Fifteen minutes later.
Lostbelt: Atlantic. Olympus Arena.
The skies were cerulean, cracked with lightning that pulsed unnaturally from the divine machine-clouds above. In the center, the vast marble coliseum glowed with machine god circuits beneath its ancient columns. Spectator rows had been formed for a temporary gathering of the most powerful individuals from multiple timelines and galaxies.
Down in the arena—
Ashwattama crashed into the ground. His entire body convulsed from the sheer impact as Bellion, Grand Marshal of the Shadow Army, slowly sheathed his sword into the void beneath his cloak.
One hit. That's all it took.
The crowd didn't cheer. From the seats,
Peperoncino leaned forward dramatically, waving a fan over himself.
"Oh honey, they should call you Iron Will with how long you lasted. At least three whole seconds! That's practically a date!"
Ashwattama was being carried off to the infirmary by two smaller Machine Gods, floating drones humming gently around his body.
"At least you fought one of the Shadow Monarch's strongest shadows. My servant. That effort—and surviving? That's victory in itself," Pepe said with a warm smile, eyes a little misty.
Behind him, Kirschtaria watched in silence from his elevated box seat. He sat upright, flanked by the Discouri twins—Castor and Pollux—while Caenis stood beside them, arms crossed and quiet.
"…I guess this'll be the last time we see Jin-Woo," Kirschtaria said .
Ophelia, seated beside him, flicked her gaze toward the center of the arena. Behind her stood Skadi, impassive with her spear grounded, and her Valkyries like a living sculpture. Sigurd remained at her flank, silent but ever-ready.
Ophelia spoke , "You sound sad, Kirschtaria-sama. Shouldn't it be better if we never see each other again? He's by far the strongest opponent in his own galaxy… and ours."
Kirschtaria didn't reply. His hand rested over his chest, eyes sharp—but conflicted.
Kadoc leaned forward, slouching as usual. "At least we got the Force, right, team leader?"
Hinako, beside him, smirked faintly. "At least he kept his promise… by giving me what I've desired for so long."
She looked down. Her hand clutched the small capsule still hanging around her neck—a translucent core with deep-blue light.
Inside, the original Xiang Yu's soul slept. The one from Proper Human History. The true one—not a throne-bound imitation.
Behind her, Qin Shi Huang—his mechanical body nodded once with a commanding tone.
"As an emperor, I approve. This Shadow Monarch… will be under the watchful eye of the Eternal Qin Empire. He may belong to the stars. But even stars bend before the Mandate of Heaven."
Beside the platform, Kukulcan leaned slightly toward Daybit, her arms crossed but her tone oddly playful.
"Daybit," she said, tail twitching behind her in rhythm with the buzzing power lines above, "do you think Jin-Woo would mind if I joined his fight with Zeus? Just jumped in there? He wouldn't get pissed, right?"
Tezcatlipoca, who stood next to her with arms loosely folded, gave a dry, toothy grin.
"I'd say…" he mused, "…he'd probably just smile in silence."
"I felt it," he added, "back on the Flood world. He's bored. He accepted Zeus's restrictions because he's craving stimulation. Not victory."
Kukulcan smirked. "Then I'll take that opportunity. Alien to alien. A proper match."
And then—
The arena gates split open with a hiss of air pressure and shadow.
From within stepped Jin-Woo.
Just his lone figure—calm, walking with the ease of a king visiting a distant court.
All eyes turned skyward.
Zeus was no longer in his Avatar form.
Above the arena loomed Olympus's ultimate judgment:
ZEUS Aletheia. His true form.
The Mobile Flagship Interstellar Combat Annihilation Fortress.
A god, yes—but in the shape of war itself. His colossal body stretched across the sky, light refracting off machine-etched divinity. At the center of the ship floated his massive golden face—eyes glowing like twin stars .
Caenis leaned over the marble railing, watching the sky split open to accommodate his arrival.
"…I never get bored seeing that form," she muttered.
Skadi, arms crossed with her Valkyries behind her, narrowed her gaze.
"That size rivals the primordial giants of our myths."
Below them, in the center of the arena, Kirschtaria took his position at the referee platform—raised by Discouri tech. "Rule One: No killing."
He raised a hand, addressing both combatants.
"Zeus has requested that Jin-Woo refrain from using his Shadow Monarch powers. In return, should Jin-Woo win…"
Kirschtaria flicked his wrist.
A golden screen appeared, showing the rewards.
• A Tear of Chaos – A remnant crystallized from Chaos' Sea,
• Divine Throne Access – Seat of Ruling Calculation,
Kirschtaria turned. "Jin-Woo. Your restrictions have been confirmed."
Jin-Woo gave a single nod. Then looked toward the sky.
"I know you, Zeus, . You want something in return, don't you?"
Zeus's , ancient voice echoed from every wall.
"If I win… I want your Zeta Halo. Will you accept, Shadow Monarch?"
Jin-Woo didn't answer immediately. He only smirked. And slowly turned his head slightly.
He whispered, just loud enough for his AI to hear— "…That stupid AI below me really had the nerve to suggest that, huh?"
From his side, the ghostly whisper of Offensive Bias echoed in his mind:
"Supreme Executor… respectfully, I only advised against wagering it, not suggesting it—"
Jin-Woo raised his chin. "That's what makes it exciting."
Jin-Woo raised his hand.And the sky cracked open.
A giant dark portal tore into the Olympian clouds—circular, expanding rapidly, easily the size of a small moon.
Then it emerged. Zeta Halo.
A colossal ringworld—spinning slowly, its engraved surface glowing with containment glyphs, its core humming with suppressed cataclysm.
Jin-Woo turned toward Zeus, voice clear.
"Offensive Bias never told you this part, but I already knew anyway."
He tilted his chin toward the massive ring halo.
"That… is not your average space station. One shot. One firing. And a quarter of a galaxy is cleaned of life . You get what that means, right?"
From the seats, Daybit sat forward slightly, eyes narrowed. His voice cut in, calm but tinged with the weight of comprehension.
"It's the weapon that wipes the slate clean,"The one that kills everything . The only thing that stopped the Flood."
And the reason the Gravemind is desperate to escape, Daybit thought, …is because he either fights Jin-Woo… or he gets wiped again in an instant.
Jin-Woo's gaze remained locked on the glowing godship above.
"It should be my line, Zeus. That's an Anti-Galaxy Noble Phantasm. If such a classification even exists."
"You're the one who needs to up the stakes. Now tell me, Zeus—what can you offer that equals this?"
Above the arena, the vast, mechanical body of Zeus's Aletheia form hovered ominously—face pulsing like the core of a machine god. The golden eyes narrowed, calculating.
And from deep within, the god's thought : Little shadow punk bitch.
Do I even have anything equal to that? he thought bitterly. The Shadow Monarch isn't bluffing. I watched him take Tython. Saw him remake it in his own image—while I, a king, and the rest of us Lostbelt rulers need a damn Fantasy Tree just to survive. Without it… we vanish like fog.
Then—
A deafening rupture split the sky as Offensive Bias emerged. the behemoth form. Monolithic. With a single red eye glowing like a reactor. It dropped into Olympus through slipspace with the force of a god declaring judgment.
The AI's voice cut through the arena,:
"You have nothing of equal value, primitive machine. However… for Supreme Executor's participation, I demand more. That which is equivalent—should he win."
Jin-Woo raised a hand, calm and exact.
"There is something," he said. "Your entire divinity."
He counted off on his fingers as he walked closer to center.
"One. Your personal skill set."
"Two. Your Class Skills—every divine machine function hardwired into your existence."
"Three. Your Noble Phantasm—'World Discipline: Keraunos.' Anti-Star caliber, you boast. That alone could rival the Force Storm ."
"And last," Jin-Woo stopped, pointing with one finger, "the Remnant of Cronus. You hide it inside yourself. Don't deny it. I've already confirmed it."
He glanced sideways at Offensive Bias.
"When I win, my AI will copy all of your abilities into its archives—and you, Zeus, will hand over the Remnant without resistance." "Do you accept?"
A beat of silence. Then Zeus's voice rumbled like the cracking of Olympus itself.
"…Shadow Monarch." The tone was no longer mocking. It was low. Measured. Focused.
"This… has been in my mind for some time." "How do you know us? How do you know my power ?". "This is the first time we've met… or is it not?"
Jin-Woo didn't flinch. He didn't blink. His shadows curled faintly under his boots as he replied, voice like sharpened obsidian.
"I have my own way." "That's all you need to know."
"Now, Zeus. Do you accept...or should I walk away—leave this world, this Lostbelt, forever—and go enjoy my peace on Shadow Tython?"
Zeus's voice rumbled across the sky, his mechanical form towering above the arena like a city-sized god.
"I accept," he declared, grinning with machine arrogance. "And I expect you to keep your promise—no Shadow Monarch powers."
Jin-Woo didn't answer immediately. He simply smiled.
That's the wrong dialogue, he thought, eyes half-lidded. And the wrong set of rules.
You're still clinging to the delusion that my only strength is my Shadow Monarch power. That it's my primary. That you've cornered me by sealing it. But what you've really done…
…is give me the chance to stretch the rest of my arsenal.
He didn't say a word. He only turned and walked toward the center of the arena, hands in his coat pockets.
Up in the stands, Kirschtaria returned to his seat beside Ophelia. The twin Discouri and Caenis watched quietly, tension rising with every step Jin-Woo took.
Ophelia leaned slightly toward Kirschtaria. "No wonder Offensive Bias was so confident," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the arena.
Kirschtaria nodded slowly, jaw tight with realization. "…We were all wrong about Zeta Halo, it's a final weapon. To kill everyone."
High above, the mechanical god finally moved.
Zeus's massive green eyes flared, glowing like twin dying stars. From his limbs—his many limbs—arcs of crackling blue lightning surged out in every direction. Authority after Authority activated simultaneously, shattering the sky into a storm of divine electricity.
Let this be the beginning, he thought. Let him feel the will of Olympus.
But down below, Jin-Woo stood still. Calm. One hand raised.
The lightning struck him and was absorbed.
Every surge. . His body devoured it like it was air.
Jin-Woo . Instead, he redirected all of it in a single snap of motion—twisting the energy back, reshaping it through his mastery of Force Absorb and Telekinetic Redirection. The massive lightning storm turned midair—and slammed back toward Zeus like a wave crashing into the sky.
The divine bolts smashed into Zeus's shielding like a battering ram, causing the barrier to flicker—then crack.
Zeus flinched, sensors shrieking in his cockpit.
My magical shield… chipped already…?
And the restriction hasn't been lifted yet… I was reckless.
Kukulkan's wings erupted into luminous streaks as she soared from the stands, giddy with excitement. "Jin-Woo!" she shouted, grinning wildly. "Feel my MAYAN PUNCH!!"
Her fist crackled with raw divine force, golden symbols whirling around her knuckles. She fully expected to be caught again by one of Jin-Woo's force fields—or worse, slammed back mid-air.
But this time—Jin-Woo moved. He met her divine fist with his own.
The impact cracked the sound barrier— CRRRRACK!
Kukulkan's eyes widened in shock. Her punch met unrelenting force—and lost.
Her arm twisted with a sickening crack, bones breaking instantly. She was hurled backward mid-air, flipping twice before landing on her feet with a skid. Coughing slightly, she held her now-damaged arm and chuckled.
"…This is the first time someone fish clashed with me and won."