The Black King chuckled, stepping closer, his presence radiating pressure that made the air hum. "Then let me say this in a way even idiots here can understand ."
He spread his arms, mockery thick in his tone. "Do you all even realize it? You're running in circles. Time's running out, and when it does, your world dies with it. None of you have the means to escape. The furthest you ever reached was your precious moon mission by America… and even that, you don't know if it was real or fake."
Aki stayed silent, but deep down he knew—the Black King wasn't wrong. They really were running in circles.
The Black King's grin widened, venomous satisfaction in every word. " That's right. You're all trapped in the dumbest loop ever made. And you have the audacity to question me about how I handle souls, when you can't even solve your own biggest problem? Except for her…" He turned his gaze toward Makima. "She had a solution once. But she threw it away, didn't she?"
Makima's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Her thoughts, however, were sharp and cutting. He's got the biggest mouth I've ever seen. Even bigger than Kang Woo's. At least my husband knows when to make it fun… and when to shut up.
The Black King chuckled lowly, catching her silence like bait. "It seems the Control Devil only explains what she thinks she knows," he said, voice dripping with disdain. "But she only knows what she's seen—bits and pieces from the scraps Kang Woo and I let slip while we bicker and mock each other."
He turned his gaze to the rest of Division 4, his grin widening as an unseen weight filled the room. "The only one who truly understands me is Kang Woo. His brain's probably the only thing in this world big enough to grasp the scale of what I am."
He straightened, the air thickening as his presence grew heavier, darker. " it's time I clarify what I am to you all. Consider this an act of mercy—so you'll understand your position before you forget yourselves."
Makima exhaled through her nose, unimpressed. " blah, blah, blah—just like my husband, but ten times worse. Talky and talky."
Straightening her posture, she lifted her chin, confidence radiating from every motion. She was the wife of the Demon King—pride was her crown, and she wore it perfectly.
"How about this, Black Shit ? I can make a better Philosopher's Stone than you ever could."
Kang Woo froze for a second, blinking before a faint grin tugged at his lips. if her old self saw this… she'd lose her mind. The Makima I knew was all calculation, careful words. Now she's just swinging straight at gods.
The Black King stared for a heartbeat—then threw his head back in roaring laughter. "BHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ohh, my big log, you've grown past your bounds! I see it now—since my forced master Kang Woo strengthened you, you've gotten bold!
The Black King's laughter died abruptly, his grin stretching into something wrong, inhuman. He stepped forward, and his face began to deform—skin splitting, reshaping into a nightmarish visage of writhing eyes and teeth. From his shoulders, thin black tentacles unfurled, twitching like serpents hungry for life.
"And what," he hissed, his voice distorting into overlapping tones, "makes a tiny chirp of wood think she knows anything of gods—let alone Outer God like me? I promoted you to a big log, but it seems you've forgotten your place. You're still beneath me, insect."
Kobeni froze where she stood, her throat clicking as she swallowed hard. Her hands trembled, clutching the edge of her seat, eyes wide with silent terror.
Kishibe exhaled smoke through his nose, his expression unreadable but his thoughts clear as day. Kang Woo, how many monsters are you planning to invite into this world? Evil Morty and crimson king was already bad enough. I need peace, not another goddamn apocalypse.
Makima's eyes locked on the Black King, unwavering. She had already seen his true form before—the abyssal maw, the endless eyes, the twisting geometry of an eldritch god that defied reason. Compared to that memory, this was nothing. She tilted her head slightly, confidence radiating off her like a quiet flame.
"I don't know much about your circumstances," she said smoothly. "I only listen when my husband tells me to. But you'll accept my challenge—right here, right now."
The Black King's jaw clenched, his form pulsing as his many eyes turned milky white—like the blind idiot god who ruled over dreams itself. The air distorted around him, humming with suppressed wrath.
"Ohh? You intend to provoke me? And how exactly do you plan to do that, little devil?"
Makima's smile widened, slow and venomous. Her tone dripped with scorn.
"You lost to your host, Kang Woo destroy Dis, the Crimson King—while you, with all that divine knowledge in your oversized skull, can't even make a proper Philosopher's Stone. All that power, and what do you have to show for it? An incomplete failure."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice slicing the air like a blade. "doesn't that make you the embarrassment of your own race?"
The Black King's laughter erupted, deep and menacing, echoing through the lab like the sound of splitting mountains. His form twisted further, growing monstrous—his body stretching with writhing limbs, tendrils crawling from his back, his silhouette radiating a pressure that made even the air feel heavy. The walls trembled as his aura flooded the room, oppressive and alive.
"BHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The sound was pure madness, sharp and cruel.
"Kang Woo, you're fucking insane!" he bellowed, teeth flashing in a jagged grin. "Your wife's following right in your footsteps! I thought you were fucking around when you chose her—, now I see it. She's just as reckless as you."
Then his tone shifted—his laughter fading into a deadly seriousness. His many eyes turned toward Makima, gleaming with dangerous curiosity.
"Alright then, Control Devil," he said, voice lowering to a growl that reverberated through every surface.
"What's the stake here? I'm not stupid. You've provoked me this far—what exactly do you want from me?"
Makima's gaze didn't waver. Her voice came steady, clear, and laced with quiet determination.
"The invisible screen Kang Woo always uses—grant it to me as well. Make me a player."
The Black King's monstrous form began to recede, his writhing mass of tendrils folding inward until he once again resembled Kang Woo's reflection—same stature, same presence—but his eyes remained unnatural, gray irises floating over pitch-black pupils. He regarded her with a mix of disbelief and intrigue.
"One person only, I'm bound to Kang Woo, and I already gave him that privilege. But humor me…"
black king tilted his head, a smirk ghosting across his face.
"I hold multiple Authorities and more strength than your kind can fathom. You don't want that instead?"
Makima shook her head, her tone calm but resolute. "I don't need that strength. I'll find my own, as long as I follow Kang Woo."
Her eyes softened as she turned toward her husband, the faintest trace of warmth breaking through her composed exterior. "I just want to see how he sees things. It might help me understand the world… differently."
The Black King's lips curled into an amused grin, his tone laced with mockery and reluctant admiration.
"Differently ? , You just want to catch up to Kang Woo's strength. Admirable, I'll give you that. Even now, you're stronger than you ever were when you were chained to that pathetic Prime Minister. Kang Woo's commandments and Quincy essence made you something far greater…"
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "…but you're still only a quarter of Kang Woo's current strength. Which, frankly, is already terrifying—since that bastard's power level is beyond anything this world can measure."
He began to circle her, his voice shifting from casual to calculating. "So how about this: during Kang Woo's little journeys—because I know damn well you'll tag along—if we come across an alien, or a god, , I'll hand one of them to you on a silver platter. You choose which."
Makima tilted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "That's a fair price. Then as part of the contest, I'll wager my traits—"
The Black King cut her off, voice rising with cold laughter. "Your traits? Those two you carry—'Represents the Concept of Control,' and 'Soul Dominion: Enchantment × Amplification'—don't mean a damn thing to me."
"Even if your potential someday surpasses Jugram or that pompous Yhwach himself, it wouldn't change the fact that compared to me… you're still just a flicker in the dark."
Kobeni's expression fell, her voice small and uncertain as she glanced between the two titans. " That means… even Kang Woo's partner, Makima herself, doesn't have anything that can compare to you?"
The Black King turned his head toward her, amusement curling in his voice like smoke. "Who said it needs to be compared to anyone from this world?"
His gaze shifted, locking onto Kang Woo with a slow, predatory smile. The air thickened, heavy with intent. " im gonna make this interesting. If I win this little contest…"
Black king raised a finger, gesturing lazily toward himself. "…you'll expand my range of movement to five hundred meters. I want to move in or out of your sea whenever I damn well please."
Black king smirked, eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction. "And one last thing—I don't want this little devil and her band of brave idiots seeing me when I come and go. Consider that part of the deal, oh great master Kang Woo."
Power grinned wide, fangs flashing. "That's nice! More freedom means more meat, right? So that means nothing's taken from Makima-san!"
The room went dead silent.
Every member of Division 4—Kobeni, Aki, Denji, Himeno, even Kishibe—turned to glare at her with the kind of look that could curdle blood. Denji's fist twitched like he was two seconds away from smacking her across the head.
Makima didn't move, but the sudden flare of fury in her eyes could have frozen the air solid. "This is between me and you, My husband is not part of the bargain."
The Black King's grin stretched wider, sharp and cunning. "And neither are the others I'll bring upon you , if you win. They're not part of the deal either."
His form shimmered faintly, tendrils of darkness snaking through the air as his voice deepened into a near-growl. "Ohh, Makima, Control Devil—how far you've fallen upward. You're about to step into realms you were never meant to touch. Your fate before Kang Woo came was to be a bottom-feeder, gnawing on the scraps of Invalid devils."
He paused, eyes glowing with cruel amusement. "And so it is with every being still chained to this rotting world."
Kang Woo only nodded, amusement flickering across his face. "I accept, Black King. This is the most chaotic, mad show you've ever put on."
Division 4 didn't wait for the next round of taunts. They surged forward as one, gathering around Kang Woo.
Aki's eyes were wide, voice tight but trying to keep it together. "Kang Woo—hey, listen. Think this through. Think a very long time. Don't drag every single asshole in the world into your mess !"
Himeno leaned in, arms folded, her grin gone thin and hard. "You saw that thing, right? Your twin brother is screwed to the core ."
Denji scratched the back of his head, grin lopsided and oblivious to the gravity. "Uh—Kang Woo! While we're not being devoured, can you teach me how to pick up girls?, before your nonsense ruins all our chances?"
Kishibe harrumphed, cigarette smoke curling as he gave Kang Woo a sardonic look.
"Or—alternatively—give me the green light to slit your throat for talking too much," Kishibe muttered, half-joke, half-warning. The room stiffened at the edge of his humor, because everybody knew Kishibe's barbs were his way of testing whether the world still made sense.
The Black King's grin thinned to something colder. "I have no interest in the worthless detritus of this world," he said, voice like gravel. "But I will make my forced master's life far harder than usual—drive him mad as Dis once was."
Black king paced a slow circle, eyes bright with cruel intent. "Don't misunderstand—I've added a clause for my own amusement: I will not touch a single strand of your hair or spill your lives... provided you do not attack me first. My primary target, always, is my host—Kang Woo."
Makima stepped forward carefully, her heels echoing against the lab floor. The tension was thick enough to feel on the skin. She reached Kang Woo, brushing lightly against him by accident, her voice low. "Kang Woo… I'm —"
Kang Woo cut her off with a calm smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Come with me. Meet me in the hallway."
Then his gaze shifted—slowly—to the Black King. The air warped. Without a word, Kang Woo raised his hand, and in a violent shimmer of distortion, Venuzdonoa appeared—its edge swallowing light itself.
He swung once. The blade missed the Black King by inches, burying itself deep into the reinforced wall. The metal hissed, its structure corroding under the weight of Kang Woo's destructive nature—so intense that even the Black King flinched.
"Shut the fuck up," Kang Woo said quietly, eyes glowing with the Magic Eyes of Destruction. "You've talked enough."
The Black King froze, his grin flickering, then he lifted both hands in mock surrender, still smiling but silent. His fingers moved slightly in the air—a lazy gesture that meant, I give up.
Kang Woo didn't blink. The blade stayed buried in the wall, humming like a live wound. He glanced toward Kobeni, catching her hopeful, worried look. Quietly, he said,
"Stay here, Kobeni. I need to talk with Makima—just the two of us."
Kobeni nodded, clutching her popcorn bucket like a talisman. The rest of Division 4 watched in a heavy silence as Kang Woo and Makima stepped out of the lab section and into the hotel corridor. The glass doors slid shut behind them with a soft hiss; the lab's view sealed away once more.
Power's voice cut across the silence, high and plaintive. "Heyyy—Kang Woo! Don't leave us here with your twin brother!"
From where he leaned against the far wall, the Black King only shrugged and propped a shoulder against the plaster. His smile was thin; his hands made a small, theatrical surrender hand signs . : I can't talk. Kang Woo will kill me if I fuck things up,
Himeno relaxed just a fraction, a grin ghosting across her face. " we've got a little breathing room."
Aki's expression stayed hard. He shook his head slowly, the calm in his tone sharp as a blade. "That doesn't change anything. The Black King might not mean us direct harm but . That parasite inside him… no one knows what it'd do without restraint its host. Nobody can stop that thing if it goes rogue."