Sky Wizard Division, Division Head's Office
As evening approached, the office of the Sky Wizard Division Head was unexpectedly crowded.
In addition to Freon Flamel, the head of the Sky Wizard Division, there were three other people present.
These three were members of Mistgun's top special task force — Chloe Sevegny, Kanata Age, and Yuri Flostre.
At this moment, the three stood lined up in front of Freon, having been summoned to the office for a simple reason.
"Frequent attacks by small Armored Beetles?"
Upon hearing this from Freon, the three present furrowed their brows.
"That's right," Freon nodded, her expression emotionless. "Recently, groups of small Armored Beetles have frequently breached Mistgun's air defense perimeter. Although each group isn't very strong, the frequency of attacks is high."
This seemed to be the reason Freon had called the special task force.
Freon wanted to discuss countermeasures with the task force regarding this situation.
However...
"It's just attacks by small Armored Beetles. Do we really need to mobilize the special task force?"
Kanata questioned skeptically.
Despite his carefree demeanor and not being as capable as Chloe in handling affairs, Kanata had an exceptional battle instinct. When faced with battle or crisis situations, he could often devise tactics and actions unimaginable to others.
So, despite his seemingly laid-back attitude, Kanata was surprisingly adept at analyzing situations and often outperformed Chloe in critical circumstances.
Thus, Kanata had likely sensed danger and realized things weren't so simple.
After all, Mistgun was currently navigating a route far from the mainland, and the patrol paths weren't particularly dangerous. While attacks from Armored Beetles, which now roamed the world, were unavoidable, they were generally not strong and could be handled by the daily patrol squads.
Even if the attacks were frequent, if nothing significant had happened, Freon wouldn't have summoned the special task force. Kanata thought as much.
As expected...
"Last night, a D-rank squad on night watch lost contact, and their life signs can't be detected."
After a moment of silence, Freon continued, her expression still impassive.
"...!"
The expressions of Kanata, Chloe, and Yuri instantly tensed.
"I see..."
Chloe's face showed a pained expression.
"There have already been casualties?"
Yuri bit her lip.
Casualties signified a severe situation.
Moreover...
"In their last communication, the D-rank squad leader mentioned 'variant'."
Freon's explanation revealed the real reason for summoning the special task force.
"A variant has appeared?"
Kanata's face turned grim.
"No wonder the special task force was needed..."
Chloe was now enlightened.
Armored Beetles were categorized by their characteristics and levels.
Generally, Armored Beetles were divided into small, medium, and large categories.
Small Armored Beetles weren't very threatening; even in the past, ordinary Sky Wizards could handle them easily. With the recent advancements in magic technology influenced by Rozen, even the weakest Sky Wizards could now easily defeat a swarm of small Armored Beetles. This category relied on numbers rather than individual strength.
Medium Armored Beetles, however, were different. In terms of size, strength, and attack methods, they far surpassed small Armored Beetles. They included melee, ranged, and bombardment types. Ordinary Sky Wizards couldn't handle them; only D-rank or higher squads could manage these.
Large Armored Beetles were another level altogether. They possessed massive sizes and immense power, some even capable of breeding or carrying swarms of Armored Beetles. Just one could threaten an entire floating city. Many floating cities destroyed in the past fell to such Armored Beetles, making them a significant human threat.
Yet, these weren't the most dangerous.
The greatest threat came from Armored Beetles that had mutated, gaining formidable abilities or features.
These were the variants, the biggest threat to humanity.
A prime example among known variants included those with high intelligence, capable of commanding other Armored Beetles.
Thus, their threat level was extremely high.
Yuri quickly inquired.
"Is the variant a medium-sized one?"
Typically, medium-sized Armored Beetles were more prone to mutation, while small ones rarely mutated.
As for large Armored Beetles, their rarity made mutations infrequent.
Hence, medium-sized variants were more common and posed a manageable threat.
Unfortunately, Yuri was disappointed.
"Based on the analysis from the Intelligence Division, the variant this time is large and highly intelligent. The frequent attacks by small Armored Beetles are likely reconnaissance. The D-rank squad was probably wiped out by it last night."
Freon's tone was heavy as she revealed this fact.
"This..."
Yuri was left speechless.
"A large Armored Beetle variant..."
"That's enough to threaten the very existence of the floating cities. We're in a dire situation."
Chloe and Kanata were both deep in thought.
"This time, I gathered you to prepare for action," Freon stated. "If the Intelligence Division can locate the large variant, we must strike before it reaches Mistgun and eliminate it."
For such a task, deploying the special task force was inevitable.
"You are Mistgun's ace team, so only you are informed of this for now. Do not spread the word to avoid unnecessary panic."
Freon instructed firmly.
At this moment...
"Um... should we notify Rozen-senpai?"
Yuri's hesitant voice broke the silence.
Her suggestion left the office in a momentary lull.
Kanata and Chloe returned to their usual expressions, one scratching his head in exasperation, the other covering her mouth in a light chuckle.
Despite her rebellious demeanor in front of Rozen, Yuri always thought of him first in times like these, making her seem like an awkward junior.
Freon, however, looked extremely exasperated.
"If possible, I'd like to inform him too, but knowing that man's personality, I doubt he'd willingly take on the mission now."
Freon's words carried rare frustration.
Until...
"Well, I apologize for that."
The sudden, indifferent voice left everyone stunned.