Even though someone had just kicked open the Guildmaster's office door, no one in the room looked surprised.
If anything...
...it seemed like this kind of entrance was perfectly normal for him.
"You were supposed to arrive last night, Spike," Benjamin said with a grin.
"Something came up."
"Had to deal with it."
With both hands buried in his pockets, Spike shuffled toward Benjamin with a slight hunch in his back.
The surrounding Adventurers instinctively stepped aside, giving him room to pass.
Then he stopped directly in front of Boros.
"There it is."
He slowly lifted his head.
"I felt an incredible presence the moment I entered the compound."
"At first, I thought it belonged to Benjamin or Jake."
"But the closer I got..."
"...the more I realized it was a Nexus signature I'd never felt before."
His eyes locked onto Boros.
"You're strong, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Boros replied flatly.
WHOOM!
Without warning, Spike's fist shot forward.
Boros caught it effortlessly.
A vein bulged on his forehead.
"...Oi."
His grip tightened around Spike's fist.
"Do you want to die?"
"Hahaha!"
Spike burst into laughter before pulling his hand free.
"So you weren't bluffing."
A grin spread across his face.
"Fight me."
Benjamin let out a long sigh.
"That's enough, Spike."
He gestured toward Boros.
"He's one of the Adventurers Griffin sent to assist us."
Then he motioned toward Spike.
"And this is Spike."
"Officially, he's a Low-Grade S-Rank."
"But he's already strong enough to stand among the High-Grade S-Ranks."
"The Guild Concord just hasn't approved his promotion yet."
Benjamin folded his arms.
"Aside from Jake and me..."
"...he's the strongest Adventurer in the Sylva Guardians."
"Damn right I am."
Spike stomped his foot.
Crack!
Thin fractures spread across the stone floor beneath him.
He looked Boros up and down.
"I didn't see any other Tigers outside."
"And Griffin is the type of man who likes to get the job done."
"So if he only sent you..."
He glanced toward Akeno and Kinuko.
"...and those two, who I'm guessing are your teammates..."
"...then y'all must be ridiculously strong."
He scratched the back of his neck so roughly it looked like he might tear the skin.
Then he flashed Boros another grin.
"So..."
"...come on."
"Fight me."
Boros calmly cracked his fingers, his expression as composed as ever.
Before he could say anything, Akeno stepped between the two of them.
"As much as I'd love to watch Shiro beat you up and teach you a lesson..."
Spike let out a laugh.
"A lesson, huh?"
"...he can't fight." Akeno's playful expression vanished.
"Not can't."
"...Won't."
Spike frowned.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?"
"He just returned from a mission in the Northern Cardinal a few days ago," Akeno explained.
"He suffered a number of injuries, so our Guild doctor ordered him not to fight for at least a month or two."
Silence.
The entire room froze.
'The Northern Cardinal...?'
Several Adventurers exchanged stunned glances.
Jake was the first to speak.
"...What mission did he go on?"
Akeno answered as casually as if she were discussing the weather.
"He went to kill the Chaos Twin Draken."
The room erupted into whispers.
'Impossible...'
'The Chaos Twin Draken?'
'An Apex-level threat...?'
Disbelief spread across every face in the room.
What shocked them even more was Akeno's tone.
She spoke as though killing someone like Draken was just another routine assignment.
And despite claiming Boros had sustained serious injuries...
...the man standing before them looked perfectly capable of defeating everyone in the room if he felt like it.
A quiet chuckle escaped Benjamin.
'So the rumors were true...I honestly thought it was some ridiculous joke.'
His eyes settled on Boros.
'So you're the one who killed those Draken.'
His grin slowly widened.
'Griffin really crossed every line this time.'
'He sent an Apex-Rank Adventurer into Draken Claw Guild territory...'
'...and even allowed him to set foot in the Northern Cardinal, despite the restrictions.'
He couldn't help but laugh again.
'The Claws are going to be furious.'
'...Things are about to get really interesting.'
While everyone else was still processing what they'd heard...
Spike simply stood there.
His grin had grown even wider.
Akeno scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh.
"...I said all that hoping it'd make you back off."
She sighed.
"But it looks like it only made you want to fight him even more."
Benjamin folded his arms.
"Stand down, Spike."
He turned to Akeno.
"I understand your situation. But his strength is going to be essential if this operation is going to succeed."
"Don't worry about it." Akeno flashed a confident grin and thumped a fist against her chest.
"Whatever enemies Shiro is supposed to fight..."
"Kinuko and I will handle them."
Benjamin studied her for a moment.
The confidence in her voice never wavered.
"...Very well."
He turned back toward the map on the table.
"Then let's go over how we'll divide everyone into groups..."
"...so we can move into position and put this operation into motion."
"Here's how it's going to work," Benjamin said as he sat upright.
The remaining men gathered around the table.
Running his hand across the map from the center toward the left, he pointed at five marked locations.
"The ten of you will take your parties, along with additional Adventurers, to these five locations."
His finger tapped each X one after another.
"Position the decoys and spread your forces out evenly."
"Stay hidden until the S-Rank Killers arrive."
"The moment they reveal themselves..."
"...that's your signal to strike."
The ten Captains nodded in unison.
Jake stepped forward carrying a small cardboard box.
"These are modified Jet Phones."
He opened the box, revealing the devices inside.
"They've been upgraded with encrypted communication."
"It'll be extremely difficult for the enemy to intercept our conversations."
One by one, the ten Captains collected a Jet Phone.
After saluting Benjamin, they left the office to begin their part of the operation.
Benjamin turned toward another group.
"Rodney."
Rodney straightened.
"You and four other Captains will take your parties, along with additional Adventurers, to the western district of Tunisik."
"That's where we've evacuated the civilians."
"We moved them there to keep them away from tonight's battle."
He paused before continuing.
"But plans can leak."
"And if the enemy somehow discovers their location..."
"...your groups will become their final line of defense."
His expression hardened.
"So gather your men and head there immediately."
The five Captains stepped forward and collected their own Jet Phones from Jake.
As they prepared to leave, Benjamin called out one last time.
"If anything goes wrong..."
"...call for reinforcements immediately."
"Don't try to play the hero."
His voice grew heavier.
"We've lost enough people already."
"No one else dies tonight."
"Yes, sir!"
The five saluted before leaving the office.
Now only Benjamin, Jake, Spike, the White Tigers, and a handful of Captains remained.
Benjamin looked toward them.
"Now for the assault team."
He pointed at the lone X deep within the forest.
"You three from the White Tigers, Spike, the remaining five Captains, and I will be leading the attack on their base."
Kinuko raised a hand.
"What about Jake?"
Jake answered himself.
"I'll be supporting the decoy teams."
"If the western district comes under attack, I'll be close enough to reinforce them before anyone else arrives."
He smiled.
"So don't worry about that front."
Kinuko nodded.
"I understand."
Benjamin straightened the map until everyone's attention settled on the lone X marking the enemy headquarters.
"As I explained before..."
"...we'll surround the base from four directions."
His finger traced around the location.
"A fifth group will remain behind us."
"Their job is simple."
"They'll intercept anyone who manages to escape..."
"...and prevent them from reaching Tunisik through the forest."
Everyone nodded.
Benjamin pointed to the front of the map.
"The assault from the front will be led by Spike, one of the captains, the White Tigers, and a group of supporting Adventurers."
His finger shifted behind the X.
"The rear assault will be led by me, another one of the Captains, and another strike force."
He then pointed to either side.
"The left flank will be handled by one Captain and their force."
"The right flank will do the same."
He looked around the room.
"Once the base is completely surrounded..."
"...we'll demand their surrender."
"They'll be ordered to release every kidnapped civilian they're holding."
His eyes narrowed.
"Wether they refuse or not..."
He slammed his fist onto the table.
Bang!
"The front and rear assault teams will break through..."
"...and wipe out every last one of those bastards."
"There will be no mercy."
"Yes, sir!"
The room echoed with the unified response.
Then Benjamin raised his fist.
The remaining Captains, Spike, and Jake did the same.
Together, they recited the Sylva Guardians' oath.
"We are the Guardians of the Forest."
"We protect the forest."
"We protect the people."
"And we slaughter those who seek to harm them."
Benjamin's eyes burned with determination.
"The S-Rank Killers..."
"...will regret ever crossing the Sylva Guardians."
He looked around the room one final time.
"We strike..."
"...at nightfall."