Chapter 106

While slowly heading toward the direction where the presence of a Blue Reaper was felt, an urgent signal from the Blue Reaper was perceived.

<A suspicious Object has appeared!>

It seemed somewhat frantic.

The message carried a hint of fear.

Upon rushing to the location after receiving the Blue Reaper’s signal, what was discovered was the sight of the Blue Reaper in agony.

Upon spotting this sight, nothing else mattered.

Neither the Giant Old Woman nor the mysterious cave held any importance.

The fact that they were searching for the ‘Mirror of the Blue Witch’ was completely forgotten as the garden began to be infiltrated by reality.

And thus, the Blue Reaper found its way into my hands.

Its eyes tightly shut, it trembled violently.

Characters continued to appear and disappear in mid-air repeatedly.

The Blue Reaper, repeating ‘It hurts,’ pleaded with signs of pain.

As I blew into the firewood, the torn-off arm began to regenerate slowly.

The Blue Reaper seems quite different from the Golden Reapers.

They’ve been peculiar since they started flying around and casting magic.

Firstly, their regeneration speed is significantly slower than the Golden Reapers’.

Moreover, despite being no powerful Object capable of tearing through physical immunity like the old women, judging by the injuries, it appears they lack physical immunity too.

The expressions of the gathered Golden Reapers around them resembled those looking at an easily hurt younger brother who requires delicate care.

Once the arm fully regenerated, the Blue Reaper immediately lost consciousness and fell asleep.

Like someone caught in a nightmare, its brows furrowed as I stroked its head.

Continuing until its sleeping face became peaceful.

Gently placing the peacefully sleeping Blue Reaper on the marshmallow, I reversed the garden’s infiltration and returned to the lakeside.

Rest here. I’ll get revenge soon.

For the Blue Reaper’s peaceful sleep, I decided the execution site for the old women would be the lake.

Well, there’s no need to use space manipulation on Objects of this level anyway.

One massive old woman and three others similar in size to the one dealt with last time.

Since they mentioned having sisters, these must be those ‘sisters.’

The old women, who had been trembling while looking at me, appeared much more relaxed upon returning to the familiar lakeside.

The giant old woman, making eye contact with me, spoke with a tense expression.

[We had no idea that small one was your subordinate. Please forgive us….]

After scanning the old women and the giant old woman thoroughly, no mirror could be seen anywhere.

Could these old women not be the Blue Witch?

As I stood silently staring without saying anything, the giant old woman slightly altered her tone and spoke in a more domineering manner.

[Even so, you wouldn’t dare oppose the Blue Moon, would you?]

When the giant old woman spread her arms wide, the blue moon reflected on the water surface expanded to fill the entire surface.

It looked as if the lake was filled with the blue moon.

A large blue moon that seemed to emit light.

The intensity felt from it wasn’t trivial either.

[The Blue Moon is immortal. You can’t possibly not feel this power, can you?]

With a smug expression replacing the earlier submissive one, the giant old woman looked confident that I’d have no choice but to back down.

Just boasting about something like that?

Even if they command a thousand Hungry Ghosts, harming a fragile youngest sibling is unforgivable.

There’s nothing I can offer you except eternal destruction.

Summoning the Golden Reapers with a disinterested expression.

Wherever one turned, the sight of countless Golden Reapers filled the view, causing the old women to panic.

[Fools! Don’t lose your composure!]

The giant old woman reprimanded the panicking old women.

The giant old woman, whose teeth were as sharp as shark’s, growled while making a clicking sound with her teeth.

[Are you finally deciding to fight? As long as the Blue Moon exists, witches are also immortal. You will surely regret this. You and everything you hold dear will forever fear the night and shadows!]

Despite the ominous warning from the giant old woman, the Golden Reapers began to close in step by step.

Seeing this, the giant old woman let out a loud curse.

[You will all dissolve into a puddle of blood!]

The tangible black waves of curses unleashed upon the Golden Reapers.

But they had no effect whatsoever.

The curses dissipated and lost their power upon touching the skin of the Golden Reapers.

[You will all become blind.]

[Your limbs will all twist and won’t move properly!]

The old woman’s lumpy hands wildly waved in the air, showering curses upon the Golden Reapers.

The old woman’s face, twisted with anger and fear, contrasted sharply with the calm faces of the Golden Reapers.

While the old women alternated between attempts at negotiation and spewing curses, the Golden Reapers steadily advanced forward with small steps.

Finally, seeing the old women cornered to the point of difficulty moving.

I clapped my hands.

Snap.

At the signal, the Golden Reapers all charged in unison.

It was faster and more intense than usual, seemingly fueled by the desire for vengeance for the Blue Reaper.

[You cannot harm me!]

[You will wail in pain even from the slightest breeze!]

Even as they were brutally torn apart by the Golden Reapers, the old women continued reciting curses without giving up.

[Aaaaaaah!]

[Save me!]

But gradually, the frequency of curses decreased, and cries of anguish increased until eventually, they stopped making any sound at all.

All that remained were grotesque piles of bloody flesh.

[You will all regret this…]

From those piles of flesh came the final curse.

But it was useless.

***

The Black Agent gradually regained his senses in the quiet stillness.

The moonlight shining through the ceiling that opened up to the sky, the crystals faintly glowing.

This was indeed the cave where the Black Agent had lost consciousness, but the atmosphere was entirely different.

The formidable presence of the blue-clad woman was nowhere to be seen.

Where’s the Young Miss?

The Black Agent spotted the Blonde Girl lying quietly under the moonlight.

Bathed in the blue moonlight, the girl’s appearance looked extremely peaceful.

She exuded a calm atmosphere, as if she were merely sleeping.

With an expression mingling hope and fear, the Black Agent rushed to the girl’s side.

He knelt beside her and gently picked her up.

On the surface, the girl seemed fine.

No wounds, and she was breathing peacefully.

“Miss! Are you alright?”

The man’s voice echoed faintly within the cave, breaking the heavy silence that had engulfed it.

“Ahh, Uncle. You’ve come.”

The girl smiled weakly as she opened her eyes.

Her azure eyes, glowing faintly blue, captured the Black Agent’s form.

Sensing something from the girl’s expression, the Black Agent tried to say something, but the girl’s weak voice began to speak instead.

“I should’ve listened to you. It failed.”

As the girl began speaking, changes started occurring in her body.

Blood began spurting from her heart area, which had previously shown no injuries.

“The Wish-granting Objects do grant wishes… If you set plenty of conditions and make a contract, I thought it’d be fine…”

A wound as if stabbed by a sharp blade suddenly appeared on the girl’s chest, and blood gushed out from the spot.

Though the Black Agent tried to stop it, the wound was too deep.

“Our family, Grandfather, Objects didn’t matter. I just wanted to go play together…”

The Blonde Girl, her unfocused blue eyes gazing at some distant place, ceased breathing.

Closing the girl’s eyes gently, the Black Agent stood up, cradling her in his arms.

There must be a way.

Even if it means beseeching her again for a wish.

***

Near the cave in Yangcheon District, at the edge of the lake.

Cleaning up the piles of blood left behind by the old women.

The Blue Reaper, who had regained consciousness by now, also helped with disposing of the old women’s remains.

<Burn completely and turn into ashes, please!>

<Burn entirely and turn into ashes, please!>

<Make sure to burn and turn into ashes, please!>

The Blue Reaper’s strings of text incinerated the old women’s corpses black, while the Golden Reapers diligently dug holes in the ground.

It was necessary to meet the destruction condition for the old women.

All of their destruction conditions were the same: <Turn into ashes and bury in the ground.>

Something strange?

Inside the giant old woman’s corpse, an object that wouldn’t turn to ash was discovered.

A crimson heart continuously spewing flames.

This seemed to be a fairly high-class object, given its unusual destruction condition.

<Stop the heart from beating and submerge it in water.>

Plop plop. Watching the small heart beat, before I knew it, the Golden Reapers had finished dealing with the old women’s work.

The moment the ashes were buried with soil, a change in ability was felt.

The Blue Reaper multiplied.

Ten of them.

A rather steep increase in numbers.

Still, how many more old women would need to be caught to match the number of Golden Reapers?

There probably aren’t any more old women in this lake….

The Golden Reapers, seemingly delighted by the increase in Blue Reapers, surrounded and hugged the Blue Reapers joyfully, causing quite a commotion.

It was almost as if the Blue Reapers were in danger of being crushed.

The boundless goodwill radiating from the energetic Golden Reapers was burdensome to the Blue Reapers.

Unable to endure it any longer, the Blue Reapers pulled their caps low over their heads and fled into the sky.

While admiring the cute Mini Reapers’ forms, suddenly, an anomaly was felt in the lake.

At the same time the presence of an Object was detected, the previously tranquil lake surface began swirling into a whirlpool.

Is the Blue Witch showing up now?

***

While resting at a lodging place after arriving at the lake in Yangcheon District, I felt the vibration of the ground.

The ground was shaking.

Although it wasn’t a particularly strong tremor, it was definitely noticeable.

Could the lake monster already be appearing?

A gigantic, truly enormous monster emerging from the lake’s surface.

The guardian of the lake, known as the Lake Serpent.

Probably, following a famous legend on Earth, it would be named accordingly.

Hydra.

The monstrous snake that sprouted from the vast lake of Yangcheon District towered higher than any building.

So tall it seemed to pierce the sky, and made entirely of water.

“Haha, why is the lake serpent already here….”

The tattoo-covered woman muttered to herself, expressing her sense of helplessness as she dashed outside the lodging.

The crystal needed to stop that serpent hasn’t been completed yet.

About a day is needed.

A day is sufficient time for the Hydra, corrupted by the curse, to turn all of Seoul into a wasteland.