Suren stood before Goddess Astraea and gave a full report of the day's events. The Goddess listened in silence, her eyes—capable of seeing through any lie—reflecting Suren's calm expression.
"The little girl was rescued, but we couldn't save her mother," Suren concluded.
Astraea sighed softly. "They are truly losing all sense of restraint."
"Because they know hostages are effective against us," Suren said bluntly. "Today's trap was specifically aimed at our priority to save lives. If they use this tactic every time, we won't be able to accomplish anything else."
Alise clenched her fists. "Then what do we do? We can't just watch people die!"
"Which is why we have to make them afraid to use it again." Suren looked at the Goddess. "We need to hit them hard, all at once."
A knock sounded at the meeting room door. The heroes Suren had notified had arrived. Finn entered, followed by Riveria and Gareth. The presence of the Loki Familia's three top-tier adventurers immediately shifted the atmosphere of the room.
"It seems we've arrived at the perfect time," Finn said with a smile. He was small in stature, but no one dared to underestimate him.
Astraea gestured for them to take their seats. Finn didn't beat around the bush; he spread a detailed map of the Southeast District on the table, with eight locations circled in red.
"Based on the intelligence you gathered today, combined with our own investigations," Finn said, his finger tracing the circles, "the Dark Faction has six small strongholds and two underground workshops in the Southeast District. They primarily deal in illicit drugs, human trafficking, and the fencing of stolen goods."
Alise leaned in for a closer look. "The locations are all so isolated..."
"That's why they've been impossible to clear out completely," Riveria's voice was stern. "If you take one down, they just relocate and start over. But this time..."
Finn picked up the thread. "This time, we have complete intelligence. By launching simultaneous raids on all locations, we can wipe out these rats in the Southeast District in one fell swoop. Even if some escape, they won't be able to reorganize for a long time."
Suren studied the map, his mind racing with calculations. "Simultaneous raids would require a lot of manpower, wouldn't they?" Kaguya asked, leaning against the wall.
"We'll provide three squads, five or six people each, led by the three of us," Gareth said, stroking his beard. "But the problem is that once we strike, people will definitely try to flee. We need someone to block the perimeter."
Finn looked toward the Astraea Familia members. "That's where we need your help. You know the streets best, and..." He paused. "The reputation of the 'Familia of Justice' will make those fleeing instinctively avoid you. That allows us to predict their escape routes."
Ryuu spoke up immediately. "We can handle the blockade for two directions."
"No," Suren interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him.
"You can't block everyone," Suren stood up and walked to the map. "If we're going to fight, we have to make sure they have nowhere to run."
He pointed to three specific streets on the map. "These three streets are the only way to reach the Dungeon entrance. If we drive the escapees toward this area..."
Finn frowned. "And then? These three streets are quite complex. We don't have enough people for a full blockade."
"There's no need for a blockade," Suren said. "Let them all in, and then solve it all at once."
The meeting room fell silent for several seconds.
"Solve it all at once?" Riveria repeated. "Are you serious? Do you know how many people might be fleeing? Twenty? Fifty? Maybe more. How do you plan to solve that all at once?"
Suren didn't answer directly. He turned to Goddess Astraea with a serious expression. "Goddess, I need to borrow the workshop to prepare a few things."
Astraea nodded gently. "Of course. What do you need?"
"Just some standard materials; I have everything I need in my workshop," Suren said vaguely. He couldn't let them know he was making scrolls; that ability was a secret known only to his Familia, a trump card he kept in reserve.
Finn looked at Suren thoughtfully. "How do you plan to deal with them?"
"With my magic," Suren said simply. "As for the specific magic, please allow me to keep that a secret. I can only say that if all goes well, not a single person fleeing into those three streets will escape."
Gareth let out a boisterous laugh. "I rarely hear such bold words! You've got guts, kid!"
"I have confidence," Suren's voice remained calm.
Finn stared at him for a few seconds and then smiled. "Fine, I trust you. The division of labor will be as follows: the Loki Familia will handle the raids on the strongholds, and the Astraea Familia will handle the perimeter guidance—find a way to funnel the escapees toward those three streets. Mr. Suren will be responsible for the final 'cleanup.' Any problems?"
"Yes," Suren said. "I need time to set up. Also, before the battle starts tomorrow, I want to buff our people."
"What kind of buffs?" Alise asked curiously.
"Jump, Expeditious Retreat, and Longstrider—to make everyone run faster and jump higher. Plus, Magic Weapon to temporarily give your weapons magical damage. Finally, Bless, to boost accuracy and resistance." Suren listed them off in one breath. "These buffs will last for an hour, which is enough to finish the mission."
Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of spells. Do you have enough mana?"
"I do," Suren said, offering no further explanation. He certainly wouldn't mention that most of these buffs would be cast using pre-made scrolls.
"Then it's settled," Finn stood up. "But one more thing—secrecy is absolute." His gaze swept over everyone in the room. "The specific details of tomorrow's mission are known only to the people in this room. If word leaks, it means we have a traitor among us, or the Guild has eyes for the Dark Faction."
Riveria added coldly, "In Orario, that is entirely possible."
"So tomorrow morning, we will conduct a joint patrol as usual," Finn said. "When the time comes, the patrol teams will divert and launch the raids. This will mask our intent and catch them off guard."
Goddess Astraea said softly, "May Justice protect you all."
After the meeting, Suren went straight to his workshop—not the Vulkus Red House, but the small workshop he had partitioned off in his dormitory. No one except Ryuu and Alise had ever entered. He locked the door and pulled materials from the bottom of a cabinet: mana ink, blank scrolls, and several mid-grade magic stones.
"Three streets is going to be a bit of a hassle," Suren muttered to himself. "I need large-scale spells that can cover entire streets."
He picked up a blank scroll and began drawing the first spell: Cloud of Daggers. It was a Third-Circle spell that created a massive area of spinning magical daggers for one minute. Anyone entering the area would be subjected to indiscriminate slashing. Suren drew meticulously, infusing precise mana into every line of the runes. By the time the first one was finished, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. But he didn't stop. He drew a second and a third—he needed three scrolls of the same spell to cover all three streets.
Next was Spike Growth. Also a Third-Circle spell, it caused thorny plants to erupt from the ground, turning the area into difficult terrain that would trap and damage any creature within. This spell lasted longer but required even more mana. By the time Suren finished one, his fingers were shaking. He stopped for a drink of water and continued with the second and third.
Finally, Web. A Second-Circle spell. While not as powerful as the first two, it offered strong crowd control—extremely sticky magical webs that could pin down anyone trying to escape. Another three scrolls.
By the time he finished, it was well past midnight. Suren leaned back in his chair, feeling as though his mana had been completely siphoned away. But he couldn't rest yet—he still had to draw the buff scrolls.
Jump, Expeditious Retreat, Longstrider, Magic Weapon, and Bless—he needed four of each, one for each core member of the Familia. That was twenty more scrolls to finish before dawn. Suren took a deep breath and picked up his quill again.
As the sky outside began to turn pale, he finally finished the last Bless scroll. Twenty-nine scrolls were laid out neatly on the table: nine for control and damage, and twenty for buffs. He organized them into categories. The control scrolls went into a hidden pouch in his waist bag, while the buff scrolls were packed into four small cloth bags according to each person's needs.
By the time he was done, the sun was up. Suren pushed open the workshop door to find Ryuu standing outside.
"You didn't sleep all night?" Ryuu asked, looking at his exhausted face.
"Yeah, something like that." Suren handed her the small cloth bags. "These are the buff scrolls. Blue is Jump, green is Expeditious Retreat, yellow is Longstrider, red is Magic Weapon, and white is Bless. Remember to have everyone tear them open to use before the fight starts. The order doesn't matter."
Ryuu took the bags and nodded. "Are you... really going to be okay on your end?"
"No problem," Suren said. "Just make sure the escapees run toward my three streets. Leave the rest to me."
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (90 Chapters – Ongoing)
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