The sky was filled with the vibrant, swirling colors of the Color Universe, and before me stood the third foreign entity I had encountered—this time, a grotesque purple one.

I frowned as I gazed up at it.

"This one looks disgusting."

The first red foreign entity I had fought had been horrific enough, but this one was truly hideous.

With dozens, if not hundreds, of spindly arms and filmy, dirty-looking membranes, it was far different from the humanoid forms I had faced before.

"I wish they all looked as clean and sleek as the blue foreign entity," I thought.

As I stared at the monstrous creature, I found myself pondering my next move.

I couldn’t use the Mini Grim Reaper Garden.

I couldn’t summon Bulbyeonggu.

And Yerin wasn’t anywhere nearby.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

"At least I can still summon Halo," I sighed, looking down at the three Halos I held in my hand.

Even though I sighed out of habit from my human days, no breath escaped me.

The logical thing to do was retreat and retrieve Bulbyeonggu. After all, the ability that was blocking the Mini Grim Reaper Garden couldn’t cover the entire Earth.

Sure, in the time it took me to retreat, the Logs in Seoul might all die due to the foreign entity’s power, but putting some distance between us felt like the rational solution.

Still, I couldn’t just run away without trying.

If I ran without even fighting, the Golden Grim Reaper would probably smack me upside the head with a "thwack."

With that thought, I decided to give it a shot and flipped one of the Halos of Nullification over my head.

At the Sehee Research Lab, located on the outskirts of Songpa-gu, a small squad of Golden Grim Reapers was patrolling, taking turns guarding the area after the Association Dolls went rogue.

Suddenly, a doll with an unfamiliar glow began to approach slowly.

Click. Click. Click.

The doll’s footsteps echoed with the same hollow sound common to low-end models as it made its way closer.

It wasn’t particularly large, nor did it move quickly, but its faint purple glow made it stand out.

…!

Ordinarily, the Golden Grim Reapers would have rushed out immediately and punctured the doll with Grim Reaper-shaped holes, but these were extraordinary times.

They needed to approach cautiously.

Usually, a situation like this would be handled by the Warrior Reapers with their lightsabers, but unfortunately, they weren’t around.

Some had left the country to find their cherished humans, while others were scattered throughout Seoul, rescuing people.

One brave Golden Grim Reaper stepped forward.

After exchanging glances with the other Reapers, the brave Reaper rushed toward the purple doll and attempted a headbutt.

It was a powerful Ghost Overlay Attack.

The purple doll crumpled to the ground, just like the others, a Grim Reaper-shaped hole punched through its chest.

…!!!

But the Golden Grim Reapers were shocked.

Even though they had destroyed the doll, one of their own had disintegrated in the process, a rare event given their immunity to physical attacks.

"This is bad!"

"What should we do?"

The Golden Grim Reapers were panicking.

The purple doll was slowly regenerating the hole in its chest, but the Grim Reapers couldn’t replenish their ranks—the Mini Grim Reaper Garden was blocked.

With no way to replenish their forces, the Reapers removed their helmets and spears, laying them on the ground.

They exchanged solemn glances, determination written on their faces.

Their eyes said it all—they were willing to sacrifice parts of themselves, even if it meant slowing the dolls down at great personal cost.

"Mom, you have to win quickly!"

The Golden Grim Reapers sent their desperate plea to their mother as they gazed toward the direction of the colossal purple monster.

The night sky was clear, filled with beautiful starlight, and the soft, luxurious grass beneath my feet felt incredibly comforting.

There were no snacks, yet the peaceful scenery somehow put the Golden Grim Reaper at ease.

…!

The Golden Grim Reaper, who had been staring blankly at the sky, snapped to attention.

It was the Reaper who had been annihilated along with the purple doll, now awake in the Mini Grim Reaper Valhalla.

"I have to get back!"

Even if the connection to the Mini Grim Reaper Garden and Sehee's Lab was cut off, there had to be a way.

The Golden Grim Reaper ran toward the door connecting Valhalla to the Mini Grim Reaper Garden, emerging into the vast Marshmallow Plains.

As it ventured through the plains and into the shallow area of the Mini Grim Reaper Garden, a chaotic scene unfolded.

The shallow part of the Garden, once connected to the inner courtyard, was packed with Golden Grim Reapers and their younger siblings, all in a frenzy.

"Nooo!"

"The humans are in danger!"

Most notably, the Purple Grim Reapers who had been in Italy searching for their cherished humans were causing quite a commotion, restlessly bumping into each other in frustration.

The area was also crowded with Golden Grim Reapers and their siblings who had been scattered across the globe, each searching for their beloved humans.

Mini Grim Reapers were banging on the closed-off void, their teary eyes brimming with despair.

The Golden Grim Reaper who had just returned from death slumped down beside them with a somber expression.

"Sehee’s lab is in danger. So is Mom’s cherished human."

Sigh.

But there was nothing the Mini Grim Reapers could do but sit and wait helplessly.

The usually bustling road in Seoul was eerily shrouded in darkness.

The streetlights that had once illuminated the way had been bent and shattered, leaving only the moonlight to cast a faint glow over the dark street.

Amidst this, Chung and the Italian siblings were running swiftly through the night.

In fact, they had arrived in Korea some time ago.

Their original plan had been to visit Sehee’s lab and the Mini Grim Reapers, but they had been taking their time, slowly making their way from Busan to Seoul like tourists.

Now, they had only been in Seoul for six hours.

Each city in Korea had its own distinct character, and exploring them had taken far more time than expected.

The country was full of unique Object-related regulations, and dangerous objects could be found everywhere.

It was both a perilous and fascinating journey!

Chung and his group found the cities so varied that it felt like they were traveling not through a country but a federation of city-states.

The rampant corruption and incompetence of the Object Association seemed to play a significant role in this.

"Do we still have to go further?"

One of the Italian siblings, the younger sister, asked the Purple Blindfolded Grim Reaper perched on her head.

The Reaper shook its head, as if to say they still had a long way to go.

"Why are we heading farther and farther away from Seoul’s center?" Chung wondered as he glanced at the Purple Blindfolded Grim Reaper, who was leading the way.

Even now, people were being injured and killed, yet the Reaper was guiding them toward the outskirts of Seoul.

Though they had fought off some dolls and saved a few humans along the way, it seemed like the Reaper was more focused on getting out of Seoul than conducting rescue operations.

"It likes to joke around sometimes, but it cares about saving humans..." Chung felt a twinge of unease but calmed himself by looking down at the Orange Crown Reaper nestled in his arms.

Hop.

At that moment, the Purple Blindfolded Reaper hopped down from the ground.

Whoosh.

A soft sweeping sound followed as shadows spread endlessly around the Reaper’s feet.

Out of the shadow-covered ground rose a long pole.

As the pole completed its form, four branches sprouted from it.

What had formed was a massive pinwheel, created entirely out of shadows.

"A pinwheel?"

The Italian siblings recognized it—it looked just like one they had seen in Italy.

"I’m pretty sure we saw something like this at the Golden Grim Reaper Meeting Plaza," the younger sister remarked.

Creating even one small pinwheel had been a challenging task, and it seemed the Purple Blindfolded Reaper was exhausted, as it slumped to the ground.

Seeing this, the Orange Crown Reaper floated down beside it and extended a hand toward the pinwheel, slowly turning it.

It was as if it was trying to spin the pinwheel with telekinesis.

The pinwheel began to turn.

Spin.

Spin, spin.

Spin, spin, spin.

As the pinwheel reached a certain speed, a sweet fragrance spread throughout the air.

Pop!

Suddenly, a golden antenna shot up from the smooth surface of the shadow.

The antenna rose higher, and beneath it, the bewildered face of a Golden Grim Reaper emerged.

The Golden Reaper looked around, confused, as if to say, "Where am I?"

But as soon as it realized it was in Seoul, its expression shifted to one of shock, and it dove back into the shadows.

Pop, pop, pop.

A few seconds after the Golden Reaper disappeared, the smooth surface of the shadow began sprouting numerous golden antennae, like grass pushing up from the ground.

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

With determined resolve, a wave of Golden Grim Reapers and Mini Grim Reapers surged forth from the shadows.

Like a golden tide, the Golden Grim Reapers rushed toward Seoul.

Golden Warrior Grim Reapers with lightsabers sprinted out with astonishing speed.

The Black Grim Reapers gathered and merged into massive forms, while the Purple Grim Reapers stood in a circle around the pinwheel, reinforcing it.

An army of Mini Grim Reapers far greater than those struggling in Seoul surged toward the city.