his elbow into the man's sternum.
The enforcer flew backward—then twisted midair and landed, coughing but conscious.
"Tough," Alpha muttered.
The third enforcer raised both hands.
The air tightened.
Gravity doubled.
Alpha felt it immediately—pressure pressing down on his spine, his legs, his breath.
"Suppression field," Nyx hissed. "Don't let it stabilize!"
Alpha moved anyway.
Step by step, he walked forward.
Concrete cratered under his feet.
[Alpha Dominance: Pressure Override — Partial]
The enforcer's eyes widened.
"That shouldn't—"
Alpha crossed the distance and grabbed him by the collar.
"You rely too much on rules," Alpha said.
He slammed the man into the ground.
The suppression field shattered.
The fourth and fifth enforcers attacked together.
Blades formed from condensed energy, slicing toward Alpha's blind spots.
For the first time—
Alpha smiled.
[Shadow Descent: Combat Integration — 41%]
The shadows bent.
Not fully.
Enough.
Alpha's outline blurred. The blades passed through where he had been.
He reappeared behind one enforcer and struck once.
Not hard.
Precise.
The man dropped.
The last enforcer hesitated.
That hesitation was fatal.
Alpha stopped inches from him, fist hovering at his throat.
"Leave," Alpha said. "And remember."
The enforcer swallowed. "Remember what?"
Alpha leaned in.
"That this ground is claimed."
He stepped back.
The enforcer ran.
Silence returned to the rooftop.
Four down. One gone.
Nyx exhaled slowly. "You didn't kill them."
Alpha wiped blood from his knuckles. "They're not my enemy yet."
[City Reaction: Escalation Confirmed]
[Host Status: Uncontainable — Flagged]
Below, sirens changed tone.
Not retreat.
Reinforcement.
Alpha looked at the city.
"They'll come harder next time."
Nyx met his gaze. "So will you."
The shadows around them deepened.