The Amazon had never feared the sounds of war.
Its forests had endured wildfires, floods, hunters, and men who cut down trees without mercy.
But that night—
Even the trees seemed to hold their breath.
Rain mist hung low between the towering trunks.
The once-green ground was now scarred by explosions and uprooted roots. The remains of the drilling ships still burned along the riverbank. The air reeked of mud, smoke, and unfamiliar energy.
Amid the devastation—
Verdrax stood perfectly still.
His black coat remained motionless despite the restless winds sweeping through the forest.
His dark spear was planted in the ground.
And within a radius of several dozen meters—
Life was dying.
Grass withered.
Leaves rotted.
Flowers wilted within seconds.
Arga felt the pressure before anything else.
Not against his skin.
But deep in his chest.
As though something were trying to extinguish the light inside him.
He tightened his grip on the MBG Lunchbox.
All thirty-three rice grains spun rapidly, resisting the Void corruption spreading throughout the area.
Ursus Vitalis let out a low growl.
Massive roots burst from the earth like wooden serpents, lunging toward Verdrax from every direction.
The General didn't move.
He simply raised one hand.
WHOOM!
Black mist spread outward.
Every root that touched it rotted and crumbled into dust.
At the Jakarta command center, Farhan stared at the readings in horror.
"He's shutting down biological energy…"
Lila hurriedly flipped through the pages of the ancient book.
"A General specializing in ecosystem destruction."
Sinta clenched her fists.
"Arga, don't engage him at close range!"
Verdrax gave a faint smile.
"Interesting."
His gaze shifted first to Ursus.
Then to Arga.
"The Guardian of the forest and the World's Key in the same place."
He tilted his head slightly.
"How convenient."
Arga stepped forward.
"You're taking no one."
Verdrax chuckled.
"You all say that."
He pulled his spear from the ground.
The earth immediately split, black cracks spreading beneath his feet.
"Then you die surprised."
He vanished.
Arga instinctively ducked.
The black spear swept over his head, slicing through a massive tree behind him and splitting its trunk in two.
BRAAAAAK!
Arga counterattacked with a golden punch aimed at Verdrax's side.
The General blocked it with the shaft of his spear.
CRASH!
A shockwave swept through the forest, sending the falling rain scattering in every direction.
"Not bad," Verdrax remarked.
Then his knee slammed into Arga's stomach.
THUD!
Arga was hurled backward, crashing through three tree trunks before finally hitting the ground.
Bimo's voice erupted through the communication channel from the Arctic.
"ARGA!"
Farhan struck the control panel.
"Stay focused on your own battlefield!"
Arga pushed himself up, coughing blood.
He had never faced a humanoid enemy whose attacks carried such overwhelming force.
Verdrax approached at an unhurried pace.
"Your power is impressive."
"Your technique, however, is poor."
Before Arga could respond, Ursus Vitalis charged from behind.
The colossal Guardian crashed into Verdrax like a living landslide.
BOOOOOOM!
The earth shattered.
Trees toppled.
The river surged over its banks.
But as the dust settled—
Verdrax was still standing beneath Ursus's enormous paw.
Holding it back with one hand.
For the first time, Arga was truly speechless.
Verdrax looked up at the colossal bear.
"Magnificent."
Then he drove his spear into Ursus's arm.
CRACK!
Black energy spread through the wound.
The Guardian's bark-like skin began to dry and crumble.
Ursus roared in pain and staggered backward.
The entire forest reacted.
Trees trembled violently.
Birds dropped from the sky.
Parts of the river turned black.
Verdrax seemed to relish every moment.
"I like places full of life."
"There's so much more to destroy."
Arga slowly rose to his feet.
The thirty-three grains inside the MBG Lunchbox began to glow in unison.
The rain stopped within a radius around him.
Fresh green shoots emerged from the earth beneath his feet.
He looked at Verdrax.
His expression had changed.
Calmer.
More focused.
"Then…"
"…you'll have to get through me."
The MBG Lunchbox opened.
Golden light poured out like a miniature sun.
A wave of life energy swept across the devastated area.
Leaves began to grow again.
Roots stirred beneath the earth.
Ursus's wounds started to close, but the black corruption remained embedded in his arm, resisting the healing energy.
At the command center, Farhan stared at the data.
"Arga's resonance is rising rapidly!"
Lila's eyes widened.
"His resonance is synchronizing with the Amazon Core!"
Arga wasn't absorbing the Core's power.
He was aligning his resonance with it.
For a brief moment, the heartbeat of the forest seemed to echo through his own.
Verdrax's smile finally faded.
"Ah."
"So this is what the World's Key feels like."
He spun his spear.
Black energy formed a vast ring in the sky.
"Now I want you even more."
He lunged.
Arga moved to meet him.
Two forces collided in the heart of the forest.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The shockwave tore through hundreds of trees.
The river split apart for an instant.
The clouds above the Amazon ripped open.
At the center of the explosion, the two opponents locked against each other.
Black spear against a golden-armored hand.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Verdrax whispered,
"You're still holding back."
Arga met his gaze.
His voice was cold.
"Not anymore."
Golden energy erupted from Arga at point-blank range.
WHOOMMMMM!
Verdrax was blasted backward, crashing through the rocky cliff beside the river.
The entire area shook.
Through the communication channel, Bimo shouted,
"That's the Arga I know!"
But Kai, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.
His voice was low.
"Too easy…"
Everyone turned toward him.
Back in the Amazon—
Black mist emerged behind Arga.
Verdrax was standing there.
Unharmed.
Not even breathing heavily.
Still smiling.
The figure that had crashed through the cliff had only been an afterimage.
His real body had already moved behind Arga.
The black spear was now resting against Arga's neck.
"Indeed."
"Now it's my turn to get serious."