Despite the Gray Reaper's thought that traveling by the 'cloud whale,' indistinguishable from an ordinary cloud, would go unnoticed, as soon as it took off carrying the Objects, the entire world erupted into chaos.

From the moment the massive cloud whale emerged, far larger than anyone had imagined, countless satellites and cameras began tracking its every move.

News outlets around the globe were reporting the cloud whale’s current location, speed, and predicted destination in breaking news updates.

But the place in the most upheaval was South Korea, specifically Sehee Research Institute.

"Where’s Oh Yerin?!"

Kim Jung-Roe’s angry shout echoed through the institute as he searched for Yerin, who had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a note that read, ‘Going on a picnic with the Reapers. Don’t look for me.’

The once-busy break room of Sehee Research Institute now stood empty, with only the sound of the TV playing in the background.

[We bring you breaking news.]

[A massive cloud whale originating from Sehee Research Institute in Seoul is rapidly moving across the skies.]

[The cloud whale is believed to be heading toward southern Italy, where the giant figure recently appeared.]

[In response, the Italian government has convened an emergency meeting, expressing deep concerns to the Korean association.]

[This unprecedented event is drawing worldwide attention.]

[Governments and scientists from various countries are closely monitoring the cloud whale’s movements and are working on a coordinated international response.]

[We will continue to update you with more information as the situation develops.]

Every TV channel was now dominated by updates about the giant cloud whale.

Normally, the employees of Sehee Research Institute would have spent their time relaxing in the break room, but now they were all seated in their offices.

The institute was filled with the incessant ringing of phones and the noise of frantic conversations as staff members answered and made calls.

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere of the institute, the Golden Reapers, with worried expressions, busied themselves delivering sweet snacks to the overwhelmed researchers.

Italy was in just as much of an uproar as Sehee Research Institute.

Numerous fighter jets had been deployed into the sky, while satellites and drones tracked the cloud whale’s movements closely.

As the whale neared Italian airspace, the fighter jets began to show up in its vicinity, flying quickly around it.

Of course, the Italian government and association knew that there was nothing they could do with the fighter jets, nor did they intend to.

It seemed to be more of a show of preparedness, to give the impression that they were taking action in the face of the crisis.

The Golden Reapers, unaware of the political and military reasons behind the jets’ presence, were simply having a grand time.

Humans!

Seeing humans from such a high vantage point was fascinating to the Golden Reapers, who jumped around excitedly on the whale’s back, waving their hands in greeting.

One of the Golden Reapers even asked a Black Reaper to launch them.

The Golden Reaper, catapulted by the Black Reaper’s ballista, stuck itself to the cockpit window of a fighter jet, giggling happily.

With its soft, squishy cheeks pressed firmly against the glass, the Golden Reaper peered in, trying to get a closer look.

The fighter pilot inside must have been shocked, but fortunately, they kept their composure and continued flying.

However, the jets seemed hesitant to venture into southern Italy.

As they neared the region, the fighter jets broke formation and scattered.

The Golden Reapers waved goodbye, disappointment visible in their faces as they watched the jets depart.

And so, the massive cloud whale finally reached southern Italy.

While the purple Reaper was doing its best to hold onto the sight of its beloved human for as long as possible, it sensed movement from the giant.

The weakened purple Reaper was now of no further concern, and the giant turned its head eastward, toward the distant sky.

In the meantime, numerous Objects, exuding a malicious energy, began to emerge around the purple Reaper and its beloved human.

They appeared as rusted, decayed humans, much like the man’s sister.

Among them was the man known as 'Wrecking Ball,' surrounded by a host of other Objects.

"Am I in the underworld now? These are all the ones I killed, aren’t they?"

The man let out a hollow laugh as he surveyed the swarm of Objects encircling him.

The purple Reaper, gathering the last of its shadowy energy, attempted to shield the man as best it could.

If only I could use spatial teleportation...

If only they could survive for one more minute.

One more second.

If only her beloved human could remember her for just a little longer.

The purple Reaper glanced down at its own body, which was crumbling like rusted metal as it used more and more power, and made a small wish.

Just then, the man gently patted the purple Reaper’s head and spoke.

"That’s enough."

His words were short and simple, but for the first time, they were filled with warm concern.

Hearing that kind voice, the purple Reaper smiled as though it had everything it could ever want.

Hehe.

Sitting on the man’s palm, the purple Reaper soaked in the warmth of his emotions and touch as it watched the hostile Objects close in.

This is a good end, a fitting end.

The wounds from the giant’s attack wouldn’t heal.

If I die now, I probably won’t come back. This is likely my permanent death.

But this is better than watching my beloved human die while I survive.

As the giant’s steel ball came hurtling toward them, the purple Reaper glanced up at the man’s face one last time.

Seeing his calm, resolute expression, it thought, He really is amazing, and closed its eyes.

It was only in the final moment that the man’s lingering unease about the purple Reaper dissipated.

The Reaper had always been there for him, but he had pushed it away, dismissing it as just another Object.

That wasn’t like me.

But it was okay—he had realized it in time, before the end.

He had finally uncovered the truth behind his sister’s death.

Now, things would be okay.

Just as he accepted the conclusion to his life, a purple flash of light sliced through the sky, severing the steel ball.

...!

The purple Reaper’s eyes flew open in shock, and it broke into a wide, joyous smile.

Multiple purple Reapers, identical to the one sitting in the man’s hand, appeared around him, their shadowy cloaks billowing as they stood guard.

Despite looking exactly the same, the man could somehow tell the difference between his own purple Reaper and the others.

The purple Reaper in the man’s palm looked up at him, relieved, as if to say, We’re saved!

At that moment, golden beams of light tore through the sky, piercing the mist.

With the fog dissipating, a massive shadow appeared overhead—the cloud whale.

From the whale, countless golden beams radiated, and a swarm of Objects began to descend.

Mini Reapers poured down like dust, followed by massive creatures—dinosaurs, pigs, and a strange white mass.

The Objects began destroying the 'Chosen Ones' one-sidedly.

In southern Italy, where there were no Objects, a common phrase had circulated:

‘The powers of the Chosen Ones are comparable to the might of Special Objects.’

What a ridiculous notion.

The man watched as the Objects tore through the Chosen Ones with ease and thought just that.

I had blown a hole in the whale’s side and was now watching the battle unfold below, as if I were watching a movie.

Nom nom.

With the battle so entertaining, the popcorn Yerin was feeding me tasted twice as good.

As the First Sword of the Golden Reapers swung its weapon, space itself was sliced apart, severing one of the giant’s arms.

Of course, the arm immediately reattached and regenerated, but the attack wasn’t meaningless.

The creature from the Color Universe had bizarrely fragmented destruction conditions, but with each wound it took, the conditions became less erratic.

Come to think of it, the First Sword was now better at spatial cutting than I was.

It seemed my maternal authority was gradually diminishing.

Hmph.

Just then, white flames in the shape of bubbles flew toward the giant.

Boom!

They exploded on impact.

The Gaki Reaper, wielding the Halo, had used its specialty—flames that could burn through any Object.

The blast shredded through the giant’s physical immunity as if it were nothing, leaving holes all over its massive form, like a sponge.

That giant’s weaker than I thought.

Watching this, I furrowed my brows in slight confusion.

Its presence was overwhelming, but it seemed unable to exert its full power, as though it were floundering like a drowning human.

The cause was surprisingly easy to identify.

It was the sunlight.

Just being exposed to sunlight was causing the giant to crumble slowly, making it vulnerable to the Golden Reapers’ attacks.

The 'Golden Reaper Beam,' a blast of sunlight funneled into a laser, was melting away chunks of the giant’s body.

With the First Sword slicing, the Gaki Reaper exploding, and the Golden Reapers burning away the giant’s form, the creature had no way to fight back.

Satisfied that the giant would eventually fall, I turned my attention elsewhere, where even more dazzling battles were taking place.

A pig the size of a building teleported around, stomping human-shaped hostile Objects with pinpoint accuracy.

It avoided powerful attacks by teleporting and absorbed weaker ones with its jelly-like body.

Yeah, that pig was so fast it was annoying when I fought it.

Seeing the pig rampaging like this brought back memories of our past battle.

Squee hee hee!

Meanwhile, near the pig, the white Gaki, covered in white flames, was joyfully hopping about.

Objects touched by the flame disintegrated like cotton candy in water.

On top of that, the Gaki kept splitting into mini Gakis and reassembling, making it difficult for anyone to land a proper hit.

They were doing well, but...

Squee hee hee hee!

Something about how happy the Gaki looked was irritating.

I’d have to mess with it later.

<Please, don’t get hurt!>

The Blue Reapers, along with other mini Reapers who weren’t fighting, spread throughout the city, rescuing civilians.

Even the weaker sugar flamingo Objects were assisting the mini Reapers in their rescue efforts.

Considering the Color Universe’s reputation, this battle seemed to be progressing rather smoothly, and I felt more at ease.

At this rate, Yerin wasn’t even needed, was she?

Hehe.

Just when it seemed like the battle would conclude smoothly, everything flipped in an instant as the sun set.

As soon as the sun disappeared, unable to shine down on the giant’s body, everything began to change.

The world started to warp and decay.

A hole opened in the sky, revealing the Color Universe beyond.

At the higher altitudes, where the Golden Reapers could no longer receive sunlight, their beams ceased.

The rusted, tattered body of the giant shed its material form and transformed into a mass of pure light.

A brilliant, radiant blue light, too bright to look at directly, as though a star had fallen to Earth.

And that light was turning everything it touched into rusted metal.

Objects included.

The weakest among them, the glow-in-the-dark tyrannosaurus, was the first to rust and fall apart.

I opened my mouth wide in a soundless scream.

No!! My glow-in-the-dark tyrannosaurus!

And as if reacting to my fury, a black figure emerged, slicing through the Immutable Sphere.

A massive black body as large as the blue giant.

Blazing white flames.

And two halos resting on its head.

How dare you!

With my gaze now level with the giant, I glared at the enemy who had taken my precious tyrannosaurus.