Kang Woo gazed down at her with a faint smirk, his voice low and tinged with exasperation—and a softness that was unmistakable. "…Apology accepted, tsundere princess."
Makima's eyes locked onto his, glassy with tears. For the first time, her expression was purely, genuinely one of relief.
She was glad her hero had given her one last look before the end.
But Kang Woo fell silent again, his face flickering with a faint sadness.
Makima parted her lips to speak—but no sound came out. Her voice failed her completely.
Seeing this, Kang Woo gave a soft sigh and lifted one hand. A shimmering screen appeared in the air beside them, glowing faintly with digital lines: Authority of Projection.
Makima blinked as her own words began appearing on the panel in neat text, letter by letter as she mouthed them:
Kang Woo... thank you... for appearing in my life... because of you, I felt truly alive...
If... in another lifetime, or another reincarnation, you meet a Control Devil like me... please, guide her. Make her your wife... or at least your concubine.
And all I can give you is more trouble. I'm sorry for making your life harder. I hope the next Control Dev—
She was about to finish her sentence… when suddenly she gasped, blinking in shock. Her eyes darted down. Her right hand—once severed—was whole. Perfect. Her chest, moments ago impaled and leaking blood, was now smooth and unblemished. The pain vanished as if it had never existed.
She stared down—and realized she was clutching something shiny and absurd in her newly-healed fingers.
An Oscar trophy. Etched on the base were the words: Best Actress of 2019
Makima's jaw dropped. "…Huh…?"
She whipped her head toward Kang Woo, eyes wide.
Kang Woo, who'd been trying so hard to look stoic, suddenly couldn't hold it in. His shoulders started shaking—and then he burst out laughing. "April fools, Makima. ."
Makima's entire face went red. She sputtered incoherently for half a second—and then shrieked: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She pointed at him furiously, the Oscar still clutched in her trembling fist. "I HATE YOU, KANG WOO—! I LOVE YOU, FUCKKK—! I LOVE YOUUUU SHITTTTTTT!"
Kang Woo doubled over, wheezing with laughter, Before he could even straighten up, Makima lunged forward and hugged him tight, arms winding around his torso like iron bands. Her cheek pressed hard against his chest as she practically growled:
"I will not let you go at all, Kang Woo. I'll chained the entire Citadel of Ricks out of the Central Finite Curve if that's what it takes to keep you."
Kang Woo blinked, sweat beading at his temple. …She does realize she just said that out loud… right?
Makima finally pulled back, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears, but now bright with a fierce resolve.
Kang Woo cleared his throat, trying to regain his cool. "… what do you want now? Another trophy? Gifts? You have a—"
Makima e seized his clothes and yanked him downward—then crushed her lips to his in a sudden, fierce kiss.
Kang Woo's eyes went huge. "—Ehhh?!"
But Makima didn't care. She kissed him for a full minute, her fingers digging into his shoulders as if afraid he might vanish. His eyes fluttered half-closed, caught somewhere between stunned and helpless.
When she finally broke the kiss, she pulled back only an inch, her breath warm against his lips. "I got you, Kang Woo, "I managed to catch you off guard. And now I declare you are my property for life. Forever and ever."
Kang Woo just tilted his head slightly, his brows knit together in visible confusion.
Makima's eyes glittered as she thought, That's it. To make him mine… I need to show him the kind of off-guard kindness he's never known. Kindness is the real ultimate weapon. Ufufufu… I love it.
Finally, Kang Woo exhaled and said dryly: "There goes the Nayuta personality… Guess I'm gonna need pizza, huh."
Makima blinked, completely thrown off. "…Is my charm making you stupid, Kang Woo? And who the hell is Nayuta, anyway?"
Kang Woo gave a faint, tired smirk. "Nahhh. Not for that arc anyway."
Makima squinted at him suspiciously. "—What arc?!"
Kang Woo just patted her head, muttering under his breath, "…I'm definitely gonna need that pizza."
But before Makima could reply, a low, ragged cough echoed through the rubble.
From a pile of shattered stone and splintered wood, the Aging Devil emerged, staggering forward. Its withered body was riddled with scorch marks and dark burns that refused to heal.
I… I can't heal like I used to, it thought, panic creeping into its mind. I'm a primal devil… but why the fuck can this man damage me permanently?
Its eerie eyes glinted with a cunning glimmer. I need to trap him. That's my only shot.
Kang Woo, still not even looking in the Aging Devil's direction, spoke flatly: "If you're planning to trap me in your aging world… I suggest you go ahead and try it."
The Aging Devil froze, a shudder running through its many flesh-veined limbs. "Huhhh?! He… he knows about my ability? Even Makima didn't know…"
Kang Woo finally shifted his crimson-eyed gaze toward Makima and said, "Makima, I think you need to run. I've got a j—"
But before he could finish, Makima lunged forward, clutching his arm even tighter, pressing herself against his side. "This time… you will not escape,. "My utopia… is already beside me now."
Kang Woo exhaled, tilting his head slightly. "Makima… steel yourself. I don't want intervention. I mean it, all right?"
Makima, eyes wide and earnest, nodded quickly. ". You can count on me."
Meanwhile, the Aging Devil, its flesh-veined form trembling with desperation, raised one of its thin, gnarled hands and formed a finger pistol. "…Bang."
In an instant, the world around Kang Woo and Makima blurred into streaks of light.
Suddenly, they stood somewhere else entirely—a lush forest, bathed in shimmering green light. Birds called from high branches. The air smelled of moss and a crystal-clear lake rippled nearby, reflecting towering trees like a mirror.
Makima blinked rapidly, scanning their surroundings. She lifted her hand, trying to summon her invisible control chains but nothing happened.
Panic flickered in her eyes. "Kang Woo… I can't use my ability."
Kang Woo stood calmly beside her, his eyes narrowing. "Mikhail. Have you got the reading?"
From the back of Kang Woo's left palm, the Eye of Mikhail flared open, brilliant and swirling with runes. "Confirmed," Mikhail's voice boomed. "We're inside the Aging Devil's world. All abilities derived from devils cannot be used here."
Makima clenched her fists, frustration twisting across her face. "… it's a sealed space ," she murmured.
Kang Woo merely gave a wry smile. He lifted his gaze skyward.
Suddenly, countless colossal eyes bloomed across the sky above the forest canopy—each iris swirling with cosmic light. Kang Woo's Authority of the Beholder activated, scanning every inch of the realm with perfect clarity.
He spoke calmly as the information poured into his mind.
"… at least a million people. All transformed into trees. While there are about two hundred wandering residents still moving around."
Without hesitation, Kang Woo raised one hand. Shadow mana swirled violently, and beside him materialized a monstrous creature:
An enormous mass of quivering, viscous slime, pitch-black and shimmering like liquid obsidian. Countless human skeletons lay partially submerged inside it, as if struggling to claw free, while a single luminous eye pulsed at the center of the beast's gelatinous body.
Kang Woo spoke in a guttural, alien tongue—Eredun—his voice reverberating with power:
"Toras nuul… an'shar vek hathesh. Va'ash dur'garak nash'ra valen tor das'ka… uul mor'shal ithor nar!"
(Translation: "Spread my soul you carry within your flesh… across every living being in this realm. And return to me once your task is complete!")
The Nightmare Familiar let out a low, gurgling roar. In an instant, it dissolved into a hundred thousand black tendrils, snaking like liquid shadows through the forest, vanishing into every hidden corner to implant fragments of Kang Woo's soul into the realm's inhabitants.
Makima blinked, then glared at him, exasperation and disbelief mixing in her voice. " sounds like you want to get stuck here,"
Kang Woo only grinned smugly. "Sucks to be you, huh? You can't use your ability… while I can."
He lifted his other palm, revealing a symbol glowing bright white and blue—shaped precisely like a Quincy cross, forged from condensed reishi. "Score one for me, Makima."
Makima frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "…I'm still can't understand . What language were you speaking just now? You did it with your slime thing—the second time now."
Kang Woo tilted his head, looking entirely too pleased with himself."It's Eredun. Not from this world . Oh yeah. I've been meaning to teach you something—a Quincy ability."
Makima arched a brow, glaring at him suspiciously. "…Isn't the Quincy King just some fairy tale you keep jabbering about in that weird nonsense you call 'lore?'"
Kang Woo let out a sharp laugh, the glow of the Quincy cross pulsing in his hand. "The symbol I always make… is always Quincy. Like right now."
Makima fell quiet, staring at him. A faint tremble passed through her voice as she finally spoke. "…Kang Woo."
She dropped her gaze for a moment, then lifted it again, eyes glistening. "Before this… I'm sorry. I gave your Sevastopol Key to the Prime Minister. I know it probably made things… uncomfortable for you. But… can you please be yourself for me? Just once?"
Her voice cracked on the last words. It wasn't the Control Devil speaking—it was Makima, the woman, looking fragile and sincere.
Kang Woo blinked, then tilted his head. A small, genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "No. In fact… I'm grateful."
Makima looked startled. "Truly? Not one of your lies?"
Kang Woo chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I thought you loved my lies."
Makima blinked, then laughed—a warm, exhausted sound. "Here we are. Trapped in some devil's world… and you're still fucking around. Thank you, Kang Woo. At least there'll be two idiots here. Me… and you."
Kang Woo simply grinned. At that moment, his Nightmare Familiar slithered back toward him, dissolving into a thick stream of dark slime before merging completely into his body.
Suddenly, the entire forest seemed to tremble. From the bark and leaves of the towering trees, the distorted face of the Aging Devil began to push outward, as if the wood itself were flesh. Its voice croaked in disbelief:
"Impossible… Someone just used his ability here. He—"
Before it could finish, shadowy tendrils erupted from Kang Woo's back, twisting through the air like living spears. They snared the Aging Devil's half-emerged head—and with a violent yank, Kang Woo ripped the creature's entire body free from the tree itself.
The Aging Devil hit the forest floor with a wet, meaty thud, eyes wide in terror. This man… the devil thought frantically. He managed to drag me into my own Aging World… This is the worst possible situation. Even I can't use my powers h—
But its thoughts were interrupted as luminous ropes of Reishi appeared out of nowhere, weaving around its limbs and torso like glowing serpents. In seconds, it was bound to the ground, completely immobilized.
Kang Woo dusted off his hands and tilted his head, eyeing the squirming devil with mild amusement."Ooh. Good. An audience from the enemy party. I already like it."
Makima stared at him, deadpanned. "Don't tell me… your goal is to blackmail the Aging Devil. "It's… kind of a great plan, actually. I don't think even I could've pulled that off."
Kang Woo glanced at her, almost sheepish, and muttered, "No. If I want to blackmail someone, I'd do it from far away and tell my servants to handle it. But… I think you're right. I need to stop shifting topics and just be direct."
Makima folded her arms, squinting suspiciously. "Okay… you're being a bit exciting. But what the hell are you trying to pull off right now?"
Kang Woo turned to face the bound Aging Devil, his eyes glinting with lethal resolve."To kill these trees. And every single one trapped here."
The Aging Devil, still bound tightly in reishi ropes, gasped in outrage. "That's impossible! Are you STUPID?! How many people do you think are here, huh?! MILLIONS! Do you think you can kill millions in one move? It would take forever, even for you!"