Jin returned to the Sacred Domain, the air rippling with the echoes of his presence. As he stepped through the veil, Nihilith approached immediately, concern etched into every shadow of his form.
"Where were you?" Nihilith asked. "Why did your aura vanish so suddenly?"
Jin's gaze remained calm. "I went to the Dark Realm," he said, voice unwavering. "To confront Duskhavan… and to finish what Zenex couldn't."
The entire domain fell silent. Even the winds that brushed against Yggdrasil's branches stilled.
"You… what?" Yggdrasil finally spoke, disbelief trembling in his voice. "That means… you've drawn the attention of something far greater—and far worse."
Jin nodded. "Every problem brings with it a solution. Even a god can be deceived."
The council pressed forward, voices laced with tension and curiosity.
"But how? How did you deceive him?"
Jin crossed his arms. "Mind is the key. When someone desires something they've long been denied, when obsession blinds them and they've exhausted every means to reach it—then, if someone offers it freely, their guard falls. That's when manipulation becomes art."
He glanced at them with cold clarity. "If I had revealed my true intention too soon, Duskhavan would've sensed the trap. So I fed his hunger… then twisted the blade."
Nihilith's voice was a whisper. "So you baited him."
"I gave him what he wanted most—just enough to lure him. Then I triggered the hidden clause. The contract wasn't just a pact… it was a prison."
Yggdrasil asked carefully, "Do you have another plan in motion?"
Jin shook his head. "No. It's done."
His tone shifted. "But there is something I must do—something I must give."
He raised his hand, and a portal bloomed open behind him like a blooming eclipse. From its depths emerged his legion—the Shadow Soldiers—kneeling before their king.
Jin faced them. "I am no longer your master."
A ripple of confusion spread through the ranks, until Ainez stepped forward.
"Then let us choose the one worthy to carry your legacy," he said. "Let us vote. The one chosen will inherit all."
The soldiers bowed their heads, and one name echoed like thunder: Bellon.
Bellon stepped forward, his voice low. "I… am not worthy, my king."
Jin's voice was steady. "You are."
Bellon's eyes burned with memory. "Do you know my past my king?"
"Tell me," Jin said softly.
Bellon's shoulders sagged as he recalled. "I served the Overlords. I fought day and night. But I ignored what mattered most—my family. When the Monarchs attacked, I defended my masters. But I had no idea what happened to my wife… my daughter. By the time I went to them… it was too late."
A silence fell.
"I cursed myself. I ended my own life. But my soul wandered… until my previous king Zenex found me. He resurrected me and made me his knight."
Jin walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You lost once," Jin said, voice calm but fierce. "But this world… gives rebirth not just to bodies, but to purpose. You are not the man you once were. You stood beside Zenex. You stood beside me. That is enough."
Behind Bellon, Todra, Kong, Eian, Basilisk, Vionka, and Ainez stepped forward.
"Accept it," they all said, voices united. "You are the one."
Bellon lowered his head. "Then… I accept."
Jin raised his hand and placed it over Bellon's heart.
"I baptize you now," he said.
A storm of power swirled around them. Jin transferred everything—powers of all Thrones, Solmiras' Flame, Zenex's Power, Myth Magic, and the terrifying weight of the Absolute Death God.
Jin cut his palm. Two energies surged out: one deep purple, one radiant gold. They formed into twin crystals:
The Nocturnal Crystal
The Spirit Beast Crystal of the Sky Azore Dragon
He embedded them into Bellon's core.
A brilliant transformation surged.
Bellon, once a shadow, became living again—his true form returning: long white hair flowing like moonlight, blue eyes gleaming with divine will.
Nihilith exhaled. "Your successor… has merged completely with both the Nocturnal and the Spirit Beast."
Yggdrasil turned to Jin. "But how did you acquire the Absolute Death God's power?"
Jin smiled faintly. "Through the contract. But the contract is now broken. My link to Duskhavan is severed."
He continued, "When I touched Nihola, I learned more. Duskhavan holds the power of many gods:"
Absolute Death and Shadow
Absolute Time
Absolute Ending
Absolute Destruction
Absolute Madness
"He gave Absolute Death and Shadow to Zenex once… but Zenex couldn't master them. He used Absolute Ending to create Nihola."
Xir'vanta's voice trembled. "What truly are Absolute Death and Shadow powers?"
Jin replied, "Everything Zenex wielded. And now… everything Bellon must carry."
Bellon bowed. "Then… what is my role?"
"Guard the World Spiral Tree," Jin said. "Be its shield."
Bellon knelt. "Wherever you go, you will always be my king."
He bowed one last time, and the Shadow Legion behind him did the same.
Xir'vanta stepped forward. "Where will you go now, Jin?"
Jin looked toward the horizon, where golden light shimmered. "To the Lake of Prosperity."
"Why?" Yggdrasil asked softly.
Jin's smile was quiet and full of grief. "All my life, I knew only how to fight. I was born in darkness. Raised in battle. Forged in sorrow. But then… in that endless void, she came. And shared her final breath with me."
A hush fell.
"It's time I stand beside her."
Nihilith extended his hand. A portal bloomed—soft, radiant, warm.
He stepped through.
And as his figure vanished into the golden light, Xir'vanta voice lingered—
"He who once altered endings… now walks toward his own."