┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓘𝓯 𝓣𝓸𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓗𝓸𝓹𝓮... ˚｡➶˚┊

The Emperor's Navy was powerless compared to the rebellion.

Even Jungkook was amazed as he watched them sink the last of the Emperor's ships. If the Emperor was there, he died. Jungkook wasn't sure he wanted to know or not, but they pushed onwards. They sustained damage in the process, but nothing so serious that they had to stop. One ship was too damaged and had to return, but the other two were ready to launch their assault on the Exodus Caves up ahead.

"Do you think we'll win?" Kastor asked as they overlooked what were the Caves. It was a bundle of rocks in the ocean, shooting up and having flat stones in front of them to encourage the rebels to enter. There were three of them total, but the middle was the largest with an opening wider than anything Jungkook had ever seen. The other two seemed insignificant compared to the middle.

"We don't have a choice," Jungkook replied as he polished his sword. Shawman was overseeing the journey as Taehyung sailed them there. There had to be an entire army with them. Two overcapacity ships were ready to siege the Caves. With the Emperor's Navy defeated, they could focus on scouring the Caves. Jungkook prayed to the gods that this wasn't a bust. If the Emperor really died with the ships, that meant they were risking their lives for nothing.

"We're almost docked! Get ready!" Shawman shouted, and the rebels obeyed.

Much to Jungkook's awe, the rebels rallied behind him and awaited his next move. Jungkook chuckled and adjusted his armor. Kastor stayed by his side as his makeshift second-in-command, and Jungkook appreciated it. He had never known what it felt like to believe in himself. Although this wasn't quite belief, it was courage. Courage that he could do the job required of him. He couldn't fail. Not now.

For Y/n, he wouldn't.

As soon as Taehyung docked them next to the flat bed of stones, Jungkook led the charge, rushing out of the ship and watching as the other ship parked and began the same process.

Darkness stood ahead. The mouth of the cave was full of blackness, but the rebellion lit torches with the wood they brought in anticipation for this event. They went inside and waved their flames in the air, highlighting the inside of the cracking rocks all around them.

Jungkook observed the scenery and found the cave was small from the outside, but from the inside, it sunk down. The depth was what made it so intimidating, not the width. They were trapped in a tiny vicinity with walls that threatened to clamp down on the massive army; however, the inside was so deep that they were stumbling while traversing the slope.

The air chilled and froze. It bit into his armor and left goosebumps on his skin. It tasted stale, and his tongue grimaced the more he inhaled the putrid scent of nothing.

A screeching voice ripped through the wind, waltzing by Jungkook's ears. The voice repeated the same words over and over like a blaring, broken horn.

"The Emperor's men are here!"

A blink later, battle cries rang out. The Emperor's men appeared from the shadows and crawled up the slope of the cave, swords raised with helmets covering their faces. Jungkook used his good hand to duel the ones who dared approach. Kastor remained by his side, and together, they battled in harmony.

Shawman was nearby, clashing his weapon against their opponents. Archers provided covering fire and took out the Emperor's men from afar. Jungkook focused on the sweat the dribbled down his face and landed on his dry tongue. He scratched his blade against the ground to create a 'shriek!' that caused his ears to hiss at him.

A guard charged him. In one fluid motion, Jungkook dodged the strike and decapitated the man. Another came. Another head hit the ground as his boots swam in blood. Another. More sword strokes. More heads joining the masses as Jungkook mowed through the enemies.

Soon enough, the rebels had overpowered the Emperor's few remaining men, and they descended into the cave. Yoongi was right. Even if the Emperor wasn't present, there was a stain of him left in this cave. The Emperor could be dead by now, but his guards were waiting here for some reason. Jungkook was willing to bet it was because of whatever was at the end.

Silence overtook the horde as they went. Shawman, Kastor, and Jungkook continued down the path until they met even ground. What was before them was a massive open space their torches couldn't cover. It went on for what seemed like over a hundred feet, and the shadows made it impossible to see.

A flame that did not belong to the rebellion approached. It stepped forward only to reveal the owner of said light. Robes came into Jungkook's view. There were no masks, no helmets, no plates. Jungkook saw the raw face of the Emperor, and the man was alone. He was the sole survivor of the rebellion's assault.

"It's over!" Shawman shouted as the archers loaded another round of arrows into their weapons. Shawman stood in front of the entire rebellion crowd and pointed his sword toward the Emperor. "We brought an army."

The Emperor raised his free hand. He had a haunting smile on his face that stretched the scars littering his cheeks. His middle finger and thumb pressed together as he parted his thin lips.

"You should've brought two."

Then, he snapped.

A 'scree!' flew around the echoing walls of the cave. A cyan glow filled Jungkook's line of sight. There were four creatures that zipped forward and attacked. They looked like eels, only much larger and faster. They used their enormous bodies to slam themselves into the rebels, and Jungkook fell to the ground. His head banged off the stone, and everything went hazy.

Screaming. The smell and taste of blood. The feel of rough rocks beneath him. Weapons clattered to the ground. Arrows soared. Creatures shouted and cried. The eel-like beings flashed their glowing, elongated fins planted on their backs. Their beady eyes didn't focus on one target. Jungkook watched with blurry vision. The creatures took down the rebellion. Jungkook's side killed one eel, but the other three stayed standing on the six legs sprouting out of the sides of their scaly bodies.

Jungkook got to his feet and held his weapon. The eels were much too fast for him, but they had weak skin. One sword stroke would weaken them. They made up for their lack of durability with speed, and he used that to his advantage.

Jungkook ran back and gained distance. There were plenty of rocks, so he utilized them in his experimental trap. He buried his sword under rocks and left only the tip peeking out. With two of his three daggers, he did the same. He built a cage around himself. The tips were high enough that they'd penetrate anything that came by, but they were low enough that the darkness made them appear invisible.

One eel spotted him and turned away from the rest of the pack. It lunged toward him. Jungkook sprinted away and held his final dagger, panting and gulping in the staleness around him.

One step. The eel yelled. Two steps. Sweat stained Jungkook's slimy skin. Three steps. His adrenaline reached its peak. Four steps. He heard the familiar sound of gushing blood. Five steps. A whimper sounded off from behind him.

Jungkook whipped around and saw his trap had worked. The eel had its guts spilling on the floor as it did its best to prance toward him. It was much slower. Now, it matched Jungkook's speed.

Jungkook ran forward and finished off the beast with his dagger. The knife pierced the head of the eel, and it died moments later. There were two more. Or, at least, Jungkook thought there were. Shawman was in the center of the battle, and his sword went through the side of one of the remaining eels.

Relief swelled inside Jungkook's lungs, but he didn't let it reach his heart yet. He grabbed his buried weapons, put them back, and used his sword to join the rest of the rebels. Although the eels had cleared out more than half of the rebellion, they had the numbers to defeat one more. And that was exactly what they did.

As soon as Jungkook appeared, the eel stood no chance. Kastor, who had managed to survive the attack, got by Jungkook's side. Together, they charged the beast and went on either side of it. Confused, the eel yelped and lashed out with its clawed legs. Jungkook slid his blade through the skin and watched as blood oozed out.

The eel fell, which left an eerie quiet in its wake. Jungkook did a count and noticed there were two dozen rebels alive. Taehyung and Kastor were among them, but Shawman...

"Shawman," Taehyung muttered as he dove to the man's side. Shawman had a gaping hole in his stomach as he gasped and sucked in whatever air he could. "Stay with us, come on, you can do it."

"Jimin," Shawman said with a grunt. "Tell him to-" Shawman broke off to jolt, holding his fatal injury. "T-Tell him to take care of my kid. Please. He's ready."

Taehyung, through his choked sobs, nodded. "I will. Thank you for being our leader."

Shawman smiled. For a moment, it seemed as though the pain had subsided in favor of ecstasy. "It's Jungkook's turn. And Taehyung?"

"Yeah?" Tae asked as tears fell down his face.

"You did good. You did so good..."

Shawman trailed off as he lost his life, and the rebels mourned the loss of their leader. A rage overpowered Jungkook as he rose and glared at the Emperor, the man responsible for all the death they had been subjected to.

"Detain him," Jungkook said, and Kastor jumped at that.

"You're going to let the Emperor live?" Kastor asked, his voice nearing a shout as he pointed to Taehyung. "Shawman is dead because of him! Hoseok is! Jin!"

Taehyung trembled and held Shawman's limp hand. "Leave me out of this. I... I already lost myself to revenge. Let me mourn my friend, please."

Jungkook motioned to the closest rebels, and they obeyed his orders. They went and got the Emperor, who seemed perplexed by the sudden development. They brought the Emperor over, and Jungkook sheathed his sword.

"New Theon is free," Jungkook said, projecting his voice so it would reverberate around the cave walls. "No more senseless killing, not even for a monster like him. We're using him as an example. He will get a trial and go through the system like it should be done. No more playing executioner. Our new laws and courts will punish him for his crimes. Now clear out. The Emperor goes last, make sure it's safe up ahead. Tae, can you..."

"I'll take Shawman," Taehyung whispered in a cracking tone.

"Whoever can carry the wounded and deceased, please do. We leave no one behind."

And that was exactly what they did. They cleared out the cave and studied the eels that were inside. They were creatures of the night. Jungkook wouldn't be surprised if there were more in the other caves. He didn't want to find out.

Ten minutes later, it was the Emperor's turn to leave. Taehyung had his arms around Shawman, and there were five rebels ready to take the Emperor away. Kastor pushed Jungkook aside and narrowed his eyes as the Emperor began to move.

"They massacred my best men," the Emperor whispered while peering at the deceased eels. "We barely survived. We lost everything to tame them, and your rebellion overpowered them. How?"

"Because we represent New Theon. Not Namjoon, not your guards, and certainly not you," Jungkook said with a huff. "Take him away."

Right as they moved, Jungkook allowed the relief to settle in. It filled his lungs and heart, expanding his body with warmth. He backed up and let the rebels through. The Emperor was tied with ropes. It was over. They had won. The Emperor would be made an example, and he would be punished in a court of law. The first court in New Theon. It would be the beginning of an era.

Or so Jungkook thought.

An arrow went straight through the Emperor's head. Squirts of blood joined the rest on the floor as the Emperor's lifeless body slipped from the rebel's grasp. The Emperor became just another man who had lost his life to this madness. Jungkook's eyes bulged until they reached the ends of their sockets. When he turned, he saw Kastor there, holding a bow he picked up from one of the deceased archers. He tossed it down and shook his head.

"Arrest me if you want," Kas said with a bitter chuckle. "But don't lie to yourself, Jungkook. Some people are monsters who deserve an executioner."

Kastor stepped over the Emperor's corpse as the amazed rebels gazed at him. Jungkook saw the appreciation in their eyes, and in that moment, Jungkook knew there was no point in arresting Kastor. No anger came, only more relief. And it amplified when Kastor squeezed Jungkook's shoulder before opening his mouth to say one last thing.

"No law can punish him for what he did to my sons."

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓘𝓯 𝓣𝓸𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓗𝓸𝓹𝓮... ˚｡➶˚┊

A/N: THE EMPEROR IS DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAD 😍😍😍🥳🥳🥳💃💃💃

How do you guys feel about Kastor doing it? I felt it was appropriate since Kastor is a father to Jimin, not to mention he lost a son thanks to the Emperor, and he almost lost his second son too. 

As much as I know you guys wanted to see Jimin torture that mfer, I feel it's better this way. Jimin is done. Jimin has to move on. It's time for something new, and Jimin can't do that if he's hung up on the past. Kastor pulled a true father move: making the hard decision so his child didn't have to. He made the sacrifice, and now, Jimin can be free.

Only two chapters left...