The night sky above Seodaemun-gu filled with golden light.

Unlike the usual quiet darkness, the sky was alive, a dazzling display of light.

The immense amount of kindling, far more than Yerin alone could muster, surged into the sky, making it look like a midnight sun had risen.

The golden aurora, made of kindling, flickered and danced like living flames, creating a shimmering curtain across the sky.

The ruins below were cloaked in shadows cast by the aurora, and these shadows seemed to ripple like waves, making the broken buildings appear as though they were breathing.

Stars and moons that once dotted the night sky faded in the presence of this overpowering golden light.

I teleported to the aurora’s center and grabbed the Golden Horned Reaper, the apparent cause of this spectacle.

“It’s been a while.”

Pressing down on the soft horns of the mischievous Golden Reaper, I enjoyed the unique texture—firm yet jelly-like, an oddly addictive feeling.

As I pressed down, the Golden Horned Reaper giggled, ducking its head as though ticklish.

“That aurora up there… is that your doing?”

When I asked about the overwhelming golden aurora filling the sky, the Golden Horned Reaper laughed and nodded.

I gave its head a playful pat, then set the reaper atop mine.

The two of them, now perched on my head, grabbed my antennae like handles on a ride.

“Let’s go. With this much kindling, we can do anything—anything at all.”

I turned to face the “Old God”-like man who now looked up at me, bewildered by the sight.

Late at night, in Sehee Lab.

Yerin was snuggled up with a bundle of Golden Reapers, watching the TV intently.

The Golden Reapers gazed at the ceiling, where a soft, cotton-candy-like glow spread from their bodies, different from their usual subtle golden aura.

Some played with their hair, twisting it upward like horns and fixing it in place. They then poked Yerin’s cheek as if asking, “How does it look?”

“It suits you. You’re adorable.”

Smiling, Yerin took out star candies, her usual Golden Reaper treats, and fed them one by one.

The TV was broadcasting live footage of Seodaemun-gu, showing scenes where space twisted and shockwaves surged, as though out of a movie.

“The reaper looks like they’re in pain… will they be alright?”

Even Yerin, who believed in the invincibility of the Gray Reaper, felt uneasy watching these scenes.

Suddenly, the screen filled with golden light.

[Currently, a golden aurora has appeared over Seodaemun-gu, spreading rapidly to cover the entire sky above Seoul.]

As the announcer spoke, the drone camera shifted to the sky, capturing the brilliant aurora spreading across the heavens.

“Wow.”

In awe, Yerin lifted one of the Golden Reapers so it could see the TV.

“It’s the same.”

“The light around the Golden Reaper is just like that aurora!”

The misty, rippling glow around the Golden Reaper was an exact match for the aurora above.

Looking around to compare, Yerin quickly remembered the isolation room had no windows.

No matter how disorganized Sehee Lab was, they’d never install windows in the isolation room.

With Golden Reapers perched on her head and shoulders and more in her arms, Yerin hurried out of the isolation room.

Reaching the lab’s courtyard, she looked up to see the aurora filling the sky.

There was a familiar feeling to it.

It reminded her of the Gray Reaper’s eyes or the light around the Golden Reapers.

While she was looking up, more staff from Sehee Lab began gathering in the courtyard, staring at the sky in wonder. Each held a Golden Reaper clinging to them, gazing up at the aurora as well.

The man with the halo stared up at the golden aurora, entranced.

To him, it resembled desire, but there was something fundamentally different.

Compared to desire, it was an energy infinitely lighter and weaker.

“Could this be… the ‘other’ desire she spoke of?”

He recalled an old conversation with her, about the nature of positive and negative emotions.

Desire, fueled by the lack of something, was a force driven by negative energy, something he and the alchemists used as fuel.

And standing firmly opposed to it was the girl with the blue hair.

At that moment, as he noticed the Gray Reaper tearing through space to attack, he muttered softly and infused his divine fragment with desire.

“Alright, byproduct.”

“Let’s continue that long-ended debate. I’ll show you the nature of true desire.”

With those words, a wave radiated from his blazing white halo, but the result was different than expected.

The golden energy of the spatial tear, brimming with kindling, didn’t vanish under the halo’s influence but instead sliced right through the space.

The golden slice didn’t breach the infinitely layered space, but just defying the halo was enough to shock the man.

“A fragment of divinity… lost to desire?”

Though startled, his combat instincts kicked in, and he counterattacked immediately.

He raised his drooping arms, manipulating space around the Gray Reaper, dividing it into cubes, which then spiraled around him.

But golden flames shot up around the spiral of space, shattering it like glass.

“This… can’t be….”

As the divine fragment’s halo glowed brightly, it twisted the space, yet the golden flames burned it all away.

And this repeated again and again.

“How can a power without direction, without any real will, possibly…?”

It was a shock that shook the very foundations of his understanding.

Just then, a blinding flash filled his vision.

Looking up, I could see the overwhelming flow of kindling pouring from the global Mini Reaper network.

Usually, kindling dissipates quickly, like perfume in the air, but seeing it amassed and flowing steadily like this was odd.

“It finally feels like a fair fight.”

My opponent was using desires on a planetary scale, while I had only the kindling stored in my body. It felt a bit unfair.

Now, with so much kindling at my disposal, I could finally fight properly.

“But even now, I can’t seem to break through the barrier protecting his body….”

Even with kindling-infused spatial strikes, it wouldn’t cut through. It was a bit frustrating.

No solution?

Do I really need to summon the black giant?

Just as I burned away the opponent’s attack with kindling and was about to summon the black giant, the Golden Cloaked Reaper on my head tugged at my antennae.

“Mom, I have an idea!”

“Oh, really?”

Most of the Golden Reaper’s “solutions” were about as understandable and executable as the First Sword’s training drills.

But this time, when I listened, it was simple and easy enough that even I could manage.

“Gather all the kindling into your fist and… punch!”

It required no delicate sense or athletic skill, making it just my style.

Especially since gathering a lot of kindling was something I could do better than any of the Mini Reapers.

“Gather kindling.”

I clenched my fist with all my strength, channeling kindling into it.

My body gradually turned golden, and my fist shone with the brilliance of a sun.

So much kindling had gathered that the mere overflow created a blazing whirlwind around me, turning the area into a sea of fire.

The Golden Reapers holding onto my antennae were swept away by the intensity.

“Focus the kindling into your fist.”

Slowly, I drew my fist back.

The man with the halo tried to manipulate space to stop me, but the fierce storm of kindling burned it all away.

“Keep going. Keep focusing. Until I reach the limit.”

The aurora in the sky started swirling, drawn into my fist.

Like the sky itself was being absorbed, the aurora spiraled down toward me.

As I absorbed the entire aurora, the sky that had glowed like midday was now fully contained within my fist.

With all that gathered, I swung my fist forward, unleashing the kindling in a single, piercing beam that tore through my opponent.

Flash.

It was a brief, searing light.

At that instant, the man realized his defeat.

The orb, the core that attracted all the desire, had a hole pierced through it, and it began to crack and shatter slowly.

With that, he lost control of the desires he had commanded.

The hands of desire, once supporting and empowering him, turned on him, dragging him down, ripping him apart, and pulling him into the earth.

They were greedy, clawing hands.

And this was a sight the man had never seen before.

“My body feels so heavy.”

So heavy he couldn’t even lift his gaze to the sky.

“I wanted to see the sky one last time….”

As he was torn apart and swallowed into the flow of desire, memories of a girl filled his mind.

Memories from long ago, so long ago—of the days spent together in the academy before it closed.

“Back then… things were different….”

And, reliving his regrets, he was swallowed whole by the flow of desire.