Player 10,000 Year Later (Chainsaw Man / The Boys) Multiverse later

Makima, with a faint smirk, lifted her hand and conjured a dark chair using her Darkness Manipulation, the material swirling into existence beneath her. She sat gracefully, crossing her legs as her piercing yellow-ringed eyes locked onto Strange. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange, with a flick of his wrist, conjured his own chair using mystic arts and seated himself opposite her.

Makima leaned back slightly, her demeanor shifting into the poised and commanding stance of the Control Devil. "I'm surprised, Doctor Strange, that someone like you would want to talk to me. Especially since you've been staring at me like you're demanding answers."

Doctor Strange's expression remained neutral, though his gaze was sharp. "You always address me as 'Doctor.' You've got a lot more respect for me than your husband. But from what I've observed, it seems like you care more about this universe than your husband, Kang Woo."

Makima raised an eyebrow, her smirk deepening slightly, but her response was merely a low hum. "Mmm, hmmph."

Strange tilted his head, studying her more closely. "You become a different person when he's not around," he remarked. "Almost like a commander. Someone leading an organization."

Makima's smirk softened slightly as she replied, her voice steady but carrying a weight of authority. "I have a lot of experience as a commander. Back in my world, I led the Devil Hunters before I resigned ."

Doctor Strange leaned forward, his tone curious yet cautious. "Mind telling me why you said you were once like me? That you sacrificed everything for love, but it didn't work out? Does that mean I am like you, Makima?"

Makima's smirk wavered for a moment as she regarded Strange carefully. After a pause, she said, "Before we continue this conversation, what can you tell me when you look at me and when you look at Kang Woo?"

Strange didn't hesitate, his words cutting through the air with conviction. "You were an evil person—at least until your husband entered your life. From what I see, he changed you so much that you've become a better person. Also, you're not human. And lastly, your husband is immensely powerful... but I suspect that isn't even his full power, is it?"

Makima's smirk returned, her gaze steady. "You can call my species 'devil.' I am the Control Devil. Normally, I use negative energy. My power grows with the number of living beings I control and the amount of fear directed at me. But now, thanks to Kang Woo, I can also use mana—which is likely lower than the magic you currently wield. However, mana comes from inside the body and soul."

Her expression softened as she added, "My husband's species is a demon. A Demon King, to be precise. And in my world, he stands at the very top of the food chain.".

Doctor Strange observed her closely, a flicker of intrigue crossing his face. "Alright, back to the topic: what makes us similar?"

Makima leaned back in her chair, her yellow-ringed eyes narrowing slightly as she continued. "In my world, there was a devil called the Chainsaw Devil. My sisters, the Weapon Devils, and I confronted him, but my goal wasn't to kill him. It was to control him. You see, the Chainsaw Devil has a unique ability: when he eats a devil, that devil—and the very concept they represent—disappear. For example, he devoured the Nazi Devil and the Nuclear Devil. As a result, those concepts ceased to exist entirely."

Doctor Strange leaned forward slightly, considering her words. "That's... an extraordinary power. But I can relate in a way. Before this, I bargained with a being beyond the concept of time—a vast, sentient force called Dormammu. I annoyed him enough that he ultimately surrendered to my terms."

Makima's smirk deepened, her tone carrying a mixture of amusement and gravity. "That's even more confirmation. Without Kang Woo, if the apex entities from this universe were to invade our world, our world would be annihilated almost instantly. He accounts for 99 percent of our firepower now."

Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow, his expression curious yet skeptical. "You make it sound like your world hangs on a knife's edge."

Makima's smirk softened into something reflective and resigned. "It does. And that's why Kang Woo's presence changes everything. He doesn't just balance the scales—he shifts them entirely. Without him, there wouldn't even be a fight."

Doctor Strange tilted his head slightly, contemplating her words. "In my world, demons and devils are the same. But in yours, it seems they're fundamentally different."

Makima nodded, her yellow-ringed eyes glinting. "You're right. The devils in my world only empower themselves through fear of their respective concepts and by harnessing negative energy. In my husband's eyes, they are invalids, insignificant. Demons, however, are like nobles and lords in my world. They're an entirely different class of being."

She leaned back, her tone more contemplative. "Most devils and humans never even meet demons. I had never seen one myself until I met Kang Woo. And not just any demon—he's a Demon King."

Doctor Strange chuckled softly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You're one lucky bastard, then. Kang Woo meeting you and promoting you to become a demon? That's quite the turn of events."

Makima smirked, raising her hand as a dark flame Hellblaze swirling together in a mesmerizing display. She let the fire flicker for a moment before dismissing it with a simple flick of her fingers.

Her gaze locked onto Strange, and her smirk deepened. "That Ph.D. of yours doesn't lie, does it? You are very smart, Doctor Strange."

Strange smirked back, his eyes glinting with intellect. "I'll take that as a compliment, Control Devil. But let's not forget, intelligence doesn't always guarantee victory."

Makima raised her hand slightly, her yellow-ringed eyes gleaming as she leaned back in her conjured chair. Her voice took on a tone of casual reflection. "For half a century, I searched for the Chainsaw Devil in Hell. I didn't find it. Then, finally, I turned my attention to the human world—this planet you call Earth, and probably this universe does too."

She paused, her smirk faintly softening. "I started working for the Japanese government—specifically, the Public Safety Devil Hunters. Essentially, I was a corporate slave. Whenever something went wrong, I took care of it. And in exchange, I gained a contract—something akin to immortality. Per my agreement with the Prime Minister of Japan, any action perceived as an attack against me would be transferred into appropriate illnesses and accidents among Japanese citizens."

Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow, his tone half impressed and half skeptical. "That's... neat, but it's a cheap way of gaining immortality. Do you still have that contract?"

Makima smirked, leaning forward slightly, her voice laced with confidence. "I resigned, remember? That contract is gone. Besides, the Commandment that Kang Woo implanted inside me is worth a million times more than the lives of a mere hundred million Japanese citizens."

Strange blinked, his expression shifting between curiosity and unease as he processed her words. "A commandment, you say? And this... Kang Woo—you trust him that much?"

Makima leaned back, her yellow-ringed eyes narrowing slightly as her smirk deepened. "I'm getting there, Doctor. Be patient," she said, her tone calm but commanding.

She paused for a moment, her gaze shifting to the faint flickers of her conjured dark flame, before continuing. "I usually never paid attention to human faces. To me, they were all blurred—indistinct. I differentiated them by their scents, which was far more efficient for me. But then, I met Kang Woo."

Her smirk softened as a flicker of something almost nostalgic crossed her expression. "His scent was different. It was distinct in a way that no human's ever was. And, surprisingly, I could see his face clearly—something I'd never experienced before. To clarify, until that moment, I'd assumed Kang Woo was just another human with unique gifts that forced me to see his face. It wasn't until he told me himself that he was a Demon King that I truly understood how unique he was."

Makima's gaze returned to Strange, a faint glint of curiosity mixed with scrutiny in her eyes. "Since then, I've started to pay attention to faces—to individual details. And especially in this universe, where the power dynamics are so vastly different from my own. You, Doctor Strange... you've become someone I notice. You're on the brink of becoming an apex entity in this world."

Strange leaned forward slightly, his expression a mix of intrigue and caution. "Please, continue. I want to hear more," he said, his voice steady despite the weight of Makima's words.

Makima's smirk shifted, her tone carrying a hint of vulnerability. "The end of my goal was to use the Chainsaw Devil—by erasing all devil concepts, or at least the malicious ones—and create my own utopia. A place where I could experience equal love and familial love with others. I craved it for so long. The reason I even had that goal is because humans fear devils, and other devils—including my sisters—are complete pieces of shit."

She exhaled softly, her gaze flickering with faint bitterness before continuing. "I searched for the Chainsaw Devil for what felt like an eternity. That is, until I met Kang Woo. He teased me endlessly, and unlike everyone else, he didn't fear me at all. In fact..." Makima smirked again, a touch of amusement returning. "I tried to control him."

Doctor Strange interrupted her, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "You tried to control your own ruler? The Demon King? That's even crazier than my bargaining with Dormammu."

Makima chuckled, her tone laced with dark humor. "It seems this Dormammu is quite powerful, to the point where a Demon King is just another enemy you believe you can handle. I must say, your confidence is impressive, Doctor Strange."

Her expression softened slightly as she continued. "Although Kang Woo knew the reason I tried to control him and sought his weakness that day, he didn't get angry or fear me. Instead, he gave me a Commandment to safeguard me. I was confused. Why would someone give something so valuable to their enemy—which, at that time, was me? I lashed out at him in anger, demanding to know why he was kind to me."

Makima's voice dropped, the faintest tinge of warmth creeping in. "And then, he hugged me. No one had ever done that before. He kissed my forehead and said nothing more. I left the café, still the cold person I had always been, because the Prime Minister had assigned me a task. I left him alone at the café. To this day, I'm embarrassed that I lashed out at my ruler—the King himself."

Her tone hardened as she moved to the next part of her story. "Now, the second part. After I left the café to handle a primal devil—Baba Yaga—I didn't expect to be betrayed. The Prime Minister planned to make me a martyr, severing me from my contract of immortality. They wanted to eliminate me."

Doctor Strange leaned back, a dark chuckle escaping him. "If I were you, Makima, I wouldn't have just resigned. I'd have dumped them all into the Mirror Dimension."

Makima's tone remained sharp as she pressed on, her yellow-ringed eyes narrowing slightly. "Even with the Commandment beside me, I wasn't prepared for what happened."

Doctor Strange leaned back, an eyebrow raised. "Commandment beside you? I thought it was some kind of power Kang Woo implanted in you."

Makima let out a faint chuckle, shaking her head. "You'd better ask Kang Woo yourself. It's his power, and I still don't fully understand it. But we're not here to talk about that."

Her voice softened momentarily, tinged with something darker as she continued. "Baba Yaga destroyed my heart—literally. I had a hole in my chest. I bled out, and as I lay there, memories flashed before my eyes. I made a confession, thinking it would be my last. And then, like some goddamn meteor, Kang Woo appeared, clearing out everything in his path."

Makima paused, her smirk tinged with amusement as she reflected on the absurdity of her past experience. "He scooped me up—princess style, no less—and I made my confession again, thinking I was about to die. I had bled too much. But instead of comforting me or mourning, that crazy Demon King healed me in secret, restored my health completely, and handed me a trophy labeled 'Best Actress 2012.'" She chuckled softly, her tone laced with both pride and exasperation. "It was the most absurd, roller-coaster moment of my life. I've never felt more alive."

Doctor Strange blinked, his expression shifting between disbelief and morbid fascination. "That sounds... dramatic, even for you."

Makima smiled faintly, leaning back with a mixture of pride and reflection. "You have no idea. There's a third part to the story, if you're curious. But that's not the point of our conversation."

 Makima voice grew sharper as she leaned forward, her yellow-ringed eyes locking onto Strange. "You wanted to know why I'm not so different from you? The answer is simple. You've sacrificed—what? A thousand times?—to save Christine, right? And as Kang Woo said, you've already traveled through time countless times, trying to save your lover from impending doom, only to fail."

Her tone grew sharper, her words cutting like a blade. "I've failed too. The difference is, when I took a detour, I found something else—something more rewarding. Meanwhile, you're still stuck, about to cause accidental damage that will drag everyone down with you."

Doctor Strange folded his arms, his expression tightening as he processed her words. "Your problem isn't failure. It's that you couldn't find what you truly wanted—until you did. Kang Woo, he's what you wanted, isn't he?" His voice grew firmer as he defended his position. "Mine isn't stuck, nor is it failure. I've found a way. Breaking the Absolute Point in time will give me the power to bring Christine back. I'll take it, no matter the cost."

Makima's smirk remained, but her gaze grew colder, her voice edged with a hint of pity. "To be truthful, my husband doesn't give a shit about anything in this universe. He's here to grab what he needs and leave. But there are two beings who know you better than you know yourself. One is my husband—but, as I said, he doesn't care enough to intervene."

She paused, her expression darkening as she leaned forward slightly, her piercing yellow-ringed eyes fixed on Strange. "The second? A cosmic entity. In your language, you might call it a Watcher. This being knows how your story ends. And it begged me—not to save your universe, but to save you from your own foolish goal. That said, this universe still needs to be saved, and the decision rests on you—whether you pursue this path or not."

Strange's jaw tightened, his voice filled with defiance. "You might have heard that from someone else, but I've tried everything to save Christine. I've kept her away from danger, left her alone, done everything imaginable—and yet the same outcome happens. There's only one way left: breaking the Absolute Point. I'll take it, even if it costs me everything."

Makima's thoughts churned as she listened, her face a mask of cold amusement. This man… is he arrogant or just a guilt-driven masochist? But she kept her musings to herself, letting her piercing gaze convey what words didn't.