Makima had been sleeping soundly, her breath calm, her body still heavy with rest. But suddenly—she felt it. Kang Woo's arms were no longer around her.
Her eyes opened. A flicker of irritation crossed her face. Again? He left me again?
She pushed herself up, ready to scold him—only to pause. The room around her… wasn't her apartment. Her breath stilled.
Before her stretched a vast, endless sea—blood-red waves rolling under a sky the same color, where either a sun or a moon burned crimson above. The air was heavy, metallic, carrying a suffocating weight.
Makima's thoughts raced. Where am I?. And Kang Woo… where is he?
Her eyes darted frantically across the horizon, but she saw nothing—only that cursed red ocean, and the looming celestial body above it.
Her chest tightened. Then she cupped her hands around her mouth, her voice breaking across the vast silence.
"Kang Woooo! Where are youuu?!"
Her cry echoed, swallowed by the sea, as if the place itself wanted to mock her desperation.
She forced herself forward, summoning the fused Commandment's power. A single dark wing sprouted from her back, cutting against the crimson air. But when she tried to take flight, the sea itself dragged her down. Her abilities sputtered, crushed beneath an unseen weight. Futile.
Her voice rang out again, more desperate, more commanding.
"KANG WOOOO! ANYONE!"
The silence that followed was heavier than any sound. Her thoughts twisted.
What is this place? Endless hunger… endless satisfaction… It's like it wants to devour everything. Even me.
Then the sea rippled.
A monstrous bulge rose from its surface—meat swollen and grotesque, slick with bloodlight. Tentacles uncoiled like whips, writhing in the air. A massive mouth split open, dripping with saliva thick as tar. It slithered closer, the waves boiling around its bulk.
Makima's body tensed, her instincts screaming. With her powers suppressed, all she could do was brace herself, prepared to fight with her bare will if she had to.
But then—
A voice rolled from the creature. Deep, mocking, familiar.
"Oh… what do we have here? The tiny chirp of wood, managing to stumble into the Demonic Sea itself."
Her eyes widened. She knew that tone. That insult.
"Black King…?" makima whispered.
The mass shifted, tentacles twitching like laughter. The maw curled into something resembling a grin.
"Yes. Quiet down," the Black King hissed. "At least grant me a shred of peace. I've never suffered humiliation like this—by anyone—until him."
Makima's eyes narrowed. Her lips curved into a cruel grin.
"This form suits you better. A pile of shit lumped together—fitting for a parasite like you. I prefer you like this, rather than copying Kang Woo's face every time you crawl out."
Tentacles twitched, the vast maw curling into something that mocked a smile.
"Oooh… you think I wanted that humiliation form? No. I've always been like this. This is truth. That was convenience. And as a veteran resident of this sea, I'll give you a bit of advice: no abilities can be used here."
Her brows furrowed, his words sliding into place in her mind. No abilities… suppression… then that means—
Her eyes widened.
"You mean… we're inside Kang Woo's body."
The Black King's laughter rippled sickly through the crimson tides.
"Oooh, finally—the little piece of wood finds some value. You've grown smarter since the last time we spoke. Though, if I had the choice, I'd rather speak with Mikhail than waste my words on low beings like you."
The sea shifted. Three massive wooden doors erupted from the horizon. And then A single, colossal crimson eye opened above them. It rotated slowly, scanning the expanse, its gaze sweeping across Makima, the Black King, and beyond. The pressure it carried made the very ocean ripple, as if reality itself bowed beneath its sight.
Makima froze. She knew that eye. Kang Woo.
The eye swiveled, locking on the nearest door. A groan thundered through the Demonic Sea as one of the seals cracked, splinters of wooden light scattering into the red tide.
The Demonic Sea's door seal… one of them's damaged. That damn Longinuslanze Testament—getting impaled really fucking hurt. I didn't realize it'd destabilize a stabilizer.
The eye shifted again, slow, deliberate, until its gaze bore down on the Black King and Makima. Then it blinked.
Makima's body lurched forward as if struck by an unseen wave. A rift yawned open behind her, light spilling outward in jagged folds. She tried to call out, voice breaking as the pull dragged her in.
"Kang Woo, wai—!"
Her words cut off. She was gone. The portal snapped shut, leaving only the endless red tide.
"Serves her right," the Black King sneered, his voice slithering. "Tiny chirp of wood."
The crimson eye narrowed, glaring directly at him. Its voice rolled across the Demonic Sea, heavy as judgment. "Did you bring her here?"
The Black King's form twitched, tentacles thrashing as sarcasm laced his venom.
"Am I the one? Really? Did you forget? I'm your most fucking loyal servant—forced into it because I lost a bet! You accuse me of this, as if I could even try. If I wasn't imprisoned—stripped until even my Authorities are bound—of course I could. But like this? Don't make me laugh."
His tone broke, not into fear but fury. His teeth gnashed inside that maw, his laughter jagged.
"You humiliate me, then accuse me on top of it? Don't test me, Demon King.
Kang Woo's eye shifted back toward the three doors. One still cracked, splintered and leaking power. Tch.
Without another word, the crimson eye blinked out of existence—leaving the Black King alone, writhing in the tides of the Demonic Sea.
…
Makima's eyes fluttered open. The warmth she felt first wasn't the blankets, but the solid weight of an arm she was clutching tight against her chest. Kang Woo's arm.
Her heart skipped. He hadn't vanished.
"Good morning," Kang Woo's voice came, calm, almost casual. A faint grin tugged at his lips. "Bet you like it that I didn't leave as usual."
Makima smiled, relief softening her face. She parted her lips to ask something—
but kang woo cut across her, voice firm. "Can we forget what happened? That place where the sea is blood… that's my problem, not yours. You don't have to worry about it. Or about the Black King's true form. Let me deal with that."
Makima's smile lingered, but her tone shifted to something quieter, gentler.
"Right… Do you want any breakfast?"
"You first," Kang Woo replied, leaning back as if nothing had happened. "I've got a pile of homework to deal with that I've been putting off since yesterday."
Minutes passed. Kang Woo sat at the low dining table in Makima's apartment, legs folded over the carpet in the typical Japanese way. His fingers tapped a slow, steady rhythm against the wood, the sound sharp in the quiet.
Makima moved in the kitchen behind him, preparing breakfast, the faint aroma of broth beginning to drift through the room. She worked with quiet focus, as if nothing unusual had happened the night before.
Kang Woo, though, remained silent—waiting. His gaze unfocused, resting on nothing as he listened for the hum of the system, for the inevitable pulse of text across his vision. After all, he had forced something no one, not even Yhwach, had ever dared to attempt. Auswählen—on a scale of millions. In a single day. And on top of that… he had consumed the Crimson King himself.
Even for a system that claimed to calculate eternity, the process would take time. Kang Woo smirked faintly to himself. Long enough that even Yhwach would be fucking shocked to see this screen.
His fingers kept tapping, each knock like a heartbeat, as he waited for the verdict of the impossible to finally appear.
[System Notification]
Processing complete. Soul Integration stabilized.
Auswählen Results:
• Devils absorbed: 998,111
• Demons of Makai absorbed: 1,001,889
• Aging Devil's world Human-Tree variants absorbed: 1,556,061 (halved due to Makima's usage for sustaining Vollständig)
Total Soul Count Assimilated: 3,556,061
Result:
• User has reached the Stage of Great Demon Lord
• Authority density has multiplied beyond standard system parameters
• max level cap surpassed
Massive Level Up Achieved
• Current Level: 159
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Kang Woo's lips curved upward in satisfaction. A quiet smile. But then, the screen flickered—glitching.
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[System Notification]
Error. Error.
Designation "Great Demon Lord" cannot be granted.
Reason: Lack of recognized True Demon Lords beneath user to validate authority.
Reminder: Pit Lords and Dreadlords are classified as candidates, not fully realized True Demon Lords.
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Kang Woo's mood soured instantly. His smile flattened, the rhythm of his tapping ceased. He leaned back, exhaling through his nose, refusing to give either the parasite or the system the satisfaction of seeing a reaction.
The interface flickered again.
[System Notification]
Success of current progress:
• Space Between Time → Fully processed.
• Crimson King assimilation: 50% complete.
• Player now possesses Fourth and Fifth Awakening Traits.
Fourth Awakening Trait: Chrono-Void Ascendancy (Rank: EX)
Fifth Awakening Trait: The Next Crimson King (Rank: ?)
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Warning: Spiritual power circulation compromised. Damage detected from Longinuslanze Testament impalement. Energy refill rate slowed by several seconds.
Kang Woo's hand drifted to his chest—the place where flesh had been replaced with black mass, and fragments of the Starscourge. His fingers pressed lightly against the false surface. asking Reinhard to launch his spear… probably the stupidest idea I've ever had.