Boom!

With a heavy vibration, dust fell in clumps.

As the shockwaves spread, the voices of the people murmuring inside the shelter suddenly stopped, only to begin again, this time filled with unease.

The coral-haired girl nervously looked up at the flickering light overhead, her face marked with anxiety.

Please... Let it be okay...

The scene she had witnessed just before entering the shelter, as she dodged stones and ice flying around the battlefield, stirred her fear.

The Steam Tower had revived, and along with it, the mechanical giants and the red Reaper, heading toward them with a fierce expression.

At first, it seemed the red Reaper would easily defeat the mechanical giants.

The flames spewed by the red Reaper melted the giants in an instant.

Not just one, but all of the mechanical giants that surrounded the city.

In that moment, everyone in Frost, including the coral-haired girl, couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

But that awe didn’t last long.

The mechanical giants quickly regenerated, as though time had been reversed.

Thus began the battle between the red Reaper and the mechanical giants.

Stones and ice scattered, buildings collapsed, and the battlefield became a perilous place.

Under the chairperson’s guidance, the citizens entered the shelter located at the Steam Tower Square, but the coral-haired girl couldn't take her eyes off the red Reaper.

Hang in there...!

She couldn’t shake her unease, not with the sight of the weary red Reaper and the seemingly unscathed mechanical giants.

The red flames surged through the center of the city, melting the mechanical giants in their path.

Flames shot up from the ground like mines, burning the giants to the ground, and those that were caught in the fiery spider webs between buildings broke into pieces, scattering across the floor.

But the melted and shattered giants quickly regenerated, as though time had been reversed, and they pressed forward again.

The giants, in unison, moved toward the underground shelter where the humans had hidden.

No...

The red Reaper watched in frustration.

Looking down at its small hand, it could see the other side through the fading outline.

I’m running out of fuel…

The red Reaper, trained to use its firewood more efficiently than other mini Reapers, was still struggling. The enemies were too numerous, and they regenerated endlessly, far beyond its capabilities.

I can't die like this.

The red Reaper knew it couldn’t perish before sending the coral-haired girl to safety.

It can't end like this.

With a tense expression, the red Reaper grabbed its left shoulder with its right hand and gasped for breath.

Hah... Hah...

Despite its body being incapable of breathing, the Reaper instinctively took the action.

Then, with a sharp breath, it squeezed its eyes shut and pulled out its left hand.

Ughh.

Its limp left hand transformed into a massive, burning flame that soared into the sky.

With no firewood left, the red Reaper began using its own body as fuel.

Burn everything!

With gritted teeth, the red Reaper released its will, and from the tiny makeshift sun, countless flames erupted, incinerating all the mechanical giants.

Even though they regenerated again and again, the fire kept coming.

But with each blast, the fake sun grew smaller until, eventually, it exhausted all of its energy and vanished.

The mechanical giants slowly rose again.

Then…!

Seeing this, the red Reaper prepared itself to sacrifice its legs.

The sky twisted, and a vortex descended, striking the giants with the force of a thunderclap.

The ground rumbled as the blow landed, knocking the giants down.

From within the cloud, cloud-fish appeared and scattered in all directions.

Sibling!

It's okay now!

We’re here!

The familiar, energetic will filled the air.

From among the cloud-fish, the mini Reapers swarmed out, attacking the giants.

The golden Reaper-shaped holes opened, shadows turned to blades and cut, and something inside whirled and ground away.

It was the golden, purple, and black Reapers.

Though they weren’t as numerous as when summoned by "Mom," they were still a force to be reckoned with.

The mini Reapers couldn’t reach the battlefield quickly due to the lack of firewood, but a few managed to arrive on the cloud-fish in time.

My sibling’s hurt!

My sibling’s in pain!

Some of the golden Reapers flew down beside the red Reaper, hugging it with worried faces.

They began rubbing their chubby cheeks against the red Reaper’s face.

As the soft cheek rubbing continued, some of the golden Reaper’s firewood seeped into the red Reaper.

Though the missing arm did not return, its wounds healed, and the firewood began to replenish.

It's okay now!

With a playful chuckle, the golden Reaper raised its hands high and released its will.

Charge!

Thus began the battle between the mini Reapers and the mechanical giants.

Beyond the massive barrier I created, the battlefield with the Emperor Frog unfolded.

The mini Reapers and the mechanical giants collided, biting and tearing, while the Emperor Frog swung ice-made blades and dove in.

Watching the flying Emperor Frog, I sat on the white maw and raised both hands.

It’s time for you to stop dying.

I gripped the space firmly and swung my arms.

A spatial cut filled with firewood.

On top of that, a spatial cut empowered by the halo contained within the space.

The space tore apart violently as though I had ripped it by hand, and beyond that, the void surged.

But at that moment, the repeated moments came to pass once again.

The Emperor Frog tried to freeze the space to block it, but it couldn’t hold against the power of the halo and was torn apart, being sucked into the void.

[Ughh!]

The Emperor Frog’s agonizing scream.

Yet the crown atop the frog remained, seemingly untouched by the forces around it.

And in that moment, as lightning struck the crown, the torn space swiftly mended itself.

It was as if someone stapled the torn paper back together—ice stakes pierced through the space, forcibly stitching it together.

Even the shredded Emperor Frog reformed, returning to its original form.

What a nuisance.

I gritted my teeth in frustration and viciously tore into the white maw that had turned into my seat.

Kyu-hing-hing.

The Emperor Frog was proving to be far more troublesome than I anticipated.

I expected the destruction condition to be complex, but not to this extent.

No matter what attack I launched, the crown neutralized it.

When I cut the space, ice stakes reattached it.

The white flames of ability nullification bizarrely didn’t stick to the halo.

I didn’t use the fantasy or command halo because it was a waste of firewood.

The complete evasion halo wasn’t necessary, as the Emperor Frog’s attacks weren’t a serious threat.

Even when I tried to dominate the space with the Mini Reaper Garden, the crown’s spatial erosion blocked it.

The frost from the crown covered the space and froze the mini Reapers solid.

Whether that crown was a passageway to external entities or whether it was an external entity itself, the erosion was formidable.

The good news was that my victory was inevitable.

The frog was overexerting itself, using far more of its resources each time it used the crown.

Still, I knew it would take time, so I had prepared for a prolonged battle.

Namely, the strategy of "Fighting while sitting on the fluffy white maw!"

It’ll take too long for the frog to dry up, I bet…

Moreover, with the giant jade frog, the longer it went on, the more troublesome external entities seemed poised to emerge.

That crown might just be a "anchor" for a purple external entity...

I called the golden Reaper to send out a signal.

Tell all the mini Reapers.

They might not understand what 'Mechanical Heart' means…

In any case, notify me when you find any powerful Objects made of metal.

As I sent out the will, the golden Reaper nodded seriously.

It emitted its will constantly and rushed toward Seoul.

Mom says help is on the way!

It’s a big problem!

It kept going until it connected to the mini Reaper network.

As the clouds grew faint, the situation began to turn.

No!

The golden Reaper, wrapped in an ominous glowing cold, was sent flying by a strike from a mechanical giant.

Having used up all its firewood, the golden Reaper grew faint, leaving behind only golden embers before disappearing.

I'm sorry...

With a sorrowful expression, the last golden Reaper looked at the red Reaper before vanishing into the mini Reaper Valhalla.

Of course, the red Reaper wasn’t in good shape either.

Its body, which had been torn apart and patched up with firewood, was riddled with holes, and its body, having exhausted all its fuel, appeared faintly transparent.

This is bad.

The battered red Reaper looked up at the sky, seeing a colorful night sky through the thin clouds.

It reminded them of the sky they saw the day their grandfather died.

Turning its head, the purple Reapers had gathered and were creating a massive windmill made of shadows.

Realizing that a handful of mini Reapers couldn’t resolve this situation, the clever purple Reapers had begun constructing the windmill.

Can we hold on?

With a dark expression, the red Reaper tried to force a hopeful smile, shaking its head furiously.

No, we can hold on!

Slowly, the red Reaper’s battered body began to rise.

With all its strength, the red Reaper charged toward the mechanical giants.

Struggling with its wounded body, it flew upwards, gathering its remaining energy to unleash a blaze.

AAAHHH!

With a silent scream, the red Reaper’s massive flames engulfed the mechanical giants.

The ice-covered bodies began to melt, but the giants didn’t fall easily.

One of the giants created an ice spear and hurled it at the red Reaper.

The red Reaper barely dodged it, but in that moment, another giant’s fist struck, landing a direct blow.

Its remaining right hand was torn off, and the red Reaper tumbled across the white snowfield.

No...

Looking at the approaching giants as they headed for the shelter and the windmill, the red Reaper struggled to get up again.

The last bit of firewood left in its body flickered, threatening to disappear.

No!!

Once more, the red Reaper soared, charging at the giants.

I can die, it’s fine.

At this moment, the red Reaper understood one more thing that the mini Reapers couldn't comprehend.

It’s fine to die forever.

More precious than the eternal life of the mini Reapers, more precious than anything, was its attachment to humans.

It’s fine to die forever!!

The entire body of the red Reaper began to burn.

Like a burning log, the flames roared.

Once, twice, three times...

While it continued attacking, burning through its last fuel, the flames began to fade.

The holes in its body grew larger, and the flames began to dim.

As the red Reaper, like a comet, charged again, the ice spear of the mechanical giant struck it.

Ah...

The last flame extinguished from the red Reaper’s eyes, and its body began to fall to the ground.

The red Reaper, as it fell, looked toward the shelter.

Humans...

It saw the mechanical giants approaching, ready to destroy the shelter and the windmill.

I'm sorry...

Slowly, the red Reaper’s body disintegrated into embers, scattered across the sky.

The final remains, bouncing away, touched a piece of scrap metal that one of the mechanical giants was holding, and in a burst of flame, disappeared into the air.

Endless darkness.

In that darkness, the red Reaper opened its eyes.

Not in Valhalla, nor alive, but in the fleeting moment just before death.

Is this how I die…

Its body was battered and torn, and despite doing its best, it had failed.

I don’t want to die.

But it didn’t want to give up.

Even at the edge of death, even without meaning.

I will return.

To the human I care for.

I won’t give up!

With both hands severed, the red Reaper clenched its eyes shut and struck its forehead against the black void.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

And then, a faint heartbeat could be heard.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

When the red Reaper opened its eyes again, a massive heart appeared in the void.

The massive, red-hot mechanical heart.

The moment it locked eyes with it, a burning pain surged through its body, which had felt no sensation until now.

Ughh.

And then, the sensation of flames spreading outward was felt.

The red Reaper opened its eyes, feeling the foreign warmth of the burning heart inside its chest.