Solaris Lion's roar tore across the savannah sky.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
A wave of heat swept across the vast plains like a tsunami of fire.
The dry grass ignited instantly.
Red dust rose into the air, turning into a storm of burning embers.
The sky slowly changed color.
Blue became gold.
Gold became red.
As if the sun itself had descended too close to the earth.
In the middle of that inferno—
Solaris Lion stood.
Its colossal body radiated enough heat to make the air tremble.
Its black, stone-like hide was cracked, and glowing magma flowed through the fissures.
Its mane blazed like a crown of stars.
It was no longer simply a Guardian.
It looked like an ancient god forced awake.
Yet—
the Dominion reactor was still running.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
The massive machine was embedded in the earth like an iron parasite.
Its blue pipes glowed intensely.
Golden energy from beneath the ground was being forcibly drawn into its core.
The cracks in the earth widened.
CRAAAAAAAAACK!
Farhan stared at his laptop.
His hands were shaking.
"Extreme energy surge!"
Lila enlarged the graph.
Her face went pale.
"This is worse than the Ice Storm!"
Kai stared at Solaris Lion.
His eyes narrowed.
"The Guardian is starting to lose itself."
Sinta immediately raised her hand.
"We destroy the reactor. Now!"
Bimo rolled his shoulders.
"Finally."
He flashed a wild grin.
"Now we're talking."
Dika stepped beside him.
"Left side?"
Bimo nodded.
"Anywhere that hurts."
WHOOSH!
The two of them charged through the burning grassland.
The Dominion turrets immediately activated.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Energy beams slammed into the ground ahead of them.
Explosions of dust and fire erupted into the air.
Bimo leaped through the barrage, laughing.
"Yeah! That's more like it!"
He smashed the first turret with his metal staff.
CRAAAAASH!
The machine twisted violently.
Dika kicked the panel of a second vehicle.
BOOM!
The steel caved inward.
From the right—
Tono appeared like a shadow.
CRASH!
He dropped onto a third turret from above and sent it crashing down.
But the main reactor was still standing.
And in front of it—
the Dominion leader waited.
His black coat whipped through the fiery storm.
His eyes remained calm.
Far too calm.
He looked at Solaris Lion as though he were admiring a work of art.
"Incredible."
He pressed the panel in his hand.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
The reactor screamed.
Its absorption rate doubled.
The savannah exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A pillar of golden light erupted from beneath the earth.
Solaris Lion raised its head.
Its eyes turned brilliant white.
Then it took a step.
BOOM.
The ground split.
BOOM.
Stone melted.
BOOM.
The air itself seemed to burn.
Bimo shouted,
"It's heading for the machine!"
The Dominion forces fired simultaneously.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Dozens of energy beams slammed into Solaris Lion's chest.
The creature staggered backward.
One step.
Only one.
Then it lowered its head.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...
The sound was worse than its roar.
It was the sound of rage that had finally run out of patience.
Its mane exploded outward.
Golden flames swept across the battlefield.
Dominion vehicles melted on the right.
Tires burst.
Metal glowed red-hot.
Enemy soldiers screamed as they fled.
Kai whispered,
"It's too late…"
"He's completely lost control."
Behind the team—
Arga stood motionless.
The MBG lunchbox in his hands glowed intensely.
The eighteen luminous grains of rice spun wildly.
But this time—
the light felt heavy.
As if each grain were holding something far greater than itself.
Arga stared at Solaris Lion.
And the moment their eyes met—
the world disappeared.
He saw the savannah thousands of years ago.
Water flowed freely.
Animals ran across the grasslands.
Children laughed in the open fields.
Then everything changed.
Fire.
Hunting.
Smoke.
Animal bones scattered across the earth.
The ground dried and cracked.
The sky turned black.
Solaris Lion's roar echoed—
not as a threat.
But as a cry of grief.
Arga dropped to his knees.
His chest tightened.
Tears fell onto the dry earth.
"He's…"
Arga's voice broke.
"He's mourning."
Kai stared at him.
"The Core remembers the world's wounds."
Sinta dropped to her knees beside Arga.
"Arga!"
Arga slowly rose.
His face was covered in dust and tears.
"Destroying the machine isn't enough…"
He looked toward Solaris Lion.
"We have to save him."
Bimo shouted while holding off another turret.
"If you've got an idea, now would be a great time!"
Arga stood.
He opened the MBG lunchbox completely.
WHOOOOOM!
Golden light exploded across the entire savannah.
The burning grass went dark.
The scorching air briefly cooled.
The dust slowly settled.
Everyone turned.
Solaris Lion stopped.
The flames around its mane were still blazing—
but now they trembled.
Arga stepped forward.
With every step, his body grew weaker.
Blood trickled from his nose.
Sinta panicked.
"Arga, that's enough!"
Kai immediately realized what was happening.
"The eighteenth grain…"
Farhan turned sharply.
"What about it?"
Kai stared at Arga, his expression darkening.
"The energy isn't stable."
"If he forces it out…"
"…his body will break down first."
Arga kept walking.
His hands trembled.
But he didn't stop.
He raised the lunchbox high.
"We didn't come here to take anything…"
His voice cracked.
"…we came to protect."
Solaris Lion stared at him.
The flames covering its body slowly began to subside.
The entire savannah held its breath.
Then—
the Dominion leader smiled.
And slowly applauded.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
"Beautiful."
He looked at Arga the way a scientist might look at the result of a successful experiment.
"Now I understand why Mr. Rahmat has been protecting you."
Everyone froze.
Sinta turned toward him.
"What?"
Bimo stopped attacking.
Kai immediately looked at Pak Rahmat.
For the first time—
Kai's expression was genuinely tense.
The Dominion leader continued.
"Isn't it strange?"
"A supposedly ordinary driver…"
"…always appears at every Core site in the world."
Pak Rahmat didn't answer.
He simply stood there, watching the battlefield.
Calm.
Cold.
Terrifying.
The Dominion leader gave a faint smile.
"Or should I call you…"
He quietly spoke a name.
A name none of them recognized.
But the moment it was spoken—
Pak Rahmat's eyes sharpened.
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Bimo whispered,
"…Who is he, really?"
There was no answer.
Because at that moment—
Solaris Lion lifted its head toward the sky.
Its body began glowing far brighter than before.
Farhan looked at the graph and screamed.
"No!"
Lila turned toward him.
"What now?!"
Farhan trembled.
"Its energy is splitting!"
Above Solaris Lion—
a second sun began to form.
A massive sphere of fire hung in the sky.
Its heat was so intense that the ground began to melt.
Herds of animals fled in panic in every direction.
Kai looked upward.
His usually calm voice was now tense.
"If that falls…"
"…the entire continent will burn."
Solaris Lion roared.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
And the artificial sun hanging in the sky—
began to crack.