( the main event for next multiverse is bleach however temporary detour is needed since i want to upgrade makima , and adding more harem for kang woo )
Suddenly, Kang Woo's crimson eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with raw demonic energy. The air around him grew heavy, crackling with power. "Maximum output on demonic energy: Authority of Beholder."
The world seemed to shudder as dark crimson light surged through the sky, erupting like a scar across the heavens. With an ominous hum, a hundred massive eyes manifested across the skies above. Each eye was framed by swirling black mist, its surface pulsating, and every pupil burned a brilliant crimson red—rolling and darting erratically, as though searching for something.
RUMBLE. RUMBLE. The sound was deep, resonant, and otherworldly—like a chorus of ancient entities waking from slumber. Each eye's iris spun like whirlpools as they scanned the void with unrelenting purpose.
The group instinctively froze, the overwhelming presence of the Authority of Beholder pressing down on their bodies like gravity itself.
Himeno gripped Aki's arm tightly. "What… What is he doing now?!"
Reze's voice trembled as she shielded her eyes from the unnatural glow. "Those eyes… It's like they're looking for something beyond this world. Are they passage to otherworld ?!"
Makima, her gaze calm but focused, whispered softly, "No… They're seeking. Trying to pierce into something that doesn't belong to this universe." Her lips curled faintly in admiration. "Even now, Kang Woo is reaching for the impossible."
Suddenly, a distinct sound rang out from the crimson sky— "Luuut-luuut-luuuut!"—a resonating hum as if an ancient mechanism had activated. The hundred eyes, scattered across the skies, all swiveled in unison to focus on a single point.
A hologram formed before them, projected from one of the massive eyes. An image sharpened into view—a colossal temple bathed in a dim, golden glow. The architecture was ancient and ornate, adorned with carvings of mystical symbols and towering statues. Golden lions flanked the temple gates, and towering columns rose like pillars holding up the sky. .
Kang Woo's voice broke the silence, his tone low and intrigued. "The Lost Library of Cagliostro. A place where What-If universes converge. And where Strange Supreme caused a mess."
Aki blinked, clearly lost. "A what? Strange who?"
Himeno tilted her head, still processing the words. "What do you mean What-If? What's that supposed to mean?"
Makima, ever the quickest to catch on, glanced at Kang Woo, her yellow-ringed eyes narrowing with realization. "To simplify it… it's a horrifying universe, right, Kang Woo?"
Kang Woo smirked faintly, his gaze not leaving the hologram. "Exactly."
Angel Devil crossed his arms, exhaling heavily. "Let me guess. You're going alone this time, right? You're not dragging us into whatever interdimensional nightmare this is?"
Kang Woo scoffed, "I've always been solo." His gaze slid toward Makima knowingly. "Though this time, she'll insist on coming wherever I go."
Makima stepped forward, her voice unwavering as she nodded. "Naturally."
Without warning, Kang Woo extended his hand into the air as if grabbing hold of something invisible. In his thoughts, the reality was clear. The Authority of Gateway doesn't work if the difference is between universes—especially when it spans billions to trillion of light-years.
Then, his voice, low but filled with resolve, rumbled. "Then I'll open it myself."
He inhaled deeply, his crimson eyes flashing with unrestrained power. "HAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!" With a roar, Kang Woo tore through the very fabric of space and time. Reality itself screeched in protest as cracks of pure nothingness appeared, spiraling outward, and a gaping rift opened before them. The glowing tear hummed with chaos, a gateway to the unknown.
As Kang Woo and Makima prepared to move forward, a trembling voice broke through the hum. "Wait… Kang Woo!"
The group turned to see Kobeni, her fists clenched tightly, her voice shaking with emotion. "I'm coming with you."
Makima arched a brow, her voice cold but cutting. "For what purpose? This isn't rainbows and sunshine, Kobeni."
Kobeni looked down, her tears threatening to fall. Her voice cracked as she spoke, raw and broken. "My family always underestimated me. Told me I was useless. They discarded me, treated me like I was nothing." She paused, her voice trembling but determined. "Until you came, Kang Woo. You saved me. You gave me this ability—this ice ability that doesn't even need mana, something I can conjure. At least let me try. Let me prove I'm not worthless."
A single tear slid down her cheek as the room fell silent.
Kang Woo stepped toward her, his gaze softening for a moment. He lifted his hand and gently wiped the tear from Kobeni's cheek with his thumb. His voice was quiet but firm, carrying an unshakable weight. "You're not worthless, Kobeni. You're the most useful. The best chef with the best food I've ever tasted."
Kobeni couldn't hold back; she stepped forward and hugged Kang Woo tightly, her shoulders trembling.
Kang Woo allowed it, standing still as she clung to him. After a moment, he gently pushed her back and smiled faintly. "Let's go. We're going to find the unknown."
Kobeni nodded, her tears drying as her resolve solidified.
As they turned toward the glowing gateway, Kang Woo and Makima suddenly stopped in their tracks. Makima's yellow-ringed eyes narrowed as her senses flared.
Kobeni, confused, looked around. "Why… are we stopping?"
Makima's voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone is watching us."
Kang Woo tilted his head, his lips curling into an amused smirk. "The Nexus of Reality, huh? You bald-headed bastard… You really love telling stories and peeking, don't you?"
Far beyond the reach of their reality, within the Nexus of Reality, a singular figure stood unmoving. The Watcher, a silent observer of countless universes, stared through the rift Kang Woo had opened. His gaze lingered on the Demon King's steps toward the unknown. In his thoughts, the Watcher whispered softly, He knows…
The Watcher's mind churned, his oath of non-interference an invisible weight. Perhaps there is a way to save the universe he's about to visit. I cannot act… but he can.
Suddenly, a hologram appeared—visible only to Kang Woo—flickering faintly in the air. A line of text displayed itself, bold and clear: "You know me."
Kang Woo's crimson eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with sardonic amusement. "If this was a few days—or even weeks ago—Makima wouldn't have noticed this. But her experience with Gaia made her stronger."
Makima's yellow-ringed eyes glimmered as her gaze locked onto the unseen. The faint outline of the hologram became clear to her, as though her bond to Kang Woo's Commandment of Piety granted her the same privilege. Her voice was as sharp as a blade. "Another Gaia figure, or some world system about to get blackmailed… or put on my kill list. Just like Gaia."
The hologram flickered again, displaying a response: "No, I'm a good person."
Makima smirked, unimpressed. "Then show yourself. Not just to Kang Woo and me—but to everyone."
Kang Woo chuckled under his breath. "100 points, Makima."
Makima turned to him, her faint smile carrying smug satisfaction. "120 points, Kang Woo."
Suddenly, the hologram flared brighter, and the image of a tall, bald figure draped in a flowing blue robe materialized before the group. The Watcher, known as Uatu, appeared, his cosmic presence towering yet calm. He spoke slowly, his deep voice reverberating like an echo across time itself. "I am the Watcher. I observe the multiverse, and I have come only to speak with the male."
Kang Woo's smirk didn't waver as he stepped forward, his crimson eyes gleaming with interest. "Oh Kang Woo. That's my name. Also…" His grin sharpened, his words laced with challenge. "…it seems this is your first time witnessing this universe. Am I wrong?"
The Watcher nodded solemnly. "Yes. When you forcibly opened that gateway, I could only glimpse your world. It lies beyond my reach—and the reach of this reality. You are… an anomaly."
Himeno, watching the exchange unfold, broke the tension with a whispered comment to Aki. "Did Makima find a new hobby threaten a bald man?"
Aki, his voice flat but tinged with exasperation, replied, "Himeno-senpai… that's not an ordinary bald man we see on the streets."
Makima, unbothered by the Watcher's imposing aura, stepped forward and tilted her head. "You called him an anomaly. But what is it you really want to say?"
The Watcher's deep voice reverberated like a low hum of reality itself. "You seek something beyond this world—a power or truth that even I cannot define. The universe you wish to enter is fragile and dangerous. Its fate hangs by a thread."
Kang Woo snorted, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement and sharp calculation. "Fate hangs by a thread because Strange lost his lover instead of his hands, right? That's the cause, isn't it? A What-If scenario gone wrong. I go there, grab what I need, and leave. The so-called 'absolute point in time' isn't my concern."
The Watcher's expression faltered, as if momentarily unsure of himself. "But you… you are an anomaly. Unlike others, you are not bound to the flow of this universe or its points. You can act where others cannot. Save that world—or at the very least, stop Strange from—"
"—blowing up the absolute point in time and screwing everyone over with it, right?" Kang Woo cut him off, his voice edged with dry sarcasm. He tilted his head, his smirk sharpening. "Let me guess: the easiest solution is kill Doctor Strange, take the win, and have a happy ending, huh?"
The Watcher shook his head, his voice solemn. "No. Strange must remain at his strongest—but with a great heart, not a broken one corrupted by despair. Without that balance, the destruction of his universe is inevitable. I merely hope you can guide this world toward salvation. I fear… a crisis beyond my comprehension looms."
Kang Woo exhaled slowly, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. He lifted his finger to his forehead, rubbing it like he was warding off a headache. "This bald bastard…" he muttered under his breath. He's out here 'fearing' a crisis, but he doesn't know he's just idling at his Nexus of Reality, watching timelines fall apart. He probably doesn't realize that his idle ass brought Infinity Ultron to life and screwed everyone over .
Makima, standing beside him, studied Kang Woo's expression, the faintest trace of a smirk curving her lips. "You're thinking something particularly nasty, aren't you?" she whispered.
Kang Woo's eyes flickered to her with the ghost of a smile. "Always."
The Watcher's voice remained calm, but his gaze darkened with purpose. "I cannot interfere, as my oath forbids it. But you… you can do what I cannot. The fate of this fragile universe may depend on your actions."
Perhaps… I can offer something to steer him, the Watcher thought. His cosmic mind churned, desperate to find a foothold with Kang Woo. "Anomalies—like yourself—have begun to appear in this universe. They do not belong here, but their presence may align with your goals."
A hologram flared into existence, forming a vast, ominous space: The Dark Dimension. It spread across the projection like a sea of endless black, fractured with swirling, chaotic energy of purple and red hues. Massive floating planets and fragments of reality hovered aimlessly in its depths, their surfaces bathed in sickly shadows. The expanse twisted unnaturally, as though time and space had no meaning within its bounds.
The Watcher gestured subtly to one of the mini-planets within the hologram. There, half-buried in stone and darkness, lay three unmistakable objects:
A broken blade wrapped with rusted chains at the handle.
A lifeless figure with an orange hair , motionless against the surface.
A faintly glowing Quincy Cross, embedded into the ground like a gravestone.
Kang Woo's crimson eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer, his expression unreadable. Is that… my old friend's belongings? His thoughts stirred, carried by a strange weight in his chest. Ichigo Kurosaki. The name lingered in his mind. His Zanpakutou… and someone elses Quincy Cross. That idiot. Back when we met, we helped each other in that chaotic realm, but he vanished without a trace during my early conquest of the 8th Hell. His fingers twitched as the sensation of loss surged briefly through him—old, buried memories resurfacing.
The Watcher's voice broke his reverie. "It is located in the Dark Dimension. I do not know when these artifacts appeared… but they should not exist here. They, too, are anomalies."
Kang Woo's smirk returned, though it was far colder this time. "Venuzdonóa ."
A shiver ran through the air as countless black runes appeared out of nowhere, sprawling across the vast ground of the Hidden Wonderland. The runes climbed the walls, encircled the sky, and inscribed themselves on invisible surfaces like a sentient magic circle. A chorus of low, ancient chants echoed faintly through the realm.
Innumerable black particles of light began to gather, clustering into a massive, pulsating shadow. Slowly, the formless shadow twisted and coalesced, projecting the shape of a sword—a longsword of pure darkness. Its edge hummed with overwhelming malice, as if reality itself cowered in its presence.
Kang Woo stretched out his hand, and the shadow rose from the ground. As he gripped the hilt, the shadow inverted itself, revealing Venuzdonóa—a blade that seemed forged from the void, its surface gleaming faintly like the edge of an abyss. The world trembled, ripples of power distorting space.
The Watcher's gaze widened, for the first time betraying unease. "That sword…"
Kang Woo smirked, lifting the blade with a casual flick of his wrist. "This sword guarantees a kill on gods. At close range? I'd say you're far too close for comfort."
Before anyone could react, Kang Woo swung Venuzdonóa in a single, precise arc at the hologram. The blade's edge tore through reality itself, carving open a jagged, glowing hole in the Nexus of Reality. A ripple of energy roared outward as the tear expanded, and suddenly—Kang Woo found himself face-to-face with the Watcher, no longer bound to his holographic form.
The Watcher stood frozen, his towering form seeming smaller beneath the edge of Kang Woo's reality-defying blade.
Kang Woo pointed the dark longsword at the Watcher, his voice sharp. "Makima. Make sure he's not lying."
Makima stepped forward, her yellow-ringed eyes glowing faintly as she scrutinized the Watcher with an unsettling intensity. Her gaze pierced through layers of reality itself, searching for even a flicker of deception. After a moment, she nodded.
"He's telling the truth," Makima confirmed, her voice calm but unyielding.
( currently somehow makima can detect kang woo lies . kang woo only needed double check from makima if this watcher is the same from what if )
Kang Woo exhaled, his grip on Venuzdonóa loosening slightly as he turned his gaze back to the Watcher. "Then explain how the 8th Hell connects to the Dark Dimension. My conquest shouldn't have bled into that realm."
The Watcher, now composed once more, spoke with measured caution. "I do not know. I only recently sensed its disturbance, as if two realities began bleeding into one another. It is as much a mystery to me as it is to you."
Kang Woo dismissed Venuzdonóa, the blade dissolving into shadowy particles that scattered like ash into the air. The oppressive weight in the room lifted slightly as the void-rending power of the sword faded.
The Watcher, observing the faint scars on reality where the sword had been, spoke with a cautious, almost hesitant tone. "Like I said, I am a good person."
Kang Woo let out a dry chuckle, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "More like someone who waits too long for things to blow up in their face before doing anything about it."
Makima smirked at Kang Woo's blunt words, but said nothing. Kang Woo walk through The rift that led back to the Hidden Wonderland. The two stepped through without ceremony, leaving the Watcher standing in his Nexus. However, the tear Kang Woo had created remained. Around the Nexus, faint cracks formed, webbing out across the fabric of reality—a lingering testament to the mere presence of Venuzdonóa.
The Watcher's eyes lingered on the cracks, his expression grim. That sword is no joke, he thought. It could kill me in a single strike. I'm more convinced now than ever—he can save that universe. But he's... moody.
Back in Hidden Wonderland, Taiyo, who had been quietly watching from a distance, approached Makima with an innocent curiosity. "Ms. Makima," he asked, tilting his head, "is that bald man an evil guy?"
Makima's yellow-ringed eyes flickered with faint amusement. She looked down at Taiyo and replied calmly, "Kang Woo thinks he's a good person. However..." She paused, glancing at Kang Woo, who stood silently at the edge of the magic circle, his crimson eyes fixed on the Nexus tear. "It seems the universe that I, Kang Woo, and Kobeni are visiting needs someone to keep it spinning. Someone to ensure it doesn't fall apart."
Kang Woo scoffed, turning to face the group, his hands shoved casually into his coat pockets. "The problem isn't just the universe falling apart. It's the broken-hearted man at its center—a guy who lost his lover and decided the whole world should burn for it. And now the Watcher thinks I'm the perfect candidate to babysit him." He ran a hand through his hair, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "FUCKKKK."
Makima chuckled softly, unfazed by Kang Woo's frustration. Her calm demeanor only seemed to heighten the absurdity of the moment.