The Pacific Ocean no longer sounded like the sea.
It sounded like something alive—
and waking up.
BOOM.
The first tremor came from the depths.
The entire research vessel shook violently. Glasses shattered. Lights in the corridors flickered wildly. The seawater surrounding the ship began to vibrate, forming enormous circles across the surface.
Farhan nearly dropped his laptop.
"The energy beneath the ocean floor is rising rapidly!"
BOOM.
The second tremor struck even harder.
The ship's engines groaned in protest. Steel decking creaked. Several crew members lost their footing.
The waves around them began pulling backward—
as if the ocean itself were holding its breath.
Bimo gripped the railing, his face pale.
"I don't like that sound…"
He swallowed.
"I really don't like it."
BOOM.
The third tremor struck the ocean like the blow of a colossal hammer.
The sky trembled.
Waves as tall as buildings rose from every direction.
The ship nearly capsized.
"Hold on to anything!" Sinta shouted.
Dika grabbed two crew members before they were swept away. Rani helped hold the control-room door shut. Lila shielded the energy panel from splashing seawater. Farhan kept his eyes on the screen even though his hands were shaking.
Everyone moved.
Everyone held on.
Because everyone knew—
if the ship sank, they would die before the real battle even began.
High above them, Cosmic Leviadon stopped attacking.
The cosmic creature looked down.
Its glowing red eyes narrowed.
It could sense something.
Out on the ocean, the Void Kraken went still as well.
Its enormous tentacles tightened against the surface. All eight of its red eyes stared into the swirling depths.
Even a predator born from the void—
could feel fear.
Leviathan Thalassa raised its head toward the sky.
The ancient sea dragon let out a thunderous roar.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
But it wasn't a battle cry.
It was a summons.
A call to something older than storms.
Older than mountains.
Older than the very name of the ocean.
The water surrounding the ship began to glow.
Blue.
Then the entire horizon lit up.
The Pacific transformed into a sea of light.
Bimo looked around, his eyes widening.
"…We're standing above the heart of the ocean."
A colossal whirlpool formed in the middle of the sea.
Water began sinking into it as if being swallowed by a bottomless abyss.
The ship was dragged toward it.
"Full power!" Sinta shouted.
The engines roared.
But the ship continued to slide toward the center.
Arga stepped forward.
His body swayed.
The old wounds on his arms reopened.
Blood dripped onto the deck.
His breathing was heavy.
His chest felt as though it were burning from the inside.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand shook violently.
Twenty-six glowing grains of rice spun wildly inside it.
Kai looked at him.
"You haven't recovered."
Arga fought through the pain and remained standing.
"Neither has the world."
Then—
two lights appeared from the depths.
A pair of enormous blue eyes.
Larger than the ship.
Brighter than a lighthouse.
Calmer than the night itself.
Every sound vanished.
The wind stopped.
The waves froze.
Even the sky seemed to fall silent.
Then the ocean exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A colossal figure rose from the heart of the sea.
Its body seemed endless, formed from ancient scales and blue crystal that reflected the moonlight.
Massive fins spread from its body like the wings of the ocean.
Every movement sent mountains of water surging into the sky.
And when it finally emerged in its entirety—
Leviathan Thalassa lowered its head.
A gesture of reverence.
Kai whispered, barely audible,
"Thalorion…"
Rani stared in disbelief.
"Is that… the true Guardian?"
Kai slowly nodded.
"Not just a Guardian."
His eyes remained fixed on the colossal being.
"He is the heart of the ocean."
Farhan stared at the energy graph as it skyrocketed.
"Seven hundred percent?! That's impossible!"
Lila held her breath.
"That creature isn't receiving energy from the Core…"
She stared at the readings.
"…it is the Core."
Thalorion slowly turned its head.
Its eyes settled on Arga.
The MBG Lunchbox in Arga's hand began to glow in response.
For a moment—
a tiny human standing aboard a battered ship and an ancient god of the sea looked directly at one another.
And somehow—
they recognized each other.
But Cosmic Leviadon let out an enraged roar.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
It dove from the sky like a living meteor.
Void energy gathered inside its jaws.
A massive beam of black energy blasted toward Thalorion.
WHOOMMMMMMMMM!
Thalorion didn't even move.
It simply opened its mouth.
And the ocean answered.
A blue beam as vast as the horizon erupted into the sky.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The two attacks collided.
The sky shattered into blue and black light.
Boiling seawater rained back into the ocean.
The shockwave hurled the research vessel dozens of meters sideways.
Bimo was thrown against the wall.
"UGHH!"
Dika pulled him back to his feet.
"Not time to die yet!"
The Void Kraken attacked from below.
Dozens of massive tentacles slammed into Thalorion's body.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The ocean exploded with every impact.
But Thalorion only growled low in its throat.
One sweep of its enormous tail—
and three tentacles were shattered at once.
The Void Kraken shrieked.
The sound sent a chill through everyone's blood.
The water around it turned black.
The ship's lights went out.
Only the radiant glow of the Ocean Core remained.
Arga dropped to one knee.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The resonance of the ocean was forcing the energy inside his body awake.
His bones felt as though they were cracking under the pressure.
Kai dropped to one knee beside him.
"Stop. Your body can't take this."
Arga stared at the glowing ocean.
"If I stop…"
He coughed blood.
"…who will stand?"
Sinta looked at him, her eyes trembling, but her voice remained firm.
"If you fall, we'll stand."
Bimo grinned despite the blood on his lips.
"Too bad. You're not getting away from this team yet."
Rani tightened her grip on Arga's hand.
"We're not finished."
Farhan lifted his laptop again.
"As long as I can still read the data, I'm still useful!"
Lila stood beside him.
"And as long as the energy is still moving, we still have hope."
One by one—
the others raised their hands.
Their energy flowed toward the golden light of Arga's MBG Lunchbox.
Tiny points of gold illuminated the middle of the apocalypse.
Thalorion roared.
Leviathan answered.
The ocean itself began to thunder.
As if the world had chosen to fight back.
Then Farhan froze.
The color drained from his face.
"There's… something else."
Everyone turned.
On the radar—
a new red point appeared in orbit.
But its size dwarfed the two creatures they had already encountered.
Lila whispered,
"That isn't an ordinary creature…"
Kai stared at the sky.
For the first time since they had known him—
his face showed genuine fear.
"Not a hunter."
He swallowed.
"…their ruler."
The night sky began to darken.
Not because of clouds.
Not because of the storm.
But because something enormous was blocking the stars.
Thalorion slowly looked upward.
Leviathan took one step back.
The Void Kraken stopped moving.
Cosmic Leviadon lowered its head.
And from the darkness of orbit—
a pair of enormous red eyes opened.
Watching Earth.
Watching the ocean.
Watching Arga.
Arga stood trembling on the nearly destroyed ship.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hand cracked.
One of the newly forming grains of rice shattered into dust.
And the sky—
began to tear open.