The snowstorm over the Himalayas had finally subsided.
The clouds slowly parted, revealing the mountain peaks bathed in the light of the morning sun. The Mountain Core still hovered above the valley like the beating blue heart of the world.
Beneath it, Himal Yaksha stood motionless.
The ancient creature stared at Arga for a long moment.
Then it lowered its head.
A final gesture of respect from the Guardian of the mountains.
Bimo swallowed hard.
"That giant yak… just bowed."
Dika smiled faintly.
"I guess the mountain officially accepts us."
But Arga barely heard them.
His body was still trembling.
The golden cracks running along his arm had not disappeared. Every breath felt heavy. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer pounding against the inside of his chest.
Kai steadied his shoulder.
"You haven't recovered yet."
"I know," Arga answered quietly.
But his hand remained tightly wrapped around the MBG lunchbox.
Inside—
twenty-one glowing grains of rice slowly spun.
Sinta stared at him sharply.
"If you push yourself again, your body could break."
Arga said nothing.
Farhan opened his laptop.
A map of the world's energy network appeared.
Five points of light shone brightly.
The Southern Island.
The Ancient Forest.
The African Savannah.
The Ice Valley.
The Himalayan Mountains.
And one final point in the north…
had begun to pulse.
Lila zoomed in.
A vast white region filled the screen.
Ice.
Frozen seas.
Darkness.
"The North Pole," she whispered.
Bimo dropped himself onto a rock.
"Great. From frozen mountains to an even more frozen world."
Rani let out a small laugh.
"At least we're consistent."
Kai didn't laugh.
He stared at the white point on the map.
His eyes narrowed.
"The energy is strange."
Arga turned toward him.
"How?"
Kai answered quietly,
"It's silent."
Everyone looked at him.
Kai continued.
"Not calm. Not dormant."
He slowly lifted his head.
"Silent… like something that has already consumed everything."
The atmosphere suddenly felt colder.
Farhan swallowed.
"The Dominion has already moved in."
A satellite image appeared.
A fleet of icebreakers was cutting through the northern sea.
Sinta immediately stood.
"We leave now."
Several hours later—
a small cargo plane crossed the northern sky.
Below them, the world had transformed into an endless sheet of white.
Frozen seas.
Massive icebergs.
Black cracks slicing through the ocean like open wounds.
Green auroras danced across the dark sky.
Beautiful.
And terrifying.
Inside the cabin, Arga sat with his eyes closed.
His hand trembled.
A drop of blood fell from his nose.
Kai noticed.
But Arga wiped it away before anyone else could see.
Pak Rahmat sat in the cockpit.
Calm as always.
Too calm.
Farhan watched the radar.
"We're almost there."
The plane landed on a vast stretch of ice.
ROOOOOOM!
The doors opened.
Arctic air slammed into them like a blade.
Bimo immediately wrapped his arms around himself.
"Okay. This isn't cold."
"This is an insult to life itself."
Dika let out a short laugh.
"Welcome to the edge of the world."
Ice stretched endlessly in every direction.
No trees.
No mountains.
No sound.
Only distant cracks in the ice—
and the black ocean beneath it.
Farhan stared at the screen.
"The Core is directly beneath this area."
Lila pointed toward the flat expanse ahead.
"Under the ice sheet."
Kai suddenly tensed.
His eyes began glowing gold.
Arga noticed the change.
"What is it?"
Kai didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the endless white expanse ahead.
Then he spoke softly—
"He's already awake."
The next second—
the ice cracked.
CRACK.
A long fracture appeared.
Then another.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRAAAAACK!
The entire ice field began to tremble.
Black seawater erupted through the cracks.
The Arctic wind suddenly roared.
Farhan stared at the screen, his face turning pale.
"The Core energy is spiking!"
Bimo took a step backward.
"I hate it when the ground starts talking."
The cracks widened.
Wider.
Deeper.
Then—
the entire surface exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Massive chunks of ice were hurled into the sky.
Black seawater surged upward like a wall of death.
From within—
something began to rise.
Slowly.
Massive.
White.
A pair of claws as large as trees sank into the ice.
Then a gigantic head emerged from the dark ocean.
Two brilliant blue eyes opened.
They didn't look like the eyes of an animal.
They looked like two dead stars.
Its enormous body rose completely from the water.
A gigantic bear.
It stood taller than the Dominion ships.
Its white fur moved like a living storm.
A long scar stretched across its chest, as though it had once battled against time itself.
Every drop of water falling from its body instantly froze into an ice spear.
Kai whispered—
"Ursus Glacialis."
The creature stood upon the frozen sea.
Then it exhaled.
FROOOOOOOOSH!
With a single breath—
the surrounding seawater froze for dozens of meters.
Bimo stared at it, eyes wide.
"Okay…"
He pointed at the creature.
"…that's not a bear."
"That's a natural disaster."
The Dominion fleet appeared on the horizon.
Blue lights pierced through the fog.
Icebreakers surrounded the Core's location.
The Dominion leader stood on the deck of the main ship.
Smiling.
"Incredible."
He stared at Ursus Glacialis like a collector who had just discovered a priceless artifact.
"The last Guardian."
Several energy cannons aimed at the creature.
Sinta shouted,
"They're going to attack!"
But before anyone could move—
Ursus Glacialis turned its head.
Not toward the Dominion.
Toward Arga.
The MBG lunchbox in Arga's hands began trembling violently.
Twenty-one glowing grains of rice spun rapidly inside.
A tiny crack appeared across the surface of the lunchbox.
For the first time—
Arga froze.
"No…"
The massive creature began walking toward him.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Every step froze the ocean beneath its feet.
Ice spread in every direction.
Arga struggled to remain standing.
But his knees buckled.
Blood began flowing from his nose again.
Kai caught him.
"Don't move!"
But Arga pulled himself free.
He stepped forward.
Even though his body was barely holding together.
Ursus Glacialis stopped only a few meters in front of him.
Its icy breath crystallized in the air.
Its blue eyes stared deeply into Arga's.
Unfathomable.
Then—
the creature lowered its head.
The entire team fell silent.
Bimo whispered,
"Why do all these legendary monsters keep bowing to him…?"
But Pak Rahmat suddenly stepped forward.
Alone.
He walked past Arga.
Past everyone.
And stopped directly in front of Ursus Glacialis.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
The Arctic wind stopped.
The aurora overhead dimmed.
The massive creature stared at Pak Rahmat…
then took one step backward.
Kai's eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
Pak Rahmat looked into the giant blue eyes.
Then he spoke quietly—
yet his voice sent a shiver through everyone who heard it.
"You still remember me."
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Even the Dominion leader in the distance was no longer smiling.
For the first time—
his expression turned serious.
But then—
the black ocean behind Ursus Glacialis began to tremble.
Not from footsteps.
Not from the wind.
Something far larger was moving beneath the ice.
Farhan looked at the radar.
The screen immediately turned red.
"There's a second energy signature?!"
Lila stepped backward, her face pale.
"That… that's impossible…"
The surface of the ocean shattered.
Cracks spread for dozens of kilometers.
The aurora went dark.
The sky became completely black.
Beneath Ursus Glacialis—
two enormous red eyes opened in the depths of the black ocean.
Far larger than the bear itself.
Far older.
Far hungrier.
Pak Rahmat stared into the darkness.
Then whispered—
"Too late…"
And at the frozen edge of the world—
the real nightmare
finally awakened.