The sandstorm had not yet fully subsided.
The Sahara sky was still a dark, murky yellow.
Hot winds howled between the stone pillars that had just risen from beneath the earth.
In the middle of the fractured desert—
an ancient city was slowly emerging.
Massive stairways.
Stone towers layered with gold.
Guardian statues as tall as buildings.
And an ancient gate carved with the image of a child holding a glowing box.
The face on the carving—
looked like Arga.
But they had no time to make sense of it.
Because from the western side of the desert—
the Dominion convoy arrived.
Dozens of armored vehicles stopped in a battle formation.
Their treads ground relentlessly through the sand.
Combat drones flew low overhead.
And in the center of the convoy—
a massive metal tower stood on steel crawlers.
The Core-Penetrating Reactor.
Its blue lights glowed like artificial eyes.
WHOOOMMMMM.
Bimo looked between the ancient city and the massive machine.
"Okay."
He pointed to the right.
"We've got a mysterious city rising out of the ground."
Then he pointed to the left.
"And a bunch of crazy people showing up with superweapons."
He sighed.
"Today is getting way too crowded."
Dika spun his staff in his hand.
"Save the complaining for later."
Sinta stepped forward.
"Formation."
Rani, Nisa, and Tono immediately spread out along the surrounding dunes.
Farhan and Lila activated their data screens behind the team.
Kai remained silent, staring at the ancient city that had just risen from beneath the desert.
Arga still stood at the front.
The MBG Lunchbox trembled faintly in his hand.
Inside—
twenty-five glowing rice grains spun rapidly.
Their golden light felt warm…
yet the Core beneath the desert was emitting a vibration far older.
Farhan stared at the readings.
"Their reactor has locked onto an energy source beneath the city!"
Lila turned sharply.
"It's not just the Core!"
She enlarged the underground data map.
"There's a massive energy network beneath the entire city!"
Kai finally spoke.
"So it's true…"
Everyone turned toward him.
Kai stared at the ancient gate.
"This isn't an ordinary city."
He spoke quietly.
"Before modern humanity ever discovered electricity…"
His eyes moved across the ancient ruins.
"…there was a civilization that lived on Core energy."
Arga looked at the carving on the gate.
"And the Lunchbox…?"
Kai turned toward the MBG Lunchbox.
"It's not just a tool."
His voice dropped.
"It's a key."
Before anyone could respond—
the Dominion Leader stepped down from the main vehicle.
His black coat whipped in the sandstorm.
His expression remained calm.
"Good."
He looked at the ancient city with satisfaction.
"So the legend was real."
Sinta narrowed her eyes.
"You deliberately awakened this place?"
The man gave a faint smile.
"We didn't awaken anything."
He pointed toward Arga.
"You did."
Arga clenched his fist.
"What are you talking about?"
The Dominion Leader's eyes shifted toward the Lunchbox in Arga's hand.
"Every Core you awakened…"
"…sent a signal to this place."
Farhan's face paled.
"So the global resonance all this time…"
Lila finished, her breath catching.
"…has been opening this city."
Bimo raised an eyebrow.
"Great."
He looked at Arga.
"You accidentally unlocked the final dungeon."
The ground suddenly trembled.
RUMMMMMBLE.
Behind the city, the Desert Colossus raised its colossal body.
Its eyes burned bright red.
The guardian of the desert stared at the Dominion reactor—
then roared.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The entire Sahara erupted.
Sand surged upward like a tsunami.
Dozens of Sand Sentinels rose from beneath the desert.
Ancient warrior statues with glowing red eyes.
They charged toward the Dominion convoy.
Dominion soldiers immediately opened fire.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Blue explosions slammed into the Sentinels.
Several shattered apart.
But within moments, their sand and stone bodies began pulling themselves back together.
Dika gave a crooked smile.
"Now that's a real problem."
The Dominion reactor powered up to full capacity.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!
A massive beam of blue energy pierced into the ground beneath the ancient city.
The stone pillars trembled.
Golden symbols across the walls began to fade.
Farhan shouted,
"They're draining the Core energy and the city's entire energy network at the same time!"
Lila stared at the numbers on her screen.
"Energy levels are down twenty percent!"
Sinta pointed toward the reactor.
"Destroy it. Now!"
Bimo immediately charged forward.
"My favorite part!"
Dika followed close behind.
Rani and Nisa moved in from the left.
Tono leaped from one stone pillar to another like a shadow.
The battle erupted in the middle of the desert storm.
But Arga remained still.
He stared at the ancient gate as it slowly opened.
Beyond the narrow gap—
an ancient golden light pulsed like a beating heart.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand began trembling harder.
Twenty-five glowing rice grains spun wildly.
Then—
a symbol on the surface of the Lunchbox lit up.
A symbol that had never appeared before.
Kai's eyes widened.
"No…"
Arga turned toward him.
"What?"
Kai stared at the Lunchbox, his face pale.
"MBG…"
He swallowed.
"…was never a food program."
Every sound around them seemed to disappear.
Arga stared at him.
"Then what was it?"
Kai answered quietly—
his voice almost drowned out by the storm.
"MBG is a legacy of the ancient Guardians."
He pointed toward the city before them.
"And that Lunchbox was created to choose the successor to the world's Core."
Arga froze.
Bimo stopped in the middle of a punch.
Farhan stared at his screen without blinking.
Lila whispered,
"So all this time…"
Kai slowly nodded.
"None of this was a coincidence."
The Dominion Leader gave a quiet laugh from a distance.
"Now you understand."
He raised his hand.
The reactor suddenly blazed twice as brightly.
WHOOOOOOMMMMM!
The ancient city gate shook violently.
The light within it turned red.
Farhan shouted in panic.
"That's not good!"
Sinta turned toward him.
"What now?!"
Farhan pointed at the rapidly rising readings.
"If they force the city's energy out…"
His voice tightened.
"…something beneath it will awaken!"
The Desert Colossus roared in fury.
The entire desert cracked apart.
Stone steps shattered.
Ancient towers partially collapsed.
Then, from deep within the city—
a massive pounding echoed through the earth.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Arga stared at the gate, now fully open.
From within the darkness—
two red eyes slowly opened.
And an ancient voice echoed from beneath the sand.
Not human.
Not mechanical.
But the voice of something that had been buried for far too long.
Kai whispered, his face drained of color.
"The First Guardian of the Sahara…"
His voice trembled.
"…has just awakened."