On the road to Grant City, nothing remained. After several days, all the frontline troops stationed in Grant City had withdrawn.
Once it was clear that Jiang Territory would not intervene in the short term, there was no choice but to retreat. Direct confrontation was no longer possible, and falling back to Grant City was an extremely difficult decision.
Inside and outside the city, people were everywhere. Everyone in Grant City was busy reinforcing the walls and setting up defenses, as the enemy was rapidly advancing toward them.
"Will we win?"
Lu Xing asked, as the wind swept by, her hair dancing in the breeze. Yuna Ji stood on the eastern gate's city wall, quietly gazing into the distance. The other nine, along with James Grant, sat or stood nearby, all watching the main road to the east. The enemy was in the forest, heading this way.
The expressions on everyone’s faces relaxed considerably. They weren’t troubled by the fact that the enemy would soon surround Grant City; instead, they seemed quite at ease.
"Do you remember? This is the place where we all grew up, isn’t it?"
Yuna Ji said, and everyone smiled and nodded.
Over these days, Yuna Ji’s expression had softened considerably, and she smiled more often. Although she was still cold most of the time, a hint of warmth had begun to appear—all thanks to James Grant. Even the generals of Grant Territory seemed filled with hope; upon returning to Grant City, they busied themselves without needing Joseph Qiao’s direct orders.
"We’ll win."
Yuna Ji said confidently, looking toward the east, where the sun was slowly rising. The others stood and gathered around, their faces glowing with smiles.
What happened next was just as I knew: under Yuna Ji’s leadership, the Grant Tribe turned the tide and defeated the invaders. But at the end of the war, James Grant gave his life for Yuna Ji, and everything they had fought so hard to reclaim fell into despair once again.
Yuna Ji went mad. She launched a desperate attack against the enemy, even though they were already planning to retreat. The generals around her disappeared one by one.
I quietly watched everything on the city wall. Around Yuna Ji, the smiling generals vanished one after another, until only she was left, her face twisted in a chilling, eerie smile. Grant City burned, beset by enemies from the Sage Domain and Wynn Domain in front, and from Jiang Territory behind—surrounded on three sides.
All that remained was destruction. People kill to survive, kill for profit, kill for those they love—relentlessly taking the lives of others. It has always been this way, from ancient times to now.
In the distance, the horizon began to brighten. Beneath the pale green sky, the day of Netherhell arrived. I regained consciousness and quietly watched Yuna Ji’s calm expression.
Everything was caused by Yuna Ji herself—two sides of her: the hopeful Yuna Ji, and the one consumed by the thrill of battle.
"Everything here was created by you!"
Yuna Ji didn’t argue. She quietly sat atop the city tower while the armies of Iceblade and Firebull busied themselves inside, preparing to defend against the enemy’s imminent attack. Her friends—nine in total, nine generals, nine people who had been her greatest benefactors in life—were all under her command.
"My life is a failure, isn’t it, Ethan Zhang?"
Yuna Ji raised her hands, her body trembling slightly. She stared quietly at her own hands. I couldn't tell what she saw in her eyes—perhaps hands drenched in blood. The Monster Yuna had broken her promise; after everything ended, she did not return control of the body to Yuna Ji, but instead fell deeper into a frenzy of battle lust. Unable to escape, she became the cause of destruction—not only for her enemies, but also for her friends. All were ruined by this unstoppable will to fight, leaving only Yuna Ji alone in the end.
For a long time, she wandered like a lost soul, carving out a path through this Netherhell, connecting it to the River of Forgetfulness. In the end, she succeeded. Yet even in death, those generals did not depart—they waited for Yuna Ji, returning once more to her side.
Suddenly, I looked at Yuna Ji in confusion.
"Back then, when Monster Yuna Ji controlled everything, how did you regain control over the Ghost Soul?"
I had witnessed that monster before. Compared to Yuna Ji, she was worlds apart—far stronger, beyond words. I had experienced that power firsthand.
"It was Master Ethan, actually."
I was startled and turned around. Mr. Brown was standing beside me, grinning.
"Mr. Brown, you startled me."
Yuna Ji glared at Mr. Brown in anger. He quickly raised his hand and waved it.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just that my Specter Web is a bit special. The things you showed Master Ethan were so intense that my Specter Web couldn't ignore them, Lady Yuna—I'll keep calling you that."