A fierce battle raged amidst the copsed buildings, shattered roads, and crumbling ruins.


    It was a sh between the palm-sized Mini Reapers and colossal Objects that ughtered people with ease.


    Those Mini Reapers, looking just like the Gray Reaper, maneuvered through the wreckage-strewn streets and engaged inbat.


    Meanwhile, the Gray Reaper, who had appeared alongside them, was nowhere to be seen.


    The Mini Reapers faced off against a ruthless Object capable of slicing through not just people, but reinforced concrete as effortlessly as cutting butter.


    <em>To think there were so many Objects like that hidden in our city...</em>


    Despite this, the Golden Mini Reapers showed no fear as they charged at the brutal Objects.


    They dashed through the dust-filled ruins and acrid smoke, persisting in their battle against the grotesque threats.


    The smoke obscured my view of the battlefield, making it hard to gauge the situation, but surely the Mini Reapers were being pushed back?


    In the sky, Blue Reapers flew in erratic patterns. They quenched the mes by spraying fine water mist and shielded the people with protectiveyers of water droplets.Meanwhile,rge marshmallow-like cushions surrounded us refugees. These cute, fluffy barriers served as bothfort and protection, blocking any stray debris.


    Beyond the smoke, a sound reminiscent of a de sharpening on a whetstone echoed ominously.


    It sent chills down my spine, recalling the same noise I’d heard when a monstrous Object sliced a bus to shreds.


    <em>Thud-!</em>


    With a dull, heavy sound, something golden plummeted from the sky.


    <em>Swish-! Swish-!</em>


    A Golden Reaper, its limbs iling as it fell,nded on my outstretched hands.


    Even as it touched down, the Golden Reaper, with a puzzled expression, looked up at me, its movements ceasing as it shed a bright smile.


    This little being is fighting for us?


    As I came to my senses, I found myself gently stroking the Golden Reaper''s head with my fingers.


    The Golden Reaper, still smiling, suddenly took on a serious demeanor and leaped back into the fray beyond the smoke.


    Golden Reaper, fighting!


    *******In an area beyond the smoky haze that everyone else couldn''t see, Golden Reapers were darting around with huge, beaming smiles stered on their faces,pletely out of sync with the ash and dust swirling around them.


    Meanwhile, the big, bad Objects were iling their sickles in a frantic, destructive frenzy.


    But guess what? The side getting pushed back in this wild scuffle wasn’t the tiny, cheerful Golden Reapers—it was those hulking Objects!


    To the Golden Reapers, it probably felt more like a super fun game than a real fight.


    Theyughed and giggled, even as they dodged and danced around high-speed scythes that could slice through steel like it was butter, tumbling through the air beforending.


    The Golden Reapersughed as if they were having fun even though they were hit by a high-speed scythe that could easily cut through rebar and roll on the air before hitting the ground.


    Some of the Golden Reapers were even clinging to the Objects'' scythes like they were riding a rollercoaster.


    It looked a bit dangerous, sure, but they were loving it, their hair flowing in the wind like they were on the best amusement park ride ever.


    There was just one rule in this exhrating yground.


    No Object was allowed to escape this smoky amusement park and get close to the people.


    Any Object that tried to break that rule ended up looking like a sponge with countless Golden Reaper-shaped holes all over them, rolling around the battlefield in defeat.


    *******I was just standing on a busted road with a ruined city behind me.


    But somehow, in the blink of an eye, the whole scene morphed into some weird ce where blood was pooling up to my ankles.


    It felt like I''d stumbled into a whole other world.


    The sky had turned this muddy, dark red, recing the blue we had before.


    Meanwhile, the blood on the ground smelled so strong it was practically punching me in the face, making it clear I was now in a gory, blood-filled space.


    The blood was bubbling away, though it wasn’t even hot, and for some reason, it was making me feel all kinds of gross.


    The Golden Horned Reaper, who had been snoozing on my palm, woke up and clung nervously to my horn, ncing around like it was as confused as I was.


    Blood droplets asionally drizzled down from the dark red sky above, and then, out of the endless, boiling blood that spread like a freakyke, a child-sized blob of blood began to rise.


    It took on a weird, humanoid shape, with limbs and features all jumbled together in a nightmare-ish fashion.


    It didn’t look much like the Gray Reaper, but from certain angles, it was kinda reminiscent—just a twisted, messed-up version.


    And, as if things weren’t already strange enough, the blobs of blood started whispering some cryptic nonsense.


    < mortals="" struck="" down="" the="" divine="" one.="" yet,="" in="" their="" time="" of="" need,="" they="" yearned="" for="" its="" return.="">


    < Though the Divine One raged with fury, it shielded the wayward mortals. >


    The whispers were so clear it was like they were right in my ear.


    < mortals="" struck="" down="" the="" divine="" one.="" yet,="" in="" their="" time="" of="" need,="" they="" yearned="" for="" its="" return.="">


    < Though the Divine One raged with fury, it shielded the wayward mortals. >


    Even though thenguage seemed familiar, the ent and pronunciation were something I’d never heard before.


    It seemed like the Gray Reaper got the gist of it, though. It looked more annoyed than confused, as if it understood what was being said and didn’t like it one bit.


    After all, its expression didn’t look like it was bothered because it didn’t know the content, but it felt like it was bothered because it understood it.


    With a scowl, the Gray Reaper spread its arms wide and clenched its little fists.


    Then, everything started twisting and warping like it was being rolled up.


    The red sky split open, reced by blue, and the blood on the ground got sucked up into the air like it was being ripped apart.


    But before I could even process it, the red returned, and the blood blobs were back, rising from the boiling blood, ready to stir up more trouble.


    *******The blood-soaked, twisted masses just wouldn’t stop bbering the same cryptic words over and over.


    Did they have some kind of message they were trying to hammer home, or were they just being annoying for the fun of it?


    <em>Ugh, what a hassle…</em>


    Seriously, repeating gibberish that’s already hard to understand is such a drag.


    So, I decided I’d had enough. I grabbed the space around me and ripped it apart, which took care of the red sky and the babbling blood blobs all at once.


    But, wouldn’t you know it? In no time, the sky was red again and the blood blobs were back, as if nothing had happened.


    It’s like trying to squash a marshmallow—no matter how hard you try, it just keeps popping back up.


    Turns out, with Objects that have tricky killing conditions, tearing apart the space around them doesn’t really help unless you’ve met those conditions. ssic.


    So, I decided to take a look around with my <strong>‘Eyes’</strong>.


    The conditions for this space were: <strong>< Depletion of energy or Destruction of the main body ></strong>.


    Great, two options.


    Fortunately, both sounded doable to me, but finding the main body first seemed smarter. Who wants to waste energy if they don’t have to?


    <em>It will be nice if the main body is nearby...</em>


    I used my power to locate the main body, and my antenna started glowing softly in the blood-red gloom, pointing a beam of light toward the north.


    As soon as my antenna locked in the direction, I felt someone trying to look at me.


    It was like we were exchanging nces—how weird is that? In the corner of my vision, a dark forest appeared.


    There, a man stood with a Steel Tower and a dense forest behind him. His face was all blurry, but he was carrying a bunch of antiquemps.


    The shadow he cast from those swayingmps danced around like it had a mind of its own.


    Even though his face was obscured, his gaze was sharp, as if he was peering right through me.


    When our eyes met, there was this weird sense of familiarity.


    The man’s lips moved slowly, and an unfamiliarnguage spilled out. But there was one word I could catch clearly.


    [ You are still the same. ]


    As soon as he finished speaking, the world around me began to copse.


    The bloody sky and the bizarre lumps fell apart like dust, and the gasmps shattered too. It was like the power supply from the main body was abruptly cut off.


    Simultaneously, my antenna, which had been pointing north just seconds ago, now pped about helplessly, unable to find the main body.


    The antenna that was clearly pointing towards the Steel Tower just a moment ago had lost its direction.


    It felt like the stuff I heard from that familiar-looking guy should be meaningful, but honestly, I was still just as clueless as before.


    <em>What a pain in the ass.</em>


    I’m guessing the <strong>‘Divine One’</strong> is the one who created Watson. Next time I see Watson, I’ll definitely have to ask him to give that guy a call.


    As the blood-filled space crumbled away, the deste ruins reappeared. The culprit behind all this mess was finally taken care of.


    <em>Themp guy? I’ll think about him when I run into him in person next time.</em>


    *******Time continued its relentless march even as Objects emerged and the city crumbled.


    As the chilly night air settled over the ruins, the hearts of the city''s disced residents grew just as cold.


    “Ha, what are we supposed to do now?”


    The sigh that apanied this question seemed to capture the collective sentiment of everyone present.


    With the city’s autonomy having been recognized by the government, it was left without support. Or perhaps the government was simply too stretched thin to offer help.


    Iy down, clutching a dusty rag for warmth, but the night air was still biting cold.


    Suddenly, arge fire zed in the midst of the wreckage. The enormous me, resembling a massive campfire, began to warm the surrounding area.


    <em>Just what the hell is happening?</em>


    Curiosity led me to the source of the ze, and to my surprise—


    <em>Gyuu-!</em>


    It was a giant marshmallow perched on a tree, set aze by the Gray Reaper.


    As Blue Reapers, looking like delicate fairies, fluttered around and sprinkled shimmering powder, a sense of calm began to settle over me.


    < don’t="" worry="" too="" much!="">


    < Something good will definitelye out of this! >


    People momentarily set aside their worries and gathered around the fire.


    They sipped on warm hot chocte and enjoyed theforting glow of the campfire, while the Golden Reapers danced about yfully.


    For a brief moment, the warmth of the fire and the cheer of the gathering helped them forget their anxieties and fend off the cold.