The clamor gradually faded away. One war had ended. The rebel army held this breach, Yuna Ji's forces were defeated, and more and more rebels surged in, digging trenches and swiftly building a massive fortress here.
Simple defensive works were being constructed. Rufina Howard gripped my hand, her expression deeply serious.
"What's wrong, kid?"
I asked, snapping her out of her trance. She giggled in response.
"Why fight a war that clearly has no meaning?"
I grunted and began explaining Yuna Ji's instinctive battle techniques to Rufina Howard. She nodded thoughtfully.
"So it's that sister's problem. Let's go and ask her ourselves."
Mr. Brown gestured for us to follow him. We started weaving through the troops, heading toward the Netherhell Citadel.
The army behind us gradually faded into the distance, yet the war raged on as ever. There was no reconciliation, and events had spun completely out of Yuna Ji's control.
"I've felt uneasy for a long time now. Yuna Ji has trapped all these souls in this hellish Netherhell, never to be reborn. And this is something she can't control at all."
Mr. Brown spoke, and I nodded. I wanted to find Yuna Ji as well—after all, she was the one most closely connected to the Corpse Realm. My own birth was inseparable from it, and I finally understood why my body could withstand all those modifications by The Engineer without any issue.
During the earlier showdown with the Nether Syndicate, the Spectral Juggernaut suffered severe damage. Now it lay quietly in my ghost domain, in that room, slowly repairing itself.
"Almost ready, Ethan. Let's hurry—Yuna Ji is probably still waiting for us."
I told Rufina Howard to hold on tight, then floated up with Mr. Brown. He transformed into a streak of green light and sped ahead. I forced myself to accelerate and just managed to keep up. Watching Mr. Brown's back, I realized how much further I still had to go in terms of power.
A smear of black-green appeared on the distant horizon, and the outline of that massive white building ahead grew clearer and closer.
A colossal white bone throne, beneath which sat the Nine Sons of the Dragon—symbols of imperial power. Rufina Howard swallowed nervously. I immediately sensed Yuna Ji's presence and flew toward the round, flat top of the throne. The moment I landed, a figure swept toward me.
"Mr. Grant, you're here too?"
I muttered, and James Grant nodded in response.
"Alright, Ethan, you go ahead and find her yourself. I'll stay around here and look around."
James Grant gave Mr. Brown a respectful bow.
"Thank you, Mr. Brown."
Mr. Brown waved his hand and gave a mysterious smile before leaving.
"Where's Yuna Ji?"
James Grant forced an awkward smile, looking troubled.
"She's throwing a tantrum!"
I glanced at Rufina Howard, and the word 'willful' popped into my mind. Compared to Rufina's willfulness, how should I describe Yuna Ji's?
I smiled bitterly and followed James Grant to a three-story building beside the main hall.
"Get the hell out of here!"
With a bang, a short skeleton was smashed to pieces and sent flying. As it hit the ground, the bones began to reassemble. The skeleton looked small and its jaw clacked as if it was laughing.
"Her Majesty the Empress, really... If this keeps up, it's going to break the army's morale."
"Grand Chancellor, you may leave now. Ethan Zhang is here too, don't worry."
The skeleton's jaw clacked as if it were laughing, and it left.
"You must have seen the situation for yourselves by now."
"We just witnessed a fierce battle. But that sister's army was defeated—totally scattered, broken apart."
James Grant nodded.
"Yuna's completely lost interest in state affairs now, spending all day obsessed with TV dramas."
I gasped, eyes wide as I stared at James Grant.
"Didn't they say that as soon as you came out, you..."
"It's not what you think, Ethan. That day, I just glanced at how modern girls dress on the street and thought it looked nice. Yuna got upset about it."
I covered my forehead and sighed.
"Come on, let's go inside."
As soon as we entered, a silvery peal of laughter rang out. Yuna Ji was giggling, lying on the sofa and hugging a laptop.
The sound of a TV drama filled the air, and Rufina Howard immediately ran over.
"Wow, isn't this the long-announced blockbuster, 'You from Hell'? I've been waiting ages for this."
"Exactly! Look at the male lead, he's so handsome! Haha."
Yuna Ji said, and she and Rufina Howard started chatting. I wanted to join in, but the two women were so engrossed in TV dramas that James Grant and I were completely ignored.
"The army is in total chaos now. No one's commanding—they're all fighting on their own. The battles keep ending in defeat. If this keeps up, the rebel forces will reach the capital soon."
James Grant remarked.
"Weren't you a general before? How come..."
I thought about it but didn't finish the question. After all, James Grant had just arrived, and those guys wouldn't listen to him. The only one they'd obey was Yuna Ji—she was the Empress of this Netherhell realm.
Suddenly, I noticed a familiar voice in the TV drama. I hurried over and saw it was Leah King.
"Basil Bertram's daughter is doing really well now—back in the spotlight. Even though she's played some supporting roles, she's stealing the show and gaining more fans. Redmond's company is turning her into a versatile actress, able to play any role. She's become a cash cow, and there's a big blockbuster movie coming up with a star-studded cast."
"With all this effort, shouldn't you be running the country instead?"
The two women started chatting again. Yuna Ji simply restarted episode one, and Rufina Howard looked more and more interested as she watched.
"Kid, what exactly are you here for?"
Rufina Howard said she understood and would talk after finishing the episode.
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"Ethan, you're so annoying. Go away. I need to explain the character relationships to Rufina, so let's not talk about those things. Let them fight however they want—as long as they don't die, it's fine."
"I'm powerless now, Mr. Grant."
I quickly came to a conclusion. James Grant shook his head helplessly and led me out. On the vast square, I saw many skeletons, their jaws moving as if in discussion. Suddenly, one skeleton ran toward us.
"Mr. Luban."
After watching for a while, I finally recognized him—he had a strong metallic-looking bone key hanging around his neck.
"Ah, it looks like the simulated data isn't working well yet—it still needs improvement. The Qingyuan Power Core has already transformed into baleful energy, but the integration isn't quite there. When we have time, let's discuss ways to improve it further."
I responded with a sound, and Mr. Luban immediately ran back.
It turns out these skeletons were all ministers of this country, gathered from all over, each trying to persuade Ji Yuner to manage the nation well. They all wore earnest, pleading expressions. I smiled and shook my head, finally understanding why Ji Yuner was so irritated.
After a long while, Ji Yuner finally came out of her room, looking sullen. Huangfu Ruofei seemed to be comforting her.
"Court is in session..."
A chorus of loud shouts rang out as a large number of skeletons formed two rows—one of military officers, one of civil officials. Yet, I didn't see any of the Nine Nether Ghost Generals.
"They're all at the front lines, fighting their own battles. Those military officers are their deputies, and they've only returned for this court session."
Inside the grand hall, at the very top, Ji Yuner sat on a throne made of white bone. I stood with Huangfu Ruofei at her side, while Jiang Tianci was also present.