At that question, the members all turned their focus to the screen.
The dancing pixels formed a landscape.
"Isn't that a country from above?" a woman piped up, distinct from the earlier one. She had hazel eyes and long purple hair. She wore a green overcoat that draped her entire body, leaving only her head, hands, and legs exposed. The coat was open on the right side, revealing her symbolic uniform underneath, held together with a medallion.
She tapped her chin with her index finger, pretending to think hard. "This landscape looks familiar," she murmured. "Hmm… Oh, isn't that…"
"The Jayeros Empire," another man cut in. A tall, slim guy with silver hair like Nero's. Alongside his symbolic uniform, he sported a pair of glasses over his eyes.
"Damn it! I was about to say that! You cut me off!" the purple-haired woman yelled, fuming.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were done. My bad," the glasses guy replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
The woman, though pissed, just clenched her fists. With her master present, losing her cool here would be a disgrace.
Nero peeled his eyes off the screen and glanced at his crew, giving each of them a look.
"We're going to take over this country!"
The room froze.
Shock rippled across some faces.
Had they heard that right? Did their master just say he was going to conquer one of the five major powers?
"Hahahaha! Did I hear that right? We're finally gonna have some fun, Master?" a hulking man roared with laughter.
He had ebony skin, a bald head, and eyes like bottomless pits. He wore the classic symbolic uniform and was smashing his fists together, barely containing his excitement.
"Doesn't surprise me you'd take news like this so gleefully, Yonghoul," the headband guy tossed out sarcastically.
"Shut it," the giant growled, still clashing his fists in anticipation.
The headband guy smirked. "But I get it. It's been forever since I last stretched my legs," he added.
The old ebony-skinned man spoke up, asking, "So, Master, can we know how we're gonna pull this off?"
At that, Klein, standing beside Nero, stepped forward. "As you all know," he began, "the Master recently sent me on a mission. That mission was actually to infiltrate Jayeros' upper ranks and get a read on its state. Turns out, the country's quietly tearing itself apart with internal power struggles between its noble houses and the royal family."
The boy paused there.
"I see," the old man replied. "So the central power's shaky. We can exploit that."
"Now that's interesting," the glasses guy chimed in, flashing a sly grin. "Are we talking a shadow war here?"
"A shadow war?" the purple-haired woman asked, confused.
"It just means taking advantage of your enemy's weakness," the old man explained, "making it worse and letting it destroy them without a fight. Also called a subversive war."
"What?!" Yonghoul barked. "What do you mean, no fighting?"
"I figured a head-on attack against a powerhouse like Jayeros was too reckless," the headband guy noted. "This does seem smarter, even if I'm bummed I won't get to let loose."
"No way!" Yonghoul shouted. "Why do we need to play coward's tricks to win? Let me at it, Master—I'll bring you that lousy country's crown in under a month!"
Yonghoul locked eyes with his master, practically begging him to greenlight his plan. His whole body was buzzing with energy.
"Don't flaunt your stupidity so loud, Yonghoul," the spiky light-green-haired guy cut in, his tone calm.
"Huh? What'd you just say?" Yonghoul snapped, offended.
"We're talking about one of the five big dogs that run the world," the green-haired guy went on, unfazed by Yonghoul's bristling. "Sure, you're the rawest power here, no question, but Jayeros' vanguard would still mop the floor with you. You don't get to be a superpower by being a pushover."
"Oh?" the headband guy said, raising an eyebrow. "Not every day you say something smart, Jiji."
The green-haired guy shot him an icy glare.
"You're lucky the Master's here," he said. "Otherwise, you'd be a dead man by now."
The headband guy just grinned.
"Such a shame," he quipped sarcastically.
"Works for me, Master," the short blonde-haired woman said solemnly.
"Same here," Gray added lazily.
"More like you're just stoked you don't have to lift a finger," the old man sneered.
"Why do you hate me so much, Amon?" Gray asked, his voice flat. "I've told you a bunch—I'm the right hand." He lazily pointed at Klein beside their master. "He's the one whose spot you should be jealous of first."
Amon glared at Klein for a second before turning back to Gray.
"Don't talk nonsense," he huffed. "Why would I want that seat when I can aim for the top one, you lazy sack?"
"Am I the only one who thinks this plan's a little shaky?"
A voice broke through.
It came from a woman older than the other two, the only one who hadn't spoken yet. She had blue eyes and matching blue hair. Her uniform showed off a bit of cleavage, revealing a tattoo there.
Her words hung in the air, chilling the room. The group turned to her—some shocked, some pissed.
The short blonde glared at her, her piercing stare brimming with barely contained anger.
"Vexana, your words disrespect the Master and show zero faith in him," she said, her tone icy, struggling to keep it together. "How dare you question his decisions?"
"Conquering a major power," Vexana replied coolly, "even one caught up in internal squabbles, is way too risky. I'm not doubting the Master's smarts or strength, Libel. I'm just pointing out the dangers—dangers that could backfire and take us all down. Plus, I'd bet the other four superpowers know damn well what's going on and are watching closely." She paused and turned to Klein. "Am I wrong?"
Klein gave a calm nod.
"She's right," he said. "Word is they've already held a secret meeting about it."
The room went quiet for a beat. The earlier hype fizzled a bit.
And why wouldn't it? Vexana's words had reminded them who they were really up against. If a petty internal spat could topple it, Jayeros wouldn't be one of the big players.
Could their crew even measure up?
Libel, her face tight, stared daggers at Vexana. Then she let out a sharp laugh, her voice cutting. "That's exactly what I'd expect from an opportunist who still hasn't grasped our Master's greatness. Let me clue you in—he doesn't need weak minds. Feel free to leave if you want."
"No surprise a simpleton like you sees this as just weakness and defiance," Vexana shot back, just as cold.
"Both of you, cool it," a voice said—calm, but heavy with undeniable authority. "Let me settle this and lay out my vision."
Libel and Vexana locked eyes for a moment, then nodded silently, ready to hear him out.
That voice belonged to none other than Nero. He took a deep breath and spoke in a low, steady tone: "My goal is to rule from the shadows."
Vexana raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear.
"And how does that let us take over a whole country, Master? Isn't it just a waste of resources?"
Libel clenched her fists but held back, letting her master handle it.
"That's where you've missed my point. I'm aiming to control, not to plant a flag."
Vexana's eyes widened as it clicked.
"In other words," the glasses guy jumped in, "take the country and set up pawns to run it for us."
Nero nodded.
"Still," Vexana pressed, her tone not fully sold, "it's a risky play. How exactly do you plan to toy with the warring factions?"
Nero smiled—a rare move that threw the group off—and said, "Isn't that why I brought you all here? Unless you're only good for bickering and contradicting me?"
His gentle tone sent a shiver through the room, especially for those who felt targeted.
"Now that the groundwork's set," he continued, "it's time to dig into the details. Show me you're worth something, my dear ministers."