The skies above Jakarta were still fractured.
Two enormous violet eyes stared down through a rift in the Void.
The cold voice continued to echo through the air.
"The Key has awakened."
The streets fell silent.
Fires still burned in several buildings.
Dust continued to drift down from the sky.
Yet for one brief moment—
Even the monsters stopped moving.
Every gaze turned toward Arga.
He stood in the middle of the ruined street.
Golden light flowed through his body like a living river.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand began to tremble faster and faster.
Thirty-one glowing rice grains revolved around the luminous core inside the box.
But one of them—
The newly formed grain—
Shone differently.
Brighter.
Calmer.
Deeper.
As though it possessed a heartbeat of its own.
Lila stared at the energy readings.
"The thirty-first grain… its signature is different."
Farhan raised his laptop with trembling hands.
"Its frequency has changed."
Kai stared at Arga without blinking.
"It's not merely an additional grain."
The sky shattered.
CRAAAAACK!
From the cosmic rift, the Executioner descended.
Its body was tall and slender, like a living tower.
Six enormous black wings unfolded behind it.
In its hand was a thin blade of Void energy, so sharp that the space around it seemed to split apart.
Its face had no mouth.
No nose.
Only two cold violet eyes.
Bimo took half a step backward.
"Okay."
"This one definitely had a lot of thought put into its design."
Dika stepped in front of the team, despite the blood running down his injured knees.
"Save the jokes."
"If I stop joking, that means we're really dead," Bimo replied.
The Executioner raised its blade.
There was no dramatic movement.
No roar.
Just one slow, effortless slash.
SHHHKKK—
Two buildings behind the team were sliced clean through.
Their upper sections slid apart—
Then collapsed.
BOOOOOOOM!
A wave of dust swept across the street.
Sinta immediately shouted.
"Everyone, move!"
Farhan's face went pale.
"It cut through space…"
Lila whispered,
"If that hits the city center…"
She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
The Executioner fixed its violet eyes on Arga.
Then it began to walk forward.
With every step, black cracks spread across the asphalt beneath its feet.
Its target was obvious.
The Key of the World.
Arga.
Arga took one step forward.
Sinta grabbed his arm.
"You've only just recovered."
Arga turned toward her.
His eyes were calm.
"If I retreat now…"
He looked at the city behind them.
"…everything we've fought to protect will be lost."
Sinta slowly released his arm.
But before stepping away, she whispered,
"If you fall, I'll drag you home myself."
Arga gave her a faint smile.
The Executioner attacked.
WHOOM!
Its body vanished.
In the next instant, it appeared directly in front of Arga.
The Void blade descended toward his head.
But—
TING!
Arga stopped it with one hand.
Golden light erupted from his palm.
The road cracked for dozens of meters.
Windows shattered across nearby buildings.
Bimo stared with his mouth hanging open.
"…Okay."
"…He stopped that with his bare hand."
The Executioner pulled back slightly.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Arga felt it too.
The thirty-first grain pulsed faster.
Then a faint voice emerged inside his mind.
It wasn't Terra Ultima.
It wasn't Gaia.
It was someone—or something—else.
Protect.
Just one word.
Yet it carried the weight of a law that governed the world.
A second blade came from the side.
Arga moved instinctively.
He didn't simply dodge.
He twisted his body, caught the enemy's wrist, and hurled the Executioner into the sky.
BOOOOOOOM!
Its body tore through three layers of clouds.
Everyone stood frozen.
Farhan stared at the numbers on his screen.
"Arga's reaction speed has increased threefold…"
Lila looked at the glowing grain.
"It's not just an increase in power."
Her eyes widened.
"It's a new ability."
Three Winged Hunters attacked Arga from behind.
Too late.
Golden light radiated from his body, forming a thin protective dome.
The hunters slammed into it—
And were hurled backward as though they had struck a mountain.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Kai briefly closed his eyes.
Then spoke softly.
"Resonance Shield."
Arga turned toward him.
"A new ability?"
Kai nodded.
"The thirty-first grain is a Grain of Protection."
The Executioner descended once more.
Its wings were torn.
But its violet eyes had grown even colder.
It raised both hands.
Dozens of spatial blades materialized in the air.
The entire city was now within their range.
Sinta looked up.
"No…"
If those blades came down—
It would all be over.
Arga tightened his grip on the MBG Lunchbox.
The thirty-first grain shone like a miniature sun.
"Then…"
He raised his hand toward the sky.
"…I'll protect everyone."
WHOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!
An explosion of golden light engulfed the city.
A colossal dome formed above Jakarta.
Larger than a stadium.
Spreading across the entire central district.
All the Void blades came crashing down against it.
SHRAAAK! BOOM! KRAAASH!
But not a single one pierced the barrier.
Beneath the dome—
Civilians stared at the sky through tear-filled eyes.
Children clung to their parents.
Sirens continued to wail.
But fear was slowly giving way to hope.
Arga dropped to one knee.
Blood trickled from his nose.
His body trembled violently.
The new power was immense—
Far more than his body could safely handle.
The golden light around him flickered.
His fingers loosened around the MBG Lunchbox.
Sinta rushed forward and caught him before he collapsed.
"Arga!"
He managed a weak smile.
"I'm still alive."
Bimo hurried over, pointing at the enormous dome.
"Bro, if you're going to pass out, at least wait until later. This is incredible!"
Above them—
The Executioner stared at the golden shield.
Then slowly retreated.
It had failed.
For the first time, the forces of the Void had been pushed back not by a Guardian monster—
But by a single human.
Yet the dome suddenly trembled.
Farhan looked at his radar.
His face turned pale.
"Uh…"
Lila snatched the screen from him.
Her eyes widened.
"That's impossible…"
Beyond the cosmic rift—
Dozens of new energy signatures appeared.
Each one larger than the Executioner.
And there were more of them than any enemy they had faced before.
Kai stared at the sky, his jaw tightening.
"They're sending a fleet."
Arga was still on one knee.
His body had yet to recover.
The thirty-first grain continued to glow.
And above the city—
One hundred violet eyes slowly opened in unison.