The Eternal flagship's ion cannons swiveled, firing a massive EMP blast at the second Lucrehulk. The surge of energy fried its systems, leaving it flickering and powerless, but not entirely destroyed.
Maul watched it all, shaking with barely contained rage. He cut down another OOM droid, sparks fountaining across the charred stone. "When I find you, Jin-Woo—you're in a world of pain!" His roar reverberated over the chaos, cutting through the fire and thunder of the battlefield.
Then Maul turned his fury on the living. With a snarl, he charged two Zakuul Knights barring his path. Both moved in flawless unison, lightsaber pikes crossing to parry his opening blows—but Maul spun, cloak billowing, sabers shrieking as he unleashed Form VII: Juyo in a brutal, relentless assault. His strikes came wild and fast—barely controlled rage honed into lethal purpose.
The first knight's guard shattered under a feint; Maul's saber punched through his side in a burst of sparks. The second knight lunged to intercept, but Maul dropped low, severing both legs at the knee and finishing with a decapitating arc. Both fell in seconds.
A third Zakuul Knight leapt in, this one more experienced, matching Maul's fury step for step. They clashed through a flurry of blows—pike whirling, sabers flashing, the air rippling with each collision. For a moment, Maul was forced back, sweat beading as the knight's precision pushed him close to the edge.
But Maul's resolve—fueled by pain, hate, and the cultists' dark ritual—refused to yield. He bared his teeth, twisted away from a lethal jab, and with a desperate roar, rammed his saber through the knight's chest. The knight fell to his knees, armor hissing and burning—but even as Maul withdrew his blade, the knight reached up, grabbing Maul's arm with iron strength before collapsing.
Maul wrenched free, panting, blood flecking his lips. Every victory came harder than the last, but he did not stop.
He marched to the heavy door of Theed Castle, face set in a mask of vengeful purpose. Raising one hand, he unleashed a powerful [Force push]—the ancient doors blasted open. Sparks and smoke in his wake, Maul ignited his lightsaber again, striding into the shadowed halls in search of his target—Jin-Woo himself.
Meanwhile, deep within the palace, Jin-Woo and his group watched Maul's rampage unfold through flickering holofeeds. Each clash and kill sent ripples through the Force.
Obi-Wan broke the silence, his voice low and unsettled. "Master Qui-Gon, is the dark side really capable of these… bizarre things? Maul was stabbed—through the chest—and his wound just closed up."
Qui-Gon shook his head, just as shaken. ". A blow like that should have killed him. But he keeps moving, as if That Wound is nothing."
Jin-Woo glanced at Padmé, his tone all business. "Padmé, you go with Morgan and the rest—head toward the Viceroy's location. He's already been apprehended."
Padmé gave him a stubborn look but nodded, determination in her eyes. "Don't die, Jin-Woo. If you do, I won't forgive you."
With a final look, she led Morgan and the others up the sweeping staircase toward the upper chambers, her footsteps determined. Left alone with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan,
Jin-Woo turned, gaze narrowing. "Don't tell me you both are planning to capture Maul, instead of taking him down."
Qui-Gon met his eyes steadily. "If possible, yes. We need to capture him. There are probably more Sith hiding within the Republic. And, like you said, Maul has a master. We don't even know who Sidious is—or what form he's taken."
Obi-Wan cut in, voice tense but practical. "Master Qui-Gon, before we talk about capturing, maybe we should consider if we can even defeat him. If he can heal from wounds like that, our lightsabers might be… effectively useless."
Jin-Woo almost laughed—he knew he could finish Maul with a single blow, erase the threat in a heartbeat. But where was the fun in that? Besides, these Jedi monks were crazy enough to want to capture an empowered Maul—a Maul more powerful than any Disney or Legends version, thanks to twice being beaten and humiliated by Jin-Woo himself.
His senses flared as Maul's presence grew closer, heavy footsteps echoing down the marble corridor.
Jin-Woo smirked, glancing at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. " Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan—if you want to try capturing that local angry Zabrak, I'll help out."
Obi-Wan blinked, half incredulous. "You're serious, Jin-Woo? You want to help us?"
Qui-Gon narrowed his gaze, wary. "What's your angle, Jin-Woo?"
Before Jin-Woo could answer, a thunderous blast shook the hallway—twenty meters down, fire and smoke poured through a ruined archway, signaling Maul's arrival.
Jin-Woo just deadpanned, not even blinking. "Do you want my help or not? I've still got plenty of Zakuul Knights at my disposal—they might be useful."
Qui-Gon exchanged a quick look with Obi-Wan. He knew: if Jin-Woo truly wanted Maul dead, it would be over in an instant. Killing was easy for someone like him—capturing something like this was probably a different challenge, even for Jin-Woo… or maybe he was just too lazy, being the wild card he was.
Not to mention, Maul likely knew who Sidious was; Jin-Woo probably knew as well, but getting a straight answer out of him would be its own ordeal—Jin-Woo was eccentric, and trying to get information from him would wear Qui-Gon out long before he got what he wanted. And this enemy was nothing like the bandits or corrupt senators Qui-Gon had faced before.
After a moment's thought, Qui-Gon nodded. "Jin-Woo, lead Maul to the main hangar. Buy Obi-Wan and me as much time as you can. We'll prepare whatever we can for the capture."
Jin-Woo grinned, already moving. "Sounds like a plan. Hope you two are ready—he's even angrier than usual tonight."
As the smoke cleared, Maul emerged—more furious than ever, his body marked by multiple stab wounds, his glare burning holes in the world. He fixed on Jin-Woo, teeth bared, hate radiating off him in waves. "I challenge you, one—"
But Jin-Woo didn't even stop to listen. Hands in his pockets, he walked past Maul like he owned the palace, not sparing him a single glance.
Maul's rage spiked, his patience shattering. With a howl, he lunged to behead Jin-Woo with his double-bladed lightsaber.
Jin-Woo, unbothered, snapped his fingers. In an instant, a sith-forged volcano erupted from the floor beside Maul—lava and black ash spewing into the corridor with a thunderous boom. Maul barely managed to leap aside, but not before searing lava splashed across his left arm, burning flesh and slowing even his unnatural regeneration.
Jin-Woo just kept walking, pace slow and taunting, not even glancing back. "Accept your limits and fuck off,".
Maul stared after him, wild confusion mixing with pain as the impossible sight of a volcano still bubbled and spat in the palace corridor. His arm sizzled, regeneration slowed by the wound, but his rage only grew deeper and more volatile.
Meanwhile, in the main hangar, the Defender corvette had already departed for safer skies. Qui-Gon sat in quiet meditation, steadying his mind for the coming fight, while Obi-Wan paced the polished deck, circling with restless, youthful nerves. The thought of facing an opponent who could heal from wounds that should have killed him gnawed at his composure.
Qui-Gon opened one eye, ever the patient mentor. "Obi-Wan, you seem unsettled. Are you doubting our plan to capture Maul?"
Obi-Wan paused, brow furrowed. "Master, I've been thinking… What if Jin-Woo is the mastermind behind all this? What if he orchestrated every incident, pulled every string?"
Qui-Gon chuckled softly. "If Jin-Woo wanted that, he would have rallied the entire Republic to his side when Queen Amidala was slandered and belittled in the Senate. Instead, what did he do? He painted himself as a galactic enemy. He could have made himself the hero or ruler , but he chose to be the villain. Personally, I prefer to call him a necessary evil."
Obi-Wan frowned. "Master, I don't understand. What wisdom am I missing?"
Qui-Gon's expression grew more serious. "The Jedi Council has turned a blind eye to the corruption in the Senate. My own former master, Dooku, warned them time and again, but still—the Council, and even the Order itself, serve as little more than the Senate's enforcers now, rather than true peacekeepers."
He glanced at Obi-Wan, voice quiet but heavy. "Sometimes, the galaxy needs someone willing to do what we cannot, even if it means walking in shadow. Jin-Woo understands that. The Council… I fear they've forgotten."
Obi-Wan huffed. "Master, did you forget after that Joever Bideney incident on Troiken? The one where he destroyed the whole planet with a single blast—that infamous 'Bideney Blast'? Chancellor Valorum himself declared, live on holoscreen, that the Jedi Order would be the galaxy's true guardians, and we got every resource we needed until Joever Bideney was captured or killed."
Qui-Gon's smile was thin, almost regretful. " Like I said Unfortunately, Obi-Wan, even if we spend another decade chasing Joever Bideney, whether we catch him or not, it doesn't change the truth. The Jedi Order has already lost its way in the Force."
Before Obi-Wan could retort, a thunderous explosion shook the hangar, rattling the durasteel under their boots.
Qui-Gon stood up, drawing his lightsaber. "We'll talk later, Obi-Wan. Right now, Jin-Woo's bought us all the time he could."
Obi-Wan nodded grimly, igniting his own saber. The tension was thick; Maul could jump them at any moment.
But as the huge gates opened with a seismic groan, it wasn't Maul who stepped through first—it was Jin-Woo, perfectly unharmed, hands still in his pockets, strolling like he owned the place. Four meters behind him, Maul staggered in, limping—his clothes shredded, his body covered in angry lava wounds and burns. The hate in his eyes could have melted steel.
Maul could only scream, raw and guttural, "JIN-WOOOOOOOOO!"
Obi-Wan, deadpan, couldn't resist. "Jin-Woo, are you actually enjoying this? Because from where I'm standing, everyone else is fighting for their lives and you're just… being an asshole."
Jin-Woo flashed a wicked grin. "Damn, Obi-Wan, you even swore. Careful—words like that might actually hurt me more than Maul ever could."
Maul, finishing the last of his regeneration as the dark side rituals from his cultists still pulsed across Naboo, shook off the pain. His eyes, once scorched by lava, gleamed with burning hate, the scars still raw. He spat his words with venom, voice echoing.
"Are you a coward now, Jin-Woo? You use Naboo, you use the Jedi—hiding behind their robes while you run away. Pathetic!"
But Jin-Woo was already at the elevator, leaning back and pressing the button, a wild spark in his eye. He blew Maul a mocking kiss.
"Muahhh—goodbye, Maul! Spread love, not war. Don't be so grumpy!" The doors slid shut, Jin-Woo disappearing with a wink.
Maul's fury boiled over, his voice shattering the hall. "JIN-WOO! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
Qui-Gon, watching all this, shot Obi-Wan a sideways glance, sarcasm thick. "Obi-Wan, judging by what I just saw… looks like you've found a kindred spirit."
Obi-Wan couldn't help but smirk. "If we were actually on the same side, Master, I'd make sure Jin-Woo couldn't walk straight for a week."
Maul's glare snapped to them, filled with disgust and contempt. "The thought of being on the same side as either of you makes me sick. You both owe me—each of your heads will be mine!"