Chapter 456

The surface of the Black Planet, completely consumed by the Evolution Fluid.

The endless black sea stretched out like liquid night sky.

The surface glistened like oil, but beneath it, a pitch-black darkness loomed, its depth unfathomable.

Occasionally, enormous bubbles would rise to the surface, bursting with a foul stench that mixed the smell of burned rubber and thick oil.

The sky was always covered by thick gray clouds.

Whether it was because the sea level of the black ocean had risen too high, or the clouds were too low, the cloud layer was so close that it seemed as though one could reach out and touch it.

Looking up at the sky, a faint light from the sun could be seen through the haze, but it was only dimly visible, like light filtered through mist.

And sometimes, the rays of the sun, breaking through the clouds, would turn into a sinister black light upon touching the black sea, scattering and fading away.

Once grand mountain ranges now protruded above the black sea like isolated islands.

Eroded cliffs rose toward the sky like sharp teeth, and their surfaces had turned a dark, grim color, melted by the Evolution Fluid.

The land, barely left on the high ground, glowed with a reddish hue, like rotting flesh.

In the air, Evolutionary Objects would drift, but even they couldn’t escape the influence of the Evolution Fluid.

Twisted wings, multiple eyes, and blackened, melted flesh dripped down like goo.

The objects, grotesque from the start, had become even more distorted due to the Evolution Fluid.

In the depths of the black sea, huge shadows could sometimes be seen moving.

Something writhing beneath the surface looked like living seaweed or a giant snake.

Occasionally, tendrils rising from the surface shimmered with a metallic sheen, and their tips were sharp hooks.

In the remaining highlands, what could still be called the surface, remnants of past civilizations lingered.

Eroded buildings and broken roads.

But among the remnants of that civilization, there were no humans—only byproducts of the Evolution Fluid, now in slimy, mutated forms.

The beings, once human, had lost their self-awareness, and were melting away the last traces of humanity with their own hands as they oozed the Evolution Fluid.

The occasional winds that whipped through the ruins sounded like the groaning of a dying planet.

And yet, above this gloomy world, a cheerful will rang out.

“Revolution!”

“Harmful Objects!”

The will came from tiny, red Reapers no larger than a palm.

These little red Reapers flew over the Black Planet, setting everything ablaze.

The Evolution Fluid that filled the entire world, just like the black sea, along with the byproducts that were once human, were all burned to the ground.

The red rings of fire seen on Earth were now massive pillars of fire, with physical form and reality.

The pillars that made up the ring of fire were so enormous that they began from the surface of the black sea, reaching deep into the ocean depths.

The massive pillars gathered together to form a red ring that carved deeply into the Black Planet, revealing the original ground beneath, undoing the corruption.

It was as if a miracle had carved a path through the sea—the red ring of fire devoured part of the black ocean.

It was truly an atrocity that a Mini Reaper, loathing the Evolution Fluid, would commit.

At the forefront of this ring of fire stood a red Reaper that shone like the sun.

Wearing a halo of white flame above its head, the red Sun Reaper reduced all Objects blocking the advance of the fire ring to ash.

The power of nullification was effective even on the Objects melted by the Evolution Fluid, so the great army of red Reapers could slowly consume the black sea.

Behind this red Sun Reaper floated a massive flying ship.

It was a gigantic pirate ship made of red flames, a weapon crafted by the red Reapers.

It was a sort of aircraft carrier, where the red Reapers, exhausted after depleting their firewood, would rest. At the bow of this ship stood a red Reaper, striking a heroic pose of revolution.

That pose seemed strangely out of place, as though mimicking something—it looked as though they had been influenced by something seen on TV.

At that moment, a will echoed from behind the red Reaper.

“Stop that and quickly get more firewood!”

“Okay!”

The red Reaper wiped away its solemn expression, laughing mischievously, and ran toward the center of the deck.

At the center of the deck, there was a conspicuous Mini Reaper.

A Golden Horned Reaper, with two long horns, stood on the deck, surrounded by red.

This Golden Horned Reaper was handing firewood to the red Reapers, who had used up all their fire.

Initially, they had recovered their firewood without the Golden Horned Reaper, but after chasing a huge Object across the black sea, they had come to rely on the Golden Horned Reaper’s help.

The enormous Object that had appeared was a powerful, unaltered being, roaming through the Evolution Fluid.

A Foreign-Class Object, a giant shark-shaped being.

Even the red Sun Reaper, with its halo, couldn’t defeat this formidable foe, but the shark-shaped Object was expending its energy elsewhere, allowing it to be defeated just in time.

“Should I call for mom…?”

The red Sun Reaper stood at the front line, staring vacantly in the direction the shark-shaped Object had vanished, deep in thought.

The Golden Reaper, encouraged by the firewood his mother had given him, stepped back as the massive anglerfish slowly crawled forward, preparing for battle.

Kkyu.

The half-melted white anglerfish seemed to suffer greatly from even the slightest movement, but with a sadder expression, it sent a mental wave.

[In the morning, I liked having my hair combed.]

[Before I lost my memory, I loved alchemy.]

The melted anglerfish began to ramble, giving instructions for Bora. The instructions, filled with concern for her, went on without context, starting with her favorite foods, her preferred clothing style, and even the flowers she liked.

It felt as if there wasn’t much time left.

[And on her birthday, make a big bonfire for her…]

The Golden Reaper, who had previously been preparing for a fight, now stared at the anglerfish with a sad expression.

[Please take care of that child.]

[I can no longer stay by her side.]

The melted anglerfish spoke only a brief sentence, but its form continued to melt further.

[My body is already dead. Only my soul is bound to the “eye”.]

And the melted anglerfish took a step closer to the Golden Reaper, sending another mental wave.

[Take the “eye”.]

[And protect her with it.]

But the Golden Reaper, with a sad expression, could not bring himself to take the halo.

Even to the eye, it was clear that if that halo disappeared, the kind anglerfish would die.

[There’s no time.]

[The eye, with the power of the Cycle, has hidden the shelter, but now, it has reached its limit.]

The Golden Reaper nodded with a determined expression and removed the halo from the head of the anglerfish.

Immediately, the massive white anglerfish began to crumble into dust.

For the last time, the anglerfish slowly stood up, scattering white flames as it stood on its two feet.

That was the final alchemy that burned life to create.

[The boundary’s purple flower, the illusion’s yellow fruit, the eye of the eternal god.]

And just before the white anglerfish vanished, it cried out loudly, “Kkyu!”

Kkyu!

[The manifested avatar!]

As the alchemy completed, an overwhelming presence spread, almost comparable to the mother’s “kkyek.”

As this intense presence spread, the white anglerfish turned into dust and scattered into the air.

And the mansion completely crumbled. The Golden Reaper, eyes tightly closed, woke next to the motionless girl, Bora.

Though withered and dying, it was unmistakably the attachment human.

‘!!!’

And beyond the attachment human, a massive shark-shaped Object tore through the bronze exterior wall, charging forward.

It was the attachment human’s moment of utmost danger.

‘Foreign-Class!’

An opponent that the ordinary Golden Reaper could never defeat.

At that moment, the Golden Reaper placed the halo in his hand above his head.

Immediately, an excruciating pain as if his entire body was burning flooded him, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

Using the power of the Cycle Halo, he began to protect the attachment human.

First, from the body of the half-melted giant white anglerfish, fresh white flesh sprouted and leaped into the air, blocking the shark Object.

The white anglerfish, now moving again, swung its limbs as if the Golden Reaper was fighting.

And the Evolution Fluid, which had started to pour in from all directions, began to flow unnaturally in a certain direction, swirling as if to protect the attachment human and the Golden Reaper.

Like a circulating river.

In this newly created space, the fallen colored anglerfish corpses were reborn, constantly charging toward the shark.

Just like Mini Reapers resurrecting in Valhalla, when they died, they were reborn near the Golden Reaper.

It was as if the Gray Reaper frequently used the Golden Reaper’s waves as a model.

‘No way…’

But barely able to hold himself together, the Golden Reaper had a troubled expression.

The firewood was too little.

The firewood that his mother had gifted him, which had felt almost infinite, was rapidly depleting.

‘No!!’

And the moment all the firewood was gone.

The giant white anglerfish, which had fought like the Golden Reaper, stopped, and the Golden Reaper’s body began to crumble into dust.

As he moved his fingers, they turned to dust; as he turned his head, his neck broke.

His whole body felt like a doll made of dry sand.

The body made of sand could collapse at any moment.

The Halo’s power was completely breaking apart the Golden Reaper’s physical form.

Only the small remnants of the firewood barely clung to the sand pile.

If the firewood his mother had gifted him hadn’t been there, it would have melted away in an instant.

‘Was it too much to handle alone?’

At this rate, he couldn’t protect the attachment human.

The firewood his mother had gifted him was almost gone.

The Golden Reaper continued to look at the attachment human with sad eyes, still with his eyes closed.

And, with his crumbling body, as if to enter the eternal abyss with the attachment human, he slowly embraced Bora’s cheek.

‘Even after death, let’s be together.’

The Golden Reaper, with this sad resolve, prepared to die with the attachment human, but from the sky, a massive amount of firewood began to pour down again.