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Kurur.

Was the Gray Reaper entering the crack in space the signal?

The moment the Gray Reaper vanished from the open lot, a massive space made of flowing sand began to collapse.

First, the sky of flowing sand that had supported the space like the heavens started to pour down like a waterfall.

No matter where the girl looked, she was surrounded by waterfalls of sand.

That waterfall of sand was filling the area like a castle wall made of sand, slowly approaching the girl.

There was nowhere to escape.

It was an extremely dangerous moment.

The current of sand, much heavier and sturdier than water.

A waterfall of death from which survival was impossible once swept away.

It was too overwhelming a sight for the girl to react to anything.

As the flow of sand reached right in front of the girl in the blink of an eye, she could do nothing but stare blankly, unable to think of running away.

Beeep!

At that moment, the Black Reapers created a gigantic dome to protect the girl and the Dog Meat Man.

As the black dome enveloped the girl, the flow of sand began to shake everything.

It was as if she were on a ride, tossing and turning in chaos, but it was less problematic than expected.

The inside of the dome, which seemed solid, was actually quite soft, and small hands were holding onto the girl’s body.

The inside of the dome wasn’t as dark as expected.

The eyes of the Black Reapers sparkled like stars in the night sky.

Seeing the white and yellow odd-eyed starlight exuding a unique presence, the girl smiled softly.

How much time passed like that until the vibrations shaking everything came to a halt?

Then, cracks began to form on the pitch-black dome as if an egg were breaking, allowing sunlight to seep in.

As the girl slowly moved toward that sunlight, the pitch-black dome scattered into small Black Reapers, creating a passage for her to exit.

Once the girl stepped outside the dome, she saw the large stone marking the entrance to the labyrinth that she had become accustomed to.

However, the labyrinth that lay beyond the stone was not visible.

In its place stood a sand whirlpool soaring high enough to touch the sky.

Moreover, the fake sky, which had always shown the same appearance, had disappeared.

And a massive light ring spanned across the sky, emanating its presence over the city.

Tok tok.

An odd-eyed Reaper patted the girl’s cheek from atop her shoulder.

“?”

As the girl turned her head, the odd-eyed Reaper waved its hand as if saying goodbye.

‘I have to go back to Mom!’

Although the girl couldn’t feel the will the Reaper exuded, somehow she understood what the odd-eyed Reaper was trying to say.

“Okay, go quickly.”

Hearing the girl’s words, the odd-eyed Reaper nodded with a bright smile.

After hearing the girl, the odd-eyed Reaper threw itself into the whirlpool with the other Black Reapers.

Though it was a short time, the girl felt a bit lonely as the Black Reaper that always stayed with her disappeared.

Wishing for the odd-eyed Reaper to return safely, the girl looked up at the violently swirling whirlpool.

*

The Sehee Research Institute isolation room without the Gray Reaper.

Yerin sat on the bed in the Gray Reaper Isolation Room, feeding pudding to the Mini Reapers while watching TV.

An advertisement for a cat-head massaging machine was playing on TV, and Yerin was watching it with an intrigued expression.

‘Wouldn’t it be okay to use that on the Reapers?’

Imagining what kind of reaction the Reaper might have if she secretly massaged its head with that machine later, Yerin’s train of thought was abruptly interrupted by the TV going silent.

“!”

The well-watched advertisement cut off, but the news bulletin that followed caught Yerin’s attention even more.

It was news that a significant change was beginning on the Island of Red Lightning.

[Although close-up filming is not being conducted due to lingering risks, it has been confirmed that the clouds blocking the Island of Red Lightning have dissipated.]

[There is a high probability that the ‘Red Lightning’ that had been blocking access will also disappear, so the Japan Object Association plans to begin rescue operations after confirming entry with a drone.]

The news reported that the clouds that had covered the entire island had vanished.

[Additionally, a large whirlpool has appeared in the center of the island, and a gigantic light ring has manifested overhead.]

The moment Yerin saw that light ring, she felt that the Gray Reaper might be there doing something.

Though she had never submitted a report out of laziness, the Gray Reaper’s outings seemed closely related to the Mini Moon or the light ring.

“Does it seem like there’s a Reaper over there?”

Yerin said while placing a Black Reaper on her hand, but the familiar ‘beeep’ sound that usually followed did not come back.

Finding that a bit strange, Yerin paused in scooping pudding and looked down at the Black Reaper.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

What Yerin discovered was an unexpected scene.

The Black Reaper was curled up as if it were in pain.

It appeared as if it were forcing itself to endure the agony of its whole body burning.

“Are you hurt? I’ve never heard that Objects could be ill; was there a manual for this kind of situation?”

As Yerin cautiously patted the ailing Black Reaper, she pondered over what could solve this.

A Mini Reaper in pain for an unknown reason?

It was truly an unprecedented event.

Panic-stricken, Yerin looked around the isolation room, but the situation was even more severe.

All the Black Reapers were lying as if they were hurt.

Moreover, they were so ill that they couldn’t maintain their forms, becoming limp and melting away.

‘This is bad. What should I do?’

Despite the panic, Yerin sent a signal to the security room about the strange behavior of the Objects, checking if the other Mini Reapers were unaffected.

The Golden Reapers, who always smiled brightly, stared at the struggling Black Reapers and suddenly began to look up at the sky.

It was as if they were gazing beyond the ceiling and into the cosmos.

Amidst their stillness, like dolls that suddenly stopped moving, only the golden Reaper’s antennae swayed from side to side.

*

The Golden Reaper was watching over the suffering Black Reapers.

‘!’

In fact, the Golden Reaper was not truly observing the Black Reapers.

It was looking beyond them.

The pain-ridden figure of a mother and the Black Reaper sharing that pain could be seen.

And then all the Golden Reapers began to look up at the sky, exuding their will.

‘I need help for Mom.’

The Golden Reapers near the Black Reaper began to sway their antennae from side to side, urgently projecting their will.

‘I need help!’

Hearing that will, the other Golden Reapers also looked up at the sky and began to radiate their will.

Japan, America, China, Korea.

Golden Reapers scattered across various countries started to pause their work and look up at the sky.

‘I need help for Mom!’

That will began to spread to Mini Reapers of different colors as well.

The Red Reaper, who had been roasting hungry ghosts, also started looking up at the sky.

The Blue Reaper, who had been peeling apples for the Attached Human, began to look up at the sky.

The Sprout Reaper, who had been sleeping in a flowerpot, started to look up at the sky.

The Orange Reaper, floating in a bathtub, also began to look up at the sky.

The Yellow Reaper, who was putting on a puppet show based on the tale of the Ghost Cat, started to look up at the sky.

The Hungry Ghost Reaper, who had been cutting off its own fingers to make a lunchbox, also began to look up at the sky.

*

One halo perched on top of my head.

As I looked toward the Black Reapers, bearing the weight of that crown, a small Black Reaper with a halo on its head smiled at me.

‘It’s okay now! Mom!’

It was clearly just one Black Reaper, but it felt as if all of them were filling me with courage.

Yeah, even if the condition of is true, I might just die while climbing up the stairs.

I slowly lifted my foot to the next step while looking at the Black Reaper.

Thud.

It felt like something was pressing down on my body.

It felt like my body might explode at any second.

My body, pieced together like fragile pottery, felt like it would shatter into pieces any moment.

‘Ah, is this how it ends?’

At that moment, a will as bright as the sun burst out from my other shoulder.

‘Mom!’

With a bright smile, the Golden Reaper, wearing a halo on its head, clenched both fists, uplifting my spirit.

Within the heart of the Golden Reaper resided the wishes of countless Golden Reapers.

Within the heart of the Black Reaper also lay the wishes of many Black Reapers.

Yeah, I had millions of Golden and Black Reapers with me.

I forced a smile through the pain and took another step forward.

Creak.

The sound of my severely cracked ankle crumbling echoed.

As I was on the verge of collapsing, a new ankle appeared.

It was made from the reddest and hottest flames.

‘Revolution!’

The Red Reaper, hugging a huge red moon, appeared with a halo on its head.

Taking another step forward, even as my body threatened to crumble into pieces, the stream of the Blue Reaper knit me back together.

Taking yet another step, even if I were to roll down the stairs, the Sprout Reaper would turn back time for me.

Even as the weight of my body became unbearable, the Orange Reaper climbed onto me, lifting me up.

Even when I felt I no longer had the strength to move forward, the clothes of the Yellow Reaper pulled me along.

Even at the moment I felt like I was about to fall backward, the Hungry Ghost Reaper was supporting my back.

Black Reapers, Golden Reapers, Blue Reapers, Sprout Reapers, Red Reapers, Orange Reapers, Yellow Reapers, Hungry Ghost Reapers, and finally the Gray Reaper.

So, with the help of the children, I was able to step on all nine steps of the staircase.

Arriving at the throne, I looked down, and everything began to turn to dust and disappear.

The throne, the stairs, the halo, and even the Mini Reapers.

As if everything had been an illusion.

This was the end of the adventure.