The City of Tokyo was silent. Cracks webbed across scorched earth. Dust still curled in the sky where gods had clashed and history itself had been rewritten. Amid the wreckage, Kang Woo stood.
His presence alone overwhelmed the air around him. But when he finally speak … it was gentle. Uncharacteristically soft. Just for her.
"I know what you're about to do," he said, eyes fixed on the figure in front of him. "But please… don't. I mean it. Don't bow. No dogeza, no kneeling, none of that.".
"I don't like it," he added. "Especially not from you. You're my wife now."
Makima stood perfectly still. Her coat fluttered in the lingering winds of war. She didn't blink. Then slowly, she stepped forward… and lowered herself to one knee.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "But let me do this freely. Just once. Before I met you, I thought I understood what I was . But now… after today… I know nothing."
Her eyes rose to meet his. "I don't know who you really are, my husband.. But I know enough to bow, even if just this once."
Kang Woo sighed, a flicker of a smile on his lips—half amused, half reluctant.
"…Proceed, then," he said. "But don't make a habit of it. It's embarrassing. And unnecessary."
He reached out, offering his hand to help her up. "Now . You've got something on your mind. I can tell. A lot happened."
Kang Woo reached out his hand. Firm, steady. She took it.
As Makima rose, the silence between them wasn't awkward. It was full—heavy with things left unsaid. But she broke it first.
"…Kang Woo," she said, her voice quiet. "Why did you help me? Why did you save me when I was abandoned by my own country… left alone in the Aokigahara forest?"
Kang Woo tilted his head, then smirked. "First and foremost," he said dramatically, "I love you too, that's it. Ha ha."
Makima blinked—then chuckled, surprised by her own smile. It came out involuntarily. The kind of smile she rarely let herself wear. Still, her expression faded back into seriousness.
"Kang Woo," she said, more firmly now. "I'll be frank with you. Truly. I have nothing to be proud of anymore. I was discarded like trash. I gave everything for a country that tossed me aside. I obsessed over the Chainsaw Devil, and even that… I abandoned. I've clung to you since. But I haven't earned it. I haven't done anything worthy."
"I don't even have achievements I can point to. I'm not someone… worthy of standing next to the man who killed the Crimson King. Please, tell me—Anos Voldigoad, Kang Woo… do I have any worth for you at all? I don't even qualify to be your wi—"
But she never finished. Kang Woo stepped forward and kissed her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest, as if sealing her away from all the self-hate, all the doubt.
When he pulled back, his voice wasn't teasing. It was calm. Absolute.
"They say chaos can't exist alone. That it births its own collapse without something to hold it together. So order came.. You are that rule, Makima."
He touched her forehead with his own. "Do you remember how many times you tried to bind me? To manipulate me? Trick me? That was really fun, you know."
His grin returned, nostalgic. Grateful. "Thank you, Makima… for being the small order in my chaos."
Makima's breath hitched. Her body trembled, arms slowly tightening around him as if afraid the moment might shatter. Tears spilled freely. She pressed her face into Kang Woo's chest. she allowed herself to sob. from overwhelming gratitude.
"I'm… so grateful…" she choked, voice muffled, thick with tears. "I thought I'd be discarded again… I thought I'd never see you again. That you'd leave this world forever... ."
She looked up at him, eyes wet, lips trembling in a fragile smile.
"But you're here. You stayed. Even after… everything. after becoming something greater than what I know …"
Her words caught in her throat. Then she shook her head, as if trying to ground herself.
"I don't care if I'm just your slave. Or a bird flying beside you. Or something even smaller than that. …Thank you, Kang Woo. Thank you…"
Kang Woo's arms held Makima close. He gently rested his forehead against hers, his breath steady, warm—comforting. Her tears still clung to his clothes , but her breathing was slowing, her sobs beginning to settle.
And yet, even in this rare moment of peace… the system stirred. A panel appeared silently across his vision .
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[System Alert]
[Crimson King assimilation process: 40%]
Note: Assimilation progress will now slow significantly.
Reason: Crimson King is an ultimate evil—a keystone of multiversal corruption.
Choose priority inheritance:
/
Bloodlit Sovereignty — [Y/N]?
Ruinous Dirge — [Y/N]?
Disorder Ruler — [Y/N]?
Crown of Crimson Dominion — [Y/N]?
Chaos Genesis — [Y/N]?
/
Kang Woo's eyes narrowed slightly.
He smiled. Still holding Makima with one arm, he raised his other—finger hovering over the interface only he could see. And then…
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
[Skill Acquired: Chaos Genesis]
Rank: EX-'?'
Description: Reality is no longer bound by truth. Logic bends. Causality breaks. One law may be rewritten. You are the contradiction.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The energy pulsed through him. Something impossibly old. Something meant to never be tamed. And yet—it bent, submitted, obeyed. Chaos Genesis settled into his source like a splinter of uncreation wrapped in purpose. His connection to the demonic sea shimmered violently before stabilizing.
Kang Woo exhaled, quiet but satisfied. With this… he thought, reality warping is mine too. He didn't speak the words aloud..
His hand gently brushed through Makima's hair again—never letting her know that in this exact moment, the Crimson King's ultimate authority had just been stolen.
But even as the new power coursed through him, Kang Woo's instincts sharpened. He could feel it—the madness woven into the skill's essence. Chaos Genesis. It was Dis. Left unchecked, it would erode him the same way it had consumed its creator.
Kang Woo narrowed his eyes. He reached inward, into the core of his demonic sea, and forced the fractured law of Chaos Genesis down—compressing it, reshaping it, bending it to his will. It resisted violently, writhing like a wounded beast, desperate to infect and unmake. But Kang Woo's will was heavier, forged through betrayal and countless rebirths.
The System flickered.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
[Skill Modified]
[Chaos Genesis → Sealed]
Name: Heart of Chaos
Rank: EX
Status: Sealed Form
Description: A restrained modification of the Crimson King's authority. Still capable of rewriting reality, but its scope has been reduced to a stable level—comparable to the "Chaos" once wielded by King Arthur in Nanatsu no Taizai..
Note: Full Chaos Genesis remains locked within. The seal can be broken at any time.
Warning: Breaking the seal will induce severe insanity,.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Kang Woo smirked faintly, feeling the sealed authority pulse in his chest like a second heartbeat.
"I'll use this on my terms."
Makima, still hugging him, felt it—that shift. Subtle, but unmistakable. A tremor in the air. A ripple in the source. Kang Woo's warmth remained… but something far older now lingered inside him. She pressed closer. He mumbles like a madman, she thought, but there's always meaning. He just killed a Higher beings . I watched it happen.
Then, gently, Kang Woo pulled away.
Makima nodded. She rose to her feet, standing beside him—silent, firm, ready.
Kang Woo raised his voice without shouting. "Mikhail, you're cleared to return. As for the Black King—" his tone dropped "—you owe me a debt for that Crimson King stunt."
A quiet blink pulsed on Kang Woo's left palm. The Eye of Mikhail—embedded once more—closed its golden slit and disappeared beneath the skin.
Then black goo bubbled into the air behind them, twisting, coiling, reforming itself into a mirror of Kang Woo's shape—same height, same build—. Black king
Makima's gaze sharpened as she stared. "I really hate you, Black Shit. Or whatever you call yourself now. You're Fucking parasite that clinging to Kang Woo like mold.."
The Black King's expression didn't change. His gray eyes drifted lazily to her, then flicked up and down her body like he was inspecting an insect pinned to a wall.
"A tiny chirp of rotted wood dares bark at me? You've truly lost your mind, cretin dust. Or maybe you've deluded yourself. You wear the name of his wife now. wield his Commandment of Piety like it's a toy. Ever heard of staying in your place, little bottom-feeder?."
Black king smirk widened. "A speck clinging to the boot of the one who walks above."
Makima said nothing. it. Just looked away—cold, composed. Because she knew. Even with her newfound strength, her Commandment of Piety, her power gifted by Kang Woo… she had no firepower to erase this thing.
The Black King scoffed, disgusted at her silence. But then his gaze shifted, burning toward Kang Woo. " It was the Crimson King from the beginning, It was never about taking my authority! Even though I offered it! After you won!"
Kang Woo didn't blink. A slow, cruel smile. "The Black King Original of the Universe… the Eye that once opened and killed creation itself—fooled twice," Kang Woo said smoothly, tilting his head. "How's that for the headline?"
The Black King didn't answer. The air around him twisted as shame folded over rage. His mouth didn't move—but the thought screamed inside.
This… fucking Demon King. He's right. If the other egos see this… I'll be a laughing stock..
Kang Woo stepped forward, calm,. "The version of you standing here now, couldn't even stand against one of your mainline egos—let alone become the Original.. Don't dare dream that you can remove the Obelisk and become the real Black King."
The Black King's expression didn't change. And in that silence, something else filled the void. A single, devastating realization.
This Anos Voldigoad… … I underestimated him. Not just his power. But His experience too . I have a very strong confirmation now… he's been in this situation many times before. Or worse… he's lived through millions of loops just like this.
The Black King exhaled once, "…Cut to the chase, Anos. What is it you really want from me?"
Kang Woo voice was calm. Absolute.
"I want your undying loyalty," he said plainly. ". You serve me as if you serve your own existence. In return, I'll remove the Obelisk's lock. I'll let you take the wheel—your original body. And once you've stabilized it… we settle this. Demon King… versus Black King."
The air vibrated. But the Black King scoffed.
"And what makes you think I'd serve you?" he hissed. "You forget. Countless egos still remain dormant. But they're all me. I am them."
Kang Woo raised a brow, interrupting without hesitation.
"You have zero options. You failed to devour me. You didn't even have standing before I consumed the Crimson King. Now You're bluffing ? ."
"Your ego split Eons ago. Hundreds of versions of you now claw at each other like starving rats. And you think they'll work together? No."
Kang Woo's voice dropped lower—cutting like obsidian.
"Dead wrong." You all kill each other. Every version of you devours the next, trying to be the 'real' Black King. "
Kang Woo's hand gestured to him—not like an equal, but like an insect. "You're nothing more than a parasite. A fragment that cling to me. And away from me? You're just black goo."
Then came the last nail. "Don't forget—you exist because of me."
The words echoed, louder than any explosion.
The Black King twitched. His eyes narrowed. The temperature around them dropped instantly, like entropy itself had gathered to respond. The void answered his fury—black energy swelling behind him like a planet-sized sphere of death, ready to descend on everything.
Makima instinctively took a step back, her breath catching. He's about to unleash something that could destroy worlds. . I need to widen my vision… or I really will be crushed like a cockroach.
But Kang Woo just stared. Deadpan.
The void trembled. Then—dispersed. The Black King smiled. But it was wrong. Forced ."A joke,"
Raising his hands as if that made it true. "Come on now, even egos can smile, right? Sorry to scare you?"
His grin thinned, then sharpened into something darker.
"Don't misunderstand me, brat," he said, his voice edged with venom but lined with a rare acknowledgment. "You've earned more than mockery—few ever push me this far. But mark my words… if you don't reach the seat of my main ego—Failed to win against the main ego of Black King—I will never forgive you. Respect that, at least. For you've chosen to step into a war older than your own ."
Kang Woo's lip curled, half grin, and disgust. "Who the fuck are you talking to, black goo? , Do you even know how many worlds, gods have fallen beneath my blade?"