Karna stepped forward. The silver-eyed spymaster offered a crisp bow. "Boss, my espionage network is tracking the financial trails. But the mastermind is extremely cautious. If they launch another attack, your political restriction prevents you from stopping them directly."
"That is correct, Karna," Lancelot nodded slowly. "If I break the injunction, the entire continent will unite against the Belmontia Empire. It will put Princess Iris and the 13th Unit in extreme danger. I will not allow my team to suffer."
Lancelot stood up from his throne. The dark cloak flowed elegantly around his boots. He walked down the short flight of stairs. He stood right in front of his fifteen captains.
"We need to lift the restrictions," Lancelot stated firmly. "We must remove the political ban. But we will not do it with violence. We will not break the law."
Mirajane smiled a wicked, curious smile. She twirled her dark wooden staff. "Then how will we lift the ban, Master? The politicians are terrified of you. They will never remove the chains willingly."
"They will remove the chains," Lancelot countered coldly. "Because we will make them beg me to remove them."
Ken smiled a huge, goofy smile behind his terrifying mask.
"This is the absolute best strategy," Ken thought lazily. "It is pure reverse psychology. If I just ask them to lift the ban, they will say no. But if they think they are in massive danger, they will beg me to save them. They will rewrite the laws just to protect their own fancy mansions. It is a flawless, lazy plan. I do not even have to lift a finger."
Lancelot began to outline his long-term strategic objectives. He assigned specific tasks to the specialized departments.
"Karna," Lancelot called out.
The spymaster stood at attention. "Yes, Boss."
"You will deploy the Espionage Network immediately," Lancelot ordered. "Send your four thousand spies into the Inner City. Have them wear nice suits. Have them blend in with the wealthy nobles. I want them to visit the expensive tea parlors and the grand ballrooms."
Karna nodded. "What is their objective?"
"They will spread very specific, highly terrifying rumors," Lancelot instructed smoothly. "They will whisper about a new, unstoppable monster. They will claim the dark magic is returning. They will say the monster is entirely immune to normal magic. They will ensure the corrupt politicians overhear these rumors."
Vex, the shapeshifter, smiled a blank smile. "We will create absolute paranoia. The nobles will panic."
"Exactly," Lancelot agreed. He turned his head to look at the Technical Team. "Jin. Selina."
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The master hacker and the sweet unicorn spirit stepped forward. They bowed respectfully.
"You will deploy the Technical Team," Lancelot commanded. "Jin, use your hackers to intercept the Upper Council's magical communications. Alter their incoming reports. Feed them false data. Make the rumored threat look incredibly real and vastly approaching."
Jin tapped his glowing blue tablet. "I will manipulate their data streams perfectly, Boss. Their radar will show massive anomalies."
"Selina," Lancelot said gently. "You will monitor the hospitals. Ensure no actual civilians are harmed during this psychological operation. Protect the innocent."
Selina placed her hands over her heart. "I will keep them completely safe, my Sovereign."
Lancelot turned to look at Ryu and Erana. The leaders of the Frontal Assault Squad looked incredibly eager. They wanted to fight.
"Ryu. Erana," Lancelot addressed them. "You will take the Frontal Assault Squad. You will march to the borders. You will wait in the dark forests. You will remain on absolute standby. Do not engage any regular guards. You are the ultimate insurance policy. If the true mastermind attempts to flee the country, you will capture them."
Ryu slammed his massive fist against his chest armor. "We will form an unbreakable wall, Supreme One! Nobody will escape!"
Lancelot looked at the Assassination Unit. Leviathan and Zed stood perfectly still.
"Leviathan," Lancelot stated coldly. "You will lead the assassins. You will hunt down the minor, annoying spies working for the corrupt nobles. Eliminate their scouts. Do it quietly. Leave zero evidence. Blind the enemy completely."
"It will be a silent, beautiful hunt, Master," Leviathan purred softly.
Ken reviewed his grand strategy in his mind. He felt incredibly satisfied.
"This plan is a total masterpiece," Ken analyzed casually. "Step one: spread scary rumors. Step two: hack their radar. Step three: blind their spies. The regular royal guards will try to find the fake monster. They will fail completely. The Upper Council will absolutely panic. They will realize their armies are useless."
Ken predicted the outcome flawlessly.
"The Emperor will call an emergency meeting," Ken reasoned lazily. "The foreign kings will freak out. They will realize they need the shadow god to save them from the new threat. Pope Isac will officially cancel the travel ban. They will practically hand me a golden invitation to intervene. I win the political game without doing any actual cardio."
Lancelot stood in front of his massive, ten-thousand-strong army. He looked at the fifteen elite captains. The strategic plan was completely set in stone.
"You have your orders," Lancelot announced. His deep voice echoed with finality. "Execute the plan flawlessly. Manipulate the board. Let the politicians dig their own graves. We will wait in the shadows until they beg for our light."
The fifteen captains bowed deeply. The ten thousand soldiers dropped to one knee in perfect, terrifying unison. The sound of their armor clanking echoed across the vast underground colosseum.
"Your will is absolute!" the captains declared together.
Lancelot did not say another word. He did not wait for further praise. He raised his right hand. He snapped his fingers softly.
Snap.
The dark shadows swirled rapidly around his tall figure. The glowing purple eye faded away into nothingness. Lancelot completely vanished from the secret pocket dimension. The massive assembly was officially over.
Ken Eliot materialized back inside his small, dusty bedroom at the 13th Unit estate. The black cloak melted away. His wrinkled navy blue suit returned. His shirt hung untucked.
He let out a loud, dramatic yawn. He stretched his arms high above his head. His back popped quietly. He walked over to his lumpy mattress. He kicked his cheap shoes off. He collapsed face-first onto his bed.
"Man, being a mastermind is exhausting," Ken complained lazily into his pillow. "I had to use so many big words. But the plan is perfect. The ban will be lifted soon. Now, I just need a very long nap. I hope Naomi is making sandwiches for lunch."
He pulled the thin blanket over his shoulders. He closed his sleepy dark eyes. He drifted off to sleep instantly, completely content to let his massive shadow army do all the hard work for him.
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