At the Spider Devil containment facility, Kishibe stepped up to the heavy steel door and, without a word, swung it open. Kang Woo entered first, his footsteps echoing on the concrete floor, the others trailing close behind.
Inside, the Spider Devil—Princi—stood waiting.
She resembled a young woman with waist-length black hair, eight long spider-like legs sprouting from her back, each ending in scythe-like blades that glinted menacingly under the lights. A zipper ran up the center of her face, the pull tab resting beneath her chin, ready to be zipped upwards at any moment. Her attire was an odd contrast to her monstrous features—a crisp formal shirt with an elaborate bow-tie, paired with a knee-length skirt. The mix of prim human fashion and demonic features gave her an eerie, unsettling aura.
Kang Woo regarded her calmly. "Princi."
The Spider Devil's legs twitched sharply at the sound of her name. Without warning, she lunged forward, one bladed limb darting toward Kang Woo's chest.
"Where did you hear that name?" she hissed, eyes wild.
Kang Woo didn't flinch. "From Makima herself."
Princi's eyes narrowed, fury flashing across her face. "Bullshit! There's no way—"
Before she could finish, Kang Woo raised his hand, palm glowing faintly.
"Authority of Footage."
A shimmering hologram flickered into existence, floating in the air between them. The images played vivid and clear, plucked straight from Kang Woo's memories.
In the projection, Makima was seen hugging Kang Woo, laughing softly, even leaning in to playfully pinch his cheeks. Her expression radiated warmth—a version of her no one else in the room had ever seen.
Princi froze, eyes widening as she stared at the footage. Slowly, the tension drained from her posture. Her scythe-like limbs lowered, folding back around her body.
Princi said at last, voice softer, uncertain. "Since Makima-san… trusts you… I'll listen."
Kang Woo met her eyes steadily. "I want you to channel your strength into the Eye of Mikhail."
As he spoke, the flesh on the back of his left hand split open like an iris blooming, revealing the glaring, burning gaze of the Eye of Mikhail.
"And when either I or Mikhail says the word 'enchain,' you'll allow us to borrow your strength at maximum output. Exactly twenty minutes after that, you'll sever your contract with me."
Princi's many eyes blinked rapidly, her expression twisting into frustration and suspicion. "You already have a contract with the Angel Devil, . And that eyeball—" she gestured sharply at Mikhail, who glared back with seething disdain— "is probably the strongest creature here. Why the hell do you want even more strength? All I see is a lunatic trying to play games. And why the fuck twenty minutes?"
Kang Woo tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "As for twenty minutes… well, I didn't answer that question when the Angel Devil asked, but I'll answer it for you in a way you can understand."
He paused, then added calmly:"Whenever a restriction is imposed… there's always a boon, or a reward, waiting on the other side."
Princi's brows furrowed, her legs shifting restlessly, claws clicking against the floor. "…I still don't understand."
From behind Kang Woo, Aki suddenly shouted, unable to hold back any longer. "Me neither! Why make a restriction? Isn't that just putting more disadvantage on yourself?!"
Denji, standing beside him, leaned over and jabbed him in the ribs. "Sheesh, Aki… did you really need to shout?"
Aki shot him a sharp glare. "Sometimes Kang Woo talks like a complete maniac, but some of what he says ends up true."
Kang Woo gave the entire group a dry, exasperated stare. "I'll explain later to you numbnuts. Right now I'm creating steps."
Then he turned his eyes back to Princi. His tone grew colder, more precise. "If you make a thousand preparations but only end up needing one… then it was worth it. Preparing for all possibilities without exception—that's how I've done things from the beginning… until the day I die."
He paused, a slight, humorless smile flickering on his lips. "…If I can die."
Princi's eight spindly legs tensed and quivered. Her zipper-mouth twitched as her voice rose, edged with sharp frustration. "That's really insane—and completely idiotic! It's like you're saying death itself can be cheated!"
Fury and disbelief shone in her many eyes as she stomped one scythe-like leg hard against the floor, splintering concrete under its weight.
Kang Woo's own eyes began to glow ominously Magic Eyes Of Destruction . A celestial, intricate pattern—godlike and hypnotic—spiraled into existence within his irises.
"This is war," Kang Woo said quietly, each syllable as heavy as iron. "You lose… you die. So that they don't die… everybody prepares for their death."
Princi stared at him for a long moment, her zipper-mouth trembling. Finally, she let out a resigned sigh. "…I understand. Give me your hand so I can complete it."
Kang Woo extended his hand. Princi's sharp, chitinous fingers clasped his palm, and a faint glow pulsed between them as she channeled her Spider Devil strength directly into the Eye of Mikhail.
Mikhail's voice rumbled from Kang Woo's palm, precise and cold.
"Spider Devil confirmed. Twenty minutes of power upon request of the enchain command by me or Master himself."
Kang Woo slowly turned back toward the group.
Himeno tilted her head, eyeing him curiously. "Kang Woo… your eyes. Are you all right? They were flaring… glowing… with some crazy pattern just now."
Kang Woo blinked, dismissing the blazing glyphs from his eyes. The celestial glow faded, leaving his gaze calm and unreadable once more. He exhaled lightly. "Next stop: Future Devil."
Denji squinted at him, suspicion etched across his face. "Oi… Kang Woo. What are you hiding?"
Kang Woo only fell silent, his expression unreadable, offering no answer as he stared off into the distance.
Power leaned closer to Denji, whispering behind her hand. "That Kang Woo… he's suspicious. And that eyeball on his back palm… it's like a predator, even to devils like us."
Himeno grinned, flicking her cigarette ash. "It's called Mikhail. And … it's got serious disdain for us humans. But I saw the look in its… er, eye… when it glared at the Angel Devil. Mikhail was furious. So that means…"
Aki folded his arms, brow furrowed. "Mikhail… is probably an angel itself. But then… why would it be latched onto someone like Kang Woo? He's… no good person at all."
Kishibe exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his voice low and dry. "Kang Woo's more like a necessary evil."
He flicked his eyes toward Denji. "But listen, kid. Your Chainsaw dog—before it merged with you, became your heart, made you a hybrid? Even that dog feared Kang Woo greatly. And not just Pochita… the Fox Devil too. They're terrified of him." Kishibe paused, his gaze narrowing. "But not every devil fears Kang Woo. And that's the part that stinks. Something's fishy as hell here."
Suddenly Himeno pointed a shaky finger at Kang Woo. "Uhh… sensei. I think Kang Woo's listening to our whole conversation…"
About three meters away, Kang Woo stood motionless. He only raised an eyebrow, expression flat and silent.
Kishibe shifted his gaze and locked eyes with Kang Woo. "This problem comes first. But after that, Kang Woo… you owe me the truth. What exactly are you?"
Kang Woo stared at Kishibe, utterly unfazed. His eyes carried the quiet weight of ages—an exhaustion born not of years but of eons, though he never bothered to count them. In this incarnation, he was merely Kang Woo, ten thousand years old, long weary of mortals poking into the business of Hadou Gods.
He tilted his chin slightly and spoke, voice low and calm. "Ever heard of the blue pill and the red pill… from The Matrix?"
Kang Woo's lips curled into a wry, almost tired smile. "Here's a piece of peaceful advice from me, Kishibe… choose the blue pill. You wake up… and everything will be fine."
Now standing before the third steel door containing the Future Devil, Aki stepped forward. He paused, his hand resting on the handle, eyes flicking back toward Kang Woo as if out of a silent respect for his earlier words—for whatever a man like Kang Woo knew about doing whatever it took to survive. With a metallic groan, Aki pulled open the heavy steel door.
Inside, the Future Devil awaited, its bizarre form rising like a living tree. Its lower half looked rooted into the ground, trunk and gnarled branches twisting upward until they formed a humanoid torso and arms, all crowned with a horned head. Vines snaked from its chest and arms, swaying hypnotically as it moved.
Its face was monstrous yet strangely expressive, six eyes stacked in three pairs, blinking in eerie unison. Its wide mouth gaped open, seemingly frozen in an eternal, manic grin. And at its center—a huge, single eye embedded in its chest glimmered .
The moment the door swung wide, the Future Devil lunged forward, arms flailing with enthusiasm.
"FUTURE RULES!" it bellowed, voice echoing off the steel walls as it launched into its eccentric dance, waving its arms, twisting its torso .
"FUTURE RULES, FUTURE RULES!" it chanted, hopping side to side.
Kang Woo interrupted the performance with a single word, his voice sharp as a blade.
"The future can be manipulated with the right power," he said coldly. "And the future… can be killed under the right circumstances."
The Future Devil froze mid-twist, one vine dangling awkwardly. Its many eyes fixed on Kang Woo, glinting with an amused—and somehow darker—light.
"What a sad and despair-filled person," it murmured, its voice shifting from exuberant to oddly soft, as if lamenting Kang Woo's existence.
Kang Woo narrowed his eyes, his tone unwavering. "The future can be changed… if enough power is involved."
The Future Devil let out a shrill, echoing laugh. "Heh… hahaha! Did you just say the future can be manipulated? Of course that's why people come to me—but everyone dies eventually!"
Kang Woo's expression didn't so much as flicker. Without hesitation, he suddenly swung his right arm upward—then severed it at the shoulder in one swift, precise motion. Blood sprayed in a dark arc before abruptly halting as the wound knit closed almost instantly, flesh and bone restored by his Authority of Regeneration.
Calmly, Kang Woo flung his severed arm toward the Future Devil.
"Why don't you try seeing my future?" Kang Woo taunted, voice low and mocking. "There are two ways, right? Either I stick my head into that hole in your chest—" he gestured coolly toward the massive, glimmering eye embedded in the Future Devil's trunk—"which I'd rather avoid… or you can look through my body parts."