A sandstorm rose like a colossal wall, swallowing the sky.
Only moments ago, the Sahara sun had been blazing overhead.
Now, everything had turned a dark, murky yellow.
The wind howled.
WHOOSHHHH!
Sand struck their faces like thousands of hot needles.
Every step sank deeper into the shifting ground.
Breathing became difficult.
At the center of the massive crater where the meteor had fallen—
something stood.
The Desert Colossus.
Its body towered like a living monument carved from ancient desert stone.
Its enormous length coiled between the dunes like a colossal serpent that had existed long before human history was ever written.
Every scale was made of layers of ancient sandstone.
Through the cracks, a red glow flowed like buried lava.
Its eyes opened.
Two red suns burning in the heart of the storm.
Bimo took a step backward.
"Okay…"
He swallowed.
"…that's definitely not a minor problem."
Dika rolled his shoulders.
"Good."
He stared at the creature.
"I was getting bored with normal enemies."
Yet even his voice sounded quieter than usual.
Because the entire desert was trembling.
RUMMMMMBLE.
The sand around the crater moved like water.
Dunes collapsed.
The flat ground rippled.
As if the Sahara wasn't earth at all—
but a living creature waking from a deep sleep.
Farhan struggled to protect his laptop from the storm.
The graph on the screen spiked wildly.
"Core energy is increasing rapidly!"
Lila checked another set of data.
"It's not just the Core!"
She pointed at the radar.
"The entire underground layer of the desert is moving!"
Sinta immediately stepped forward.
"Everyone, get ready!"
Rani and Nisa moved to the left flank.
Tono jumped onto a high rock.
Bimo and Dika took the front line.
Arga remained silent.
His hand tightened around the MBG Lunchbox.
When he opened it—
twenty-five glowing rice grains spun rapidly inside.
Golden light reflected through the raging sandstorm.
But this time—
the energy felt different.
Heavier.
As if something deep beneath the desert was calling to him.
Kai stared at the Desert Colossus without blinking.
"He's not just guarding the Core."
Arga turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Kai pointed toward the trembling ground.
"He's guarding something that was buried long before the Core itself."
Suddenly—
the Desert Colossus raised its head high.
Its enormous mouth opened.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The roar exploded across the entire Sahara.
The sandstorm transformed into a gigantic tornado.
The sky disappeared completely.
Bimo shouted as he struggled to keep his balance.
"Why do all Guardians have to scream so much?!"
Then—
the sand around the team exploded.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Dozens of figures emerged from beneath the desert.
Their bodies resembled ancient warriors carved from stone.
They were made of sandstone and rusted metallic bones.
Their eyes glowed red.
Sand Sentinels.
The guardians of the desert.
They slowly marched toward the team.
Every step caused the sand beneath them to sink.
Sinta raised her hand.
"Battle formation!"
The Sand Sentinels charged.
One of them swung its massive stone arm toward Bimo.
WHOOM!
Bimo leaped aside.
"Fine!"
He landed with a grin.
"Living statues. Why not throw in a walking pyramid while you're at it?!"
Dika slammed his staff into one of the Sentinels.
CRASH!
The creature shattered into pieces.
But a few seconds later—
the sand and stone began to pull themselves back together.
The creature rose again.
Dika narrowed his eyes.
"Okay. That's cheating."
Farhan shouted from behind them.
"They're connected to the underground energy!"
Lila added,
"As long as the source remains active, they'll keep regenerating!"
Arga stepped forward.
"Then…"
He looked toward the crater.
"…we stop the source."
He walked directly toward it.
"ARGA!" Bimo shouted.
But Arga didn't stop.
The sandstorm spun around him.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand began to glow brighter.
Twenty-five glowing rice grains spun like a miniature galaxy.
The Desert Colossus stared at him.
Its enormous red eyes narrowed.
Then—
every Sand Sentinel stopped moving.
The sandstorm weakened.
The world fell silent.
Kai whispered,
"He's judging him."
Rani stared tensely at the creature.
"Judging him for what?"
Kai answered without looking away.
"Whether Arga is an enemy…"
His eyes remained fixed on the colossal creature.
"…or an heir."
Arga stood at the edge of the crater.
Before him, the Desert Colossus towered like a living mountain.
Arga raised the MBG Lunchbox.
Golden light spread through the air.
The flying grains of sand transformed into tiny fragments of light.
The Desert Colossus's eyes trembled.
Slowly—
its enormous body lowered.
Bimo's eyes widened.
"Is it… bowing?"
But before anyone could say another word—
the sound of machinery echoed from the distance.
WHOOOOOMMMMM.
Everyone turned.
Beyond the sandstorm, dozens of black vehicles emerged from the horizon.
The Dominion convoy.
Armored vehicles.
Desert tanks.
Combat drones filled the sky.
And in the center of the formation—
a massive metal tower was being carried on steel crawlers.
The Core-Penetrating Reactor.
Its blue lights glowed against the golden desert.
Bimo closed his eyes.
"Of course."
He pointed toward the horizon.
"Why do they always have the worst timing?"
The Dominion vehicles stopped, forming a massive battle circle.
The door of the main vehicle opened.
The Dominion Leader slowly stepped out.
His black coat whipped in the sandstorm.
He stared at the Desert Colossus with a faint smile.
"Beautiful."
Then his eyes shifted toward Arga.
"And even more beautiful…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…you've already opened the path for us."
Sinta immediately stepped forward.
"We won't let you touch that Core!"
The Dominion Leader gave a quiet laugh.
"The Core?"
He pointed toward the desert beneath them.
"We didn't come for the Core."
Everyone fell silent.
Farhan stared at his radar.
"If not the Core…"
He looked up.
"Then what did you come for?"
The Dominion Leader raised his hand.
The massive reactor began to power up.
WHOOMMMMMMMMM!
Blue light pierced through the sand.
The entire Sahara shook.
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE!
Dunes collapsed.
Long cracks tore across the ground.
The meteor crater split wider.
The Desert Colossus roared in fury.
RAAAAAAAAAAA!
But the tremor coming from deep underground was far greater.
The sand at the center of the desert began sinking.
Forming a gigantic vortex.
Arga felt the ground pulsing beneath his feet.
The MBG Lunchbox shook violently.
All twenty-five glowing rice grains lit up at once.
Kai stared at the vortex, his face turning pale.
"No…"
Arga turned toward him.
"What?"
Kai spoke in a whisper—
with a fear none of them had ever heard in his voice before.
"This isn't a tomb."
The vortex collapsed even deeper.
Massive stone steps emerged from beneath the earth.
Golden pillars rose from the sand.
Ancient walls, as tall as mountains, slowly emerged.
A city.
Buried thousands of years beneath the Sahara.
The entire team froze.
Lila whispered,
"A city… beneath the sand?"
Farhan stared at the ancient symbols appearing across his screen.
His face went pale.
"No…"
Sinta turned sharply.
"What is it now?!"
Farhan swallowed hard.
The final symbol appeared on the holographic display.
He spoke slowly—
almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
"This isn't an ordinary city."
He pointed toward a gigantic carving on the newly revealed gate.
It depicted a child holding a glowing box.
The child's face—
looked like Arga.
Arga stared at the ancient gate.
His breath caught in his throat.
Behind him, the Desert Colossus knelt.
And the gate to the buried city—
slowly opened on its own.