The Black King stood in silence for a while, his expression unreadable. He rarely spoke to lesser beings—his disdain for mortals was legendary. Only Makima ever drew words from him, mostly because he enjoyed mocking her, the way a cruel god toys with its favorite nemesis. It was almost like that twisted rivalry between Dio and Jotaro, brimming with that same cold, predatory energy.
At last, he reached out and took the ramen cup.
"…Thanks for the offering."
Then he opened his mouth . His jaw unhinged, splitting wide as rows upon rows of impossible, uneven teeth spiraled outward like a black hole of gnashing flesh. The sound was wet, guttural. In one monstrous gulp, the ramen disappeared completely.
Denji froze, eyes wide. Power clamped her mouth shut, looking horrified. Neither dared to speak.
Himeno broke the silence, her voice edged with shaky sarcasm.
"That's… a lot of teeth. And a huge mouth. Real comforting."
Aki sighed, lowering his cigarette. "Himeno-senpai, maybe… just stay quiet for now."
The Black King turned his gaze toward Kobeni. His voice was deep and reverberating, carrying an ancient hunger beneath its calm tone.
"That was a good meal," he said. "But I prefer the souls of higher beings. Helpless mortals don't suit my appetite. I crave something finer… something with more salt."
Kobeni blinked, completely misunderstanding the tone. To her, it sounded almost like a compliment. She straightened, smiling nervously but earnestly.
"Th-thank you! I'm glad you liked my ramen. Brothers should stick together, right? I just hope your family isn't like mine. Twins are supposed to be best buddies for life, aren't they?"
The Black King froze mid-thought, his expression flattening before twisting into a faint, sarcastic smile. Did she just mistake my words for praise?
Makima, watching the exchange, couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. Kobeni… they're not brothers. The Black King's true form is something like us should ever see.
The Black King tilted his head, his voice dripping with disdainful amusement.
"Whatever. Just do me a favor—get your IQ higher before you get kidnapped by a UFO."
With that, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
Kang Woo took the silence as his cue to shift focus. He turned toward Kishibe, his tone calm but carrying a faint edge of challenge.
"So, Kishibe—what do you think of the V24 I just made with my local parasite?"
The Black King cracked one eye open, scoffing.
"Most of the knowledge, the formula, even the effort came from me, dumbass. It's a twenty-four-hour temporary enhancement—same kind of superhuman boost Vought will develop in the future."
Kang Woo shot him a sarcastic glance, his lips twitching into a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep talking. You still owe me rent for existing inside me, remember?"
Kishibe picked up one of the glowing vials, holding it up to the light. His tone was dry, almost mocking.
"How stable is it, Kang Woo? I don't want every one of my agents turning into… parasites like you."
Kang Woo shrugged, unbothered.
"If you use it too much in a single week, you might get cancer. But don't worry—we're still tweaking out the kinks."
Denji frowned, crossing his arms. "Kang Woo, are you trying to kill us? You're really gonna hand out that stuff?"
Power, still half hiding behind him, nodded rapidly. "My buddy's right! Cancer is bad! It makes humans weak and ugly!"
Kang Woo looked at them, his tone flat but faintly amused. "Immortals like you two don't need to worry. Denji—you're a Chainsaw hybrid. Power—you're a blood fiend, a semi-immortal. You can just cut off your hand and drink blood; as long as blood exists, you regenerate, right?"
Himeno folded her arms, frowning. "Yeah, that's great for them, but what about the rest of us? We're still human, even with devil contracts."
Aki said nothing, quietly observing the exchange. His gaze moved from Kang Woo to the vials of V24, expression unreadable—but the tension in his posture made it clear he was trying to measure just how far Kang Woo's definition of human would stretch.
Makima tilted her head, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I thought you already created the Philosopher's Stone with your lovely parasite and that green tablet."
The Black King scoffed, his tone sharp and mocking. "If you're so smart, why don't you try creating one, huh? Like fucking—no—"
Before he could finish, Kang Woo raised a hand. A pulse of unseen force rippled through the air—his Authority of Silence. Instantly, the Black King's words died in his throat.
Kang Woo exhaled quietly, his voice low and uncharacteristically modest. "We're still working on that. For now, I've only managed to make a Xersesian Philosopher's Stone."
Himeno raised an eyebrow, her grin turning sly. "Kang Woo, are you being controlled by Makima now? You sound… humble. That's new."
Kang Woo only smiled faintly, saying nothing. The silence that followed was heavy—not from guilt or pride, but from something deeper. None of them, not even Himeno, truly understood what had happened inside his body. Even the Black King, usually smug and untouchable, looked unsettled.
Makima opened her mouth, ready to comment on his condition—when the sound of bone cracking cut through the air.
Everyone froze. The Black King had crushed his own throat with one hand, splintering it like dry wood—only to restore it instantly as dark mist and tendrils stitched it back together. His aura rippled, otherworldly, and for a brief moment even the walls seemed to distort under the pressure.
A flicker of light appeared before Kang Woo—an unseen interface visible only to him.
[Hidden Notes Revealed]
Black King's Authority: 4 of 4 — Dreaming, Death, The Abyss, Ego
If the Black King perishes, so too do his Authorities.
Kang Woo's smile returned, faint but edged with realization. he thought. I made a small mistake. When I forced him into allegiance, I didn't enslave him—I bound him. Loyalty isn't the same as obedience. That means the Authorities he holds can't be copied, only borrowed… and if I push him too far, he'll refuse to act, no matter the order.
The Black King's crushed throat knit itself back together, dark mist swirling as his voice returned. A smug grin crept across his face, his tone dripping with quiet triumph.
"Impressed with my Authority of Dreams? Any dream can come true with it."
Kang Woo didn't bother looking at him. Instead, he turned to Kishibe, tone returning to its calm, measured rhythm.
"So, Kishibe—how is it? Nice and acceptable? If yes, I'll need your rating. It's supposed to be a five-star product."
Kishibe held the V24 vial up to the light, inspecting the swirling liquid with a practiced eye. His tone was casual, but his mind was clearly calculating every possibility.
"When someone injects this—me or my people—does the power that comes out stay random?"
Kang Woo nodded slightly. "Yes. Unfortunately, it manifests according to your personality. Your nature determines what you get. It's… poetic, in a way."
Kishibe smirked faintly, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "Thanks for that, Kang Woo—and for the monstrous show your doppelganger put on. You kept your word, after all. But didn't you also promise to make a new variant of Compound V?"
Kang Woo didn't answer. Instead, he handed the Briefcase of V24 to Kishibe, then flicked something from his palm. A faint metallic clink echoed through the room as the object spun in the air like a coin before being caught neatly by Makima. She lowered her gaze, eyes settling on the object now resting in her hand—a hardened crimson crystal, faintly pulsing with light.
The Xersesian Philosopher's Stone. Its texture, luster, even the faint hum of power beneath its surface—eerily similar to the legendary stone from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Kang Woo's tone was calm, almost detached. "You might want to inspect it first. In case you want to help, I'll be waiting in the lab."
The glass door slid open with a soft hiss as he turned away, stepping back into the sterile light of the laboratory.
The Black King watched him go, his tone dry and mocking. "We didn't make a Philosopher's Stone at all before."
Kang Woo didn't even glance back. "I did. You just didn't notice how I made it."
The door closed behind him.
Makima stood silently, the faint glow of the crimson stone reflecting in her eyes. Her fingers turned it over, tracing the edges with quiet curiosity—and a subtle hint of unease.
Before the glass door could close, Aki's voice cut through, sharp and demanding.
"Kang Woo's doppelganger—are you a threat to us? Makima-san seems to think so. You're the one person she can't forgive."
The Black King stopped mid-step, his head tilting slightly. His expression was unreadable—caught somewhere between irritation and amusement. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm, yet carried the weight of eternity.
"Aki Hayakawa… your story ends in tragic ways, as it always has across time itself. But it seems Kang Woo's appearance has altered that course. However…"
His lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. "…you amuse me, amoeba born of Gaia's soil. So I'll answer."
His gray irises began to glow faintly, an unnatural gleam flickering in the dim light. When he spoke again, his words came like a decree—cold, absolute, cruel.
"An ant has no quarrel with a boot."
Himeno exhaled, breaking it with a scoff. "He seems very arrogant. Way more than Kang Woo."
Mikhail's voice came next, smooth and composed, yet edged with faint pride. "Hey—my master is far kinder than any being like him. But it seems you don't understand what he meant." His gaze swept over them, calm but unyielding. "It means no matter what you do, there's nothing you can do. The Great Father—Black King himself—doesn't even notice you exist."
Makima turned the crimson stone in her hand again. Her eyes narrowed as she caught faint movements within it—tiny, contorted faces pressed against the surface, their mouths frozen mid-scream. Her voice dropped low. "Mikhail… inside this stone, It's souls, right ? Tormented souls, trapped. I can see their faces—screaming."
Mikhail inclined his head slightly, his tone eerily casual. "That's correct, my dear Control Devil."
Kobeni's face went pale. "M-Mikhail-san… when you say souls, you mean… lives? Human lives?"
Mikhail turned to her and nodded once, solemnly. "Yes. Human lives—transmuted and refined until nothing remains but their essence. The price of creation."
Denji frowned, scratching his head, his voice rough and honest. "That's messed up, man. So you're saying people get turned into shiny rocks? That's like… our lives ain't worth more than a damn stone. That's cruel as hell." Before Power could blurt out something louder,
Himeno's voice cut through, sharp and rising with disbelief. "Are you shitting me? So the more stones like that he makes, the more people die? Is Kang Woo trying to kill us next?"
Mikhail turned his calm gaze toward her, his tone unshaken. "Human child, I can assure you—my master would not do such a thing. If he intended harm, he would've done it already when you first met him days ago."
Makima's voice followed, quiet but edged with thought. "Is there a way to create a Philosopher's Stone without using souls?"
Mikhail paused, folding his arms. "I have no idea. Only Kang Woo possesses that knowledge now—and perhaps the Black King himself. His version, derived from the Emerald Tablet—the one you've seen before, the Green Tablet—is a far more superior design than the one Kang Woo currently holds."
Makima turned the crimson stone in her hand again, its faint hum echoing softly through the room. "This stone… what's its primary function, exactly?"
Mikhail tilted his head slightly, as though choosing how to explain it to beings who'd never touched true alchemy. "Normally, it's used to bypass the laws of alchemy itself. If there were a manga here about two brothers named Elric and their little adventure, it would make my explanation a lot easier." His lips curved in faint amusement before fading again. "But this world is scarce—almost empty—when it comes to such knowledge."
He gestured toward the stone. "To put it simply, it bypasses human transmutation—the greatest taboo of alchemy. You'll understand more when Kang Woo demonstrates it himself. Though, truthfully, he doesn't even need it. You've already seen it—Kang Woo's magical strength is immense. For him, alchemy is nothing more than… an optional art."
Aki's expression hardened, his voice low but firm, cutting through the air with cold conviction. "Human lives aren't fuel for you or your master to decide the value of. We have the right to live."
Mikhail's eyes flickered with faint pity—or perhaps tired honesty. "Truthfully, I don't know what my master's intentions are right now. However…" he paused, his tone sharpening, "if he wanted millions of souls, he'd already have them. He just hasn't processed them yet."
Makima closed her fingers around the Philosopher's Stone, its faint hum vibrating against her palm. Determination filled her eyes as she stepped toward the lab's direction, ready to accompany Kang Woo.
But Aki's hand caught her shoulder, halting her. His tone was steady, but the worry beneath it was unmistakable. "Sorry, Makima-san… but I need to know. Are you still sane? Because Kang Woo—his personality is far worse than before."
Himeno crossed her arms, her voice sharp with uneasy humor. "Yeah, and not to mention his doppelganger—the Black King. It's like having two diabolical maniacs running around Japan.
Makima turned toward her, expression steady, eyes resolute. "I'm as sane as ever, Aki. My reason for following him is personal. But listen—Kang Woo isn't targeting any of you. You can relax. If you want to go with him, go ahead. If not, no one's forcing you. You can still leave the hotel like Arai did."
With that, she stepped forward, the sound of her heels echoing lightly against the floor. The glass door to the lab slid open, and she disappeared inside, walking to Kang Woo's side.