Whoosh!
The air split apart as Reze launched a high-yield missile.
Bang!
A violent explosion erupted, flooding the night with blinding fire. Darkness vanished in an instant, replaced by scorching light.
Zeina and the surrounding dolls were torn apart, reduced to scattered, burning remains.
Reze glanced back and gave Asa Mitaka a thumbs-up.
"Asa, not bad at all. That weird plan of yours actually worked. We are not fighting alone anymore. With your doll army setting everything on fire, this fight just got a hell of a lot easier. Now we just need to burn these bastards down and we win."
"Yeah..." Asa replied quietly.
The plan was working perfectly.
But her mood was far from steady. She pressed her lips together, worry creeping into her voice.
"I'm still worried about Cael. He has been gone too long... what if something happened to him?"
Tap.
Makima placed a gentle hand on Asa's shoulder, her voice soft but firm.
"Do not worry. I will personally go to Hell, deal with the Darkness Devil, and bring Cael back. You and Reze will handle Santa Claus here."
Reze leaned closer, eyes widening slightly.
"You can actually get to Hell?"
A faint sense of pride surfaced in Makima's chest.
So this was how it felt to be seen as more capable.
Among Cael's women, she stood above the rest.
The corner of her lips lifted slightly.
"I am a high-ranking devil. One of the Four Horsemen. I am not comparable to you, a modified weapon human."
Her tone was calm, almost casual.
In the past, she would have torn Reze apart with words alone. Now, she held back.
"Take me with you," Reze said. "I want to help."
"No."
Makima did not hesitate.
Reze frowned. "Why?"
Makima's gaze shifted briefly to Asa.
"Asa is close to giving birth. You expect her to face Santa Claus alone? If something happens to her or the child, who takes responsibility?"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Dolls are unreliable. They have limits. You, on the other hand, cannot die easily. Stay here. Protect Asa. That is your job."
Reze exhaled, then nodded.
"Yeah... you're right. I wasn't thinking straight."
Crack.
From the shadows, Zeina emerged again, completely unharmed.
"Ho ho ho... Makima, trying to run away from the fight?"
The night had deepened. Firelight flickered, unable to fully push back the darkness.
Empowered by the Darkness Devil, Zeina's form had grown monstrous.
She towered over ten meters tall. Her body twisted into something unnatural, her face no longer human.
While her body had been destroyed earlier, she had secretly created thousands of new dolls.
Asa's forces had already been cut in half.
The numbers were no longer in their favor.
Makima glanced at her with clear disdain.
"You're nothing but a useless puppet. I am going to deal with your master. I do not have time for a rabid dog like you."
"What did you just say?!"
"Princi."
Makima ignored her completely.
"Miss Makima, I am here."
The Spider Devil's head emerged from the ground.
"Take me to Hell. To where Cael is."
"As you wish."
Princi lay flat, and a zipper split her body open from forehead to abdomen.
Inside was not flesh, but a warped, chaotic space.
Makima stepped in without hesitation.
The zipper closed behind her in the human world, while another opened in Hell.
A rare ability, moving freely between worlds.
Most devils only return to Hell after death.
But Princi bypassed that rule.
Makima had always valued usefulness.
And Princi was very useful.
Fwoosh.
The zipper opened again.
Makima climbed out, landing on the desolate plains of Hell.
Her eyes scanned the battlefield.
Corpses.
Guangxi. The fiends.
And then, him.
Cael stood locked in combat, his body in a hybrid weapon form. Strange, dangerous, but unmistakably him.
Makima's gaze softened slightly.
She could recognize him by scent alone.
And across from him stood the source of everything.
The Darkness Devil.
Cael noticed her almost immediately.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Makima smiled and stepped beside him.
"I came to help you."
Cael kept his eyes on the enemy.
"Thanks... but this thing is no joke."
Both sides were locked in a brutal stalemate.
The Darkness Devil had lost its advantage at range.
Up close, it was deadly.
But touching Cael meant suppression of its abilities.
It was like fighting a spiked trap. No matter what, it got hurt.
And it was pissed.
It had already paid a massive price trying to absorb another devil.
Leaving now would mean humiliation.
But staying meant risk.
Cael was not doing much better.
He had adapted just enough to survive.
But the Darkness Devil was ridiculous.
Every time it got injured, it hid in its cloak and healed instantly.
Cael clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, real fair fight. Regenerating like a cheating bastard."
He exhaled slowly.
Then made his decision.
Darkness spread across his body as he opened a dark void.
"Xiao... no, Makima. This thing is dangerous. Get inside. I can protect you better that way."
Even if he was struggling, there was no way he would admit weakness in front of her.
Makima stepped closer.
Then, without warning, she cupped his face and kissed his forehead.
"Relax. You worry too much."
Her voice carried quiet confidence.
"This thing is nothing more than a violent dog."
A faint smile formed.
"And I am very good at training dogs."
Cael blinked.
"...You serious right now?"
Makima turned.
Then raised her hand.
Chains shot out instantly.
They pierced straight through the Darkness Devil's body.
Her voice was calm, absolute.
"Darkness Devil, you are nothing but a stray."