Aki and Taiyo stood within the circle of protective flames, its intense heat shielding them from the Gun Devil's relentless presence. The towering monstrosity loomed in the distance, its grotesque form pulsating with malevolent energy as it prepared for another attack. Taiyo clung to Aki's side, his small hands gripping tightly to his older brother's arm.
From some distance away, but still within view, Makima stood alongside Kang Woo, her yellow-ringed eyes observing the scene with calm detachment. "Unlike Kishibe's circumstances," she began, her voice measured, "where I believed he could win against Stormfront—and he did, albeit with some of my assistance—this time, Aki will lose without intervention." Her gaze shifted briefly to Kang Woo, her tone sharpening. "You're holding me back from helping him."
Kang Woo crossed his arms, his crimson eyes glinting faintly in the flickering light of the flames. "In the real world, Aki would be decimated," he said matter-of-factly. "But this isn't the real world. It's a mental battlefield. The Gun Devil here is just a manifestation—remnants scattered from the original's power."
Raising his voice, Kang Woo called out to Aki. "You can do it, Aki! This is just like a battle inside your mind. The Gun Devil you're facing isn't even the real one—it's a fragment!"
Aki's expression soured immediately, his frustration bubbling over as he muttered under his breath. "See, Taiyo? That man—Kang Woo—is a heartless bastard." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he gestured toward Kang Woo with an exasperated sigh.
Taiyo, however, tilted his head and spoke hesitantly. "But… he cheered for you, didn't he? That means he cares for you, right?"
Aki stared at his brother for a moment, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "Care for me? That man's the farthest thing from caring. And yet…" His thoughts began to race as he glanced back toward Makima and Kang Woo, his frustration mounting. I'm about to face my goal—revenge against the Gun Devil—and the only one showing any sanity is Ms. Makima. But even she's not helping me because Kang Woo stopped her.
Aki and Taiyo stood firm within the protective flames, their fiery barrier pulsing with the strength of Aki's negative energy. The Gun Devil loomed in the distance, its grotesque form writhing with fury as it prepared for yet another relentless attack. Taiyo clung tightly to Aki, his small hands gripping his brother's arm for support.
Aki unsheathed his katana, the blade glinting in the fiery glow. In his thoughts, he replayed Kang Woo's earlier rants. He said his demonic energy has the power to devour and surpasses mana. Negative energy… it's just a cheap knockoff, a trash power. Aki's grip on his katana tightened. But I'll show you, Kang Woo. Even the weak have the right to grow strong.
He turned to Taiyo, his expression serious yet tinged with affection. "Taiyo, my brother… the one I love and always miss playing catch with. Do you trust me with this suicidal plan?"
Taiyo gazed up at Aki, his youthful face determined despite the fear in his eyes. "Even if the plan fails and my consciousness is dragged back to the Gun Devil, I'll always believe in you, Aki. You trusted me back then when I said I wouldn't get sick if we played catch."
Aki's resolve deepened as he pulled Taiyo into a tight hug. The warmth of the flames mirrored the bond between them. Letting go, Aki focused once more, channeling the negative energy from the protective flames into his blade. The katana burned with an ethereal intensity, its edge glowing like molten steel.
The Gun Devil, sensing the shift, roared in anger. It raised its remaining arm and unleashed another hail of bullets. The bullets weren't aimed at Aki—they were aimed directly at Taiyo.
Aki's eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Have you ever learned, Gun Devil? When you focus too much on one thing, you lose sight of your surroundings."
The Gun Devil realized its mistake too late. Aki had already closed the distance, his flaming katana cutting through the massive figure. The Gun Devil's grotesque body split cleanly in half, one side igniting in the flames of Aki's attack. The other half fell back, writhing in rage.
The Gun Devil roared louder, spawning new weapons from its remaining form. A massive minigun emerged from its skeletal body, the barrels spinning furiously. Aki's eyes widened as he realized the inevitable. "It's too late…"
Before Aki could react, Taiyo stepped forward, his arms wrapping tightly around his older brother in a protective embrace. "Taiyo!" Aki shouted. "What are you doing? The plan was—"
Taiyo said nothing, his small frame shielding Aki as the bullets rained down. But then, something miraculous happened. A glowing, ethereal baseball glove appeared on Taiyo's hand, its translucent surface shimmering with a protective energy. The glove moved with impossible speed, intercepting every bullet midair. Each shot ricocheted harmlessly away, the glove absorbing the brunt of the Gun Devil's attack.
Aki stared in disbelief, his voice trembling. "What… What is this?"
Taiyo turned to him, his face calm but resolute. "It's just like back then, Aki. You always told me to catch the ball. This time, I caught something even bigger."
From a distance, Makima observed the surreal scene with a raised brow. "That's Taiyo, Aki's brother—the one who died in the past. The Taiyo we're seeing now is just a construct of Aki's mind, isn't he? but how does he have supernatural abilities like that?" Her tone was analytical but tinged with curiosity.
Kang Woo, standing nearby, crossed his arms and smirked before suddenly throwing his head back and shouting dramatically, "The power of friendship! And as one wise street racer once said, I got family! IT'S REALLLLLL! FAMILY IS REALLLLLL!"
Makima, utterly mortified, placed a hand on her cheek and muttered with sarcastic embarrassment, "I don't know him. He just… started shouting out of nowhere." Her yellow-ringed eyes darted away from Kang Woo, as though trying to distance herself from his theatrics.
Taiyo, still glowing with the energy of the ethereal glove, turned his head slightly and grinned at Aki. "Look, Aki! The heartless bastard said the power of family is real!"
Aki let out a heavy sigh, his thoughts turning inward. After this ends, I need to remind myself—only talk to Kang Woo if I absolutely need him. This man is unhinged.
The Gun Devil, enraged by its repeated failures, shifted its grotesque form once more. It sprouted additional weapons: an M4 carbine and a massive Desert Eagle-like firearm emerging grotesquely from its skeletal head. The monstrous entity aimed its arsenal at the brothers, preparing for an even deadlier barrage.
Aki glanced at Taiyo. "Can you take that attack again?" he asked, his voice steady but urgent.
Taiyo hesitated before nodding. "I'll try, but if the bullets are too big, they might get through."
Aki gave a resolute nod, determination flashing in his eyes. The flames on his blade intensified, swirling outward to form another protective barrier around the two of them. This time, the barrier was so thick with fire that nothing inside was visible from the outside.
The Gun Devil unleashed its relentless barrage. Bullets rained down, their sheer force shattering the flaming barrier. When the flames dissipated, it was revealed that Aki had taken the brunt of the attack. His left arm hung limp, disabled from the relentless assault. Taiyo, however, was nowhere to be seen.
High above, the Gun Devil spotted Taiyo descending from the sky, nearly 200 meters above the battlefield. Aki's flames had launched him upward, turning him into a living projectile. As Taiyo plummeted toward the Gun Devil, the ethereal glove on his hand grew massive, glowing brighter as he prepared to flatten the monstrous enemy.
The Gun Devil, now cautious, immediately spawned additional firearms from its back, aiming them at Taiyo to stop his descent. However, it underestimated Aki.
Aki, already closing in from below, gritted his teeth as he charged, his blade burning fiercely with concentrated negative energy. He smirked grimly and muttered, "Your attention shifts too easily… and I'm no warrior either."
With lightning speed, Aki slashed the Gun Devil relentlessly, each strike precise and fueled by his determination. The Gun Devil's form crumbled under the onslaught, reduced to ash with each passing second.
Taiyo landed with a thud, but Aki was already there to catch him, holding his younger brother steady as they both stood amidst the ashes of their foe.
Taiyo, his face lighting up with excitement, looked up at Aki and grinned. "Let's do it again! Let's go fly!"
Aki let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Sure… but not now. I've got something to finish first." His tone shifted, carrying a hint of seriousness as his gaze turned toward Kang Woo.
Aki approached him, his steps measured but purposeful. Kang Woo, standing beside Makima, watched him calmly, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Makima tilted her head slightly, her yellow-ringed eyes fixed on Kang Woo. "I've been wondering," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity. "Why put Aki through all this? Torturing him, provoking him?"
Kang Woo shrugged nonchalantly, his crimson gaze steady. "Honestly? I don't even know what I'm doing half the time. I never really understood how negative energy works anyway. What I'm doing is probably just random nonsense, as usual." He glanced at Makima with a teasing smirk. "But let's be honest, you're not really surprised, are you? And now you're asking me this even though you already know the answer—just to mess with me?"
Makima gave him a small, knowing smile and nodded. "I've learned to keep an open mind when it comes to you. And yet, my King, even though you do random things and rant endlessly, somehow, each of them carries meaning and value."
"I guess my unpredictability doesn't surprise you anymore," Kang Woo teased, his voice tinged with amusement.
Before Makima could reply, Aki lunged forward, his blade aimed directly at Kang Woo. Flames flickered around the sword, a manifestation of his newly awakened negative energy. Kang Woo sidestepped effortlessly, his movements fluid and unbothered, catching the blade mid-swing with his bare hand.
Kang Woo looked at Aki, his grin widening as he teased, "Shouldn't you be thanking me? I just helped you unlock control over that negative energy coursing through your body."
Aki's grip on the sword tightened, his teeth gritting in frustration. "Let me hit you. Just once. To satisfy myself." His voice was steady, but his frustration was palpable. "Whether in the real world or in my mind, you never stop being a dickhead."
Kang Woo chuckled, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "We can continue this after your mind is back in your body." With a casual snap of his fingers, the landscape around them began to crumble, pieces of the snowy world falling into an endless void.
"Wait!" Aki shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "What about Taiyo? His mind is stuck with me, but his soul is somewhere else. What will happen to him?"
Kang Woo smirked, tilting his head. "Do you want to punch me in the face or worry about your brother?"
"Both!" Aki snapped. "I'll kick your ass and rescue my brother."
Kang Woo smiled, a faint sense of approval in his expression. "Fair enough." With another snap of his fingers, Aki and Taiyo disappeared, the crumbling world vanishing around them as they returned to the real world.
Makima, who had been silently observing, stepped closer to Kang Woo and poked his cheek playfully. "You're lying again, my King," she teased, her yellow-ringed eyes glinting with amusement. "You do understand how negative energy works. You're just—"
"Just lazy," Kang Woo interrupted, finishing her sentence with a wry grin. " it looks like you're starting to see through my lies now, Makima. What a pain. I guess I'll have to upgrade myself before I get downgraded to your property."
Makima smiled, patting Kang Woo's head gently. "Making a Demon King my property is just another objective," she teased, her tone soft but playful. "Besides, isn't it natural for the first wife—which is me—to be equally powerful to her husband?"
Kang Woo sighed dramatically but couldn't hide his grin. "What a hassle," he muttered, though his tone was more amused than annoyed.
With a final shared glance, both Kang Woo and Makima disappeared, returning to the real world.
( sorry im late real world works put me in tired state and there will be second part just give me time )