The tattooed woman was sweating nervously, her mind racing.

"Can we win?"

Was it really possible for a "Guardian" created by humans to reach such a level?

"I don’t think we can win. Prepare to run."

At the woman’s small voice, her younger sister swallowed hard and nodded slightly.

The woman clenched her hand into a fist in frustration.

If only she had her sword, she wouldn’t feel this cornered...

She quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for anything that might be useful.

Since this was an alchemist’s workshop, there was a good chance of finding something usable.

Then, she noticed a display cabinet in the reception area.

"Hah."

She let out a short laugh as she discovered the treasures before her.

The shelves were full of rare samples, things impossible to find on Earth and hard to obtain even in her homeland.

And there, as if prepared just for her, was a sword designed for alchemical use.

It was almost as if everything she needed to deal with that Guardian was right there.

Noticing her sudden serious expression, her younger sister asked in a small voice, "Sister? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing’s wrong."

Slowly approaching the wall, the woman reached for the sword hanging there and lifted it.

"There’s no need to run. We’re going to win."

The tattooed woman turned back to her sister with a confident smile.

Running between the large brazier and towering bookshelves, I chased after the Mini Reapers.

Their tiny faces peeked out from between the shelves, only to scatter with delighted expressions when I charged at them.

"Run away!" "Mom's coming!"

Realizing I wasn’t actually trying to catch them, the Mini Reapers gleefully played along, dodging me with playful excitement.

What had started as a fierce chase to pull out some teeth had turned into a fun game of tag.

Then, one of the Golden Reapers was caught in my grasp.

Considering its agility, there was no way I should’ve been able to catch it—but it had let its guard down, seeking just a bit too much thrill.

The Golden Reaper, shocked to be caught, froze, keeping a wary eye on me as my fingers moved toward its face.

As I got closer, it shut its eyes tight and clenched its teeth.

If I really pulled its teeth, it would ruin the fun.

But seeing it shiver with its eyes closed, I couldn’t resist a little teasing.

It would just regenerate anyway, so maybe losing a molar or two wouldn’t hurt?

Curious about a Mini Golden Tooth... Should I?

Instead, I reached out and gently patted the Golden Reaper’s head.

"Tag, you’re it."

Tapping its head with my finger, I signaled the message, and it slowly opened its eyes, smiling shyly with a relieved expression.

Luckily, I managed to hold back my playful urges and keep the game going.

Now, with the Golden Reaper as my teammate, it was two against one!

"Let’s go!"

The Golden Reaper on my shoulder clenched its tiny fists with enthusiasm and nodded.

The other Mini Reapers looked on with envy, as if wishing they could join me too.

Sure enough, the game of tag that had started in such a strange way ended in a swift victory for our team.

At first, they tried pretending not to get caught, but eventually, they were flopping to the ground, tripping on nothing and lying there, watching me with expectant eyes.

It was like they were silently pleading, "Catch me already."

If I ignored them, they’d crawl closer, shifting their positions to be right in front of me, looking disappointed when I looked away.

And so, the game ended with everyone tagged.

Just as we were about to move past the iron gate, it happened.

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed from the other side of the iron door.

The floor shook violently, the kind of blast that could collapse an ordinary cave.

The Mini Reapers, startled, froze in place, staring beyond the iron gate like startled meerkats.

From beyond the door, a strong, ominous presence could be felt.

It wasn’t like an Object; it felt similar to the "Eye" the cult leader used.

Sensing danger, I and the Mini Reapers hurried through the gate.

In the charred remains of the reception area, the tattooed woman extended her hand into the air, chanting her wish.

With each ingredient’s name, the samples from the display case dissolved into glowing particles, being absorbed into her sword.

"A white flower like the sun. A mirror that reflects the other side. A blue leaf that melts magic tomes."

The mirror, the white flower, and the blue leaf mixed together, igniting a blue flame along the blade.

As she swung the sword, blue flames spread, creating a massive explosion.

The relentless, unquenchable flames were deadly enough to burn a Corpse Reaper, robbing it of its regenerative powers and causing it to die in agony.

But the flames that could have incinerated the Corpse Reaper missed, flowing around it instead.

Again, the attack missed.

No matter what she tried, none of her strikes reached the Corpse Reaper.

Even the tattooed woman, who had seen countless alchemical works, had never encountered something like this.

Alchemy honed over hundreds of years to kill magical creatures was useless here. Was this thing as powerful as the "Moon"?

"Haah… haah..."

Gasping for breath, she watched as the Corpse Reaper scrunched its body before it shot forward like a spring.

Though she tried to dodge, the attack was too fast.

The Reaper’s arm, now a blade, sliced through her arm and part of her torso.

She coughed, spitting blood, even as her wounds began to heal rapidly.

But the situation was hopeless; escape seemed impossible.

Even if she tried to flee, there was no way to outrun the swift Corpse Reaper.

It was a moment where she needed something clever.

Although many samples remained, none of the alchemy at her disposal had worked.

Neither the white flame that blocked regeneration, the constantly burning blue flame, nor the explosive red flame was effective.

At this rate, survival was impossible.

At the very least, she had to save her younger sister.

There was only one option left.

She would gather every remaining sample for one last strike, hoping to distract the enemy and buy some time.

"Steel of the blue mountains. A transparent flower holding time..."

With each wish, the samples vanished, one by one.

Unlike before, where she used only two or three samples at a time, she now infused over ten samples into the sword, causing it to tremble as if it might shatter.

As the samples merged, the blade began to darken.

It was the most useless and yet dazzling alchemy in the world.

She gritted her teeth, raising the sword high.

And with all her might, she brought it down.

Colorful flames erupted, filling the area around them.

An illusionary field of flowers bloomed across the ground, and the sky replaced the ceiling.

With a roar like a grand firework, bright light filled her vision.

"Run!"

Grabbing her younger sister’s hand, she dashed away, teeth clenched.

With materials worth several castles burned up in the explosion, it should buy them a few seconds at least.

But then, she heard a strange noise and glanced back.

There, the Corpse Reaper, hands transformed into massive blades, was raising a blade for a strike.

With all her strength, she pushed her sister out of its reach.

Rip!

The sound of flesh and bone splitting filled the air as her upper body separated from her lower half.

"Sister!!!!!"

Her sister’s voice echoed in her fading consciousness.

"Run..."

Trying to open her barely moving mouth, she urged her sister to escape.

But her words dissolved, unheard.

Arriving at the site of the explosion using time acceleration and ghosting, I saw her sister in danger.

An Object with a massive, blood-soaked blade was approaching her. She clutched the half-dismembered corpse of her sister, eyes glazed and tears streaming down her face.

The Object, with its two massive blades for arms, looked eerily familiar.

It had my shape but a face like a Corpse Reaper, which I found unsettling.

Did it have teeth hidden behind those lips? If so, I’d pull them all out.

And then, our eyes met.

As soon as it locked eyes with me, its wrinkled face stretched, and it let out a loud, "Kyaaak!"

Looking furious, the Corpse Reaper charged at me.

Watching the foolish Reaper lunge for a brawl, I grabbed at space with a determined "Squeak!"

"Huh? Why is this…?"

But the black sphere I always conjured at will appeared somewhere else entirely, completely missing its target.

At that moment, a massive blade slashed horizontally, slicing through my body.