The sky above Earth no longer resembled a sky.
Dozens of cosmic rifts had opened in orbit, spreading like wounds that refused to stop growing. Violet light seeped from within the cracks, spilling into the atmosphere. Shadows of Void creatures moved slowly behind them.
They hadn't descended yet.
They were waiting.
And amid all those threats—
one gaze remained fixed on Arga.
Void Sovereign hovered beyond the atmosphere, its body as vast as an endless nightmare. Six violet eyes glowed with a cold, merciless light. Its enormous tentacles moved like living galaxies.
It paid no attention to the Guardians.
It didn't even look at Terra Ultima.
Its attention was fixed entirely on Arga.
Inside the research vessel, alarms blared incessantly.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Farhan stared at the radar screen, his face pale.
"Cosmic energy levels are rising throughout the entire orbit!"
Lila enlarged the space map. Dozens of red markers lit up around Earth.
"They're not just ordinary troops…"
She swallowed hard.
"…more Void creatures are gathering."
Bimo glanced at the sky and let out a long sigh.
"…Of course they are."
Dika folded his arms.
"If this keeps escalating, we're no longer talking about a war."
He looked toward the rifts overhead.
"We're talking about a siege."
But Arga couldn't hear them.
He stood motionless in the middle of the cracked deck.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand was glowing brighter by the second. All thirty luminous rice grains spun rapidly inside it. Green and golden light pulsed through the gaps between his fingers.
And inside his mind—
the voice returned.
Gentle.
Ancient.
Yet carrying the weight of an entire planet.
"Little Guardian."
Arga closed his eyes.
"What am I supposed to do?"
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then came the answer.
"Awaken."
Arga opened his eyes.
"Awaken?"
"The Guardian energy remains incomplete."
The light surrounding his body intensified.
The wind began to swirl above the ship.
The ocean beneath them started to pulse.
"You are the bridge."
In the physical world, everyone took a step back.
Bimo pointed at Arga in alarm.
"Wait!"
"Arga's glowing again!"
Farhan watched the numbers on his screen skyrocket.
"Energy output is still climbing!"
Lila stared at the resonance graph.
"…The World Cores are responding."
Kai stood at the front.
A faint golden glow flickered in his eyes.
"He's connecting directly with Gaia Primordia."
Sinta looked at Arga anxiously.
"Is that dangerous?"
Kai answered honestly.
"Yes."
He paused.
"And necessary."
High above them, Void Sovereign narrowed its six eyes.
It had sensed the change.
Its hollow voice echoed directly inside everyone's minds.
"Ah…"
The sky trembled.
"So it's true."
The MBG Lunchbox in Arga's hand shook violently.
A new light emerged from its center.
Small.
Dense.
Like a newborn star.
Farhan stared at his screen.
"Guardian energy is increasing again!"
Lila whispered in awe.
"…There's a new resonance."
WHOOOMMMMMMMMM!
An explosion of golden light swept across the ocean.
Enormous waves surged upward.
The Guardians immediately responded.
Gaia Primordia roared toward the sky.
Ignivar Draco unleashed a torrent of lava.
Ursus Glacialis summoned a raging ice storm.
Leo Solaris blazed like a second sun.
Aethernox raised a wall of water as tall as a mountain.
The entire planet felt the pulse of that new energy.
Void Sovereign laughed.
The sound wasn't loud.
Yet it was enough to crack the clouds.
"Interesting."
"Life energy continues to evolve."
Then one of its enormous tentacles rose.
Void energy gathered at its tip.
Kai immediately sensed the danger.
His expression changed.
"ARGA!"
Arga turned.
Kai pointed toward the sky.
"It's targeting you!"
The tentacle plunged down from orbit.
It wasn't like an ordinary attack.
It was like a sentence handed down from the heavens.
WHOOOMMMMMMMMM!
The atmosphere ignited from the friction.
The ocean split beneath the sheer pressure.
Bimo screamed.
"OKAY!"
"NOW IT'S REALLY TRYING TO TAKE OUR FRIEND!"
But before the tentacle could reach the ship—
the ocean exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Terra Ultima rose from the depths like a living world, its colossal body slamming into the tentacle with the full force of a planet.
The sky erupted in green-gold light.
The tentacle was hurled back into outer space.
The shockwave sent everyone crashing onto the deck.
Sinta was thrown to the ground.
Farhan hugged his laptop.
Bimo rolled across the deck, shouting.
"Okay! Okay! Okay!"
Void Sovereign stared at Terra Ultima.
For the first time—
it wasn't smiling.
Its hollow voice echoed once more.
Colder now.
Sharper.
"Interesting."
"This planet is protecting its key."
Arga stared at the sky.
The thirty glowing rice grains spun inside the MBG Lunchbox like a miniature galaxy.
And suddenly—
he understood.
He turned toward Kai.
"…It didn't come here for Earth."
Kai stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
Arga stared at the six colossal eyes.
"…It came for me."
High above them, Void Sovereign smiled.
As though it had heard his confession.
Its six eyes blazed brighter.
"Correct."
One of its enormous tentacles rose, pointing directly at Arga.
"Because you…"
The atmosphere trembled.
"…are the key that can unlock life across the galaxy."
Silence fell.
No one immediately understood what those words meant.
But everyone knew—
it was something terrible.
Then Farhan looked at the radar.
His face suddenly turned pale.
"Wait…"
Everyone turned toward him.
"Something is emerging from the cosmic rifts."
Lila enlarged the display.
Her eyes widened.
"…Those aren't Leviathans."
Bimo let out a weary sigh.
"…Of course they aren't."
High above them—
new figures emerged from the Void.
They were much smaller than Void Sovereign.
But their auras were dense.
Deadly.
They had black wings and wore armor resembling the bones of dead stars. Each carried a spear forged from Void energy.
Kai stared at them, his expression growing more tense than anyone had ever seen during the war.
"…The Void Generals."
Arga turned toward him.
Kai spoke quietly—
but there was unmistakable menace in his voice.
"…And they've come to take you."