The first thing he noticed was that the Collector Captain fought like an Exalt. Supernatural speed and strength matched him blow for blow, the force of their blows leaving sonic booms. Explosions of divine Essence lit up the vessel's innards even as a brilliant beam of energy flashed past the platform on which they fought. To the inexperienced observer, the battle would have looked like a fireworks display rather than a duel of titanic proportions.<br/><br/>John dodged a burst of gunfire and unleashed a biotic charge at his opponent, who backflipped away at the last instant, still firing. All the while, the Exaltation whispered, granting him the strength of the ages.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Do the impossible.</span><br/><br/>The Solar rushed at him, firing his own weapon, the incendiary and Soulsteel rounds colliding in mid-air. He launched himself above the resultant smoke cloud and slammed into the ground, his opponent nowhere to be seen. A rapid series of muzzle flashes illuminated their chosen battleground as Warp-enhanced rounds shattered his barriers and tore past his armor.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">See the invisible.</span><br/><br/>Ignoring the pain, John twisted and shot a blurred space to his right, breaking the Captain's cloaking field only for it to speed off out of sight.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Touch the untouchable.</span><br/><br/>A flash of movement, nine o'clock. He charged his fist with more of his internal reserves, slamming it home into the Collector's face before blasting it with a biotic shockwave.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Break the unbreakable.</span><br/><br/>Taking a running leap, the Solar hurled himself onto the prone Collector, hammering down with another Essence-boosted strike, this time combining the techniques of Heaven Thunder Hammer and Armor-Shattering Strike. The Collector Captain punched<span style="font-style: italic">through</span>the platform's floor, trailing shattered pieces of Soulsteel chitin before disintegrating in a flash of light.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">NEW PRIORITY THREAT DETECTED,</span>said the whispers.<br/><br/>John straightened himself and turned, his biotic barriers returning after a brief pause. A Collector Drone began to writhe as if in pain before exploding, seemingly molting its exoskeleton. Underneath...was an identical Collector Captain, wielding the same Soulsteel armaments as his last kill. It pointed its blade at him, corpse-white eyes burning with hatred. John winced in pain as a new voice silenced the old ones. It was cold, deathly, and mechanical, the sepulchral tone of an abomination born in stranger aeons. For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of the true mind behind the Collectors. A herald of the end-times. A Harbinger.<br/><br/>THAT BODY DID NOT MATTER. IF I MUST TEAR YOU APART, SOLAR, I WILL. YOU WILL NOT STOP US. YOU WILL NOT STOP<span style="font-style: italic">ME</span>.