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Verdant Wind
Conclusion of the Crossing Roads
Day 30 of the Garland Moon
BANG!
Several of the imperial bodyguards recoiled as the double doors of the imperial throne room flew off their hinges, clanging loudly against the palace floor. Standing at the entrance to the throne room was a young man with light green hair and luminous green eyes. Wearing his signature black armor and long-sleeved overcoat, there was no mistaking who he was...Byleth Eisner. A man who was once known as the 'Ashen Demon' but these days was better known simply as 'The Professor'.
Tension filled the air. The throne room was packed with the finest imperial soldiers and the most loyal bodyguards, all sworn to protect their emperor with their very lives and under strict orders to kill on sight if anyone entered the throne room...and yet none of them dared to attack.
Following the Alliance's union with the Knights of Seiros, there had been rumors abound regarding their commander, Byleth. An unstoppable warrior, a brilliant strategist who single handedly turned around a five-year war in a matter of months, a man who had been gifted power from the Goddess herself. Imperial propaganda called into question his humanity and some imperial soldiers swore that, during the Battle of Garreg Mach, he had transformed into a massive white beast before laying waste to the imperial army.
There were even rumors that the professor had been slain during the Battle of Garreg Mach but, by using the power of the goddess, was able to rise from death. When it came to Byleth, it was hard to separate fact from fiction. But whatever the case, he was alive, standing in the heart of the Empire, and wielding the legendary Sword of the Creator. This could only mean that the rumors of him bearing the Crest of Flames were also true.
"I must confess I never imagined that you would be able to pursue me this far," Edelgard said, staring down from her throne, elevated atop a flight of stairs. "I don't mean to belittle your skills, Professor, but you've far surpassed my expectations."
Byleth didn't respond. Instead, he simply approached the throne. Lysithea followed him from his right while Leonie followed at his left. And behind them, Alois led the Knights of Seiros. They were invading the throne room and yet still nobody dared to attack. Whatever the validity of the rumors regarding the professor, the imperial troops felt certain on one thing: The first among them to attack would be the first to die.
"Edelgard—" Byleth started.
"If you have come to ask for my surrender, then save your breath. We have nothing to discuss." Edelgard said shortly, rising from her throne and drawing her weapon; the legendary battle-axe Aymr.
"No." Byleth muttered, shaking his head. "I know I can't change your mind."
In truth, Byleth didn't want to kill Edelgard, but he knew her too well to even entertain the idea that she would give up. Edelgard paused, simply raising an eyebrow in response.
"I have questions," Byleth continued.
"It's a bit late for that," Edelgard said dismissively. "And at this point, it no longer matters."
"It does."
"No. We have nothing to gain by speaking to each other. And even if I denied playing part in Jeralt's assassination, you wouldn't—"
"I know you weren't behind Jeralt's death."
Edelgard paused, her eyes widening. This wasn't what she had expected to hear and now she was curious. She wasn't the only one. Upon hearing this, everyone else turned towards Byleth, staring in confusion. Alois and Leonie, especially.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Leonie asked with a furrowed brow. "Monica was working for the Flame Emperor and the Flame Emperor was—"
Byleth simply held up a hand. Leonie hesitated, clearly not content to simply keep quiet during such a revelation, but simply closed her mouth and complied.
"I've been thinking about this war; why you started it, and why you felt the need to take the quickest path," Byleth continued, turning back to Edelgard. "...How much time do you have left, Edelgard?"
At first, Edelgard gave him a puzzled expression. And she wasn't alone. Everyone in the room, allies and enemies alike frowned in confusion at this question. After a few moments however, Edelgard's eyes fell upon Lysithea and suddenly it clicked. The fact that Byleth would ask such a question could only mean that Lysithea had told her professor about her shortened lifespan.
"Heh, I see..." Edelgard chuckled quietly, slowly making her way down the steps of her throne.
Byleth scowled.
"This isn't funny."
"Oh, but it is," Edelgard insisted, reaching the bottom step. "I find it amusing that after all this time, you would continue to keep my secret. Even more, you seem to think that I started this war because I had no choice."
Byleth stared at Edelgard with a look of perplexion as she began to pace back and forth.
"It's...true that my time is limited," Edelgard admitted after a small pause. "But in the end, it matters not. This was the only way forward. It's just as you once said, Professor...a war was inevitable."
Byleth frowned, he didn't have a response to this.
"This corrupt institution must fall. This era governed by a religion of falsehoods and lies shall come to an end. By removing the goddess, I will create a world for humanity, and only then can we know true peace!"
"Is that how you justify all the lives you've sacrificed?" Byleth asked, glaring at Edelgard.
In the past Byleth had been sympathetic to Edelgard's views and ideals, but he was in no mood to listen to her dogmatic preaching. He didn't want to hear it. The only thing that mattered to him was that this war had cost the lives of his students. Nearly all of them were dead. The only ones left were Edelgard and his own Golden Deer.
"Such insolence. You would dare lecture me on sacrifice?!" Edelgard spat. "Tell me then, Professor, how do you justify the sacrifices made in the name of the goddess? Our current system has already claimed too many victims, your students included. Can't you see that something had to be done?"
Byleth instinctively glanced towards Lysithea upon hearing this and Edelgard continued.
"I doubt someone like you could understand the sacrifices I've made. You are fortunate enough to have protected your closest friends, but my allies...the Black Eagles. They died—"
"By my hand." Byleth interrupted, his tone unusually angry. "Because of you, I was forced to cut down my own students."
"No, you weren't." Edelgard stated bluntly. "Had you simply surrendered from the start, none of this would have happened."
Byleth glowered as Edelgard continued to pace back and forth, speaking once again.
"This war is coming to an end. No matter the victor, Fodlan shall be united. And whether it is through my rule or yours, our system of aristocracy will be torn down."
Byleth frowned.
"Are you saying you have already won?" Byleth questioned, almost bitterly.
Edelgard paused in the middle of her pacing, hesitating for a moment before responding.
"No. That's just wishful thinking. Even if I do believe in your capability to create a better world, I am not content to simply place faith in others."
"Not even your allies?"
"Placing my faith in them has only led to their demise," Edelgard replied. "Your allies still live because you and you alone had the power to protect them. No, I must press forward on my own. I cannot leave Fodlan's future in the hands of another, let alone the goddess' vessel. So instead I ask you...after all these years do you still view me as your student, my teacher?"
Byleth paused. Despite everything that occured, in spite of all the bitter feelings he felt towards Edelgard...yes, she was his student. She was his friend. Byleth was born to Jeralt and thus he and his father were bound by blood, but Edelgard...she was the first person that Byleth had forged a bond with himself. In that sense, she was special. She was a connection to his own humanity. And he didn't wish to sever this bond.
"I do."
"I see," Edelgard sighed with a small frown. "Then I will offer you one more chance. If you truly desire peace, then lay down your weapons and surrender. Do so and this war will end. Nobody else will need to suffer."
Byleth frowned, glancing to Lysithea and Leonie before turning to face Edelgard once again.
"If you don't surrender now, there are only two possible outcomes." Edelgard stated. "Either you will be forced to kill your student...or I will be forced to kill my teacher. Do you not wish to avoid that?"
"I do," Byleth assured her. "But I can't abandon my students."
"How unfortunate..." Edelgard huffed yet again, shaking her head remorsefully. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to kill you. You and your students. Release the Demonic Beasts!"
"GRAAAARRR!"
"RROOOAAARRR!"
On either side of the throne there were two of the giant bipedal Demonic Beasts. Until now, both had been sleeping but, on Edelgard's command, a pair of pale faced mages in black robes used a dark magical spell to awaken their pets. And, with a rallying cry, the imperial soldiers charged towards the Knights of Seiros.
"Leonie, I'll take half the knights and cover the left flank. You cover the right!" Alois commanded.
"Got it! We have to protect the professor!" Leonie cried, leading her forces.
While the two of them defended Byleth, Lysithea stayed by his side. Underneath that dress and cloak, Edelgard was heavily armored. And the best counter to a heavily armored opponent was a mage, whose magic was unaffected by physical defenses.
"Stay behind me," Byleth muttered.
Lysithea nodded, noting that the professor seemed...unusually tense. That was because he was the only one who knew the truth of Edelgard's power. Edelgard, like Lysithea, bore two Crests...and that one of them was his own Crest of Flames. Byleth held the superior weapon and had the Divine Pulse as his trump card, but there was no denying that Edelgard was stronger than he was. Stronger...and much more ambitious. It was almost certainly a mistake to have kept Edelgard's secret and leave his students unprepared...but there was no time for regrets. He had to end this now.
At the moment, Byleth and Lysithea were a good distance away from Edelgard and currently held a long-range advantage. Capitalizing on this, Lysithea quickly shot a Miasma spell at Edelgard. However, to both of their surprise, Edelgard jumped right past it. Kicking off from the ground, Edelgard used magic to levitate and soar towards the duo, closing the gap between them within seconds.
"Get back!" Byleth yelled, pulling Lysithea aside as Edelgard slammed Aymr into the ground.
Lysithea took the opportunity to send another Miasma blast at Edelgard, her eyes widening when Edelgard quickly cut through it with Aymr and engaged Byleth in a close ranged duel. What surprised Lysithea wasn't that Edelgard cut through her spell—she was aware that Relics had this ability—but by how swiftly the emperor was moving.
Aymr was a massive and heavy looking axe, but Edelgard was capable of wielding it effectively in one hand. And, despite being so heavily armored, she was moving so quickly that one might think she was an assassin. Lysithea didn't understand...how could a Crest of Seiros—minor or major—give someone so much power? Was it possible that the mysterious imperial mages had augmented her strength in some way?
Edelgard's axe swings weren't as fast as Byleth's sword swings, but they were quick enough and the difference in weight and power meant that the professor had to fight more defensively than usual, placing him at a disadvantage. As the two fought, Lysithea cast Swarm, sending dark magical insects to distract Edelgard, before striking at her with several Miasma blasts.
Each of these attacks was either dodged or countered as Edelgard cut through them with Aymr or cancelled them out with her own Fire spells. All the while, Edelgard's eyes remained locked on the professor. She wasn't even looking at Lysithea and the Swarm spell didn't seem to be distracting her at all.
Something strange was going on. The way Edelgard was fighting, it was as though she could see the entire battlefield at once. Thankfully, Lysithea had some experience dealing with an opponent like this since the professor was her sparring partner...but still, how was it that Edelgard was also capable of this omnipercipient-like state?
"Reinforcements!" One of the imperial soldiers shouted.
Hearing this, Lysithea turned her head to see that the Alliance's main forces and reserve forces had entered the throne room from the left while the main forces for the Knights of Seiros' had entered from the right. It wasn't the exact formation they had planned, but they had managed to position their troops in a three-way pincer attack around the imperial forces, with their snipers likely approaching the back wall.
"Lysithea!" Byleth shouted.
Lysithea gasped, her eyes widened with sheer terror. In the single second she had looked away, Edelgard had broken from her engagement with Byleth, closed the gap between herself and Lysithea, and was in the middle of a charging attack, her axe swinging down—
CLANG!
Byleth jumped in the way at the last moment and blocked the attack with his sword—but this wasn't enough. Edelgard kept running, kept charging, pushing her momentum and sending the professor sliding back with her overwhelming force. She was soon able to drive him into a wall. Their weapons were locked, but Edelgard followed up on this attack with a furious headbutt into Byleth's chest, goring him with her horned ornament.
"Argh!" Byleth gasped.
"Professor!" Lysithea shouted, approaching from the side and managing to hit Edelgard with Miasma, while her ornament was stuck in Byleth's chest.
Edelgard was knocked back but landed elegantly on her feet while Lysithea rushed to heal Byleth's wounds.
"Leave it." Byleth muttered, pushing her hand away. "We can't afford to take our eyes off of her."
Lysithea gave a shaky nod in agreement as she turned to face Edelgard. The professor was right, she had only looked away for a moment and it nearly cost Lysithea her life. The battle paused as Edelgard eyes narrowed, analyzing her opponents and considering her options.
"She's stronger than any of us could have imagined," Lysithea murmured. "And she's unusually observant, just like you, Professor."
"You've noticed..." Byleth nodded, pleased to see how quickly Lysithea was catching on.
"Yes, and I've also noticed that both her movements and axe swings are quite linear," Lysithea added. "She can't change direction when soaring forward and her swings transition based on weight and momentum."
Despite their situation, Byleth couldn't help but give a faint smile. Leave it to his brightest student to pick up on such intricate details during a battle. She had already reassessed Edelgard's abilities and had not only recognized the emperor's uncanny perception but had also been shrewd enough to link it to her professor's, despite being unaware of Edelgard's second Crest.
"You're right, but she can still move quickly, so our window of opportunity is small,." Byleth cautioned.
"Then it's probably best if I lead and you follow up. You're better at coordinating attacks, Professor."
Byleth nodded, his gaze fixed on Edelgard who had taken a defensive position, waiting for the two of them to attack. Lysithea obliged and cast a Miasma spell, which Edelgard sidestepped before kicking off once again, flying towards the duo. Lysithea immediately cast Hades, summoning a tornado of darkness in front of Edelgard's trajectory. Edelgard was ready for this, however, and responded by swinging Aymr downward, cleaving her way through the spell.
Taking note of the position of Aymr, Byleth used Sublime Heaven, aiming just above the head of Edelgard's axe with a horizontal slash of the whip. Edelgard, knowing she couldn't block the attack in time, instead continued with her momentum, plunging Aymr into the ground and using it to vault herself over the Sword of the Creator's whip. Upon landing, Edelgard cast Luna, summoning a portal above Lysithea and her former professor.
"Agh!" Lysithea gasped, being pulled into the air as the vortex sucked her in.
"Lysithea!" Byleth shouted, grabbing onto her hand and flinging the Sword of the Creator's whip around a nearby pillar to keep both of them tethered.
"H-Hang on...one...moment..." Lysithea grunted, pointing Thyrsus towards the portal.
Lysithea murmured a spell and within moments the portal disappeared, causing the two to fall to the ground. They didn't have time to rest, however, for Edelgard was already charging towards them again. For a moment, it seemed as though they wouldn't be able to recover in time before Edelgard brought her axe upon them, however—
Clink! Clink!
Edelgard's eyes widened and she abruptly rolled to the side, dodging several arrows. Neither she nor Byleth could see them, but they could both sense the Alliance snipers hidden in the shadows or on the windowsills in the back of the throne room, who had intervened at just the right moment. Edelgard weaved past several more arrows and blocked others with her gauntlets as Byleth helped Lysithea to her feet.
"This impudence will not stand!" Edelgard shouted, casting Hades at the back wall of the throne room.
Edelgard, recognizing Shamir as the greatest threat, had targeted her specifically. The palace wall she and her snipers were perched on deteriorated, sending them crashing to the ground. As they tried to recover, Edelgard continued the assault with a Fire spell.
"Hyah!" Catherine shouted, leaping in front of the spell and cutting through it with Thunderbrand.
"Hmph, another one of the goddess' lapdogs," Edelgard scoffed. "You dare to raise your blade against the Adrestian Emperor?"
"I don't care who you are," Catherine hissed. "Nobody gets away with attacking my partner, which means Thunderbrand and I are going to have to teach you a lesson!"
Catherine immediately jumped into the fray, slashing wildly at Edelgard with her Relic, pushing her back. Edelgard could quickly see that Catherine was another aggressive fighter and very fast as well. This speed was further augmented by the power of her Heroes Relic and this put Edelgard on the defensive. The emperor's armor was durable—and even considered legendary—but testing it against Thunderbrand would be unwise.
The professor jumped in, aiding Catherine in her assault. With the two of them on the offensive, Edelgard was starting to feel overwhelmed. She leapt back from the pair of them and cast Luna, once again, creating another portal. This time, however, Lysithea was quick on the draw and quickly closed the portal with her own counter spell before following up with a Miasma attack. Edelgard cut through this with Aymr and pulled out her second weapon...the Sword of Seiros.
"That sword...it's—where is she?!" Catherine demanded. "Where is Lady Rhea?!"
"I cannot permit her to return," Edelgard dismissed. "If I am to create a world where humanity is free, I must put an end to the worship of the false goddess and all of her scions!"
"If that's the case, then I'll just have to cut you down. For Lady Rhea, and for the goddess!" Catherine declared, jumping in and reengaging her battle with Edelgard.
Byleth followed suit and the three of them were at it again. Dual wielding a battle-axe and a sword at the same time was certainly unorthodox, but Edelgard handled herself quite well, managing to keep up with both Byleth and Catherine, despite the former's incredible strength and the latter's awesome speed.
Once again, Edelgard was on the defensive but she was proving to be a difficult opponent. It was clear that, as formidable as the professor and Catherine were, they didn't have much experience fighting as a team. Compared to Lysithea, Catherine's movements weren't well coordinated with Byleth's and they were out of sync with each other. By utilizing chaotic movements and unorthodox attacks, Edelgard was able to not only throw them off, but keep Lysithea from intervening with her spells.
"Hmph..." Lysithea frowned, keeping a close eye on the ensuing battle.
So long as the three of them were tangled up at close-range, it was too risky to cast any spells. Lysithea could rely on the professor to keep out of harm's way, but the same wasn't true with Catherine. And, despite being in a defensive position, Edelgard was still able to control the flow of battle. Any spell Lysithea cast was sure to be used against them. She would just have to look for openings or weaknesses in Edelgard's fighting style.
The problem was...Edelgard didn't seem to have any weaknesses. She was perfect, in a sense. Observant, level headed, never once losing her cool, and reading the ever-changing situation flawlessly. Despite how fast paced the battle was, it never felt as though Edelgard was simply relying on reflexes or muscle memory. It was as though she had planned all of her movements and weapons swings in advance. This unusual way of fighting...it was eerily similar to the professor. Suddenly, Lysithea recalled a conversation she once had with him.
"This ability...it allows you to see all incoming attacks, correct?"
"No, I can't 'see' beyond my field of vision. It's more of a 'feeling'."
"You mean you can sense it?"
"I suppose, but it's not the same as detecting magic. I can just somehow perceive incoming threats and react to them."
Thinking about it that way...maybe Lysithea could use her magic to aid Catherine and the professor. Lysithea began circling around the dueling trio, repositioning herself so she was facing Edelgard's back. Trusting the professor to take advantage of the opening she would create, Lysithea let loose a Miasma spell, aiming just behind Edelgard's feet.
Despite having her back turned, Edelgard had no trouble perceiving this threat and jumped backwards, over the was to be expected and, just as Lysithea hoped, Byleth and Catherine had been able to see Lysithea's spell coming before Edelgard could sense it. Knowing what Edelgard would do next, Byleth unleashed Sublime Heaven, sending a horizontal whip slash at Edelgard while Catherine charged in.
Edelgard couldn't dodge the attack in the air, so instead she positioned her sword to snag the Sword of the Creator's whip. Upon landing, she tugged, trying to pry the Sword of the Creator from Byleth's hand. Before she could, however, Catherine jumped in, attacking from Edelgard's left flank. Unwilling to drop the Sword of Seiros, Edelgard instead raised Aymr to protect her face—her only vulnerable area—before Catherine slashed her across the stomach.
The power of Thunderbrand was enough to send Edelgard flying backwards in Lysithea's direction. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lysithea shot another Miasma spell at Edelgard's back, causing her to face plant onto the ground, where she lay still.
"It's over..." Catherine sighed with relief.
Byleth paid no heed to this, however, and charged towards Edelgard's broken body, sword prepared as he readied himself to put an end to this. He was too late, however, and—to the surprise of everyone except Byleth—Edelgard rolled to the side and leapt back to her feet, panting heavily.
Catherine's attack with Thunderbrand had torn part of Edelgard's dress, revealing golden armor underneath. Thunderbrand had torn the middle portion of her armor clean off as well, revealing a gaping hole in her stomach. Edelgard was bleeding horribly, but this didn't last long. Within a few seconds, the wound healed itself and Edelgard was completely rejuvenated.
"You've gotta be kidding..." Catherine muttered in exasperation.
Byleth frowned. Even he didn't heal that quickly. No, 'healing' was hardly an accurate description for what Edelgard had done. 'Regenerate' was a more apt phrase for what just happened. Whether it was her Crests working in harmony, the power of her Relic or the power of her Sacred Weapon, Byleth didn't know...but it was clear that Edelgard wouldn't truly be defeated until they landed a fatal blow.
"I'm going to put an end to this here and now!" Edelgard declared, leaping high into the air and plunging Aymr into the ground.
Byleth was able to dive out of the way of Edelgard's attack just in time. However—
BOOM!
As Aymr came crashing down, the entire palace began to quake. Soldiers from the Empire, Alliance, and Church alike stumbled to the floor, with only the most heavily armored troops being able to withstand the intense tremors.
"AAAAAGGGHHH!"
As a result of the earthquake, the palace structure began to give way, with pieces of the ceiling raining down and crushing troops on both sides. Byleth slashed apart the collapsing stone where we could while Lysithea cast a Luna spell far above their heads, allowing the portal to swallow the falling debris that threatened them.
"Teach, look out!" Claude called.
Byleth managed to leap out of harm's way just in time as Edelgard swung her axe at him once again, but tripped in the process as the palace continued to shake violently. Edelgard approached him, her heavy armor keeping her rooted to the ground. Before she could attack again, however, Catherine leapt back into the fray.
"Kyah!"
Catherine slashed wildly at Edelgard, but unfortunately her aggressive fighting style proved to be poorly suited for the current environment. She was off balance, unstable, and Edelgard had no difficulty avoiding her attacks before countering with a powerful axe swing. Catherine defended herself with Thunderbrand, but due to her uneven footing, she was flung back from the force of Edelgard's attack.
"Urgh!"
Catherine slammed into one of the palace pillars, Thunderbrand clanging loudly onto the floor and blood trickling from the back of her head as she was knocked out. Edelgard gave Catherine a disparaging look before making her way towards the unconscious knight, prepared to strike with Aymr. There was no point in just leaving her. She and the other knights would never see reason. And if she wasn't killed now, she would just present more problems in the future.
Edelgard was suddenly distracted as a loud whistle echoed throughout the throne room. Just as Edelgard turned to face the source of this noise, she was forced to jump to the side when Claude unleashed one of Failnaught's arrows at her. Edelgard scowled, but before she could retaliate, Byleth attacked from behind with a horizontal whip slash.
Upon dodging this attack, Edelgard turned to her former professor and kicked off, flying towards him, Aymr at the ready. Knowing that he couldn't counter a frontal assault, Byleth dived to the ground, rolling beneath Edelgard as she flew over him. Edelgard turned around mid-flight, landing on her feet and skidding to a halt. As she prepared for her next attack, however, an awful screeching was heard.
"RAAAWWRRR!"
Edelgard glanced up to the source of the noise. With the palace ceiling destroyed, she had a clear view of a majestic white beast soaring through the cloudless sky. She was able to jump out of the way just in time as this beast—a white wyvern—swooped down into the throne room and snapped its teeth at her. The beast continued it's assault and unleashed a torrent of blue flames from its mouth as it soared past her.
To defend herself from the beast's flame attack, Edelgard brought the flat of Aymr's axe head up to her face while the rest of her armor protected her body. She realized now that Claude hadn't whistled simply to distract her, but to summon his pet. Sure enough, by the time Edelgard lowered her axe, Claude was already airborne, riding on the back of this winged beast, and immune to the ongoing tremors.
Twang!
"Grrrraargh!"
Edelgard dived to the ground to avoid another one of Failnaught's arrows as well as a jet of blue flame. She couldn't help but notice an insufferable look of smugness on Claude's face as he and his steed soared past her again. But rather than continue his assault, Claude instead directed his wyvern towards Catherine. The wyvern grabbed the fallen knight with its claws while Claude steered the beast to bring her to safety.
"You won't escape!" Edelgard shouted, holding Aymr skyward.
The Relic glowed red and bolts of lightning began to rain down from the sky, focused on Claude and his steed.
BANG!
"BAH!" Claude gasped, swerving to avoid one of the lightning strikes.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Edelgard rained bolt after bolt of lightning. Claude was a skilled flier and managed to avoid each of these attacks, but Edelgard was beginning to corner him. Before Edelgard could summon more lightning, however, she was forced to jump aside to avoid an incoming Miasma spell. The tremors had finally subsided and Lysithea was back on her feet, offering herself as a distraction so Claude could get Catherine to safety.
Lysithea braced herself for combat, holding Thyrsus in one hand and her sword in the other. With Edelgard a fair distance away, Lysithea once again had a ranged advantage. However she was all too aware that Edelgard could close the gap between them in an instant and was more than capable of cutting through her most powerful spells. And when it came to close combat, Lysithea certainly didn't favor her odds.
And yet...Edelgard didn't attack. She didn't lunge at her opponent, summon lightning, or even cast any spells. Edelgard simply stood there, staring at Lysithea with a small frown. Her eyes were downcast, eyebrows likewise slanted downwards, and her expression was soft. She seemed rather...sad. Or perhaps remorseful. Lysithea raised an eyebrow in confusion, when suddenly Edelgard spoke.
"Lysithea. You and I are so alike. We could have walked the same path."
Her tone was one of lament, and Lysithea's eyes widened.
"We're alike?" Lysithea repeated, transfixed on the woman whose hair was so much like her own. "You don't mean to tell me...it can't be!"
Unfathomable power...hair without pigment...and a hatred for Crests that ran so deep that she was willing to plunge Fodlan into war. So that was the reason behind all of it. Edelgard, like Lysithea, bore two Crests. And only only that, but based on the way she fought, it seemed likely that she bore the same Crest as—
"Yet now, we are at a crossroads. There's no turning back." Edelgard stated, conviction returning to her face. "Must we fight each other for the things we believe in?"
"That's exactly what's going to happen. And I will defeat you, Edelgard!" Lysithea shouted, baring her teeth.
Lysithea didn't hesitate in her response. If Edelgard had been looking for sympathy, then she only achieved the opposite effect. The Empire had bolstered its army with Demonic Beasts, and these Demonic Beasts had been created by the imperial mages and their blood experiments. The fact that Edelgard would allow anyone to suffer such cruelty after experiencing it herself firsthand only made Lysithea hate her and the Empire even more.
Edelgard kicked off once again, but Lysithea retaliated by casting a Luna spell within Edelgard's flight path. Rather than simply flying into the portal, however, Edelgard dispelled it with her own magic and soared onward, slamming her axe down.
Lysithea leapt out of the way, dodging the attack, but Edelgard followed up with a sword thrust. Lysithea countered this with Soulblade, managing to knock Edelgard's arm away, but the emperor was quick to swing at her once again with Aymr. Lysithea ducked the attack and retaliated with a Miasma blast, which Edelgard sidestepped before swinging Aymr once more. Lysithea tried to counter with Soulblade again...but this was a mistake.
SHING!
"Agh!"
Aymr cut cleanly through Lysithea's sword, snapping it in half. The only reason Lysithea didn't share the same fate was due to the force of the attack knocking her on her back. In a state of desperation, Lysithea tossed aside the remains of her sword and began wildly firing Miasma spells at Edelgard, who effortlessly cut through all of them with Aymr as she closed in. Edelgard raised her axe and swung down at Lysithea, who closed her eyes, bracing herself—
CLANG!
Lysithea blinked, slowly opening her eyes. She expected to see the professor standing over her, but instead it was...
"H-Hilda?!" Lysithea gasped.
"Yeah, yeah, how...nnngg...unlike me..." Hilda grunted as she and Freikugel clashed against Edelgard and Aymr. "Now...get...going!"
"Hmph. I won't allow it!" Edelgard yelled, slashing at Hilda with the Sword of Seiros.
"Yah!"
But this too was blocked as Marianne joined in and held Edelgard off with Blutgang. Edelgard glowered at the pair of them, but before she could retaliate, a third shout was heard.
"Hurrghaaah!"
While Hilda and Marianne held her off, Raphael came charging between them, slamming his fist directly in Edelgard's face.
"Ugh!" Edelgard gasped, staggering back.
The attacks didn't let up. Before Edelgard could recover from this blow, she sensed an arrow approaching, threatening to penetrate the side of her head. She managed to lean back just in time to avoid lethal damage as the arrow grazed past her, leaving a small cut on the bridge of her nose. Edelgard glared in the direction of the sniper, spotting Ignatz peeking behind out of the pillars.
Edelgard sent a fireball in Ignatz's direction, but this was interrupted by Lorenz, who countered the spell by casting Sagittae. Lorenz then quickly proceeded with the Ragnarok spell, forcing Edelgard to jump back as the ground beneath her exploded.
Twang twang!
Leonie joined the conflict as well, weaving in and out as she pelted Edelgard with a volley of arrows. Edelgard raised her gauntlets, protecting her face from Leonie's arrows and gritted her teeth in annoyance. The professor's students had joined the fray. Meanwhile her bodyguards were being driven off by Alois, Seteth, and the rest of the Knights of Seiros while Shamir stayed behind to protect Catherine. Edelgard was outnumbered now and if things continued the way they were, she would be backed into a corner.
"Lysithea, are you alright?" Claude asked, hovering on his wyvern as he and Byleth joined the rest of the group and Byleth helped Lysithea to her feet.
"I'm fine but...I think I now understand why Edelgard is so powerful," Lysithea noted with a hint of warning in her tone. "Claude, Professor, it's likely that she too bears the Crest of Flames."
Claude's eyes widened and he stared at Lysithea with a look of disbelief. Even he who prided himself on expecting the unexpected had difficulty accepting what he just heard
"No, that...that can't be possible..." Claude denied slowly, though his tone was starting to sound less like doubt, but realization. "Lysithea, are you sure about this?"
"It's only a theory but...I'm fairly certain," Lysithea confirmed.
"That would explain a lot, but how can you—"
"We will need to catch her off guard," Byleth interrupted.
Claude nodded while Lysithea gave a small frown. The professor seemed remarkably unfazed by this revelation, the usual subtle signs of surprise missing from his face. Was he just being more stoic than usual in the heat of battle or...was it possible that the professor had already known about this? Or at least suspected it?
"What's the plan, Teach?" Claude prompted.
Byleth frowned for a few seconds, observing the fight taking place between Edelgard and the rest of the Golden Deer, before turning towards Lysithea.
"Do you remember our training session back in the monastery?" Byleth asked.
Lysithea nodded, obviously he was referring to the fight they had long ago when she had managed to catch the professor off guard and knock him to the ground.
"We'll use the same strategy you used then." Byleth said.
"Wait, hold on, what are you two talking about?" Claude frowned.
"Just focus on backing Edelgard into a corner and keep her busy," Byleth instructed. "Lysithea will handle the rest."
"As long as you can prevent her from cutting through my spells, we should be fine." Lysithea affirmed.
"Understood." Claude nodded, his expression unsure but trusting, and optimistic. "I'll assist the others in pushing her back and leave the rest in your capable hands. Good luck!"
With that, Claude and his wyvern took off and rejoined the battle. The Golden Deer had formed a perimeter around Edelgard and were slowly, but surely pushing her back. Edelgard cast Bolganone, unleashing a stream of flames that she manipulated to create a wall of fire, separating her from her pursuers.
The intensity of the flames was enough to instantly burn Leonie and Ignatz's arrows to ash, but Claude simply flew over the flames and continued pelting at Edelgard while his wyvern let loose another stream of fire. Edelgard dodged the arrows and cast Bolganone once again to counter the wyvern's flames with her own.
The next moment Marianne doused the wall of flames with a Blizzard spell and, shortly after, Byleth shot the Sword of the Creator's whip directly towards Edelgard while Lysithea assisted with a Miasma spell. Edelgard deflected the whip with the Sword of Seiros and cut through the spell with Aymr but quickly jumped out of the way to avoid several more arrow shots.
Edelgard started panting...they were beginning to tire her out. But if she could kill just one of the professor's students, she had a plan to turn this battle around...by using the professor's own power against him.
More arrows, more magic, Edelgard was being attacked from all angles. Ignatz and Leonie were aiming for her head, Claude targeted her from the sky, and Lorenz and Lysithea were unleashing a torrent of Fire and Miasma spells respectively, targeting Edelgard's feet. Each spell exploded as it hit the ground, increasing the blast radius and forcing Edelgard to stay on her toes.
At the moment, Edelgard's best bet was using Aymr to start another earthquake and disorient her opponents...but as long as Claude remained airborne, this wasn't an option. He would be unaffected by the tremors and would simply take her out when she was exposed. If Edelgard was going to fall back on that strategy, she would need to take care of Claude's pet first.
While the Golden Deer continued to overwhelm the emperor with their combined forces, Byleth made his way towards her, sword at the ready. Edelgard cast Hades directly in front of him, but Byleth simply cut through it. In response, Edelgard slammed Aymr into two nearby pillars, causing them to both fall in Byleth's direction.
"Hyah!"
"Ooorraaah!"
Charging ahead, Hilda destroyed one of the pillars with Freikugal, while Raphael caught the other and tossed it harmlessly to the side. While the two busied themselves with this, Edelgard cast Luna, hoping to absorb them while they were preoccupied...but instead her spell fizzled and faded away as Marianne cast Silence from a distance.
Byleth engaged Edelgard from the front while Lorenz pelted Fire spells from her left and Lysithea blasted Miasma from her right. With no other options, Edelgard was forced to step back. She was getting pushed...and if she didn't start pushing back soon, she would find herself up against the wall.
"Raaaaaaarrrgh!"
Edelgard ducked another stream of fire. Once again, Claude was proving himself to be quite a nuisance. While the mages and archers provided support from the sides, Claude provided aerial support from the back, keeping Edelgard from pushing past Byleth. He rained down a volley of arrows while his wyvern continued with its fire blasts, further pushing Edelgard. With her magic unavailable and few other options, Edelgard chucked her axe directly at Claude.
"Yikes!" Claude exclaimed, swerving out of the way to avoid the attack.
"Grraaarrrgghhh!"
The wyvern let out a roar of pain as the Relic grazed its wing, sending the beast plummeting to the ground. During its descent, the wyvern crashed into a pillar, bucking Claude off in the process.
"I got you, Claude!" Hilda shouted, rushing towards him and catching the Alliance leader in the nick of time.
Byleth, however, couldn't afford to take his eyes off Edelgard, who lunged at him with the Sword of Seiros, desperate to push through. Catching him off guard, she briefly managed to force her way past him, but was immediately halted by a wall of ice as Marianne cast Fimbulvetr. Edelgard smashed through the ice wall with her sword but immediately pulled back as she was ambushed by more spells and arrows. Byleth took the opportunity to take the offensive once again and pushed her once more.
Finally, Edelgard was cornered, her back to the wall... but she refused to give in so easily. Byleth activated Sublime Heaven and shot his sword's whip directly at her, but Edelgard jumped to the side. As she expected, the Sword of the Creator was powerful enough to penetrate stone and was now lodged in the palace wall.
Before Edelgard could press her advantage though, she was forced to duck several more arrows and sidestep one of Lorenz's fireballs. Next came a Miasma spell, but this time, instead of aiming at her feet, Lysithea now aimed directly at Edelgard's head. Edelgard ducked this, much like she had ducked the arrows...but this proved to be a fatal error.
"Arrrgghhh!" Edelgard gasped.
She had been so focused on simply dodging the attacks that she hadn't considered what Lysithea's true motive had been. All this time, the mages had been aiming at Edelgard's feet, using the explosive properties of their spells to limit her movement and corner her. Once they succeeded in that, Lysithea changed focus and had fired the spell at the emperor's head. However, Lysithea's target hadn't been Edelgard herself, but the wall behind her. When Edelgard ducked the attack, the Miasma spell hit the wall and exploded. The blast radius had hit Edelgard directly, which sent her flying forward and landed face first on the stone floor.
"Nnnggg..." Edelgard grunted, panting heavily.
Byleth retracted the Sword of the Creator's whip and the Golden Deer began forming a tight circle around the fallen emperor. Edelgard glanced first towards Byleth, whose expression was unreadable and then towards the others. Lorenz wore a look of disgust, Leonie looked furious, Ignatz timid, Marianne sorrowful, Raphael sad, while Lysithea had a look of anger...and pity.
Perhaps it was petty of her, but it pained Edelgard to see Lysithea and the professor standing side by side like this. The man who had once saved her life, who bore the same Crest, who was once her closest friend...walking the same path as a woman who was so like Edelgard in many ways. It could have been her . She attempted to stand up, but—
"Urgh!" Edelgard gasped as her body gave way and collapsed.
"Edelgard, give up! We don't want to kill you!" Claude shouted as he and Hilda joined the others.
"But...I must kill you." Edelgard heaved, using the Sword of Seiros to prop herself up and rise to her feet. "If I don't, the righteous world I dream of will never see the light. Come at me with everything you have. For one of us, this is the end!"
This was it. Edelgard's last remaining strategy. Her final trump card. She lunged at Lysithea with everything she had and, just as she predicted, Byleth stepped in to protect his student, locking blades with the emperor. And, just in time, Marianne's Silence spell had worn off.
"White hair, short stature...and even two Crests. Heh, I see you've developed a preference in women, Professor," Edelgard whispered in a spiteful mocking tone, her eyes darting towards Lysithea. "But I wonder if you can protect her as well."
Just as Edelgard had hoped, her threat had managed to get under the professor's skin. His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing with rage and the battle intensified. Claude assisted with an arrow, which Edelgard dodged, but before the other Golden Deer could join in, the battle ended as quickly as it began.
Clang! Swish! Clang! Swoosh! Swoosh! CLANG!
With a mighty power attack, Byleth knocked Edelgard's sword out of her hand and sent her stumbling back. Edelgard grimaced for a moment before giving a small smirk and raising her hand in the air, preparing to cast a spell—
"Aargh!" Edelgard cried as Claude shot another arrow to her shoulder, piercing her armor, and knocking her back against the wall.
"It's over, Edelgard." Claude sighed wearily as he and Byleth cornered her.
"Indeed. ...I have finally won." Edelgard said calmly.
"Indeed..." Edelgard coughed, faltering only for a moment before standing tall and proud again; her frown contrasting her tone of confidence. "...I have finally won."
Claude simply raised a confused eyebrow and Byleth readied his sword when suddenly—
WHOOSH!
"CLAUDE LOOK OUT!" Hilda screamed.
"Huh—BAH!" Claude cried as Aymr soared at him from behind, striking him square in the back and flinging him against the wall.
Edelgard gave a satisfied smirk as the Golden Deer stared in horror at their leader's broken body. Byleth now understood what Edelgard had been doing. She had kept her attacks focused on Lysithea to draw Byleth away from the real target, Claude. The 'spell' she was casting hadn't been a spell at all, rather she had been recalling her Relic, using this ability to strike Claude from behind. It was a clever tactic, but as long as Byleth had the Divine Pulse, he still had time to stop her—
:::
Clang! Swish! Clang! Swoosh! Swoosh! CLANG!
As time reversed, Byleth and Edelgard's sword fight repeated itself, once again ending when Byleth disarmed Edelgard, knocking her sword from her hand. And, just as before, Edelgard was sent stumbling backwards. Byleth rushed in, ready to stop her from recalling Aymr. Edelgard lifted her hand once more, and Byleth quickly slashed where her hand would be-—but found himself striking air instead.
"URGH!" Byleth gasped as an intense pain swept over him.
Byleth eyes widened and he glanced down in horror, realizing that Edelgard hadn't been trying to recall Aymr at all, but had merely moved her hand to withdraw a blue, gilded dagger, which she then plunged right into his heart. But...this wasn't right. This wasn't the course of events that had taken place before. Why? Why had this happened? How...was it possible?
"We share the same Crest...and so I too bear witness to the flow of time," Edelgard whispered into his ear as she pulled him close.
Byleth grunted as Edelgard used the power of her Crest to draw out his lifeforce and replenish her stamina, her expression one of twisted glee and triumph. His worst nightmare had come to pass once again. The Divine Pulse had failed him, it was too soon to use it again, and now...he was going to die.
"This time, it is over. Goodbye...my teacher," Edelgard bid him farewell, her expression shifting to one of solemn remorse as she removed her dagger.
The next moment, Edelgard kicked the professor in the chest and Byleth stumbled backwards, toppling onto his back. Several voices immediately cried out in response.
"PROFESSOR!"
"TEACH!"
"BYLETH!"
The Golden Deer immediately rushed to their professor's side, surrounding their teacher while Lysithea knelt beside him, pulling him into her arms and stared into his half-lidded eyes. Byleth placed a hand on her cheek, looking at her and the other students, each of them wearing of a look of shock, horror, and heartbreak.
"I'm sorry...I...can't go on..." Byleth gasped weakly.
"N...No, don't—don't exert yourself, Professor. Y-You'll be OK!" Lysithea stammered, applying white magic to his wound.
Byleth gazed up at her sadly as Lysithea's tears spilled on his face and he was reminded of Jeralt's death.
"My students...thank you...for everything..." Byleth whispered as his eyelids began to droop and his arm went limp.
"You'll be fine! You...I—Marianne, help! I need help!" Lysithea pleaded.
"O-Oh...I..." Marianne stuttered.
"Please!" Lysithea begged, and Marianne nodded weakly, kneeling alongside her, and channeling her own magic.
"Lysithea, Marianne...is he...?" Leonie asked, her voice cautious.
"He's going to be fine!" Lysithea insisted, but Marianne just frowned.
As the two of them placed their hands on his chest, they managed to seal the wound with their healing spells...but neither of them could feel a heartbeat.
"Lysithea, we can't..." Marianne explained softly.
Ignatz let out a startled gasp and Hilda placed a hand to her mouth in horror.
"Do you mean to say that our professor...he has perished?" Lorenz asked tentatively.
Marianne gave a small and solemn nod, blinking back tears.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can—"
"You can't just give up without even trying!" Lysithea screamed angrily as, with trembling hands, she desperately attempted to revive the professor.
Marianne winced, but simply lowered her head and didn't respond. She felt so...weak and useless. The professor had done so much for them, had brought them all together, and had given Marianne the courage to keep pressing forward...and yet now she could do nothing for him.
While the Golden Deer mourned their professor, Edelgard had recalled Aymr to her hand, but didn't attack. There was no need to continue, she had already won. There was nothing the Church or the Alliance could do at this point. Even if she was outnumbered, without the professor they stood no chance. And so, she simply allowed them their moment of grieving.
"Perhaps you'll say that that's what friends do. They look out for each other and save each other. But if I saw you getting attacked, I wouldn't risk my neck to save you."
"Yes, you would."
Hilda sniffled, thinking back to a conversation she once had with the professor. She remembered how he had responded so matter-of-factly, as if he knew, beyond reason, that he could count on her. Even when Hilda pleaded with him not to overestimate her, not to put his expectations on her...
"I won't expect anything, but I believe in you."
No matter how many times Hilda slacked off or let him down, he always had faith in her. Something few others did and...perhaps it was for good reason. The professor had believed in her, had counted on her...and now he was dead.
Meanwhile Ignatz was beginning to panic. Having always lacked confidence of his own, he had placed his faith in the professor. Byleth was young and yet so wise and accomplished. Everyone looked up to him as an inspiration. With the professor in command, everyone believed they could win this war. But if someone as strong as the professor could get killed...what hope did he or the others have?
Lorenz quickly noticed this loss of morale not just in Ignatz, but in the others as well. The professor may have been a mere commoner by blood, but he was a role model and the very epitome of nobility. Without him, the others needed a leader to step in and take his place...and alas, Lorenz was not that leader. He turned to the man next to him, the only one who could possibly fill the professor's shoes. Claude.
Claude gazed down at Byleth in astonishment, as if hoping that some miracle would happen, that perhaps some god—or heck even the goddess—would intervene and return Teach to them. Teach always pulled through with some kind of miracle...didn't he? Somehow, it had never even occurred to Claude that Teach could fall in battle. He couldn't die...he was too important. If Teach died, then all of Claude's dreams and ambitions would die with him.
...No, there was more to it than that. More than losing a friend, more than seeing his ambitions fail. This feeling...it was as though Claude had just lost a brother. Even if they weren't related by blood, Teach had been more of a brother to him than any of his siblings. And it was that, more than anything, that weighed on Claude's heart as he stared down at his fallen comrade.
"It's not over yet, we can't give up now!" Raphael announced suddenly, earning the attention of everyone in the room. "We gotta stay strong, it's what the professor would want."
No matter how tough things were, they had to keep moving forward. Raphael knew he wasn't fit to be a leader, he didn't have the smarts for it, but with the professor gone, someone had to step up and look after the others in his stead...and finish what they started.
"He's right." Claude agreed solemnly. "There's no going back now."
"You won't get away with this, Edelgard. We will have our revenge!" Leonie declared, tightly gripping her bow.
Twang twang twang!
Twang!
Leonie let loose a volley of arrows at Edelgard with Ignatz assisting her. It proved to be no use, however, as Edelgard effortlessly swatted Leonie's arrows away with her gauntlets and, to the shock of the Golden Deer, caught Ignatz's arrow with ease, before it could hit her face.
"You're weak. You lack the power to face me," Edelgard stated, snapping the arrow in half and retrieving the Sword of Seiros.
Edelgard had brushed them off so easily. After all the hard work and training Leonie endured, after vowing to protect Captain Jeralt's child...was she truly so helpless?
"Yaargh!" Leonie cried, firing another bombardment of arrows.
Twang! Twang! Twang twang twang twang!
Edelgard slowly approached them, using the flat of her blade to effortlessly block the incoming arrows as she closed the distance between them. Leonie began shaking slightly...it was as though the emperor wasn't even trying, like she was just toying with them. And nobody was coming to Leonie's aid. Ignatz, with trembling hands, had dropped his bow in terror upon seeing Edelgard's display of dominance. It seemed as though everyone was either too intimidated or too distraught to fight.
"Claude, this is your final chance," Edelgard warned him. "Call off your troops and leave. Go now, with my blessing. Bury the professor with the dignity he deserves. Or you can join him in dea—"
Whizz!
Lysithea let loose a Miasma spell, but Edelgard merely cut through it with Aymr, just as easily as she had blocked Leonie's arrows.
"Shut up..." Lysithea whispered shakily, her teeth bared and tears rolling down her cheeks. "I refuse to submit! I won't tarnish the professor's sacrifice by giving in!"
Lysithea let loose a barrage of Miasma spells as quickly as she could, using both Thyrsus and her free hand to cast them. Seeing Lysithea's determination, Leonie assisted her with another volley of arrows while Lorenz rained fireballs onto Edelgard.
Using Aymr and the Sword of Seiros, Edelgard blocked these attacks just as easily as before and retaliated by slamming Aymr into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the others stumbling back. Quickly, while they were still unbalanced, Edelgard sent three fireballs in rapid succession at Lorenz, Leonie, and Lysithea.
"Argh!"
Lorenz was hit directly and fell onto his back. Leonie managed to dodge the spell but, due to her unstable footing, tripped in the process. Lysithea tried to counter the attack with her own Miasma spell but acted too late. The spell's collision occurred too close to Lysithea and the explosion sent her flying back, landing next to Catherine's discarded Hero's Relic.
"I do not relish the suffering of war, but you left me with no alternative." Edelgard said. "Had you simply surrendered from the start, you could have prevented so much senseless bloodshed and saved countless lives...including the professor."
"How dare you..." Leonie growled, slowly rising to her feet.
"I am simply stating the truth." Edelgard said. "It's clear that the professor cared deeply for each of you, going so far as to fight this war to protect his students. He wouldn't want you to throw your lives away. And so, Claude, I ask once more...will you take responsibility as leader of the Alliance? Will you accept your defeat and surrender? Or will you sacrifice your life as well as the lives of your comrades for a battle you cannot win?"
All eyes turned to Claude, who hesitated in a moment of confliction. On one hand, simply giving up now would be an insult to Teach...after all, he did only join this war for the sake of his students. On the other hand, Edelgard was right. They couldn't win. What was there to gain by sending his friends and allies to their deaths?
...What would Teach do?
"Come, let us put an end to this war. We have both suffered enough," Edelgard said soothingly, sheathing the Sword of Seiros and extending her hand to Claude. "Surrender now and let us greet Fodlan's new dawn together."
Claude paused for a moment, glancing between Edelgard's hand and Teach's fallen body. Was it selfish to accept her offer? To flee with his own life and let Teach die in vain? During the Battle of Garreg Mach, their professor had placed priority in protecting the students over winning the battle. Perhaps Claude was only trying to justify his choice, but even Teach was willing to surrender if it meant protecting the lives of his friends. With that in mind, Claude reluctantly extended his hand—
"No, I...I'll never give up."
Claude and Edelgard turned their heads to find that Lysithea was on her feet once again, her head lowered and bangs casting a shadow over her eyes. She glared at Edelgard, wielding Thyrsus in one hand and Thunderbrand in the other. A low hum filled the throne room as both Heroes Relics glowed red, harmonizing with Lysithea's compatible Crests. She didn't care about keeping secrets anymore. At this point, the Empire had taken everything from her and she had nothing left to lose. All that mattered right now was killing Edelgard!
"Wait, is she wielding two Relics?" Ignatz questioned, his eyes widening with curiosity.
"They're both glowing..." Hilda exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"But that could only occur with a compatible host. This—this cannot be!" Lorenz exclaimed.
"Lysithea..." Claude whispered, staring in disbelief.
"So, you have finally shown your true nature," Edelgard said calmly. "You're surely aware that you cannot win...but I see you are eager to join your dear professor. Very well, if that is your wish, I shall oblige. Though it's a shame that a brilliant girl like you would so recklessly throw away her life."
Lysithea closed her eyes, drawing power from both Relics and allowing the red glow to spread to the rest of her body. The next moment, she waved Thyrsus swiftly and precisely, casting four Miasma spells in the span of a single second. Edelgard's eyes widened and she positioned the flat of her axe head to block the incoming spells.
The combined might of four Relic-powered spells was enough to send the emperor skidding back. Edelgard, sensing more danger, glanced up and spotted several black spikes hovering over her head—Lysithea had cast Dark Spikes and was already preparing the next wave of Miasma spells. Edelgard quickly tucked and rolled underneath the Miasma spells, while managing to avoid the Dark Spikes that came crashing to the ground.
"Hmph. It seems I've underestimated you," Edelgard admitted, staring Lysithea down while the others looked on in astonishment. "But it will make no difference in the end!"
Edelgard cut through and dodged the next wave of Miasma spells. Lysithea cast Dark Spikes again, but Edelgard kicked off, avoiding the spell and soared towards Lysithea, who stood her ground.
CLANG!
Lysithea activated Soulblade and suddenly, Thunderbrand was no longer glowing red with the power of her Crest, nor blue with the power of her magic.
Instead, it began to radiate with an ominous, dark purple hue.
Using the combined might of a Hero's Relic and magic, Lysithea was able to successfully parry Edelgard's axe swing.
"Urk! I-Impossible!" Edelgard gasped as she was sent stumbling back.
Lysithea continued the assault against Edelgard, using a combination of rapid sword swings and magic to steadily overwhelm her opponent. Ordinarily, Thunderbrand's power would allow the user to increase the speed of their sword swings, but Claude noted that Lysithea was drawing power from it to increase her spellcasting as well.
Normally, Claude might marvel at the ingenuity of this, but right now his focus was divided between the battle before him and the state of his professor. This war had given Claude a lot of experience with corpses...but looking at him now, it was hard to believe that Teach was truly dead. He was still and he had no heartbeat...but could he have truly perished?
...No heartbeat. Something about this rang familiar.
"...There's a baby mentioned in the diary. One without a heartbeat. That baby is you, isn't it?"
It was with sudden realization that Claude recalled Jeralt's diary. It was in this diary that he had learned of Teach's lack of heartbeat. But what did that mean? That their professor didn't have a heart? Or perhaps Rhea had done something to it?
Claude frowned, kneeling beside Teach and grabbed the professor's hand, pressing his fingers to Teach's wrist.
"We can't just stand around, we gotta get out there and help!" Raphael suddenly exclaimed.
"R-Right, I'll help too!" Ignatz stuttered with nervous conviction.
"Me too!" Marianne added.
"Hold on a moment, we can't afford to be so hasty," Claude interjected, his eyes widening slightly as he released Byleth's hand.
"Well, we can't sit back and do nothing either," Leonie protested.
"Lysithea's fighting all alone over there—the professor would never forgive us if we let anything happen to her," Hilda pointed out.
"Too true..." Claude sighed. "But the way things are, we would just get in the way. We should hang back and strike when the time is right."
Claude could see immediate disapproval in the faces of his allies at this suggestion.
"Come on, are you really saying we're too weak to do anything ?" Leonie asked indignantly.
"It's not that," Claude assured her. "But with the way Edelgard fights...I'm not sure we'd be much help. It's better to wait for now and step in if something goes wrong."
"Uh, 'if something goes wrong'?" Hilda frowned. "What do you mean by that, Claude?"
"In the meantime, Marianne, I need you and Lorenz to continue restoring Teach," Claude said, passing over Hilda's comment.
"I beg your pardon?" Lorenz frowned.
"Claude...he—there's nothing we can do," Marianne said gently.
"We can't know that for sure," Claude insisted. "I know it sounds pointless, but I'm going to need you to trust me on this."
Marianne gave Claude a sympathetic expression while Lorenz gazed at him skeptically.
"If you truly believe this is the best course of action, then I will comply," Lorenz sighed reluctantly as he assisted Marianne. "But I implore you to be reasonable with your expectations."
Claude nodded as he continued to glance between Teach and the ongoing battle. He was certain that he had felt a pulse just a moment ago. A weak pulse, but a pulse nonetheless. Even if their chances were slim, he couldn't give up on Teach just yet.
He readied his bow, prepared to protect Teach's body or step in if things got bad for Lysithea.
Lysithea...how long can you maintain this power? Claude wondered.
BANG! BANG! CLANG! BANG! CLANG! BANG! CLANG-CLANG!
Lysithea continued pushing forward, unleashing a flurry of spells and sword wings onto Edelgard, who was panting heavily. ...To think that Lysithea of all people would be capable of driving her back. It was...impressive to say the least. If only she and the professor had joined Edelgard's cause—but no, it was too late to lament over that now. If she was to defeat Lysithea, she would need to take advantage of her vulnerable defenses.
Edelgard strafed to the side, dodging more Miasma spells, before leaping several feet into the air and plunging her axe downward, ready to start another earthquake. However, Lysithea was prepared this time and cast Abraxas, summoning a pillar of light from the sky, which struck Edelgard directly mid-jump.
"Aaarrrgh!" Edelgard cried as she was sent crashing facedown onto the floor.
Lysithea wasn't finished yet. As soon as Edelgard landed, she next cast Hades, creating a tornado of darkness that launched the emperor back into the air. As Edelgard descended towards the ground once again, Lysithea cast a Miasma spell that hit Edelgard mid-fall and sent her flying backwards, landing directly onto the throne itself.
Cheers erupted throughout the throne room as the Golden Deer celebrated Lysithea's triumph, however these cheers soon turned to gasps and, as Edelgard looked up, she could see why. Lysithea was doubled over in pain, coughing up blood. No doubt her body was struggling to handle the strain that came from using two Relics at once. This was Edelgard's chance!
"No... cough ...not yet..." Lysithea grunted as she coughed up more blood.
"Lysithea!" Leonie shouted.
"Look out!" Claude exclaimed.
Lysithea looked up just in time to see Edelgard charging towards her, poised to attack with Aymr. Leonie and Ignatz pelted Edelgard with arrows, slowing her down, and Claude let loose a single well-aimed arrow from Failnaught that forced the emperor to draw back momentarily, giving Lysithea just enough time to gather herself.
Edelgard quickly recovered, however, and Lysithea was forced to sidestep a vertical axe swing and counter Edelgard's subsequent sword thrust with Thunderbrand. Shortly after, Edelgard's vertical axe swing transitioned into a horizontal slash that Lysithea ducked under before spitting a mouthful of blood into Edelgard's face. Hardly an appropriate maneuver for a woman of nobility, it was a fighting tactic that she had picked up from sparring with the professor.
"Ack!" Edelgard recoiled with disgust, blinded by Lysithea's attack.
Lysithea continued the momentum, assaulting Edelgard with a series of quick and powerful sword strikes. Her muscles were screaming in agony as the power of the Crests and Heroes Relics began to tear her body apart, but she couldn't stop just yet. She had to finish this—for the professor!
CLANG! CLANG!
Edelgard blinked past the blood, using Aymr to defend herself against Lysithea's attacks. With each strike, Lysithea pushed herself closer and closer to victory, while Edelgard's movements became more and more desperate. She was losing...
CLANG!
How...how was this possible?
CLANG!
She was Edelgard von Hresvelg!
CLANG!
Emperor of the Adrestian Empire!
CLANG!
The power of a god flowed through her veins!
CLANG!
How could she be defeated—
CLANG!
—by a small, crippled girl?!
CLANG!
Lysithea raised Thunderbrand over her head and swung down forcefully. Edelgard blocked the attack once more, but the sheer power was enough to bring the emperor to her knees.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
It had been so long since Edelgard last knew fear—when she was a little girl and had received her second Crest. But now, at the height of her glory as emperor, Edelgard was trembling in terror as she gazed up at Lysithea. Her face was contorted with rage, eyes seething with hatred as she brought down her sword, again and again and again. There was no form or technique to her attacks anymore, just raw anger as Lysithea ruthlessly pounded Edelgard into submission.
She was supposed to be prepared for this; this reaction, this brutality, this righteous fury. And yet...
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
"Agh!" Edelgard gasped as she was slammed onto her back, her head hitting the stone-cold floor.
The two of them were breathing heavily now. Edelgard lunged at Lysithea with the Sword of Seiros in a last-ditch effort to take her down, but it was too late. Lysithea parried the thrust with Thunderbrand and blasted her with Miasma using Thyrsus. Edelgard was flung back, flipping over on her stomach, and dropped both of her weapons in the process.
Edelgard gazed up helplessly as Lysithea sprinted towards her, Thunderbrand in hand, determined to put an end to this once and for all. There was nothing Edelgard could do anymore, she had exhausted all her options.
...It was over.
Just as Edelgard closed her eyes and braced herself for her inevitable fate, however, Lysithea's sprint turned into a staggered run, then a clumsy jog. The next moment, she had fallen face first to the ground.
"Nnnngg...urrrgghhh..." Lysithea grunted as she steadily pushed herself back to her feet. "AAARRRGHHH!"
"Lysithea!" Claude shouted as Lysithea collapsed and began writhing in pain, convulsing and shaking horribly, the power of the Crests and Heroes Relics taking their toll on her body. "Everyone move in!
Edelgard stared for a moment, mouth agape in astonishment, before quickly scrambling to her feet, retrieving her weapons, and charging towards her fallen adversary.
"Stay back!" Raphael shouted, placing himself in front of Lysithea.
Edelgard gave a low growl and, with murderous intent in her eyes, she swung Aymr at Raphael, who stepped back in time to avoid it and grabbed the hilt of the axe. In Edelgard's weakened state, Raphael was able to overpower her and slowly pushed her back while the others came to Lysithea's aid.
"I will not stand for this hindrance!" Edelgard shouted, smashing her forehead into Raphael's, her horned ornament protecting her from damage.
"Oogh..." Raphael grunted.
With Raphael dazed from the attack, Edelgard swung the axe around, flinging him off, and continued her pursuit. The archers, Ignatz, Leonie, and Claude, were already prepared, however, and let loose a volley of arrows to ward off Edelgard, while Lorenz scooped Lysithea into his arms and carried her away.
"Out of my way!" Edelgard shouted, blocking several of the arrows with the flat of her axe head and then countering with a series of Fire spells.
These fireballs, however, were dispelled by Marianne who cut through them with Blutgang. Using her free hand, she then cast Silence, once again denying Edelgard access to her spells. Retaliating, Edelgard rushed in and swung her axe at Marianne.
"Hiiiyah!" Hilda shouted, jumping in just in time to block Edelgard's attack with Freikugel.
Without a moment to waste, Edelgard pushed against Freikugel with Aymr and quickly elbowed Hilda in the face, knocking her to the ground. Marianne attempted to counter this with a sword thrust, but Edelgard swatted her attack to the side and kicked her down, right next to Hilda.
"Urk!" Edelgard gasped as one of Ignatz's arrows suddenly grazed her cheek.
Edelgard couldn't afford to let Claude or the others slow her down. She could deal with them later, but Lysithea was too dangerous to let live. She had to die right now! Edelgard dodged the volley of arrows and kicked off once again, flying towards Lorenz as he fled with Lysithea in his arms. Edelgard was too fast for them; in a matter of seconds she had almost caught up and was prepared to cleave the two of them in half when—
"Oof!"
Something snagged on Edelgard's ankle, causing her to slam onto the floor. Edelgard turned her head and glared at the source, when suddenly her eyes widened. Wrapped around her ankle was a familiar looking whip...and at the other end, holding the mythical Sword of the Creator was—
"Professor!"
"Teach, you made it!"
"Y-You're alive!"
"Hahaha, should have known you would pull through!"
Byleth. His face was expressionless as always, and yet there was something intense about the way he was staring at Edelgard right now.
"Get away from my students." Byleth said in a calm, yet deadly tone.
"...No...no..." Edelgard whispered in horror. "Not you..."
Byleth tugged at the sword, pulling Edelgard back and flinging her against the opposite wall.
"Nnng!"
Edelgard slowly got to her feet as Byleth retracted the whip of his sword and made his way towards her, calmly and serenely, without a hint of emotion on his face. And yet the way he was looking at her...the professor couldn't be any more terrifying.
"You...y-you're dead. I...I stabbed you in the heart !" Edelgard shouted, sounding very much like a small child who had been cheated out of winning a game.
Byleth didn't respond. He simply continued to approach her, his cold, pitiless eyes staring straight into Edelgard's soul. He raised the Sword of the Creator and swung down. Edelgard blocked with Aymr, but the red glow of her Hero's Relic was starting to flicker...she was at her limit.
Another swing from the Sword of the Creator. This time Edelgard blocked with the Sword of Seiros, but Byleth delivered a left hook with his free hand, sending the emperor staggering back and bruising her cheek. None of the Golden Deer intervened. There was no need to at this point. It was clear that Edelgard couldn't keep going, and the professor was no longer expending any effort.
Making one last stand, Edelgard rushed at Byleth and swung Aymr down on him. Byleth easily blocked it with the Sword of the Creator and cast Nosferatsu with his other hand, sending Edelgard skidding back. The next moment, he unleashed Sublime Heaven, attacking Edelgard with a horizontal whip slash. Edelgard blocked it with her axe, but the force of the attack was too powerful and she was flung back, landing right in front of the staircase leading to the throne.
Breathing heavily, Edelgard shakily rose to her feet one last time...before collapsing and falling once again, no longer able to stand. She was done.
"It looks as though...my path...will end here..." Edelgard breathed, using the Sword of Seiros to prop herself up as she kneeled before Byleth.
Edelgard reached for Aymr and the Relic glowed, but only briefly. She didn't even have the power to channel her Crest anymore.
"My teacher...claim your victory..." Edelgard whispered. "Strike me down. You must!"
Byleth said nothing. Lysithea and the others simply watched on as Edelgard continued to plead, none of them could see the professor's expression.
Even now...across this land, people are killing each other. If you do not act now, this conflict...will go on forever."
It was a struggle just for Edelgard to speak at this point, and she sounded as though she might break down into tears at any moment. Lysithea still hated her. Deeply. But she couldn't help but pity her as well. A woman who had suffered the same trauma as herself, who held the same resentment to Crests and the nobility, who had once been so close to the professor...
"Your path...lies across my grave. It is time for you to find the courage to walk it."
...Only to be killed by him now.
"If I must fall...let it be by your hand."
With Byleth's back to the others, they still couldn't see his face, but he seemed resolved as he gripped the Sword of the Creator and slowly approached Edelgard. No pause, no shaking, nor any other signs of hesitance. He simply stood in front of Edelgard and raised the Sword of the Creator above his head. Lysithea couldn't watch...
"I wanted... to walk with yo—"
Lysithea closed her eyes just as Byleth brought down his sword. A horrible squelching sound was heard as the emperor breathed her last.
He had done it.
He had killed Edelgard.
His student. His friend.
One of the first people he had formed a bond with, who had helped him find his humanity.
She was gone now and...
...the war was over.