Trinity Lab’s Control Room.

The main monitor in the control room displayed the Gray Reaper’s image.

Contrary to expectations, the destruction test had been a complete failure.

The earlier atmosphere, which had been somewhat elated after successfully blocking the Gray Reaper’s ghost form, was now entirely gone.

Countless alerts blinked on the screen, casting an eerie glow on the security team’s faces, their expressions filled with concern.

"It’s not working."

Between the rapid typing and the occasional alarm sounds, the head of security's voice rang out, tinged with bitterness.

The deputy director, who had lost her mind and turned into an Object, had melted away without leaving a trace, but the Gray Reaper remained unscathed.

All of the various destruction methods Trinity Lab had prepared were ineffective.

The intense heat that could melt an Agu.

The blades that could tear through ghosts.

The shockwaves that crushed shadows.

None of it worked.

Only a few containment measures, such as the unbreakable bubbles, were still in place.

[Strike Team reports success in sniping the hostages. Continuing the attack from a safe distance.]

At that moment, a report came in from the strike team, which had been sent to attack the hostages.

The head of security smirked and waited for the Gray Reaper’s response, eyes fixed on the monitor.

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the facility.

The control room monitors flickered pitifully, and people stumbled, falling to the ground.

Then, a blackout.

The entire control room was plunged into darkness.

The previously solemn atmosphere was now chaotic, filled with panicked voices.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, the power was restored.

The sound of the emergency generator whirring to life filled the air, and the control room returned to normal, but the scene beyond the monitor was far from it.

The Gray Reaper had vanished.

The unbreakable bubbles, which couldn’t be destroyed by normal means, were all shattered.

The alloy walls, specially designed to contain Objects, were ripped apart like paper.

At the edge of the torn wall, something strange caught the head of security’s eye.

A small, nearly imperceptible trace.

Void.

A blackness that devoured light without end.

The head of security felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of that small trace and quickly hurried out of the control room.

"Oh no…"

And when he looked up at the sky, he witnessed the full extent of the void.

From one end of the horizon to the other, the sky was torn apart.

The sun had disappeared, casting deep shadows on the ground, and from the void came an overwhelming sense of dread.

"What… what is this? Did the Gray Reaper really do this?"

Like a galaxy stretching across the sky, the sky had been torn into five distinct lines.

Those same scars were reflected on the ground, like mirror images.

Trinity Lab had been split apart.

This is impossible.

How could humans possibly face something like this?

How could anyone stand against such a force?

The head of security hurried back to the control room.

I have to run.

This was the only thought racing through his mind.

"Captain, the strike team has been wiped out."

A pale-faced subordinate reported to the head of security, who was frantically grabbing his car keys.

Looking at the monitor, he saw the CCTV footage showing the shredded remains of the strike team.

In a matter of seconds, they had been completely annihilated.

Trying to keep the fear out of his voice, the head of security spoke as calmly as possible.

"Attention, all security personnel! Spread out across the facility and buy as much time as you can! As of now, we are abandoning the mission to contain or eliminate the Gray Reaper."

He continued, maintaining a composed expression.

"Release all contained Objects. We need to keep the Gray Reaper occupied and buy time. We can win if we wait for the director to arrive. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

With a serious expression, the head of security donned his coat and stepped out of the control room.

When he looked up at the sky, the scars had already disappeared.

Good. If my men saw those terrifying marks, they’d all try to run.

They need to buy me time.

Time to escape safely!

Feigning a calm demeanor, the head of security gradually picked up his pace, and before long, he was running.

He wasn’t sure whether the director was stronger or the Gray Reaper, but one thing was certain: he would be dead before the director even showed up.

Reaching the underground parking lot, the head of security opened the door to his vehicle and jumped into the driver’s seat.

"Haha, I made it!"

Relief washed over his face, and a smile spread across his lips.

Boom.

But that smile vanished instantly.

A monster with burning yellow eyes blocked the path in front of his vehicle.

The Gray Reaper, wearing a fierce expression, spread its arms wide, slowly closing the gap between them.

The space around him began to collapse.

The head of security tried to open the car door, but the rigid, distorted space refused to budge.

"No, please! Let me go!"

Trapped in the shrinking space, the head of security kicked and punched, but it was no use.

Smaller and smaller, the space compressed until it vanished completely.

All that remained was the faint scent of chocolate lingering in the air.

Ah, I made a mistake.

The little Blue Reapers are fragile without physical immunity, but I let my guard down because Trinity was so pathetic.

While I was playing in Trinity’s special sauna ball pit, I felt it—a will.

A faint, sorrowful, and painful last breath.

Hearing the Blue Reaper’s <Mom...> made my mind go blank.

Maybe that’s why I went a bit overboard when tearing through the partitions.

And “Mom,” huh?

I thought they’d refer to me as something like "Sister" or "Friend," but this is unexpected.

To eliminate the threat, I hunted down and killed everyone who gave off the same vibe as the one who shot the Blue Reaper.

Using the Black Penguin Teleport, I returned to where the Blue Reapers were and summoned the one that had been reverse-summoned onto my palm.

The Blue Reaper lay limp, as if dead, completely lifeless.

It’s okay. It’s okay.

I gently stroked the Blue Reaper’s head, offering silent comfort.

<Mom, you’re kind.>

Awakening from its sleep, the Blue Reaper smiled, looking dazed and happy.

<Mom, you’re kind now! So strange!>

<Mom, you’re kind!>

The other Blue Reapers swarmed into my arms.

I’m always kind, but now they’re sneakily calling me "Mom."

I only ignore them when I’m eating snacks, feeling lazy, or watching TV.

I affectionately patted the cute little Blue Reapers who had jumped into my embrace.

White flames spread in all directions, burning everything in Gwanak-gu.

Or rather, burning what used to be the residents of Gwanak-gu.

"James! You said it would be fine!"

The translator was panting, tense with anxiety.

"Haha, how could I have known? Who would’ve guessed Gwanak-gu had become a city of the dead?"

"I knew this would happen!"

The translator’s desperate cry echoed through the streets of Gwanak-gu.

James and his group, fleeing from the endless horde of people, ducked into a nearby building.

No matter how many they burned, the flood of people kept coming, forcing them to barricade themselves at the narrow entrance.

The translator couldn’t help but marvel at the strange weapons James’s bodyguards had brought.

What looked like a simple iron torch had transformed into a flamethrower, spewing out white flames with terrifying intensity.

Was this some advanced American technology? The translator curiously examined the torch, only to notice a frog tied to it.

A frog with its limbs bound and its eyes and mouth sewn shut, pitifully strapped to the ignition point of the torch.

"STOP!"

As the translator stared at the miserable frog, one of the bodyguards yelled and snatched the torch away.

"Ah, sorry about that. I should’ve explained earlier."

James offered a quick apology.

"Never look directly at the frog tied to the torch."

"It just looked like a poor frog to me. Is there something wrong with it?"

With a solemn expression, James continued his explanation.

"Didn’t you feel immense pity for the frog?"

"Yes, of course. It’s all tied up with its eyes and mouth sewn shut."

"And didn’t you want to set it free?"

"Yes, I wanted to free it and hear what it had to say."

James clapped his hands.

"Exactly. Now tell me, why did you think the frog could speak?"

"Huh?"

The translator was bewildered.

Why did I think it could talk?

"That frog is a malicious creature that deceives people with its words and gaze. Just by existing, it has the power to cloud people’s judgment."

"That’s so dangerous!"

The translator recoiled from the torch, horrified.

"James!"

A shout came from the bodyguard at the entrance.

James went over to check, only to see that the residents of Gwanak-gu, who had been relentlessly pursuing them, were dispersing.

"What’s happening?"

Looking up at the sky, he saw the terrible scars spreading across it.

The handprints that had torn through the sky and space itself.

James and his group could only stare in stunned silence at the overwhelming sight.

Meanwhile, the 0-level relic hidden deep within James’s briefcase—‘the White Stone’—began to pulse with a steady glow, like a heartbeat.

In the deep sinkhole, where sunlight dared not reach, silence and darkness reigned.

The air here was so thick and stagnant, it felt as though time itself had stopped.

This was a realm filled with stale air and lifeless Objects, frozen in place.

Amid the darkness that ruled this abyss, the Agu stirred.

Its long-dormant eyes gleamed like bright orbs, piercing the darkness.

Though its intelligence had long scattered, leaving only instinct behind, the Agu recognized a familiar sensation.

Longing.

Its creator.

The warm, white light.

It was as if a long-forgotten voice echoed in the Agu’s mind.

"■■ get ■■■, and when it’s ■■, devour ■■■ all."

The Agu rose to its feet and began to run.

Toward that familiar warmth.