Chapter 86: A World Without Light

The sky wept. The rain fell mercilessly, drenching the world in an unrelenting downpour. Thunder rumbled across the sky, as if mourning alongside him.

A storm raged above as if the heavens themselves mourned. The funeral ground was drenched in sorrow, the heavy downpour mixing with the tears of those left behind.

Jin stood still, his black suit clinging to his body, his soaked hair covering his empty eyes. He knelt before the graves of Kaelros, Arden, Lysander, and Rin. The names carved into the stones burned into his soul.

The once-mighty warriors who had fought beside him—who had laughed, struggled, and bled with him—were now reduced to nothing but memories.

Behind him, a sea of people gathered.

Citizens. Soldiers. Rankers. Celestials.

They came not as warriors, not as rulers, but as grieving souls.

Mothers wept for their sons.

Fathers clenched their fists, cursing the war that took their children.

Orphans cried, reaching out for the ones who would never return.

The World Guidance Headquarters stood tall in the background, yet inside, the foundation of its very existence trembled.

Inside the grand hall of World Guidance, the highest-ranking Celestials sat around an oval table.

Park Hae-In, clenched her hands. Her long yellow hair was disheveled, her purple eyes burning with grief. "How many more must we lose?" Her voice cracked.

Chris Walker, slammed his fist against the table, his muscular frame tense. "We sent them to their deaths. And for what? A battle we weren't even prepared for?"

Mr. Singh, his usual calm demeanor fractured, sighed. "This was more than a defeat. We have lost too much to call this anything but a tragedy."

Beside them, the Celestial Families—ancient bloodlines tied to the divine—sat in grim silence.

For the first time, even they had no answers.

Lillian leaned against the table, exhausted. Her black hair clung to her damp face. "Jin Shang won the fight, but we lost everything else."

A painful truth.

The room was silent. No one argued.

Because deep down, they all knew it was true.

Jin raised his head to the sky.

The rain felt heavier now.

His lips trembled as he whispered, "I should have been stronget. I should've protected you. You all trusted me, and I—""

His words faltered. His throat tightened.

Jin had always endured. He had always carried on, no matter how much pain he bore.

But today…

Today, he broke.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the rain. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

"You all had dreams…"

Kaelros, who dreamed to open a cafe.

Lysander, who wanted to open a school for young warriors.

Arden, who lived to guide others, to be the sword that protected the weak.

Rin, who swore to see the world beyond war, to taste peace for the first time.

And now, they were gone.

Jin let out a silent, shuddering breath. He looked up at the sky, memories crashing over him.

Lysander's confident smirk—"Jin, no matter how hard things get, keep standing. The world needs a pillar."

Kaelros's warm laughter—"One day, we'll look back at all this madness and laugh. Just wait."

Arden's firm voice—"Never let regret consume you, Jin. We fight, we fall, but we never let sorrow break us."

Rin's soft whisper—"Jin, promise me… no matter what happens, you won't carry everything alone."

Jin exhaled sharply. He had broken that promise.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Lightning split the sky, illuminating the vast graveyard. Behind him, a crowd gathered. Soldiers. Officers. Survivors. World Guidance members.

But none of them spoke.

They simply watched.

Watched as the Supreme Commander of World Guidance wept like a broken man.

The people behind him lowered their heads. Even the strongest among them had never seen Jin Shang like this.

A warrior.

A commander.

A legend.

Now, just a man kneeling before his fallen comrades.

A child from the crowd suddenly stepped forward. She held a wilted flower in her small hands. Her eyes, puffy and red, stared at Jin with confusion.

"Why did they have to die?"

Her words pierced through the silence like a blade.

Jin's breath hitched. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Because he had no answer.

No answer for the people who lost their families.

No answer for the soldiers who had given their all.

No answer for himself.

He reached out and took the flower from the child's hands, placing it gently on Kaelros's grave.

The rain did not stop.

The world outside mourned alongside Jin. Thunder cracked across the heavens, mirroring the storm raging within him.

But now, he had no time to grieve.

Lia was waiting.

He entered the hospital, his drenched boots echoing through the cold, sterile halls. Every step felt heavier, as if the weight of the dead clung to him.

Finally, he reached the door.

He hesitated.

Then, with a deep breath, he pushed it open.

The sight before him nearly broke him.

Lia lay on the hospital bed, her face pale, her chest rising and falling weakly. She looked so fragile. Like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of being snuffed out.

Jin's fists clenched.

"How is she?" His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

The doctor standing beside her turned, his face grim. His lips parted, and the words that left them felt like a death sentence.

"Commander Jin… I'm sorry. She doesn't have much time left."

Jin's heart stopped.

The world blurred.

For a moment, he thought he hadn't heard right.

"…What?"

The doctor took a breath, as if steadying himself. "She's dying."

Jin took a step back, his breathing uneven. "No… no, that's not possible. She was fine—"

"Her condition was never fine," the doctor interrupted, regret in his eyes. "We examined her body. Whatever was done to her in that cave… it's killing her from the inside."

Jin staggered, his mind reeling.

Dying?

No. He wouldn't accept that.

"Why?" His voice was raw. "What's killing her? Tell me!"

Before the doctor could respond, Lillian stepped in.

Her celestial presence filled the room, but there was no power behind it—only sorrow.

Jin turned to her, his eyes desperate.

"Lillian. Tell me what's wrong with her."

Lillian didn't speak at first. She simply looked at Lia and brushed her hair so gently.

Then, she exhaled and met Jin's gaze.

"Laplace… gave his raw mana to her."

Jin's stomach dropped.

"…What?"

Lillian's expression was pained. "That monster didn't just torture her. He infused his raw mana into her body. And now, it's destroying her soul."

Jin's mind went blank.

Destroying… her soul?

His hands trembled. "Then extract it. Get rid of it. NOW."

Lillian flinched at the sheer rage and desperation in his voice. But she didn't look away.

"…We can't."

Jin froze.

Silence fell over the room.

His breath turned shaky. "What do you mean… you can't?"

Lillian's jaw clenched. "Laplace was a being beyond even us. His mana isn't like anything we've seen. It isn't just poisoning her body, Jin."

She took a breath.

"It's become a part of her soul."

Jin's knees nearly buckled.

"If we try to remove it," Lillian continued, "we won't just be taking his mana."

Her eyes darkened.

"We'll be taking her life too."

Jin's world collapsed.

His breathing became erratic. His vision blurred.

"No.

No.

This wasn't happening.

Lia is strong. She has survived everything. She can't die."

His fingers dug into his palms until blood dripped from them.

"Then find another way," he whispered. "There has to be a way."

The doctor lowered his gaze. "Commander… we've tried. There's nothing—"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Jin roared.

The room shook with his fury. The floor beneath him cracked. Shadows rippled from his feet, his abyssal power surging with unrestrained rage.

Everyone in the room stepped back.

Jin turned to Lillian, his eyes burning.

"You're a celestial. You command power beyond human limits. You're telling me you can't do a damn thing?"

Lillian's fists clenched.

"…Even celestial power has limits."

Jin shook his head violently.

" No. This is wrong.

This is unfair."

He had lost too much.

He couldn't lose her too.

Lillian stepped closer. Her voice was softer now.

"Jin… I know you want to save her."

Jin's breath hitched.

"But you need to understand something."

She placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Laplace didn't just want to kill her. He wanted to break you."

Jin's body went rigid.

"This… was his final move."

Jin's fingers twitched. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Laplace.

That monster wasn't just trying to win.

He wanted to make sure Jin suffered.

He wanted Jin to watch as the woman he loved withered away in front of him.

To know that no power, no strength, no abyssal rage… could save her.

Jin's breath shuddered.

His hands shook.

For the first time since he became Supreme Commander… since he became the Abyssal Monarch…

He felt powerless.

The room was silent.

Jin slowly stepped toward Lia's bedside.

He knelt down beside her, his fingers gently brushing her cold hand.

She didn't stir.

Didn't react.

Didn't squeeze his hand back.

His vision blurred.

He closed his eyes, his forehead pressing against her hand.

"…Lia."

His voice broke.

A painful lump formed in his throat.

"…Please. Stay."

But there was no answer.

And in the suffocating silence…

Jin Shang shattered.

And for the first time, Jin Shang—the strongest warrior, the Supreme Commander, the man who always fought back—

Did not know how to fight this battle.