Chapter 344

Late night, Seodaemun District.

Eventually, the last remaining people in Seodaemun District began to flee the city.

Even those stubborn folks who had refused to leave when the patients from the large hospital were evacuated changed their minds as soon as the Golden Reapers charged in.

“This place is dangerous!”

“Humans, run away!”

Some made angry faces and puffed out their cheeks dramatically.

Others pulled on their cheeks with sad expressions.

A few clung desperately to the hems of their pants and got dragged along.

And there were those who tried to charm everyone with adorable pleading looks.

One way or another, they all succumbed to the cute persuasion tactics of the Golden Reapers.

That’s how Seodaemun District became eerily silent, like a ghost town. But there was still no sign of the Firewood Pig Golden Reaper.

“Where could it be?”

The missing Golden Reaper must be in some perilous situation if it’s this hard to find…

At that moment, a streak of golden light tore through the pitch-black night sky.

Like a golden comet.

It started as a tiny flame about the size of a Mini Reaper but quickly exploded into a wave of golden light that engulfed the entire Seodaemun District.

Shadows danced across the streets like they were performing some eerie ballet, and everything seemed outlined in shimmering gold.

At the center of this sun-like brilliance lay a small bundle of firewood shaped like a tiny fist—a remnant of the Golden Reaper.

And just as this solar phenomenon appeared, the presence of the missing Golden Reaper was finally detected.

“There you are!”

A small crack in the shape of a golden fist appeared.

Though it vanished instantly, now that its location had been pinpointed, it was no longer an issue.

I shoved loads of firewood into both hands and tore through space itself.

With wild slashes filled with fury.

Gurk!

As if glass were shattering, a suspicious spatial distortion was revealed.

A twisted space swirling with distorted desires.

In the corner lay a short-haired girl collapsed unconscious.

And finally, there was the Golden Cloaked Reaper slowly falling after raising its fist one last time.

That firewood-rich girl must be the Golden Cloaked Reaper’s Attached Human, I presumed.

Without hesitation, I leaped toward the Golden Reaper.

As it looked up at me, the Golden Cloaked Reaper managed a weak smile.

I caught it mid-air, easily tearing apart the space imprisoning it, and cradled it in my arms.

“Don’t worry, Mommy’s here.”

I sent it reassurance while feeding it firewood.

Feed it firewood.

Feed it firewood.

Feed it firewood.

“???”

This Golden Reaper ate over 100 times more firewood than usual…

After being stuffed full, the Golden Cloaked Reaper regained consciousness, looked up at me, and gave a small smile.

I gently patted the child before placing it atop my head and sending the unconscious girl off to the Mini Reaper Garden.

“Ready for battle!”

When I turned my head toward the kidnapper, I noticed a Man with a Halo floating above his head staring at me with a strange expression.

His face seemed to waver between hatred and longing.

[It’s already too late. Byproduct.]

The moment his trembling lips spoke, the space around us shattered violently.

Decayed hands erupted from the cracks in space.

These were twisted, corrupted remnants of once pure desires.

Desperate to grasp something they had long yearned for, the hands reached out toward the man as if never wanting to let go.

They coiled around him like living vines, binding him tightly.

The man merely watched as the flesh-eating hands fused with his body, his face glowing with ecstasy.

[Finally… The great work is complete!]

With that triumphant cry, the fusion was complete.

What stood before us was no longer human.

Countless grotesque hands burst through his skin, forming a monstrous shape.

It bore a faint resemblance to the ‘Old God’ nailed to the earth.

***

Late night, Sehee Research Institute.

Yerin had finally gotten the chance to play with Gray Reaper and was hiding in the isolation room to sleep.

But Gray Reaper didn’t show up, so Yerin sat sadly munching on snacks while watching TV.

“I even prepared pajamas for the reapers…”

Though she knew they wouldn’t wear them, she always prepared outfits for the Isolation Room pajama parties.

Besides, something seemed off with Gray Reaper, and the usually abundant Mini Reapers were almost nowhere to be seen around the isolation room.

All that remained were the Black Reapers patrolling diligently and the Gold Reapers lying drowsily on the beds.

Even those Gold Reapers clutching long rifles seemed to be on high alert despite their sleepy state.

Yerin watched as one Gold Reaper yawned loudly with its mouth wide open and instinctively stuck her finger inside.

“Eek!”

The nearly asleep Reaper bit down lightly on Yerin’s finger, jolting awake instantly.

“Did I bite you?”

“Are you okay?”

Worriedly looking up at Yerin, the Gold Reaper gently licked her fingertip.

Yerin smiled warmly at the sight.

“It’s soft and doesn’t hurt at all.”

Saying this, she grabbed the plump cheek of the Gold Reaper.

Haaah.

The other Gold Reapers were also struggling valiantly to stay awake, yawning endlessly.

Some attempted handstands to keep themselves awake but ended up rolling off groggily.

Others practiced sparring with their rifles only to accidentally bump heads and shout “Kon!” while dozing off.

Despite their efforts to stay awake, they looked far more professional than Unnie Sehee ever did.

[Breaking News.]

[A mysterious Object incident in Seodaemun District.]

As the text flashed on screen, the TV switched abruptly to footage of buildings crumbling under the dark night sky.

Right in the middle of the chaos was a gray figure tumbling on the ground.

“!”

Startled, Yerin gasped, and the Gold Reapers lazily glanced upward.

“It’s been a while!”

“They’re calling for help.”

“Do they need assistance?”

Then, with vacant stares, they slowly shuffled over to Yerin and began clinging to her like sticky glue.

***

Inside a space warped like an antlion’s lair devouring wishes.

I used ‘Space Shredder’ on the monstrous man with the halo.

The space bent and buckled, revealing a black sphere that began sucking everything in.

[Useless.]

But with a roar, the halo blazed fiercely, and the black sphere disappeared without a trace.

“Ugh!”

How annoying.

Could that be a space-manipulating halo?

The man, bathed in radiant halo light, opened his mouth as if possessed.

[I have finally obtained the power of a god.]

[The long-held wish of alchemists has been achieved by my own hands!]

He looked slightly deranged.

Still, calling himself a god seems a bit premature.

While he might be stronger than the Horned Reaper or Spider, whether he’s truly on par with Outer Beings remains unclear due to his destruction condition: [Devours the essence of wishes].

Since my ‘Eye’ couldn’t fully analyze his destruction condition, he might not quite reach the level of a Black Giant or Red Outer Being—but perhaps he’s stepped into Outer Being territory?

Hmm, his silhouette does resemble the ‘Old God’ most closely.

An Old God trapped by wishes, unable to ascend.

Looking down at me with a blissful expression, the man declared:

[And by repelling her challenge against divinity, I will reclaim that title!]

As he grew increasingly agitated and clapped his hands together, a powerful shockwave erupted.

A shockwave that crushed space itself.

I was hurled out of the fractured grid-like space and tumbled across the empty city as buildings crumbled in the distance.

Faraway drones captured the scene.

Four halos hung ominously in the multicolored skies.

“Fool.”

I should’ve kept fighting inside the confined space instead of being pushed back to Earth.

Hehe.

As I stopped rolling, the man’s form gradually emerged from the spatial rifts.

His root-like legs touched down on Earth, and the twisted hands encircling his body sank deep into the ground like they belonged there all along.

Amazingly, these decayed hands began to grow larger as they took root.

“Huh?”

Just like the roots of the ‘Old God.’

Simultaneously, the man’s body and stature began to expand rapidly.

Watching this towering Outer Being-sized figure, I summoned an Ability Nullification Halo and placed it on my head.

White flames immediately latched onto his massive body.

With firewood packed into my right hand, I shredded the space containing him.

Five massive scars stretched from the heavens down to the giant.

But they didn’t connect.

“Wha—?”

Upon closer inspection, a thin spatial barrier coated his skin, blocking both the white flames and my Spatial Cuts.

With an air of confidence, as if expecting this outcome, the man spoke:

[Control over space is proof of divinity.]

[Just as the Purple Moon ruling space was the strongest, the fragment of a space-controlling deity surpasses all others.]

As he swung his elongated arm like a Black Giant, countless black spheres began to form around him.

Hundreds, thousands of black spheres capable of grinding everything to dust.

Though my body disintegrated upon contact, I regenerated instantly using firewood.

But his attacks weren’t over yet.

When the twisted-wish-enhanced spatial halo emitted its light, the world began to warp and distort like a kaleidoscope.

Every time I touched the warped space, my body shattered into pieces.

Switching my halo to Full Evasion Mode, I tore through the distorted space with ‘Space Shredder.’

[Showing off your tricks, huh?]

Just as I was about to rip apart the twisted kaleidoscope, the man’s words caused the space to flip again, redirecting my Spatial Cut back at me.

However, the attack returning to me was deflected by my Full Evasion Halo, bending and missing me entirely.

Simultaneously, as the twisted space returned to normal, I heard the man’s voice.

[Impressive. Did you really make it this far with that absurd plan?]

His tone carried a mix of admiration and nostalgia.

Ignoring his words, I checked my status.

Firewood is still plentiful.

What options do I have?

First, summon Blue Idol Reaper for Dual Halos.

Second, summon Hungry Ghost Reaper for Dual Halos.

Third, summon T-Rex and all Mini Reapers for reinforcements.

Fourth, summon the Blue Sphere to activate Giant Mode.

Fifth, summon the Unchanging Sphere to display true Old God power.

Lastly, summon Yerin to unleash Infinite Firewood Power.

But realistically, there aren’t many viable choices.

Options one through three don’t seem strong enough to overcome the space-enhanced halo.

Options four and five would definitely win, but for some reason, I don’t want to use them.

Giants just feel… weird.

Especially the Black Giant.

And summoning Yerin feels too risky, so I’ll save that as a last resort.

‘…’

Ah, thinking is exhausting.

Maybe I’ll just summon the Black Giant.

Just as I thought that, a golden aurora appeared in the sky.

It was an absurd flow of firewood.

Similar to the viscous wishes flowing from where the man had taken root, massive amounts of firewood were coursing through the Mini Reaper Network in the sky.

At the center of this flow was a single Golden Reaper.

Standing atop the only intact high-rise building, it raised one hand—a Golden Horn Reaper, its horns prominently displayed.

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