But then— A shift in the air. A silent, unyielding presence slipped into the street .
Jin-Woo appeared without a word, his steps soundless as he crossed the ruined ground. He knelt beside Rey's lifeless body, his sharp eyes shadowed, his expression unreadable as he slowly gathered her into his arms. His fingers brushed gently against her cold cheek.
From above—a whisper in his mind.
"Kiss my corpse, come on~"
Rey's playful voice rang teasingly through the telepathic link, her spirit flickering just out of sight like a mischievous wraith.
"I'm way more eligible for second wife material, you know."
Jin-Woo's voice slid smoothly, dry as ever across the connection.
"Shut up. This was your idea. You wanted to test Force transfer essence, remember? Technically, you can revive right here and now."
Rey's spirit gave a cheeky, mock-hurt laugh,
"Tch… no romance in you at all, huh…"
—and with a flicker of green light, she melted into the waiting shadows.
Jin-Woo rose slowly, his sharp gaze lifting across the darkened street, locking onto the lone figure watching from the edge.
Dooku stood there, his silhouette tall and composed, his blue lightsaber now Ignited.
, Dooku spoke — his voice calm, thoughtful, but edged with a quiet challenge.
"I take it… you are her teacher?"
Dooku's sharp eyes flicked to the unmistakable black blade as Jin-Woo ignited his Vectivus lightsaber.
A cold ripple passed through him .of recognition. So… it's you.
Memories surged up like a storm: the snow-choked plains of Galidraan nine years ago, the blinding clash of blades, the glint of an armored figure wreathed in frost and fury. And now, here he stood again—unmasked.
For the first time, Dooku saw the true face behind the legend.
The Armored Man. Jin-Woo.
Dooku inhaled slowly, centering himself, a practiced calm falling over his features. His voice came smooth, composed,.
"Long time no see, Armored Man… or perhaps I should say… Jin-Woo. Yes—that's your true identity, isn't it?"
Jin-Woo tilted his head ever so slightly, His voice was low, edged with calm amusement.
"The seal I placed in your mind and tongue is still there, Dooku. Just as it was nine years ago. You can't speak of it—you can't tell them I wield the Force ability and Dark Side ability ."
Dooku's fingers flexed slightly at his side, his lightsaber hilt cold in his palm.
"Indeed," he murmured quietly, his eyes narrowing with an almost wistful sharpness.
"Quite the clever… insurance policy, Jin-Woo."
Dooku's fingers tightened slightly around his hilt, though he made no move to ignite the blade again. His sharp eyes flicked over Jin-Woo, studying every inch, every detail — and yet… there was something different.
Just like back then… he has no intention to kill me, Dooku thought carefully, instinct whispering in the back of his mind. But this time… his presence— it's strange. Hollow. Cold. Almost like standing before a corpse… or something no longer truly organic.
Without warning, [ Force lightning ] a surge of black lightning crackled from Jin-Woo's outstretched hand, lashing toward Dooku with vicious speed.
But Dooku was ready.
With a sharp, fluid motion, his hand rose, channeling Tutaminis — the legendary Force technique. The black lightning arced toward his palm, sputtered against the shimmering barrier of the Force, and then, with precise redirection, Dooku hurled it back toward Jin-Woo.
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly, a faint grin brushing his lips.
"Hoh… Yoda, huh?"
he murmured calmly, watching the lightning scatter harmlessly across his own aura.
Dooku gave a faint smile, lowering his hand, his voice rich with restrained satisfaction.
"Ever since that day… I've prepared for our next encounter. But I never expected it would take nearly ten years."
With a graceful motion, Dooku retracted his lightsaber, the blue blade sliding back into the hilt with a snap-hiss. His sharp features softened, just a trace.
"First… forgive me for killing your friend."
Jin-Woo's gaze remained steady, his expression unreadable. His voice came low, calm, with a quiet weight.
"What's done is done," he murmured. "A life lost… can't be set back anymore."
Jin-Woo let his black-bladed Vectivus lightsaber flicker away into nothing, the hilt disappearing smoothly into his shadow. His hands slipped lazily into his pockets, his stance relaxed — but his eyes, sharp as ever, stayed locked on Dooku.
"Not gonna fight me?" Jin-Woo murmured, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "This might be the last time we see each other, you know."
Dooku gave a quiet, knowing sigh, folding his hands calmly behind his back.
"I know you're holding back," he said coolly. "And I think… even after another ten years of training with Master Yoda, I wouldn't win. Not now."
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly, the glimmer of a grin flickering in his eyes.
"Then I'll be straight with you," he murmured. "I'm going to borrow your connection with Yoda. And once that's done…" — his gaze flicked meaningfully to Rey's lifeless form at his feet — "…the debt of my dead friend here is square."
Dooku's brow lifted slightly, sharp suspicion sliding into his gaze.
"What for?" he asked quietly. "Don't tell me… you intend to manipulate Master Yoda to the dark side."
Jin-Woo gave a laugh under his breath, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"Oh, you can warn Master Yoda if that's what you think," he murmured smoothly. "But no — I just want to… tweak some information. Normally, I could do it on my own."
his voice dropping to a disarmingly casual tone.
"But Yoda… well, he's tricky. I don't want to risk him detecting me outright. And to do that…"
Jin-Woo's gloved hand lifted halfway, palm open, his expression calm and almost charming.
"I'll need to grab your palm."
Dooku extended his gloved palm without hesitation, his sharp eyes glinting with quiet calculation.
"After this," Dooku murmured, "there are… matters we need to discuss. It's important."
Jin-Woo gave a smooth, effortless smile as his fingers closed around Dooku's palm.
"Even if it's three hours of talk," he murmured lightly, "I'll listen. But whether I agree or not…" — his smile sharpened slightly — "…that's up to me."
In that instant, Jin-Woo's presence slipped outward, flowing like shadow into the unseen currents. His mind dove into the vast web of connections — through Dooku, into the deeper weave of the Force, and straight toward the mind of Yoda himself.
[Flow walking]. Silent, precise, and untraceable.
Within the memories of the ancient Jedi Grandmaster, Jin-Woo moved like a whisper, sifting through echoes and fragments — and there, buried among the tangled mess of knowledge, gossip, and scattered rumors, was Tezcatlipoca's voice.
["…It's not Joever Bideney. Seriously. That junior—he always picks the dumbest names. You really think someone that powerful would call himself that? The Shadow Monarch lives to make his aliases sound like bad inside jokes…"]
Jin-Woo's lips curved faintly. Not today, Master Yoda .
With a subtle weave of will and past memory manipulation , amplified by his Force heart, he bent the phrase ever so slightly, reshaping it.
[["…It's not Joever Bideney. Seriously. That junior—he always picks the dumbest names. You really think someone that powerful would call himself that?[ The Supreme Overlord] lives to make his aliases sound like bad inside jokes…"}}}
A breath escaped Jin-Woo's lips, a quiet sigh of relief.
Good. Now, if anyone comes sniffing around Joever Bideney , … the Yuuzhan Vong can take the blame.
His fingers flexed slightly. Not exactly in my playbook to start slaughtering entire orders just to cover tracks.
But he didn't stop there.
Carefully, with all the precision of a master forger, Jin-Woo slipped in a faint backdoor into Yoda's memories — a thread, a key, just in case.
Yoda's mind is like a tree of roots… sprawling, vast. And now… one of those roots is mine.
Jin-Woo released Dooku's palm with a faint, amused smirk.
"Well," he murmured softly, "that's one problem patched for now."
Dooku folded his arms behind his back, his sharp gaze narrowing slightly.
"The hero… the Armored Man, asking for help," he said dryly. "It's a shame, really. If only your seal wasn't still locked over my tongue, I could spread the word." A sigh escaped him. "But that's not why I'm here."
He took a slow step forward, his voice with quiet conviction.
"I want to reform the Jedi Order itself. I've started to see what you've been hinting at — the Republic, the Jedi… you were right. They drift above reality, blind to the rot beneath them. And …you don't care to help them, do you? I can feel it. You see the same thing I do. It's not worth it."
Jin-Woo s arms folding loosely as his head tilted.
"Glad someone's starting to check on reality — instead of floating above it."
Dooku allowed himself , a glimmer of rare amusement in his sharp eyes.
"Even a master must sometimes be the student."
His gaze sharpened, his voice firm but never raised.
"The dark times are coming. That much is clear to anyone with eyes. And you, Jin-Woo… I cannot decide if you will stand as a shield… or as the storm."
Jin-Woo's smirk curved slightly, his tone teasing, edged with curiosity.
"Let me guess… you want to save the galaxy. Fix the Jedi. Correct the Republic. Noble, isn't it?"
Dooku eyes gleaming with a quiet sharpness.
"I want to free it. From corruption. From stagnation. From weakness. I cannot do it alone."
His gaze locked onto Jin-Woo's, calm, unwavering, almost searching.
"So tell me, Jin-Woo… what will you stand for when the storm comes?"
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening, voice smooth as silk.
"Is this… Senator Palpatine talking, ? That senator — he's become one of your closest confidantes, hasn't he?"
Dooku's hint of amusement passing over his otherwise measured face.
"Only a small-time partner… and a friend in the shared frustration over the Republic's decay."
Inside, Jin-Woo's thoughts flickered like lightning.
Good. I'm glad I didn't slip up…
His fingers flexed slightly at his side, mind sharp as a blade.
I almost said Sidious. But Dooku… he still doesn't know. Palpatine — the silver-tongued puppet master — hasn't revealed his true face yet. And that… keeps the board oncourse .
Dooku's a hint of amusement slipping into his otherwise measured expression.
"It seems… from your tone, you don't particularly like him."
Jin-Woo's eyes flicked sideways, the dry humor passing through them.
"He has… let's say, 'episodes' when he's around me. Dementia-like moments. No idea why."
Dooku raised an eyebrow slightly, .
"The senator… really?"
Jin-Woo gave a small, almost careless shrug.
"Yeah. But let's not get too tangled in that. As for your plan to free the galaxy — from corruption, from stagnation, from weakness…"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"That's dangerously close to, 'Let's sweep away the entire Senate and crown ourselves with something new.' The kind of move that usually ends with someone sitting on a throne, calling themselves Emperor."
Dooku eyes half-lidding with reflective calm.
"I don't think I would be that drastic… not yet."
His gaze sharpened slightly, glimmering with keen respect.
"But you — I'm sure you've already considered all of this. You strike me as the sort who reads the board five moves ahead… and never plays the same game as the rest of us."
Jin-Woo's knowing smile, his voice low and edged with cool finality.
"Dooku… remember our important conversation at that snowy plain years ago, when I defended the True Mandalorians?"
Dooku's eyes flickered with a brief shadow of memory, his posture straightening ever so slightly.
"You said… 'One person needs to be removed from the game, no matter the cost.'"
He gave a slow, contemplative nod.
"I think I know who you meant. Chancellor Valorum. And I would propose… not only one man, but all the corrupt senators choking this Republic."
Inside, Jin-Woo's thoughts pulsed with quiet calculation.
Yeah… Dooku's still the Dooku of the Phantom Menace era. Not quite the sharper blade he'll become in the Clone Wars. But I need that war to happen. No matter what.
Jin-Woo's smirk deepened just a touch, his gaze half-lidded, unreadable.
"Valorum will be removed one way or another — with or without your help. And as for your aim, you're pointing at the wrong target. Come back to me when you've found some enlightenment. God knows when that'll be."
For a moment, Dooku's eyes glimmered with something curiosity, almost wariness.
"You know something," Dooku murmured softly, "something perhaps the entire galaxy doesn't. Mind giving me a clue, Jin-Woo? After all… we're both outsiders in this cruel galaxy."
Jin-Woo's gaze sharpened slightly, a flicker of sly amusement dancing in his voice.
"Come back to me when you've learned the Dark Side on your own, Dooku."
"Then we'll talk. Until then — you can leave… or do whatever you want."
Dooku paused at the edge of the shadowed street, glancing back once with a faint, regretful nod.
"I'm sorry again… for targeting your friend," he said quietly, voice carrying a rare hint of sincerity.
Jin-Woo lifted a hand in a dismissive wave, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
"No problem," he murmured smoothly, though in his mind, his thoughts ran colder.
What I care about… is the backdoor into Yoda's mind. That's all. Just in case I miss my bullet.
Dooku turned and disappeared into the night, likely making his way toward his shuttle,.
A faint hum, almost like a sigh of the universe, brushed the air beside Jin-Woo as a tiny Sentinel drone emerged from slipspace, its eye flickering with blue light.
"Supreme Executor," came the cool, calculated voice of Offensive Bias, whispering through the drone.
"Your running through the theed capital and use battle meditation as the same time for 30 days have accelerated the bunker project. Progress now stands at 75 percent."
Jin-Woo's lips curved slightly, pleased.
"Very good. And… Rey?"
Another shimmer in the air — and slipspace bloomed open. A familiar presence stepped through.
Rey, now fully restored in her original body, looked down at the pale, lifeless clone vessel she had briefly inhabited.
Rey gave a wry grin, one brow raised as she rolled her shoulders.
"It's weird, you know — hopping between bodies like this. Feels like I'm just tossing aside my real self and jumping into spare parts."
Jin-Woo shaking his head.
"For some reason… the original is always better than the clone. Maybe it's just some natural law of this galaxy.Clones… they just don't carry the weight of the Force like the real thing. Even with transfer essence, something's always missing."
Rey lifted the limp clone vessel into her arms with a grin, cradling it almost playfully.
"This clone… it's coming back with me, right?" she asked with a teasing tilt of her head.
Jin-Woo smirked , his eyes glimmering with calm amusement.
"It's your clone," he said smoothly. "And in the eyes of the enemy… you're already dead."
Rey's grin widened, a spark of mischief flashing behind her eyes.
"Perfect," she murmured, her thoughts already spinning into deliciously chaotic schemes as she turned toward the yawning slipspace portal leading back to Zeta Halo.
With a final wink, Rey disappeared into the shimmering portal — clone body in tow — leaving only a ripple of energy in her wake.
Jin-Woo exhaled softly, his gaze thoughtful as his mind turned to other matters.
"I built an arc reactor last time… that's why I was able to create the Force Buster Mark I," he mused aloud.
"Tell me, Offensive Bias — does Despondent Pyre have one as well?"
The small Sentinel drone hovered at his side, voice as crisp and calm as ever.
"Affirmative. Despondent Pyre has acquired the blueprint from my core archives."
A twitch pulled at the corner of Jin-Woo's mouth, his thoughts sharpening with a familiar, half-exasperated amusement.
Rey's going to turn that into some Iron Man-level cyborg nonsense, he thought dryly, shaking his head once. at least she's having fun.