If Kaiba had been anticipating one extra-large ice shard from their combined powers experiment, he's going to be disappointed. What happens instead is the water splits into myriad droplets that sting like wind-driven sleet on impact, and then coat the target with an icy crust.

But you know what? That's damn usable. As it turns out, sleet-stunned mongeese are much easier to hit, and ice-bound branches and roots much easier to break. There are much worse ways to push through the central tree's defenses, especially with Koumyou Sanzo ruthlessly dispatching what Devero and Kaiba work in tandem to delay and break.

And then, just like that, they're inside the dangerous reach of the lashing branches. Devero looks from Koumyou to Kaiba, then around at the others who've made it this far. "What now? Do we--?" He extends and arm towards the viral luminescence of the great tree, palm facing the bark.