“What in the world is the defense force doing? I’m going to go out myself!” She strode down the hallway as her attendants tried to stop her.
“Ayeka-sama, please stop.”
“My Ryu-oh is the only Second Generation ship on Jurai right now.” “But you formed a contract with Ryu-oh only recently. The adjustments to the outer hull unit aren’t even finished yet.”
“But I cannot leave that scoundrel to rampage as they please. That would be inexcusable. I wouldn’t be able to face my brother or Father!!” Currently, Ryu-oh had only just had a hull attached to the core unit and had not even made her maiden voyage yet. Ayeka aggressively launched the ship, paying no heed to everyone trying to stop her.
Ryoko detected Ryu-oh’s launch from a corner of Tenju on Ryo- Ohki’s monitor and knew that this ship, that had destroyed the dock gates on her way out and upwards, was different from the others. “This energy reading is an order of magnitude above the others. Looks like I’ll get to have some fun.”
Even so, her fighting style did not change. She simply routed everything that got in her way.
Ayeka’s Ryu-oh deployed Light Hawk Wings to deflect the energy blasts emitted from Ryo-Ohki. Ryu-oh tried to counterattack, but the attacks veered widely away from Ryo-Ohki and dissipated into empty space. Ayeka did not have a key to assist in her synchronization with the Tree, and the ship had just finished being outfitted. Since the adjustments to synchronize the unit with the hull were not complete, Ryu-oh was unable to properly harness the power of the Tree.
“This is nothing!” Ayeka clicked her tongue and continued the battle but soon found herself focusing entirely on defense. Still, Ryu-oh stayed intact due to the power of the Light Hawk Wings wielded by a Second Generation tree and because Ryo-Ohki (meaning Ryoko) was deliberately toying with her prey.
“Come on now, what happened to your spirit?!” Ryoko had energy to spare, but Ryu-oh’s attacks were clearly now weaker than her initial volley. She keenly felt the possibility of defeat if she let down her guard. Multiple energy cannons were fired from Ryo-Ohki, closing in on Ryu-oh. The Light Hawk Wings deflected them all, but one of the blasts made a direct hit on Ayeka’s favorite garden on one of Tenju’s branches.
“My favorite garden! How dare you, you pirate!!”
“Your favorite, is it? Ha ha!” Ryoko concentrated fire on the garden on purpose. The flowers and trees were immediately incinerated.
“S-stop it. All the time I spent there with Oniisama… Please stop!” She had played with her brother Yosho in that garden countless times. That place full of memories was mercilessly destroyed, and Ayeka, with tears in her eyes, ordered Ryu-oh to an all-out attack. She was going to use the Light Hawk Wings not as defense but as an attack. They contracted into one spot, aimed at Ryo-Ohki. “Die!”
The moment she shouted, the unit’s power controls overloaded. The outer hull, unable to withstand the energy load, went out of control, firing energy blasts randomly into the vicinity.
The energy blasts rained down like a shower of flames, and one of them destroyed the branch holding Ayeka’s favorite garden where it connected to the trunk! “Noo?!”
The gardens teetered and fell, accompanied by Ayeka’s screams. A “branch” on Tenju was several thousand meters long, and the sight of its falling was awe-inspiring. An energy blast grazing past Ryo-Ohki violently shook her, even though all the focused fire of the Third Generation ships had failed to move her one inch.
“Ooh, scary. That’s a princess of a pirate nation for you; when she flips out, watch out! Ryo-Ohki, you handle the rest.” Ryoko watched the whole thing unfold with a wry smile. She disembarked and made her way inside Tenju through the gaping hole left by Ryu-oh. However, the Jurai warriors detected the intruder, and ten of them ran towards her at once.
“Wh-what’s this?!” They stopped in disbelief. Behind Ryoko was an eerie, translucent specter with four red eyes, sharp claws, and fangs. As her name implied, Ryoko had the ability to summon evil spirits. But these were not summoned consciously; they had appeared, manifested by the excitement of combat.
Indifferent to the tumult outside, the door to the Hall of Royal Trees was quiet. The occasional vibrations from the blasts were the only indication of the fierce battle.
“Wow.” Three-year-old Sasami looked up at the giant door with eyes full of curiosity, oblivious to everything outside. The other day, she had seen her older sister Ayeka go inside and whined that she wanted to do the same, a request which was rejected by the grown-ups. She had snuck away, hiding from Mama, her nanny, who was nervous about Ryo-Ohki’s attacks, and come here. She slowly reached for the doors that were too big for a child to open, and they parted before her on their own. It was as if it beckoned Sasami inside.
Once inside, Sasami squealed with delight upon seeing the countless crossing paths and the verdant Royal Trees dotted along the way. Spheres of light surged from the foliage like fireflies, and the Trees began to sing a gentle melody. Sasami was captivated with this magical sight, walked onward, looking around, and unknowingly passed through the doors of the transport. Indeed, Sasami was transported to the zone of the Second Generation Trees, to where she could only be taken if she were accepted by them. Sasami, enjoying herself and politely greeting each Tree, went further.