The sky above the Pacific Ocean no longer looked like a sky.
The night had lost its color.
The stars had vanished.
The clouds had crumbled into black dust.
All that remained was a colossal shadow stretching across the horizon.
Nihilath.
The King of the World Eaters.
Every beat of his wings shook the atmosphere.
Every breath he took sent the waves surging in the opposite direction.
Beneath him, the ocean churned as if gripped by fear.
Amid the wreckage of the research vessel, no one dared to move.
Bimo stared upward, his face utterly blank.
"...I hate today."
Dika stood beside him, fists clenched.
"Still alive?"
Bimo swallowed hard.
"Unfortunately."
Farhan smacked the dead radar console.
"Come on! Work!"
Nothing happened.
Lila gazed at the sky, her eyes trembling.
"It's not our equipment that's broken..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"...his very presence is disrupting every system."
Out on the ocean, the Guardians of the world formed their final line of defense.
Aethernox.
Thalorion.
Leviathan Thalassa.
Ignivar Draco.
Ursus Glacialis.
Ursus Vitalis.
Leo Solaris.
Aurelion Siroth.
Himal Yaksha.
And at their center—
Gaia Primordia.
The ancient World Guardian radiated golden light that pierced through the storm.
It took one step forward.
For a brief moment, the ocean fell still.
Then the other Guardians followed.
Nihilath looked down at them.
His four eyes burned crimson, cold and merciless.
There was no rage in them.
No hatred.
Only hunger.
His ancient voice echoed directly inside the minds of every living being.
"This planet... has fangs."
Silence followed.
"I like prey that fights back."
Bimo shuddered.
"...The more he talks, the scarier he gets."
Gaia Primordia roared.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The roar shook entire continents.
Distant mountains trembled.
The clouds shattered.
Golden light ignited across the ocean.
Every Guardian attacked at once.
Ignivar Draco unleashed a river of molten magma into the sky.
Ursus Glacialis summoned a blizzard that froze the surrounding air.
Leo Solaris transformed into a meteor of pure light.
Aethernox summoned a colossal spear of water from the depths.
Ursus Vitalis sent a forest of ancient roots surging up from the ocean floor.
Aurelion Siroth became a tornado of golden sand.
Himal Yaksha hurled a torrent of primal energy into the storm.
The entire sky erupted with the power of the world's Guardians.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An explosion of light swallowed the Pacific.
When the radiance finally faded—
Nihilath was still hovering in the same spot.
He hadn't moved an inch.
He wasn't injured.
Not even a single scale had cracked.
He merely watched the last traces of energy evaporate into the air.
Then he raised one claw.
A small, almost effortless motion.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Every Guardian was hurled backward.
Ignivar Draco spiraled into the ocean.
Leo Solaris crashed through the clouds and disappeared from sight.
Ursus Glacialis was swept away with a massive chunk of ice.
Thalorion was blasted into the depths.
Aethernox slammed into the waves like a collapsing mountain.
Gaia Primordia staggered back three steps.
The earth trembled each time its feet struck the water.
Bimo stared, eyes wide.
"...That was just a slap?"
Kai didn't look away from Nihilath.
"It wasn't even worthy of being called an attack."
Nihilath descended lower.
His shadow swallowed the entire ocean.
His gaze settled on Gaia Primordia.
Then—
He vanished.
"Where did he go?!" Farhan shouted.
The next instant—
CRAAAAASH!
Nihilath reappeared directly in front of Gaia.
His claws slammed into the World Guardian's chest.
Ancient stone scales shattered in every direction.
Gaia was hurled through the waves, crashing into the ocean thousands of meters away.
A wall of water surged upward, towering like an entire continent.
Rani clapped a hand over her mouth.
"No..."
Bimo whispered in disbelief.
"...Gaia went down in a single hit."
But Gaia Primordia rose again.
Its body was fractured.
Golden light leaked through the cracks in its ancient armor.
Yet it still stood.
It turned toward Arga.
Then roared once more.
This time, it wasn't a cry of anger.
It was a command.
A legacy passed down through the ages.
Kai suddenly understood.
"It's telling you to survive."
Arga knelt amid the wreckage of the research vessel.
The MBG Lunchbox lay open in his trembling hands.
Twenty-eight glowing grains of rice spun wildly inside.
Their light pierced through him from within.
Golden cracks spread across his arms.
Blood trickled from his nose, ears, and the corners of his eyes.
"Arga!" Sinta shouted.
She rushed to his side and caught him before he could collapse.
Her hands were shaking, but her voice remained firm.
"Look at me. Stay conscious."
Arga managed a faint smile.
"I'm... still here."
Farhan finally managed to power up a single emergency display.
Energy graphs flickered wildly across the screen.
His eyes widened.
"That's impossible..."
Lila turned toward him.
"What is it?"
Farhan pointed at Arga.
"Every Core in the world is channeling its energy through the MBG Lunchbox... straight into his body!"
Lila went pale.
"No human body could possibly withstand that..."
Nihilath turned his head.
All four of his eyes locked onto Arga.
His cold voice echoed once more.
"So... the vessel has finally been born."
The MBG Lunchbox shook violently.
One glowing grain went dark.
Then a second grain began to crack.
Arga screamed in agony.
Kai stepped forward and positioned himself between Arga and the monstrous king.
The golden light surrounding his body blazed brighter than ever before.
"I won't let you touch him."
Nihilath studied Kai.
Then he laughed.
The sound sent tremors rippling through the ocean.
"I know you."
Everyone froze.
Kai stiffened.
Nihilath continued.
"The traitor from a world that no longer exists."
Bimo stared at Kai.
"...What?"
Kai didn't answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the sky.
There was fear in his eyes.
And beneath it, a guilt far deeper than fear alone.
From the distant horizon, the badly wounded Gaia Primordia surged forward once more.
Every last trace of its golden light gathered around its horns and wings.
It slammed into Nihilath from the side.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The sky cracked.
The ocean split apart.
For one brief moment—
Nihilath was pushed back.
Hope flickered to life.
Everyone held their breath.
Then—
Nihilath sank his teeth into Gaia Primordia's neck.
CRAAAAACK!
Gaia's roar was cut short.
The World Guardian fell from the sky like a dying star.
Arga stared, his eyes trembling.
"No..."
Gaia's colossal body crashed into the ocean.
Waves towering like mountains swept across the entire battlefield.
And as the golden light within Gaia began to fade—
The sky across the entire world grew dim.