Chapter 316

At a little past noon, James Tower.

The scorching midday sun was streaming through the windows, but the atmosphere in the ‘Temporary Situation Room’ where James currently sat was markedly different.

The ceiling of the Situation Room housed a state-of-the-art air conditioner that emitted a quiet hum like white noise, efficiently driving away the heat.

The cool air spreading from the air conditioner reached every corner of the room, making it feel almost chilly.

The Temporary Situation Room was quite spacious.

Large monitors lined the walls, and several computers were stationed nearby.

On the giant screens covering the walls, a clear image of the Korean Peninsula map glowed brightly.

Red dots blinked across the map, marking cities recently devastated by inexplicable calamities, reduced to ruins.

James sat at his chair with a face etched with exhaustion, meticulously reviewing the gathered intelligence.

“Clues are nonexistent.”

In James’s hand was the latest investigative report, which revealed no suspicious points whatsoever.

This must be an Object beyond human comprehension.

I guess I have no choice but to inform the Gray Reaper about the existence of that Apartment Complex.

“Should we organize a joint picnic with Sehee Research Institute and James Research Institute?”

“Or should we leak another cryptic story about the Apartment Complex on TV?”

Just as he resolved to recall the field agents for further discussion, the Situation Room phone began ringing furiously.

A James Research Institute employee reported loudly:

“Unusual phenomena detected at the target Apartment Complex!”

Images taken by the field agents started appearing on the monitors—photos of the skeletal remains of an unfinished apartment complex, surrounded by swirling black dust of unknown origin.

Following that call, reports poured in one after another.

“Mass migration of Mini Reapers observed!”

“All residents of the target apartment transformed into Objects and crumbled into pieces!”

And finally…

“A massive crack splitting the sky has been sighted! It appears to be the Gray Reaper’s doing!”

Even before hearing the report, James had been gazing out the large window of the Situation Room, observing the sky.

From one horizon to the other…

Five massive cracks tore through the heavens.

Their scale far exceeded anything seen before.

The trajectory seemed chaotic, violent, and angry.

“Order all field agents to evacuate the area immediately. The Gray Reaper has appeared.”

Turning away from the cracked sky, James issued commands to his staff.

As he turned on the TV, the news channels just started broadcasting urgent bulletins.

***

In my hand rested a small doll given by the Plaster Doll.

Its familiarity confirmed it was undoubtedly crafted by the Yellow Reaper.

But this doll was notably different from the others made by the Yellow Reaper.

Strangely, it didn’t feel like an Object at all—even under my close inspection.

Unlike previous creations, this doll lacked any special abilities.

Instead, it carried a faint sense of connection, akin to an invisible thread linking it directly to the Yellow Reaper, allowing mutual location tracking.

With the Yellow Reaper’s whereabouts currently unknown, this doll was nothing short of a stroke of luck.

“Good fortune.”

Gripping the soft doll tightly, I extended my senses toward the Yellow Reaper.

Was it abduction or simply elopement?

Either way, this doll would lead me to the Yellow Reaper.

If abducted, I could rescue them quickly—a positive outcome.

If eloped? Well, there’d be plenty of fun “games” to play. Truly delightful!

“Found you.”

Tracing the connection, I pinpointed the Yellow Reaper’s location.

In the void-filled crevices of space, the Yellow Reaper resided.

Since not even the First Sword Doll Outfit can access the void, abduction is certain.

I slowly fed firewood into my right hand.

My grip darkened as it absorbed the energy.

“How dare anyone kidnap our child!”

Fuelled by anger, I swung my fully charged right hand.

WHOOSH!

From one end of the horizon to the other, five claw-like fissures scarred the sky.

Beyond the rifts swirled a black void, exposing the false facade cloaking the apartment complex.

Numerous Plaster Dolls disguised as pedestrians froze mid-action, crumbling to the ground.

CRACKLE. CRACKLE.

The sound of plaster shattering echoed everywhere.

The once pristine apartment complex now lay in ruins.

Beautiful ponds and fountains overflowed with stagnant water, flowers replaced by trash.

Screams erupted from witnesses across the scene.

Ignoring the chaos, I reached through the rift and retrieved the Yellow Reaper.

The Yellow Reaper slept peacefully, unlike their usual self, bearing a natural smile.

“Closed eyes make them resemble the Golden Reaper somewhat.”

Excluding the round belly.

I inspected for injuries while poking the soft belly.

No visible harm detected.

I tossed the unharmed Yellow Reaper into the Mini Reaper Garden and instantly teleported to the kidnapper’s lair.

A confined space reminiscent of the Mini Reaper Garden contained an alien object.

It exuded vibes similar to the Green Jade Person—an extremely ancient human turned Object.

Though differing from the Green Jade Person, this entity retained roughly 10% humanity.

A darkened halo.

A white robe.

Beneath it, traces of red.

Darkened skin.

And flowing blackness akin to an Old God.

Despite its dissimilar appearance, it carried an unsettling resemblance to me.

***

When the Old One engulfed the White Sandy Beach within itself, space itself began to collapse.

The Central Building, part of its body, split in half, revealing a violent streak slicing the sky.

This streak bore a striking resemblance to the marks left by the ancient ‘God’ the Old One once encountered.

Flicker… Flicker…

Space destabilized, causing the Old One’s consciousness to flicker like a broken fluorescent light.

In the moment darkness fell and returned, as the split building resealed, the ‘Gray Reaper’ appeared before him, ghostlike, as if always present.

“Have I failed then?”

The man gazed at the suddenly appeared Gray Reaper, emitting an alien voice.

Had he had just one more minute, he could have erased all traces and escaped.

Odd.

According to his calculations, even with the Gray Reaper’s full force, such a swift arrival was impossible.

But when his gaze landed on the doll in the Gray Reaper’s hand, everything became clear.

“Too overconfident. Not thorough enough.”

The Gray Reaper’s piercing yellow eyes now locked onto the man.

Once captured by those eyes, escape was futile.

No matter how far he fled, it would be meaningless.

So…

Destined to fail without reaching divinity, he would challenge the limits of his mimicry.

Would he surpass the ‘Decayed God’?

***

Waving his hand, the Old One summoned flames resembling those wielded by the ‘Old God.’

Fiery red flames erupted from both hands, consuming the entire space.

The ‘Gray Reaper,’ idly watching the fiery spectacle, soon found himself engulfed in flames.

CRUMBLE.

In an instant, the Gray Reaper’s arm turned brittle like dried mud, crumbling into ash.

The Gray Reaper wore an expression of curiosity before regenerating the lost limb and clapping.

“Revolution!”

With the clap, countless Red Reapers surged from the void, devouring the man-made flames.

Upon witnessing this, the Old One thrust his hand forward, tightly gripping the air.

A spatial distortion created a black point.

A black hole absorbing everything.

The Gray Reaper observed this, slightly surprised, before mimicking the gesture.

THUMP.

The distortion intensified, giving rise to a massive black sphere that consumed everything—the ceiling, the floor, the very fabric of space, even the black hole itself.

Summoning all his powers, the Old One unleashed them.

Probability manipulation.

Time reversal.

Spatial cuts.

Spatial domination.

Yet none affected the Gray Reaper.

Only time reversal showed promise, until nullified by the Sprout Reaper’s appearance.

“Clearly, I fell short. Then…”

The Old One channeled all his energy into the incomplete halo.

The shattered halo began glowing ominously black, gradually reforming into its original shape.

As the glow intensified, it completed its form, bathing the space in a blinding flash.

A destructive black flash akin to the Gray Reaper’s ‘eyes,’ erasing everything.

Within this torrent of darkness, a faint speck of white light flickered.

This tiny spark grew, consuming the black flash like paper aflame, expanding rapidly.

White flames danced like petals in the wind, devouring the blackness.

As the black flash dissipated, brilliant white flames enveloped the entire space.

Like a blizzard of pure white sweeping across the vast universe, these flames illuminated endlessly, their movements dynamic and alive.

Amidst this dazzling whirlpool of white flames stood the Gray Reaper, serene and composed.

Darkened skin.

Cracked red fissures.

A radiant halo atop his head.

His form, though unstable, resembled the ‘Old God’ remarkably.

But where the Old One once stood, there was nothing.

“Aaah, yes. That power. That divine power was what I sought.”

An alien yet longing voice lingered briefly before vanishing.