Begin.

First thing's first. You've had two spies in your dungeon, one sent by William Cresswell and one by Lady Vex, since before you left with the ENF to scout out Elok Daven's tunnel. Since then, Fava was able to craft a hidden device that could be discreetly slowed away beneath their clothing like a tiny insect clinging to their flesh. Each will broadcast a constant stream of audio, and while low quality, Fava will be doing her best to record anything of note as you use their spies against them. Very few in Castle Phoenix know of this plan, just in case. Meti was locked away, but she escaped rather easily. As a djinn, she houses a hoard of magical trinkets in an unseen pocket space. The ALICEs that survived the battle were tended to, but ultimately released apart from one, who is currently within Fava's personal laboratory here in Castle Phoenix.

Secondly, it's time to call for a meeting.

Your inner circle of Niki, Eva, and Amara attend for certain, but you bring Nyllia as well. Snow too. Not to crowd the War Room, you only invite Queen Catherine II as well as Mela on top. You can convey everything to the rest after. For now, it's about planning. You have much to consider and there's a lot uncertain, but you've discovered new things that could prove to be what turns the tides of battle. You're starting to feel more confident now--more powerful. You'll be able to keep tabs on both other Demon Kings, all while you lead your army of allies into battle against your arch nemesis. A lot of people are willing to help you. Now you just need to lead.

"The largest entrance and the most dangerous would be this here." You push your finger down against a sprawled out map of the region. "A long, underground tunnel spans from the capital city of Tolis, beneath Avana, to the thought-to-be-abandoned Muian's lair far south, which of course is where Breiah and David reside. However, if we were to all march down that way, we'd be either completely entrapped by an army of ants, robots, and probably worse, or he'd collapse the entire thing down on us. But that won't be a problem, because we're going to **** him from every single angle simultaneously."

"We should be able to just break in through here, right?" Niki asks, pointing at the old Demon King's lair.

"Here. Let me mark this out for you, one by one." You take a pen off the table and scribe down the letter A next to Tolis. "We have an entrance this way. However, it would take days to travel through. This is why we'll contact Shadow Garden and have them fake an **** from this direction. They won't go too deep, but it'll be enough for David to send some of his forces in that direction. So A is our distant entrance. The end of the tunnel."

You draw a B next to Avana. "This is the second front," you continue. "Dragonhide Manor, our old stomping ground. We know that beneath there is another, closer entrance to his lair. That means we can send an actual fighting **** through here. We'll decide who goes where later, but for now, we know that B is an actual entrance. The worst of the ones we'll be sending fighters into, but one regardless."

"We will need to get more of the Circle on board. Should we communicate with Lord Barkis again?" Eva asks.

"Yeah. They'll be a part of this for sure. Let's just keep going over the different entrances for now," you reply as you jot down a C next to Demon King Muian's old lair. "As Niki said, we can break in by ****, though this could be the most immediately dangerous. I doubt they won't have fixed the hole, and it's a magic elevator down I assume they could just disable. However..." You then write a D directly adjacent. "Something new."

"Two entrances?" Snow asks. "Ah. This is what you discovered on your mission."

"That's right. Within this lab is a natural spring."

"We swim our way inside!" Niki shouts.

"I appreciate the confidence," Nyllia responds. "But I do not believe we could all fit through the tiny crevices of a natural spring. I assume our king has something more interesting in mind."

"I do," you explain. "We'll speak with the Lady of the Lake. She was able to transport us to where we need to go out in the ocean. I think she may possess the power to create a portal into any open body of water. If that's the case, we could send a small team directly into his laboratory, bursting out of his bathing room to take him by surprise. That's entrance D."

"Four fronts," Queen Catherine II speaks up. "Incredible. Even with his allies and automatons and whatever else he may possess, any ruler would fear such a devastating ****. Even a battle on two fronts can be enough for an empire to fall, and he's no empire. Elok Daven is a sad, pathetic man who dreams of grandeur, with the even more pathetic King Thadius on his leash like a dog. Perhaps during this battle is when I'll make my reappearance."

You nod. "The queen rises up once more and takes the throne. Meanwhile, three Demon Kings move in for the kill, overwhelming David entirely. He won't stand a chance. Castle Phoenix. Zettanko. Laputa. Shadow Garden. Maybe even the Circle of the Unicorn as a whole, as well as any other allies we can call upon within the Empire of Tivera."

Mela floats around above in her ghostly form. "We must call for our allies as discreetly as possible. There is much to be done, and the louder we do it, the more time our enemy will have to prepare. We must use subtlety. Then, we strike."

"And when we strike, we stop being subtle. We kick down the fucking door," Niki yells.

"We must also try and think up other allies who would aid us," Amara says. "My mother for example. She is the sort of woman who could not let a man such an Elok Daven do as he has been doing. I will attempt to call upon her."

"I wonder if Gwyn would come if we could get her," you ponder aloud. "Has no direct stake in the matter, but it's worth a try."

"Other adventurers as well," Nyllia comments. "There are many people out there who specifically desire to prove themselves heroes and slay a Demon King. Granted, they may be more hesitant to hear my words now that people know who it is I serve, but I believe that I still hold sway over the hearts of the people. It would be a risk doing so too quickly, but a trip to the Adventurer's Guild could prove fruitful."

You place your palms down upon the map and stare at it deeply. "We have a lot to think about, and it's time to get down to it. There's no waiting anymore. We'll plan it all today."

Front A: Underground entrance in the city of Tolis.
Front B: Secret passage down from Dragonhide Manor in Avana.
Front C: Hidden way in through the ruins of Demon King Muian's lair.
Front D: An underground spring that the Lady of the Lake may be able to transport you into.

As for allies, you have a lot of work ahead of you, but it'll be all so worth it.