"Who are you, really?"
I shouted loudly.
"You should be able to hear, to see, to feel, and to know my true name."
A series of thumping sounds echoed in my head. After a long while, I nodded and looked into the distance—a white figure was approaching me.
In an instant, the black-green haze turned to white. Pavilions, towers, streets, houses, people, and objects materialized before my eyes. I stood stunned, surrounded by a bustling street, and in front of me loomed the magnificent Imperial Palace.
A little girl with two vivid green ribbons in her hair bounded down the long steps of the Imperial Palace, her smile pure and carefree.
"Is that Yuna Ji?"
I cried out in astonishment, but the scene around me changed instantly—shouts of killing, horses screaming, wails, explosions, the roar of flames, people crying out. The peaceful vision was consumed by an inferno, turning into a living hell.
Like slaughtering pigs and dogs, soldiers kept hacking people down, while women were dragged into houses and ravaged.
At that moment, I saw a green figure on the palace platform, holding a long spear. The look in her eyes was inhuman—it was Yuna Ji, recognizable by her appearance.
The green figure—Yuna Ji—swelled and grew, towering over the ruins like a giant. In a heartbeat, everyone vanished, leaving only a shattered city and the weathered remains of the Imperial Palace. Step by step, I climbed upward, sensing someone waiting above.
With a crack, the moment I stepped onto the stairs, they crumbled into dust beneath my feet. Stumbling, I climbed up.
A pale figure stood before me, encased in bone armor from head to toe, matching my own height. His eyes held a weary resignation. In one hand, he gripped a long spear, resting it against his side.
"You are Battle Instinct."
I asked. The figure nodded.
"Why, when you are clearly Yuna Ji’s primal instinct, do you..."
"I am Yuna Ji’s Battle Instinct, but I am not the Yuna Ji you have seen."
I stared at Battle Instinct in astonishment. Suddenly, a streak of blood-red particles drifted out of my body.
"First time meeting, though we’ve fought many times before."
Slaughter stood beside me. Battle Instinct nodded.
"You must be the instinct from John Chou! Thank you all for coming. You’re the first one to hear my voice, Ethan Zhang. But before this, it was all thanks to John Chou—otherwise, it would’ve been too late."
"What exactly is going on?"
I stared wide-eyed at Battle Instinct. He wasn’t as unreachable as Yuna Ji had described—he could actually converse.
"When you all entered the Netherhell, and Yuna Ji’s primal instinct awakened, that monster woke as well."
A jolt of fear shot through my heart. It was true—back in Netherhell, Yuna Ji had awakened her instinct and fought Tan Tian.
"A frail woman, burdened with a nation’s fate, forced to rely only on herself—never showing weakness. She was the emperor, the hope of her people. From that moment, she ceased to be just a frail woman and became the emperor leading her nation against invaders, riding into battle herself. She was no longer just a woman, yet inside, she was still vulnerable."
I swallowed hard, recalling the visions I’d just seen—Yuna Ji as a child, and the nation’s collapse. One was human, the other a monster.
"To keep her delicate nerves from snapping as she led her nation, Yuna Ji's heart spawned a nameless monster. It kept her mind from collapsing, allowed her to carry hope and bear the weight of everything, never crushed. Ethan Zhang, you may have heard that I control everything in Netherhell—but you’re wrong. Dead wrong."
I stared at Battle Instinct in shock. Slaughter burst out laughing.
"So that’s it? The real monster is hidden in Yuna Ji’s heart, and she doesn’t even know it."
Battle Instinct turned, leading us toward the ruins of the Imperial Palace, its structure on the verge of collapse. At the entrance, he paused. I noticed something in the white sand. He crouched, sifted through the sand, and unearthed a faded drawing. My eyes widened.
It was a drawing—Yuna Ji laughing heartily, with James Grant beside her, looking helpless and scratching his head.
"Not long after the war began, that monster was born in Yuna Ji’s heart. It guided her, made her bear everything, became the hope of the people, and nearly erased her humanity. You must’ve heard Old Engineer mention this."
I nodded. Yuna Ji’s methods terrified her enemies—every enemy was executed without exception, and her own people, even in death, would die fighting, never as prisoners. That’s what turned the tide of war.
"Yuna Ji was about to fully become a monster, but after James Grant appeared, she started to change. Her methods remained cold, but it was necessary. Sadly, the only chain that could restrain the monster was broken. From then on, Yuna Ji truly became a monster, leading her country to its doom. Her end was to die on the battlefield."
Battle Instinct pointed to the left, and we looked over. A scene appeared—it was Netherhell.
"The souls imprisoned here aren’t held by me, but by the monster’s obsession. I can’t go against its will, and all these monsters are products of obsession—the truest reflection of Yuna Ji’s heart. She doesn’t know any of this. A hundred years ago, because of that monk, the power of the Buddha’s image let Yuna Ji regain her heart for the second time. And in Brahma Tower, a century of confinement finally put her inner monster to sleep. But when the Nether Syndicate tried to help you, her instinct was awakened, and the monster that had been dormant began to stir again."
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"Didn’t the Rebel Legion say this battle has lasted a thousand years?"
I muttered. Battle Instinct shook his head.
Battle Instinct nodded. "It was me who did the imprisoning, not Yuna Ji. But the one who truly controls the souls here is Yuna Ji herself. Have you forgotten yesterday’s battle? No matter how great someone’s achievements, a newcomer who instantly wins the highest command on the southern front and the admiration of thousands will always provoke envy and greed. Here, the only thing that matters in war is building a record of merit."
Battle Instinct’s words made me feel odd too—there was too much praise for Yuna Ji’s performance and the absolute obedience that followed.
"Things are beyond my control now, Ethan Zhang. These souls can’t escape the monster’s grasp, and neither can I. The one causing all this is Yuna Ji herself, though she doesn’t realize it."
"Are those outsiders really supporting this war?"
I asked. Battle Instinct nodded, then shook his head.
"Those people think they can control the situation, but they don’t realize they’re already trapped in the war. Even behind the scenes, their only thought is to seize the empire. They plan to use the monster in Yuna Ji’s heart—its manifested form—as a weapon to end the war. It’s nothing but a fool’s dream."
"So what do we do now?"
Battle Instinct shook his head.
"There’s no way for now. Listen, Ethan Zhang—the monster in Yuna Ji’s heart hasn’t fully awakened, but you saw yesterday’s battle. She killed her own subordinates without mercy and reversed the situation in an instant, becoming hope once again. Don’t let her participate in the war too much. Try to get her interested in things from the Living World."
I responded with a simple 'oh.'
"So in Netherhell, everyone is under Yuna Ji’s control, though she herself has no idea."
"There’s not much time left. If that monster truly awakens, Netherhell will be trapped in endless war, with no hope of peace."
I nodded and replied.
"I’ll head back right away. Hey, doesn’t she love watching TV dramas?"
But then I remembered the solution John Chou had thought of. Battle Instinct spoke up immediately.
"John Chou’s idea won’t work. I’ve imprisoned Yuna Ji, so she can’t communicate with Slaughter. He was only guessing, but he brought you here. This place is the manifestation of the monster in Yuna Ji’s heart. I sensed you entering and found you right away."
Everything around us began to fade away. I remembered the monster that flew out of the Styx River—completely untouchable.
"Is it because the monster in Yuna Ji’s heart is starting to awaken, so her manifested creations can’t be touched anymore?"
It was just a guess, but I said it anyway. Battle Instinct looked at me in surprise.
"What did you say?"
"I said the monster from the Styx River is completely untouchable, like a phantom."
A shadow of sorrow flickered in Battle Instinct’s eyes as he looked at me.
"Hurry. Once everything in this manifested world returns to Yuna Ji’s heart, the monster will awaken."
Dazed, I found myself standing atop the river’s surface—I was back. Slaughter remained with Battle Instinct, but I felt no worry. After scanning for anyone nearby, I rose and drifted toward Crimson Plume Fortress.
I started thinking about how to spark Yuna Ji’s interest in things from the Living World. I knew her well enough, and as I pondered, a smile came to my face.
"After all, I’ve known her for so long—there’s got to be a way."