The sky above the Pacific Ocean was still filled with black clouds.
But no one was looking at the sky anymore.
Every eye was fixed on the sea.
On the colossal abyss that had split open in the middle of the ocean.
On the place where Oblivion Rex had disappeared.
Bimo swallowed hard.
"So… he decided not to kill us…"
He stared at the dark, swirling waters.
"…because he wants something even worse."
Dika nodded slowly.
"The Core."
Without warning—
the ocean exploded.
WHOOMMMMMMMMM!
Oblivion Rex plunged into the depths like a black meteor. The water was forced aside, rising into mountainous walls on either side of its colossal body.
The waves slammed into the research vessel.
The ship's steel hull groaned.
The main mast cracked.
"Grab onto anything you can!" Sinta shouted.
The crew scrambled for safety. Alarms blared. Lights flickered wildly.
Rani pulled a technician away from the edge just before he was swept into the sea. Bimo hoisted a fallen equipment case out of the corridor. Dika braced his shoulder against the engine room door, keeping it from being torn off its hinges.
No one stood still.
No one gave up.
Because if this ship sank—
they might not live long enough to witness the world sinking with it.
Farhan stared at the sonar screen, his hands trembling.
"It's descending fast!"
The display tracked the colossal black silhouette as it tore through layer after layer of ocean.
"It's heading straight for the bottom!"
Lila enlarged the energy map.
"It's going directly toward the Ocean Core!"
In the depths where sunlight had never reached—
Thalorion moved.
The ancient dragon's body transformed into a streak of blue lightning, cutting through the darkness. Its crystalline fins left trails of light behind, like galaxies scattered through the water.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Its roar echoed all the way to the ship.
The ocean answered.
The entire sea trembled.
Leviathan Thalassa plunged after it, pursuing the Cosmic Leviadon as the creature descended from the sky into the water.
Meanwhile, the Void Kraken tore into the ocean floor with its monstrous tentacles, carving a fissure toward the planet's energy center.
Three cosmic monsters.
Two ocean Guardians.
One planetary Core.
Bimo stared at the sonar display.
"Okay…"
His face went pale.
"…this is just unfair."
Kai stood rigidly before the screen.
"It's not unfair."
His eyes narrowed.
"It's planned."
Arga turned toward him.
Kai pointed at the movement data.
"Oblivion Rex deliberately lured us into fighting on the surface."
He took a slow breath.
"So while everyone's attention was focused above…"
His gaze shifted toward the abyss.
"…the Core was left unprotected."
Farhan slammed his hand against the table.
"It used us as a distraction!"
Lila whispered, her face pale.
"It's not just powerful…"
"…it's intelligent."
Far below the surface—
Thalorion finally caught up.
Its crystalline body slammed into the Void Kraken first.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Three enormous tentacles snapped off, drifting through the water like collapsing mountains.
Leviathan Thalassa clamped its jaws around one of the Cosmic Leviadon's wings and hurled the creature into an underwater cliff.
But Oblivion Rex didn't stop.
It continued descending.
It didn't look back.
It didn't care.
As though the entire battle was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Back on the ship—
Arga clutched his chest.
His heartbeat was erratic.
Every beat felt like an explosion inside his rib cage.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hands trembled violently.
The glowing rice grains spun wildly, their light growing increasingly unstable. Among them, the faint glow of the forming twenty-seventh grain flickered like a dying star.
A thin crack appeared along the side of the lunchbox.
CRACK.
Kai noticed it immediately.
"If you push yourself any further…"
His voice was low.
"…your body will break before the box does."
Arga stared into the black ocean below.
"I know."
Sinta approached him.
Her expression was firm, but fear lingered in her eyes.
"If you fall, we'll carry on."
Bimo stepped beside her, forcing a weak grin.
"Unfortunately, I'm not ready to become the main character."
Dika rolled his bruised shoulder.
"Then stay on your feet."
Farhan raised his laptop.
"Give me time. I'll find the energy pathway."
Lila nodded.
"And I'll help guide the resonance."
Rani briefly took Arga's hand.
"You're not alone."
For a moment—
something stronger than the pain coursing through Arga's body took hold.
Trust.
He opened the MBG Lunchbox.
Golden light illuminated the battered deck.
"Then…"
He closed his eyes.
"…I won't hold it back alone."
WHOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Golden energy erupted from Arga's body.
But this time, he wasn't the only source.
Light began to shine from the people around him.
Gold.
Blue.
Green.
White.
Red.
Their energy rose into the air, flowing toward Arga and converging with the golden light of the MBG Lunchbox in his hands.
The light of humanity.
The light of the world.
Farhan typed furiously, his eyes fixed on the readings.
"The energy pathway is open!"
Lila pointed at the screen.
"Connect it to the Ocean Core! Now!"
Kai raised his hand.
Ancient golden energy surged from his body, merging with Arga's resonance.
The entire ocean began to glow.
At the poles, the waters trembled.
Even the smallest rivers stirred.
Across the world, faint light shimmered in the rain falling over distant lands.
All the waters of the Earth—
were answering the call.
Deep beneath the ocean, Thalorion came to a halt.
It turned toward the surface.
It could feel the summons.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The Ocean God's roar shook the planet's crust.
Then the ocean floor opened.
Not cracked.
Opened.
Like a door leading straight into the heart of the planet.
Within it—
a colossal sphere of blue light pulsed slowly.
More beautiful than the stars.
Older than the moon.
More alive than anything else in existence.
The Heart of the Ocean.
Every pulse sent waves of energy surging through the world's oceans.
BOOM.
Coastlines trembled across the Earth.
BOOM.
Glaciers cracked.
BOOM.
Clouds above the oceans shifted direction.
Bimo stared at the screen, his eyes glistening.
"That's…"
He couldn't find the words.
Before the immense blue heart—
Oblivion Rex opened its jaws.
Pure void energy began gathering in its throat.
It was going to devour the Core.
It was going to devour the ocean.
It was going to consume half the life on Earth.
Farhan shouted.
"It's starting to absorb the energy!"
The energy readings plummeted.
Lila went pale.
"If the Core breaks, the global ocean currents will collapse!"
Kai turned toward Arga.
For the first time, there was no trace of calm on his face.
"Stop it."
Arga stepped forward.
His legs wavered beneath him.
Blood dripped onto the deck.
Yet the light surrounding him grew brighter.
"No."
He stared into the abyss.
"As long as we're still here…"
He raised the MBG Lunchbox toward the sky.
"…nothing gets to devour this world."
Golden light descended like a heavenly spear, piercing the ocean toward Oblivion Rex.
But at that exact moment—
BOOM.
The entire ocean fell still.
Every creature froze.
Thalorion went motionless.
Leviathan Thalassa recoiled.
Even Oblivion Rex turned its head.
BOOM.
A second pulse.
The Core's light began to change.
Blue turned to white.
BOOM.
A third pulse.
Something moved behind the Heart of the Ocean.
Not energy.
Not another Core.
Something that had been sleeping beneath it.
Kai stared at the sonar screen.
For the first time, his voice truly faltered.
"Arga…"
Arga turned toward him.
Kai whispered—
"Thalorion isn't the last Guardian."
Beneath the light of the Ocean Core—
two colossal eyes slowly opened.
Larger than Thalorion.
Older than the ocean itself.
And the entire Pacific—
bowed.