The Elder Lich panted, barely able to remain standing, and soon she learned that her attack wasn’t enough. The World Tree of Gluttony was evolving by the second, and while her spell had left a deep gash in the tree, it continued to pulsate ominously. Liquid black as the darkest void leaked from its wound and sullied the ground, melting away the crystallized dirt beneath it. However, the remnants of Misty’s spell fought back. The spilled black liquid began to slowly crystallize and was pushed back, but the melted crystals started spewing miasma in a bid to attack the trio. Only Arshay remained unfazed. The ground, soaked with the black fluid, gave birth to void vines that squirmed as if to taunt the quartet.
“I’ll fight too,” Arshay said as she stepped in front of her comrades.
She condensed a wave of indigo magical energy in the palm of her hand, and the clump wavered as it slowly morphed into a tiny crystal ball. It shook the surrounding air and the ground below it. Misty and Ramza quickly realized what the Nightmare of Envy was doing—she was converting her life force into magical energy.
“I won’t forgive you if you risk your life on this attack,” Misty warned.
“Yeah, you’ll get a bonk on your head,” Ramza added.
Arshay turned around and flashed a carefree smile. “Heh, you guys shouldn’t be talking. You two declared that you’d stake your lives to stop that child, but I’m not allowed to do the same? Don’t worry. I’ll probably fall asleep, but I’ll wake up later.” She paused before she added, “And if I wanted him to fall into a deep slumber, I’m the best suited to that role. I can cause nightmares, after all.”
The indigo clump floated away from Arshay’s hand. It flew towards the tree, following a slow, gentle trajectory as though carried away by the breeze. Serenely, the orb floated in front of the tree, and at once, a creepy fit of laughter reverberated through the city.
The crystals began to crack and an eyeball peeked through the split trunk. Beads of sweat appeared on Arshay’s brow, but she didn’t avert her gaze from the tree.
“If you think you can endure it, I dare you to,” she said, declaring her authority as the Nightmare of Envy.
“Heh... Eh heh heh heh heh!” The creepy laughter continued to echo in the air.
“Good night, World Tree of Gluttony.”
The indigo light scattered and brought forth a destructive tempest. Not long after that, the light spun itself into a spiral that pierced the heavens. This mighty display of the Demon Lord’s power lasted for several moments. However, Arshay suddenly lost consciousness, putting an abrupt end to her light show. Ramza managed to catch her before she fell to the ground.
“I’m so proud of you, my baby sister,” he whispered kindly.
He gently lowered her to the ground and glanced at Marco before turning to the tree. The Living Armor was astonished by the sight in front of him.
“The World Tree of Gluttony... It commands such astounding might,” the awestruck knight murmured, praying that this monolithic enemy would finally admit defeat. Just then...
“Wh-What?! What just happened?” Ramza asked.
The tree shook violently as though something had just clocked it right behind the head. The black liquid stopped flowing from its trunk, and the void vines started wilting.
“I-It can’t be! Did Sir Ein’s will perhaps...” Marco started.
“You might be right!” Ramza roared. “Misty, this is our last shot!”
“I know!” the Elder Lich shouted back.
Right before the aria sapped the last of her mana, Misty mustered every ounce of power left in a bid to push back the World Tree. The melted crystal rehardened before climbing up the rest of the trunk. Then in a flash, the tree had completely crystallized and Misty fell to her knees.
“I think...that we’ve sealed it up,” she said.
The royal capital’s surroundings had been completely transformed into an isolated plot of land—now untouchable by the ravages of time and space. Every tectonic fissure, root, and robust vine had been sentenced to a crystalline death. Heim had become a land of crystal.
The eerie clouds and crystalline stars no longer loomed over the city, giving way to the slowly emerging sun off in the distance. A new dawn was about to break over this long and hard-fought battle.
“It seems that you and Arshay were able to amaze me with your greatest spells,” Ramza said.
“Darling...” Misty murmured.
“Your hand, my lady. You’ve done well.”
He was far more exhausted than his beloved, and yet, his manly smile led her to smile back as she took his hand.
“Are you sure you couldn’t have used that spell to stop Arshay back in the day?” he asked.
“Maybe, if I had been able to use it then,” Misty replied.
“True. It would’ve been nigh impossible to buy you enough time to prepare it.” He turned to his knight. “Are you holding up all right, Marco?”
“Yessir. I feel so pathetic for being protected in this situation,” the Living Armor replied.
“Don’t be silly. I’m the strongest knight, and there’s nothing wrong with a little protection from the strongest.”
“If you’ll pardon my insolence, I’m your subject.”
“Hmph, I don’t care much for those sorts of things.”
There was a touch of sternness in Ramza’s voice as he tried to hide his embarrassment. He turned his gaze to the World Tree of Gluttony before helping his wife to her feet, and the pair exchanged a chuckle. Even within the vast Kingdom of Heim, the tree stood out like a colossal piece of glass decor or a frozen tree that had succumbed to the ravages of a harsh tundra.
“What’s happening to it?” Ramza asked.
“Time has stopped for everything around us,” Misty replied.
“What?”
“The tree is neither dead nor is it asleep. As I said, time has simply stopped for it.”
“But then is Ein...”
“Don’t worry. I’ve thought of a few ways to save him.”
“I see. Which means...”
They had won. In fact, this may have been the best-case scenario. Ramza couldn’t put his elation over their victory into words, but it had gripped his body. With his strength leaving him, Ramza could only let out a sigh of relief.
“I’d like to take a short break,” Ramza said.
“Me too,” Misty replied. “How does a decade-long rest sound?”
“I’d love that, but I’m afraid we can’t do that just yet,” Marco added.
“I know, I know,” the Elder Lich said. “We’re just going to take a small, short break. Just to rest up.”
With Arshay still fast asleep, the trio fell to the ground as well. Their limbs splayed out in every direction as they gazed up at the sky, its hues gradually taking an azure appearance.