The cargo plane cut through the night sky.
Far below, an endless expanse of black water stretched into the darkness.
The Pacific Ocean.
The largest ocean on Earth.
So vast that humanity had explored only a fraction of its surface.
So deep that even light surrendered long before reaching its bottom.
From above, the ocean looked peaceful.
Like a massive black mirror reflecting the stars.
But everyone on the plane knew—
sometimes, calm was nothing more than the face of something far more terrifying.
Inside the cabin, the glow of holographic screens reflected across everyone's faces.
The Nutrient Guardians gathered around the control table.
Farhan enlarged a blue energy map glowing at the center of the ocean.
"The energy point is here."
He pointed to the coordinates in the middle of the Pacific.
Far from shipping routes.
Far from any island.
Far from help.
A place barely touched by humanity.
Lila enlarged the resonance graph.
"The energy keeps rising," she said quietly.
"Just like what happened in the Sahara."
Bimo leaned his head against the seat.
"So now we're waking up a sea dragon?"
Dika stared out the window.
Outside, there was nothing but darkness—water below and sky above.
"For some reason…"
He spoke quietly.
"…this feels worse than the desert."
Bimo turned toward him.
"Finally, we agree on something."
Kai stood beside the window.
He stared at the ocean without blinking.
His eyes narrowed.
"There's something down there."
Arga turned toward him.
"You can feel it?"
Kai nodded slowly.
"The energy is incredibly deep."
He looked at the dark ocean as if he could see through thousands of meters of water.
"Older than any city."
"Older than any kingdom."
"Older than human history."
Arga opened the MBG Lunchbox in his hands.
Twenty-six glowing grains of rice trembled softly.
As if answering a call from the depths of the ocean.
But the moment the light intensified—
a sharp pressure seized Arga's chest.
He held his breath for a moment.
His body had not forgotten the price of their last victory.
The wounds from the Sahara could no longer be seen.
But they were still there.
Inside him.
Kai glanced at him.
"You're not fully recovered."
Arga slowly closed the Lunchbox.
"We don't have time to wait until I am."
A few minutes later, the plane began to descend.
Far below them, a large research vessel waited in the middle of the ocean.
Lights along its deck reflected across the water like stars that had fallen into the sea.
The plane landed hard on the deck.
WHOOMMMMM!
The cargo door opened.
Cold ocean wind immediately slammed into their faces.
The smell of salt filled the air.
Small waves rocked the ship.
Sinta stepped down first.
"We start now."
Farhan immediately connected his laptop to the ship's systems.
The deep-sea sonar screens flickered to life one by one.
Blue waves swept across a map of the ocean floor.
Underwater mountains.
Black trenches.
Valleys no human eyes had ever seen.
And beneath it all—
something moved.
BIP.
BIP.
BIP.
Farhan froze.
"Uh…"
Lila turned quickly.
"What?"
Farhan zoomed in on the screen.
Beneath the ship—
a gigantic shadow was moving slowly.
Not a fish.
Not a whale.
Not a creature recorded in any book.
Its shape was simply too large.
Far too large.
Bimo stared at the screen.
"Okay…"
"…that is definitely not a fish."
The water around the ship began to tremble.
Small circles appeared on the surface.
Then a whirlpool.
Then another.
WHOOMMMMM!
The water began spinning faster.
The research vessel shook violently.
Alarms erupted across the deck.
Sinta shouted.
"Everyone, get away from the edge!"
But the whirlpool continued to expand.
Waves rose as high as buildings.
The ocean looked as if it were opening its eyes.
And from the black depths—
something began to rise.
At first, there was only a shadow.
Then two blue lights appeared.
Eyes.
Two enormous eyes glowing beneath the water.
Bimo took a step back.
"Okay…"
"…I officially hate the ocean."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ocean exploded.
A massive wall of water surged into the sky.
The ship was thrown sideways.
Everyone nearly lost their footing.
And from the heart of the depths—
the creature emerged.
Its body was long, like an ancient dragon.
Its scales shimmered blue like ocean crystals.
Massive fins spread from its body like the wings of the sea.
Its back alone was larger than the research vessel.
Every breath it took created waves.
Every movement shook the ocean.
When its enormous head finally rose above the surface—
the moon looked small behind it.
Kai stared at the creature with a serious expression.
"An Ocean Guardian."
Arga whispered.
"Leviathan…"
Kai nodded.
"Leviathan Thalassa."
The colossal creature stared at the ship.
But there was no anger in its eyes.
No hunger.
Its gaze stopped on one person.
Arga.
The entire ocean suddenly fell silent.
The whirlpool stopped.
The wind stopped.
As if the ocean itself had stopped breathing.
The MBG Lunchbox in Arga's hand began to glow brightly.
Twenty-six glowing grains of rice spun like a miniature galaxy.
Golden light met blue light.
Resonance began to form.
Arga took one step forward.
But his knee buckled.
Pain tore through his chest like a hot blade.
He nearly collapsed.
Kai immediately caught his shoulder.
"I told you. Your body hasn't recovered."
Arga kept his eyes on Leviathan.
"I can still stand."
Leviathan lowered its enormous head.
Water streamed from its crystal scales like rain.
Its blue eyes remained fixed on Arga.
Silent.
As if judging him.
As if recognizing something.
As if an ancient ocean were speaking without words.
But before the resonance could fully form—
Farhan suddenly shouted from the control room.
"WAIT!"
Everyone turned.
"The cosmic energy just dropped drastically!"
Lila looked at the orbital radar.
Her face immediately went pale.
"One of the signals has broken formation!"
Farhan enlarged the screen.
A single red point of light was streaking straight toward Earth.
Toward them.
Kai looked up at the sky.
His expression hardened.
"The first cosmic creature…"
He took a slow breath.
"…has arrived."
The night sky suddenly turned red.
The clouds split apart.
The atmosphere trembled.
Fire ignited among the stars.
A colossal shadow tore through the sky like a living meteor.
Its sheer pressure slammed into the ocean.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A wave as tall as a building crashed into the ship.
The lights went out.
The radar died.
Metal on the deck began to crack.
Leviathan raised its head and roared at the sky.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!
The roar shook the entire ocean.
And from the fire descending through the sky—
two red eyes slowly opened.
The creature had not come to hunt.
It had come to kill the Ocean Guardian.
And this time—
the next war would begin in the middle of the largest ocean on Earth.