When the destruction of Arcadia’s reactor was reported, everyone on the Licorne rejoiced at the victory. Their joy soon faded, however. They were all dumbstruck by what was happening before them.
Noelle was the first to draw herself to her feet. “What’s going on?” she asked, staring out the window. Her voice was quiet initially but increased considerably in volume. “What’s happening?!”
The reactor’s destruction should’ve ended the entire war, but the battle was still unfolding. Neither side had backed down. The imperials refused to accept defeat, and the royal army had no option but to hold their ground on the field. That wasn’t the only thing that alarmed the Licorne’s passengers, though. A foreboding, black, barbed object had leaped out of the fortress. Its shape was almost starlike, and its size continually expanded; at this point, it measured over ten meters.
Cleare magnified the image on their monitor. “That’s Arcadia’s core!” Her voice cracked through the room like a whip. “He’s absorbed Mia into himself!”
Her description was accurate. Mia’s upper body protruded from the star-shaped monster, covered in a layer of silver and eyes gleaming red.
Marie hugged her staff to her chest. “Why would he absorb Mia?!”
“I don’t have the data necessary to offer an answer,” said Cleare. “But this is very bad. We may have destroyed his reactor, but that caused an outpouring of demonic essence that only multiplied the monsters on their side.”
Demonic essence still issued from the spot where Arcadia’s reactor was presumably located. It concentrated into clumps, giving shape to the monsters. The very presence of airborne demonic essence seemed to attract a throng of additional monsters, swelling their total numbers.
“Crap!” Cleare said as she analyzed the incoming data. “The situation’s worse than I thought. Arcadia’s core—or whatever it’s become now—is ridiculously powerful. It absorbed an insane amount of demonic essence. And if you can believe it, it’s still growing by taking in Demonic Creatures and Demonic Suit fragments.”
“Give us specifics,” Angie demanded. “How strong is this thing?”
“I’ll put it like this—as strong as Arcadia’s main cannon, firing continuously.”
Angie gaped, wide-eyed. “But we sank his fortress! How can he still be that powerful?!”
“He can only fight for a limited amount of time using this form, unlike when his fortress was functioning,” Cleare explained. “The problem is that he can rampage until he uses up every last bit of the demonic essence he absorbed.”
The reactor had been created by solidifying a massive amount of demonic essence. Upon destruction, it began leaking all that essence into the air. Arcadia’s core had absorbed most of it. That gave the core ridiculous power that, if Cleare’s analysis was correct, approximated the power of the fortress’s main cannon invested with unlimited firing potential. It would be short-lived, though; it was like a candle flaring before it went out. Arcadia would eventually run out of fuel.
On top of it all, the demonic essence Arcadia hadn’t absorbed was now pumping out endless monsters. Alongside Arcadia, they could cause untold destruction and devastation to the royal army.
Marie sniffled, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I thought it was finally over.”
It seemed unfair that Arcadia’s core somehow had more power than the fortress itself. Their side had already lost all their shield ships, most of their spaceships, and over half their army.
Arcadia’s core continued absorbing whatever it could, powering up more and more.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know if we can beat Arcadia with the strength we have left,” said Cleare, running the calculations herself.
Monsters already surrounded the Licorne. Their allies desperately fought back as much as they could, but the enemy’s numbers were too great. The royal forces couldn’t handle them.
Angie gritted her teeth. “Is there really nothing else we can do? There has to be something!”
“Everyone, please help me however you can,” Livia said suddenly, standing up straight and staring directly ahead.
Her sudden request stunned everybody. What in the world could she be planning?
Angie shared the others’ surprise, but she believed in Livia completely. “What are you going to do?” she asked.
Livia clasped Angie’s outstretched hands in hers. “My power can take care of the monsters,” she replied.
During their first year at the academy, while they were aboard the royal family’s ship, Livia’s strange powers had done a number on an enormous beast. Everyone realized immediately that that was what she was referring to.
“Ah—you mean what you did against the Principality back then?” Angie nodded thoughtfully. She shot Cleare a questioning glance. “If you can repeat that, it should work.”
“It’s possible,” Cleare confirmed. “We have the necessary apparatus aboard the Licorne. The bigger problem is the strain it’ll put on you, Liv. You won’t be able to do it alone; Angie’ll have to help out too. And of course, Rie, I expect you to have their backs.”
“Don’t treat me like an afterthought!” Marie groused. “B-but, sure, I’ll help out.”
Angie nodded. “I don’t mind helping either.” Her eyes moved to Noelle.
“Yeah, I’ve rested plenty,” Noelle said confidently. “I’ll pitch in too.”
“Thank you, all of you,” said Livia. “Cleary, if you would, please?”
Several images popped up around Cleare. “Liv, this’ll hinge on you. Nelly, you’re going to regulate the Sacred Tree’s energy. And Rie…just do whatever you can with the Saint-power stuff you’ve got.” It wasn’t a particularly nice way to phrase it, but everyone let her continue. “Angie, you’ll support Liv. Make sure this doesn’t break her.”
“Of course. That’s all I can really do,” said Angie.
“I told you this’ll take a heavy toll on Liv, right? Just to be clear, your role is important.”
Angie nodded. “I know. Whatever happens, I’ll have her back.”
“This enemy is above and beyond what we faced in our war against the Principality,” Cleare reminded them all. “But the Licorne is a much more powerful ship, and we have the Sacred Tree providing extra energy. I expect you all to contribute whatever you can.”
Everyone on the ship—including Yumeria, Kyle, and Carla—nodded.
“Good. Then let’s get this thing started.”
As the operation began, faint light wrapped around the Licorne. The Sacred Tree also glowed, feeding energy into the ship.
Livia clasped her hands as if praying, her gaze focused ahead. “Thank you, everyone,” she said again as her body gave off a subtle radiance.
Angie wrapped her arms around Livia. “I’ll help too,” she repeated. “Do it, Cleare.”
“Just let me have five minutes,” Cleare answered. “I promise I’ll give you all the support I can, but I need that long to get everything ready. My biggest concern is that the enemy’s already set its sights on us.”
The monsters outside must’ve sensed that the Licorne was powering up for something, because an enormous mass of them had charged toward the ship.