The tension in the high-rise office was thick enough to suffocate.
Okarun stood before Makima's desk, his clothes scorched and his eyes burning with a violet-crimson fire.
The Golden Path on his palm pulsed with a dangerous intensity, echoing his heartbeat.
"You let them die,"
Okarun whispered, his voice vibrating the glass windows.
"The ambush, the hunters, Himeno... you watched it all through your birds. You let it happen just to see if I could digest the Snake's power."
Makima sat perfectly still, her hands folded. Her yellow, ringed eyes were cold.
"A weapon must be tempered in fire, Okarun-kun. I needed to see if your devil power could hold the weight of this world's strongest fears."
"I'm not a weapon,"
Okarun growled, his Phase-Step Mirror flickering into existence, four silhouettes of himself surrounding her.
"We're leaving. Ayase-san and I are going to find a way back ourselves."
Makima's smile didn't falter.
"You can leave, of course. But the moment you step through your 'Golden Path,' the contracts holding Denji, Power, and Aki together will be... revoked. I will have no further use for them. I'll have them executed before you even reach the other side."
Momo, standing by the door with her hands glowing pink, gasped.
"You monster! They're your own team!"
"They are tools,"
Makima said simply.
"And I don't keep broken tools."
Okarun's aura exploded.
The Sukuna-energy within him roared for blood.
He lunged forward, his hand transforming into a Cutting Phase blade, the space around Makima's neck beginning to shear.
"Then I'll just kill you first! If you're dead, the contracts break anyway!"
Makima saw the pure, murderous intent in his eyes.
She saw the Sukuna-marks flaring, the Turbo-engine screaming, and the Eternity Devil's loop stabilizing it all.
For the first time in centuries, the Control Devil felt something new: genuine awe.
She didn't reach for a contract. She didn't call the guards. Instead, she laughed—a soft, melodic sound that chilled the air.
"How fascinating,"
She breathed, her posture softening as she stood up.
She walked right into the edge of his spatial blade, the razor-thin air drawing a tiny bead of blood from her neck.
"You truly see me, don't you? Not as a boss, not as a hero... but as the thing I am."
She leaned in, her face inches from his.
Okarun's aggressive stance wavered.
He was prepared for a fight, for a war, for a god—but he wasn't prepared for her to look at him with a sudden, haunting vulnerability.
"Don't kill me, Okarun-kun,"
She whispered, her voice dropping to a silk-soft plea.
"I've spent eternity looking for an equal. Someone who can't be 'controlled' because they belong to another reality entirely."
She reached out, her cool fingers brushing his burning, marked arm.
"If it's a partner you want, I will be yours. I will be your subordinate, your concubine, your shadow—whatever it takes to stay by your side. Help me achieve my goal of a perfect world, and I will use the full resources of the Japanese government to find the means you need to go home. We can even go together."
Okarun's face turned a violent shade of red.
The "Turbo-Predator" who had just diced Katana Man was suddenly replaced by the stuttering nerd from Kamigoe.
The aggressive Sukuna-energy sputtered like a dying candle.
"C-C-Concubine?!"
Okarun stammered, his "Mirror" afterimages instantly vanishing as he stumbled back.
"I... I mean... that's not... Ayase-san, help me!"
Momo was fuming, her face turning purple with rage.
"You manipulative witch! Okarun, don't you dare listen to her! She's using the 'Soft Approach' because she knows you're a pushover for pretty girls!"
Makima didn't look at Momo. She kept her eyes locked on Okarun, her expression a perfect mask of submission.
"I am serious. I will offer you everything I am. Just don't leave me in this boring world."
Okarun stood frozen, caught between his desire to save his friends, his need to go home, and his absolute inability to handle a woman begging for his "mercy."
(Jelopy) See ya again on Sunday. I will upload every Sunday 9 chapters. And for those who wanted to read more while support this poor girl. You can go to [email protected]/Jelopy_Jelopy