Night swallowed the Fire Continent.
The sky that had been torn apart by the battle only a few hours ago now looked peaceful. The stars had returned. Thin clouds drifted slowly above the crater, which still breathed out waves of heat.
As if the world had already recovered.
But everyone there knew—
the world had just entered an even darker chapter.
At the edge of the crater, the Nutrition Guardian Team gathered around Farhan's laptop. The cold glow of the screen was the only light among the black rocks and glowing embers.
No one really spoke.
They were too exhausted.
Too aware that the victory they had just won was far from the end.
Farhan swallowed hard as a new graph appeared on the screen.
"That energy signature is moving faster."
Lila immediately stepped closer.
"Which one?"
Farhan zoomed in on Earth's orbital map.
It wasn't one point.
It wasn't two.
Three red lights were now moving through space toward the planet.
Each one was coming from a different direction.
The group fell silent.
Bimo stared at the screen for a long moment.
"Okay."
He rubbed his face.
"I miss the days when our biggest problem was homework."
Dika tried to smile.
But this time, the joke didn't make anyone feel better.
Sinta stared at the screen, her jaw tightening.
"Where are they headed?"
Farhan typed rapidly.
The first point was heading toward the Pacific Ocean.
The second was moving toward the North Pole.
The third—
was heading toward the vast desert of North Africa.
"The Sahara," Lila murmured.
Kai narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the sky.
"The one heading for the desert is moving the fastest."
Rani hugged her arms around herself.
"Why does that sound like bad news?"
Kai didn't answer.
Because he already knew the answer.
A few steps away—
Arga stood alone at the edge of a cracked rock.
His body was still trembling.
His breathing was shallow.
Dried blood remained at the corner of his mouth.
He tried to straighten himself…
but his knees nearly gave out several times.
Sinta quickly turned toward him.
"Arga, sit down."
"I can still stand," Arga replied quietly.
But even his voice sounded weak.
He opened the MBG Lunchbox.
Twenty-five glowing rice grains slowly rotated inside.
Usually, their light was warm.
Now, it pulsed erratically.
As if they could feel their owner's condition.
Kai stepped closer.
"You haven't recovered."
Arga looked up at the stars.
"We don't have time to wait for me to recover."
The words hit everyone.
Because they knew he was right.
Farhan suddenly stiffened.
"Wait."
Everyone turned.
The energy graph for the Sahara suddenly shot upward.
It was far more unstable than the other two.
Lila froze.
"That… can't be."
Sinta stared at the screen.
"What is it?"
Farhan spoke almost in a whisper.
"The creature heading for the Sahara…"
He swallowed.
"Its energy is greater than the Abyss Devourer's."
The air suddenly felt colder.
Bimo looked toward Pak Rahmat.
The old man had been standing in the distance the entire time, silently facing the sky.
He hadn't spoken.
Hadn't moved.
He looked like a man who already knew what was coming.
Bimo shouted.
"Pak Rahmat!"
There was no answer.
Sinta walked toward him.
"If you know something, now is the time to tell us."
The night wind tugged at Pak Rahmat's black coat, which was burned in several places.
He slowly turned around.
His expression was as stern as ever.
But his eyes…
weren't angry.
They carried an old sorrow.
"I hoped I would never see that signal again."
No one moved.
Farhan swallowed.
"You know what it is?"
Pak Rahmat looked at the red point on the screen.
Then he spoke quietly—
in a voice that seemed to silence even the air around them.
"His name is Ra'zhar."
The name was unfamiliar.
But the way Pak Rahmat said it sent a chill through everyone.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"The World Eater?"
Pak Rahmat nodded.
"The leader of the hunters."
Bimo gave a nervous laugh.
"Great. So the first one was just one of his lackeys?"
Pak Rahmat gave him a flat look.
"The first one was a scout."
He pointed toward the Sahara.
"This one has come to make sure this planet falls."
No one breathed.
Lila took a step back.
"How do you know all this?"
Pak Rahmat was silent for a long moment.
Then he removed his right glove.
Around his wrist—
was a black circular scar.
It looked like a burn left by an energy that had never belonged to Earth.
Everyone stared.
Sinta whispered,
"What is that…?"
Pak Rahmat slowly raised his hand.
"I got it…"
He looked toward the sky.
"…when my first world was destroyed."
Everyone's heart seemed to stop.
Bimo frowned.
"Your… first world?"
At last, Pak Rahmat looked at each of them.
And for the first time—
there was no wall behind his expression.
Only an ancient wound.
"I wasn't born on Earth."
Silence.
Not a sound.
Even the lava in the crater seemed to stop moving.
Farhan's stylus slipped from his fingers.
Lila covered her mouth.
Rani froze.
Even Dika forgot to make a joke.
Arga stared at Pak Rahmat for a long moment.
Then he asked quietly,
"Then… who are you, really?"
Pak Rahmat took a long breath.
"I am the last Guardian of a world that failed to stop them."
The night wind suddenly felt sharper.
Kai looked at him differently now.
As if the missing pieces of an old puzzle had finally fallen into place.
Pak Rahmat continued.
"My world had a Core. It had Guardians. It had hope."
His eyes reddened.
"And all of it died in three days."
No one could speak.
Sinta lowered her head.
Bimo clenched his fists.
Arga tightened his grip on the lunchbox.
Pak Rahmat pointed toward the red point over the Sahara.
"Ra'zhar killed our Guardians with his own hands."
He looked at Arga.
"If he comes down to Earth…"
His voice cracked for the first time.
"…you will face something even Gaia Primordia fears."
The words shattered the last traces of calm that remained in the night.
Farhan quickly turned toward his laptop.
"He's entering the atmosphere!"
The alarm began screaming.
The red point over the Sahara expanded rapidly.
Its speed increased.
The sky to the west suddenly turned red.
Everyone looked up.
Far beyond the horizon—
a streak of fire tore across the night sky.
Like a massive meteor falling toward Earth.
But it was too slow to be a meteor.
Too alive to be a rock.
Bimo took half a step back.
"No…"
Kai stared at the horizon, his expression tense.
"He's here."
Arga tried to step forward—
but his body swayed.
Sinta immediately caught him.
"You're not strong enough yet!"
Arga stared at the falling light.
"If we're too late…"
Pak Rahmat walked past all of them.
His steps were calm.
Heavy.
Certain.
He opened a small compartment at the side of the vehicle.
Inside—
he pulled out a black metal spear covered in unfamiliar glowing symbols.
A weapon none of them had ever seen before.
Bimo's eyes widened.
"How long have you had that?"
Pak Rahmat tightened his grip around the spear.
The aura around him changed.
He was no longer the strict teacher.
No longer the old driver.
He was someone who had once stood on a battlefield at the end of a world.
"Since I buried my old world."
The falling light drew closer.
The sky trembled.
Sand from a distant continent was already showing up on Farhan's radar.
Farhan shouted,
"Impact in two minutes!"
Pak Rahmat glanced back toward Arga.
"If I fail…"
He paused.
"…run."
Then he jumped into the vehicle.
The engine roared to life.
And for the first time—
everyone was afraid they might lose him.
Above Africa—
the red meteor slammed into the Sahara Desert.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion of light could be seen even from the Fire Continent.
The shockwave shook the ground beneath their feet.
Half of Farhan's radar screen went dark.
And in the middle of the enormous sandstorm rising into the sky—
something massive stood.
Two horns.
Two red eyes.
A body as large as a small mountain.
Ra'zhar…
had arrived.
Then, from far away—
his roar tore through the night.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
And every Core in the world—
pulsed with fear.