The sudden crack echoed through the space as the darkness surrounding Makima, Kishibe, Aki, Himeno, and Quanxi shattered .
Quanxi frowned, crossing her arms. "Why did the dome shatter? You haven't explained anything yet."
Himeno, still feeling bold despite the heavy atmosphere, smirked and nudged Makima. "She probably wanted to make a spectacle. Just like Kang Woo."
Makima didn't respond to the teasing, her expression unreadable. But in her mind—
Even just using a small part of the Almighty's future transformation is this taxing? She clenched her fingers subtly. And it's only affecting the abilities Kang Woo bestowed upon me via the Commandment. Even my Darkness Manipulation… But the magic I learned myself remains unaffected. That's useful to know.
With that thought, she blinked once, and her twin pupils faded. The eerie crimson in one eye disappeared, leaving only her usual yellow-ringed gaze.
Kishibe exhaled, watching her closely. "I'm guessing whatever the Almighty did to you was too taxing. Forced you back to normal, huh?"
Makima didn't answer him directly. Instead, she lifted her hands into a swift motion, forming a seal. Within seconds, a ripple ran through the space, and suddenly—
The world around them twisted.
The restaurant faded away, and in its place stood a strange, reflective realm. Infinite reflections of their surroundings stretched out, shifting subtly, as if the world had become a distorted glass maze.
Aki's breath hitched slightly. "Ms. Makima… what is this place?"
Makima lowered her hands, surveying their new surroundings. "You can call it the Mirror Dimension," she said calmly. "It's a parallel dimension. It exists alongside the real world, but access to it requires special means. What happens here won't affect the real world, and vice versa."
Himeno raised an eyebrow. "So… we're being imprisoned here, huh?"
The group all turned to her at once.
Himeno blinked. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Quanxi let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple. "Stop saying things like that. You puked on her book earlier, and now she's not controlling us like she used to… You're lucky she isn't the old Makima I remember."
Himeno gulped slightly at that, but Makima waved a hand dismissively. "I won't do that," she said, though there was an edge to her voice. "But you and Kishibe always have this habit of comparing me. Before I met Kang Woo, and after I met Kang Woo… Is there really such a difference?"
Without hesitation, Kishibe and Quanxi both responded at the same time.
"Yes," they said in unison.
Makima's expression didn't change, but a flicker of something—something unreadable—crossed her eyes as she processed their words.
She exhaled softly. "Before this conversation continues, let me make one thing clear," she said. "I don't care if you spread this information, but understand one thing—this Almighty ability does not belong to me. It belongs to Kang Woo. It only manifests while he's asleep. I do not own it."
Himeno opened her mouth, clearly ready to throw in another teasing remark, but before she could speak, Aki swiftly elbowed her side.
Himeno winced, rubbing her ribs, but stayed silent.
Kishibe, unbothered as ever, nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"
Makima crossed her legs and leaned back slightly. "I've said enough," she murmured. "Now… The Almighty allows me to see the future."
Kishibe raised an eyebrow. "Like the Future Devil?"
Makima chuckled at that.
So this is what it feels like, Kang Woo? she mused internally. When people try to compare your abilities to something inferior? When I used to measure your power with concepts from this world? It really is irritating.
She clicked her tongue before speaking again. "Don't compare it to an invalid race that I used to belong ," she said, her tone laced with disdain. "That Future Devil you're referring to—it can only see glimpses. Useless fragments of the future that do nothing but terrify its contractor. In contrast, the Almighty allows Kang Woo to observe all possible futures at once—like countless grains of sand blowing in the wind."
Aki furrowed his brows. "Grains of sand? What do you mean by that, Ms. Makima?"
Makima's gaze sharpened. "It means that Kang Woo doesn't just see a future—he sees all of them simultaneously," she explained. "Every possibility, every choice, every outcome. And because of that, he can act accordingly. He can counter any opponent before they've even made a move—because to him, they already have."
Himeno groaned, rubbing her temples. "That's… that's just unfair. Like, completely unfair. How do you even fight against that?"
Quanxi leaned back, arms crossed, her lips curling in slight irritation. "Tch. Seeing all futures at once is already broken enough, but you're telling me he can just… counter any move because he's already seen it happen? That's not skill—that's just straight-up cheating."
Kishibe chuckled, taking another sip of his drink. "If you're gonna call it cheating, then it's the kind of cheating only someone like him can pull off."
Aki exhaled sharply, his hand tightening into a fist. "That still doesn't explain something," he muttered. "Me, Himeno, and the Angel Devil fought against Kang Woo before. And somehow, we lost—not once, not twice, but three times in a row." His eyes flickered toward Makima. "What the hell was that?"
Makima closed the grimoire in her lap with a soft thud, tilting her head slightly. "You think what I told you was already a cheat, Himeno-chan?" Her yellow-ringed gleamed. "There's more."
Himeno raised an eyebrow, looking wary. "More?"
Makima smirked. "The second ability of the Almighty is future transformation. Kang Woo called it that himself."
Quanxi's brows furrowed. "Future transformation?"
"The mechanism is simple," Makima continued. "The Almighty doesn't just let Kang Woo see the future. It lets him rewrite it."
Silence.
Aki clenched his jaw. "Rewrite…?"
Makima leaned forward slightly, her voice slow, deliberate. "He can alter future events surrounding him as he sees fit. He doesn't need to react, doesn't need to strategize like a normal person. He simply defeats you in the future repeatedly until that future becomes reality."
( makima version due to her and kang woo is different and lack of future transformation unlike kang woo )
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Himeno's face twisted in disbelief. "What kind of bullshit is that?!"
Quanxi clicked her tongue, looking genuinely irritated now. "So even if we somehow pulled off a miracle and landed a hit on him, it wouldn't even matter. Because in his reality, we never did."
Aki let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. That explains everything now." He exhaled sharply. "It wasn't that we lost three times in a row…"
Makima's smirk deepened.
"It's that you never had a chance to win in the first place."
Himeno threw her hands up, her voice rising in frustration. " Bullshit ! It's just like some hacker in a video game—it's UNFAIR!"
Kishibe let out a low chuckle, tilting his head as he flicked the ashes off his cigarette. "I think you already accepted it, though," he mused. "Technically, you did experience it firsthand a few minutes ago. You just had your future rewritten, didn't you?"
Himeno froze.
"Oh… shit." Her eyes widened as the realization hit her like a truck. "My puke—it's just gone. And my drunk state—I was completely wasted, and now I feel like I never even touched alcohol in the first place…"
Makima smirked. "You catch on fast, Kishibe," she praised. "I merely placed you both in a future where you were already sober and the table was clean." She flicked a glance at Himeno. "Simple, really."
Quanxi clicked her tongue, arms still crossed, but her gaze was sharp—analyzing. "But it taxed you, right?" she noted. "You're not Kang Woo. That's why you deactivated the Almighty."
Makima's smirk didn't falter. "You say that as if you're planning something, Quanxi."
Quanxi's lips curled into a knowing smirk of her own. "Just measuring your weaknesses. Maybe yours will affect Kang Woo, too." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Watch your back, Makima."
For the first time, the tension in the air thickened—Makima's gaze darkened, but her expression remained unreadable.
A slow, deliberate pause.
Then—she chuckled. A soft, amused sound, almost entertained.
"You're welcome to try," Makima said smoothly, swirling her beer in its glass. "But remember, even if you do try—" her yellow-ringed eyes gleamed, "I'll already know how it ends."
Aki let out a long, exhausted sigh while Kishibe massaged his temples as if trying to ward off a migraine.
Makima then leaned forward slightly, placing her chin against her knuckles. "Ohhh, but we're not done yet. How about the last Almighty ability? Should I add another one to make you more desperate and confused? Or would you rather we end this conversation here?"
Aki, Himeno, Quanxi, and Kishibe all looked like they were running on fumes—mentally drained from everything they had learned. The weight of Kang Woo's power was crushing. Every single ability of his seemed less like something mortal beings could comprehend and more like a cosmic cheat code.
Kishibe, still holding his drink, let out a dry chuckle. "We already know how low our abilities compared to Kang Woo… so why not add more? Let's just stack the insanity to its breaking point, huh, guys?"
Aki groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. "The Demon King of the Deepest Hell has something like this… I'm fucked. I was actually dumb enough to try and fight him."
Himeno, despite everything, patted Aki's back in an attempt to lift his spirits. "Then that just means we tell him, 'Hey, Kang Woo, don't use the Almighty! If you do, that means you're a loser!'" She grinned, clearly joking—but even her expression carried an edge of hopelessness.
Quanxi, however, remained silent. Her arms were crossed, her face impassive—but even she looked resigned to the situation.
Makima, watching their reactions with amusement, took another slow sip of her beer before continuing, "Oh? You think that's bad? Then let me tell you about the last ability of the Almighty… the one that will really make you desperate."
She set her drink down, her gaze sharp.
"The third ability… is instant adaptability."
Aki slowly turned his head toward her, dread already forming in his gut. "Instant what?"
Makima's yellow-ringed eyes gleamed. "Anything Kang Woo sees through the Almighty—any attack, any technique, any ability—will immediately become useless against him."
She let the words sink in before delivering the final blow. "Once he's seen it, it will never work on him again. He adapts instantly and becomes completely immune to it. In other words…"
She smirked.
"Any attack he witnesses with the Almighty is permanently ineffective on him."
Aki blinked.
Himeno just stared.
Quanxi finally looked away, shaking her head in disbelief.
Kishibe downed his drink in one go and slammed the glass onto the table. "Of course he does."
Himeno leaned back, letting out a deep, exhausted sigh. "That's Fuckeddddd , basically, the only way to even stand a chance against him… is if we kill him before he ever sees us attack."
Makima tilted her head slightly, amused. "Mmm, if you can even manage that as he could see the future too ."
Aki exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "That's insane. It's not even a fight at that point. You can't beat someone like that."
Makima smirked. "Now you understand."
Kishibe tapped his fingers against the table. "This… this is why the Falling Devil lost her damn mind when she realized what kang woo capable of , huh?"
Makima nodded, her voice carrying a sense of finality. "That's right."
A heavy silence followed.
Then—Himeno, of all people, let out a dry laugh. "You know what? I'm done. I quit. I don't even wanna think about this anymore." She slumped forward, groaning into her arms.
Aki gave her a look. "You quit? You just said you'd tell him not to use it because it would make him a loser."
Himeno peeked up from her arms. "Yeah, but I'd be saying it as a joke. I wasn't actually planning on trying to fight him!"
Kishibe chuckled, shaking his head. "Welcome to the world of absolute despair."
Quanxi just took a long sip of her drink, sighing. "I hate this."
Makima, satisfied with the reaction, simply leaned back in her chair, taking another slow sip of her beer.
"You should've known from the start," she said smoothly. " You all were never meant to win against kang woo ."
Kishibe took a slow drag of his cigarette, his eyes sharp despite the usual exhaustion behind them. "Even in despair, there's always hope."
Quanxi scoffed, swirling the liquor in her glass. "Kishibe, are you seriously trying to cheer us up? That's not helping."
Kishibe smirked. "I'm just saying—even someone like him has a weakness." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Makima, I think you've had your fun watching us squirm. Now, I want something in return."
Makima tilted her head, intrigued. "Oh? And what exactly do you want, Kishibe? The old dog of Public Safety Devil Hunters, now replacing me as the commander after my resignation." She let out a small, mocking laugh. "The man who once led an Anti-Makima squad… now wants to form an Anti-Kang Woo squad? That's suicidal."
Kishibe shrugged. "I know he has a weakness. And you know it too."
Makima's smile remained, but the air around her seemed to still.
Kishibe tapped the table. "Kang Woo already told you, didn't he? And that grimoire—" He motioned toward the Lucius Grimoire, still tainted with Himeno's puke. "It still hasn't repaired itself. That means there's something Kang Woo can't alter, right?"
Himeno suddenly sat up, her eyes lighting up with a mix of realization and desperation. "That's right! There's hope, Aki! A chance to beat him!"
Aki, however, groaned, rubbing his temple. "Whatever you say, Senpai. Can I just smoke, please?"
Makima observed them for a moment before chuckling softly. "You're being quite pushy, Kishibe." Her gaze sharpened. "What makes you think he has one? And even if he does—" she leaned in slightly, her voice dropping into something more dangerous, "—what makes you think that I, the Demon King's first wife, would ever tell you?"
Kishibe smirked, unfazed. "Because you've been measuring his heartbeat this entire time."
Silence fell over the table.
Kishibe exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You came to this party on purpose. And every so often, your hand drifts to your chest. You've been monitoring Kang Woo's heartbeat, whether he likes it or not. Even now." His eyes flickered with amusement. " I bet Kang Woo's enjoying this—watching us react, seeing us struggle."
Makima's smirk widened, but this time, it was something more… personal.
"That's right," she admitted, finally confirming it. "I intend to restore what he lost. And everything that was taken from him—" Her yellow-ringed eyes gleamed. "—by whatever means necessary."
Then, she froze.
Her hand instinctively shot to her chest.
Aki immediately noticed the shift. His expression tightened. "Ms. Makima… is Kang Woo—?"
"He awoke." The words left Makima lips just as the entire room was swallowed by an eerie, unnatural silence.
Then—
Darkness erupted from Makima, spilling out like ink, thick and pulsating with an unnatural life. Eyeballs surfaced from the liquid, shifting and rolling in all directions as it punctured through the Mirror Dimension and forced its way into the real world.
Everyone staggered back.
Himeno felt the hairs on her arms rise. "The hell is that?!"
Makima barely acknowledged the reaction, her gaze locked onto the swirling mass of darkness. "I didn't intend to wake him up," she muttered, her voice colder now, calculated. "But his mood suddenly shifted—"
Kishibe's grip tightened around his cigarette. "Shifted? You mean because of our conversation?"
Makima shook her head. "No. It's not about the Almighty's weakness. It's something else."
The darkness thickened, writhing like a living entity.
"But since we're on the subject," Makima added, her voice eerily casual, "The Almighty does have a weakness."
The words made the room feel smaller, like the walls had just closed in.
Aki's throat went dry. "...A weakness?"
Makima nodded. "Two, actually." Her fingers twitched slightly, as if testing something unseen. "The first—The Almighty requires even the smallest chance of success. If an opponent has a literal zero percent chance of victory… then Kang Woo loses."
Silence.
Aki's fingers curled into fists. "...That means if someone is completely untouchable, immune to all possible outcomes, then—"
"Kang Woo cannot change the inevitable," Kishibe finished for him. ( in kishibe thought he can win )
Himeno's jaw clenched. "...That's a big 'if'."
"The second weakness," Makima continued, ignoring her, "is that The Almighty only functions in environments where time exists."
Himeno blinked. "Wait, time? What do you mean—?"
Makima didn't answer. Instead, she clasped her hands together in a single, decisive motion.
The Mirror Dimension shattered.
Reality snapped back into place.
The group found themselves standing in the restaurant once more. But before they could process the transition, Makima's head turned sharply toward Kobeni.
"Where is Kang Woo?" Her voice was steady, but urgent.
Kobeni, still shaken, hesitated. "...You mean the—" She swallowed, glancing toward the street. "The darkness? The one filled with eyes?"
Makima nodded once.
Kobeni pointed toward the entrance. "He… went outside."
Slowly, Makima turned.
Her gaze drifted toward the open streets.
There—
The writhing abyss of darkness coalesced, twisting, folding into itself. The mass shrank, reshaping, reforming—until it no longer resembled an amorphous void.
Instead, standing beneath the flickering streetlights, Kang Woo emerged.
His frame was different now—broader, more defined, his coat missing entirely, revealing the sheer muscularity of his build. His right hand gripped an unfamiliar sword, its dark surface reflecting the moonlight. Beneath him, water pooled, rippling outward from where he stood, and in its reflection—
A single red eye, filled with pulsating roots. (Img here )
Behind him, a towering silhouette loomed—a manifestation of the power he now wielded. A Sin Demonic Trigger Form.
Two pairs of wings spread wide, their presence casting elongated shadows across the ground. The horns atop his head had grown longer, exuding an undeniable aura of dominance. His chest and head glowed with incandescent orange, a fiery radiance pulsing in sync with his breath. His entire body was wreathed in demonic flames, flickering and twisting as if alive. The solid parts of his form appeared to be forged from a fusion of black demonic stone and metal, while the exposed areas of his "skin" were covered in a dense layer of square-shaped scales, each one gleaming with an eerie, unnatural luster.( img here )
Then—
Kang Woo opened his eyes.
His pupils—now adorned with the unmistakable pattern of the Magic Eyes of Destruction—gleamed under the night sky.
"Ahhh…" He exhaled, rolling his neck slightly, the tension in his body unraveling. "A sudden awakening is nice."
His lips curled into something wicked.
"Such a wonderful dream."
His gaze, now half-lidded and unreadable, carried a sinister glint as his voice dropped to something almost… amused.
"Particularly…" He chuckled, tilting his head slightly.
"Nightmares are the most enjoyable."