In the pale blue mist, a faint silhouette called out.

[Brother.]

"H-how is this possible?"

The man, as if under a spell, began to slowly walk toward the silhouette of his sister.

His footsteps stretched out in the direction of the figure, and he followed the path they created.

'It’s definitely a trap.'

Though his mind was well aware that something was suspicious—having witnessed his sister’s death—his intuition led him to a different conclusion.

No matter how much he told himself that his sister was gone and this was a trap, deep down he felt certain that the figure was truly his sister.

He couldn’t stop walking.

Squish, squish.

The sound of his feet pressing into the muddy ground echoed as he carefully retraced the footsteps already imprinted in the earth.

With every step he took, the footprints behind him vanished, leaving behind a smooth, untouched surface, as if no one had ever walked there.

The closer he got to the figure, the more the world around him began to change.

The world, once filled with inverted phenomena such as butterflies turning back into cocoons and footprints appearing in reverse, was now transforming in a different way.

The fresh, dewy scent of the mist was replaced by the harsh stench of rusted metal.

The beautiful blue butterflies became grotesque jewelry pieces, carved from rusted metal plates.

The soft mud on the ground mixed with decayed iron shavings, turning into a rotting, metallic sludge.

And as he drew nearer, the figure of his sister had changed as well.

Though her form was still blurred, parts of her body appeared as rusted metal, as if she were a doll with peeling paint.

Her body was wrapped in crude, rusted wires that wound around her like chains.

[You’ve made it all the way here, haven’t you?]

[I had a feeling you would reach the same place I did.]

[I wished you wouldn’t come, though.]

The man repeatedly asked if she was truly his sister, but she did not answer, instead offering him a sorrowful smile and continuing to speak, ignoring his questions.

[How is Italy these days? How long has it been? A few days? A few years? Time doesn’t work properly here, so I’m not sure.]

As she looked up longingly at the sky, red, rusty tears streamed down her face.

She wiped away the tears with a forced smile and turned to face the man directly.

[You’re probably wondering why I came here, aren’t you?]

[There’s no time, so I’ll get straight to the point.]

[I wanted to end the star’s blessing, and in the process, I ended up here.]

She reached out her hands as if to push the man away.

[So please, don’t ever come back here.]

But her hands didn’t touch him—they passed right through him.

Looking at her hands with a bittersweet expression, she gazed at the man and continued.

[You need to run.]

[Before the sun sets.]

She glanced up into the deep mist as she spoke.

Despite the thick fog, the sunlight strangely pierced through, casting rays onto the ground.

While the man was gazing up at the sunlight, the purple Reaper’s attention was focused on the ground, its tension mounting.

Beneath the rusted, sludge-filled surface, a terrifying presence was stirring.

Before they had entered the fog, the purple Reaper had felt somewhat confident about fighting the blue starlight giant. But now, things were different.

It was strong!

Strong enough that the purple Reaper wasn’t sure it could protect its beloved human and still stand a chance.

'Mom!'

'Mom!!'

The purple Reaper’s antennae stood on end as it frantically called for its mother.

But, possibly because of the fog, its will wasn’t reaching the Gray Reaper.

'Mom!!!'

As the presence of the giant grew closer, the purple Reaper emitted a burst of purple light, sending out signals. But instead of the Gray Reaper responding, it was the blue giant that reacted.

Rumble.

From the ground, countless wires of rusted metal surged upward.

Figures entwined in the wires began to be dragged into the sludge below.

[Already? Why is it happening so soon?]

The man’s sister looked shocked as she was pulled into the wires.

She screamed at him to run, shouting that the creature was godlike.

She warned that no weapon on Earth, no Object, could possibly stand against it.

'!'

But even before his sister's warning, the man had sensed the impending danger and was already on high alert.

Watching his sister being dragged into the ground, he muttered a small prayer that they might meet again one day.

As he braced himself, a massive giant, towering toward the sky, emerged from the ground.

The blue, glowing giant.

What had previously been visible only to the purple Reaper was now apparent even to the man.

Just looking at the giant caused the surrounding space to warp. The distortion pushed outward, creating a gust of wind that blew through the fog.

It was a creature so large and powerful that a single handgun would be completely useless. Even just being in its presence warped the space around it.

To the man, a simple human without the protection of rank or status, the creature seemed invincible.

“What… what is this?”

Moreover, the man’s artificial eye, which allowed him to see the flow of energy that others couldn’t, revealed something troubling.

The flow of power radiating from the giant was similar to that of a 'Chosen One,' but on a far greater scale.

Its reach extended over all of southern Italy!

Yet, despite its overwhelming strength, the giant did not appear to be perfect.

The sunlight streaming down from the sky.

The blue light forming the giant’s body seemed to evaporate upon contact with the sunlight, revealing rusted skin beneath.

Like a vampire melting in the sunlight.

As the sunlight touched it, the metal of the giant’s body rusted and crumbled, turning to dust.

But the giant was so immense that, despite the rust, it still appeared to be an overwhelming threat.

The giant, which shook the world inside the fog, finally fully emerged from the ground and stood tall.

It was so large that it seemed to reach the sky, distorting the perspective of everything around it.

Then, the giant looked down at the purple Reaper, and with a casual flick of its enormous foot, it kicked them aside like a small stone.

'!'

The purple Reaper gathered all the energy it had and cast a shadow barrier, but the giant’s kick shattered it instantly.

Both the man and the purple Reaper were sent flying like golf balls.

“Ugh.”

The man groaned softly as he got back up.

Despite being thrown as if hit by a high-speed train, the man was in surprisingly good condition.

Seeing him rise, the purple Reaper smiled faintly.

'I did it!'

But before it could savor the moment, the purple Reaper coughed up a mixture of blood and rusted iron.

It was as though it were spitting blood.

The golden firewood embedded in its chest flickered, barely hanging on, and its purple skin began to rust like decaying metal.

'I couldn’t absorb the shock…'

It looked up at the man’s face with a hint of regret.

'I wanted to keep protecting you.'

'I wanted to stay with you.'

Even though the man couldn’t hear its thoughts, the purple Reaper continued to pour out its will, struggling to keep its beloved human in sight as its vision blurred.

Late in the afternoon, at Sehee Research Institute.

I led the uneasy Gaki Reaper to the backyard, where something I had prepared was waiting.

A giant cloud whale!

It was made by gathering all the cloud meat that the Orange Reapers usually handled, combining it into a massive cloud whale.

A transport for carrying a large number of mini Reapers and Objects.

As I stood in front of the whale and looked down, I could see the mini Reapers clustered together like grains of rice.

All the mini Reapers, except for those guarding the Institute or searching for their beloved humans, had gathered here.

The mini Reapers seemed to be having a great time, hugging each other and rolling around, clearly thrilled by the gathering.

I directed my will toward them.

'Let’s go defeat the harmful Object!'

The mini Reapers, full of excitement, responded with a chorus of 'Let’s go!' Their energy was palpable, creating a festive atmosphere like a family picnic.

The atmosphere was joyous and full of anticipation.

Even the giant white Gaki Reaper body and the jelly pig carrying the hospital had gathered, sending the mini Reapers into a frenzy of excitement.

But the Gaki Reaper still wore a puzzled expression, as if wondering what new strange task this was, so I explained further.

'A mini Reaper recently detected something similar to the energy of the Color Universe.'

Nod.

The Gaki Reaper nodded in understanding.

'So, we’re going to kill the Object that came from the Color Universe.'

Nod, nod.

The Gaki Reaper understood my explanation perfectly.

'Once we kill it, your beloved Object will be revived.'

'...?'

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite grasp that last part.

But I ordered it to follow me, and it reluctantly climbed onto the whale’s back.

Still confused, the Gaki Reaper obeyed, looking resigned but compliant as it took its place on the whale.

Once everything was ready, I hopped over and nestled into Yerin’s arms.

Yerin, who had been pulled away from her work for this, seemed happy to be playing hooky.

'Then, let’s go!'

As my will spread, the enormous whale began to rise into the air.

I began a quick headcount of the group I had brought along.

'Mini Reapers gathered on the cloud whale’s back, check.'

'White Gaki and jelly pig carrying the hospital inside the whale, check.'

'Gaki Reaper sitting on the whale’s head, looking slightly gloomy, check.'

'Sugar flamingo, hamster, and various other Objects released from the mini Reaper garden, check.'

'Three types of halos in my hand, check.'

'And the Immutable Sphere following slowly behind the whale, check.'

Finally, I poked Yerin’s cheek gently.

She looked confused, but when I smiled, she smiled back.

'Most importantly, Yerin is here, check.'

Perfect.

The beings from the Color Universe weren’t going to be easy, so we needed to be fully prepared.

Even if we couldn’t open the mini Reaper garden, teleport, or summon the halo, we were ready!

It was as if I had brought the entire mini Reaper garden onto the whale.

With these companions, there was no enemy I feared.

Hehe.