Chapter 174

Thump thump.

The ominous eyes embedded in the floor pulsed with a strange heartbeat.

A rhythm similar to the power I felt from the white flame resonated through them.

As if in sync, the giant’s shredded body began emitting shockwaves, and it slowly started to rise again.

“Agony. Death. Eyes. Guide.”

The giant, which appeared devoid of consciousness, was gradually restoring its torn body while laboriously spitting out words one by one.

Ah, now that I think about it…

While observing the giant regenerating its body, I realized a critical mistake.

It’s been such a long time since I’ve taken physical damage that I was too focused on that aspect.

I should have checked the destruction condition using ‘Eyes’ first!

I carefully examined the giant as it slowly regenerated, looking for the destruction condition.

[Retrieve the eye within the eye.]

Clearly, this wasn’t something that could be easily killed with Spatial Cut.

At least it wasn’t something absurd like [the stone created by the starting Object], so that’s fortunate.

Since I can roughly predict the condition, it seems doable.

The “eye,” no doubt, refers to that magic circle-like thing spread across the floor, which is granting power to the giant.

From the start, it gave off an impression of being like a window, and sure enough, it appears to be some kind of portal.

While watching the cult leader nearing full regeneration, I smiled.

‘Shall we see how quickly you regenerate without a single scrap of flesh left?’

Spreading my hands wide, I clenched them together as if gripping something, tightly squeezing the air.

Space violently warped, creating a massive black sphere that swallowed the giant whole.

“Hehe, take that.”

Of course, since the condition hasn’t been fulfilled, it’ll regenerate. But it’s not the instant type, so it’ll probably take quite a bit of time.

If only I could use abilities, it’d be nothing.

However, contrary to my expectations, the black sphere failed to shred the giant and instead transformed into a white flame, exploding violently.

“Behold, the flesh is but a fleeting vessel bound by the chains of mortality.”

With those words, the revealed form of the giant had undoubtedly changed.

The once ornate clothing that adorned its muscular upper body was now tattered, exposing grotesque eyes sprouting all over.

These eyes were shedding tears of white flame.

“Let go of this fleeting world, and your soul shall soar beyond the eyes.”

Excluding its size, the giant now resembled a human much more closely.

Fiery beams shot from both its eyes, and with every step, fiery footprints erupted.

Truly transcendent!

Unlike me, who’s just cute, this feels genuinely object-worthy, making me feel a little envious.

***

Rachel hadn’t fled.

Even when the Golden Reaper charged forward like a lighthouse illuminating everything or when the Gray Reaper rolled around unpredictably, Rachel remained steadfast atop the distant hill.

Rachel knew she should flee.

The Golden Reaper likely sacrificed itself to allow her escape.

But after seeing the Golden Reaper smiling brightly despite its tattered state, Rachel couldn’t move her feet.

The battlefield between the monstrous cult leader and the Gray Reaper had become chaotic.

The transformed cult leader spewed flames from its mouth, and the Gray Reaper kept running for dear life.

The Golden Reapers scattered in all directions, hopping around playfully.

Whenever it seemed the Gray Reaper would be caught, it reappeared near a distant Golden Reaper.

After watching for quite some time, a small fist flew toward Rachel’s cheek.

Tut-tut.

The rarely seen angry Golden Reaper was punching Rachel’s cheek.

After delivering several punches, the Golden Reaper placed its hands on its hips, puffed its cheeks, and fumed.

“I’m sorry. My feet just wouldn’t move.”

Rachel gently cradled the Golden Reaper in her palm and stroked it apologetically.

Each stroke reduced the inflated cheeks until finally, it adopted an expression of resignation and chuckled, “Hehe.”

Then, as if urging Rachel to flee because it was dangerous here, it guided her away.

Rachel hurried down the hill at the Golden Reaper’s insistence.

Looking back at the last moment, Rachel saw the stoic Gray Reaper battling the cult leader.

Silently cheering it on, Rachel then departed from the battlefield.

***

A bright white flame shot through the forest.

In the fire that burned objects alone, the vibrant forest created an eerie sense of dissonance.

“The path to divine truth is paved with fragments of suffering.”

The white flames that had already nullified my abilities were becoming increasingly troublesome.

Though they don’t completely block attacks like Spatial Cut, they swiftly heal minor wounds, wasting precious time.

Using my small legs to run and teleporting to the nearest Golden Reaper whenever the distance closes, I managed to evade.

The Golden Reapers seem to view this situation as a somewhat dangerous game of tag, judging by their joyful expressions.

Gazing at the white flames adorning the lively forest, a peculiar certainty grew within me.

‘If I consume these flames, all problems will be solved.’

‘Further, the giant’s power will become mine.’

Such thoughts kept arising.

“Within the depths of pain, the awakening of the soul begins.”

In sync with the giant’s muttering, a colossal wave of fire surged from all directions.

Startled, I teleported to a distant Golden Reaper.

Even briefly brushing against the flames turned my left hand to ash.

The smell of truly tasteless firewood emanated from my shoulder where the white flame clung and burned.

If it weren’t for this unpleasant odor, I might have already consumed the white flame, but the scent makes it unappetizing.

Now that I think about it, the Black Reapers originally had white firewood, didn’t they?

So, could they handle these white flames without issue?

I summoned a Black Reaper onto my palm and asked if it could eat these flames.

No-no-no.

Shaking its head vigorously in refusal.

“Kind mom is better.”

The Black Reaper responded with incomprehensible words and shook its head.

‘So, should I just eat it and destroy it myself?’

As I pondered this, the Black Reaper looked at me with a deeply sorrowful expression.

Then, it conveyed its determination—”Mom, watch carefully!”—before attempting to dash off somewhere.

“Hold on! I get it, stop!”

Its expression reminded me of the Black Liquid incident, so I quickly grabbed it.

The captured Black Reaper struggled to break free, then tilted its head and looked at me curiously.

They always try to sacrifice themselves to teach me something…

So, they must be warning me not to eat the white flames.

Lifting my gaze, I observed:

“In the shadow of deep agony, we shall discover the true savior deity.”

The giant, which had started spewing flames sometime ago, now had hair transformed entirely into white flames.

If I can’t consume the white flames, what should I do now?

I need to somehow restrain the giant to leap into the eye.

The Black Reaper quietly listened to my thoughts before tilting its head again.

An expression asking why I was even considering such things.

Then, an enormous number of Black Reapers emerged beneath my feet.

And they piled up like a mountain, forming a massive shape.

It was the appearance of the 5-meter tall Giant Black Reaper with adorable shark teeth.

***

Boom!

The sound of an immense water mass striking the ground reverberated.

[The World’s Strongest Mom Golem Punch!]

[Golem Punch!]

The Mom Golem, standing at 5 meters tall yet incredibly fast, was effectively handling the Cult Leader army with powerful punches.

No matter how numerous they were, the size and speed difference made it impossible for them to even approach.

[Mom is strong!]

[Strong!]

The Mom Golem, originally already powerful, had grown even stronger.

The combat skills of the Blue Reapers honed in the Colosseum had reached a level where they could now be considered martial arts experts.

[Weaker than Black Reapers!]

Compared to the Black Reapers they always fought alongside in the Colosseum, the Cult Leader clones were far too small and weak.

[Mom Golem Continuous Punch!]

Despite the endless waves of clone armies, the Blue Reaper was confident in its ability to keep fighting.

***

The Giant Black Reaper covered in white flames was battling the fire-breathing giant.

And it was performing far better than I expected.

Kaboom!

The giant’s flaming punch unleashed a bomb-like shockwave.

A punch fueled by Object abilities, possessing tank shell-level explosive power.

An irrational attack that erased immunity and delivered a direct explosion.

Yet, when the scattering white flames dissipated, the Black Reaper stood there, bearing the heavy punch on its shoulder, revealing its cute shark teeth in a bright smile.

The Black Reaper didn’t feel any sense of danger from that punch; instead, it was fully enjoying the thrill of battle.

Ever since it melted in the ‘Evolution Liquid,’ something seemed different. Could it be that the Black Reaper’s toughness wasn’t based on physical immunity?

Tap. Thud.

Graceful footwork lightly pushing off the ground.

It moved as if floating like a ghost, gracefully dancing.

The giant, though massive and muscular like a great mountain, appeared slow and cumbersome compared to the Black Reaper.

Despite looking identical to me, the Black Reaper exuded the dignified aura of a powerful warrior.

The moment the giant, unable to bear the frustration, attempted to breathe fire.

Whoosh.

A sharp sound sliced through the air like a piercing arrow at that exact moment.

Bang.

Shortly after, a heavy impact sound followed, and a powerful straight punch struck the giant’s face.

A perfectly timed direct hit.

That punch was embedding destructive force into the gaping jaw in slow-motion.

Overwhelmed by the impact, the giant lost consciousness and collapsed forward.

It was like an amateur versus a professional boxer—no contest.

Even though the giant seemed to know some form of martial arts, it still ended this way.

The victorious Giant Black Reaper turned its head toward me and smiled cheerfully.

Its proud expression seemed to ask for praise.

For some reason, it looked a bit cute like a big baby, standing at 5 meters tall.

“Good job! Keep it up!”

Upon hearing my praise, the Black Reaper grinned widely and assumed its martial arts stance once more.

Through repeated blood-soaked battles against Blue Reapers in the Mini Reaper Colosseum, the Black Reaper’s combat skills had reached the level of a master.

The moment the Black Reaper took its stance, the giant, zombie-like, wobbled but rose again.

“Awakening from the slumber of the mundane, we shall advance to the eternal realm.”

The giant didn’t seem like it would stop until the destruction condition was met.

So, it’s time for me to do what I need to do.

[Retrieve the eye within the eye.]

While the Black Reaper buys time, I need to fulfill the destruction condition.