Chương 415: convergence

"Well, duh." Cleo's voice broke the silence after Rose's reveal. She leaned back in her chair and shrugged, as if the answer should have been clear.

"Isn't it common knowledge that Dagon was a Rose before his fall? He may have been one before the Rosemary Organization was even made official, but he was still a Rose." Fe slowly turned toward her with a childish smile.

"Can't you ever keep your mouth shut?" Cleo scoffed.

"No. I can't." Rose closed her eyes and sighed. Of course they were doing this now. After everything they had just discussed, the meeting had somehow turned into a family argument. Alexandria looked between Fe and Cleo with an awkward smile. She wasn't sure if she should laugh or pretend none of this was happening. Rikin finally cleared his throat.

"Alright, everyone. Can we get back to the matter at hand?" The room slowly grew quiet. Rikin turned toward Rose and gave her a small nod.

"I'll give Rose the floor again. Listen closely." He leaned back, leaving the rest of the meeting to her.

"Thank you, Rikin. I appreciate your trust." Rose gave the President of the G. V. O. a small bow. Rikin waved her off.

"Don't mention it. Please, begin." Rose nodded and took a slow breath before bringing the projection back. A large map of Earth appeared above the table, covered in glowing marks that showed the known Gates and rifts.

"Right now, the Mass Gate Event has left a large number of rifts and Fractures across the planet. Most have already been sealed or dealt with, but several high- and mid-level Gates are still active. Some of them contain Fifth-Stage Spawns." Her expression grew more serious as several areas on the map began to glow.

"In a few cases, we have even found Sixth-Stage Spawns. Those Gates are much more dangerous and will need stronger teams." The room grew tense.

"Our first goal is containment. These Gates may not be our greatest threat, but civilians are still trapped in many of the areas they have hit. We cannot allow even one Gate to stay open long enough for its Spawns to reach the surface." Cleo raised her hand. Rose looked toward her.

"Yes, Cleo?" Cleo sighed and folded her arms.

"I understand what you're saying. But with everything going on, we can't send too many Paragons into these Gates. If we send too much of our strength underground, Earth will be open to another attack. Mors Auctoris could use that." She paused before leaning back.

"But if we don't send enough people, the Spawns will break through and start tearing the planet apart. So we're stuck either way. How exactly do you plan to deal with that?" It was a fair question. Cleo's loud and proud nature often made people underestimate her, especially those who had never seen her in battle. She was difficult and far too sure of herself, but she was not stupid. In fact, she was one of the Roses' best minds when it came to war and strategy. Sadly, that only made her ego worse. Rose nodded.

"Your point is correct. I've already made a list of which Paragons will enter the Gates and which ones will stay on Earth." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. She looked down at the list before meeting Cleo's eyes.

"You, Cleo, will remain here." Cleo gave a small laugh.

"Obviously. My powers don't work well inside a Gate anyway." She rested her head against one hand. Rose continued.

"We will send teams made up of one Paragon and several Great Elders. Their orders are simple. Enter the Gate, kill the Spawns, and leave." The map changed, showing several regions across the world marked in red.

"If a Gate contains only a few Spawns, the team will clear it and move on at once. We cannot waste time waiting inside for more to appear." Rose pointed toward several marked areas.

"Once a Gate is clear, guards will be placed around it. They will watch the entrance and report any new Spawn activity. If another Spawn appears, the closest team will be sent there. We will keep moving from Gate to Gate until the threat is under control." She paused and looked around the room.

"The goal is simple. Clear as many Gates as we can while keeping enough strength on Earth to defend against another attack." Several Visorians nodded. Rose continued.

"Those who will remain on Earth no matter what are Cleo, Tharion, Fe, and Alexandria. Everyone else will be sent where they are needed. This plan will stay in place until Barbatos finishes his Trial or the Paragons sent to rescue the students return." Once again, everyone nodded. No one objected. Rose took another breath.

"There is one final matter." The map disappeared, leaving the room dim again.

"If we are attacked and the enemy somehow brings out another Eighth-Stage Spawn, we have one last plan." Rose looked toward Fe.

"A hail mary." Fe slowly pointed at himself.

"Me again?!" His voice was full of fake shock. Rose stared at him.

"Yes. You." Fe chuckled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out something small and held it between two fingers. A single black scale. It was smooth and dark, reflecting the room's lights like polished onyx. Even from a distance, there was something strange about it. Several people leaned closer without realizing it. Fe smiled.

"This, my dear brothers and sisters... is a scale from Dagon." The room fell silent. Several people stared at the scale as if it were a piece of history. In a way, it was. One of the executives finally spoke.

"You plan to summon him if things become desperate?" Fe raised one hand and moved his fingers through a strange pattern.

"Something like that." He shrugged.

"If we can't move the fight into space, then yes, I'll use it. But if we can move the battle somewhere safe, I can deal with it myself." One of the Roses frowned.

"Fe." Her voice was more serious now.

"That Acknowledgement of yours isn't harmless. You shouldn't use it so freely." Levianthe nodded, her eyes still fixed on the scale.

"Your Acknowledgement is strange. It is a Curse, yet it is also one of the greatest powers anyone could ask for. We still don't know its limits." She narrowed her eyes.

"There has to be a cost we haven't found yet. Powers like yours don't come without a price." Fe waved her off.

"No, no. Trust me. I can handle it." He slipped the scale back into his pocket with a smile.

"Even if my power gets a little... difficult, that's a small price to pay for the planet." The Roses stared at him. Nobody looked convinced. Levianthe finally sighed.

"Just don't push yourself too far. You barely understand your own power, so please, Fe. Be careful." Fe's carefree smile faded. He looked at her for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"That's enough, sis." He looked toward her.

"I am not the one you should worry about. Our strongest warrior is inactive." The room grew a little quieter.

"So worry about him. Not me." Levianthe narrowed her eyes. She clearly disagreed, but she said nothing. There was little point arguing when the situation had already proven Fe's point. Rose clapped her hands once, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Alright. Does everyone understand their orders?" One by one, the people around the table nodded.

"Good." Rose looked around the room.

"Then these orders will begin tomorrow. For tonight, however, our first concern is recovery. The Mass Gate Event created more Gates, rifts, and Fractures than we have ever seen at once." She paused, letting the words settle.

"And somehow, despite all of that, the number of deaths around the world remained remarkably low." A faint smile appeared on her face.

"That was because of all of you." Her eyes moved across the room, stopping briefly on each person.

"You did well. I hope to see you all again at our next meeting." With that, the meeting ended. The room slowly emptied. Several Roses vanished at once, their bodies fading into light as their teleportation powers carried them away. Others stayed behind to speak with friends and allies before leaving as well. One by one, they all disappeared. The voices faded, and the footsteps soon stopped. Before long, the great conference room was empty. No one remained except Rose. She stayed seated at the head of the table.

The lights above gave off a soft hum, while the polished table reflected the empty room around her. The map was gone, the chairs were empty, and the meeting was over. Yet Rose did not move. She leaned back slowly. The warmth in her face disappeared, leaving only a cold, unreadable look. For several seconds, she stared at the ceiling without saying a word. Then she finally spoke.

"So..." Her voice was quiet, almost gentle.

"How long do you plan to keep playing this game of cat and mouse, sister?" Rose waited, but no answer came. Still, she knew someone was listening. Her eyes slowly shifted toward the far end of the room.

"You've been watching us for quite some time now." A faint smile touched her lips.

"So why don't you come out?" The room remained silent. Rose's smile faded.

"I know you're there."