The sky above Jakarta was red.
Fires still burned across dozens of locations throughout the city.
Thick smoke shrouded the towering buildings.
Sirens continued to wail.
The cries of the wounded had not yet ceased.
And above it all—
millions of red points hung beyond the cosmic gate.
The first wave had nearly destroyed the city.
The next one would erase it completely.
On a cracked highway—
the team gathered in silence.
Blood trickled from a wound on Bimo's temple.
Dika struggled to support his broken shoulder.
Farhan stood trembling in front of his damaged tablet.
Lila was pale.
Sinta stood at the front, still gripping her weapon despite the trembling in her hands.
Arga was on his knees.
The MBG Lunchbox lay dimly glowing in his hands.
For the first time since it had all begun—
they looked like ordinary human beings.
Small.
Exhausted.
Too late.
The cosmic gate pulsed.
WHOOM... WHOOM... WHOOM...
One by one, colossal shapes began moving behind the crimson light.
More Void Spawn descended.
New Void Beasts roared.
The shadow of another leviathan swam through the darkness beyond the rift.
The entire sky had become a hunting ground.
Farhan stared at the last remaining data on his screen.
"One minute."
No one understood.
He swallowed hard.
"In one minute, they'll breach the atmosphere."
Bimo let out a short laugh.
Not because anything was funny.
But because he was afraid.
"Great."
"I haven't even had time to take a shower."
Sinta turned toward the others.
"We hold our ground."
Her voice trembled, but she continued.
"We keep fighting."
Arga slowly raised his head.
"We're not enough."
No one disagreed.
Because it was true.
Kai stepped forward.
Ash drifted through the air around him.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"There is one way."
Everyone turned toward him.
Lila immediately went pale.
"No."
Kai hadn't even explained what he meant.
But she already knew.
She knew what that man was about to do.
Arga forced himself to stand.
"Kai, what way?"
Kai looked toward the sky.
"An ancient technique."
"One used by the first Guardians."
Farhan whispered.
"A sacrificial technique..."
Bimo frowned.
"Why does every powerful technique have such a terrible name?"
No one answered.
Kai removed his left glove.
An ancient symbol was etched into his wrist.
Cracked.
Like an old seal that had been waiting to break.
He gently touched it.
"I've refused to use this for thousands of years."
Sinta stepped closer.
"If the price is your life, then find another way."
Kai gave a faint smile.
"I've spent far too long looking for other ways."
Arga grabbed his shoulder.
"We'll figure something out together."
Kai looked down at Arga's hand.
Then slowly met his eyes.
The gaze of a teacher.
A guardian.
A man who had lived too long.
"I've waited a very long time for someone like you."
He gently patted Arga's hand.
"Don't waste what little time we have trying to save me."
The sky roared.
The rift widened.
The first colossal creature began to descend.
Time had run out.
Kai walked into the middle of the road.
He removed his old cloak.
The wind carried it away, sending it drifting toward the flames.
His body was covered in ancient scars.
Wounds he had never spoken of.
He closed his eyes.
Then he began to chant in a language unknown to the modern world.
The air grew unbearably heavy.
The ground trembled.
Streetlights across the city exploded simultaneously.
The symbol on his arm blazed white.
Its cracks spread across his entire body.
Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes.
Bimo took a step back.
"...I hate this."
Lila was crying silently.
Farhan whispered.
"His life force... it's burning away."
Kai opened his eyes.
His irises now shone like an ancient sun.
He raised one hand toward the sky.
"Astra Vitae: Final Seal."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A colossal pillar of light pierced the atmosphere.
The sky split open in golden brilliance.
The entire cosmic gate stopped rotating.
The creatures beyond it shrieked.
One after another, they were dragged backward.
The Void Spawn across the city disintegrated into dust.
The Void Beasts exploded in midair.
Millions of red points went dark, like stars dying one by one.
All of Jakarta fell silent.
For one brief second—
there was no sound of war.
Only light.
Light that embraced the city like a final farewell.
But Kai's body was beginning to fall apart.
His hair turned white within seconds.
His skin aged.
His back bent beneath an invisible weight.
His hands trembled violently.
Arga rushed forward and caught him before he could fall.
"KAI!"
Kai coughed up black blood.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Look..."
He pointed toward the sky.
The cosmic gate was slowly closing.
Jakarta was safe.
Sinta held her breath.
Bimo turned his face away.
Dika lowered his head in respect.
Farhan removed his glasses, unable to bear the sight.
Lila broke down in tears.
Arga held Kai's body in his arms.
It felt so light.
Far too light.
"Why?"
Arga's voice cracked.
"You said we were a team."
Kai slowly nodded.
"We are."
"Then why did you do this alone?"
Kai gazed at him for a long moment.
He knew this might be the last time he would ever see him.
"Because a leader isn't the one who lives the longest."
He placed a trembling hand against Arga's chest.
"A leader is the one who keeps standing... after everyone else has fallen."
His hand dropped.
His body grew weaker.
His hair had turned completely white.
His face looked decades older.
As though years of his life had been stolen in a single minute.
Perhaps even centuries.
Farhan checked the emergency scanner.
His face turned pale.
"His remaining lifespan..."
He couldn't finish.
Lila whispered.
"How long?"
Farhan swallowed.
"...Not much."
Arga lowered his head.
Tears fell onto Kai's hand.
"I'm not ready."
Kai managed a faint smile.
"Good."
Arga fell silent.
Kai whispered.
"No true leader..."
He paused to catch his breath.
"...has ever felt ready."
Then the earth trembled.
Harder than before.
Everyone turned toward the sky.
The gate had indeed closed.
But the space above the city—
was tearing open from the outside.
It wasn't being opened from within.
Something far more powerful was ripping it apart.
A blade of violet light descended from the heavens.
Kai, barely conscious, opened his eyes once more.
And for the first time—
fear appeared on his face.
"...He's coming himself."
Above Jakarta—
a colossal eye opened beyond the torn fabric of space.