SSS Rank: Strongest Beast Master

Thanos's warning proved to be prophetic. The Bureau didn't wait weeks to make their move. They didn't even wait days. They made their first play the very next morning.

It didn't come as a threat or a secret message. It came as a public report released simultaneously to all major government and military branches, including the Academy. A copy appeared on the Headmaster's desk, its official Bureau of Anomalous Species seal glowing with an harmless blue light.

Seraph brought the report to Jonah's workshop. She didn't bother knocking. The door slid open and she strode in, her face held back a storm of anger.

"They've done it," she said, her voice sharp and cold as ice. She tossed a data slate onto his workbench. It clattered against the metal, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "The Bureau just made their play."

Jonah picked up the slate, his heart sinking. The report had a plain, official title: "Report on New Dangerous Creatures, Called: Chimeric Predator, Alpha Strain.."

He started to read. The report was a masterpiece of half-truths and carefully constructed lies. It detailed the "discovery" of a new, highly dangerous, and extremely adaptive species of beast. It talked in detail about their unnatural hybrid biology, their corrosive acid spit, and their unpredictable, pack-hunting combat patterns. It described the incident at Station Chimera, framing it not as a catastrophic containment breach of a failed experiment, but as the first heroic encounter with this terrifying new threat. The report painted the Bureau as the brave first responders who had uncovered a monster lurking in the shadows of the nation.

"They conveniently left out the part where they created them in a lab," Vanessa said bitterly, reading over his shoulder. "This whole thing is a lie. Every word of it."

"It's a very clever lie," Seraph countered, pacing the workshop floor like a caged tiger. "It's not written for us. It's written to induce fear in politicians and the public. It makes the Chimeras sound like a national-level threat, a new kind of monster that standard military units aren't equipped to handle. It carefully highlights the need for a... specialized response."

"A specialized response," Jonah said softly. He felt a cold knot of fear in his gut. "Me"

As if on cue, a soft chime sounded from the data slate in his hand. A new message had just been added to the report. It wasn't private. It was a formal mission request, sent directly from Colonel Boris's office to the Academy's public mission board for all high-ranking staff and students to see.

The request stated that their long-range scouts had "located" another Chimera nest. It was deep in the Dragon's Tooth mountains, a dangerous place with wild magic on the northern border. The report was full of strong praise for the "Anomalous Species Task Force" and their previous success at Station Chimera. It specifically cited Saint Jonah's "unique expertise and divine gift" as being absolutely essential to handling this new nest without significant military casualties.

They were formally requesting Jonah's "expert assistance" in the interest of national security.

"It's a trap," Jonah said, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

"It's a perfect trap," Seraph corrected, her eyes burning with a cold fury. "Look at the location. The Dragon's Tooth range is a well-known magical dead zone. The chaotic energy from the mountains interferes with long-range communications and scrying spells. If we go in there, we'll be completely cut off from the Academy. We'll be on our own."

"And the terrain is a nightmare," Vanessa added, pulling up a holographic map of the region on another screen. The map glowed with red warnings. "High cliffs, constant storms, deep, uncharted holes. It's a perfect place for something unfortunate to happen to someone valuable.."

"If we refuse," Seraph continued, "it will look like the Academy is hoarding its most valuable asset, the Living Saint. We'll be accused of obstructing national security. The Bureau will paint us as arrogant and reckless, willing to let a new plague spread just to protect one student. The public and the other government branches will turn on us."

"But if we accept," Jonah finished, "we're walking into a kill box. A location hand-picked by Boris, far from any support, where she can control the entire board and make sure there are no witnesses."

The three of them stood in silence for a long moment, the weight of the political chess match pressing down on them. Colonel Boris had made her move, and it was a brilliant one. She had forced them into a corner with no good way out, using Jonah's new fame as a weapon against him.

So what do we do?" Vanessa asked, her voice weak and sounding hopeless. "We can't just send Jonah into a slaughterhouse."

A familiar voice suddenly crackled to life over the workshop's private intercom, startling them. "No, we cannot."

They hadn't even realized the Headmaster was listening in on their conversation.

"The Bureau has declared a shadow war, and they have chosen the battlefield," the Headmaster's voice continued. "We have no choice but to accept their invitation. To refuse now would be to show weakness, and the Bureau preys on weakness."

A short pause hung in the air, filled with unspoken tension. "However, we will not be playing by their rules."

"We are forced to accept the mission," the Headmaster declared, his voice firm. "But we will do so with conditions. You, Captain Seraph, will retain full tactical command of the operation. You, and you alone, will have the final say on the team's composition and rules of engagement. The Bureau will provide logistical support, but they will have zero authority over your command."

"Understood, sir," Seraph said, her back straightening, a hint of hope in her eyes.

"Jonah," the Headmaster's voice softened slightly, a rare hint of something other than authority in his tone. "I know this is a heavy burden. But you are no longer just a student. You are a symbol, and symbols are often sent to the most dangerous places. Survive this. Expose them for what they are. And you will have my full support to bring them to justice."

The intercom clicked off, leaving them in a heavy silence.

The decision was made. They were walking into the trap.

Seraph turned to Jonah, her eyes burning with a strong fire that was almost scary. "The game has begun," she said, her voice low and full of warning. "Now, we pick who plays."