Ragnar Vhagar was on a roll.
He watched on his phone as the green icon representing Isabelle's team flashed, confirming they had secured their third sector of Alyssa's domain.
On the other side of the map, Chloe's Shadow Strikers had done the same, their silent, brutal campaign leaving a trail of chaos and confusion in their wake.
His plan was working flawlessly.
Alyssa was being dismantled, her kingdom carved up piece by piece while she was distracted by the heroes on her other border.
It was a masterclass in opportunistic warfare.
He felt smug. He felt powerful.
He felt, for the first time in a long time, like he was actually winning this insane, cosmic game.
"This is almost too easy," he gloated to the empty Throne Room.
"She's so busy playing checkers with the heroes, she hasn't noticed I'm playing three-dimensional chess on a board she didn't even know existed. It's beautiful."