Who else got Skyrim vibes when they saw the Immaculate One for the first time?
Chapter 120 – The Battle of Garreg Mach, Part 6 (Lone Moon)
Rhea stood at the top of Garreg Mach Monastery's main building as she looked down at the battle below. It was, to her dismay, going poorly for the Knights of Seiros, despite their heroism.
It was to her shock, then, that she saw a new force of Imperial troops entering the monastery town, one comparable in size to the initial army of 3,000 Edelgard had begun her attack with. The Archbishop estimated the second army to be around 2,000 men.
The Knights of Seiros would never be able to defeat such vast reinforcements. Already they were faltering. Rhea had already seen Catherine's defeat at Edelgard's hands. Seteth's air wing had been decimated. Abyss was being overrun. The Empire was already entering the main halls of the monastery.
Rhea knew she had only one option left.
It would be a great risk. No doubt Edelgard was expecting her to resort to it. The poison she had given to Metodey made it clear that Edelgard knew who, or rather what, Rhea was.
But there was no other way.
"Mou, akaki tani no sangeki wo kurikaesase wa shimasen…!"
Rhea was then surrounded by green light as her body began to change shape. Her fair skin changed to a lustrous set of white scales as immense horns grew from her head. Her eyes remained their green hue, though their shape changed as two enormous wings sprouted from her back. She fell to her hands and knees as her body morphed and grew, and then she leapt into the air as the light around her became blinding to any who might have been watching.
A second later, Archbishop Rhea was gone, replaced by the massive form of the Immaculate One, the great white dragon of legend. The Crest of Seiros was emblazoned on the dragon's forehead.
"Seibou ni shinnyu shita mono wa shinu koto ni naru!"
The white dragon roared as she soared towards the monastery town, looking down as the Imperials watched her approach in absolute horror. They were all like ants to her, but like any vermin, they had roused her ire, and would now be punished for their insolence.
Rhea shouted "SHI-NE!" as she opened her mouth, releasing her holy breath in a blast of energy. The powerful attack smashed into a formation of no less than fifty Imperial infantry, disintegrating those at the epicenter while sending the rest careening away in flames.
She heard an officer shout, "Archers, take aim!"
Below her, Rhea saw a formation of the Empire's men raising their crossbows. The officer shouted "FIRE!" as she soared over them and felt the bolts glance harmlessly off her scales. She responded with another blast of holy fire, incinerating the archers as they scrambled to escape her wrath.
The dragon then caught sight of a squad of cavalry charging up at the monastery. With another roar, the Immaculate One swooped down, raking the cavalry with her claws and sending the Imperials scattering in panic. Several men and horses were scooped into the air and sent plummeting to their deaths.
Realizing their efforts against the dragon were futile, the Imperials ran as its breath continued to scour the field, leaving ashes and dust in its wake.
…
Edelgard grimaced as the Immaculate One soared toward the town. She had admittedly been caught off guard, thinking Rhea would have hesitated to enter the fray herself. But it seemed the Archbishop was bolder than the emperor had thought.
Edelgard scowled, knowing she was going to have to call upon Thales to subdue the great dragon.
Looking back at Byleth and Dorothea, Edelgard said, "It seems you will have to wait, Professor. The Immaculate One demands my attention."
"The… Immaculate One?" Dorothea said in confusion.
Edelgard turned and marched out of the main gate as Dorothea watched somberly.
"Edie…"
A gasp of pain from Byleth snapped Dorothea out of her thoughts, prompting the singer to continue trying to heal the greenette.
"Professor, are you alright?"
"I'll be fine. We need to go," said Byleth. "We'll head to the stables."
Dorothea helped Byleth to her feet as the two made their way toward the monastery's stables, their path covered in bodies and flame.
…
As she stood before the hidden gate near the northern wall of the cathedral, Flayn hesitated. She knew that if she opened the gate while everyone was watching, there would be a boatload of questions asked. And she didn't have the luxury or liberty to answer them.
"Flayn, what are you waiting for?" asked Hilda. "The Imperials are right behind us!"
"Please don't tell us you don't know how to open it…" Sylvain said in dismay.
"No, I do," said Flayn. "But…"
"But nothing, kid! Hurry it up!" said Brigitte. She and Alicia had regained consciousness along the way to the cathedral, much to the relief of the others. However, Catherine still lay unconscious nearby.
"Hey, guys, we've got company!" shouted Caspar as he readied his axe.
"Hold them at bay!" said Flayn. "I require time to unseal the gate!"
The students readied their weapons and spells as a force of around sixty Imperials came rushing toward them. Ignatz and Claude fired arrows into their ranks, but they glanced harmlessly off the enemy's armor. This was followed by spells from Lysithea, Constance, Cia, Annette and Mercedes, which brought down several Imperials, but not nearly enough to stop them. Within seconds, the students were engaged in a new struggle with the Empire.
Despite still being woozy, Alicia dodged to the side as an Imperial sword fighter tried to slash her, and then struggled to block as the soldier struck her lance with his blade. She found herself quickly being overpowered and was about to cry for help when Hilda's axe slammed into the man's head, cleaving through his helmet with ease.
Mercedes screamed as she was slashed across her left leg, falling to the ground as she clutched her wound. Her attacker was shot in the ribcage by an arrow fired by Ignatz. Raphael grabbed the blonde by her arm and pulled her back, letting her stumble away as he swung around and delivered a powerful fist to another Imperial's head. As Raphael roared and continued to fend off the enemy, Mercedes channeled her magic to heal her leg as quickly as she could.
Dedue roared as his axe beheaded another Imperial, the Duscuri far more ferocious than usual. Dimitri still lay unconscious nearby, and Dedue vowed to protect the prince to the death, if need be. He then turned to his right just as an Imperial mage cast a Thunder spell, electrocuting Dedue through his heavy metal armor. The steward howled as he struggled to withstand the spell. Then, just when he thought he was going to black out, the familiar warmth of healing magic told him of Lana's assistance, the bluette channeling her magic as best she could.
"Lana, look out!" shouted Brigitte, but Lana did not turn to the Imperial who was rushing at her from behind with a lance.
Before anyone else could intervene, Cia blasted down the Imperial with a Miasma Δ spell. At the same moment, Claude shot another Imperial who was about to stab Balthus from behind, and then yelped as a crossbow bolt grazed his left shoulder.
All the while, Flayn had her eyes shut in concentration as she channeled her power toward the hidden gate. The sound of battle behind her was deafening, so she hoped dearly that no one would hear her words.
"Kodai no fūin, michi o hiraku… Watashi no inori ni kotae nasai…! Onegai…!"
One of the Imperials saw Flayn start to glow as a section of the wall began to shimmer. Symbols materialized on the stone surface, which began to shift as a new passage started to open.
Ignatz, who had just run out of arrows, saw this Imperial raise his crossbow and point it at Flayn, who was oblivious to the danger as she smiled in relief.
"FLAYN!" he shouted as he did the only thing he could.
A second later, Flayn heard Ignatz let out a painful cry as the Imperial's crossbow struck the bespectacled boy in the chest. She turned to see Ignatz fall to his knees.
"IGNATZ!" Flayn shrieked before looking at the Imperial responsible for the boy's wound.
As the Imperial tried to reload his crossbow, he heard the wind howling and looked to see an infuriated Flayn with the wind billowing fiercely around her.
"BEGONE, ALL OF YOU!" she shouted as she unleashed her Excalibur spell.
The spell swept through the battle, slashing through the Imperials with incredible precision. Not a scratch was laid upon the students as the Imperials were sliced apart by Flayn's magic.
Seconds later, the students were the sole ones standing, with the Imperials either dead or writhing in agony on the ground.
"W-Whoa…" Alicia said, unnerved by the sight.
"Flayn, that was incredible…!" said Annette. "How'd you learn to– Flayn!"
Flayn was now on her knees as she gasped for breath. The spell had obviously taken a huge toll on her.
"Are you alright?" asked Lana as she prepared a healing spell.
"Help Ignatz, he is… he is badly wounded," Flayn gasped.
Lana immediately rushed to Ignatz's side as Raphael said fearfully, "Ignatz! Hang on, little buddy! You're gonna be alright!"
"Hey guys, I hear more of them coming!" said Leonie. "We've gotta go, now!"
"Flayn, come on!" said Ingrid.
"You must all go on without me," said Flayn. "I must return to aid my brother."
"Flayn, Seteth can handle himself," said Ferdinand. "But you are exhausted. You will surely be overwhelmed!"
"Please, go! I will delay the enemy as best I can!"
"Flayn, no!" Annette protested.
"There is no time to argue! GO!"
Flayn's voice boomed as she said this, much to the students' surprise. The wind began to howl around her again as she readied her magic once more.
Knowing they could not argue against her choice, the students reluctantly began to flee through the gate and into the woods beyond, with Balthus carrying Catherine on his shoulder again. As soon as the last of them crossed through the gate, it began to close.
"Flayn, wait!" shouted Claude as he rushed at the gate as it closed. "FLAYN!"
Flayn did not listen to Claude's shouts, keeping her focus on the approach of Randolph von Bergliez and his men.
"Awfully brave of you to give your life for theirs, girl," said Randolph. "If you surrender, I'll see to it that you're treated fairly."
"As much as I believe you," said Flayn, her eyes suddenly glowing bright green, "I have no intention of becoming your prisoner."
Then, to Randolph's surprise, a thick mist began to spread from Flayn's body, which quickly swept over him and his men, blinding them. Randolph tried to peer through the mist, and then gasped as he saw a serpentine silhouette in the fog, one with glowing green eyes.
…
Bernadetta cowered in the stable as she tried to think of anything to get her mind off the battle. She couldn't make it back to her room, as flames from the battle had blocked most of the paths, and she had seen Hubert near the main hall. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
The purple-haired girl sobbed as she tried to curl up into a ball, praying desperately that no one would find her.
She jolted upright upon hearing one of the stable doors opening. It had to be the Imperials. They were looking for her, and she had no way to defend herself.
Bernadetta's expression filled with dread as she heard herself hiccup in fear.
Footsteps moved in her direction. Someone had heard her.
She saw a shadow move near the door to the stall she was hiding in.
As the door opened, Bernadetta cried, "P-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I SURRENDER!"
"Bern!" said Dorothea as she strode toward her friend, who looked up at the singer in surprise.
"D-Dorothea?! W-What are you doing here? And P-P-Professor Eisner too? Please don't make me go back there! I can't do it! I can't–"
"Bernadetta, it's going to be alright," said Byleth. "I'm getting you two out of here."
Byleth then strode off to one of the other stalls as Dorothea hugged Bernadetta.
"It's okay, it's okay, Bernie," Dorothea said reassuringly. "It's gonna be alright."
Bernadetta was limp in Dorothea's grasp as she whimpered, "We're all gonna die… We'll never get out of here alive… We're all gonna die… We're…"
"Don't say that, Bern! We'll survive this, I promise!"
Bernadetta wasn't convinced, and so she continued to mumble of their impending doom.
The loud sound of a stone wall being smashed nearby made Bernadetta shriek in terror. Dorothea hugged her tightly to try and calm her down, but it was no use. The terrified girl was now whimpering loudly and incoherently.
As Dorothea continued to try and calm Bernadetta down, the whinny of a Pegasus caught the attention of both girls. They looked up to see Byleth had returned with a single Pegasus.
"Get on!" said Byleth. "Both of you!"
Dorothea nodded and began leading Bernadetta toward the Pegasus. The singer knew she was going to have to hold the reins; she wasn't very good at flying, but Bernadetta was simply too scared to do it.
It took a good minute to get a quivering Bernadetta into the saddle, allowing Dorothea to mount up behind her. Byleth then led the Pegasus and its riders out of the stable.
"Dorothea, get as far away from here as you can," said Byleth.
As Byleth said this, Dorothea looked down as the shock of realization struck her. Byleth hadn't secured another mount for herself.
"Wait, what about you?" Dorothea asked in dismay.
"I need to stay here. There are still people that need to be evacuated."
"What?! No, you can't! You'll be killed!"
"Dorothea, please! I can't continue fighting here if I have to worry about your safety. You have to get Bernadetta out of here. Do this for me. Please."
Dorothea stared at Byleth in mute dismay. She could see in Byleth's expression a smile that showed she did not expect to return.
The brunette hesitated for a moment, and then said with tears in her eyes, "Promise me something, Professor."
"What?"
"Promise me that I'll see you again. Promise me that you'll come back alive. Please…"
Byleth was silent for a moment. She then shut her eyes, smiled again, and took Dorothea's hand in both of hers.
"I promise, Dorothea Arnault," said Byleth. "I swear that we'll see each other again."
Then, to Dorothea's surprise, Byleth gave the Pegasus a hard slap, startling the steed and scaring it into taking flight. Dorothea yelped as she was forced to tighten her grip on the reins as the Pegasus took to the air.
She took one last look at Byleth, praying desperately for her safety. And then she was gone, obscured by smoke and flames rising from the monastery.
Byleth could only smile in relief at seeing Dorothea flee. Then, hearing another loud roar from the Immaculate One, she darted off to return to the fight.
…
From where he stood, Thales watched in amusement as the Immaculate One continued strafing the Imperials from above. He had expected the dragon to show itself sooner or later.
"Master, the beasts are ready," said one of Thales's dark mages. "Are we still waiting for the emperor's command?"
"No," Thales replied. "Release them, now."
"At once, master."
Thales smiled as he watched the mages and soldiers under his command broke the magical chains keeping the Demonic Beasts in check. Free from their restraints, the monsters roared and snapped as the Agarthans backed away cautiously. One of them began stomping its way toward Thales as flames licked from its mouth.
But the beast did not attack. Instead, it stood expectantly in front of Thales, as though awaiting a command.
"Obey your master," said Thales. He then pointed toward the Immaculate One and said, "There is your prey. Rip the Immaculate One from the sky and bring it to its knees."
The Demonic Beasts, despite being almost mindless, seemed to acknowledge the command. They roared as they began to charge their way into the monastery town, while several others spread their wings and took to the air.
Thales looked back toward the monastery as his smile widened. Then, in the distance, he spotted a familiar silhouette. A woman with green hair, dressed in black, and bearing a glowing red sword.
"There you are, Fell Star…" said Thales.
Did anybody else find it strange how, in-game, the Immaculate One didn't just stay airborne and strafe the Imperials from above? Why did she land and let the Demonic Beasts just rush her? Well, now she's smarter than that.
I've also added in the bit of Flayn still having the ability to transform. Yes, I know in Silver Snow that Seteth says he and Flayn lost that ability, but this is my canon, so I think they should still have that power. It WILL, however, have limits and vulnerabilities, so it's not a beat-all thing.
Next chapter's gonna be one of the last for pre-timeskip. Time to redo the cliff scene!
Oh, and big thanks to u/Samiambadatdoter on Reddit for his help with translation.