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Under the universe stained purple.

The world was getting more and more twisted.

As the laws warped, the air began to take shape.

The air transformed into something like the cocoons emitted by insects or a spider web.

Light and tough against physical immunity, sticky and unpleasant threads swirled chaotically in the air.

Those threads flew around the sky as if they were alive, sticking to structures like buildings and starting to wrap around them like cocoons.

It was an extremely harmful distortion to all living beings that breathed, not objects.

The air was gradually dwindling, and threads that seemed lethal if they entered the lungs were taking its place.

Moreover, the ground was slowly transforming into something transparent like a mirror.

It was a swamp reflecting the sky as if it were a decal.

I wore the halo of nullification and looked up at the purple external being.

The purple external being just sat there, doing nothing.

Did it think merely stretching time would be advantageous?

Until now, the distortion couldn’t spread far because the halo of nullification kept it burning white.

But if I drag on time, the distortion would worsen, spreading to where Yerin was.

I stretched both hands to tightly grasp the space.

Crack.

As the space warped, a large black sphere appeared.

It had the ability to suck everything in and crush it, but it had no effect on the external being.

I felt something strange.

Though it seemed like the external being and I were in the same space, it felt like we were actually in completely different spaces.

Perhaps that’s why the halo of nullification couldn’t directly exert its influence.

The range of the halo wasn’t the entire universe.

Halo of nullification, limited effect.

Halo of complete evasion, useless against an enemy that doesn’t even attack.

Halo of illusion manifestation, creating something with an illusion has no meaning against an external being like that.

Halo of witnessing death, it should be effective, but I can’t bring it out.

There’s no answer.

*

Late at night, the dark night sky began to be stained purple.

The sky was torn as if it had been slashed, revealing an ominous night.

In that unfamiliar sky, there were colorful stars that were hard to see on a normal day, and purple threads filled the spaces between the stars.

That purple-stained sky emitted its own light, illuminating the ground unlike any ordinary night sky.

Looking up at that sky was the Golden Reaper, dripping firewood from the grievous wounds of both hands, who smiled faintly before turning away.

“Hang in there.”

Saying it was the end for me, he left a smile filled with remorse for the last remaining Golden Reaper, slowly turning to dust and disappearing.

In the spot where the Golden Reaper vanished, just a small flame, no bigger than a match, remained.

It was a flame that seemed like it would never extinguish, as if vowing to protect the Sehee Research Institute even in death.

Around the Sehee Research Institute, many golden flames remained.

The Golden Reapers had originally formed a large line around the Sehee Research Institute, but they had slowly pushed past the parking lot to reach the main building.

So many Golden Reapers had dwindled that they had to lean against the study’s sturdy exterior, using the narrow entrance.

However, the number of the purple-tinged Association Dolls was steadily increasing.

Moreover, the purple dolls that looked rusty and broken began to regain their normal doll appearance.

The physically immune dolls, which had been moving like zombies, were now able to walk quickly like humans.

But only one Golden Reaper remained.

So few that they couldn’t last even a minute.

“It’s okay. Mom will win soon.”

Steeling their resolve, the remaining Golden Reaper moved forward, and the sound of gigantic footsteps began to echo.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Perhaps due to the purple stain, it was rusty and twisted.

The massive construction Association Doll, though, approached slowly, stained purple.

It was so huge that it was uncertain whether it could be stopped even if the entire body of a Golden Reaper was inserted into it.

Drip.

A single tear fell from the last Golden Reaper’s eye.

It was heavy.

The expectations of the fading Golden Reapers.

It was sorrowful.

The fact that they couldn’t protect the humans behind them.

If only they had talent with the sword.

If only they had a lightsaber.

They could protect the humans.

But the last Golden Reaper had no talent with the sword.

Perhaps the least talented Golden Reaper was themselves.

That level was almost ‘Mom-level’!

But still, the Golden Reaper clenched both fists and endlessly wished.

The 1st Sword once said:

“This kind of power is only something a broken Mini Reaper can possess, so it’s better that you don’t have it.”

But the Golden Reaper continued to wish.

To be able to create a weapon like the 1st Sword.

Even if they had no talent with the sword.

Just for a moment, it would be fine.

Even just for 10 minutes, it would be fine.

As long as they could die forever in exchange!

May the intangible sword of the 1st Sword descend upon these two hands!

In that moment, something inside the heart of the Golden Reaper shattered.

‘Ah…’

But it wasn’t enough.

Just having something shatter from the talentless Golden Reaper couldn’t reach the domain of the 1st Sword.

“No….”

With nothing achieved, their whole body started to crack and crumble, beginning to spread into dust.

At that moment, the remaining sparks of the Golden Reapers began to react.

The wishes to protect the Sehee Research Institute began to fly towards the Golden Reaper.

Each time that happened, their whole body fell apart in chaos.

It hurt.

It hurt too much.

But the Golden Reaper smiled brightly.

Because they had finally obtained the weapon they longed for.

Everyone’s wishes were leading the Golden Reaper.

The flame of desire, shining as brilliantly as the sun, wrapped around their body like armor and blazed.

It was a flame armor that would destroy physical immunity merely upon contact like the intangible sword of the 1st Sword.

The Golden Armored Reaper soared like a comet, beginning to pierce the hearts of the dolls.

*

I looked at the purple external being, ruminating to myself.

“There’s no time. Yerin will be in danger.”

Of course, I wanted to escape with Yerin right now and bring the Unchanging Sphere.

But if I pulled back like this, the Mini Reapers would surely get angry, so I couldn’t do it.

The halo of nullification was desperately burning the ‘threads,’ and yet it was still like this; if I didn’t burn them, within a minute, all of Seoul would become a cocoon, and all the firewood would perish.

“Still… there’s no helping it.”

I felt sorry for the Mini Reapers, but the sacrifice of the cow for the generations is unavoidable.

Just as I was about to escape.

Suddenly, whether the Mini Reaper Garden opened or not, the Mini Reapers began bustling about to protect Seoul.

Mini Reapers breaking the Association Dolls to protect people.

Mini Reapers trying hard to catch the harmful ‘threads’ spreading all over Seoul one by one.

But the connection’s gap between the garden and reality prevented me from summoning the Unchanging Sphere.

“Guess I have no choice but to run.”

At that moment, the Mini Reapers gathered around me and started cheering.

“Mom, hang in there!”

“Mom can do it!”

Despite the unfavorable situation, seeing the children smile brightly made it impossible for me to run away.

Yeah, let’s ‘think’ for a moment.

Just like in the dark, cold, and desperate Seoul Forest.

Like when there was no physical immunity and no ghosting.

Back then, my first weapon and the strongest weapon.

I used ‘Eyes.’

[Break the ■■ before ■■ is ■■■■, ■. ]

Since it was an external being, the conditions weren’t showing clearly.

But there must be a way.

As I slowly observed, I started to notice some strange points.

It seemed a little blurry; the ranking of the purple external being wasn’t complete.

Additionally, unlike other external beings, several conditions were visible.

Could it be that it was an external being ‘reborn’ from a red lump?

In that instant, the destructive conditions visible to my ‘Eyes’ became a bit more precise.

[Break the ■■ before ■■ is complete, ■.]

And that external being seemed not at all interested in ‘this world,’ unlike the red or blue external beings.

It merely existed.

Moreover, it looked like something was holding on to that external being’s body.

Perhaps that external being was thrown to Earth by the ‘Red External Being’?

The moment I completed that deduction, my perception widened a bit, and the conditions became clearer.

[Break the anchor before ■■ is complete.]

This was enough.

I poured out my will loudly.

To be heard by the Mini Reapers all over Seoul.

“Smash all suspicious objects!”

“!”

Upon hearing that voice, the Mini Reapers around me began to scatter in all directions.

“Mom needs help!”

“Move quickly!”

At that moment, the purple external being began to move.

It was a harmful lump that couldn’t even think, but it began to slowly lift its body, sensing a threat to life.

Yeah, so this is the second phase.

A mission to hold the external being without a black corpse until the Mini Reapers break the anchor.

Feeling the presence of the massive external being, I forced a smile.