Junyu looked down.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
Then—
CRACK.
He looked up.
The entire roof of the cave suddenly gave way.
Massive pieces of stone came crashing down around him.
Junyu was buried beneath the falling rocks and the ground beneath him collapsed at the same time.
He dropped into a small hole below.
BOOM.
Dust filled the chamber.
Junyu slowly stood.
He looked around.
"Hmm."
He brushed the dust from his shoulder.
"This is nothing."
He jumped and grabbed the edge of the hole, attempting to climb back up.
His hands reached the stone.
But he couldn't move any higher.
An invisible barrier surrounded the opening.
Junyu pushed against it.
Nothing.
Salim stepped forward.
"This is everything."
Ton smiled.
Junyu looked up at them.
"When?"
Ton's smile widened.
"From the start."
He pointed toward the hole.
"I was a bait."
Ikiro stepped beside him.
"We prepared this trap while you were fighting Ton. You kept following him until you fell right into it."
He looked toward Salim.
"Now the last step is Salim's attack."
Junyu slowly turned his head toward Salim.
Salim tightened his grip on his bow.
"You will not be missed, Evil Junyu."
His eyes hardened.
"We're getting our captain back."
Junyu stared at him for a moment.
Then he simply smiled.
"Fine."
"Do it."
He sat down in the center of the small hole.
The others watched him carefully.
Then Junyu lowered his head.
"You think this is the end?"
His voice became colder.
"I am not a one-time thing."
"I am inside Junyu forever."
"I can always come back."
His eyes slowly lifted.
"And when I return, all of you will be gone."
A dark smile appeared across his face.
"I am the true one."
"I will devour your Junyu once I reach my peak."
Ton's smile disappeared.
"I…"
He clenched his fists.
"I—"
He looked at Junyu.
"Do you know any other words?"
Ton pointed at him.
"You lost, loser."
Junyu remained seated.
Completely calm.
Then he whispered—
"The change has already begun."
Salim's eyes widened slightly.
He pulled his bowstring back.
The arrow began glowing with energy.
"Then let's end it."
He released it.
The arrow disappeared into the hole.
For one second—
Silence.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from below.
Dust and debris filled the entire chamber.
Everyone raised their arms to shield their faces.
Katsa coughed as she looked through the dust.
"Oh hell…"
Salim immediately turned toward the hole.
"Junyu… are you fine?"
The dust slowly began to clear.
Nothing could be seen.
Then—
CRACK.
The barrier surrounding the hole began breaking apart.
A hand reached through the shattered energy.
Salim's expression changed.
A smile appeared on his face.
"It's him."
Junyu pulled himself out of the hole.
His eyes were normal.
His hair had returned to its usual color.
He looked around, confused.
"What happened?"
For a moment, nobody answered.
Then Salim stepped forward.
They told Junyu everything.
The Mandalin.
Unknown Soul.
The battle.
The trap.
The explosion.
Junyu listened silently.
After everything was explained, the crew finally sat down and caught their breath.
The chamber became quiet.
For the first time in what felt like hours, they could rest.
Junyu looked around at everyone.
"So…"
He leaned against the stone wall.
"What is the plan now?"
Ikiro looked toward the deeper part of the cave.
"We need to get Mil back out of the prison."
His expression became serious.
"And we have to stop Organization X's plan."
Junyu's expression changed.
"Their great plan?"
He pointed toward another room beside them.
"It's just in the other room."
Everyone looked at him.
"But it's sealed behind a barrier."
Junyu paused.
"They're going to destroy the entire country."
Silence.
Ikiro's eyes widened.
"The Destroyer."
Michael's smile disappeared.
Salim looked toward Ikiro.
"Why do they even need it?"
Ikiro answered carefully.
"The Destroyer is different."
"It obeys the caster who created it."
He looked at the others.
"And it is immortal."
Junyu's eyes widened.
"Immortal?"
"So how do we defeat it?"
Ikiro looked at him.
"It's simple."
"Take the horn out."
Junyu stared at him.
"The horn?"
"It acts as its life energy."
"If the horn is removed, the Destroyer becomes nothing more than a non-living body."
Katsa nodded.
"So we simply don't let that happen."
Ton looked confused.
"How do we do that?"
Junyu stood up.
"Simple."
"Don't let them activate the 10,000 ores."
Ton blinked.
"Simple?"
Junyu shrugged.
"Yeah."
"Just like that."
Ton looked toward the ceiling.
"But didn't they go somewhere using that portal?"
Ikiro's expression suddenly changed.
"Activate."
Everyone turned toward him.
"What?"
"They're activating the ores."
Ikiro looked upward.
"Above the surface."
"The process is easier there."
His eyes narrowed.
"That means we have to stay here and wait for them."
Junyu immediately shook his head.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"We have to do two things."
He raised one finger.
1. Rescue Mil.
"That part is easy."
"I'll go with Ton."
Ton nodded.
Junyu raised a second finger.
2. The rest of you go deeper into this cave.
He looked toward the enormous passage ahead.
"This isn't just a cave."
His voice became serious.
"It's a castle."
"A city…"
"Underwater."
Everyone stared into the darkness.
Junyu took a breath.
"This is the plan."
"We wait for them."
The crew stood together.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Junyu looked toward the others.
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
He grinned.
"GO, DEVIL HORNS!"ABOVE THE SURFACE
Far above the underground city, the night sky was covered in dark clouds.
Energy began flowing through the enormous ores scattered across the land.
One after another—
They began glowing.
Morgan stood before them.
He watched the energy rise.
"It is activated now."
His mask reflected the light.
"It's time for the final phase of this mission."
He raised his hand.
"THE DESTROYER."
The two teams were ready.
Underground—
Devil Horns prepared for the rescue and the battle ahead.
Above the surface—
Organization X began their final operation.
Both sides were moving toward the same ending.
The atmosphere became silent.
Then the final words echoed through the night.
ACT 2 ENDS.
THE BLACK MEETING REACHES ITS FINAL ACT.
ACT 3: THE END