Kang Woo merely smiled—a cold, knowing smile. He lifted his hand, palm glowing pale blue, and began to chant in a low, solemn voice: "Raise the silver crest, the ashen meadow, the circular path that is hidden in the light, the agate eyeball, the golden tongue, the cranial cup, the coffin of Adnyeus. What is raised… is your heart."
The words rolled like thunder over the forest, vibrating in the roots of the trees. Suddenly, the entire sky above them split open like fragile glass, shards of blue light crashing down as a colossal torrent of reishi roared upward, punching a hole through the false sky of the Aging Devil's world.
Beyond the rupture was the sky of Aokigahara . A swirling vortex of glowing blue reishi spiraled out from the breach, forming a titanic, shimmering halo high overhead.
Makima stared up, eyes widening as wind ripped through her hair. … is that giant blue circle…?
Kang Woo's lips curved into a predator's grin. "Auswählen."
Suddenly, an immense chorus of bells tolled in the heavens—deep, resonant, otherworldly.
Blinding columns of blue-white light fell like divine spears from the halo in the sky. They slammed into the ground across the Aging Devil's world, striking with such force that the entire forest shook. The light lanced through countless trees and figures alike, vaporizing the false inhabitants in an instant.
All around them rose screams:
"ARRRGH!"
"HRAARGHHHHHH!"
"NOOOOOO!"
The forest erupted in a brilliant storm of searing reishi, washing over the landscape in waves of blinding luminescence. When the light finally faded, silence fell. Smoke curled lazily from charred tree trunks. The ground was scorched bare where millions of false inhabitants once stood. Only Kang Woo, Makima, and the trembling Aging Devil remained untouched amidst the devastation.
The Aging Devil stared at the ruin in horror, tears streaming down the wrinkled halves of its divided face. "WHAT… have I ever done to you… that you would kill every inhabitant in my world?!" it wailed.
Kang Woo turned toward it slowly, his eyes glinting like sharpened blades. "Too many enemies,"
Above them, the swirling vortex of glowing blue reishi which Is the auswahlen —still spinning in the heavens like a galaxy—began to tighten, condensing inward. The blinding columns of light that had previously struck down the false inhabitants of the Aging Devil's world funneled upward, merging into a single colossal sphere of pure energy.
A massive orb of reishi formed, pulsing and crackling like a living star. It hovered high above Kang Woo's head for an instant, casting down that danced wildly over the shattered forest below.
Then— FWOOOOOM! —The orb crashed downward, slamming into Kang Woo with unstoppable force.
A wave of dazzling light exploded outward, ripping through the fabric of the Aging Devil's pocket dimension. . The illusion of sky and lake crumbled like fragile the next breath, the entire Aging Devil's world shattered like a broken mirror—pieces disintegrating into floating specks of light. .
Kang Woo, Makima, and the Aging Devil suddenly stood upon the real soil of the ruined Aokigahara forest. Around them, trees lay scorched and splintered from earlier battles. Charred earth stretched for hundreds of meters.
But the sky… The sky was a spectacle unto itself. For nearly five kilometers overhead, an immense reishi canopy spread like an otherworldly ceiling—a luminous blue expanse swirling gently above the forest. Threads of glowing energy wove through it like rivers of starlight. From this spectral sky, a soft blue rain began to fall. Each droplet shimmered like liquid sapphire, casting flickering reflections across the blackened branches and puddles of scorched earth.
Makima lifted her hand, feeling the droplets cool against her skin, their glow gentle and familiar.
This blue rain… just like before… she thought. So that means… this is what Evil Morty was talking about… Auswahlen itself.
Kang Woo slowly turned his gaze toward the trembling Aging Devil. His blackened wings unfurled behind him, dripping with reishi residue. His voice dropped to a dark, sinister register. "Your devil's kind…" "are just enemies in my path.". "I just devour… and I keep moving forward… until everything…. "…turns to dust."
The Aging Devil opened its trembling mouth, eyes glistening as though it were about to declare its surrender.
But Kang Woo moved first. Without a flicker of hesitation, he released the reishi bindings holding the creature to the ground. A heartbeat later— SHRRRIP! —a brilliant burst of pure reishi ignited in the air around him. A massive Heilig Pfeil arrow materialized, , forming within a gigantic Sankt Bogen (Holy Bow) that hovered behind Kang Woo's shoulders Sixteen radiant arrows locked into place, aimed with merciless precision. With a single gesture, Kang Woo unleashed one of them. The arrow slashed through the air, leaving a luminous blue trail. The arrow severed the Aging Devil's outstretched hand cleanly at the wrist. red ichor sprayed across the forest floor as the primal devil let out a ragged shriek of agony and rage.
The Aging Devil staggered back, clutching its bleeding stump, eyes wild and glistening with tears. "Aren't you… H-HAD ENOUGH? . I've lost EVERYTHING! What more could you possibly want?!"
Kang Woo's red eyes gleamed, merciless and cold. "Despair," he said softly. "The thrill of the hunt. Run. I'll give you twelve minutes headstart . If you manage to survive me for thirty minutes, you're free to leave this forest before our tag game ends . But…"
He slowly raised his hand toward the swirling canopy of reishi sky overhead. "…Auswahlen will strike you down. So START. RUNNING."
The Aging Devil let out a strangled, animalistic gasp—and bolted into the blackened forest like a terrified rabbit, weaving between charred trunks and shattered undergrowth. But before the sound of its frantic footsteps had even faded, one of the still-glowing Heilig Pfeil arrows fell from the holy bow behind Kang Woo, landing point-first in the earth before him. Kang Woo reached down, seizing the shaft. Reishi surged outward from his grip, transforming the arrow's shaft into the core of a new roared and condensed, shaping into a massive broadsword as tall as he was. Two protrusions jutted out diagonally from the blade's hilt, forming a cross-guard shaped unmistakably like the Wandenreich insignia.
Kang Woo lifted the sword, resting it casually on his shoulder. His crimson eyes narrowed, glowing with feral delight. "…How I miss this hunt."
Beside him, Makima stood frozen. For a long moment, she simply stared at him, her breath caught in her Makima—the Control Devil, felt a chill crawl up her spine. Because This wasn't cruelty for utility's sake. This was the thrill of an unending hunt. The hunger of a madman who would never be satisfied.
Makima swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice. "Kang Woo… I think… you've had enough," she said, a faint tremor running through her words. "The Aging Devil is beaten. You stripped away its world… its home… Can we… can we go home? Or go to a cinema… watch movies… something normal…?"
She tried to force a small smile. Hoping—praying—that the funny, teasing Kang Woo might answer her instead. But Kang Woo only turned to look at her. His eyes were cool and distant. Instead of speaking, he lifted one hand—and a luminous projection shimmered into the air between them.
Makima blinked as lines of glowing script materialized, lines of text floating like holograms in front of her eyes.
[ Notification: Quincy King Ability Progress to Schutzstaffel : The X-Axis 5% ]
Makima stared at it, confusion and dread twisting across her features. "Kang… Woo…?" she whispered.
He looked at her, his tone cold but edged with a faint, reluctant gentleness. "Go home, Makima. Right now… I really want to gain back what I lost. That's why I told you to run. Because you're starting to become very annoying. There's no place for you… in my Thousand-Year Blood War."
Makima's eyes widened, a tear sliding down her cheek as Kang Woo dismiss his wings and return inside his body . And then, without another word, he bent his knees—and shot skyward in a blur of pure speed, vanishing into the night with a single Hirenkyaku step.
Makima stood alone amid the ruin, her vision blurred by tears. Then her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the scorched ground. Silent, shaking sobs wracked her body as she stared up at the empty sky. Because the man who'd once held her close… was gone again. The blue rain continued to fall around her, soaking her hair and coat. For twelve minutes, she knelt there, silent, her tears mixing with the rain. She didn't even realize how much time had slipped away.
Suddenly, a distant explosion tore through the night. Blue flames erupted on the horizon, followed by thunderous shockwaves and bursts of brilliant Reishi bombardment.
Makima's eyes widened. She wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand, steeling her resolve. This isn't the Kang Woo I want. I want him to return… to be the man who always teased me, who could still laugh.
She took off running toward the source of the explosions, weaving between the scorched and cratered terrain. As she advanced, her eyes darted from side to side, searching for a path through the chaos. But the further she went, the more devastation she found. The ground was scarred in long gouges of molten earth, rivers of blue flame licking at the edges. Massive blue arrows—each as thick as tree trunks—jutted from the soil, pinning it like stakes hammered into the battlefield.
Makima skidded to a halt, panting. Ahead of her, several colossal columns of Reishi, each shaped like the Quincy cross, had formed a barrier—a towering wall that shimmered with lethal light. It pulsed like a living thing, humming with an energy that seemed to claw at her very soul.
Makima narrowed her eyes. She flung out her arm, summoning her Control Chains to lash forward and disperse the wall.
But the moment her chains struck the glowing Reishi, a searing blue light burst forth.
Makima hissed in pain as the heat burned her skin. She stumbled back, clutching her scorched hand.
Is this… the strength of the Quincy? she thought, breathing hard. It's… an antithesis to devils themselves. She stood silent for several moments, her mind racing. I have to disperse this wall… . But how?
Summoning her resolve, Makima's lips parted as she spoke one word:
"Jikkai."
Instantly, a floating dark orb shimmered into existence beside her—the Commandment of Piety itself. Its black surface rippled with ominous energy, shadows dancing across its swirling depths.
Makima's eyes hardened. "Hellblaze."
Dark flames erupted from the orb, roaring forward in a massive wave of searing black fire.
But when the hellfire struck the wall of Reishi… it fizzled out harmlessly, vanishing into thin air like water thrown onto molten metal. Not even a scratch marred the luminous barrier.
Makima's chest tightened as she stared at the untouched wall. Then, her eyes fell to her left wrist.
There, glinting in the rain-soaked darkness, was the Quincy cross Kang Woo had once given her.
Makima went dead silent, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her expression shifted into one of pure exasperation as she glared at herself. I should have taken that offer… she thought bitterly. When Kang Woo was going to teach me Quincy techniques. I'm such a fucking idiot.
But she quickly clenched her jaw, shaking her head. There's no time for that now. I need to improvise.
She threw out her hand, dark energy spilling from the Commandment of Piety beside her. darkness and Hellblaze flames churned around her palm as she pressed it against the luminous Reishi wall, trying to push through.
But it was like pressing into solid steel. The wall didn't even ripple. Makima bared her teeth, sweat and rain sliding down her face.
Suddenly, in the depths of her mind, Kang Woo's voice rang out from a memory—sharp and echoing:
"They know to stay away from me. They're making the right decision—a decision you've never been able to make, Makima. Because your instincts have probably dulled. And after all… despair and evil always bring ruin to everyone."
Makima's fists clenched until her nails bit into her palms. Her chains whipped out and struck the wall again and again—wild, unfocused. Not like the Control Devil at all. Stop it… she scolded herself. This isn't how I'm supposed to be…
But another echo drifted through her mind—Kang Woo's somber voice : "Though… I already know what you lack. The difference is, mine has long gone… and it will never return."
Makima's eyes filled with sudden, burning determination. She slammed her palm into the wall one more time and screamed: "What you've lost—LOVE ITSELF—can be obtained back. I swear… I will never let you go!"
As those words ripped from her chest, something ignited deep inside her—a spark Kang Woo himself had planted.
Suddenly, blue light raced across her arms. Veins of glowing reishi—the telltale mark of Blut Vene—spread under her skin in a fractal web. Makima gasped as pure Reishi gathered around her, spinning into a luminous aura.