The Dominion Generator screamed like a dying beast.
WHOOOOOM—
WHOOOOM—
WHIIIIIIINE—
Crimson cracks spread across its massive frame.
Metal panels burst apart one after another.
Sparks exploded into the frozen air.
And yet...
the machine was still alive.
The energy cables anchored deep inside the frozen fissure continued to pulse—
still draining the Core's light from the heart of the earth.
Farhan stared at his laptop, his face drained of color.
"It's not over!"
Lila turned sharply.
"What do you mean?!"
Farhan pointed at the graphs climbing once again.
"The backup reactor just activated!"
Everyone froze.
Bimo looked at the generator before letting out a long sigh.
"Of course."
He wiped the blood from his chin.
"Rich villains always have a backup plan."
Standing before the machine—
the Dominion Commander remained perfectly calm.
His black coat fluttered in the blizzard.
His face was as cold as ever.
Without a word, he raised the small device in his hand.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!
The generator's outer shell slowly opened.
Inside—
a sphere of dark-blue energy rotated violently.
Like an artificial star consumed by rage.
Farhan shouted,
"That's the generator's core!"
Lila understood immediately.
"If we destroy that..."
"...the generator dies with it!"
Bimo grinned.
"Now that's a language I understand."
The Dominion Commander stepped forward.
A layer of blue synthetic energy enveloped his body.
A synthetic shield.
"You won't lay a finger on it."
He raised one hand.
ZAAAAAP!!
An energy whip slammed into the ground before Bimo.
The frozen earth exploded into the air.
Bimo staggered backward, nearly dropping to one knee.
Dika stepped beside him.
"We attack together."
Bimo spun the cracked steel bar in his hand.
"Finally..."
"...something romantic."
They charged at the same time.
WHOOOSH!!
CRAAASH!!
The steel bar crashed against the energy shield.
Dika's spinning kick slammed into the generator's side panel.
The shield trembled violently.
The metal buckled inward.
Yet the Dominion Commander barely moved.
It was like striking a mountain.
Then—
he struck back.
BOOM!!
A shockwave of blue energy slammed into Dika's chest.
He was thrown backward, rolling across the snow.
"Dika!"
Sinta cried.
Dika struggled to stand—
only to cough blood onto the white snow.
Bimo saw it.
The grin disappeared from his face.
For the first time since the battle began—
his eyes turned completely cold.
He walked slowly toward the Dominion Commander.
One step.
Then another.
"Listen carefully..."
he said quietly.
Snow swirled around him.
"I could joke around..."
"...when you hit me."
Another step.
"I could laugh..."
"...when you nearly killed me."
The steel bar in his hand trembled.
"But..."
He looked at Dika, still kneeling in the snow.
"...the moment you lay a hand on my family..."
He slowly raised the weapon above his head.
"...I'll destroy everything."
Bimo charged.
BOOOOOOM!!
The frozen ground shattered beneath his feet.
He slammed the shield once.
CRASH!!
Twice.
CRASH!!
A third time.
CRAAAAAAAAASH!!
The synthetic shield cracked.
For the first time—
the Dominion Commander took half a step back.
And for the very first time—
his expression turned serious.
On the other side of the valley—
Arga still stood before the Ice Core Manifestation.
The giant crystalline being was covered in glowing cracks.
Its anguished screams shook the heavens.
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!
The MBG lunchbox in Arga's hands shone wildly.
Inside—
eighteen glowing grains of rice spun at incredible speed.
Golden energy poured out like the breath of the sun.
But Arga's left arm had frozen all the way to his elbow.
His lips had turned pale.
Blood trickled from his nose.
Kai grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Enough!"
Arga nearly collapsed.
"Not yet..."
He forced himself to breathe.
"If I stop..."
He looked toward his teammates.
"...everyone dies."
He released another surge of energy.
WHOOOOOOMMMMM!!
A golden wave swept across the valley.
The blizzard split apart.
The Core's screams weakened.
The fractures covering the Manifestation slowly began to heal.
But Arga cried out in pain.
An unbearable cold pierced his chest.
It felt as though an invisible hand of ice had wrapped itself around his heart.
Farhan glanced at the readings—
and his face went completely pale.
"No..."
Lila looked at him in panic.
"What is it?!"
Farhan stared at Arga.
"The eighteenth grain..."
"...is consuming his life force."
Sinta froze.
"You mean..."
Farhan swallowed hard.
"If he keeps using it..."
"...Arga will die."
In the middle of the valley—
the Ice Core Manifestation looked at Arga.
For the first time—
there was no anger in its eyes.
Only sorrow.
Beside it, the Ice Guardian lowered its massive head.
The towering white beast, covered in burns and wounds, bowed before Arga—
as though honoring someone willing to sacrifice everything.
Bimo roared and struck the shield once more.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The synthetic barrier shattered.
Fragments of blue light exploded into the air.
The Dominion Commander staggered backward.
Bimo gave him no time to recover.
He leaped toward the generator.
"TONO!"
From the icy cliff above—
Tono descended like a meteor.
CRAAASH!!
He slammed into the machine's side.
"RANI! NISA!"
The two women severed the energy cables at the same time.
ZAAAAK!!
"DIKA!"
Despite his injuries, Dika forced himself to his feet and drove a powerful kick into the exposed core panel.
CLAAAAANG!!
The dark-blue energy sphere inside the generator spun wildly.
Every warning light flashed crimson.
WHIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!
The Dominion Commander stared at the machine.
For the first time—
he wasn't smiling.
Then he turned toward Arga.
"What a shame."
"You were too late."
He pressed a button on the device in his hand.
Instantly—
every alarm stopped.
Farhan looked at his laptop.
His expression collapsed.
"No..."
Sinta shouted,
"What happened?!"
Farhan answered in a broken voice.
"He transferred..."
"...all of the Core's data..."
"...to Dominion Headquarters."
A faint smile returned to the Commander's face.
"You've won this battle."
He stepped back toward the remaining transport vehicle.
"But the world..."
"...still belongs to us."
The vehicle roared to life before disappearing into the wall of snow.
Bimo stared at the crippled generator.
"In that case..."
He tightened his grip on the cracked steel bar one last time.
"...we'll take our small victory."
CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!
The steel bar smashed straight into the generator's core.
The dark-blue sphere shattered.
A blinding explosion erupted across the valley.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The Dominion Generator split cleanly in two.
The energy cables snapped apart.
Every ounce of stolen power rushed back into the frozen fissure beneath the earth.
The blizzard...
stopped.
The clouds slowly parted.
Sunlight broke through the northern sky once more.
The Ice Core Manifestation stood quietly.
The cracks across its crystal body vanished completely.
Its blue radiance softened into a peaceful glow.
The Ice Guardian raised its head and released a thunderous roar.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
A roar of victory.
A roar that echoed through every mountain in the frozen north.
The ancient guardian...
had returned.
Then—
Arga collapsed.
THUD.
The MBG lunchbox slipped from his hand.
Kai caught him before he struck the frozen ground.
"ARGA!"
His body was as cold as the surrounding snow.
His breathing was barely there.
His eyes remained closed.
Inside the lunchbox—
the eighteen glowing grains of rice dimmed...
one after another...
before slowly beginning to glow again.
Sinta dropped to her knees beside him.
"Arga..."
"Please..."
"Open your eyes..."
There was no response.
The wind suddenly stopped.
Completely.
The temperature plummeted.
Everyone turned toward the now-silent fissure.
From the endless darkness below—
two gigantic eyes opened fully.
Not blue.
Red.
A colossal hand gripped the edge of the abyss.
An ancient body slowly began to rise.
Even the Ice Guardian instinctively took two steps back.
Pak Rahmat emerged from the drifting snow, his gaze fixed on the chasm.
His expression was colder than the ice itself.
He whispered,
"No..."
"...we didn't stop anything."
Everyone looked at him.
Pak Rahmat slowly raised the hand marked with ancient glowing symbols.
His voice was low—
and chilling enough to freeze the blood in everyone's veins.
"We..."
"...have only awakened it."
The monster beneath the ice threw back its head and roared toward the heavens.
AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!
Mountains across the northern horizon cracked apart all at once.
Far away—
inside Dominion Headquarters—
a monitor flickered to life automatically.
SUBJECT OMEGA: AWAKENED