The heat still hung over the savannah.
The air shimmered like an invisible ocean.
Cracks stretched across the earth.
The grass lay black and smoking, moments away from becoming a living hell.
But after Arga's golden light exploded across the plains—
the flames began to retreat.
The scorching wind that had been raging moments ago slowly weakened.
In the middle of the vast plain—
Solaris Lion stood motionless.
Its colossal body still glowed like a living sun.
The lava-like cracks across its black, stone-like hide continued to pulse with light.
But the flames around its mane were no longer raging wildly.
Now they moved slowly.
Like a heartbeat finally beginning to calm after being forced to race for far too long.
Its eyes remained fixed on Arga.
Silent.
Deep.
Ancient.
As though thousands of years of the savannah it had protected were preserved within that gaze.
Arga stood several meters away.
His breathing was heavy.
Blood trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
His palm trembled violently around the MBG lunchbox.
Inside—
nineteen glowing grains of rice slowly rotated.
But their light was unstable.
Bright one moment.
Faint the next.
Kai stared at Arga, his expression tense.
"Your body is almost spent."
Arga didn't answer.
He simply kept his eyes on Solaris Lion.
"We're… still here."
His voice was hoarse.
Then he raised the lunchbox once more.
WHOOOOOM.
A wave of golden light swept across the savannah.
The burning grass went completely dark.
The temperature dropped several degrees.
The red sky slowly began to break apart, revealing traces of blue.
Solaris Lion closed its eyes.
A low growl rumbled from its chest.
GRRRRRRRRRRR…
It wasn't a threat.
It wasn't anger.
It sounded like exhaustion.
Kai whispered,
"He hears him."
But the roar of machinery shattered the fragile silence.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
The Dominion reactor was still active.
The iron pipes embedded in the machine continued siphoning golden energy from beneath the earth.
New cracks split across the ground.
Farhan stared at his laptop.
His face went pale.
"No! The Core is still being drained!"
Lila turned sharply.
"The stabilization is going to fail!"
Sinta immediately shouted,
"Bimo!"
Bimo rolled his bloodied shoulder.
"Finally."
He spat onto the ground.
"That damn machine."
Dika stood beside him, one hand pressed against his bruised ribs.
"We finish it."
The two of them charged.
WHOOSH!
Red dust exploded beneath their feet.
Dominion turrets rose.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Energy blasts slammed into the ground ahead of them.
Bimo charged straight through without slowing.
One shot struck his shoulder.
BRAK!
His body was knocked half a step backward.
But he kept moving.
Bimo laughed wildly.
"That all you've got?!"
CRAAAAASH!
His metal staff smashed through the first turret.
Dika swept in from the left.
BOOM!
His kick crushed the panel of a second vehicle.
Tono dropped from a massive rock like a shadow.
CRACK!
The third turret tore loose from its mount and crashed to the ground.
But the main reactor was still standing.
And in front of it—
the Dominion leader waited.
His black coat fluttered gently in the hot wind.
His expression remained calm.
"Persistent."
He raised the device in his hand.
WHOOOM!
A blue energy shield enveloped the reactor.
Bimo slammed into it.
CRASH!
A wave of energy exploded in every direction.
Bimo's hand trembled violently.
The bones in his wrist creaked.
But he didn't retreat.
He stared at his opponent with a savage grin.
"Good."
"Now this is getting fun."
On the other side of the battlefield—
Arga moved closer to Solaris Lion.
With every step, his vision grew blurrier.
Blood dripped from his fingers.
The lunchbox in his hand slowly cracked under the pressure.
Kai held his breath.
"Arga, enough."
Arga shook his head.
"Not yet."
He stopped directly in front of the giant lion.
The heat radiating from Solaris Lion was hot enough to burn stone.
Yet the golden light surrounding Arga shielded him from it.
Solaris Lion slowly lowered its head.
Its eyes became level with Arga's.
And for a moment—
Arga saw something.
A vast green grassland.
Herds of animals running freely.
Human children laughing beneath acacia trees.
Warm sunlight.
A peaceful world.
Then the vision shattered.
Hunting.
Fire.
Smoke.
Machines.
Greed.
Tears slipped down Arga's cheeks.
"You protected all of this…"
"…alone."
Solaris Lion closed its eyes.
Then it moved.
Bimo screamed from a distance.
"ARGA!"
But the giant lion didn't attack.
Instead, it gently pressed its forehead against Arga's chest.
WHOOOOOM.
Golden light and fire merged.
The entire savannah trembled softly.
From its blazing mane—
a tiny ember emerged.
It wasn't ordinary fire.
It glowed like a miniature sun.
The ember floated toward the MBG lunchbox.
The nineteen grains of rice trembled in unison.
Farhan stared at his screen.
His eyes widened.
"The Savannah Guardian's energy is transferring!"
Lila whispered,
"That's a Core Gift…"
Kai looked at Arga.
"Or an acknowledgment."
But the moment the ember entered—
Arga screamed.
"AAARGH!"
His body was thrown backward.
The lunchbox nearly slipped from his hand.
Cracks of light spread across his arm and climbed toward his shoulder.
He collapsed to his knees.
Blood dripped heavily onto the ground.
Sinta ran toward him.
"Arga!"
Arga was still conscious.
But his breathing was ragged.
His left hand wouldn't move.
He stared at his palm in horror.
He couldn't feel anything.
In front of the reactor—
Bimo saw Arga fall.
His grin disappeared.
His eyes turned wild.
"…You made a mistake."
He spun the metal staff with one hand.
The Dominion leader watched him impassively.
Bimo roared at the top of his lungs.
"HE'S SUFFERED ENOUGH!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
He slammed his entire body into the shield.
A crack appeared.
Once.
Dika came in from the side.
CLANG!
The crack spread wider.
Tono dropped from above.
CRASH!
The shield shattered completely.
Farhan shouted,
"Now!"
Bimo raised the metal staff high.
His right arm trembled.
His left wrist was nearly broken.
But he still swung.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!
The metal staff pierced straight through the reactor core.
The machine screamed.
WHOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM—
Then—
it exploded.
A blue shockwave swept across the savannah.
Iron pipes were hurled through the air.
Dominion vehicles flipped over.
Red warning lights went dark one by one.
The stolen energy flowed back into the earth.
The ground stopped shaking.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Solaris Lion stood in the middle of the settling dust.
It looked toward Arga, still kneeling on the ground.
Then—
the king of the savannah lowered its head.
Deeper than before.
Bimo fell silent.
"…He really is showing respect."
Kai answered quietly,
"No."
"He's thanking him."
In the distance—
the Dominion leader stood beside the last vehicle still intact.
Unharmed.
Unshaken.
He looked toward Pak Rahmat.
Then gave a faint smile.
"Still refusing to return?"
Everyone turned.
Pak Rahmat stood silently beside the aircraft.
Hot dust swirled around him—
yet not a single grain touched his body.
Solaris Lion turned toward Pak Rahmat.
And lowered its head even deeper than it had for Arga.
Bimo took a step backward.
"…What the hell?"
Kai stared at Pak Rahmat, his expression tense.
The Dominion leader climbed into the vehicle.
"We'll meet again."
The engine roared to life.
The vehicle disappeared toward the horizon through the shimmering heat.
Farhan stared at his laptop.
Then his face suddenly went pale.
"No…"
Lila turned.
"What is it now?"
Farhan rotated the screen toward them.
It wasn't one point.
It wasn't two.
Five Core points had lit up simultaneously.
The ocean.
The desert.
The volcano.
The Black Forest.
And one point—
directly beneath the city where they lived.
Sinta froze.
"That's…"
"Our base."
Pak Rahmat finally spoke.
His voice was low.
"It has begun."
Arga, still kneeling, slowly raised his head.
"What has…?"
Pak Rahmat stared into the distant horizon.
"The real war."
And far beneath their city—
something opened its eyes.