The thought cut across Kang Woo's mind with bitter amusement, his smirk flickering back for only a moment before fading into silence. The interface blinked again at the edge of his vision—Black King's Note—but he ignored it as the scent of food reached him.
Makima appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray. She set it down with quiet care: orange slices, four pieces of toast, eight sausages, two beef-eye eggs, two steaming cups of coffee, and a small salad of fresh tomatoes.
Kang Woo's eyes drifted from the food to her.
Makima smirked faintly, tilting her head. "Shouldn't whatever only you can see be more important than me?"
Kang Woo snorted. "The system screen? Nah. Probably just my local parasite complaining again about having a roommate."
Instead of taking the seat across from him, Makima settled beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed.
Kang Woo raised a brow, teasing her back. "Oh my… was last night not enough?"
Makima's lips curved into a sly smile. "Just making sure. If you try to run away again, I can chain you right back here."
Kang Woo only chuckled quietly, shaking his head.
Makima picked up her toast, laying an egg slice across it before taking a neat bite. Kang Woo, on the other hand, merely tapped his finger against the table, staring at the untouched plate in front of him.
"You'd better eat that toast," Makima said, her tone edged with playful scolding. "It'll get cold."
Kang Woo smirked faintly. "Demons don't need meals. My race eats souls to replenish mana and demonic energy. I think I downed about three million souls yesterday alone."
Makima's smile thinned. She set her toast down with an exaggerated sigh, clearly tired of his antics.
"Open your mouth. Say ah—like a child."
His brow twitched, but he humored her, parting his lips just slightly.
In a flash, Makima shoved the toast into his mouth. "That's a good boy. Now don't forget to eat your food instead of running your mouth."
Kang Woo blinked once, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he chewed, but it was slow. Inwardly, his thoughts churned—so many tasks undone, so many burdens yet to be dealt with. His silence stretched across the table like a shadow.
Makima, however, ate her meal with ease. She savored every bite, but every ten seconds or so, her eyes flicked to him—studying, patient. She knew her husband wasn't an ordinary man, nor even a devil. He was the Demon King of the Ninth Hell, and his mind was always further than the room they sat in. The world she lived in was a mere fraction compared to the vastness of what he had shown her.
Still, she understood something. She was his other half. She didn't yet know exactly what that meant—but she had the outline of it. She was the first wife of the Demon King, his most trusted. And in that role, she would do anything to prevent him from suffering setbacks again, anything to keep him from being dragged into chaos by stunts like the ones she herself had once pulled in Aokigahara.
Her thoughts sharpened as her gaze lingered on him, the faint curve of a smile on her lips masking the worry in her chest. My husband's mind is somewhere else. He's uneasy again. His eyes look calm, but I know better. His thoughts are already far from here…
Makima decided to shift his focus before he drowned in silence.
"Kang Woo," she said quietly, "can you tell me more about Nayuta?"
Kang Woo's lips curved faintly, a crooked smile. "Nayuta? Oh, that's just a nickname for you I picked up."
Makima narrowed her eyes. "You're a good joker, Kang Woo. But I need you to be serious. You already knew Nayuta long before her future self—before me—stood here. I met her too, in some kind of blank space. Other Control Devil incarnations were there, cheering me on when I fought against Lucifero. She was among them."
Kang Woo stilled. His eyes sharpened, the weight of his thoughts pulling down like anchors. Hmm? Soul predecessors lending power to their current incarnation—that much I know. It's a common trait among beings bound to cycle. But a future self crossing back through the chain of fate? That shouldn't be possible. Nayuta can only exist if Makima dies…
He tapped the air. "Authority of Projection."
A holographic image unfolded between them—Nayuta, younger, hair darker, the same face as Makima but harder around the edges. Kang Woo's voice was flat as he explained, "She is your future incarnation. She's like you, but with her goals already fulfilled."
His mouth curled with a hint of bitter amusement. "The tragedy is she tried to fix things ,But the government and the people wrecked it all. They fell into panic over some prophecy about the Death Devil and the end of the world."
The amusement hardened into anger. Kang Woo's sclera darkened, his pupils flaring red. "It's absurd," he snarled. "Does the power level in this world have to be so low that a single prophecy sends everyone running in circles? Cowards, all of them—sheep. They have no knowledge , what I've faced.. What a true galaxy of struggle is."
Kang Woo let the words hang, voice dangerously low.
"That's part of why I offered you this planet. I despise their mentality. One prophecy, and they'll crumble. I have no patience for ruling a bunch of spell-less, talentless people. Heh… I might glass this planet and turn it into a fel environm—"
He went silent. Makima wasn't even looking at him.
Her gaze was fixed on the holographic image of Nayuta. Tears slid silently down her cheeks. The future Control Devil—the one who had achieved everything she had once longed for—stood there in light and reishi. Makima lifted a trembling hand and touched the projection as if she could reach through it.
Her voice came low at first, then steadier, filled with a release she'd never allowed herself before.
"You can be assured, my future self… you don't have to worry about me anymore. This Control Devil… she finally has what she wanted for so many, many years."
Her thumb brushed across the hologram's cheek. Her lips curved faintly.
"I found him. A crazy nut-job with chaotic tendencies—someone who's pissed me off so much, breaking my cold persona over and over. But… I like it. And I love him more than anyone. I had prepared myself in case my soulmate turned out weak or ordinary. I would've treasured him anyway. But I didn't expect… this."
Her breath hitched; her smile trembled.
"After my long life, after everything, I finally know love and intimacy. And I got a bonus I could never have imagined: my husband is a Demon King. Stronger than anything I could have dreamed, strong enough to hold entire world beneath his fingertips. And yet he chose me."
Makima pressed her palm to the image, whispering like a prayer. "I hope you know, future me… that I'm the happiest devil alive. Living in the happiest time. Finally, I achieved my greatest goal."
Kang Woo thought to himself, amused. She doesn't even realize she just confessed the weight she's been carrying inside. Then, with a sarcastic curl of his lips, he said,
"Bonus. You always call me your bonus… but maybe your salary back when you worked for the Japanese government was better."
Makima exhaled through her nose, her voice steadier now, sharp with fact rather than jest.
"Kang Woo, none of us have ever truly ruled the world. Not as a single ruler. We don't have space travel like you. Or like Evil Morty. And for the final part—not even the Primal Devils, with all the power they boasted, ever managed what you did."
She gave a dry chuckle, a trace of scorn lacing her tone.
"And as for Vought? Don't make me laugh. They're probably still scrambling to cover up Homelander's humiliation—how he was singlehandedly defeated by you in one punch, right here in Tokyo, days ago."
Makima's eyes shifted, the edge of her smile falling away into something steadier, heavier.
"Kang Woo… can I ask one more thing? A request. I want to be able to influence you in the future."
Kang Woo tilted his head slightly, his gaze narrowing with curiosity.
"You already influence me enough from my point of view."
But Makima shook her head. Her voice deliberate.
"No. As your other half, I want to do more. You've said it yourself—you have very low patience. I can fill that role for you. And your face…" her eyes searched his, "…it always carries those uneasy thoughts. You don't have to bear them alone. Share them with me. I can help. And I mean it."
Kang Woo's gaze lowered, a flicker of shadow crossing his expression.
"A massive portion of my ability is sealed and fragmented."
Makima's composure cracked. Her eyes sharpened, and her voice carried a low growl.
"By who? . Can I take it? Your enemy is my enemy too."
Kang Woo gave a faint, bitter smile, making a slow circle with his finger in the air.
"The enemy you've already looked right at."
Makima blinked, confusion slipping into her tone.
"…You mean the Japanese government?"
He tilted his head, a wry note slipping into his voice.
"Really? Is that what you thought?"
Makima thought harder, her mind running back over everything he'd told her. Then, slowly, her eyes widened.
"You mean… the world. The planet itself sealed your power."
Kang Woo nodded once.
"You can call the world Gaia. That's the more common name for it. some of my power sits in the Black King too. But I've already robbed him of his authorities piece by piece."
Makima's lips pressed into a thin line, her tone sharp.
"Kang Woo… can you just kill that black lump of filth? Truth be told, even Mikhail—the eyeball on your left back palm, the one who calls us 'low creatures'—is a hundred times better than the Black King. There's something that aches in my heart. That thing is very wrong to exist."
Kang Woo leaned back slightly, expression unreadable.
"The Black King has something inside his mind—and in his ability—that suits my purpose. That's why he still lives. Let me remind you, Makima: I just defeated the Crimson King at his most recovered state. The Black King inside my body is nothing but an ego. A splinter of the original. Not the real thing."
A sharp chime rang inside Kang Woo's head.
[System Notification]
+200 Affection with Makima (195/100): Exceed capacity — locked and maxed.
Makima is fully in love with Oh Kang Woo and absolutely loyal to him. She serves as his most trusted aide, though her possessive nature endures. While she accepts his other wives without conflict, anything that threatens the Demon King will be eradicated without hesitation, regardless of the odds.
She would even attempt to assert dominance over the Black King and try to kill him—despite the futility. This loyalty, combined with her nature, can at times make her troublesome and cause setbacks. Another source of conflict is the stark contrast between them: Makima embodies order, while Kang Woo embraces chaos.
Reward Traits for Max Affection:
• Represents the Concept of Control (Rank: SS)
• Soul Dominion: Enchantment × Amplification (Rank: SSS)
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Kang Woo's lips curved faintly, though inside his thoughts cut sharp.
…Oy, are you kidding me? She's better at understanding souls than me? And I'm the one who has Soul Distribution × Auswählen. What kind of joke is this…
Makima noticed. The twitch of his brow, the edge of annoyance in his expression disbelief. As though he'd just been bested in something he thought untouchable.
Her eyes softened. A smile curved her lips, quiet but laced with warmth and teasing amusement. She tilted her head, voice calm and deliberate.
"Kang Woo… what did that invisible screen of yours just say about me?"
Kang Woo's gaze locked onto her, his voice low but steady.
"It says you'll always love me. Always be loyal. But it also warns me—says you still carry the troublesome traits of the Control Devil. Possessive. Willing to eradicate any threat to your king—me—no matter the odds. Which means…" He paused, expression shifting, "…if I don't kill the Black King…"
Makima's eyes flashed, finishing his thought without hesitation.
"I will. I'll kill the Black King that festers inside you. I don't care if you 'need' him. That thing doesn't deserve to exist between us. I'll kill it with or without your consent."
Kang Woo exhaled through his nose, smirking faintly, though there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
" You're trying to assert dominance over something like an Outer Creature. Over the Black King himself."
Makima's smile turned sharp, a spark of dark resolve behind it.
"Oh, that invisible screen is absolutely right. That black lump of filth needs to know—this 'tiny chirp of wood' will splinter its eye one day."