The Frozen Valley had finally fallen completely silent.
No more snow tornadoes.
No more blue lightning tearing across the sky.
No more agonized cries from the Core shaking the mountains.
Only the cold wind remained...
and the scars of war.
Long cracks stretched across the frozen landscape.
The shattered remains of the Dominion Generator lay frozen beneath the snow.
Black scorch marks stained the once-pristine ice.
They had won.
But victory had left its price on every one of them.
Bimo sat on a slab of ice, pressing a hand against his hastily bandaged ribs.
Every breath tightened his face with pain.
Yet when he noticed everyone looking at him, he flashed his usual grin.
"Well..."
He pointed toward the empty valley ahead.
"If any of you ever miss this place..."
He winced as he stood.
"...feel free to come back without me."
Dika, his left arm wrapped in bandages, let out a quiet laugh.
"You'd come anyway."
Bimo sighed.
"Unfortunately..."
"...you're right."
Farhan held his cracked laptop with trembling hands.
Not just from the cold.
The energy readings had finally settled into a steady line.
"The Ice Core..."
"...has stabilized."
Lila lowered her tablet and leaned against a block of ice.
"For the first time..."
"...I'm actually happy to hear the word 'stable.'"
Sinta stood a short distance away, silently scanning every member of the team.
Counting who was still there.
Who was still standing.
Who could still make it home.
When her eyes reached Arga, she immediately walked over.
Arga remained kneeling in the snow.
His face was pale.
His fingertips still carried a faint bluish tint.
His breathing was slow and labored.
The MBG lunchbox rested in his hands.
Inside—
eighteen glowing grains of rice rotated gently.
Their light felt warm.
But Arga sensed something new.
Each grain now carried the memory...
of a place they had saved.
The sea.
The forest.
The ice.
Kai stood beside him, quietly supporting his shoulder without saying a word.
Arga glanced at him.
"Thank you."
Kai kept his eyes fixed ahead.
"You're still not strong enough to pass out."
Arga let out a weak laugh—
then immediately coughed.
Bimo noticed and tossed his jacket toward him.
"Here."
Arga caught it, confused.
Bimo looked away.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
"I just don't feel like dragging a frozen corpse back to the helicopter."
No one answered.
But faint smiles spread across every face.
The ground trembled ever so slightly.
BOOM.
Everyone turned instinctively.
Far away—
through the drifting white mist—
a massive silhouette stood atop an icy cliff.
The Ice Guardian.
It remained perfectly still, like an ancient monument watching over the world.
The wind rippled through its white fur.
Then it slowly raised its head.
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
The roar echoed across the entire northern wilderness.
It wasn't a warning.
It wasn't a challenge.
It was a farewell.
A moment later, the colossal guardian turned away and disappeared into the falling snow.
The legend had returned...
to protect its silent kingdom once more.
Farhan suddenly stiffened.
"Wait..."
Lila hurried over.
"What is it now?"
Farhan turned the laptop toward the team.
A global energy map filled the screen.
Three glowing points remained steady.
The Southern Island.
The Ancient Forest.
The Frozen Valley.
Then—
another point began flashing with an intense crimson-gold light.
Far brighter than the other three.
Sinta narrowed her eyes.
"Location?"
Farhan swallowed.
"...Africa." Lila zoomed in on the satellite image.
A vast African savanna filled the screen.
The earth had split open for miles.
Crimson dust swirled upward, forming a colossal spiral that reached into the sky.
At its center—
a brilliant light blazed beneath the ground.
Like a buried sun struggling to rise.
Kai slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his expression had hardened.
"...Heat."
He spoke almost in a whisper.
"Not temperature."
"...Rage."
Before anyone could respond—
the laptop emitted another warning.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
Farhan froze.
"No..."
Sinta looked at him sharply.
"What is it now?"
Farhan enlarged the aerial radar.
Several enormous objects were moving toward Africa from different directions.
Dozens of them.
Lila's face paled.
"Those are..."
"...airships?"
Farhan nodded.
On the screen, gigantic black Dominion warships emerged from the clouds.
Far larger than any Dominion craft they had encountered before.
Suspended beneath each vessel—
was an enormous energy drill the size of a skyscraper.
The black Dominion insignia glowed brightly across their hulls.
Bimo stared at the display for a long moment.
"Great."
He let out a tired sigh.
"They upgraded."
Pak Rahmat stood a short distance away.
Silent as always.
Snow continued to fall around him—
yet not a single flake landed on his shoulders.
He kept his eyes fixed on the glowing point over Africa.
Then he spoke quietly.
"If that Core is awakening on its own..."
Everyone turned toward him.
"...then someone called it."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Sinta stepped closer.
"Who?"
Pak Rahmat didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at Arga.
For a brief moment, his eyes reflected the same golden light shining from the MBG lunchbox.
"We're running out of time."
Arga slowly rose to his feet despite the trembling in his knees.
His eyes remained fixed on the world map.
The African signal pulsed like the heartbeat of a colossal beast.
DUUM.
DUUM.
DUUM.
The lunchbox in his hands began vibrating in response.
All eighteen glowing grains shone faster and brighter.
As though...
something waiting there already knew him.
Arga slowly closed the lunchbox.
"If Dominion gets there first..."
He looked at his teammates.
"...we may never get a second chance."
Sinta nodded.
"Get ready."
"We leave as soon as everyone is able to stand."
Bimo pressed a hand against his aching ribs and sighed.
"I haven't even finished being injured yet."
Dika patted him on the shoulder.
"You can recover on the plane."
Far away—
in North Africa—
the setting sun stained the sky crimson.
The earth split apart.
Dust rose into the air without a single gust of wind.
Animals fled across the endless grasslands.
In the heart of the sandstorm—
the Dominion fleet lowered its colossal energy drill toward the ground.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The earth shook violently.
Then...
something moved beneath the surface.
Four massive footsteps.
Heavy.
Slow.
DUUM.
DUUM.
DUUM.
The sandstorm split apart.
Two golden eyes opened beneath the earth.
And the first sound that emerged...
was not a roar.
It was a low, ancient laugh—
one that made the earth itself tremble.