Garuda Inferno moved first.
Not fast.
But certain.
With every step, the sea around it receded. Not from force—but from pressure. Black Garuda Mode changed how the unit "existed" in the water.
It was no longer swimming in the sea.
The sea was yielding.
"Energy stable above safety limits," the AI reported. "Duration unpredictable."
Tomy didn't answer.
His eyes were locked on the trench.
On that eye.
The creature in the depths finally moved.
Not fully rising.
Just enough to show its form—
and that was already too much.
Its body structure was unclear. Nothing like the previous creatures. More like shifting layers, flesh and stone living together. Every small movement altered the ocean current.
One movement.
The entire bay swayed.
"Primary contact active!" the command center burst out. "That's not a regular class—that's—"
The signal cut off.
All communications died.
Tomy was now alone.
Or more precisely—
alone before something far older than any of this.
The creature stared.
And for the first time—
it moved first.
The water around Garuda Inferno suddenly hardened. Not frozen—but solid. As if the unit was trapped in liquid glass. Pressure spiked to extreme.
"Outer structure under immense stress," the AI warned.
"Recommendation: retreat—"
"Too late," Tomy said.
He pushed power forward.
Servos roared. Steel vibrated. Garuda Inferno forced itself ahead, cracking the pressure bit by bit. Fissures appeared in the "water wall" holding it back.
The creature responded.
One vibration.
Enough to—
CRACK.
Garuda Inferno was hurled sideways. Its body slammed into the seabed, throwing sand and coral in every direction. Sensors died partially. The display went half-dark.
"Damage increasing," said the AI. "Unit still operational."
Tomy rose again.
Slower.
But heavier.
Garuda Inferno stood, its shoulder tilted, chest panel partially destroyed. The red lines along its body still glowed—brighter than before.
"Now," Tomy murmured quietly.
He raised the right arm.
Not firing immediately.
Energy began gathering around Garuda's limb—not heat, but pressure condensed into a single point.
The surrounding sea trembled.
The creature in the trench paused.
As if paying attention.
Tomy took a single breath.
"If that's the core," he said softly,
"then I'm aiming there."
He released.
There was no explosion.
What happened—
the sea in front of Garuda Inferno vanished for an instant.
Empty.
Water thrust apart in a straight line, opening a path from the surface down to the creature's body.
The strike hit its target.
And for the first time—
the creature moved backward.
Not far.
But enough.
Enough to prove one thing:
It could be wounded.
The vibration from the trench changed.
No longer calm.
Now—angry.
The surface creatures reacted instantly. Their blue light blazed wildly, formations breaking apart. They no longer waited.
They attacked.
From every direction.
"Multiple targets approaching," the AI warned.
"Black Garuda Mode nearing limit—"
Tomy remained silent.
Garuda Inferno stood in the middle of a sea now churning with rage.
Before it—the trench entity beginning to rise.
Around it—the army finally unleashed.
And above it all—
the sky over Papua began to darken.
Not from night.
But from something else awakening as well.
The real war…
had finally begun.