Chapter 146

For security purposes, the Sehee Research Institute Security Room had no windows facing the outside, exuding a dim atmosphere.

In that room filled with numerous surveillance camera feeds, the Security Room employees were gathered around one screen, chatting.

“Come on, there’s no way a kid who just sleeps peacefully like that could do it. You’re just messing with me because I didn’t see it, right?”

“No, why wouldn’t you believe your senior? It’s the truth, I tell ya.”

The screen zoomed in to reveal Sprout Reaper, with cyan skin, sleeping soundly.

The peaceful and tranquil sight was almost angelic.

“No way, you’re telling me this sweet-faced kid taunted the camera?”

“It’s true! Why would I lie about something like this?”

As if struck by an idea, the senior employee pulled up stored footage on the screen.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, why am I even trying to convince you? We can just play back the video…”

But no matter how much they searched, the video only showed the soundly sleeping Sprout.

“Tch, what fresh hell is this? Did I hallucinate?”

“See? This new Sprout is harmless and well-behaved.”

The junior employee grinned, standing up to head toward the hidden stash of instant noodles in the security room.

“My stomach’s growling… Senior, want a cup of ramen?”

“Yeah.”

While preparing two cups of ramen from the lounge, the junior said:

“Lately, the Blue Reapers seem different. Like… they’ve gotten friendlier?”

“Huh? I don’t really interact with the Blue Reapers much, so I haven’t noticed.”

“They’ve definitely changed. It’s not just me; people say they come home and find apples peeled for them.”

With the boiling water added, the junior returned with both cups of ramen.

As the senior took the offered cup, he remarked:

“This familiar instant noodle smell. They say the institute’s making lots of money lately, but we’re still stuck with these cheap noodles.”

While slurping their ramen, the security staff exchanged various stories.

About a Blue Reaper giving chocolate as a gift.

A rumor about a giant golden Gray Reaper statue in the basement of the Sehee Research Institute.

None particularly enlightening tales.

“Well, I’ll go toss out the trash.”

After gathering the remains of the ramen into a plastic bag, the junior left the security room.

Left behind, the senior began nodding off due to post-meal drowsiness, lazily gazing at the CCTV monitors while leaning on his hand.

A perfect example of a Sehee Research Institute employee waiting for his shift to end.

Suddenly, movement on the Sprout’s monitor caught his attention.

Their half-open eyes locked with the senior’s.

“Huh!”

Startled awake, the senior jumped out of his chair as Sprout opened its eyes wider, adopting a teasing grin.

Bleh.

It stuck out its tongue mockingly.

So I wasn’t imagining things after all!

At that moment, the security room door opened, revealing the returning junior.

“Senior? What’s going on? You suddenly stood up…”

But by the time the junior returned from disposing of the trash, Sprout’s mischievous expression had vanished without a trace.

***

From an impossibly high vantage point, the horizon stretched endlessly across a sea of black liquid.

Its glossy surface rippled slowly and ominously like the breath of a slumbering beast.

Amidst this dark and sticky ocean, a herd of pigs wrapped in flames marched forward, each step burning away the black liquid.

Ahead of them loomed a massive swirling hole, swallowing light like the entrance to an abyss.

This abyss looked eerily similar to one seen from a helicopter, though darker and more polluted.

The fiery pig army relentlessly advanced toward this unreachable pit, evoking a scene straight out of an apocalypse.

Their march seemed fueled by hatred and malice toward humanity.

Their goal: invasion of Earth and attack on humans.

Since Yerin was staying at a hotel near the pit, she couldn’t ignore it.

Her target was the leading boar—also the largest.

Attempting to tear open space with her hands, an unexpected phenomenon occurred.

As if alive, the universe itself twisted and distorted in response to her will.

Out of nowhere, a black sphere emerged, devouring light and tearing apart space.

The once vast herd of pigs was helplessly sucked into the black sphere, dissolving amidst screams of pain.

Even the massive boar couldn’t resist the sphere’s power, shattering into pieces.

However, victory between objects wasn’t so easily decided.

Though attacked, the pigs weren’t truly killed; their shredded remains reformed, bringing them back to life.

The great boar, now oozing lava instead of blood, stared up at her.

The smaller pigs scattered across the ground also revived, staring at her intently.

[!!!!!]

The massive boar opened its mouth wide and roared incomprehensibly.

A language heard several times on Earth before.

Why can’t I understand it now when I could before?

Looking down at herself, she found her body transformed.

A darkened physique.

White-burning firewood in the void.

Blurred features.

An enormous stature reaching the heavens.

And the long-dead vessel of flesh and spirit.

Her shadow fell over the black liquid as she towered above the pig horde.

What is this? What am I?

Recognizing her altered form, sensations rapidly expanded outward in every direction.

Across the continent, the entire planet, even beyond the universe.

Omnipotence.

Yes, I feel omnipotent.

Just as this intoxicating sensation began, a tiny voice interrupted.

“Mommy, hurry…”

The painful cry of a Golden Reaper!

She heard children calling for her.

***

Whoosh!

Rising flames caught the attention of the Golden Reaper, who looked up at the steel boar statue melting away.

“Mommy won!”

Smiling, the Golden Reaper waited inside the molten steel boar for the Gray Reaper’s return.

Instead, an unconscious Gray Reaper appeared before the Golden Reaper.

Lacking willpower, the Gray Reaper’s body tumbled from the collapsing statue and hit the floor.

“!”

Shocked, the Golden Reaper approached the motionless Gray Reaper, whose eyes remained closed.

Not just asleep.

Only an empty shell remained.

Essentially a corpse.

“Mommy isn’t here.”

Concern crossed the Golden Reaper’s face as it looked down at the unmoving Gray Reaper.

There was little real worry though.

After all, the Gray Reaper, Mommy, the Creator—they were invincible.

Just a small concern about taking too long to return.

But as flames erupted from the Gray Reaper’s body, this small concern grew larger.

Huge amounts of firewood were being sucked into the air from the Gray Reaper.

So fast that the once brilliant Gray Reaper lost all its light almost instantly.

Dry mud-like, flaky gray skin.

Each slap from the Golden Reaper caused chunks of flesh to crumble away like sand.

“Mommy!”

The Gray Reaper was dying.

“Mommy’s in danger!”

The Golden Reaper transferred all its firewood to the Gray Reaper.

Without saying a word, other arriving Golden Reapers placed their hands on the Gray Reaper, sacrificing their own life-force.

Golden Reapers collapsing, losing their light.

“Mommy, hurry…”

The small wishes of dying Golden Reapers flowed through their diminishing firewood.

***

Under the cover of night, a crimson curtain enveloped the research facility cluster near the Rocky Mountains.

The horizon blazed red.

The immense barrier surrounding the Rockies burned.

The spiritual barrier protecting America was aflame.

Thick, ominous smoke filled the sky, casting a giant shadow.

A monstrous shadow of a pig looming over the mountain range, watching humanity below.

Late alarms began to blare.

At the Rocky Mountains Spiritual Barrier Management Center, which oversaw the barrier and the object ‘Abyss Whirlpool,’ emergency alerts sounded.