In a meeting room, a group of people had gathered.
A towering figure—an older man with deep wrinkles—stepped forward toward a whiteboard and began to speak. "Dear colleagues, the situation is dire. As you're already aware, it's been nearly three hours since unidentified humanoid monsters invaded the city of Damos. So far, the city police and emergency services are working to protect civilians. Beyond the wardens already stationed there, we've deployed two additional teams. However, despite our progress in wiping out these wretched creatures, we're facing massive challenges. Giant humanoid monsters, far stronger than the others, have an endless regeneration ability. And according to the latest report, they can wield ether, making them incredibly tough to take down."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
"How many of these giant humanoids are we dealing with?" one member asked.
"Based on the reports we've received, there are nine—though one was just defeated," the wrinkled man replied, his voice low and grave.
Another council member raised a hand. "How was that giant humanoid taken out?" they pressed. "Didn't you just say they can regenerate indefinitely?"
All eyes turned to the man with the wrinkles. He took a deep breath before answering. "Correct. According to the reports, we owe that victory to a group of wardens from the Faloo guild. One of them used a large-scale spell that managed to finish the monster off. It suggests these creatures can be beaten if they're completely annihilated."
The questioner opened his mouth to speak again, but the wrinkled man cut him off, anticipating the follow-up. "That said, I should warn you—the group in question is no longer fit to fight. They took heavy losses, and their resources are tapped out."
A murmur of dismay rippled through the room.
One member stood up. "We already know how to deal with them. Why aren't the other wardens doing the same?"
"You're talking about annihilation," another shot back. "Not many can pull off attacks like that—even among deviants from the big guilds. What we need is to send in the Senkai. They've got the firepower to handle this."
"We have to work with what's on hand and act fast. Waiting for new units will take too long," an opponent countered.
"Plus, calling in the Senkai this early is overkill," another added. "As far as I know, the only real threat right now is these eight giant humanoids. Deploying the Senkai for that could weaken our overall defenses if this turns out to be an enemy diversion."
"What, so we just let Damos fall?!" snapped the member who'd suggested the Senkai, clearly offended.
"Of course not," the one who'd raised the diversion theory replied. "I'm just saying we can't risk gutting our broader defenses to save one city."
Tension spiked as another member lost their temper. "How the hell did our surveillance forces miss this threat earlier? This is an unforgivable screw-up!"
The man with deep wrinkles raised a hand to calm the rising tempers. "Your concerns are valid, and I share your frustration. The failure of our surveillance is something we'll dig into once this crisis is under control. But right now, our top priority is containing the threat in Damos and keeping it from spreading further."
He turned to the whiteboard and sketched a rough circle for the city, then drew arrows pointing outward. "Reports show these creatures, while insanely powerful, are still concentrated in Damos' urban core. That gives us a strategic edge—they're not spreading yet. But that could change if we don't act fast."
A woman with graying hair and a sharp gaze spoke up, arms crossed. "You said these monsters can use ether. If that's true, even our best standard wardens might not cut it. Do we have any intel on how they're wielding it?"
The wrinkled man nodded, as if he'd expected the question. "Yes. Field teams report these giants don't just regenerate—they're throwing out raw ether blasts."
A younger man chimed in. "How many lives are we willing to sacrifice to stop these things?"
An icy silence fell over the room. Eyes shifted to the wrinkled man, who closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his face was grim but determined. "Every loss is a tragedy, and we're doing everything we can to minimize the damage. Emergency teams are still evacuating civilians to safe zones outside the city. But I won't sugarcoat it—if we don't act soon, there'll be no one left to save."
The gray-haired woman cut in, her voice sharp as a blade. "Then let's stop wasting time. If the Senkai's not an immediate option, we need to mobilize every unit we've got that can pull off large-scale attacks. Which guilds or wardens can we deploy right now?"
The wrinkled man straightened and checked a tablet on the table. "Besides the wardens already there, we've got an Arkhan guild team on standby an hour from Damos. They've got two deviants specializing in mass destruction spells. The Veyra guild can also send a detachment within six hours, including at least one confirmed A-rank warden."
An older member, quiet until now, slammed a fist on the table. "Six hours is too damn long! Damos will be rubble by then. And an hour for Arkhan's still cutting it close. Why not use the emergency teleporters to get them there now?"
The wrinkled man sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "The teleporters are down in that region. We're stuck with conventional transport for now."
The room's tension hit a boiling point. Eyes darted around, murmurs flared up, and the wrinkled man raised his hand again. "Listen to me. We don't have the luxury of a perfect plan. Every minute matters. I say we send the Arkhan team immediately to hold the giants until Veyra's reinforcements arrive. At the same time, we order a full evacuation of Damos and prep a fallback plan if things spiral further. Agreed?"
A thick silence followed, broken by hesitant nods. The gray-haired woman spoke first. "It's a gamble, but we've got no choice. I'm in."
The others exchanged looks, then raised their hands one by one in agreement.
But before the decision could settle, a council member raised a hand. "Colleagues, let me suggest another option—one that could spare tens of thousands of lives and save Damos itself."
The room went quiet, all eyes turning to him.
"I've been contacted by the Zion guild," he said, his voice calm but firm.
Silence.
Finally, a younger woman broke it. "What exactly is this Zion guild? I've never heard of it."
The older member smiled faintly. "You're young—that's why. Truth is, Zion's a sort of underground guild specializing in all kinds of jobs. Some states hire them for extreme situations, out-of-control threats. They claim neutrality, though—won't touch political conflicts or wars."
The young woman raised an eyebrow. "Mercenary deviants?" she said, shocked. "You want to hand a national crisis over to some shady outfit? What can they even do that a whole country can't handle?"
"Miss Hartley, you're mistaken," the gray-haired woman cut in. "This might sound crazy, but the Zion guild we're talking about has the means to fix this. To put it in perspective, the higher-ups sometimes call them the 'Sixth Great Power.'"
At that, the young woman blinked in surprise. She glanced at her colleagues as if to challenge it, but their silence only confirmed it.
"But you didn't mention them earlier, Mr. Tish," said the member who'd pushed for the Senkai. "Why not?"
"Obvious reason," snapped the one who'd raged at the surveillance failure. "What else but the cost? Right, Mr. Tish?"
"Exactly," added the older man who'd explained Zion to the young woman. "We all know this guild doesn't work for free. They've probably got some sky-high demands. Just out of curiosity, Mr. Tish, how much are they asking?"
Mr. Tish nodded, acknowledging their concerns. "I held off mentioning them, hoping we'd find a better fix. But given where we're at, it felt right to bring it up now." He paused, then continued. "As for the price, it's 100 billion Jils."