Location: Asura Guild H.Q., Underground Strategy Room
Time: 12:05 PM
Date: November 29, 2025
In the center of the underground strategy room, a massive holographic map glowed in the air. A heavy, chilled silence permeated the room as N.D.A.I. high officials, top military Generals, and the core members of the Asura and Garud Vajra guilds stood around the table.
Adiraj slid his finger across the control panel. The 7-Star VIP Zone of Delhi went dark on the map, replaced by the city's common roads, public squares, metro stations, and borders, all highlighting in a bright, warning red.
The officials were confused. With 40 S-Rankers and over 800 high-profile guests arriving in the VIP zone, why was Adiraj's focus shifting to the common streets?
"The VIP zone is currently the most secure place on Earth," Adiraj clarified, reading the unspoken questions in the room with his cold, direct voice. "No terrorist organization, rogue guild, or hostile nation is foolish enough to attack a location where 40 Sovereigns are seated. To go there is certain death."
Adiraj pointed to the highlighted public zones. "An enemy always seeks a soft target. As of today, the Asura Guild's city-wide feast for the public has begun. There will be thousands of ordinary citizens on the streets. If terrorists bypass the S-Rankers to attack the masses, and thousands of innocent lives are lost... this Global Summit will become India's greatest defeat. The world will say India could not protect its own people."
The military veterans in the room instantly grasped the gravity of his logic. A true tactician looks at the ground as much as the sky.
The Military Alliance
Adiraj turned to a senior, battle-hardened General of the Indian Army sitting at the far end of the table. Despite being an S-Ranker, Adiraj held a deep, genuine respect for the army and their vast experience.
"General, Sir," Adiraj's voice was not a command, but a soft, respectful request. "We dungers can neutralize magical threats, close portals, and slay monsters. But physical terrorism, crowd management, and absolute discipline on the ground... no one is better at that than the Indian Army. You have seen a thousand battles. I need military deployment at every street, metro station, and border starting today."
Adiraj leaned forward slightly. "But remember, Sir, in this atmosphere of death, the public already lives in fear. They must not be inconvenienced. They should not feel like they are eating in a warzone."
The General, who had spent his entire life in service of the nation, recognized the S-Rank maturity and sincere respect in the 24-year-old before him. A faint, proud smile touched his weathered face.
"Understood," the General replied in his heavy, experienced voice. "My forces will deploy in plain clothes and at strategic perimeters starting today. The public will enjoy the feast, and they won't have a clue that an invisible military circle has formed around them."
Adiraj offered a respectful nod. The ground-level physical security was now in the hands of the nation's most trusted force.
The Biological Fail-Safe
Aaryan (Jiju) stepped forward, opening the locations of the massive kitchens and food distribution centers spread across Delhi.
"Physical attacks are covered," Aaryan stated in his sharp diplomatic tone. "But our scale is massive. Food is being prepared for the entire city. An enemy might use a biological weapon instead of a bomb."
Adiraj expanded on the point. "An ordinary human body cannot withstand high-rank toxins. If a terrorist drops even a few drops of high-rank mana-toxin into the food or water supply, the resulting mana pressure would rupture people's lungs from the inside. The death toll would be in the hundreds of thousands. Food security must be absolute."
Shiva, who had been observing the map, activated his own screen.
"I am deploying Asura and Garud Vajra C and D-Rank dungers—specifically those whose skills are focused on Healing, Purification, or Poison Detection—to these public kitchens," Shiva explained. "They will work undercover as cooks or staff. Not a single grain of food will reach the public until its mana-reading is confirmed at zero."
"Exactly," Adiraj said, locking the plan. "The dungers will protect the food, and the Army will be the physical shield among the people. In the feast, people will laugh and eat, never knowing that threats are being erased before they can even manifest."
On the massive map in the underground room, the public zones of Delhi began to glow in a secure green light. The Civilian Shield was active.
Adiraj took a deep breath and straightened his posture. He shifted the map back to the 7-Star VIP Zone.
"Ground zero is secure. Phase 3 locked," Adiraj's voice returned to the cold, tactical resonance where no margin for error existed.
"Now, let us move to our main battlefield," Adiraj said, looking into the eyes of the generals and officials. "Phase 4: The Sovereign Summit. Over 800 guests... and we must build a level of security that none of them can even perceive."
Chapter Summary
Soft Target Logic: Adiraj prioritizes civilian security, realizing that a terrorist attack on the public during the summit would be a major diplomatic failure.
Army Integration: Adiraj enlists the Indian Army for plain-clothes crowd control and physical security, showing deep respect for traditional military expertise.
Mana-Toxin Defense: Shiva deploys specialized "Detection and Purification" rankers into public kitchens to ensure the food supply is safe from biological or magical sabotage.
The Invisible Shield: The public feast is protected by an integrated layer of Military and Guild forces, ensuring a "zero-error" environment for the citizens.
Status Log
Phase Status: Phase 3 (Civilian Shield) LOCKED.
Current Location: Asura H.Q. Strategy Room.
Adiraj's MP: 255 Million (S-Rank).
Shiva's MP: 288 Million (S-Rank).
Timeline: 5 Days remaining.