Chapter 475

The interior of the dome, where all light seemed to have vanished, looked like a world from an old black-and-white photograph.

The once vibrant forest, alive with the breath of nature, had now turned into a black-and-white ink painting, with every branch leaving behind only dark silhouettes, as if drawn in ink.

The leaves, tinged with a faint gray, looked as if they had been touched by frost, rustling with the wind like shadows.

The shadow foreign being, which ruled this monochrome world, existed without form, like a black fog.

It did not walk, yet moved; it did not see, yet sensed; it did not breathe, yet survived.

True to its nature, following the twisted laws of the Color Universe, its movements completely ignored the physical laws of this world.

Through the cracks in the Color Universe, the shadow foreign being descended to Earth, and around it, everything began to change into a monochrome world.

The once solid earth turned ash-gray, the green leaves became pale gray, and the brown bark of trees turned black.

It was as though the shadow foreign being sucked all the color from everything it touched, leaving only black and white behind.

This pure world was the perfect playground for the foreign being.

It was not a world already filled with the laws of other beings like the Color Universe but a space where it could freely inscribe its own distortions, like a blank canvas.

Moreover, the life in this world overflowed with “desires.”

It was like sweet fruit.

As the shadow foreign being wandered the black-and-white forest, it suddenly sensed a space that was untouched by its influence.

It felt as though that space was protected by a different set of laws.

The shadow foreign being slowly moved toward this strange, unfamiliar space it had never sensed on Earth before.

And just like ink spreading on paper, it quietly but surely extended its reach in that direction.

What it encountered was light that filled the space with golden hues.

A mysterious force that could not touch the “laws” but pushed them away.

The foreign being watched this phenomenon with intrigue.

The fact that the “desires” filling this world could generate such powerful forces was a new realization.

But this too, for a moment, was futile, as the golden light, unable to touch the laws, was helpless in the face of the immutable truth of those laws.

It was at that moment, when the shadow foreign being reached out toward the golden light, that the surrounding space began to slowly turn blue.

At first, it appeared like a faint mist, but in an instant, it deepened into a rich cobalt blue.

Within that mist, countless spider webs tangled, wriggling and dancing as if alive.

The mist continued to thicken, and it became clear that this was not just a gas.

From within it, whispers seemed to echo endlessly, and countless eyes seemed to flash.

Sometimes, strange shapes appeared to glide by.

This blue mist was certainly not a law.

But strangely, it felt as though it was something like the law, or perhaps something beyond even the shadow foreign being.

The realm of shadows was powerless before the blue mist.

The shadow, once spreading like black ink, now scattered in the face of the mist, as if paper had burned and crumbled away.

Before long, the shadow foreign being was left alone in the endless expanse of the blue mist.

There was nowhere left to retreat or escape.

The surroundings were filled with deep, ocean-like blue, and countless spider webs, like a net, began to tighten around the foreign being.

In that moment, a low incantation echoed through the mist.

The foreign being, whose very nature had been twisted, could not understand the incantation, but the words resonated clearly, like a universal truth of the world.

[Become one.]

It was not just a simple will.

The words that echoed from within the blue mist felt like the very laws flowing from the origin of the Color Universe.

A whisper that seemed to deny existence itself, yet strangely sweet.

[Become one.]

The small presence within the mist merely watched, but even its gaze was enough for the shadow foreign being to feel as if its existence was being denied.

In that moment, the presence disappeared into the mist.

After what felt like a timeless moment, the words echoed again from behind the shadow foreign being.

This time, much closer, as if whispered directly into its ear.

[Become one.]

When the shadow foreign being turned around, the small presence had transformed into a massive shape, towering over the foreign being.

The presence now felt so overwhelming that it even surpassed the shadow foreign being.

Countless tentacle-like appendages wriggled in the mist, and countless eyes gazed in all directions.

As the mist thickened, the shadow foreign being felt its very essence becoming faint.

In this space where its own laws no longer applied, the foreign being began to understand, for the first time, what “fear” truly was.

Then, suddenly, the entity’s two hands shot out from the mist and embraced the shadow foreign being.

A cold yet strangely warm, irresistible hug.

[Become one.]

But the shadow foreign being stretched its shadows out in all directions, rejecting the embrace.

[….]

The sound of something piercing through the shadows echoed loudly.

And then, a bizarre sound began to emanate from the core of the shadow foreign being.

Crunch. Crunch.

It was the sound of something eating away at the very core from within.

And as the sound grew louder, the shadow foreign being’s body began to swell, like a balloon.

As if it were gestating something.

And in the final moment…

The shadow foreign being’s body exploded with a “pop,” and tiny entities poured out.

They all looked the same and carried the same will—fragments of a single being.

As the shadow foreign being slowly disintegrated, it strangely remembered one of the countless rulers of the Color Universe.

The master of the blue mist.

The Golden Reaper search squad, now turned into Detchis, lay scattered in the forest.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves cast a soft glow on their plump, golden bodies.

I looked around in the forest, surrounded by the swelling Hug Reapers.

Did the Hug Reapers also have the ability to multiply like the Mini Reapers?

Well, they didn’t participate much in battles anyway, so that part was the same.

“Why have you all grown so much?”

I mischievously pinched the cheek of the highest-ranking original Hug Reaper.

Like the Mini Reapers, the Hug Reapers’ cheeks were as soft as jelly.

“Hug!”

The response I received was nothing more than a bright smile and a brief will.

Yeah, you’ve always been about the hugs…

It was then that I noticed something.

The non-original Hug Reapers began to blur as if they were caught in a noise.

Suddenly, the original Hug Reaper raised both arms high into the air, and, as if in unison, all the other Hug Reapers mirrored the action.

“Hug!!!”

With a single will shouted in unison, golden light burst from the Hug Reapers’ bodies.

And the next moment, with a cheerful “pop!” all the Hug Reapers exploded like fireworks.

Golden firewood scattered through the air like pollen.

Just like when the Butterfly Foreign Being was slain, large amounts of firewood began flowing into my body.

“Hug!”

The last remaining original Hug Reaper looked up at me with a proud expression, as if showing me something.

“Is this all a gift?”

Without realizing it, a smile spread across my face.

I had received countless snacks and gifts, but this was the first time I had been given firewood like this.

And in such a spectacular way.

“Thank you.”

I gently patted the round head of the Hug Reaper with my finger.

“Mom! I found it!”

While I was petting its head, the will of another Golden Reaper search squad reached me from afar.

I carefully set the Hug Reaper down on the ground.

“Hug!”

I was escorted by the Hug Reaper as I entered the space.

At that moment, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to ask about the foreign being that had been here.

But I quickly dismissed the thought.

Well, since the Hug Reapers were here, there shouldn’t be a problem.

I thought this as I arrived at the massive dome.

It was the largest dome I had ever seen.

A space where all matter had turned into jewel-like minerals.

Even humans weren’t exempt from its effects, and the Attachment Human of Mingming was slowly dying.

Cough, cough.

The Attachment Human coughed as if on the verge of death, but all Mingming could do was prevent the sound from spreading.

“Miing.”

Mingming let out a sad sound as it looked on.

Seeing this, the Cabbage Woman smiled, trying to reassure Mingming that everything was okay.

And so, after a long journey, Mingming and the Attachment Human finally reached the end of the dome.

It had felt like an impossible journey, but they had done it.

“Miing!”

Mingming let out a joyful cry.

The Cabbage Woman also gave a faint smile, pale as she was.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Mingming puffed up its body and threw a heavy punch.

Non-stop.

“Miing!”

In this environment, it was difficult to exert much power, but Mingming was pushing its limits.

Because the Attachment Human was in danger.

But the outer walls of the dome, which maintained spatial isolation, could not be scratched by physical attacks.

“Miing…”

But Mingming did not stop.

Even as its hands were crushed and the pain intensified, it continued to swing its fists.

At that moment, a giant spider fell from the sky, heading straight for Mingming.

Swoosh.

A sharp, piercing sound filled the air.

“Mingming!”

The voice of the Attachment Human echoed in Mingming’s ears as it spilled golden firewood like blood.

No…

In a single strike, the jewel spider completely incapacitated Mingming and turned its attention slowly toward the Attachment Human.

“No!!!”

“Miing!”