The pressure from Luna's razor-sharp gaze hung heavy in the air. A fight seemed inevitable. Sylva had already tensed its body, ready for impact.
But Yanaki didn't look at Luna. Nor did she command Sylva to attack. Instead, she did something Luna could never have anticipated. She took a step forward, holding out the glowing [Seed of Growth] in her hand, and spoke loudly, her voice directed not at Luna, but at the Sorrowful Treant.
"O, great Tree God, we did not come here to harm you. We bring a seed of life to soothe your pain!"
Her sincere voice echoed across the clearing, an offer of life in a world of death.
Luna let out a cold, derisive chuckle. "Foolish."
She had no intention of wasting more time on this "child's play." She decided to act first.
SHING!
The silver blade was unsheathed with terrifying speed. The blade reflected the moonlight, brilliant and deadly. Luna swung her sword, and a brilliant, silver crescent of light flew out, slashing directly at the Sorrowful Treant's trunk.
[Silverlight Slash]!
SLICE!
The silver crescent easily tore through the black bark, leaving a deep gash. A massive red damage number appeared above the boss's invisible health bar.
But that was a fatal mistake.
That violent act was like a lit match tossed into a powder keg of despair. The Sorrowful Treant, which had been in a pained and sealed state, suddenly began to tremble violently.
GRRROOOWWWL...
A low growl, not from any mouth, but from the trunk itself, from the very earth, shook the entire forest. The empty eyes on the trunk suddenly blazed with a red light of fury.
[The Sorrowful Treant has been attacked by a player!]
[Status change: [Sealed] -> [Enraged]!]
[It will attack all players in sight!]
Immediately, the ground around the giant tree cracked open. Dozens of black tree roots, as thick as giant pythons and covered in sharp thorns, erupted from the tar-like mire, lashing out indiscriminately in all directions.
The boss's second phase had begun, triggered not by Yanaki, but by Luna's own impatience.
"Tch," Luna clicked her tongue, but showed no fear. She moved, her body as light as a leaf, weaving back and forth between the storm of attacking roots. Every time a root lunged at her, she would use her sword to deflect or slash at it, a masterful display of individual skill.
But Yanaki didn't have that kind of skill.
"Sylva, protect!" she yelled.
A giant root whipped straight towards Yanaki. Sylva immediately charged forward, stomped its foot on the ground, and raised its buckler.
CRASH!
The impact was so strong it pushed Sylva back several meters, but the Protector stood its ground, successfully shielding its master.
Elara didn't stand idle either. She began to sing her [Serene Lullaby]. Against an enraged, level 20 boss, the song couldn't calm it, but the melody created a gentle energy field around Yanaki's party. Roots that entered this area seemed to slow down slightly, becoming less aggressive.
Amidst the chaos, Yanaki observed. Luna was being held in a deadly dance with the roots on the far side. Her own party was struggling to defend. But the Treant's rage also revealed its weakness. At the base of the tree, where Luna's slash had landed, the bark had broken away, revealing a weakly pulsing black energy core.
That was its heart. And that was her only chance.
She had to act now, while Luna was busy and before Sylva fell.
"Sylva, hold them off! Elara, cover me!" she commanded through the covenant. "I'm going in!"
Without waiting for a reply, Yanaki dashed off. She didn't run towards safety, but straight into the storm of writhing tree roots.
In her hand, she clutched the [Seed of Growth]. The green light of life in her hand was a stark contrast to the black wrath of the forest.
She had to place this seed in the Treant's heart. It was an all-or-nothing gamble. A gamble of life against death, of healing against destruction.