DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts nor Fire Emblem Three Houses characters, Square Enix, Nintendo, and Disney are the owners.
RedRat8: Glad to see you there, dude. I haven't played Three Hopes because of its nonsense plot and having Byleth become the antagonist. I think I can take advantage of the content; the problem is if I want to add Shez either as an ally or a recurring opponent to Sora's army.
Anthex-The Legendary Zoroark: Oh yes, prepare your eyes for the biggest plot twist you will be witnessing, all hell will break loose as this chapter's title says. Besides, I will try to write the fight scenes inspiring myself with the Yakuza videogame franchise's level, just to add tension between the characters.
CHAPTER 40 – ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE IN THE HOLY TOMB.
EDELGARD'S ROOM | Daytime
While Sora and the others were heading to the Holy Tomb alongside Rhea, Edelgard was shut in her room leaning herself against the wall bowing her head downwards, she seemed remorseful and sad.
"Sora… Byleth… Everyone…" Edelgard said as she began shedding tears down her cheeks. "I'm aware that what I'm about to do will break our bonds we had built this whole time we'd been together. But it must be done, I must bring this corrupt system down. Even if this means going against the man I love…! It pains me having to cross our weapons but I don't have a choice."
Edelgard had endured too many atrocities because of THOSE people who tortured and killed her family, which brought her to come up with a plan to exact revenge on them somewhat. She knew very well that this wasn't going to be an easy task to achieve so she had to take drastic measures on her own alongside Hubert.
But now that Sora showed up in her life, Edelgard began changing her behavior and trusting her people little by little and Byleth too. That's why she had be very reluctant to do something that she might regret all her life, but something had to be done, and THAT would lead to grave consequences for everyone, including herself.
"I hope don't you think badly of me…" Edelgard said as she dried her watery eyes before making her move…
HOLY TOMB | Daytime
Meanwhile, The Black Eagles had entered the tomb, everything was gothic with green-black colors covering the whole area, which amused everyone.
"This is…" Byleth was stunned by the place's aspect.
"Are you surprised, Professor? This is the Holy Tomb." Rhea said expectantly.
"To think that there was such a vast space beneath the monastery all this time." Celica was rather surprised as everyone else. "It's hard to imagine that any of these enormous contraptions are of this world."
Rhea led Byleth to a big chair which was covered by a dimming light green to contemplate it, Byleth didn't understand what was happening but she was attentive to Rhea's subtle body language.
"This is where the goddess who created this world was laid to rest, along with her children." Rhea said. "It is said that our creator —the goddess Sothis— sat upon this very throne."
"That throne chair…" Byleth thought in a loud voice.
"Byleth… Do you recognize this throne?" Rhea inquired her in an expectant demeanor.
"I do." Byleth answered her in all honesty in her voice.
"So long… I have waited so very long for this day." Rhea was content for her reply and led her to the throne chair. "Sit upon the throne. I have no doubt you will be gifted a revelation from the goddess."
Byleth sat down on the throne chair as the archbishop said while wondering what she was up to and why would Rhea ask her something like this, and neither the students were understanding anything either.
"Well?" Rhea made a question but something unexpectedly was lacking for her… "It was supposed to be but a step away… What could possibly be missing?"
Rhea was wondering what was she lacking but then… something unexpected happened…
"Stop right there!" Edelgard's voice was heard across the place, making everyone gasp in shock.
"Don't move, any of you! If you move, your lives will be forfeit!" an Imperial soldier, Metodey, chucked in madness threatening everyone's lives. "Thank you ever so much for guiding us this far. The Imperial army will now take possession of everything in the Holy Tomb!"
"Edelgard…!" Byleth whispered with disapproval on her questionable actions.
"What's the Imperial army doing here?!" Dorothea said not taking a like on what her friend was about to do.
"Wait! Does he work for the Flame Emperor?" Ferdinand spilled out something that triggered Sora's memories when he had met that person some time ago…
"So the Flame Emperor is connected to the Empire… I never thought that possible." Linhardt was also dismayed by their classmate's questionable move.
"Flame Emperor…?" he said before he walked in front to face her. "Edelgard… tell me the truth… Are you what people are saying of you? Don't lie to us, tell me what do you think you're doing!" he demanded out of disappointment… he was upset.
"Edelgard… did you really know about this?" Bernadetta questioned her in the same demeanor like the others.
"Yes, that's right. I was the one who gave the order." Edelgard revealed to them, leaving everyone's speechless and be taken aback. "I am the Flame Emperor."
FLASHBACK – SOMETIME AFTER SAVING THE VILLAGERS IN REMIRE
Reception Hall | Daytime
After going back to the monastery, Sora and Byleth found Edelgard in the reception hall waiting for them…
"Edelgard! There you are!" Sora said as he greeted her cheerfully.
"Hey." Byleth seconded greeting her too.
"Byleth, Sora, hello. I don't know if this is appropriate to say, but… admirable work out there." The future empress spoke trying to stop the blood rushing through her cheeks. "I really believe we did all that we could."
"Yeah, I believe we saved them all." Byleth acknowledged their biggest efforts to save the villagers they could. "Even thou I wasn't strong enough."
"No mortal is all-powerful. We must stay positive, even through the horror." Edelgard gave her an essential advice.
"She's right, Byleth… we must not let ourselves be overwhelmed by negativity!" Sora agreed with his friend.
"Right…" Byleth nodded with her head.
"I hear the so-called 'Flame Emperor' appeared in Remire Village as well." Edelgard brought out that subject making the duo express suspicion. "Hubert told me that you guys spoke with him."
"Yeah, he wanted us to join forces with him." Sora said making the future ruler have a disappointed glare on them.
"Really?" Edelgard spoke expressing her upsetting look on the two. "Is that you really want, Byleth, Sora?"
"Of course not, Edelgard, we are not stupid to trust a foe we just met." Byleth replied expressing her reject on the flame emperor's question.
"That makes sense. It's hard to trust someone without knowing who they are or how they're connected to all this." Edelgard gave a good point at their answer. "Even if he wants you as an ally, his objectives are still unclear. If the Flame Emperor truly wishes to make use of your powers… Perhaps someday he will appear before you without his mask, and you can look in his eyes and decide what you believe."
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Sora understood what Edelgard said to him back when they had saved the villagers in Byleth's hometown, he finally came to understand everything… He was with that masked Flame Emperor all this time!
"I guess that's the end of play-at-school, Lady Edelgard… I mean Your Majesty." Hubert stated that it was time to get down to business.
"Get to work, everyone! The Crest Stones belong to us now, and take those filthy bones too!" Metodey ordered the soldiers to loot everything no matter what it would take.
"Insolence! You will atone for the sin of trampling on this holy resting place!" Rhea's voice tone was severe, she would not let any scumbag alive. "Professor, Sora. Destroy these villainous traitors who dare dishonor our creator!"
"Wait! What's the meaning of this, Edelgard?!" Caspar complained in disbelief.
"You… made use of us? Why?" Petra was also let down of her classmate's actions.
"Edelgard… You have been a really diligent student. This is what I have always liked about you… I had my will to help you with your army, but what have you just done… it's wrong..." Byleth scolded her in disappointment.
"I'm sorry, my teacher. I cut this path, and now I must follow it." Edelgard said not willing to turn back on what she was about to do to achieve her ambitions. "Sora… My friends… I ask that all of you stay back! It is not my intention to fight you. By the order of the Adrestian emperor, Edelgard von Hresvelg… I command you to collect the Crest Stones! If anyone attempts to stops…kill them."
However, before the Imperial soldiers moved, Edelgard said something else, showing signals of remorse on her voice… "But… under no circumstances… Don't… ever… lay a finger on Sora. This is between him and me… Whoever interferes in our battle, will be severely punished. Am I myself clear?"
Edelgard gave them the order to not mess with the keyblade wielder no matter what her soldiers would do, that got Metodey and the others upset but what else could they do? It is their emperor after all and had to take orders whether they like it or not.
Sora was visibly let down with Edelgard and felt like he was stabbed in the back and had to make her pay for what she did.
He was about to go all-out war when Byleth placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I understand you are upset… but you need to keep your head cool and think on why she is doing what she does…" Byleth said calming her student down. "We cannot have a black and white mindset all the time, hence, we some times do have to make use of the benefit of the doubt. But anyways, you do need to face her so you can stop her from doing something rash."
"Byleth is right, Sora." Roxas agreed with her. "If Edelgard wants to face you, it must be for some reason… Go." He asked him to push forward and face her.
The words echoed through Sora's head and then he decided to go and stop her at all costs, and get her to confess her questionable actions.
"You wanted me? I'm here." Sora said preparing himself to fight her as he summoned his keyblade.
"I've been waiting for this moment, Sora." Edelgard replied in the same manner pulling out her weapon, but she seemed hurt. "I'm sorry we have to do this."
[INFORMATION: Defeat Edelgard!]
[Yakuza 6: The Song of Life BGM: Qui Garde un Secret]
"Sora! We'll deal with the others! Stop her!" Celica exclaimed as she and the others were on to deal with the imperial soldiers while a huge brawl erupted between both teams.
The keyblade nodded with his head and then he and she charged at each other clashed their weapons shooting an intense glare at each other.
"Sora… I will make no excuses. Thank you for all that you have done for me." Edelgard said at this state.
"Neither will I let you do anything stupid, Edelgard." Sora replied in the same manner, he was determined to stop her from being reckless and make her change her mind.
"In truth…no." she was about to tell him back but then she bit her tongue after realizing that she was talking too much. "Let's leave it at that."
"What's wrong with you?" Sora interrogated facing her as they kept clashing their weapons…
"Shut up! Don't be distracted! I want you to defeat me! No one else but you! Just you!" Edelgard told him to keep his focus on her, stating that he was the only one allowed to put her down.
What Sora just saw got him consternated, Edelgard didn't look tough as he expected… actually, she looked vulnerable, melancholic, and on top of that, she was actually sad and tears were shedding down her cheeks. She was crying out of guilt for all the bad things she had done in the past, that was a sign that she was seemingly regretting of everything.
"Edelgard…" Sora said lowering his weapon out of concern.
"Yes… It's true… As I'm very well that I'm gonna get killed, let me confess you something… That's right, I had been working with Solon and Xehanort… I was part of a creepy and evil group named Those Who Slither in the Dark… before that guy in black appeared, the whole group carried out the gravest massacre and tragedies in Duscur, they tortured me and murdered my mother before doing horrific experiments on me and my siblings… As the sole survivor… they made me work with them to do everything to bring the church down. And to do that… I hired those mercenaries including Kostas to have them kill Dimitri and Claude so we could take Rhea and her henchmen down easily, and then… I'd go and kill these bastards." Edelgard began confessing her wrong doings as she was getting everything out of her chest. "When I first met you, I began realizing of how messed up I was."
"Those thugs… Were your own thing?" Sora asked her to confirm her actions, right before they clashed their respective weapons once more.
"You're correct. But… I need you to know that me and the others didn't share the same objective. "Whatever they'd had done was not my business, Sora. And you know what? I got sick of them so I decided to leave everything because of you. If you truly are willing to hate me, I won't stop you."
Sora felt perplexed after hearing the emperor confessing her crimes she committed because of those guys who made her to. It was like she was confessing her feelings subtly, which made him feel sympathy towards the girl.
"Edelgard… I'm sorry for what you have gone through, but nothing justifies what you have just done." Sora felt pity for her.
"I know this won't cut it out… I understand that I used and disappointed you all…" Edelgard comprehended dropping her weapon down to the ground, feeling herself defeated. "I give up."
[MUSIC STOPS]
Edelgard was well aware that she had been doing all messed up things so she opted to drop down her weapon and surrender. It no longer made any sense to fight the guy who had opened her heart.
She wanted to pull out the guilt she weighed through her shoulders, she waited for the final blow which would put an end to her life…
"You have disappointed me, Edelgard." Rhea spoke in stern voice glaring at her with murderous demeanor as she got closer to them. "To think that a descendant of House Hresvelg would dare betray the holy church… Sora. Kill Edelgard at once. She is a danger to all of Fódlan. Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating."
There was a tension between all the people who were present, who had taken down all of the Edelgard's henchmen and retrieved all of the crests, without killing them of course unless it was for self-defense purposes.
Sora was pulled into a big moral dilemma, it was between protecting Edelgard despite she had done things that she was not proud of, or killing her. This put him between a rock and a hard place as he saw the girl's eyes… who was awaiting her death.
Suddenly, Rhea's pulled out a sword from nowhere and her eyes turned yellow… it was then when Edelgard saw it… the emperor had just noticed her sudden shift on her behavior and true intentions.
"Sora, watch out!" Edelgard shouted as she saw the archbishop was about to cut him down!
"Wha-?!" Sora turned his head only to meet her murderous glare and the sword about to fatally wound him… Everything went slow motion and then…
"Sora!" Byleth exclaimed as she rapidly pulled out her sword and inflicted a strong impact on the woman's wrist, who let out a bloodcurdling scream as she dropped her weapon and shot her a murder glare while everyone gasped.
"WHAT THE FUCK, YOU BITCH?!" Rhea yelled in pain and angry voice.
"Don't you dare to lay a finger on my students!" Byleth berated her as she stepped in front confronting the archbishop, who was now mad as ever. "I saw how you tried to kill Sora!"
"Get the fuck out of my way, stupid professor!" Rhea threatened them. "I'm gonna kill those bastards who rebel against the church!"
"But this doesn't grant you the right to take your own student's life! Edelgard may have done bad things behind our backs, but what she really needs is discipline and a lecture, not death." Byleth tried to reason her as she immediately stared at the archbishop's eyes. "Besides, look at your pupils, they were green a moment ago, I knew something was wrong with you at first we met back then."
"What the hell do you know, you idiot?" Rhea growled shooting a menacing glare at the three. "I own the church of Seiros and put people down who dare to question and defy the order! And I felt that this kid was a stone inside of my shoe… and this son of a bitch didn't acknowledge my direct order to destroy her."
"Do you even realize how ridiculous are you looking? How ridiculous are you listening to yourself?!" Sora was confronting her as he pointed his keyblade at her.
And then… Rhea shot a bare but darkly glare at the three… this didn't look good.
"So you figured this out… bravo… I'll give you that. Well, I'm going to confess you something that will leave all of your blood render cold… The biggest reason is that YOU… Edelgard… have betrayed the organization you worked with, and this scumbag softened you." Rhea let out her true side, a good antagonist side that mostly no one had noticed until now. "This good and saint behavior that all of you have seen, wasn't no more than a façade!"
This left everyone more than shocked, Flayn was shocked and disappointed at her and her disturbing personality. "It can't be… no…!"
"I knew something was wrong!" Seteth spat as he clenched his fist. "To think that she would try to assassinate Sora like this!"
"What in the world are you talking about, Rhea?!" Bernadetta said in disbelief.
"I'll confess something else, you fools… I'm not the only enemy… you all got around here." Rhea warned them right before a bunch of corridors of darkness showed up across the room, from which Xehanort emerged from, but… everyone else showed up and made everybody gasp in surprise and awe…
"So you all have seen the true face of this archbishop, bunch of idiots." A pale-skinned man with white hair said and then he turned to Edelgard, who in turn was shocked… "And this is the guy who betrayed us for…"
"Thales…" she growled in anger as she contained her rage. "I believe I have told you that this has nothing to do with you."
"Playing tough, huh?" Thales made fun of her, and then he revealed something really dark and horrific past. "Do you want to know what really happened to your dear uncle Arundel?"
"What are you talking about…? No! What did you do to him?!" Edelgard demanded him to spill it out!"
"You're an impatient girl, aren't you? Well, I'll tell you… he's dead, I murdered him in a cold blood… And the way that you and your siblings were tortured, was my doing! Your stupid father didn't do anything but to look how you and your dear siblings were standing those painful experiments, everybody became crazy and died. But you did survive and you wear the two crests we implemented onto you." Thales dictated disturbing and traumatic stuff from her past, all of this triggered Edelgard's rage.
"You…!" she growled letting herself become blind-raged upon getting her traumatic memories back onto her mind and showing a murderous glare on the one responsible for this cruelty against her family. "How dare you to hurt my family like this! YOU BASTARD!" she screamed while charging against the man, but unfortunately she was tossed by the field of energy he had just summoned easily, and she flew few meters to where Sora was standing.
"Edelgard!" Sora helped her to stand up, he was as angry as her at how the man talked to her like this and glared at him. "So you hurt her?! To make her commit a lot of cruelties on your behalf?! That's an asshole move of yours!"
"And now you defend that woman who just took our orders to do cruel things?" Thales was making fun of him, but the keyblade wielder didn't seem to take his words seriously.
"I don't care about her past, Thales." Sora said in a serious tone in his voice as he turned to Edelgard, who was surprised at his demeanor. "I know she did bad things behind our backs, but that doesn't mean you can use her as a pawn of yours. I won't allow you to keep torturing her anymore!"
Despite of him being upset of what the emperor had done some time ago, Sora was not willing to let Thales, Xehanort and their henchmen lay a finger on her anymore. Edelgard was taken aback about what she had just listened, he was defending her!"
"Sora… What are you…?"
"Despite of your wrong doings, I can't let these stupid people hurt you, if what Thales just said is true, the bigger reason I have now, Edelgard."
"Thank you… Thank you for standing by me." The emperor thanked him as she joined her hand with his in a kind smile.
However, the tender moment was short-lived as they came to hear a voice who everybody came to tell immediately… "Is this some kind of twisted joke?!"
"Dimitri!" Roxas said right before he came to notice something that he feared the most. "No…"
"What the… Oh nuts! His eyes!" Celica intuited upon watching his partner's reaction. "He…"
"Yes… He went to a deep end, he gave himself to the darkness!" Roxas confirmed her message as he pulled out his two keyblades in a defense position.
"What are you doing here, Dimitri?!" Sylvain called him out upon noticing his questionable behavior and then a mad and maniac laugh.
"What am I doing here?!" Dimitri spat and began going wild pointing at the emperor. "I just knew that this bitch is the Flame Emperor… and she's responsible for my father's and my family's death!"
This began escalating things and the environment became really tense…
"Listen to me, Sora, I know I have done things that I'm not proud of, but I would never, ever, hurt Dimitri and his family. It was them… it was them who massacred them in Duscur! I had nothing to do with this as he says. Trust me." Edelgard asked him to not to trust the unhinged future ruler of Faerghus, he was mad after all.
"May I have your word?" Sora wanted to know if she told him the truth.
"You've got my word, Sora."
Dimitri's eyes were expressing disgust and rage as he clenched his teeth and the spear he was holding.
"What's the matter with you?!" he shouted in anger showing grudge towards Edelgard and Sora, and many others were just watching in disbelief at his erratic behavior. "Aren't all of you angry?! Aren't you all mad on what these motherfuckers have done?! Come over here, you stupid dickhead! I'm gonna rip off that head of yours alongside that whore's!"
"I won't do that!" Sora shouted back defending her, but the blonde guy wasn't willing to cease and desist.
"Then I will make YOU!" Dimitri tried to charge at them but Roxas stopped him at his tracks with his keyblades.
"Stop it, Dimitri!" Roxas glared intensely at him as he clashed their weapons. "Don't do anything crazy you're gonna regret!"
"Get out of my way! I have to KILL them both!" Dimitri roared as he tried to pierce the keyblade wielder with his spear but the latter backflipped and dodged the thrust attack and gave one horizontal swing across his abdomen, knocking him down in the process. "Fine… stay with your precious emperor… You'll be sorry when I become the king of Faerghus and when this happens… I will kill you all… especially her and your stupid dickhead friend." He let out a death threat against everyone… there was a huge grudge against the whole Black Eagle team.
"Dimitri… Why are you doing this?" Edelgard questioned him disconcerted.
"Why? WHY?! You don't have any idea of what you have just done, bitch!" Dimitri hissed showing hatred across his face. "You killed my father."
"Edelgard didn't do anything to your family!" Sora defended her from his accusations, but the blonde boy wasn't listening…
"Defending a tyrant, huh?" Dimitri laughed maniacally, he was getting crazier and crazier… "DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH! IT HAD TO BE HER! Fine… do whatever the fuck you want… BECAUSE WHEN I BECOME THE KING, YOU AND YOUR STUPID GIRLFRIEND WILL BE KILLED BY ME!"
It was then when the future ruler of Faerghus headed to where Xehanort and the others were… he was selling himself out.
"Dimitri!" Ashe was in shock at his former classmate and friend. "What the hell?!"
"To think that he would join those guys… what an idiot…" Sylvain was highly disappointed at his friend's personality.
"Well, you idiots… I shall make one last confession… I have made a deal with those people, especially Xehanort to wipe anybody who stands on our way, this pseudo-church bullshit doesn't make any good use of us anymore… We… are the Neo-Organization XIII!" Rhea revealed them.
"Neo-Organization XIII?" Dorothea was taken aback by her outrageous revelation.
"So Xenahort made a deal with those people…" Sora said in the same manner. "Man…"
"It looks like we have gained new enemies." Edelgard agreed with his man.
"To think we would run into more vile people than we were back then." Hubert recognized the organization's frightening and dark aura from each member.
"And now we got one new enemy army." Byleth said as she was carefully analyzing each and every member of the organization."
"So, this is the choice you have made, Byleth. You're just another failure." Rhea let out a destructive demeanor in her voice. "Your presence and your student Sora's soil this Holy Tomb and disgrace my brethren. I will not allow one who would lend our enemies strength to wield the power of the goddess Sothis. I have passed judgement, and I shall rip your goddamn chests open and take back your hearts myself to let no witnesses alive!"
And then… Rhea proceeded to undergo a transformation into a big fiery white dragon, confirming everyone's suspicion!
"No way!" Roxas exclaimed in shock.
"This is…" Edelgard was getting the picture.
"It's the Immaculate One!" Sora finished the sentence. "Claude told me that these were the monsters that have controlled Fódlan in secret for too long! Besides… Rhea might be their leader."
"There is no time to waste. Your Majesty. Master Sora. Professor. We must escape while we can." Hubert suggested them to run away from the tomb.
"Yeah!" Sora accepted as everyone escaped as quickly as they could from Rhea's monster form.
END OF CHAPTER 40
A/N: Oh boy. Things just escalated quickly, folks. We now have a big enemy army willing to wipe out Sora and his friends, they must be cautious with them, especially with AM!Dimitri and CF!Rhea around, I have never liked Cyril so I dunno if I should put him alongside the Neo-Organization XIII or have him join the allies.
Anyways, seems that Neo-Organization XIII declared the war on the Imperial Army and we are getting close to the end of the White Clouds phase. I have never done the Silver Snow route for obvious reasons but I think I can take advantage of a certain portion and dialog to implement in in Edelgard's route.
See you later, folks! Any feedback is welcome.