---

Crash!

With a heavy vibration, dust fell in clumps.

As the tremors spread, the murmurs of the people in the shelter suddenly stopped, only to begin again, filled with anxiety.

The coral-colored girl looked up at the flickering light with a worried expression.

‘Please… let it be okay…’

The scene she had seen just before entering the shelter, escaping from the battlefield where stones and ice were flying everywhere, heightened her unease.

Red Reaper had charged out to intercept the giants with a fierce expression, as mechanical giants appeared alongside the resurrection of the steam tower.

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

The flames spewed forth from Red Reaper melted the mechanical giants in an instant.

Not just one, but all of them surrounding the city.

At that moment, the citizens of Frost, including the coral-colored girl, couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

But that awe didn’t last long.

The mechanical giants, as if rewinding time, swiftly regenerated.

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

Stones and ice flew about, buildings collapsed chaotically in the perilous battlefield.

Following the guidance of the chairperson, until they entered the shelter set up in the steam tower plaza, the coral-colored girl couldn’t take her eyes off Red Reaper.

‘Hold on…!’

Perhaps because of the sight of the exhausted Red Reaper and the seemingly unscathed mechanical giants, the coral-colored girl couldn’t shake off her anxiety.

*

Flames surged forth, melting the mechanical giants as they crossed the middle of the city.

From the ground, flames erupted like mines, cooking the mechanical giants, and those that touched the flaming web between the buildings shattered into pieces, lying sprawled on the ground.

However, the melted, broken, and dismembered giants swiftly regenerated, as if rewinding time again.

The giants were heading towards the underground facility where humans had taken refuge.

‘No way…’

Seeing this, Red Reaper grimaced nervously.

Looking down at their small palm, they were faintly hazy enough to see the other side.

‘Not enough firewood…’

Red Reaper had trained to use firewood more efficiently than the other Mini Reapers, yet there were too many foes regenerating endlessly, making it insufficient.

‘I can’t die like this.’

Red Reaper could not die until they had sent the coral-colored girl to safety.

‘I have no choice.’

Grabbing their left shoulder with their right hand, Red Reaper gasped as if they were out of breath.

Haa. Haa.

Even though their body could no longer breathe, they instinctively acted this way.

Then, they squeezed their eyes shut and pulled out their left hand.

‘Ugh.’

At that moment, the limp left hand transformed into a massive ball of red flames, soaring skyward.

Since there was no firewood, Red Reaper began using their body as fuel.

‘Burn it all!’

As Red Reaper gritted their teeth and exuded willpower, numerous flames burst forth from the tiny sun, melting all the mechanical giants.

No matter how many times they regenerated, continued to regenerate, and continued still.

But with every fiery explosion, the fake sun diminished, ultimately exhausting all its power and disappearing.

The mechanical giants rose from their positions once again.

‘Then…!’

The moment Red Reaper prepared to sever both of their legs upon witnessing this.

The sky twisted, and clouds descended like a whirlpool, striking the giants.

The cloud’s hit shook the ground like thunder and was heavy enough to topple the giants.

And from within that cloud, Cloud Fish began to spring forth, scattering in all directions.

‘Younger Brother!’

‘It’s okay now!’

‘We’ve arrived!’

An invigorated, familiar determination.

Among the Cloud Fish, Mini Reapers burst out in droves, launching their attacks at the giants.

The holes shaped like Golden Reapers appeared everywhere, shadows morphed into blades and slashed, and something swirled from the inside, grinding down.

Each one was a Golden Reaper, a Purple Reaper, and a Black Reaper.

Of course, they weren’t as numerous as Mom had summoned.

Due to the shortage of firewood, the Mini Reapers couldn’t arrive quickly from afar, and not many could reach on time riding the Cloud Fish.

‘Younger Brother is hurt!’

‘Younger Brother is in pain!’

A few Golden Reapers descended next to Red Reaper, hugging them worryingly.

Then, they started rubbing their particularly chubby cheeks against Red Reaper’s.

As the cheek rubbing occurred, some of the Golden Reaper’s firewood seeped into Red Reaper.

By alternating cheek rubs, although the arm that had vanished didn’t return, their wounds healed, and firewood began to leak out again.

‘You’re okay now!’

The Golden Reaper sent willpower while giggling.

And they raised both hands high, declaring their intent.

‘Charge!’

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

*

Beyond the immense walls I had created, the battlefield against the Emperor Frog.

Mini Reapers and mechanical giants rushed at each other, mauling, while the Emperor Frog swung ice blades and flew in.

Watching the flying Emperor Frog, I sat on the White Hungry Ghost, raising both hands.

‘Just die already.’

And I tightly grasped space, swinging my hands.

A space cut loaded with ample firewood.

Moreover, the power contained within the Halo of Space was also packed into this space cut.

The space was ripped apart as if torn by hand, and beyond that lay the swirling void.

But at that moment, the moment that had been repeated several times unfolded once more.

The Emperor Frog tried to freeze the space to hold it off, but it could not withstand the power of the halo and was torn to pieces, beginning to be sucked into the void.

[Urrggh!]

The Emperor Frog’s pained groan.

But the Emperor Frog’s crown remained proudly existing as if it were in an independent space.

And at the moment lightning struck down upon the crown, the split space was instantaneously sealed.

Like forcibly stitching paper with a stapler, ice stakes were driven into the space, forcibly linking it together.

Even the torn Emperor Frog pieced back together, reverting to its original form.

‘What a hassle.’

I grumbled, tearing into the White Hungry Ghost that had transformed into my chair with annoyance.

Kyuuhiiinh.

The Emperor Frog turned out to be far more troublesome than I anticipated.

I thought it would take time due to the complexity of its destruction condition, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.

Whatever attack was launched, that crown negated the offense.

If I cut through space, the ice stakes would stitch it back together like before.

The white flame of ability negation strangely couldn’t latch onto that halo.

I didn’t use the halo of illusion or summoning since firewood was too precious.

The halo of total evasion wasn’t needed since the Emperor Frog’s attack wasn’t threatening.

Even attempting to dominate space over the Mini Reaper Garden, the crown’s space erosion obstructed me.

Ice fell in the space, freezing the Mini Reapers completely.

Whether that crown was a pathway to an external being or if it was at the level of an external being itself, that erosion was truly powerful.

The fortunate thing was that my victory was assured enough.

That frog seemed to be making some reckless moves, consuming several times more than I did when using the crown.

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

Namely, ‘Fighting while sitting on a soft White Hungry Ghost!’.

‘It seems it might take too long for the frog to dry up…’

Moreover, perhaps because it’s a huge jade frog made of ‘jade’, I felt that stalling might bring out even more troublesome external beings.

That crown might perhaps be like an anchor for Purple External Beings…

I called for a Golden Reaper to convey my will.

‘Pass it on to all Mini Reapers.’

‘Would they understand if I say it’s a mechanical heart?’

‘Anyway, let me know if you discover a powerful object made of metal.’

As I transmitted my will, the Golden Reaper nodded solemnly.

And it dashed towards Seoul, constantly exuding will.

‘Mom wants help!’

‘This is serious!’

Until it reached the Mini Reaper Network, continuously.

*

As the clouds grew fainter, the tide of battle flipped.

‘No way!’

The Golden Reaper, covered in a threatening icy glow, was sent flying by the strike of a mechanical giant.

Having consumed all its firewood, the Golden Reaper gradually faded, disappearing while leaving only a golden spark.

‘Sorry…’

The last Golden Reaper looked at Red Reaper with a sad expression, vanishing into Mini Reaper Valhalla.

Of course, Red Reaper wasn’t in prime condition either.

Every time they were torn apart, their body had holes like it had been gnawed by rats, and excessive firewood consumption rendered their form translucent.

‘This is bad.’

Looking up at the sky, the tattered Red Reaper caught sight of a colorful night sky peeking through sparse clouds.

It resembled the sky seen on the day Grandfather died.

When they turned their head, they saw Purple Reapers gathering to form a shadowy giant pinwheel.

Realizing the situation was beyond the scope of a few Mini Reapers, the clever Purple Reapers began making the pinwheel.

‘Can I hold on?’

Red Reaper forced a smile, shaking their head fervently.

‘No, I can hold on!’

Slowly, the dim body of Red Reaper began to rise.

Red Reaper charged towards the mechanical giants with all their might.

With their tattered body soaring, they gathered their remaining strength and spewed forth flames.

‘Waaah!’

With the voiceless roar of Red Reaper, a massive flame engulfed the mechanical giants.

The ice-coated bodies began to melt away, but the giants didn’t easily crumble.

One mechanical giant created an ice spear and hurled it at Red Reaper.

Just barely avoiding it, at that moment, another giant’s fist came flying in, striking true.

As even the remaining right hand was torn away, Red Reaper tumbled across the white snowfield.

‘No way…’

They watched the approaching giants towards the shelter and the pinwheel, staggering as they tried to rise again.

The last strand of firewood within Red Reaper swayed as if it would vanish.

‘No way!!’

Red Reaper ascended once more, charging at the giants.

‘I’m fine with dying.’

Now, in this moment, Red Reaper understood one more thing that Mini Reapers couldn’t comprehend.

‘I’m fine with dying forever.’

A being called Attached Human, more precious than their eternal life, in which even just breathing brings happiness.

‘I’m fine with dying forever!!’

The entire body of Red Reaper began to blaze.

Like a log that had caught fire, fiercely.

Once, twice, three times…

As they burned the last of their fuel, they unleashed a torrent of attacks, but the flames of Red Reaper gradually diminished.

The holes in their body grew larger, and the flames started to flicker.

As Red Reaper charged once more like a fiery comet, an ice spear from a mechanical giant struck down upon them.

‘Ah…’

The last spark of flame flickered out from Red Reaper’s eyes, and their body started to fall to the ground.

As Red Reaper fell, they looked towards the direction of the shelter.

‘Human…’

They saw the mechanical giants advancing to break through the shelter and the pinwheel.

‘Sorry…’

Slowly transforming into embers, Red Reaper scattered.

As the last remnant of their body bounced away, the moment it touched a scrap metal held by a mechanical giant, it transformed into flames, vanishing into thin air.

*

Endless darkness.

Within it, Red Reaper opened their eyes.

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

‘Is this how I die…?’

Their body was tattered, and despite putting forth their all, they had failed.

‘I don’t want this.’

But they didn’t want to give up.

Even right before death, even if it meant nothing at all.

‘I will return.’

‘To the Attached Human.’

‘I won’t give up!’

The Red Reaper, with both hands severed, squeezed their eyes shut and slammed their forehead against the black void.

Crash. Crash. Crash.

And then, at that moment, a small pulsing sound was heard.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

As Red Reaper opened their eyes again, a gigantic heart resided within the void.

A massive mechanical heart, burning crimson.

The instant they focused on it, a fiery pain began to surge through their body, which had felt no sensation at all.

‘Ugh.’

Flames spread from every direction, igniting the feeling.