The scorching wind turned wild.
Red dust spiraled across the savannah like a storm born from the dry earth.
In the middle of the cracked plains—
Solaris Lion stood.
Its colossal body radiated enough heat to make the air shimmer.
Its black hide looked like volcanic stone.
Glowing red cracks pulsed across its body like living lava.
Its mane blazed—not like hair—
but like the sun itself forced into physical form.
Its golden eyes locked onto the Dominion fleet.
GRRRRRRRRRRR...
The low growl was enough to make the grass around it catch fire.
Bimo swallowed hard.
"Okay..."
He took a step backward.
"I'm officially more afraid of cats now."
But the Dominion didn't retreat.
Dozens of armored vehicles formed a circle.
Energy turrets rose in unison.
A massive drilling machine descended into the ground.
And at the center of the formation—
a large-scale Core Extraction Reactor unfolded.
The structure stood nearly two stories tall.
Blue pipes pulsed with energy.
Steel cables stretched outward like iron roots.
Farhan stared at his laptop.
The color drained from his face.
"That's not an ordinary reactor..."
Lila enlarged the data.
"It's their latest model."
"Its absorption capacity is five times greater than the one they used at the Ice Core."
Sinta clenched her fists.
"They're here to drain the entire Core."
Kai stared at Solaris Lion.
"If that machine activates..."
"...it'll slaughter everything."
The Dominion leader stood in front of the reactor.
His black coat whipped through the dust storm.
His expression was calm.
Far too calm.
He raised one hand.
"Activate it."
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!
The reactor came alive.
The ground immediately began to shake.
The metal pipes drove deeper into the earth.
Golden energy erupted from the cracks in the savannah—
then was forcibly pulled into the machine.
RUMMMMMBLE!
The sky suddenly turned red.
Solaris Lion raised its head.
Its eyes burned like two furious suns.
Its mane expanded.
Flames spread across the ground.
Then it roared.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
A wave of heat exploded in every direction.
Dry grass burned all the way to the horizon.
Dominion drones fell from the sky, melting as they burned.
Vehicle windows shattered.
Several enemy soldiers were thrown to the ground, screaming.
But the reactor remained standing.
Still operating.
Still draining the Core.
Farhan stared at the chaotic energy graph.
"The Core is becoming unstable!"
Lila shouted,
"If they keep forcing it—"
"...the entire savannah will turn into a sea of fire!"
Bimo rolled his shoulders.
"All right."
He grinned.
"Then let's destroy their toy."
Dika stepped beside him.
"I'm in."
Sinta raised her hand.
"Team!"
"Attack now!"
WHOOSH!
Bimo and Dika launched forward first.
Tono leaped from a high rock like a shadow.
Rani, Nisa, and Andra spread out along the right flank.
But the Dominion was ready.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Energy turrets opened fire.
The ground exploded in front of them.
Dust and flames erupted into the air.
Bimo jumped through the barrage, laughing.
"Yeah! Now that's a welcome!"
He slammed his metal staff into one of the turrets.
CRAAAAASH!
The machine twisted violently.
Dika kicked the panel of another vehicle.
CLANG!
The metal caved inward.
Tono landed on a third turret.
BOOM!
Sparks flew wildly.
The battle for the savannah had begun.
But in the middle of the chaos—
Solaris Lion moved.
With a single leap—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
It landed directly in the center of the Dominion formation.
The shockwave destroyed three vehicles at once.
Its claws swept to the left.
CRAAAAASH!
Metal split apart like paper.
Its flaming tail struck to the right.
BOOOOOOM!
The massive drilling machine was hurled dozens of meters away.
Dominion soldiers screamed in panic.
"Fall back!"
"That thing is too strong!"
The man in the hat stepped backward.
"The perimeter is collapsing!"
Yet the Dominion leader only smiled.
"Beautiful..."
He stared at Solaris Lion with admiration.
"A king worthy of the title."
Then he pressed another control panel.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
The reactor flared twice as brightly.
The energy being drained from the ground surged dramatically.
Cracks spread across the earth in every direction.
CRAAAAAAAAACK!
Solaris Lion stopped.
Its head snapped toward the reactor.
Then—
its eyes shifted.
Toward Arga.
The MBG lunchbox in Arga's hands began to glow intensely.
The eighteen luminous grains of rice spun rapidly inside.
Golden light pierced through the dust and flames.
Solaris Lion began walking toward him.
BOOM.
The ground beneath its feet melted.
BOOM.
The grass turned to ash.
BOOM.
Everyone held their breath.
Sinta stepped in front of Arga.
"Don't come any closer!"
Kai raised a hand.
"Wait."
"It isn't attacking."
Solaris Lion stopped directly in front of Arga.
Its body radiated enough heat to melt stone.
Yet Arga didn't retreat.
He opened the MBG lunchbox.
WHOOOM!
A soft golden light spread outward.
For a moment, the savage heat of the savannah faded.
Arga looked into the creature's enormous eyes—
and a vision slammed into his mind.
Herds of animals being slaughtered.
Grasslands burned by human hands.
Rivers drying up.
A lion cub dying beneath a cloud of smoke.
A cry of sorrow echoing beneath a blood-red sun.
Arga trembled.
Tears slipped down his face.
"He's not angry..."
He struggled to breathe.
"He's hurt..."
Kai looked at Solaris Lion.
"The Core remembers everything humans have done."
Solaris Lion lowered its head.
The entire team froze.
Bimo pointed at it with a trembling hand.
"Did that just..."
"...did the king of the savannah just bow to him?"
Kai answered quietly.
"He's acknowledging a Guardian."
Behind them—
Pak Rahmat stared at the creature for a long moment.
Then he spoke softly.
"No."
"He's asking for help."
Everyone turned toward him.
"What?" Sinta asked.
Pak Rahmat didn't look at them.
His eyes remained fixed on the ground, which continued to crack beneath their feet.
"He's not angry at humans."
"He's afraid of what's beneath him."
Silence.
Farhan stared at his radar.
Then all the color drained from his face.
"Beneath him...?"
The laptop alarm screamed.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The screen filled with a new surge of energy.
Its source—
far beneath the Savannah Core.
Lila enlarged the subterranean scan.
Her eyes widened.
"That's impossible..."
"There's an empty layer beneath the savannah."
Even the Dominion leader looked at the data on his device.
For the first time—
his faint smile disappeared.
Solaris Lion raised its head.
Then it roared toward the ground.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
Not toward the sky.
Toward whatever lay beneath the earth.
A warning.
But it was already too late.
The largest fissure in the center of the savannah exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The earth erupted dozens of meters into the air.
Red dust swallowed the sunlight.
From the enormous crater—
something emerged.
Something far larger than Solaris Lion.
Two enormous black horns pierced through the dust.
Then—
a pair of crimson eyes opened.
There was no mercy in those eyes.
No anger.
Only hunger.
Bimo slowly stepped backward.
"...What the hell is that?"
Pak Rahmat answered without blinking.
His flat voice was more terrifying than any monster's roar.
"If Solaris Lion is the king of the savannah..."
"...then that is the king-eater."