It’d been a while since the Leviathan had left Kingsland’s port. The trio stood out on the deck, straining their eyes to see Heim.
“That’s amazing,” Arshay said. “There’s an absolute monster in that direction. If you told me that we’d be up against a god, I’d believe it.”
Despite her relaxed attitude, she was serious. A fierce flame suddenly flickered within her eyes, reigniting her ambient Demon Lord energy. While acutely aware of the powerful entity that awaited them in Heim, she couldn’t help but wince at just how far the roots had already spread.
“I think I’m being targeted,” Arshay said. “The roots are stretching towards me like a starving beast licking their lips.”
“Which makes you a feast,” Ramza said.
“When you put it that way... I don’t feel too bad about it.” This was nothing to be happy about, but Arshay was delighted to learn that her strength was seen as a gorgeous feast.
“Good grief. You never change, even with those relaxed replies.”
“What?! Then you’re still a nitpicky contrarian. And Misty’s still a big meanie!”
“Oh? And what do you mean by that?” Misty asked.
“You were being mean to that girl, weren’t you?” Arshay replied.
“If I’ve got a good read on her, what I did hardly counts as being mean.”
The conversation died down and Arshay, for the first time, turned stiff. She pursed her lips and fully opened her eyes as she unleashed a burst of energy. Her surroundings glittered purple like the evening sky, clashing with the ominous presence beyond the sea.
“This is dangerous,” she said. “If we don’t hurry, it’ll take him only a few hours to evolve into something we won’t have a prayer against. Even with our combined might.”
As she currently stood, Arshay had enough power—perfectly fitting for her sobriquet, the Nightmare of Envy. However, she still claimed that her strength alone might not be enough. Realizing they hadn’t a second to lose, Ramza and Misty found themselves unable to mask their stunned reactions. They hastened the vessel, forcing it to go as fast as it could.
As the Leviathan finally reached Roundheart, Arshay turned to Lloyd in the control room.
“Keep the ship a short distance away from the port,” she said. “Or else, the vessel will be crushed.”
Lloyd was gobsmacked as Misty added, “It seems Ein has become far more powerful than we anticipated.”
“She’s right,” Ramza agreed. “I’ve felt as if someone’s been glaring at me for the past half hour now...”
“Yup,” Arshay said. “Ramza, Misty, do you have a plan?”
“None,” the Dullahan responded. “I guess we should put everything we have into an all-out attack, but that’s all I’ve got. If the going gets tough, we should fall back, chomp on a few stones, and build our energy back up.”
“You never think ahead.”
“If you’ve got a complaint, go ahead and think of your own plan. But take a look around; these idiotically immense roots are out to get us. Do you have a plan to cut them down?”
“We take some weapons with us! I hear technology has advanced quite a bit since our day.”
“Don’t be silly. Weapons that couldn’t hope to scratch the three of us could hardly be referred to as a fighting force.”
Arshay frowned and pouted at her big brother’s words. She placed a hand on the window, her breath causing the glass to fog up. From the sea, Heim appeared to be eerily quiet, but the tree’s striking presence had almost taken the Ishtaricans’ attention away from the silence. There it was—the World Tree of Gluttony in all its glory.
“Look at that awesome light, Misty,” Arshay said.
An unnatural starry sky covered the skies of Heim’s royal capital. It looked as if several galaxies had overlapped, and the stars themselves twinkled a little too brightly. It was the dead of night, but the starlight had illuminated the city quite clearly.
“What is that light?” Lloyd murmured. The question had tumbled out of his mouth just as he’d finished delivering a series of commands.
“That’s a crystal made up of incredibly condensed magical energy,” Ramza replied. “Simply being near it will kill you before you have the chance to think.”
“It’s splendid,” Misty added. “The World Tree lives up to its name. I can see why the elves revere it as their god. Not to forget that it surpasses the Demon Lord as well.”
This “starry night” was created by the World Tree, the massive foliage rich with bushels of twinkling fruit—more manifestations of condensed magical energy. The fruits glimmered with flashes of blue, green, purple, and white, enamoring those who had the chance to see them. One could only describe it as mystical, but these fruits were more terrifying than any weapon known to man.
“Arshay, you went wild once. You two are like birds of a feather,” Ramza said. “Can’t you become friends or something?”
“If I approach it carelessly, I’ll probably have everything sapped away from me,” Arshay replied. “You think I can be friends with someone like that?”
“Hey, who knows? I don’t think it’s wise to give up before you’ve even tried.”
“All right, all right. Enough, you two. Let’s stop joking around; it’s time to get serious,” Misty said before she imparted some of her wisdom. “We’ll take advantage of a plant’s tendency to enter a dormant state. It’s their instinct to defend themselves should they take root in an unfortunate environment that’s unsuited to their needs. The tree’s impulse would be to protect itself. Let’s use that to stop Ein first.”
It was a tall order to create an inhospitable environment for the World Tree of Gluttony, but they had no other choice.
“Then you’ll work on the roots while Arshay and I attack the main body,” Ramza guessed.
“Exactly,” Misty replied.
“Sorry to interject on this conversation, but may I?” Lloyd asked. “And what will you do if the tree doesn’t have the ability to enter a dormant state?” He wasn’t certain if common sense applied to abnormal entities such as World Trees and Demon Lords.
“We’ll think about it then,” Misty replied. “Just pray that that won’t be the case.”
If dormancy wasn’t an option, the only other method left was to brute-force it—an option they knew to be extremely difficult to pull off. The moment those words of despair left Misty’s lips, the ship shook violently. They’d clashed against the roots.
“This is as far as we can go, I guess,” Ramza said. “We’ll borrow a dinghy.”
“And once we’re off, I suggest you sail a little farther back,” Misty added. “Or else, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“Mhm! We’ll do our best!” Arshay said.
The Ishtarican crew could only rely on these three now. Lloyd saw them off and lowered his head—he maintained his posture until the trio were out of sight.
The trio boarded a dinghy and made their way through the treacherous waters.
“This takes me back,” Ramza said coolly with a look of nostalgia.
“Dear?” Misty asked.
“Doesn’t it remind you of those days? The ones in which you saved me, we met Arshay, and we traveled all around the world.”
“Mhm. We fought a lot,” Arshay said.
This was all before the birth of the former royal capital and the Demon Lord’s territory. “Yeah. I feel prideful knowing that the three of us can fight together again,” Ramza said.
The Dullahan, the Elder Lich, and the Demon Lord stood together. As the strongest force in history, they knew no equal.