---

The giant vehicle raced across the stillness of the snowfield, resembling a moving fortress.

With a body armed in thick armor, treads reminiscent of a tank, and a size as massive as a building, this monstrous machine contained the ‘Mechanical Heart’—the lifeblood of City Frost.

Inside the vehicle, laughter echoed from council members and propaganda department employees, their eyes reflecting joy of victory and a sense of liberation.

“Finally escaping this miserable city. I thought we could squeeze a bit more out of it, but this feels like just the right moment,” one of the council members remarked while gazing out the rear window at the receding city.

Another council member chimed in, “It was perfect timing for the incident to erupt. We were about to leave the city anyway, and how fortunate to have this opportunity arise.”

Their conversation continued, filled with contempt for the city and mockery of the chairperson.

The vehicle pressed forward.

The council members began to discuss their future, dreaming of the luxurious lives they would lead with the siphoned supplies, safe from the threats of harmful objects in their new haven.

Their eyes gleamed with desire.

Then suddenly—

A powerful, unexpected shock struck the vehicle.

The laughter of the council members turned into screams in an instant.

The vehicle, huge as it was, rolled several times like a toy.

“Ugh…”

All that greeted the dazed council member’s eyes was a scene of horror.

The inside of the vehicle was filled with scattered blood and broken items, and his companions lay motionless, perhaps unconscious.

He repeatedly wiped the blood obscuring his vision, struggling to comprehend the situation.

“Damn! What the hell is this?”

The vehicle’s interior was dark and silent.

The only sound was the pulsating thrum emanating from the ‘Mechanical Heart.’

The council member attempted to organize his bewildered thoughts.

“A vehicle resembling a moving fortress reduced to this… Did we fall from a cliff or something?”

He slowly lifted himself to check the external situation.

In that moment, one side of the vehicle tore away like paper.

‘!’

A biting cold rushed into the vehicle, and beyond it, the council member witnessed a sight he would never forget.

The giant mechanical giant’s red, glowing eyes loomed over him.

“No… This can’t be happening…”

With a voice of despair, the council member finally realized.

The blizzard that had struck the city was not a “good opportunity.”

A far greater threat lurked within the snowstorm.

The mechanical giant’s enormous hand grasped the vehicle.

With a chilling sound of metal crumpling, the council member’s desperate scream echoed.

Perhaps it was because the vehicle was sturdy, built by the engineers, but instead of crumpling at once, it began to slowly, oh so slowly bend.

“AAARGH!”

The council member heard the sound of his bones breaking one by one.

The pain was indescribable.

And as those inside the vehicle began to regain their senses, a chorus of screams erupted from the metallic mess.

The screams flowed out like a concert, growing fainter as the torn metal entry shrank.

It felt as if the cries echoing in darkness were sucked into a deep cave, becoming more and more indistinct.

Finally, as the mechanical giant’s grip completely crumpled the vehicle, blood trickled down, staining the pristine snowfield red.

*

Amidst the noise that resembled cracking ice, I removed my hand from the ‘Kkyek’ and gazed at the giant frog.

The echo of the ‘Kkyek’ I had just used lingered at my fingertips.

“It doesn’t look that strong and the halo seems fake, yet it can stop spatial cuts?”

I felt a slight sense of wonder.

[That ability is…!]

Unlike me, who was simply curious, the frog’s reaction to the ‘Kkyek’ was intense.

[A lying god… still alive!]

A dazzling light burst forth from the frog’s crown.

Following that light, the frog’s colossal body began to float into the air.

The mouth of the giant frog wearing the halo curled upwards, almost as if it would touch my ear.

It felt as though something I had almost given up on was being rediscovered.

Doom. Doom.

Then, strange waves began to emanate from the frog’s crown.

An endless chill spread out, as if it was eroding and freezing the very fabric of space itself.

The air froze and fell like snowflakes to the ground, with frost spreading like a spider web across the sky.

It was spatial erosion.

Frost clung to me, hindering my movements, while the mini reapers around me became solid ice.

“Don’t move!”

“Frog!”

The ice formation took the shape of a frog.

Seeing that I could move freely in this space, the frog released a wave of magic, as if it had expected this.

[It seems this much isn’t enough to bind you….]

In an instant, ice blades materialized in the frog’s hands.

Then, spinning rapidly like a whirlwind, it charged towards the Gray Reaper.

‘!’

As the mountain-sized frog thrust its body forward, I was taken aback and tore through the space with both hands.

With a cut far stronger than the ‘Kkyek,’ the space tore apart, and the frog transformed into blue jade, shredding into pieces.

I thought it was over, but the fragments of the jade frog seemed to be magnetically drawn together in midair.

In the blink of an eye, the frog regained its perfect form.

[The Emperor commands! Charge with the whole army!]

Along with the magnificent wave of magic from the Emperor Frog, a massive army of mechanical giants emerged over the horizon.

They rushed towards the barrier like waves made of iron.

Clap. Clap.

I clapped twice to expand the Mini Reaper Garden, releasing my will to explain the situation to the mini reapers.

“Look, there are a ton of the harmful object’s minions over there.”

As soon as my words ended, the wave of mini reapers surged toward the mechanical giants.

It was a clash of the frosty space and the Mini Reaper Garden.

Gazing once more at the floating frog, I checked the destruction conditions with my ‘Eyes.’

[The steam from the mechanical heart melts the halo.]

“A mechanical heart?”

Upon seeing the destruction conditions, I sensed this battle would take a long time.

*

A cold wind enveloped the city.

The Steam Tower Plaza was filled with a crowd, unlike any usual day, and the people’s faces were etched with anxiety and fear.

At the chairperson’s emergency summons, they gathered, trembling near the Steam Tower, a place usually off-limits.

The Steam Tower.

The heart and lifeline of this city.

It kept the city warm amidst the freezing snowfield with its continuously emitted heat.

But today, something was off with the Steam Tower.

“It’s not normal.”

Someone whispered.

“Right, the heat is too weak.”

Another responded.

The people exchanged uneasy glances.

Typically felt even from afar, the heat today seemed faint, like a dying campfire.

Though the Steam Tower was still operational, its power had visibly weakened.

The Coral-colored Girl hugged the Red Reaper tightly, her face filled with worry.

In that moment, the chairperson stepped up to the podium set up in one corner of the plaza.

Gone was the usual imposing demeanor; his shoulders drooped as if burdened by a heavy load.

The murmurings of the crowd hushed, all eyes turning to the chairperson.

He took a deep breath and raised his head to look at the crowd.

His eyes were filled with sorrow and despair.

“Citizens, today I must convey very distressing news.”

The plaza fell silent, not even a breath could be heard.

“Last night, all our city’s council members… fled with the ‘Mechanical Heart,’ the core component of the Steam Tower.”

In an instant, chaos erupted in the plaza.

As the chairperson raised his hand, the tumult began to quiet down, slowly.

“We are working on various solutions, such as restoring the damaged communications network. However….”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

“But what?”

Someone shouted.

“But time is running out. The Steam Tower is already inoperable. The city we live in… is about to grow cold.”

The plaza fell silent again.

This time it was a silence of shock and despair.

“How much time do we have left?”

An old man asked with a trembling voice.

The chairperson lowered his head.

“At best, a week.”

In that moment, everything changed.

Panic and despair enveloped the plaza.

A young woman stepped forward.

“Is there nothing we can do? Can’t we repair the Steam Tower?”

The chairperson shook his head.

“It is impossible without the core component. And we don’t have the technology to replace it.”

“So, you’re saying we just… have to die?”

Someone screamed.

The chairperson couldn’t respond.

His silence spoke volumes.

The plaza spiraled into chaos.

Some cursed the council members in rage, while others clung to each other and wept.

At that moment, the Red Reaper soared into the sky from the Coral-colored Girl’s arms.

“Ah!”

Like a red comet, its flight drew everyone’s attention.

“What is that?”

“Is it an object?”

The Red Reaper, pausing in front of the Steam Tower, conjured a fireball the size of a fist and hurled it towards the Steam Tower.

Perhaps creating the fireball consumed a lot of energy, as its light noticeably dimmed.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

In that moment, a sound like a heartbeat echoed from the Steam Tower.

At first, it was a faint vibration, but it grew louder, shaking the entire city.

The citizens exchanged skeptical glances.

“Could it be?”

“Is the Steam Tower coming back to life?”

Gradually, the sound began to resonate within the citizens like the pulse of life.

And a warm heat filled the plaza.

“The seventh, is it luck….”

The chairperson muttered, alternating his gaze between the Red Reaper and the Steam Tower.

Hope began to rise in the plaza, once filled with despair.

Yet that hope shattered in an instant, like fate playing a cruel joke.

Boom!

Everyone’s attention turned towards the distant explosion.

At first, no one understood its significance.

But soon, a massive shadow began to loom over the buildings.

“What is that?”

Giant mechanical giants were slowly but surely advancing, demolishing the city as they approached.

Each of their steps shook the ground, and as they neared, a cold wind rushed in.

The Red Reaper glared fiercely at the mechanical giants and positioned itself near the Coral-colored Girl.

*

On a cool beach.

A golden reaper lay on a deserted shore.

A butterfly made of flames flitted above it.

The butterfly danced around the golden reaper, scattering sparks like it was urging, “Wake up!”

However, the golden reaper lay asleep, blissfully unaware of the red butterfly’s arrival.

Seeing it had no intention of waking up, the red butterfly bit the golden reaper’s plump belly.

“Waaaah!”

The golden reaper screamed and awoke.

Realizing the message contained in the red butterfly, the golden reaper looked up in surprise and sent a signal to the Mini Reaper Network.

“My younger sibling is in danger!”

Soon, responses began flowing back from mini reapers spread throughout the world.

“Can’t reach Mom?”

“Mom’s busy!”

“Frog’s gotta go!”

“Can’t you hear Mom?”

“Mom, Frog!”

“Hehe.”

“What to do?”

“Let’s go save my sibling!”

“Let’s go!”

“Too far….”

Mini reapers nearby began to gather to help the Red Reaper.

The golden reaper, who had sent the signal, found a Cloud Fish hovering nearby.

With a determined expression, the golden reaper climbed onto the Cloud Fish and released its will.

“Wait! I’ll come save you soon!”

On the golden reaper’s belly, the bite mark remained small but distinct.