Jeju Raid (5-Finale)

The battle was over, but the war against the Ants wasn't.

As the Korean Hunters carried Byung-Gu's corpse onto the helicopter, silence filled the air. There was no cheering, no relief—only exhaustion and grief for the fallen. Even with their victory, the cost had been heavy.

Baek Yoonho sat quietly, his usual fiery temper subdued as he looked out the window. He had fought with everything he had, but in the end, Po and Jinwoo had turned the tide. They were the true apex predators.

Meanwhile, the surviving Japanese Hunters finally boarded their ship and set sail, their mood equally grim. Team Bravo hadn't lost a single Hunter, but the remnants of Goto's team were in shambles.

One of them, still trembling, kept muttering, "We couldn't win… we couldn't win…" His eyes were unfocused, his mind stuck in an endless loop of despair.

Sugimoto, one of the more level-headed members, placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's over. The Ant King is dead."

The Hunter looked at him, disbelieving.

Sugimoto, however, wasn't comforting him—he was processing it himself. Two men. Two Hunters stronger than Goto Ryuji had existed all this time. The world had no idea of the monsters that had just revealed themselves.

And as the ship carried them away, Sugimoto could only wonder—what other titans still lay hidden in the shadows?

Back on the island, the massacre continued.

Po and Jinwoo moved like forces of nature, annihilating Ants left and right. Po's Chi-infused strikes sent shockwaves through the battlefield, while Jinwoo's Shadow Soldiers swarmed the enemy with ruthless efficiency.

The two barely spoke, except for occasional grins when they found creative ways to exterminate the insects even faster.

At one point, as Po crushed an Ant's skull with his bare hands, Jinwoo glanced at him. "So, you used that Lightning Sword of Baran yet?"

Po wiped a bit of blood from his knuckles and smirked. "Not yet. You?"

Jinwoo shook his head. "Let's fix that."

They both reached into their inventories, drawing out two identical, blue-glowing blades.

The moment the weapons left their hands, crackling arcs of lightning surged around them. They looked at each other and—without a word—swung at the same time.

BOOM!

Twin lightning waves erupted from their blades, slicing through the Ants in a blinding, electrified storm. Hundreds of enemies were vaporized in an instant.

The duo grinned. "Well, that makes things easier," Po said.

And then—a notification flashed before them.

LEVEL UP!LEVEL 100 REACHED.

The two paused for a moment, exchanged glances, and then chuckled.

"Nice," Jinwoo said.

Po cracked his knuckles. "Time to get stronger."

Thousands of miles away, in the United States, the President of the Hunter Bureau, David Brennon, sat in his office, watching footage from the battle. The feed had been cut off at the end, but the earlier moments had been enough.

Beside him, Vice President Michael Connor leaned forward, pausing the video at the moment Jinwoo and Po first arrived in the cavern.

Connor let out a low whistle. "These two… they're something else."

Brennon rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Jinwoo's family ties to Il-Hwan make things complicated. If his father really is… something beyond human, then recruiting him would be a long shot."

Connor nodded. "But the thing is, they're not worldwide famous yet. It's the perfect time to act. Before Korea or any other country can fully claim them."

Brennon exhaled. Korea was a long-time ally. If they poached Hunters from them, it would be a political disaster. But at the same time—

"These two are worth the risk," he muttered.

Brennon leaned back in his chair. "Do your best."

Connor grinned. "Understood."

Back on Jeju Island, the last Ants had been exterminated. The battle was finally over.

AN: It's like a flashback or just a recap of the events with Beru, I know I flunked this one a little, with the timing and all that, hope you don't eat me alive here.

Jinwoo stood before the Ant King's corpse, its once-imposing figure now nothing more than a lifeless husk.

But not for long.

As the shadows swirled around his feet, Jinwoo lifted a hand.

"…Arise."

The cavern shook.

The Ant King's body **twitched, then rose to its feet once more—**but this time, it was no longer a ruler. It was a servant.

Jinwoo looked at his newest Shadow, eyes narrowing. General.

The highest-ranking Shadow he had ever obtained.

Peculiar.

Jinwoo smirked. "Looks like you'll be useful."

From the side, Po folded his arms and chuckled. "So, you gonna name him?"

Jinwoo tilted his head in thought, then shrugged.

"Beru."

The Ant King—now Beru—knelt before his new master.

And just like that, the true power of Shadow Monarch Sung Jinwoo had only begun to show itself.