Desperation drove Jin Ho to attempt something that every instinct told him was impossible. As his Trinity Domain continued to crack under the assault of the Void Annihilation Sphere, and as he felt the Shadow Demon Lord's consciousness struggling against sixty years of corruption, he made a decision that bordered on madness.
"I need more power," he muttered, feeling his Trinity Network straining at its current 60% authority level. "If I can't access the fourth fragment yet, then I'll force the three of us beyond our limits!"
[Blood Heaven Great Emperor]: "Jin Ho, what are you thinking? That's incredibly dangerous!"
[Thunder Lightning King]: "We're already at maximum safe fusion! If you push us harder—"
[Ice Soul Demon Emperor]: "Calculating catastrophic failure probability... 89.3%. Jin Ho, this is mathematically inadvisable."
But Jin Ho was beyond listening to mathematical advisability. His fourth brother was trapped, suffering, and fighting a losing battle against forces that wanted to corrupt everything into void. If the only way to save him was to risk everything, then that's what Jin Ho would do.
"Override safety protocols," Jin Ho commanded his Trinity Network. "Emergency authority increase. Push the fusion to 70%!"
The pain was immediate and excruciating. Jin Ho's consciousness, which had grown comfortable managing the thoughts and powers of three Demon Lords, suddenly found itself trying to contain 70% of their combined authority. It felt like his mind was being stretched on a rack while his soul was set on fire.
[System Alert: Fusion Overload Detected]Current Authority Level: 70%Warning: Consciousness integrity compromisedEstimated time to mental collapse: 2 minutes 31 seconds
Jin Ho's Blood Thunder Ice Unity Domain flickered wildly as his control wavered. The carefully balanced combination of blood, lightning, and ice began to destabilize, creating chaotic surges of power that were as dangerous to him as they were to his enemy.
"More!" Jin Ho gasped through gritted teeth, feeling his consciousness beginning to fray at the edges. "I need 75%! I need enough power to break through the void corruption!"
[Blood Heaven Great Emperor]: "Jin Ho, stop! You're going to kill yourself!"
But Jin Ho forced the fusion higher anyway. 72%... 74%... 75%...
The world exploded into agony. Jin Ho felt his individual identity beginning to dissolve as three powerful Demon Lord consciousnesses threatened to overwhelm his human psyche. His Blood Thunder Ice Unity Domain became a chaotic storm of conflicting energies, blood lightning creating impossible ice that burned with cold fire.
For a brief, terrifying moment, Jin Ho experienced what it felt like to be four beings at once - and his mind simply couldn't handle it. He was Kang Jin Ho, the human who wanted to save everyone. He was the Blood Heaven Great Emperor, ancient and proud and protective. He was the Thunder Lightning King, eager and energetic and ready for battle. He was the Ice Soul Demon Emperor, analytical and perfect and coldly compassionate.
But he wasn't any of them completely, and he wasn't himself either. He was a confused mess of overlapping consciousness that was rapidly losing cohesion.
[Thunder Lightning King]: "Jin Ho! Jin Ho, come back to us! You're losing yourself!"
[Ice Soul Demon Emperor]: "Consciousness fragmentation at 94.7%. Immediate power reduction required or permanent psychological damage will occur."
Through the chaos of his dissolving identity, Jin Ho heard something that brought him back to himself with a shock of clarity: the Shadow Demon Lord's voice, calling to him across the void corruption.
"Brother! Brother, what are you doing? Stop! You're hurting yourself!"
Even trapped and corrupted, even fighting his own losing battle against the void, the Shadow Demon Lord's first concern was for Jin Ho's wellbeing. It was exactly the kind of selfless protection that Jin Ho remembered from the brief glimpses of the original personality.
The realization hit Jin Ho like a physical blow: he couldn't save his fourth brother by destroying himself. The Shadow Demon Lord didn't want to be rescued at the cost of Jin Ho's life or sanity. What he wanted was for all four brothers to be together, safe and whole.
"Pull back!" Jin Ho commanded his Trinity Network, forcing his consciousness to contract from the dangerous 75% fusion back toward safer levels. "Emergency retreat to 60%!"
The return to normal fusion levels was almost as painful as the expansion had been. Jin Ho felt his individual identity reasserting itself as the overwhelming presence of the three Demon Lords withdrew to their proper positions within his consciousness. But the damage had been done.
His Blood Thunder Ice Unity Domain collapsed entirely, leaving him defenseless in the face of Eum Mugeuk's Void Corruption Sphere. Worse, he could feel that his consciousness had been strained almost to the breaking point. Using such an overcharged fusion again would likely result in permanent mental damage.
[Blood Heaven Great Emperor]: "Jin Ho, are you alright? Your consciousness pattern is showing stress fractures."
"I'm... I'm fine," Jin Ho lied, swaying on his feet as the Void Annihilation Sphere approached. "But we can't win this way. Three Demon Lords isn't enough. We need the fourth fragment."
[Thunder Lightning King]: "Well, no kidding! But how are we supposed to get it when the fourth brother is trapped inside our enemy?"
[Ice Soul Demon Emperor]: "Analysis: Current power levels insufficient for void corruption purification. Fourth fragment acquisition is mandatory for mission success."
Eum Mugeuk laughed as he saw Jin Ho's failed attempt to exceed his limits. "Did you really think you could force your way past the fundamental laws of existence? You're incomplete, Kang Jin Ho. No amount of willpower can change that basic fact."
Jin Ho staggered, his Trinity Network still recovering from the fusion overload. But even in his weakened state, he had learned something important: the Shadow Demon Lord was still in there, still fighting, still caring about his brothers even through sixty years of corruption.
Which meant there was still hope. He just needed to find another way.