"For the time being, it might only float there without doing anything, but who knows when it will launch its attack."
"We can't even attack it because there's a barrier surrounding it."
Murmurs of espers in the Bureau perfectly described the situation we were in right now. What was more concerning was how almost half of the city's population went missing as soon as the tower manifested.
Because of this, we were called back to District 2's bureau, the headquarters of Aerolis' Ability User Bureau. No matter how much we denied it, the missing civilians must be the infected mimics and was related to the tower.
The team of six that previously raided the four towers was once again gathered in a strategic meeting.
Entering the meeting room, I was greeted with familiar faces, Marcello and Patricia, whom I hadn't seen in months had already arrived thanks to the help of a speedy private jet.
"Long time no see Ethan, I miss you." Marcello winked at me, grinning like a fool.
That earned him glares from members of Team Zero across him. Ilyas specifically looked ready to pounce and tear him apart.
I didn't spare him a glance and sat next to Ilyas. If he had that much leisure despite our current situation, he would be fine on our raid later.
"Have any orders come down?" Patricia cautiously asked, which I answered by shaking my head.
"The higher-ups are having a meeting right now, it will take some time to make a decision."
Regardless of what they discussed, we would be sent to the tower anyway. The token in our hand had been glowing restlessly, urging us to raid the white tower.
A blue pearl, a red feather, a white claw and a black turtle shell.
Each of these tokens carried the will of the four tower bosses – their desire to defeat their master. And this strong will was flowing to us, the receiver of this token.
TAPTAP
I glanced at Ilyas when he tapped my hand under the table. He was smiling and I knew what he was thinking behind that smile. As expected, he held out his hand, his eyes twinkling in playfulness.
'Cute.'
A chuckle escaped my mouth, if we were alone, I would pinch his cheek with how cute he was acting, but I held my urge in.
I placed my hand on top of his and he immediately clasped my hand. He then raised his eyes, the edge of his lips curled into an arrogant smirk. But his gaze wasn't directed at me, it was at the person sitting on the opposite side of the table, Marcello.
'He's mine, don't you dare come close.'
That's what Ilyas was proclaiming through his stare, which made Marcello scoff. I could even see sparks flying from their intense glare.
I sighed at their unending love war, these two were level headed people who could connect well in a conversation. So how – when it's related to love – did they become lifelong rivals?
My other teammates weren't any better either. Xain, Cedric and Patricia were huddled together, whispering to each other while watching the drama unfold. The only thing left was a box of popcorn for them to enjoy.
'Aren't we too laid back in this life and death situation?'
"Don't worry too much Ethan. Just like you, we are also nervous, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy the present and make the mood sour, do we?"
Ilyas' words made me widen my eyes in surprise. I took a glimpse at the others' expressions, and they also had a similar understanding look on their faces.
So them, acting like this was also a form of consideration for me.
'I'm truly surrounded by kind-hearted people.'
And that's one more reason for me to protect these guys.
"As we don't know what kind of enemy we will be facing, we'll maintain our previous formation and act accordingly. Is that alright with you guys?"
I proposed the strategies the bureau had prepared for us and discussed them with my teammates. We were practically going into enemy territory blind, so adaptation and improvisation were the core of our strategy this time.
After a few minutes of discussion and debate, we finally reached an agreement. And with a beep of our wristwatch, we headed up to the bureau's building roof to start raiding this white castle.
.
.
"I need you guys to swiftly kill the boss and come back safely, understand?"
Francis had waited for us on top of the roof. With all departments in the bureau gathered to monitor the white castle and Francis as their leader, the atmosphere had turned tense.
We nodded at Francis and immediately went to work.
The six of us gathered in a circle and held out our tokens. The glow emitted from it had intensified, and when they were brought close to each other, circle of light engulfed us.
When we opened our eyes again, it had directly transported us to the castle.
"What an empty castle."
Marcello commented as he looked around, which was replied by Patricia.
"It's more lifeless than empty in my opinion."
I scanned my surroundings. Just like they said, although the shine from the castle's golden walls could blind anyone who saw it, the interior felt empty.
There's no decoration, no furniture or anything that indicated a touch of the owner's personality. The only thing decorating this place was a crystal chandelier on top of our head.
CREAK!
The white double door slowly creaked open, alerting us. My teammates immediately went into formation, ready for battle.
From beyond the door, a white silhouette was revealed. Once I saw the figure more clearly, I widened my eyes.
"Is that the boss?" Xain asked cautiously.
His question was a given.
The figure was a human wearing pure white military clothing. Their braided hair and feminine facial features gave them a sense of androgynous beauty. With a white staff in hand, their white heels clacked as they slowly walked inside the room.
This was the first-ever boss that looked so human.
"The turtle said it didn't they? That their master is a human."
I answered while focusing my gaze on the boss.
This was officially the start of our raid.