In the dark room where a group silently observed the Midnight Battalion, the religious zealot finally lost his patience upon seeing Luthor casually retreating from the battlefield.
"That's enough! How much time must we wait? The longer we take, the greater their chances of escape! Whoever came with this plan is an imbecile! Hand over the command, let me take over!"
In the fanatics' defense, it was truly too bitter watching the heretics battle hour after hour, but never getting so much as a scratch. With each of their victories, their morale would rise and they would grow stronger. The more formidable their enemy, the more they would rise to the occasion. It was best to simply crush them with one simple powerplay!
But his outburst had just ended when a hand appeared atop his head, making his entire body freeze.
A handsome and mischievous man stepped out from the shadow, revealing himself. He turned the fanatics head towards himself and looked down at him. He did not seem upset or angry at his earlier outburst. Instead he smiled, and took this opportunity to educate the group.
"Previously you all may have met Karen, but not many of you have met me. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Rocketfellow. You all have surely at least heard of me."
He paused to allow the group's response, and their murmurs and change in demeanor seemed to indicate his assumption was correct.
"Allow me to educate you on our adversary in our current endeavor. This impatience and lack of foresight is exactly the kind of behavior that resulted in the deity Ra's downfall. Our opponent is a Daolord. Do you understand what a Daolord is? Do you understand the kind of power they wield? Just because the Deities of this realm have reached an artificial Daolord level does not mean that what they hold is comparable to a true Daolord.
"If you think of their name, they will know it. If you plan against them, they will know it. If you even dream about something affiliated to them, they will know about it. They are at a realm and station far beyond our comprehension and understanding. Facing them, a million attempts such as the one we are conducting now is too few, and a billion years of planning is too short.
"We need to study and understand each and every aspect of them before making a true move. We need to study their actions, their history, their habits, their morals, their philosophies, their absolutely everything, and then we need to do it again a hundred more times before we can even consider the ultimate goal. So this, right now, what we are doing is not a true attempt. No, right now, we are learning.
"We are learning what the Innkeepers' tolerance is. Will he help his soldiers, or will he abandon them? Has he provided any special means to them to return to the Inn, or is it the same as everyone else? If he helps, will he move personally or will he send someone else? How long will it take for him to send help? What are the limitations he is bound by, or is he even bound at all?
"You see, children, whatever you think you know about a Daolord, it is not enough. As soon as we made a single plan to move against his people, he already knew about it."
The expressions of the various people in the room changed, and a hint of fear and hesitation appeared on their faces.
"What's with those faces? Did you honestly think you could hide? From a Daolord? Don't make me laugh children. That's really too immature. Not only did he know about it, he even called me for a meeting and warned me."
The devil smirked, as if he was thinking back to that meeting.
"You see, when I first decided I wanted to capture the Inn's workers, I approached the Daolord and proposed a cooperation. Obviously, I could not say outright that I wanted to poach his workers, so I phrased it like a partnership. In exchange for allowing me to take some of his workers, I offered 5 trillion MP. At that time, it seemed like the Daolord agreed.
"But when we finally found an opportunity, and I finally acted on it, we had another meeting, and he gave me a subtle warning. He said he was shutting down the Inn for a while, and if I wanted to act on the opportunity, I had to do it within six months, or wait for the future. Of course, these things are never said outright, and we have to put up a pretense. But I understand enough to read between the lines. It seems I have somewhat misunderstood the Innkeeper, so he changed the rules.
"All I can say is that, whether we like it or not, we have to play within the rules that they establish. Even then, we suffer the risk of failure, and extreme loss. But the reason we are even able to make an attempt in the first place is because I went and sought permission in the very beginning. You have to remember your place when facing a Daolord."
"If Daolords are really as impressive as you claim, then how were you able to go and ask for such a thing from one? Were you not afraid he would kill you right then and there for asking to take his workers?" asked one of the shadowed figures.
"Two things. First, I have the aura of a Daolord on me, protecting me. No Daolord would easily act against me just to avoid the hassle that it would bring. Secondly, it is merely a request. He can say no if he so wishes. But even if he says yes, we have to correctly interpret his every thought, or else we could land in trouble. Even after that, we have to thoroughly study everything or else we won't have a chance.
"Do you think this idea right now is foolproof? Trapping them in an unstable region and then attacking them slowly? All they need is a simple treasure that stabilizes space, and then they can use the keys to escape. Of course, whether they have such a treasure or not is another matter. What matters is that this is merely the first attempt. Through countless attempts we will learn more about our adversary, and then when we truly act, there will be no loopholes left, and no chance of defeat. Of course, there's a possibility that we may succeed even in this attempt, so we have to treat it seriously too."
The devil finally let go of the fanatics head, and was pleased to see that he no longer lashed out. Rocketfellow smiled and looked at the projection. He had to groom his partners well. After all, they had to reach a basic level of competence for them to even be useful as scapegoats let alone provide any real help. The game was just beginning.