Despite the situation, Daneel felt his heart fill up with warmth when he saw all those in front of him.
Even the most headstrong of the sovereigns had stopped thinking for themselves, and were waiting for him to reveal the plan. He could tell that they had recognized the scenario they were in as one that they had seen many times before, when Daneel had carried out a perfect plan, step-by-step, before revealing everything at the end.
But this time, he would not be doing so.
'The end… will mean that most of you will be dead. Who will I be able to talk to, then?'
The thought made his throat clog up for a second. His eyes itched and his tongue felt dry.
It passed in a few seconds, and when it did so, it left Daneel with the realization that this was a blow that he would need a long time to recover from.
Knowing that he would have enough time to think about it later, he made the Bishop faint again and said, "Tell me, everyone. Assume that I have a method to reach the Mainland without the help, and hence, the restrictions of the TriCobra sect. Assume that I have the means to conserve the consciousnesses and remnants of all the Angarians secretly, hidden even from the eyes of the TriCobra sect and the Church. Also assume that I would be the only one able to find it later, when I am powerful enough to use the same method used before to bring Drakos back to life on all the millions of Angarians who placed their trust in me. The only problem is that the attack from the Saints will be powerful enough to erase the secret vault that I have constructed, and reduce Angaria to a state where it would have no choice but to sink to the bottom of the sea, never to rise again. With all these pieces floating around… can any of you identify a plan to secure the future I am dreaming of, no matter how impossible it might seem?"
Everyone fell into deep thought as they heard him, except for the Emperor, who had already noticed all of the things he was saying. Daneel was sure that the man had also figured out his plan, and right now, he just seemed to be waiting for him to say it out loud.
Ignoring him for the time being, he focused on the others. It was not just his sovereigns who were present: all the other important individuals who had accompanied his journey—irrespective of their power level—had been called here. The elves, the cockroaches, the shapeshifter, the head who had been given a body, the bandit leader, the Head, the Chief of the Fortress…the list went on and on, but he had shared a memory with each and every one of them, and hence, he had deemed them to be important enough to know why they would soon be going to their deaths.
All of the Heroes of the continent were also present. Most of them were tired, and almost all of them were still staring between Daneel and the people, as if in disbelief of the power he wielded now. From that and the fight he had had with the Bishop, they all knew that he could crush them all if he wished in a mere instant. Yet, he had decided that they, too, deserved to be aware of what was going to happen.
"Whatever the plan is… why not use the Energy of the continent to give back life to some of those who have died? Specifically… to Eloise and Kellor?"
The question was from Xuan. It was obvious that even though he had reassured her, she still wanted to see her sister again.
With a shrug, Daneel answered, "What energy? It was heavily depleted every time we used the Hivemind to attack using the core… and when I broke through and granted the people the power they used, I wiped away the rest. Right now, we are poised to enter another cycle of low Energy. Unlike those that came before, I expect that this one will be so bad that it will be difficult for anyone to even reach the level of a Champion… Essentially, Angaria will be brought to its knees, but it was necessary if it was to be saved, in the first place."
That last line sounded hollow, but he said it anyway. He saw her and a few others understand and nod as they heard him, and a minute after that, his commanders were the ones to give him an answer, first.
"The plan… would center around dealing with the attack, even though everything we've seen so far makes it seem as if it is futile to even think about going up against anything that is related to the Saint realm."
Daneel couldn't help but clap when he heard them.
"Exactly! But all this time, that is exactly what we've been doing to reach where we are. We kept reaching higher and higher above our own station, and in the process, we grew. We beat back the Church so perfectly that they became the laughing stock of the Mainland, and even though that is the reason behind the doom they will soon send us… it is still something to take pride in."
He meant it. This was one aspect that he had not noticed before, and now that he saw it, it filled him with satisfaction and the dignity of one who had excelled above and beyond what had been expected of him in every manner.
He had not really believed that anyone present would be able to guess what he was going to do, but he had still put the question to them so that they would give enough thought to the circumstances to be able to comprehend what he was going to say quickly. With a sigh, he saw that it was now time to lay it all bare.
He took in a deep breath, and felt the wind on his face. He took in the scent of the land, the muddy aroma that was unique to the part of Angaria where he stood. He took in the sight of the setting sun which was fitting, as it was time for their glory to set, too, only to rise again. After throwing out his hands, he opened his mouth to begin…but before he could do so, a man stood and spoke.
"One moment, Godking. I know you're about to tell us your plan… but before that, can you tell me just one thing? When you said before that you had the means to reach the Mainland without the restrictions of the TriCobra sect, it made me wonder whether they made an offer, too. After all, I have heard that your potential is one of the reasons behind them helping us… if so, how have you decided to cheat them of their prize?"
Daneel's mood had been perfect to embark on his explanation. Still, as he detected a hint of the reason behind which the speaker had interrupted him, he frowned and said, "I made them think that I was going to come with them. I don't really want to give away parts of my plan out of order… but I intend to send a clone that will dissipate after the destruction of Angaria. By then, there will be able to do nothing. I will be on the Mainland, untraceable by anyone, and they wouldn't be able to do anything but gnash their teeth. If they still persist, it might be a bit dangerous for me… but it is a risk I have to take."
The response Daneel got made him blink, and then smile broadly.
"Then use me. I can transform into you perfectly. Even though my potential is low, they might attribute it to the grief of seeing my homeland perish. I might be able to keep up the farce for longer… until you grow strong enough to resist even if they send someone after you."
It was an idea that had not come to him, at all, because the one who would take up this role would be subjected to torture of all kinds when the ruse failed.
Suddenly wondering whether Lan hadn't thought of this, he said, "But-"
"I know. There will be a world of pain waiting for me… but I wish to walk toward it, willingly. This is my home, too. These are my people. I don't know if the rest of us can help, but I'm confident that if there was a way, they would be willing to do what I'm proposing, and more. I spoke now because I did not want to risk exposing your plan during the torture, in case I am broken… so it is best if I do not know of it, at all."
This time, Daneel did not mind being interrupted, at all. He teleported in front of Lan and hugged him, and below, he could see the eyes of the Angarians glaze over with respect and admiration.
Daneel felt the same, too. It was a pleasant surprise, and after a moment, when the system told him that the probability of the overall plan succeeding had increased… he clapped Lan on his back and said, "I'm proud. Angaria will ever forget this."
Lan only nodded. Daneel still remembered when he had still been a selfish thief out to steal everything he could, and he could hardly believe that today, he was going to be one of the chief contributors to the rescue of Angaria.
In a way, it made him feel ashamed as Lan had grown much more than he had.
Putting aside this feeling, though, he clapped the man again and said, "We shall talk later, then. I'll be sending you away for now."
Land nodded again, and a moment later, he disappeared.
Returning to the throne, Daneel turned to the others and said, "The strength of a land lies in its people. We might all be weak of body and mind….but our conviction is strong, and from this, I am sure that after I succeed in the future, we will be a force to be reckoned with. Won't that be a sight to behold?"
Many chests were thumped and many jaws were set with determination as they heard him. Seeing that the perfect moment had arrived once again, Daneel folded his arms behind his back and spoke.
"Listen up. This is what I'm going to do. My commanders were right: I am going to go up against the attack from the Saints. By the virtue of ancient Godbeasts, I'm in possession of a method the will let me use the bodies of all the people who are sleeping below and all of you as conduits. These conduits will greatly magnify any power being poured into them. Yes, you're right to be confused… there isn't much energy left, so it is impossible to use it to even handle a hundredth of what the Saints are going to send. So, instead, with this Energy… I will make Angaria sink into the sea. At the moment the attack arrives, Angaria will go under and everyone will think that it was because of the might of the Saints...but in reality, it will all be according to plan. And in the sea, with the might of the Mother and the aid of millions who will continue to act as conduits… I will beat their power back. The Church will believe Angaria to have been destroyed. The TriCobra sect will believe that I'm with them. While they are both blind, I will reach the Mainland… And thus shall begin my rise."