Twilight set the Manhattan skyscrapers ablaze, their glass facades reflecting reddish glints that contrasted with the darkening sky. The Freedom Sky Tower, a colossal structure of reinforced glass and strengthened alloys, rose above the urban landscape like a monunt to human pride in the face of Portal chaos. Erected specifically to host high-security international etings, it had been evacuated within an eight-block periter.
The deserted streets echoed only with the asured steps of elite tactical squads. Combat helicopters traced concentric circles in the sky, while energy barriers, products of the best anti-mana technologies, ford an invisible do around the complex. Manhattan, normally frenetic, seed to hold its breath, as if sensing the importance of the deliberations about to take place.
On the 157th floor, the council room was a masterpiece of defensive architecture disguised as diplomatic luxury. The walls, adorned with priceless contemporary artwork, concealed defense systems capable of neutralizing even an S-ranked Hunter. The central table, carved from a massive block of bluish-tinted obsidian, had been extracted from an A-ranked dungeon sowhere in the Carpathians – an eloquent symbol of humanity’s ability to exploit mystical resources for its own use.
Alexander Creed, the Arican S-ranked Hunter, stood by the bay windows, his silhouette outlined against the Manhattan skyline. His aura, even contained, caused a subtle but undeniable pressure in the room. At fifty-two, Creed embodied Arican power: an imposing physique forged by twenty-five years of fighting monsters, a weathered face marked by experience and a scar running from his left temple to his jaw – a nto of a legendary confrontation with the Oregon Behemoth. His custom three-piece suit couldn’t completely conceal his developed musculature, nor the discreet case containing his personal artifact: a three-thousand-year-old ceremonial dagger, imbued with mana so dense it was almost palpable even to the uninitiated.
One by one, the representatives of the major world powers entered the room, escorted by their personal guards who were forced to remain outside. Only those directly involved in the negotiations were granted entry: heads of state, defense ministers, and most importantly, the precious S-ranked Hunters, those exceptional beings capable of standing against the most terrifying threats erging from the Portals.
- "Twenty-three confird disappearances in three months," announced Creed without preamble, as the last participants took their seats. His deep voice resonated through the room. "Twenty-three A-ranked Hunters vanished without a trace, in Portals classified as secure."
He swept his gaze across the assembly, lingering on each face with calculated intensity.
- "This isn’t an Arican, Russian, or Chinese problem. It’s a global threat that concerns us all."
Liu Wei, the Chinese S-ranked representative, sat perfectly straight, his impassive face betraying only constant vigilance. Tall and slender, he wore a modernized traditional suit, deep black enhanced with discreet red embroidery. At sixty, he was the oldest S-ranked Hunter present, but his appearance barely suggested forty – a side effect of his exceptional mastery of Yang-type mana.
- "And you naturally propose that the United States take the lead in operations, don’t you, Creed?" he articulated with deceptive gentleness, his slender fingers caressing the edge of the table. "How convenient."
The air in the room seed to thicken, charged with static electricity. Advisors and assistants exchanged tense glances, aware that the slightest spark between two S-ranked Hunters could transform this diplomatic eting into an international catastrophe.
- "I propose that we set aside our geopolitical rivalries before it’s too late," Creed responded, unperturbed. "Because whatever force is targeting our Hunters, it doesn’t seem to distinguish between our flags."
A slight movent drew general attention to a figure who had been silent until now. Sung Jin-Woo, the legendary South Korean Hunter, straightened slightly in his seat. Younger than most other S-ranked Hunters present, he nonetheless commanded imdiate respect. Dressed in a simple black ensemble that contrasted with his magnetic presence, he exuded such a peculiar aura that even the other S-ranked Hunters seed uncomfortable in his presence. His gaze, of almost supernatural intensity, settled on Liu Wei.
- "Your diplomatic caution is admirable, Liu Wei," he said in a composed voice that nevertheless carried to the back of the room. "But perhaps we should rember that three of your own elite Hunters disappeared in the Gobi Desert Portal just two weeks ago. Hunters who, according to your own reports, were accompanied by a military escort that could do nothing to save them."
An icy silence fell over the assembly. Liu Wei imperceptibly narrowed his eyes, the only visible sign of his irritation.
- "I find you remarkably well-inford about our internal affairs, Sung Jin-Woo," he replied, a threatening note filtering through his asured voice. "Perhaps you should devote that... perspicacity... to protecting your own territory. The Korean peninsula houses particularly unstable Portals these days, doesn’t it?"
A subtle wave of mana emanated from Sung Jin-Woo – so brief that only the other S-ranked Hunters perceived it. It wasn’t an explicit threat, but a silent reminder of his power. Rumors about his unique abilities had been circulating for years in the restricted circles of global power: so claid he had developed aptitudes that defied the standard classification of Hunters.
- "Gentlen," intervened Éléonore Vasseur, the French president, breaking the growing tension. A skilled diplomat of fifty-eight with natural charisma, she had survived three assassination attempts and a coup attempt after nationalizing control of French Portals. "We have all lost valuable n and won. France has seen two of its best elents disappear under identical conditions."
She turned to the Japanese delegation, then to the British and Brazilian representatives.
- "And I know we’re not the only ones. This threat seems thodical, calculated. It specifically targets our most precious forces."
Russian General Igor Petrov, a massive man with a shaved head and a face marked by old burns, slamd his fist on the table. A forr military officer turned administrator of the Special Forces for Portal Defense, he was known for his brutal but effective approach.
- "Words, always words!" he growled, his accent making his remarks even more threatening. "While we talk, so around this table may be conducting infiltration operations. How do we know these disappearances aren’t the result of orchestrated kidnappings to recover our Hunters’ capabilities?"
His accusatory gaze swept across the assembly before fixing on the Chinese delegation.
- "The technology for mana extraction and transfer has made considerable progress in recent years, hasn’t it, Chinese comrades? Your Shanghai laboratories are particularly... innovative in this field."
Liu Wei rose slowly, this ti deliberately deploying his aura. A crushing pressure descended on the room, making the lights flicker and causing cracks in the reinforced windows.
- "Are you insinuating that the People’s Republic of China is behind these disappearances, General?" he asked with icy politeness that contrasted with the raw power he projected. "A rather audacious accusation from a nation that has attempted to militarize Portal creatures for decades."
Before Petrov could respond, Sung Jin-Woo stood as well. Unlike Liu Wei, he did not ostentatiously deploy his mana. On the contrary, he seed to contain it, compress it, creating a zone of absolute calm around him that was almost more terrifying than his Chinese counterpart’s display of power.
- "The last Korean Hunter we lost," he said in a dangerously low voice, "had crossed paths with a Chinese exploration team in the Yellow Sea Portal three days before his disappearance. A troubling coincidence, Liu Wei."
The Chinese Hunter slowly turned his head toward him, eyes narrowed.
- "A direct accusation, Sung Jin-Woo?" he whispered, as his mana condensed around his hands, forming almost imperceptible luminous filants. "I thought you more cautious."
The air between the two n seed to distort, as if heated to white-hot by the intensity of their silent confrontation. The other participants instinctively backed away, aware that a clash between Hunters of this caliber could raze part of Manhattan in minutes.
Alexander Creed physically interposed himself, releasing his own aura – a bluish force field that ford a barrier between the two adversaries.
- "ENOUGH!" he thundered, his voice amplified by his mana resonating down to the foundations of the building. "You’re doing exactly what our enemy hopes for!"
The two n remained frozen for a mont before, slowly, almost reluctantly, they retracted their respective auras. The tension was palpable, as if the air itself had been lacerated by their barely avoided confrontation.
- "Creed is right," Vasseur finally intervened, her face pale but determined. "Every minute we lose in mutual accusations is a victory for this unknown threat. I propose the imdiate creation of an international task force, composed of mixed teams."
She turned to the assembly, scanning the tense faces of the participants.
- "Each team will consist of Hunters of different nationalities, accompanied by independent scientific experts. No nation can act alone. We will share all our data in real ti."
A thoughtful silence followed her proposal. Creed slowly nodded, then turned to Liu Wei and Sung Jin-Woo who were still watching each other warily.
- "If we don’t learn to trust each other, we’re already defeated," he said gravely. "Whatever this force is that can make A-ranked Hunters disappear without a trace, it’s powerful enough to threaten us all. And if we continue to tear ourselves apart, it won’t even need to confront us directly."
Sung Jin-Woo finally detached his gaze from Liu Wei to look at Creed. Sothing in his eyes – an ancient, almost inhuman knowledge – seed briefly visible before he regained perfect control of his expression.
- "I agree to participate in this task force," he declared calmly, "on condition that each mixed team includes at least one S-ranked Hunter as an observer."
Liu Wei made a sound halfway between a laugh and a sigh.
- "Always suspicious, aren’t you, Sung Jin-Woo?" he said, before slightly inclining his head. "But I approve this condition. China will participate as well, with the sa reservations."
General Petrov briefly consulted his phone before nodding in turn.
- "Russia accepts these terms. Moscow will send its best elents."
One by one, the representatives of the major powers gave their agreent. The atmosphere, though still tense, had slightly eased.
Creed positioned himself at the center of the room, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the participants.
- "We will imdiately establish an operational headquarters on the 84th floor. Teams will be ford by the end of the day. Our first mission will be to chronologically revisit each disappearance site, starting with the most recent."
He paused, then added in a grave voice:
- "I don’t need to remind you what’s at stake. If sothing is capable of neutralizing our A-ranked Hunters without leaving a trace, we face a potentially existential threat. For the first ti since the appearance of the Portals, humanity could be genuinely in danger of extinction."
As the delegations began to rise to join the lower floor, Sung Jin-Woo remained motionless for a mont, his gaze lost in emptiness. A fleeting shadow passed over his face, as if he perceived sothing the others couldn’t see.
- "A problem, Sung Jin-Woo?" asked Creed, who had noticed his expression.
The Korean Hunter blinked, instantly regaining his focus.
- "Nothing we should worry about... for now," he replied enigmatically before heading toward the exit, leaving Creed perplexed.
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