Their group pressed forward, moving through the winding corridors until they emerged into the open courtyard of Theed Castle. The night was heavy, the air thick with tension. At the center, perched alone on the edge of a stone fountain, Darth Maul waited—head lowered, lightsaber hilt resting across his knees.
Maul's gaze flicked up, eyes burning. His voice was low and calm, but each word seethed with a deeper fury. "How many times must I kill you for you to stay down, Jin-Woo?"
Jin-Woo just grinned, provocatively. "Oh, if that's what you think you did at Malachor… You must have inhaled too much of those dusty Sith remains. Maybe damaged your brain, Maul."
A muscle twitched along Maul's jaw, but his control didn't break. "Don't lie. You were there for some time—but you managed to trick me."
Qui-Gon watched the exchange, his mind racing. Jin-Woo really did go to Malachor… And when Palpatine claimed he found Jin-Woo's remains, it was only a half-truth. Jin-Woo went to Malachor, but he didn't die—or maybe he just faked his death in front of Maul. Why does Palpatine slander Jin-Woo so obsessively? It's almost as if he's desperate to get rid of him, no matter the cost…
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze, voice turning low and sharp. "A Nightbrother of Dathomir, whose fate was always to be a slave—punished just for being Force-sensitive. And probably hating that his mother, Talzin… or was it Kycina? I forget, there are two versions. Either way, your hate for her must be deep, after being abandoned. And now, you end up the first Sith assassin to stack a body count in the hundreds—an inspiration to Sith everywhere. Quite the story, isn't it?"
Maul fell silent, eyes narrowing, the old pain flaring behind his stoic face . Jin-Woo had dug too deep—past the rage, past the titles. He didn't know who Kycina was , but Jin-Woo seemed to know far more than he should. For Maul, Talzin was the only mother .
Maul's voice dropped, edged with suspicion. "What's your angle, cheap merchant? Are you trying to sway me to the Jedi side? Make me another fool, brainwashed by their precious Senate?"
Jin-Woo only smiled, razor-sharp. "Are you living under a rock, Maul? Haven't you watched the news?, I nearly gave half of them heart attacks. Right now, every last one of them wishes I'd vanish. But I won't. And I have no intention of joining the Jedi, either."
"But I'm not here for that. Honestly, I'm just impressed by your biography. What confuses me is this: why didn't you just run to Tatooine or any Outer Rim world and build your own syndicate? The Jedi, the Republic—they don't care about those places. You could've become a king."
Jin-Woo's voice softened, almost friendly, but his words cut with surgical precision. "Instead, you work for Sidious—a Sith Lord who, funny enough, still has a master pulling his strings. And you don't even realize you're just an expendable bullet in someone else's chamber."
"You could have ruled,. Instead you're just waiting to be fired and forgotten."
Maul's lip curled, his rage flickering behind that cold facade. "You sound very proud. You think you're undefeatable. I have slain abominations like you before—dark side wielders who thought themselves above the Sith. But you're still beneath us."
Jin-Woo barely reacted to the jab, instead pacing in a slow circle around Maul—provoking, needling. "You know, when I was a warrior like you, I had a brother. Truth is, if we met now, we'd probably kill each other on sight—just a look would set it off. But that's not the point. He once told me, 'Every man must have a code to live by, so he doesn't go insane if he lives long enough.'"
He paused, letting the words sink in, eyes sharp and unblinking. "My code? You can't defeat evil with good. So become the evil that devours other evil— everyone else can live in peace. The intensity of the evil suppresses the chaos. In some places, it works. People are peaceful, not because they're free, but because a dictator crushed their failed democracy."
Jin-Woo stopped, facing Maul, almost pitying. "But you, Maul? You're loyal to a liability . Your code is all about wagging your tail for your master and doing whatever he says. That'd be admirable—if your master was some god-emperor of mankind. But Sidious? He's a petty, conniving little man. And that makes you—his attack dog—so very predictable."
Jin-woo stepped closer, voice now a razor whisper. "And on this battlefield, predictable means Weakness. That means, whenever I want… I can reach out and break you. All I have to do is wait for you to play the same card."
Maul's glare sharpened, flicking between Jin-Woo, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan. His voice seethed, but never rose above that icy calm. "My master always said the Jedi are manipulative—hypocrites who contradict themselves, brainwashed dogs of the Senate. You're no different, cheap merchant."
Jin-Woo only smirked. "At least you have a code—Attack Dog of Sidious. Most men these days don't even have that much."
"Normally, I wouldn't bother, but… I'll make an exception."
With a snap of his fingers, the darkness above split, revealing just enough sky—half shrouded, half open.
"Take whatever scraps that half-assed Viceroy gave you and walk away. That's my mercy to you."
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan immediately closed in, concern sharpening their movements. Even Padmé drew closer, her eyes searching Jin-Woo's.
Qui-Gon whispered urgently, "Jin-Woo, you can't be serious—letting him get away?"
Padmé echoed the disbelief. "Jin-Woo, why aren't you handling him like you usually do?"
Jin-Woo whispered back, eyes never leaving Maul. "most living beings—die when they're killed. But that doesn't apply to Maul. His hate is so strong, he'd probably come back even if you cut him in half."
Morgan's voice slid into Jin-Woo's mind, her amusement palpable. Nice mercy play. You're trying to confuse the Jedi—even Padmé—making them wonder if someone like you can actually show restraint. We both know you and I could erase him from existence, if we wanted to.
Obi-Wan frowned, still fixated on Jin-Woo's words. "Come back after they're killed? You mean—like a Sith Spirit ?"
Jin-Woo grinned, tone irreverent. ". It's like a local angry Zabrak who's just too mad to die. It's a pain in the ass, trust me."
Maul's eyes burned with fury. His words came out cold, every syllable venomous. "Your flesh and blood never told you to bow out and die like everyone else when they stand before a Sith. But I'll make it simple for you, cheap merchant—kill Qui-Gon Jinn, then kill yourself, and I'll walk away. Otherwise, everyone here dies."
Jin-Woo didn't flinch, only shaking his head with a faint, disappointed sigh. "Well, it appears this inspiring Sith story has finally come to an end."
Suddenly, a flicker of movement—Rey appeared out of thin air, her playful energy at odds with the tension. She waltzed across the courtyard, tossing a satchel of explosives into the air, catching them with a mischievous smile. In a flash, she produced every bomb Maul had planted around Naboo—and specifically within Theed Castle itself—and stacked them right at Maul's feet, a gesture of pure humiliation.
Maul jolted, eyes wide, as Rey stood there without a hint of fear. His saber flashed to life, lashing out for her head. Rey didn't bother looking—she ducked, her form blurring as she teleported in a blink to Jin-Woo's side.
Rey glanced at Jin-Woo with a smirk. "Maul still has AAT tanks all over the place and plenty of battle droids waiting for his command. You really should have let me kill him back on Tatooine instead of letting this drag out."
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed, studying Rey for a split second—he could tell she was genuinely irritated, her patience thin. Turning back to Maul, Jin-Woo focused, channeling the [shatterpoint] technique through his vision., he saw Maul's threads of fate twisting—anchored by a ritual, hundreds of cultists fueling him. Impressive… he's made himself pseudo-immortal. That must be the work of those cultists he prepared. Clever.
Before Jin-Woo could speak, Maul hurled his double-bladed lightsaber at him, the crimson blades spinning in a lethal arc. One of the Zakuul Knights stepped forward, pike raised to deflect—but Maul altered the saber's trajectory mid-flight, twisting the Force. The saber stabbed straight through the knight's chest, crackling, and Maul's own power surged—amplified by the dark ritual echoing across Naboo.
Jin-Woo let a rare, crooked smile slip across his lips. "Well. I miscalculated. Didn't think Maul would actually go this far."
Padmé's eyes widened, silent but shaken.
Qui-Gon couldn't help a wry, grim chuckle. "So much for your bravado, Jin-Woo."
Obi-Wan shook his head, hand on his saber. "Every time I ignore my bad feeling around you, Jin-Woo, it gets worse. I'm guessing we're in serious trouble now."
Jin-Woo shrugged, still calm. "The train's not off the rails yet, just… a slight delay."
As if on cue, Maul's AAT tanks rumbled into the courtyard behind him, their cannons blazing. Zakuul Knights leapt to intercept, using the Force to push the blasts aside, shielding the group.
Jin-Woo's gaze flicked over his team, voice shifting to command. "Change of plans. We're going to the castle—now. Move!"
Hidden Places burst open—squadrons of B1 battle droids poured in, blasters blazing. But the Zakuul Knights, moving as one, thrust out their hands. The streams of blaster bolts froze in midair, bent aside with effortless, almost contemptuous Force control, scattering blue energy across the courtyard like sparks.
Morgan's eyes lit up with excitement, her hands weaving arcs of power. Dozens of pinkish Transfiguration portals snapped open, spilling more Zakuul troops into the chaos. Armored in gold, they charged headlong into the droid ranks. Lightsaber pikes clashed against durasteel—battle droids were cleaved apart, limbs scattering as the Zakuul Knights cut a path through the machines.
AAT tanks thundered forward, their cannons rotating to fire at the oncoming wall of transfigured soldiers. But the Knights leapt and spun through the air, landing atop the tanks, impaling their power cells or ripping out the hatches to drag droid pilots into the open. Explosions flared—black smoke and glowing pink embers lighting the night.
Jin-Woo's team hurried into the safety of Theed Castle at his order, Morgan stepped through The Theed palace door beside Jin-Woo, the two of them pausing at the threshold of the castle. Together, they cast a silent, taunting gesture at Maul—a beckoning hand, a tilt of the head: Come if you dare.
Without another word, Jin-Woo and Morgan slipped inside Theed Castle, the heavy doors shutting behind them.
Maul's rage boiled over, sabers flaring. "JIN-WOOOOOOOO!"
He hurled himself into the melee, carving down a Zakuul Knight with a sweeping arc. But as another Knight drove a lightsaber pike through Maul's chest, he staggered—only for the wound to close, leaving a scorched scar. The agony didn't slow him; it only fed his anger, his strength flaring with every pulse of the ritual's power.
The courtyard was a storm of chaos—droids collapsing in droves, tanks shattering under precision strikes, Zakuul Knights moving with deadly, mechanical grace. The tide of battle pressed hard against Maul. Even with an army numbering in millions, the droids and tanks fell like wheat before a scythe. In the smoke and din, it reminded Maul of the visions he'd had on Malachor—where Jedi mowed down Sith armies, and the darkness recoiled.
Snarling, Maul reached out with the Force and yanked an OOM command battle droid to his side. The droid wobbled, its joints clanking. "Send the Vulture starfighter droids! I want that golden knight blasted to pieces from the air—now!"
The OOM droid hesitated, voice quivering. "But sir, our starfighters haven't finished their recharge yet—"
Maul's patience snapped. With a single, savage motion, he slashed the droid in half. He turned, eyes burning, to another OOM command droid, which nearly dropped its blaster in terror.
The droid saluted awkwardly. "L-Launch the Vulture droids now!"
Far above, the two surviving Lucrehulks opened their hangars, unleashing a swarm of Vulture droid starfighters that screamed through the Naboo skies, banking toward the castle.
But before the droids could establish air superiority, a shadow fell over the battlefield—a massive, gleaming flagship erupted from hyperspace above Theed. Jin-Woo's Eternal flagship dove like a spear, ramming straight into one of the Lucrehulks. The impact shattered the ring-ship, tearing it in half and sending debris raining through the clouds.( Img Here )