Kang Woo watched Makima—watched her try to contain it all like she always did. But even she had limits. And this time… she broke.
Without a word, he walked over and sat down slowly on the fractured edge of the rebuilt lab console. Then, with quiet care, he reached out and pulled her close—gently easing Makima down onto his thigh. His arm wrapped protectively around her back, his hand resting lightly against her waist.
And that was all it took. Makima collapsed into him, sobbing—with full, ragged breaths she hadn't let out in what felt like centuries. Her face buried against his lap, shoulders trembling as tears poured freely now, her voice barely holding together.
"I only wanted to be like you, Kang Woo…" she choked out. "To stand beside you . I just… wanted to be your equal".------
-----"But the world doesn't let someone like me reach that height," she whispered bitterly. "Instead I got caught in the Black King's schemes like some pathetic pawn. I let pride blind me… and by default, I lost. I will lose. And if I do—" she clenched his jacket tightly, "—you'll suffer the backlash. That parasite in you… it'll devour more. You'll be the one paying. Always you."
She paused. Then her voice broke completely.
"And I broke your soulsword… that held so many of the souls you collected." Her breath hitched. "I destroyed something that mattered to you. I'm so, so sorry…"
Outside the lab, just beyond the sliding door, the members of Division 4 stood frozen.
Aki's eyes narrowed. He could hear everything. Every word. He raised one hand and shook his head slowly to the others—an unspoken message, clear and absolute: Don't go in.
Kang Woo, still aware that every last one of his stooges was hiding behind the walls like curious raccoons, let out a slow exhale.
"The world," Kang Woo said, his voice low and coiled with heat, "won't give you what you want. Ever."
He looked at Makima dead-on now, his tone turning razor-sharp.
"It's a fucking fickle bastard, an auto-system built by gods just to torment the unlucky. Fate? . It's a prison sentence. It wants you to die. Wants you to give up. You think I care?"
His hand tightened just a little on her waist, steadying her.
"No matter how successful you are, it'll beat you down, keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, even gods—they all get hit. But it's not about that."
His eyes locked onto hers, something burning behind them.
"It's not about how hard you tank that shit. It's about how hard you can get hit… and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and still stand back up. That's how winning is done. That's how becoming someone truly powerful—someone free—is done."
Makima stared at him—silent, eyes wide, her lips trembling with something between disbelief and awe. And then she spoke.
"…Do you still believe I'm gonna be the greatest magician you've ever seen?" she whispered.
Kang Woo tilted his head, grinned like a man who had already seen the end of this road.
"To the point ,you could kill Zeus one-on-one. You will do something like that. Just like I once did."
Makima smiled, the tears still drying on her cheeks. Her voice was softer now, threaded with a strange curiosity. "Kang Woo… you sound like you've got a serious grudge against the gods. Like, real serious. You destroyed them all, didn't you?"
Kang Woo leaned back slightly, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. His grin stayed, but something colder shimmered beneath it.
"I only destroyed Olympus," he said matter-of-factly, like recalling a detour on a long road. "Assuming I'm counting correctly—since I haven't touched the Shinto gods or the Celestial Jade Palace yet."
He glanced upward, silently tallying, then nodded.
"If I'm not wrong about the kill count… one god. Then two. Then three. Then the whole damn pantheon. I remember who came last—the King of Olympus himself. But honestly, it's mostly my fault it ended up like that."
Makima blinked slowly.
Kang Woo's voice dropped lower, more reflective now. "But it's not a good story, Makima. Let's just say…my wrathful nature took one kill count… and turned it into the death of the entire Greek pantheon. And all of Greece along with them."
Makima's eyes softened as she leaned in just slightly, voice quiet.
"Then… can you tell me about it someday? When the moment's right?"
Kang Woo chuckled under his breath, brushing a bit of dried blood from his coat.
"I'll do you one better . I'm gonna buy out an entire theatre."
He glanced at her with that same reckless glint.
"You can watch it yourself—my story, my point of view . Whether it's worth remembering… or worth forgetting… I'll leave that up to you."
The faint glow pulsed brighter—like a newborn star compressed into a marble, humming with unstable energy. Kang Woo and Makima instinctively leaned closer, their reflections shimmering across the containment glass.
Kang Woo grabbed a pair of precision tweezers and carefully placed the glowing core onto a flat scanner plate. The machine buzzed alive, projecting a holographic analysis into the air—lines of runic text and AI-generated diagnostics scrolling rapidly.
[Holographic Scanner Analysis]
Material: Unknown Fusion Compound
Composition: Unstable arc-like reactor matrix
Comparison: Partially aligned with Philosopher's Stone framework
Output: Power yield equivalent to Tsar Bomba-class detonation
Status: Incomplete prototype. Energy compression at 87%. Structural stability — 0.2%.
Warning: Prolonged containment not advised.
Kang Woo stared at the hologram for a long moment—then smiled, a glint of pride beneath the exhaustion. He turned to Makima, leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to her cheek. "You just evolved this world's Kardashev scale by 0.1 points."
Makima smiled faintly, still in awe of what they had created—her hands trembling just slightly , she felt it clearly. She had grasped the realm of the gods.
Then— "THE KARDA—KARDA—KARDASHEV SCALE OF MINE IS ONE HUNDRE—!" Power's triumphant yell tore through the silence like a grenade.
In an instant, Himeno lunged, her spectral hand from the Ghost Devil slapping over Power's mouth. "Shut up!" she hissed.
"Mmphhh! Mmm!" Power flailed, muffled complaints spilling .
Denji leaned in, whispering with a grin, "You wanna eat vegetables tomorrow, huh?"
Aki sighed like a man already defeated. "Power," he muttered, voice dangerously calm, "tomorrow, you're eating carrots and tomatoes. No meat."
Power froze mid-scream, her eyes filling with comically large tears as she whimpered through Himeno's grip.
And then—Kang Woo's voice drifted out from the lab, calm but carrying that unnerving edge that made every hair stand on end.
"Even if you all stay quiet for a day," he said, the faintest smirk behind his words, "your odor and idiocy still reach me. So come out. Speak your minds, my dear stooges."
One by one, Division 4 shuffled sheepishly out from their hiding spots—Power her face still squished from Himeno's ghostly grip; Denji close behind, pretending he hadn't been listening the whole time; Aki sighing in quiet resignation; and Kishibe dragging himself out last, cigarette already in hand.
Makima wiped the last trace of tears from her cheek, composing herself with that practiced calm. She turned to Kang Woo, her voice smooth again, though faintly teasing.
"'Stooges'… that's a slang term for idiots, isn't it? Probably fitting, since I never knew what it meant before. Right, Kang Woo? You really enjoy calling my former subordinates that."
Kang Woo leaned back slightly, smirking. "Yup. Your subordinates are like the three stooges—just… the dark world version."
Makima exhaled through her nose, almost smiling. "And about that… Kardashev scale?"
Kang Woo gestured lazily toward the still-glowing reactor core. "Your world sits around 0.7, maybe 0.6, I forget . It means you're still primitive."
Aki stepped forward, face calm but his tone edged with conviction. Himeno followed, close enough to reach him if things turned.
Aki s staring straight at Kang Woo. "Thought you'd hurt Makima-san, trick her. Turns out she found love instead. I just didn't expect the man she'd fall for to be this… narcissistic."
Kang Woo didn't answer. His expression didn't even twitch—just that hollow calm, as if Aki's words were echoes bouncing off stone.
Himeno took a step closer, eyes sharp and unwavering. "Kang Woo," she said quietly, "do you ever feel even a shred of regret for what you said just now? 'My wife prayed for peace, and I gave her ruin. My hands were red when I found her. And the child. The air was still. The ashes warm.'" Her voice hardened, cutting through the silence. "Is there anything left of a good side in you?"
Kang Woo's gaze didn't waver, but the air grew heavy, thick with something unspoken. When he finally answered, his tone was low and steady, carrying no remorse.
"My good side's been gone a long time," he said. "So is the peace I once wanted to have."
Kobeni's face fell, sadness flickering across her expression as she looked at him—like watching a man who'd long forgotten what light felt like.
Then, suddenly, Kang Woo let out a chuckle, brushing off the tension with that same disarming grin he used whenever things got too real. "Relax," he said, waving a hand lazily. "I'm kidding. It's just a fucking poem I found somewhere. Don't get all gloomy on me."
The tension cracked—but not entirely. Kishibe exhaled smoke, his voice flat. "The Black King sure as hell isn't a poem. You've got a real-deal evil god squatting inside you."
Kang Woo shrugged. "Evil god is relative, old man. History twists everything until heroes look like monsters and monsters look like myths." He pointed toward the faint shimmer of darkness still lingering from the Black King's last presence. "But make no mistake—the Black King's race? They're Outer Gods. The real kind. you don't pray to ."
Aki stepped forward, his expression firm, voice steady with conviction. " How can we help you both?."
Kang Woo smirked faintly, eyes narrowing as if already seeing ten steps ahead. "We're getting into it," he said. "And trust me—we've already found the first steps to guarantee a win. The rest is just execution."
Himeno crossed her arms, exhaling deeply. "I still don't know what the hell's actually going on—or how many damn problems you're juggling—but I'll say this." She gave a small, wry smile. "Thanks for freeing Aki from Makima's grasp. I owe you for that.
Makima's lips curved into a faint, teasing smile, her voice smooth with that familiar mix of charm and irony. "Hmm. The person in question is right here, I've gone soft since meeting my maniac of a husband."
Himeno smirked, leaning a little closer. "Kang Woo, I almost forgot—I promised that whoever took down the devil in this hotel gets a reward. So, how about a ki—"
A sharp hum split the air. A glowing Heilig Bogen had already formed in Makima's hands, an arrow of light drawn back and aimed dead at Himeno's forehead. Makima smiled—too calm, too dangerous.
"Careful, Himeno-chan," she said sweetly. "I accept that Kang Woo might want a harem one day, if he wishes it. But …you'd be the last person to try something like that. You confessed to Aki,,And he accepted you. But if you pull another bold move like that…"
Her smile sharpened. "I might just take Aki back under my control."
Himeno raised her hands in mock surrender, laughing nervously. "Scary, scary, Makima-san. You're way too jealous when it comes to Kang Woo."
Himeno laughed awkwardly, still holding her hands up like someone who'd just dodged death by an inch. "Impressed with me, right, Sensei?" she said toward Kishibe with a crooked grin. "Looks like Makima's got a button you can push when needed."
Makima blinked, caught slightly off guard, her brow furrowing in mild confusion.
Kishibe took a slow sip from his flask, his eyes narrowing with that old, foxlike sharpness. "Impressed? Yeah," he muttered. "You managed to make her show her cards.." He tilted his head, studying the lingering glow of Makima's Heilig Bogen. "Good to see it up close. Interesting… and dangerously easy to use."
Makima's eyes flickered, her mind clicking fast. … Kishibe and Himeno played me. I revealed more than I intended.
With a faint exhale, she dispersed her weapon. The Heilig Bogen unraveled into a cascade of glinting reishi, fading like dust in sunlight. She said nothing, only smiled faintly—too composed, too quiet.
she thought, glancing toward the others. Aki's probably going to bother Kang Woo again. And this time… he'll be more interested in Quincy techniques than Zaiphon.