Ch. 401Maki's first taste of the Culling Game
Key plot points and events
- Maki enters the Tokyo No. 1 Colony, expecting the Culling Game barrier to teleport her to a random location. Instead, she passes through it without being moved and can walk straight back out.
- She realizes the barrier cannot detect or affect her because she has zero cursed energy as a Heavenly Tyrant. After giving her guard a vague explanation, she re-enters and prepares to search for the fighters known as the “Tokyo Four Heavenly Kings.”
- Maki checks the cursed tool she brought from the Zenin family vault. Because Mai survived in this timeline, Maki does not possess the Soul-Devouring Blade she wielded in the original timeline.
- Elsewhere, Reggie continues pretending to be close friends with Ogi Zenin. He orders Remi to find food and drink rather than using his own technique to recreate food receipts.
- Reggie asks how Maki became head of the Zenin family despite Ogi’s claim that she lacks a cursed technique. To save face, Ogi falsely blames Yuta Okkotsu, claiming Maki used his status as a Special Grade Sorcerer to seize power.
- Reggie is alarmed by the mention of Yuta: he agreed to help Ogi, but not to fight a Special Grade sorcerer.
Character developments and interactions
- Maki demonstrates practical curiosity and confidence, quickly working out why the barrier has no effect on her. She also shows concern for her Zenin guard, assigning him a safe role outside the colony.
- The Zenin guard is deeply moved by Maki’s consideration, contrasting it with how the family’s former leaders treated him.
- Ogi protects his pride by inventing a story that makes Maki’s rise depend on Yuta rather than her own strength.
- Reggie and Ogi perform an exaggerated “brotherly” bond, though Reggie’s stinginess and Ogi’s self-serving lies reveal how hollow their alliance is.
- Remi recognizes Reggie’s hypocrisy but feels unable to challenge him openly.
- Reggie’s panic over Yuta exposes the limits of his willingness to support Ogi.
Significant themes
- Strength and identity: Maki’s zero cursed energy, normally treated as a disadvantage, lets her bypass the barrier’s rules.
- Care versus exploitation: Maki treats her guard with respect, while Reggie and Ogi use others—including Remi—for their own convenience.
- Pride and deception: Ogi would rather invent a story about Yuta than admit Maki defeated the Zenin family through her own ability.
- Fragile alliances: The pair’s comical displays of brotherhood conceal self-interest and fear.