Jin-Woo flexed his gauntleted hand once. Shadows coiled, alive, almost eager. The armor whispered like it remembered slaughter.
Then a crisp voice intruded into his mind.
[Offensive Bias]: Supreme Executor, are you stable? Sensors indicate immediate corruption risk. The armor is trying to devour you. Recommendation: destroy the unit before assimilation completes.
Jin-Woo chuckled, the sound low and humorless
Trying to devour me? No—that's wrong. It claws at my memories, emotions, but it cannot comprehend what I've become. The original purpose of the Melek Tawus armor was to reduce me to a rotting figure while letting me wield its power. But it failed once before. It can't chew through what I was before . My rage and hate have transcended so far they've become unending wrath of darkness . The real question is—can the Melek Tawus itself withstand my power and wrath before it breaks apart, just like the previous incarnation… the female version of the armor ?
His mana sense flared. The battlefield was empty of the Summa Verminoth—its vast bulk was nowhere in sight. But then he felt it: retreat. The beast was fleeing. Slithering, desperate, writhing through the black canopy of his night sky, trying to break free. Too late. Naboo was caged in his abyss. The endless night blanketing the planet was his dominion. No one escaped .
Jin-Woo lifted his hand. Purple-black light gathered, thick enough to bend the air. He released a fraction of Garyoku, and [the laws of cause and effect folded like paper]. Reality blinked. The Verminoth screamed as its colossal body was torn from where it had fled and placed before Jin-Woo—causality rewritten by his will.
Jin-Woo's gauntlet crashed forward again, shadows coiling tighter, the colossal squid-beast shrinking, folding in on itself—compressing into something obscene, grotesque, a cosmic horror being turned into nothing more than a takoyaki. He had five seconds left before he would crush it completely.
But then Jin-woo smiled. Because he wasn't alone. His voice broke the silence, calm, almost amused. "Morgan. I know you're here. Drop the veil."
The air shimmered beside him, and her figure—one of her thoughtforms, a magecraft alter ego spun from her will—peeled into existence. The real Morgan remained with the others in the throne room, but this projection smirked with her usual venomous charm.
Morgan tilted her head, eyes glinting with a cruel sort of amusement.
"If that angry Zabrak had summoned a Summa Verminoth back in proper human history—where Servants clashed and the Lostbelts still lingered—people would have dropped their shit on the spot. Yet here, in this galaxy? . They tremble at the sight of a beast, pathetic really… especially in a place where the very Force itself is supposed to reside."
Jin-Woo's smirk sharpened, his eyes narrowing. "You can stop acting. You amplified Maul's ritual. You deliberately let a third-rate Cthulhu wander in here."
Morgan's laugh was low, teasing, almost sultry. "Blame yourself, my husband. I merely nudged it. Amplified it with your own darkness."
She stepped closer, her thoughtform's aura humming against his. "After all, you are the ruler of shadows. I just poked at what was already there..You can't fault me for playing with my favorite toy."
Morgan gaze flicked toward the sky where the Summa Verminoth writhed, seconds away from being squashed like an insect in Jin-Woo's grip. "Lend me that toy of yours. Even if you raise it later, it still counts as one. But this one has a rare psychic ability. If I can clone it, imagine the addition it would make to your army."
Jin-Woo's smirk flattened into cold disapproval. "We can always find another. I don't like this version of squid. And tell me—what purpose did you have in pulling this reckless stunt? If you'd miscalculated, you might have dragged in an Outer God instead of this third-rate Cthulhu. Don't pretend this is only about building me an army."
Morgan chuckled softly, tilting her head. "Technically… no. The army is secondary. What I wanted was to know more about you. About your past. Before you became the Shadow Monarch."
Her eyes lingered on him, sharp and curious. "Because your original power—it isn't the same as the shadows you wield now. It's far more terrifying. I can feel it. I only wanted To understand it. Isn't it a wife's right… to know the truth about her husband's past?"
Jin-Woo's gaze bore into her thoughtform, unblinking. "Then tell me… did you get what you wanted?"
Morgan's smile flickered, faint but sly. She shook her head once. "Nope. Even with the bond you gave me—as the Monarch of Transfiguration, tied to you—I still can't reach it. Not your true self. You could call it… a blank."
Jin-Woo gave a quiet hmph, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Very well. But you know what to do, don't you?"
With that, he released his grip. The suffocating pressure of his shadows peeled back from the Summa Verminoth, leaving the beast trembling in the air. And in that instant, Morgan moved.
A storm of black-green demonic spears erupted at her command, stabbing through the beast's titanic frame from every direction, skewering it like a grotesque insect. From the outside, it looked merciless, brutal—like the creature had been squashed to paste.
Morgan le Fay, Queen of Britain's Lostbelt, pinnacle of magecraft, raised her hand. The waters shimmered at her fingertips, and a mirror of liquid light spread outward—her water-mirror magecraft, weaving deception. To every onlooker, it appeared as though the Verminoth's corpse had been shredded, pinned, left to die like sushi sliced too fine.
But the truth was different. From beneath the illusion, two massive demonic arms burst forth—her constructs of Transfiguration. They clutched the wounded cosmic beast, dragging it down into a swirling rift of pink-black mana. With one final lurch, the Summa Verminoth vanished into the portal, sealed within Morgan's dominion for her experiments.
The mirror rippled, settling into calm. The outside world saw only a dead monster, crushed beyond recovery.Morgan turned, meeting Jin-Woo's eyes. Her thoughtform gave him a graceful nod, laced with teasing fondness.
"Thank you, my husband," Morgan murmured, approval and satisfaction woven into her tone.
Morgan's thoughtform lingered, her eyes narrowing on the black iron plates as Jin-Woo drew the Melek Tawus back under his skin. The armor hissed as it receded, shadows steaming off its seams, like something hungry forced back into its cage.
Morgan voice lost some of its teasing edge, replaced with curiosity—threaded with concern.
"That armor… it reeks of consumption. Of devouring. Even Offensive Bias warned me—if the Supreme Executor cannot destroy it when the chance comes, then I must--- . And for once, I think I agree with him." Her gaze sharpened. "Unlike your Forerunner exodidact armor—, futuristic, built for war in another age—this one feels older. Wrong. Like something born in an era when even the Flood reigned.". "You're sure you want to keep such a dangerous relic bound to you, Jin-Woo?"
Jin-Woo smirked faintly, his tone measured, calm—but the weight in his words made the air taut.
"It's my old armor. The Melek Tawus. You're right—it has sentience. it does demand something from its wielder.. "But that rule applies to everyone else. Not to me."
Jin-woo flexed his hand once, and the shadows coiled around his fingers.
"Instead of consuming me, it amplifies me. Because what it hungers for… I already became long ago"
His gaze swept over the ruins of Theed. Broken streets, shattered facades, scorched stone where his duel with Maul had torn the city apart. Yet there was no trace of the Zabrak.
Jin-Woo's lips curved into a sharp grin. "The mouse is on the run."
Morgan's thoughtform drifted beside him, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm more concerned about Padmé's reaction. her people are safe beneath us in the bunkers. But the city? .Mostly ruined. And courtesy of your little dance with Maul."
Jin-Woo chuckled darkly, tilting his head toward her.
"Don't forget that Summa Verminoth you pulled into this mess. That beast was big enough to tilt the ground under its own weight. I'd say we share the blame."
Morgan smirked, eyes narrowing in playful defiance. "Look at us—husband and wife, bickering like house partners while the city invaded . Let's find our mouse first, then we can keep our debate going."
Jin-Woo let out a faint snort, eyes narrowing as his senses stretched outward.
"Right… that Zabrak Rat."
Meanwhile, Maul was running. His gait was broken, limping, but he pushed forward with everything he had. For a Sith, retreat was shameful. For Maul, it was unthinkable. He had sworn his life to Sidious—never to flee. And yet here he was. Running. from Jin-Woo.
Even the Summa Verminoth—a beast born of ruin—had fled before him, terrified of being devoured. Maul had seen it with his own eyes.. A creature that turned eldritch abommination into sushi. I need to warn my master… Sidious must know of this.
But as the thought formed, Maul faltered. The vision the Verminoth had forced into his mind clawed back to the surface—Sidious not as untouchable, but as prey. And Jin-Woo's words echoed: wagging your tail for Sidious , like an attack dog is a liabillity ?
For the first time in his life, Maul hesitated.
Is Sidious… not what I think he is?
The cobblestones split beneath him, a portal yawning open, pink-black light spilling across the ruined street. From it erupted a massive demonic arm, forged of Morgan's Transfiguration, its claws snapping like a trap.
It seized Maul mid-step, slamming him to the ground as he thrashed and snarled.
Morgan's voice followed,."Got our running mouse."
Jin-Woo emerged from the shadows at her side. "Heh. I'll give him this—he runs well."
Maul snarled, forcing bravado into his battered voice. " You won't kill me. You promised those two idiot Jedi you'd only capture—"
SMACK. A massive clawed fist slammed across his face. Beru, the Shadow Ant King, loomed over him, mandibles clicking,
"You disrespect my liege for the last time."
Maul spat out a spray of broken teeth, his grin crooked but still defiant. He already knew it—this strike, this punch from a creature born of darkness, was one of the strongest hits he'd ever taken. Only Jin-Woo's fist had struck harder. But now, with his pseudo-immortality stripped, all he had left was his bluff.
Jin-Woo crouched down, leaning close to his ear. "I have at least ten million shadows at my command. And every single one of them wants a piece of you."
Maul blinked. For a moment, his rage cracked—replaced by a flash of genuine horror. His mind stuttered on the absurdity. He couldn't die—yet. But being torn apart, again and again, by ten million furious shadows? The image hit him like a nightmare played for laughs.
Immortal or not…. That's hell.
His grin faltered into a nervous twitch, and for once, Darth Maul looked less like a Sith Lord and more like a man who realized he'd picked a fight with the wrong monster.
Maul's grin broke apart into a nervous twitch, his Sith bravado draining fast. For the first time, Darth Maul looked less like Sidious's fearsome apprentice and more like a man who realized he'd picked a fight with the wrong kind of monster.
"Wait—wait, Jin-Woo, I have—" he tried to plead.
But before he could finish, the shadows moved. Poured out of the dark like a mob of gleeful executioners. Some carried massive iron baseball bats. Others hefted anvils. One particularly deranged shadow held up a bottle of Level 5 chili sauce and an entire spread of dishes so spicy they could make a rancor cry.
Maul's eyes widened, and he whimpered, "Have… mercy…"
Jin-Woo didn't even spare him a glance. He let the shadows amuse themselves, their antics absurd yet terrifying in their promise of torment. Instead, his eyes slid to Morgan.
"You have a clone Maul ready,?"
Morgan blinked, her smile twitching with a hint of guilt. "Uhh… about that…Looks like Rey had a bit of beef with Maul. So she—"
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. "She blew every Maul clone tank on Kamino, didn't she?"
Morgan coughed into her hand, feigning innocence. "She's still a child. Don't hold it against her. Besides , —we can always implant one of your shadows, or one of your army, into his form. Or even alter his DNA with my Transfiguration. What do you think? Our own eyes and ears."
Jin-Woo smirked,. "No. I have a better idea. And it's going to be… fascinating."