The Sahara burned twice that night.
Once beneath the crimson sky.
And once beneath the fury of its Guardian.
The seemingly endless desert had transformed into a battlefield. Sand dunes collapsed. Glass formed from molten sand reflected the crimson light of the cosmic rifts. The remains of the drilling ships still burned, glowing like enormous embers scattered across the wasteland.
Amid the destruction—
Aurelion Siroth stood his ground.
The desert dragon's body was covered in dark wounds left by the Void energy chains. His left wing was torn in several places, and every breath came heavier than the last.
Yet his eyes still burned like a sun that refused to set.
Hovering before him was a figure clad in black armor and robes.
A crimson spear rested in his hand.
His chilling aura pressed down upon the entire desert.
The African Regional General.
His name had yet to be revealed.
But every creature on the battlefield understood one thing:
He had come to kill the Guardian.
The wind stopped.
Sand hung motionless in the air.
Aurelion roared first.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
A wave of scorching heat swept across the battlefield.
The sand dunes exploded.
But the General merely raised one hand.
WHOOM.
A wall of black energy materialized before him.
The dragon's roar shattered against it like waves crashing against an unyielding cliff.
At the Jakarta command center, Farhan stared at the energy readings.
"He just blocked Aurelion's attack with one hand…"
Bimo's voice came through the communication device aboard the transport jet heading toward the Sahara.
"Great."
"I hate polite opponents."
Dika sat beside him, tightening his combat gloves.
"Focus when we land."
Back in the desert, the General finally spoke.
His voice was low and dry, like metal scraping against stone.
"The name you'll hear before you die…"
He slowly spun his spear.
"…is Raak'Zhul."
The ground beneath him cracked.
Raak'Zhul lunged.
He moved far faster than his massive frame should have allowed.
His crimson spear slammed into Aurelion's chest.
CRASH!
The desert dragon was hurled backward, smashing through three sand dunes in succession.
A massive wave of sand surged into the sky.
Inside an evacuation bunker, people screamed.
Children clung to their parents.
The security monitors shook violently.
A young man stared at the screen and whispered,
"He struck the Guardian…"
No one dared to finish the thought.
Aurelion rose from the crater.
Golden blood trickled between his scales.
He opened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of solar lava.
WHOOMMMMM!
A river of fire tore across the desert.
Raak'Zhul drove his spear into the ground.
Black shadows surged upward, forming a towering wall.
Fire and the Void collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion shattered the night.
But behind them—
The remaining drilling ships continued their work.
Their colossal drills spun deeper and deeper into the earth.
KRRRRRRRRRR!
Light from the Sahara Core began to seep through the cracks in the sand.
Brighter.
More unstable.
At the command center, Lila examined the ancient data.
"If the Sahara Core breaks, a global climate crisis will begin."
Sinta clenched her fists.
"Where's Bimo?"
Farhan checked the flight display.
"Ten seconds."
The desert sky suddenly trembled.
A fighter jet plunged low over the sandstorm.
Its side door opened.
Someone leaped out, laughing.
"WOOOOOO!"
Bimo dropped like a stone.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
He crashed down onto the head of a Void Ravager that was about to attack the civilians.
The monster's head was driven deep into the sand.
Bimo stood on its body and rolled his shoulders.
"Okay."
"It's freaking hot here."
A moment later—
Dika landed with far more composure.
He immediately rushed to stop a massive piece of the collapsing drilling machinery from crushing the evacuation bunker.
Both arms strained beneath the weight.
The muscles in his neck tightened.
But he didn't take a single step back.
"Everyone! Get out! Now!"
The civilians rushed beneath the debris he was holding up.
Bimo glanced toward Raak'Zhul in the distance.
"That's the boss?"
Farhan answered through the communication channel.
"Yeah."
"And don't die."
Bimo grinned.
"No promises."
Raak'Zhul turned toward the two newcomers.
His expression showed mild surprise.
Then disgust.
"More insects."
He raised his spear.
Crimson light gathered at its tip.
But Aurelion charged before he could attack.
The desert dragon clamped his jaws around the spear and dragged Raak'Zhul across the sand.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Two sand dunes were reduced to rubble.
"Bimo!" Sinta shouted through the command channel.
"The main drill!"
"On it, Boss!"
Bimo sprinted toward the largest drilling ship.
Three Void Ravagers blocked his path.
He didn't slow down.
The first monster swung its claw.
Bimo ducked and smashed its jaw with an iron rod.
CRACK!
The second lunged at him from the side.
Bimo kicked its knee with all his strength.
The joint buckled.
The third fired a red energy beam.
Dika appeared in front of Bimo, raising a steel plate torn from the wreckage of a ship.
The beam struck the plate.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion drove Dika backward three meters.
But he remained standing.
Bimo seized the opening.
He leaped as high as he could, gripping the iron rod with both hands.
"Good evening, ugly machine!"
BRAAAAK!
He brought the rod down on the main drill, striking the exposed mechanism at its center.
The damaged machinery buckled.
The entire drilling ship shook violently.
Alarms blared.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The vessel exploded.
A wave of cheers swept across the desert.
Inside the bunker, people shouted in relief.
But their celebration didn't last.
Because Raak'Zhul was still alive.
And now—
He was furious.
He rose from beneath Aurelion's massive body.
With one hand—
He drove his spear into the dragon's side.
The crimson weapon pierced through his golden scales.
Aurelion roared in agony.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Bimo froze.
Dika's gaze sharpened.
Golden blood dripped onto the sand.
The grains beneath it instantly melted into glowing glass.
Raak'Zhul slowly withdrew his spear.
He looked down at the tiny humans standing before him.
"Excellent."
"I enjoy it when my prey is allowed to hope first."
He pointed his spear at Bimo.
"You're next."
Bimo spun the iron rod in his hand.
His left hand trembled.
But his familiar grin remained.
"Great."
"I also love opponents who talk too much."
Dika moved to stand beside him.
Silent.
Steady.
Unshaken.
Behind them—
The wounded Aurelion began to rise once more.
The sky above the Sahara blazed.
The war was far from over.