Kang Woo's voice dropped, threaded with a dark gravity.
"What if I told you… that the hell you know has an underground—hidden beneath it. The Hell Devil itself chose to keep it secret."
Makima eyes widened slightly, a ripple of shock cutting through her composure. A thought surged . Something inside hell… that even I don't know about?
Kang Woo extended his hand. Authority shimmered. The air fractured, and a projection took shape—a structural hologram that bent the living room into a cosmic diagram.. Etched geometry, pulsing like it had always been there, now revealed.
"Your hell," Kang Woo said, gesturing to the outermost circle of the projection, "is the uppermost layer. The surface. It's not even the first. Your world is filled with scraps—supes from Vought, mortals clawing at power, and lastly, devils. Your kind, born from fear, are breadcrumbs compared to the enemies I've faced."
The projection sank deeper. Layer upon layer unfolded beneath the upper crust, each darker, more jagged than the last. Kang Woo's eyes followed the descent without hesitation.
"The real hell has depth, It has nine layers. And beyond them lies a hidden world—Makai. I've forgotten which floor connects to it, but it exists. What you call 'hell' is nothing more than the surface—an outer shell. Beyond it lies the foundation. The core. And the beings who dwell there…"
Kang Woo's voice dropped, low and unshakable.
"I've walked the Ninth Hell. I ruled it. Down there, they're not called devils—they're demons. Every single one of them is born with a name. Every single one wields demonic energy and magic at will. And there were seven princes of Hell…" His eyes hardened. "…but they're all dead now. Because I killed them. Down there, it's kill or be killed—and so I ruled. All nine layers of Hell, unchallenged. My army is endless, countless as grains of sand."
Makima gave a small laugh—soft, but tinged with something almost reverent.
"No wonder you seem familiar. You call yourself an alien… but in truth, you're our destined ruler. From the very start. That's why, the day I bit your finger and drank your blood, I felt the need to kneel. I even shed tears—tears not of sorrow, but of gratitude. I didn't understand why my body reacted that way then… but now I do. It felt the same as standing before a true king."
Makima rose slightly, her expression shifting.
Kang Woo looked away, his voice dry, almost dismissive.
"Destined ruler, huh? But I never even traveled to this Earth of yours. The funny thing is, your world and my Ninth Hell… they're much closer than you think. Close enough to—"
THUD. Kang Woo's words cut off as his eyes snapped back to her. Makima was no longer standing. She was bowed low in dogeza, her forehead pressed to the floor. The posture was absolute submission, humility carved into every line of her frame.
Kang Woo's brows furrowed. His voice came low, edged with displeasure.
"Makima… didn't I tell you? . Don't do this."
Makima voice shook, but not with fear—only with conviction.
"Forgive me for my transgression. I didn't know who you truly were. I have asked too much of you, demanded too much, and you gave willingly every time. If you wish to take back any of the gifts you've given me—take them. I realize it now. I am nothing more than a tiny chirp of wood before you."
Kang Woo's irritation flickered, sharp and immediate. With a single gesture, space folded—Makima's body was pulled upright in an instant, no longer bowing. Shock widened her eyes, but before she could speak, his arms wrapped around her, firm and steady.
"Don't do that ever again," Kang Woo said, his voice low but edged with authority. "One knee—fine. But groveling like that? No. You are not a slave. Not cattle to be sacrificed. You are my wife. My first wife. The wife of Anos Voldigoad. Stand tall. Chin up. You were destined for greatness—don't you dare diminish yourself."
Tears gathered in Makima's eyes, her voice trembling.
"It's impossible, For us to truly be together? You're up there, above the skies. And me… all I can ever do is hold you back from your goals. I've made mistakes, Kang Woo. Like when I forced you to let go of the Aging Devil. I—"
Kang Woo cut her off, his tone softening into something weightier, wiser.
"What's past is the past. Whatever you did before, I forgive it. Don't chain yourself to mistakes that are already gone. Don't let them weigh you down."
Kang woo lifted her chin gently so her eyes met his.
"The past is ashes. The future is ours. Live in the present, Makima—at my side, not beneath me."
His gaze deepened, softer but still radiant with command.
"And don't forget—there's one achievement of yours that no one else has ever matched. You showed me how to be merciful. You reminded me of good things I'd forgotten—things like kindness. I've lived too long in chaotic worlds. That's the problem. But you…"
His hand brushed against her cheek, thumb resting there with rare tenderness.
"You sparked that in me. Do you understand what you've offered me with that bowl of ramen, and with all the times you held me back?"
Kang Woo leaned a little closer, his voice dropping lower, heavier—more confession than declaration.
"It's worth a universe itself, Makima. A universe so vast even the Chaos Gods haven't reigned over it. That's what you've given me."
Makima steadied her breath, then let a faint smirk tug at her lips. Her sarcasm slipped out, light but sharp.
"You overestimate me, my king. A bowl of ramen doesn't hold a candle to Argus—a planet that houses your armies."
Kang Woo's eyes narrowed, his tone serious but laced with bitter humor.
"If you had been one second late—singing that lullaby to me in Tokyo—this entire universe would have ended. I was that enraged. That close to breaking everything."
Makima blinked, her smirk faltering just slightly.
"So… I accidentally saved my world?"
Kang Woo gave a crooked grin, sarcasm dripping from his words.
"I have a very narcissistic and dangerous personality. You'll need to be patient with me, all right?"
Makima didn't answer. Not with words. Instead, a quiet smile slipped through,. He had made her laugh—made her soften—with his ridiculous, volatile honesty. And that was enough.
Kang Woo tilted his head, smirking.
"Have you finished crying? Because if you keep going, I'm going to record it and post it on every network I can find in space. Boost my subs while I'm at it."
Makima blinked, then pouted, her cheeks puffing slightly before she playfully swatted his shoulder.
"Then I want you to let me rest on your thigh. I did just save the world, after all."
Kang Woo chuckled, shaking his head. "Good. Now you're happy again."
Makima let out a small laugh of her own, low and mischievous. "Kukukuku…"
She eased herself down again, resting her head comfortably on Kang Woo's lap. After a pause, her voice softened. "Anos Voldigoad… can I call you by that name? It feels more fitting for you than Kang Woo."
Kang Woo's expression shifted, the smile faltering. His eyes glistened faintly, as if tears threatened. But it wasn't grief—it was the sting of memory, something so cringe it pained him.
Makima saw it instantly. Her chest tightened, assuming she had stepped on an old wound. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. Her thoughts cut sharp: I hurt his feelings…
"If it's too heavy, I'm sorry," she whispered quickly. "We'll change the subject. I shouldn't step so many times into your personal territory."
But Kang Woo only muttered, voice steady: "Authority of Projection."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
At once, a hologram shimmered into existence in the air. It played out an old scene, flickering like a memory.
A much younger Anos stood in some ruined street, chest puffed out, his voice echoing grand and theatrical:
"My name is Anos Voldigoad, and I command every layer of Hell itself!"
But there was no audience. Silence hung—until a wrinkled old demon woman shuffled into view, frowning.
"Sorry, young man… but the cinema's closed. You're bothering the neighbors, all right?"
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Makima just stared, deadpan, her eyes sliding slowly back to Kang Woo.
Kang Woo rubbed the back of his neck, cringing.
"…Yeah. I was too much of a chunni that day. That name—it's a ridiculous memory."
Makima's lips curved into a sharp, amused smile.
"I see. So you really are a chunni man. That ridiculous name—scaring demons for millennia? I expected a little more tragedy, Kang Woo. You've ruined me here."
Kang Woo's gaze didn't waver. His voice dropped lower, calm but edged with history.
"I reigned for ten thousand years, Makima. I conquered all layers of Hell in just a few decades. But back then, I needed a name. A banner. Something the demons would rally under. 'Anos Voldigoad' was that name. Without it, I couldn't gather armies fast enough in those early years. So I built an identity powerful enough to drag the world beneath me."
Makima's smirk faltered just slightly as the words settled in. Her thoughts turned sharp.
Ten thousand years… My husband is actually that ancient? I thought he was at my age , maybe two century at most. And yet—out of everything he could have chosen… he picked me. An insignificant woman , stripped of titles, discarded and forgotten.
Kang Woo's gaze lifted toward the window. From Makima's small apartment, the night sky of Tokyo stretched above them—deep, endless, painted in stars. His voice came low, reflective.
"Your world has this blue sky. This ocean that shines. It's the opposite of where I lived… a world always covered in gloom and darkness. I hated it. I never thought—after ten thousand years—I'd see this again."
Makima's eyes softened, and a sad smile touched her lips as she spoke.
"That's supposed to be my line. I should be the one eternally grateful. All I ever wanted was intimacy, a family, and love. And you… you've already given me that."
Her voice wavered, not from weakness, but from the sheer scale of what dawned on her.
"But the bonus… it's overwhelming. I never imagined you would share your abilities with me—make me stronger than I ever was in my former life. And the final position you gave me…" she swallowed, her eyes steadying on him "…as your first wife. The first wife of Demon King Anos Voldigoad."
Her breath caught at her own words.
"That means one day, I will be ruler of worlds . A throne so high above anything I could have dreamed. Higher than my old title as commander of Public Safety., the power, the fear I once clung to. Back then, I thought I held the peak of control."
Makima laughed faintly—shaken, incredulous.
"And now I see… compared to what you've given me, my old 'command' was nothing more than a desk job.. You've turned me into something I never even knew to desire."
Kang Woo's eyes softened. "I thought you didn't want this planet. I already offered it to you on a silver platter, you know."
Makima straightened, resolve folding into her words. "It's not the planet I refused. The exchange you demanded—'be a good wife and stay out of my business'—that's what I won't accept. What's the point of all the power if you're not here? If I rule everything but can't have you beside me?"
Kang Woo gave a small, almost rueful smile. "I'm still at your side. You don't need to worry about what's happening out there. Enjoy what you have. Don't dwell on the war list and the kill list—I'll handle those. You just live."
Makima met his gaze, fierce and steady.
"No. I won't be told to hide while you do the world-changing work. That was never my bargain."
Her embrace tightened around him, her voice low but filled with warmth as she thought of his struggle to reach this world.
"You managed to escape those traitorous subordinates who betrayed you… I'm just happy you found your way to me, that you confessed what you are to a peasant like me."
Kang Woo let out a short, bitter laugh. His eyes narrowed, but his words came sharp, almost playful—like venting through sarcasm. "Makima… my subordinates never betrayed me.. They're all loyal—too loyal, sometimes. The real problem is they're a pack of troublemakers . Always bothering their master."
He leaned back slightly, throwing his arms out as if reenacting their antics.
"You think ruling the Nine Hells was glorious? Hell no. Every day it was some idiot demon asking if they could use a volcano for a cooking pot, or another genius who thought adding mud and entrails makes food better. Do you know what passes for a gourmet meal in Hell? Stew with extra demon intestines. That's their idea of fine dining!"
Makima couldn't hold it. The laugh tore out of her—sharp, unrestrained.
"PFFFTTTT—kukukuahahahaha!" She clutched her side, nearly doubling over as she caught her breath. Her eyes glistened with pure disbelief. "I thought you escaped for some grand reason! A betrayal. conquest. But it was just—FOOD? Oh, my Demon King… not only are you a chunni, but you actually escaped for the most ridiculous reason imaginable!"
Kang Woo smirked, enjoying her flustered shock. "What's even funnier? Your world and my Ninth Hell are practically neighbors. I could've just walked here. But instead I chose the most complicated way possible. What a time to be alive."
Makima wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling uncontrollably. "I'm sure that 'complicated way' would be enough to kill me from laughter alone. Honestly, Kang Woo—you've shattered every expectation I had left."
Kang Woo's smirk softened, his posture easing. For a moment, the tension of the night seemed to slip from his shoulders.
Makima's laughter faded into something quieter. She looked at him—really looked—and her voice dropped low. "Kang Woo," "I want you to be honest with me. No riddles about chaos and order. Just the truth."
Her hands folded in her lap, her eyes unwavering. "Why did you, the Demon King of Tyranny—the ruler of the Ninth Hell itself—lower your position to rescue me? To give me this privilege I never imagined having? I'm ready for your answer, no matter how cruel it is… ,what it reveals about what you want from me."
She took a breath, her tone softening at the edges. "I will still be your wife. Your best wife. I will follow you regardless."
Kang Woo's gaze softened, though his voice carried weight. "What you have inside you, Makima… there are two things. But those two things are optional. Even if you didn't have them, you'd still be my wife. They're like a hidden jackpot reward I stumbled on—unexpected, but priceless."
Kang Woo leaned back slightly, his gaze sharpening with the weight of what he was about to say. His voice wasn't harsh—just steady, measured, as if carving truth into stone.
"The real reason, Makima… is simple. I couldn't stand the way this world shaped you. Fate pressed you into a mold that was never yours. You longed for love, for family, and instead they chained you like a weapon. The ministers, the leaders—they treated you as a tool, not a person. That… I despised."
His tone lowered, a depth beneath the words.
"And as for you… your spirit is different. You never surrendered. Even when pressed against my Commandment—my will itself—you didn't fold. You Made it yours. That's no small thing. That's the mark of one who rises above what they were born as. You… a devil who clawed her way into the standing of a demon."
Makima's breath caught. She leaned in, resting her head gently on his shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, but there was a sharpness of emotion hidden under the calm.
"…Your honesty, Kang Woo… that's the greatest gift you've ever given me. hearing the truth from you. To know why you reached for me, of all people… I'll treasure that more than anything."
She hesitated for a beat, then asked, her voice steady though her heart raced.
"And… the hidden jackpot? Can you answer it? What is inside of me?"
Kang Woo's eyes narrowed slightly. "One of them, allrighht . The other… I won't speak twice."
Makima nodded quickly, her tone respectful. "I understand. If the other is too sensitive ,I won't press fur-."
But Kang Woo cut across her words, his voice firm, absolute. "No. You misunderstand. I said I will not speak twice. Which means the one I do answer—I will only speak once. And not here. I'll speak it when my army, the Burning Legion, is present. And when your own group—Kishibe, Aki, Denji, Himeno, and that insane blood fiend Power—stand with you. They need to hear it too. So they all understand how that truth changes everything they thought they knew about their world and their place in it."
Kang Woo rose slowly from where he sat, the room's air seeming to shift with him. In his palm, reishi gathered, threads of light weaving themselves into a cup shaped like ancient crystal. It gleamed with the pale radiance of Quincy craftsmanship, yet heavier—more absolute. Without hesitation, he drew a line across his finger and let his own blood fill the cup, crimson swirling into the clear vessel like liquid sigils.
"I will finalize your Quincy ability now. As my other half—someone who walked through the same chains and shadows as I did—that's the jackpot I will answer today. The other… will wait."
Makima stood as well, the hem of her kimono brushing softly against the tatami. Her eyes held a rare tremor as she asked, her voice low.
"What will I have, Kang Woo? I've reached Vollständig before… but it still drains me to exhaustion."
Kang Woo's eyes shifted—two irises blooming within each, a signal that the Almighty had awakened. The room dimmed around him as his power threaded through reality like a loom.
"You have no Schrift of your own. This will grant you one—no mere fragment, but the first letter. 'A.' The same as mine."
He raised the cup, its glow refracting like a blade's edge. "You may refuse. Should it be too much for you, it is your choice. Refusal does not strip you of who you are. Acceptance… will change everything."
Makima's eyes never left his. Her voice was steady, though curiosity still lingered at the corners.
"I will accept it… though your explanation of this 'first jackpot' is still confusing."
She took the cup from his hands and drank. The blood slid down her throat like fire and glass, searing yet clarifying. In that instant she felt it—her core shifting, expanding. A spiritual reactor roared to life within her body. The exhaustion she had always endured when wielding Vollständig still whispered at her edges, but now… it was dulled . She was not broken down by it anymore.
Kang Woo's eyes softened, though his tone carried authority.
"Then hear this, Makima. I will impart your name—Schrift A: Auctoritas."
Power stirred in the room, the word itself bending the air as if space recognized it.
"You are the first devil of this world to wield holy power and darkness power together. A feat impossible until now. With Vollständig as your foundation, and certain conditions, you've done what no one thought could be done." He stepped closer, his hand brushing against her shoulder, grounding her through the surging force inside her.
"And now, with this Schrift imparted, there will be no more complications. You can wield reishi freely—even in worlds devoid of both. Auctoritas comes from the old tongue, Latin. It means 'command.' Within your radius, your words will become law. Enemy or ally, environment or air itself—your command will weigh on them as truth."
Makima's breath shuddered, but her eyes never left his. The power of Auctoritas still rippled inside her veins, yet what she did next had nothing to do with Schrift or bestowed gifts. It was her own will.
Kang Woo tilted his head, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"You can still play with Denji and Pochita if you want. If that suits you better. After all… you're still a Chainsaw Devil fan, right?"
Makima's gaze darkened, a flicker of irritation glinting through her calm as she whispered,
"I will give you my offering as well."
She raised her palm and bit into it, crimson spilling freely across her skin. But instead of letting it fall, she drank deeply, holding the copper taste upon her tongue. Then, with unhesitating conviction, she pressed her lips to Kang Woo's in a kiss—soft, deliberate, but burning with devotion. Her blood flowed into him, the intimacy sharper than any vow.
Her conviction rang louder than words, threading through the act itself:
I offer you my everything, my king. My blood. My body. Even my soul. All of it is yours to take. I will no longer chase Denji, nor the Chainsaw Devil within him. I am only yours. And finally, my king—didn't you forget? A peasant like me is supposed to accept her sovereign's words with grace. How foolish I was to doubt it.
Kang Woo did not pull away. He heard the vow within her blood, felt her devotion seep into him. His own lips deepened the kiss as he drank her offering, not with cruelty, but with the quiet authority of one who accepts loyalty, love, and sacrifice in equal measure.
When at last he parted, his voice was low, edged with that rare gravity he only ever reserved for her.
"…Then so be it. Your blood is mine. Your soul is mine. And you—Makima—are mine."