Hinako's eyes burned with fury. She raised both flaming Jiang swords, her voice cutting through the heavy silence:
"The eternal wail of one abandoned even by death.
O sky! O clouds!
Rain tears of compassion to curse life!
ETERNAL LAMENT!"
The sky darkened instantly, swirling into a cyclone of rage. Wind howled. Flame twisted around her body. The temperature dropped—and then rose violently. The land trembled as a magical backlash erupted from her, a suicidal invocation of pure spirit force, meant to rip her body apart in exchange for a destructive curse upon the world around her.
A red storm bloomed like an exploding flower.
Lightning cracked sideways through the air. The ground beneath her blackened.
But Jin-Woo didn't move. Not even a blink.
He simply raised his left palm toward her—open and calm.
The swirling chaos smashed into it—and stopped. Not blocked. Absorbed.
The flames spiraled in reverse. The red energy twisted in on itself like it was being swallowed. His body stood at the center like a still storm. Then—his hand glowed, and with a pulse of
[ Force Absorption and Redirection]
The glow of his hand pulsed with burning red light. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I return it back to you...you BIG ASS CHILD."
With a flick of his wrist, the power was unleashed again.
A searing red beam burst forth—a wide, controlled surge of converted energy. It shot toward Hinako.
Xiang Yu immediately stepped in front of her, blades raised, body braced to take the full blow—
But the beam never struck.
It shattered before impact—splintering into a ring of crimson thorn-spears . Not a single one touched them.
They hovered—glowing, humming, threatening—yet never closing in.
The display was clear: He could have destroyed them. But he didn't.
Jin-Woo's voice echoed again—firm, final.
"Had enough?"
"If you're still going to act like a child… go back to your Lostbelt."
He turned, already walking away through the glow of the spears.
"If you've got real matters to deal with… then stay. But grow the fuck up."
Hinako stood still, trembling. Her swords dimmed. The flames along her limbs faltered in the wind.
Her voice cracked—not with rage, but something far deeper. "Then what should I do?"
"There is no one in my world… nor my Lostbelt… who can bring my true husband back. I love the current Xiang Yu—I do—but it's not enough. He doesn't have the soul, the memories, the history."
She glanced at Jin-Woo, desperation threading into her words.
"The Holy Grail couldn't do it. All it gave me was a cruel joke. A giant monkey's paw. One that never grants the wish as you wanted it."
The battlefield had gone quiet. But the grief in her voice echoed louder than war.
Morgan stepped forward beside Jin-Woo, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she leaned close and whispered just under her breath.
"My husband… you can bring the dead back, can't you? Truly?"
Jin-Woo didn't look at her. His gaze stayed locked on the broken woman ahead. But his voice lowered, cold and certain. "…That's not how it works."
Morgan blinked. "What do you mean?"
Jin-Woo whispered back, voice like steel: "I don't just bring the dead back. I choose them. They come to me because they must. Under my banner."
"The final stage of necromancy isn't a spell. It's me."
"And once they return… their loyalty, their fate, even their will—belongs to me. Forever."
Morgan said nothing. Because in that moment… she understood. Resurrection wasn't a gift. It was submission.
Jin-Woo's gaze didn't soften, didn't blink.
"How much do you love Xiang Yu, eh, Consort Yu?"
Hinako raised her eyes, drenched in pain—but unwavering. "I love him so much… that if it meant sacrificing my entire Lostbelt to bring him back… I would."
"I'd burn it all to the ground. My world, my people, everything—just to see him whole again."
Her voice cracked. "So get to the point, you damn Monarch."
From the side,
Qin Shi Huang scoffed. "Hey now! My glorious China Lostbelt is not some kind of bargaining chip."
Jin-Woo didn't even look at him.
"I do the job," he said calmly. "You deal with the aftermath. I'll drag the soul back. Doesn't matter where it's stored. Clone, corpse, puppet, trash bin—that's your problem."
Hinako stepped forward, trembling. "YES. That's what I want. I'll pay the price. I'll pay anything."
Morgan placed a hand over her heart and looked to the side, almost wincing. "Why do I have this sinking feeling that things are going to turn horrifying?"
Jin-Woo muttered without pause. "Because they will."
And I'll make sure of it, he thought, something wicked curling at the edge of his grin.
Hinako innocent sacrifice… I'll use it for a three-second game of hide and seek with Abeloth. That's all I need. Just three seconds on that godforsaken planet—while I rob it blind.
The girl will be traumatized… but she'll get her wish. Her Xiang Yu back. And me? I'll walk away with everything that hellspawn calls sacred. The planet of the gods… will be my sandbox.
His eyes slowly drifted from her… to the gathering behind them.
The rest of the Crypters, Lostbelt Kings, and Servants—all still very much not participating—were now seated casually around the giant puddle of melted ice cream that had once submerged Skadi.
Each of them eating. Loudly. Awkwardly.
Skadi was licking ice cream from her spear. Qin Shi Huang was using his cloak as a napkin. Sigurd was frozen mid-bite with a popsicle in his mouth, eyes wide. Even Caenis had a bowl. Somehow.
Ophelia wiped her mouth and casually said, "It's done. Shame, though. I could've used a little more drama."
Pepe fanned himself dramatically. "Add more spice next time. Like one of those classic movies. With betrayal and betrayal again."
Ashwatthama was dual-wielding popsicles, eyes darting like he was ready to fight dessert.
Even Zeus was chewing from a cup labeled "Galaxy Crunch Supreme" like this was a vacation.
Morgan glanced sidelong at her husband, eyes narrowing.
"You're going to say it, aren't you?"
Jin-Woo didn't reply. He just turned toward Daybit with that quiet, chilling weight in his gaze.
"Daybit," he said. "Looks like everyone's calmed down. Continue your plan."
Daybit nodded once. The flickering red eye of Offensive Bias activated behind him, and a massive hologram of Coruscant flickered back into view—its towers, its crust of false peace, the long sprawl of a world buried in its own layers of deception.
The mood shifted immediately.
The gathered Crypters, Lostbelt Kings, and Servants all straightened. The last traces of melted ice cream and petty squabbling evaporated with the tension in the air.
Daybit stepped forward.
"To keep it simple," he began, tone even but sharp, "we're going to let the Jedi and the Yinchorri clash."
"While they kill each other… our forces enter. You can kill as many Yinchorri as you like."
"But do not kill any of the Jedi."
The room fell silent. Shock rippled through the gathered.
Jin-Woo's expression didn't change. He'd expected this. Daybit had expected it too. But the rest?
They didn't see it coming.
Caenis, Kirschtaria's Lancer-class Servant, scoffed aloud, stepping forward with defiant fire in her eyes.
"Crypter of South America—Daybit, right? My Master's little friend?" she said, sneering. "Are you stupid?".
"This is war. You think we're gonna hold back? Either we kill them—or they kill us."
Jin-Woo moved slightly—only slightly—but when he spoke, the words dropped like iron.
"If any one of you kills a Jedi… then one of you needs to die in return."
From the side,
Hinako Akuta, now back in her composed Crypter form—glasses straight, twin pigtails neat, white coat billowing softly as she stepped forward—adjusted her sleeves with a slow breath.
"I can guess… whatever plan you have," she said, her voice cool but edged with recognition. "You're using our world system. The Proper Human History model—right, Daybit?"
Daybit didn't even blink. "Correct."
He turned toward the hovering hologram of Coruscant as Offensive Bias continued its silent projection.
"But that's just the foundation," Daybit continued. "I've already spread a prophecy throughout Jin-Woo's galaxy—a narrative seeded in whispers, temples, archives, cults, even the HoloNet. I made the galaxy believe a destined war is coming. One that must maintain equilibrium."
"And that belief is key to unlocking the last half of Jin-Woo's midichlorians—to push him to one hundred thousand. We don't need technology. We don't need holy relics. We need the galaxy's belief."
"The war must happen. And it must be devastating. But neither side—Jedi or our faction—can afford to lose even one life. No casualties. Because the moment someone breaks that balance—"
Morgan stepped in, tone sharp .
"—then I'm going to kill one of you myself," she said, smiling without warmth. "To balance the scale."
Silence fell again—until
Ophelia stepped up, one hand resting lightly on her chest as she looked toward Daybit.
"You're using mystery. Like how we summon Servants," she said calmly, but her tone carried the weight of scrutiny. "But I need clarity. Daybit—our world, system, and our foundation is Proper Human History. And as much as we all feel it, our system is far below Jin-Woo's galaxy in structure and scale. That's just fact."
She looked directly at him now.
"But how can you believe our Gaia and Alaya—our root systems—can be inserted into the Force? Isn't that like threading incompatible systems together?"
Daybit didn't flinch. His hand lifted, gesturing toward the rotating hologram of Coruscant suspended in the air.
"In a deep floor beneath Coruscant," he said evenly, "there is a structure… one that changes every ten seconds. Isn't that right, Offensive Bias?"
"Affirmative," the AI replied coldly. "The structure cycles forms—shrine, broken ziggurat, shattered temple. Source unknown."
Daybit continued, his voice calm but steady. "In one moment, it was a shrine. Another, a ruined temple. Then, I saw a text—an ancient guidebook, lying half open. I don't know who wrote it, or how it got there. But…"
He turned, his voice lowering, eyes sharp with certainty.
"…for the briefest moment, I saw it shift into a Gateway. Something Jin-Woo once described to me—and lost archives The 'Force-rich landscapes.'"
"Tython. The birthplace of the Jedi. The Force's root system. It's connected. It has to be."
Suddenly, the air shimmered as a sleek, curved ship dropped from slipspace—a Personal Luxury Yacht 3000, appearing like an elegant specter beside them, summoned silently by Offensive Bias.
Daybit lifted his hand and pointed without flair. "That's my route in. My starship."
He paused, then added, "But even with that—after traversing for what felt like weeks—I found nothing. Not even a trace of Tython."
"Our best chance isn't out there in the stars… it's what's below Coruscant."
Peperoncino leaned forward with a dramatic gasp, fanning himself with one hand. "Daybit, we've known each other for so long… and you didn't tell me you could fly a starship? I'm wounded! You should've taken your dear friend—me!"
Daybit barely blinked. "I acquired it during my scouting mission."
Then, without any flourish, he began walking toward the waiting ship. "Very recently."
He turned his head just slightly as he spoke, "We get there—all of us—through that gateway. Jin-Woo reaches the hundred thousand midichlorians he's been gunning for, and the rest of us… we get our rewards."
Kirschtaria's gaze turned toward Jin-Woo, calm but piercing. "The reward you're offering… you'll grant us Force-based abilities? Powers like yours—like Daybit requested? You'll grant us Crypters that same access… except for Beryl, of course. He's not welcome here, locked away in Pepe's Lostbelt, as agreed."
Jin-Woo didn't flinch. "That's the deal."
Ivan let out a low grunt, stepping forward. "And what about us? The Lostbelt Kings? We'll receive it too, yes?"
Jin-Woo crossed his arms and gave a small, dry smile. "Well… the difficulty just went up. So yeah—you'll get it."
"But I'm not sure if the Force can even be learned by you two." as he gestured subtly—first at Zeus, then at Qin Shi Huang.
"You're more machine than man. Closer to Offensive Bias than a organic ."
Zeus gave a deep, rumbling chuckle. "If my rival and equal—Kirschtaria—gets it, that alone is enough. Besides…"
Zeus looked at Kirschtaria with a flash of lightning behind his eyes. "…it means I get to settle the score with him sooner."
Qin Shi Huang raised his chin with imperial dignity. "If one of my citizens—Consort Yu—obtains that power… then so shall I. Through her. My empire will extend to this galaxy, as it should."