Chapter 174


Thump, thump.

A strange pulse throbbed from the ominous eyes spread across the floor.

It was a pulsation of power similar to that felt in the white flames.

Along with it, shockwaves erupted from the torn giant’s body, slowly beginning to rise again.

“Pain. Death. Eyes. Guide.”

The giant, appearing unconscious, was gradually healing its ripped body while laboriously spitting out words one by one.

Ah, come to think of it…

While watching the giant regenerate slowly, I realized the fatal mistake I had made.

It had been a long time since I was physically hurt, so I focused only on that.

I should have checked the destruction condition with my ‘eyes’!

I slowly gazed at the regenerating giant and confirmed the destruction condition.

[Retrieve the eyes from within the eyes.]

Conditions that would certainly make it difficult to kill with a spatial cut had emerged.

But thankfully, it wasn’t something like [The stone created by the starting object], like with the hungry ghost condition.

Since I had a rough idea of the conditions, it looked manageable.

Surely the ‘eyes’ refer to that magic circle on the ground which is empowering the giant.

From the first glance, I thought it looked like a window, and indeed it resembled something akin to a corridor.

I smiled as I looked at the nearly healed leader.

“Then, I wonder if it regenerates that quickly without a single piece of flesh left?”

I spread my arms wide and then squeezed them as if to crush something.

The space twisted randomly, and a massive black sphere emerged, swallowing the giant whole.

“Hah, took it down.”

Of course, it would regenerate since I hadn’t fulfilled the conditions, but it wasn’t the type to regenerate in an instant, so it would probably take quite a while.

As long as I could use my abilities, it was no big deal.

However, contrary to my expectations, the black sphere failed to shred the giant and instead exploded into white flames.

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

The giant, who revealed himself with those words, had certainly changed from before.

His once splendid attire was now ragged, exposing his muscular upper body, which was now covered in grotesque, bulging eyes.

Those eyes shed white flames as if they were tears.

“When you let go of this transient world, your soul shall soar beyond the eyes.”

Aside from being massive, the giant, who had looked somewhat human, had completely transformed.

White flames gushed like light from both of his eyes, and every step he took sent waves of fire surging upward.

He truly exuded an otherworldly presence!

Unlike me, who was merely cute, he was genuinely object-like, which made me a tad envious.

*

Rachel was not running away.

Even as the Golden Reaper barreled toward her, shining like a lighthouse, and the Gray Reaper appeared, rolling around, she stood there nailed to the far-off hill.

Rachel knew she should flee.

Perhaps the Golden Reaper had sacrificed itself in such a manner to tell her to run.

But seeing the Golden Reaper, whose whole body was in tatters yet still smiling brightly, she just couldn’t bring herself to move.

The battlefield of the Gray Reaper and the colossal leader had turned into chaos.

The monster-like leader was spewing flames from his mouth while the Gray Reaper was busy fleeing.

Golden Reapers scattered in all directions, hopping around.

The Gray Reaper, initially appearing suddenly, seemed to pop out from the distant location of a Golden Reaper when it looked like it might be caught.

After watching the scene for a substantial amount of time, a small fist began pummeling Rachel’s cheek.

Thud, thud.

The rarely angered Golden Reaper was throwing punches at Rachel’s cheek.

After a while, the Golden Reaper placed its hands on its hips, puffed its cheeks, and sulked.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t bring myself to move.”

Rachel picked up the Golden Reaper and gently patted it, expressing her apology.

With each stroke, the volume of its puffed cheeks gradually diminished until it finally wore an expression of resignation and laughed gleefully.

Then, as if suggesting they should hurry away from this dangerous place, it guided Rachel.

At the Golden Reaper’s urging, Rachel hurriedly began her descent down the hill.

Just as Rachel turned back at the last moment, she caught a glimpse of the expressionless Gray Reaper, fighting the leader.

Sending a small cheer in her heart, Rachel left the battlefield.

*

White flames erupted across the forest.

In a fire that consumed only objects, the vibrant, lively forest exuded a bizarre sense of disharmony.

“The path to the sacred truth shall be paved with shards of pain.”

The white flames, now beginning to nullify the abilities I had already unleashed, were quite bothersome.

Of course, it didn’t completely block attacks like spatial cuts, but it could quickly recover from minor wounds, leaving me helplessly watching time pass.

I was making a hasty escape, scampering away on my tiny legs, and as the distance closed, I teleported to the spot where the Golden Reaper was placed.

The moment I brushed against the flames, my left hand turned to ash.

The charred part of my shoulder, burned by the white flames, gave off a truly awful smell.

If it hadn’t smelled so bad, I would have already devoured the white flames, but the repulsive aroma kept me from feeling up to it.

Come to think of it, it seemed the Black Reapers originally had white firewood…

So, could I perhaps digest those white flames without issues?

I summoned the Black Reaper onto my palm and asked if it could eat that flame.

Shaking its head fiercely from side to side, the Black Reaper denied it.

‘I prefer kind mom.’

The Black Reaper only offered absurd responses, shaking its head.

‘Then, should I eat it and get rid of it instead?’

While lost in thought, the Black Reaper looked at me with an exceedingly sad expression.

Then it imparted an urge, saying, “Mom, be careful!” and suddenly tried to leap somewhere, so I hurriedly caught it.

“Stop! I got it, so just hold still!”

Its expression reminded me of when we were trapped in that black slime, so I rushed to restrain it.

The Black Reaper, caught in my grip, struggled to get away, tilting its head while looking at me.

They sure were keen on sacrificing themselves to teach me something…

So it clearly meant I shouldn’t eat those white flames.

Looking up, I noticed.

“In the deep shadow of pain, we shall find the true god of salvation.”

The giant, who had begun to spew fire, was now entirely engulfed in white flames.

If I couldn’t eat the white flames, then what should I do now?

I had to somehow keep that giant restrained to leap into the eyes.

While I contemplated this, the Black Reaper tilted its head in confusion.

It wore an expression that seemed to question why I was worrying about that.

Then an immense mass of Black Reapers began to swarm from beneath my feet.

And those Black Reapers gathered like a mountain, forming a gigantic figure.

It was the emergence of a Giant Black Reaper with adorable shark teeth measuring 5m tall.

*

Boom!

The sound of an enormous splash of water striking the ground echoed loudly.

[The strongest Mom Golem punch in the world!]

[Golem Punch!]

The 5m huge Mom Golem swung her fist at an incredible speed, effectively dealing with the leader’s army.

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

[Mom is strong!]

[Strong!]

Also, the already powerful Mom Golem had become even stronger.

The skills of the Blue Reapers, trained in the Colosseum, could now pass for those of martial artists.

[Weaker than the Black Reaper!]

Compared to the Black Reapers she had always fought alongside in the Colosseum, the leader clones were tiny and weak.

[Mom Golem’s consecutive punches!]

The clone army kept flooding in, but the Blue Reaper was confident and ready to fight.

*

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

And it was fighting even better than I had anticipated.

Boom!

The giant’s fiery fist emitted a massive shockwave like a bomb.

A fist that burned the object’s abilities and possessed explosive power like a tank shell.

An unreasonable attack that disabled any immunity, landing a direct strike.

However, as the white-burning explosion dispersed, the Black Reaper received the heavy punch on her shoulder, revealing her adorable shark teeth as she smiled brightly.

Rather than feeling threatened by that punch, the Black Reaper was rather enjoying the thrill of battle.

Ever since being melted by the ‘Evolution Liquid,’ something felt different, but could it be that the Black Reaper’s firmness wasn’t due to a physical immunity?

Tap. Tap.

Elegant footwork lightly tapped the ground.

It was as if she were dancing like a ghost, her steps so light they barely touched the earth.

The giant was a powerful foe with huge, rock-solid muscles, but compared to the Black Reaper, he appeared slow and cumbersome.

Certainly, the Black Reaper had to look just like me, yet she exuded the presence of a disciplined, mighty warrior.

Just as the giant couldn’t bear to restrain himself any longer and was about to spew fire again.

Whoosh.

A sharp sound slicing through the air pierced that moment.

Boom.

Right afterward, a mighty thudding sound accompanied a powerful straight punch that struck the giant’s face.

A direct hit targeting the tiny gap like a sniper shot.

That fist delivered a devastating blow right into the giant’s flapping jaw, almost in slow motion.

The giant lost consciousness from that impact and collapsed forward.

It was like a fight between an amateur and a professional boxer; there was no match.

Even though the giant looked like he knew a little bit about fighting, it didn’t matter.

The massive Black Reaper, who had taken down the giant, turned towards me with an expression of vibrant joy.

It was as if it was asking for praise, a look full of pride.

For some reason, it felt a bit cute, like a 5m tall giant baby.

“Well done! Keep it up just like that!”

Hearing my praise, the Black Reaper beamed happily and resumed its fighting stance.

The Black Reaper, who had repeatedly brawled with the Blue Reaper in the Mini Reaper Colosseum, had reached a masterful level of skill.

As soon as the Black Reaper poised to strike, the giant staggered like a zombie, struggling to rise again.

“Awakening from the slumber of the mundane shall lead us into the realm of eternity.”

Before fulfilling the destruction condition, it seemed the giant would never stop.

Then it was my turn to take action.

[Retrieve the eyes from within the eyes.]

While the Black Reaper stalled for time, I had to meet the destruction conditions.