AAAAAAH!!

Tom screamed as his body merged with Captain Tautus'. But it did not stop there. Tautus frantically grabbed the nearby dead, merging them with his own body. Chang Long and the Reaper watched coldly as the bodies melded into Tautus, causing him to grow larger.

"Summon me for possession,"

the Reaper said to Chang Long. She alone could not defeat Tautus in his current state without his help.

"Huh?"

Chang Long repeated, confused.

"From now on, you and I will be one... You will be me, the Reaper King. But for the merge to be complete, you had to undertake a task I will give you at the Castle of Death. The condition is that you must be in a coma to accept this task, and it must last more than twenty minutes for me to give you the quest. Today, I will grant you special power as a thank you for bringing me home..."

The Reaper spoke warmly, smiling gently at Chang Long for the first time.

"Agreed,"

Chang Long nodded slowly.

"Reaper Possession..."

As Chang Long's group followed Kearick into the stone arch, they turned at the sound of the dead's screams. They saw a giant monstrous figure looming over Chang Long and the Reaper, the overlord of the dead.

"Holy mother!"

Oliang and Lidded Wet Trash Can exclaimed in horror.

"What the world is that!"

Kimhant raised his camera to take a picture despite his urge to scream and run away.

"The dead are merging into an almost insurmountable mass of evil..."

Kearick said worriedly. As the dead sank deeper into corruption, he had no strength left to stop or resist them.

"Master... we have to go back and help her, Davy-chan!"

Kitsune croaked, his voice hoarse as Davy-chan supported him.

"Don't underestimate my master. This is His Majesty's domain, where his authority is definite. No one can challenge his absolute power here!"

Kearick's words stunned everyone as they looked at Chang Long standing alone.

"Where is your master? It's just Chang Long now!"

Siegfried said anxiously, ready to run back to help Chang Long along with his friends and Hisa-chan.

"Please, don't do something useless!"

Kearick's authoritative voice stopped Siegfried and the others in their tracks. They were shocked to see him standing in their way without them noticing.

"H... how did you do that? You looked so weak a moment ago!"

Valentine exclaimed in surprise, staring at Kearick, who now appeared robust and healthy, a far cry from his earlier, frail state.

"The balance of the Land of the Dead is being restored. Please follow my master's orders and come with me to the Castle of Death,"

Kearick said calmly. From a frail figure resembling a beggar, he now stood tall and muscular, looking like a completely different person from when they first met.

Siegfried and his friends looked at Chang Long with concern for a moment before deciding to follow Kearick. In their hearts, they prayed that Kearick's words were true and that the absolute power of the ruler of this land could destroy that ginormous monstrous evil and ensure Chang Long's safety return!

"Heh heh heh, are you so stunned that you can't even act? What can a powerless ruler like you do!"

Captain Tautus bellowed, but Chang Long stood motionless, unfazed. After using the Reaper Possession, she did not seem much different, leading Tautus to believe his ruler had truly lost all power.

"Your breath stinks, you monster."

Chang Long's words made Tautus, who had been laughing so hard the ground shook, turn to her in fury.

"You insolent brat! Do you want to die that badly? Then I'll oblige!"

With that, Tautus swung his massive hand towards Chang Long. She did not move a muscle, and as his hand neared her, black flames with blue centers engulfed her body rapidly.

Aaaargh!

Tautus screamed as the Sovereign Sword, wreathed in black flames, pierced through his hand effortlessly. The flames burned his hand to ash, scattering the remnants into the air.

Chang Long stood calmly as before, watching the giant monster stagger and scream in agony with cold eyes.

Not just Tautus but the entire amalgamated body of the dead shrieked. Flesh that had merged together tried to separate from the monstrous body, driven to madness by the fear of the black flames. Some corpses managed to break free and ran in all directions, ignoring Tautus's desperate calls.

"It ends here, Tautus!"

Chang Long's voice was icy. The malformed giant that was Tautus turned to her with extreme fear.

"No! Please, Master. I was wrong. I! I! Please forgive this foolish Tautus!"

Tautus pleaded aloud, his voice filled with terror as he prostrated himself, all arrogance and pride gone.

Chang Long looked at Tautus's trembling form with cold indifference. The black flames still enveloped her, not harming her in the slightest. Strangely, she felt no sympathy for him, even as he groveled in fear. She believed that forgiveness was not something Tautus deserved after gravely injuring her beloved pet.

"It's too late, Tautus. Corruption has overtaken you and this land. The only way to restore everything is to destroy and rebuild. Infernal Reaper Judgment!"

With those words, a black fireball with a blue center the size of a soccer ball fell from the sky. Meteors rained down as if signaling the moment of judgment, a day of annihilation.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom!

Explosions sounded in rapid succession, mingling with the screams of the dead. The only place seemingly safe from this meteor shower was the Castle of Death. Firetail, sensing the danger, quickly flew down to Draco, visibly scared by the unfolding events.

"You!!"

Tautus looked up at Chang Long with hatred, rushing to attack her with unexpected speed, not appearing weak at all as he had moments ago.

"Even a cornered beast uses cunning to survive, huh..."

Shunk!

The Sovereign Sword pierced Tautus' throat before he even saw Chang Long move. Black flames slowly climbed the blade.

"Your blood is too filthy to stain my sword..."

As Chang Long finished speaking, the black flames rapidly spread along the blade, consuming Tautus' body until he was nothing but ash drifting in the air.

The black flames that had enveloped Chang Long dissipated, but on the ground throughout the Land of the Dead, they raged fiercely, consuming everything until not even ashes remained. Chang Long managed to take only two steps before collapsing. Her consciousness faded, leaving her in a void.

Chang Long awoke in a stark white room. The bed, curtains, and every piece of furniture were immaculately white, a stark contrast to the shiny black marble of the castle exterior. She tried to move to sit up but groaned softly in pain. Her muscles were severely bruised, and she could barely move as if paralyzed.

"Possession by the Reaper has such severe side effects? It's even worse than when Davy-chan or Hisa-chan possess me!"

Chang Long muttered, glancing around the room for help, but finding no one.

Creakkk!

The door to Chang Long's room opened, and Kitsune entered, followed by the others. He carried food and a water bottle, which she recognized as the one that held black rose tea.

"You're awake, Master?"

Kitsune smiled, approaching Chang Long and offering the bottle.

"I can barely move. It hurts all over..."

Chang Long complained, her voice pained with even the slightest movement of her lips.

"Let me help you, Master."

Kitsune's smile remained bright as he gently lifted her with arms that were thicker than before, propping her up against his sturdy chest. He then opened the bottle and carefully fed her the tea.

"Wow, Chang, possession by a spirit has such extreme side effects?"

Valentine asked with concern.

"No... it's only the Reaper that affects me this badly."

Chang Long replied softly.

"So, that means Chang Long is the ruler of this place now. That's amazing!"

Wet Trash Can remarked cheerfully.

"Correct... Master Chang Long is our ruler. However, she does not yet have full authority because the soul merge is not complete!"

Kearick, who had just entered the room, spoke. His face was handsome and cold, his tall, muscular body clad in attire similar to Chang Long's.

"Not complete? What do you mean? Last night, Master Chang was incredibly powerful!"

Peach Blossom asked in confusion, wondering how disastrously powerful a complete merge would mean if last night's display of clearing out the whole island was not it.

"That was because the Reaper lent her his power specially. To undertake the quest to merge souls with the Reaper, I must be in a coma for at least twenty minutes."

Chang Long explained after finishing the black rose tea.

"A coma!"

Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"That's very dangerous, and it takes twenty minutes? Even five minutes is risky!"

Oliang expressed his worry.

"Indeed. To be in a coma, you must be injured to the point where you only have one percent of your health left. That's truly risky!"

Kimhant also voiced his concern, deeply worried for his master, who was a generous investor in the Reaper's Whisperer newspaper!

"Maybe... it might be possible. Since Chang Long said it's a quest, it probably won't let the quest-taker die beforehand."

Siegfried thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, someone should stay with Chang Long when she's in a coma. When her health drops too low, they can use blood crystals to keep her stable in that state!"

Draco suggested.

"Yeah! I think that's something we can do to help."

Aden agreed.

"That probably won't happen anytime soon. First... Master, I have something to give you after taking care of it for a long time."

Kearick turned to Chang Long, speaking respectfully. Everyone looked at him with curiosity, wondering what he was going to hand over to her.

Davy-chan, Hisa-chan, Hulu, and Firetail were lounging on the ground amidst the grass and flowers. The soft sunlight throughout the day in this kingdom seemed to please them greatly. The buildings and structures that once stood on the island had been entirely consumed by the Reaper's black flames, leaving behind only vast grasslands, white sandy beaches, and flower fields. The only remaining structure was the Castle of Death.

"Is Master Chang Long very skillful, Davy-chan?"

Hisa-chan asked while sunbathing on the soft grass next to Davy-chan, marveling at the power it would take to level such a large island.

"I don't know. When I first met her, she didn't seem much different than now."

Davy-chan replied, watching Hulu and Firetail play a sadistic game of tag, with Firetail breathing fire and Hulu using the Armor of Virtue to block it, causing patches of grass to catch fire.

"Really? How long have you been with her?"

Hisa-chan inquired further.

"About as long as that little pup over there. Back then, she was a bit more helpless than now."

Davy-chan's answer made Hisa-chan blink, but he continued.

"And you still say she was helpless? The power she used last night, neither you nor I could match it!"

"Of course! Otherwise, how could she be my successor? If she doesn't get stronger, the contest for the title of Supreme King among our successors won't be any fun!"

Davy-chan responded nonchalantly, but deep inside, he felt immense pride!

"Is that all you care about? But you were the one who ran to carry her when she fainted. Maybe you're just worried about her but pretending to be tough!"

Hisa-chan teased, causing Davy-chan to blush and turn away quickly.

"Tch! I worry about her because she's my successor. As long as she hasn't claimed the title of Supreme King, I have to help her as much as I can!"

Davy-chan spoke loudly to mask his true feelings.

"Hehe, I understand. I'll help too. If someone as kind-hearted as her becomes the Supreme King, this world will be quite peaceful."

Hisa-chan smiled, imagining a world with Chang Long as the ruler—a world with Davy-chan's loud shouts and Chang Long's indifferent responses, a world where genuine smiles and friendship could be found effortlessly.

"I think it'll be more chaotic. She might be a lucky charm for some, but she's a disaster for many others!"

Davy-chan made a face, reminiscing about Chang Long's numerous escapades since they first met, amazed that she had only been playing the game for just over a month, in-game time.

"That sounds fun. A world that's too peaceful is boring, isn't it?"

Hisa-chan laughed.

"Hehe, stay with her, and you'll never be bored. Ouch! Can you two play a bit farther away!"

Davy-chan yelled as sparks from Firetail's fire landed on his arm.

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