Chapter 41: The Battle of the Eagle and Lion

Dimitri took a deep breath, standing atop a lone hill overlooking a sea of low grassy plains. The rising sun painted the rolling waves of green with spattered waves of red and gold cascading across the land. The intertwining waves weaved the tale of his ancestor, the original Blaiddyd, locked in combat during the fabled War of Heroes, Areadbhar shining as a beacon of strength and hope amidst the chaos of war.

Thinking about the context of the battle, Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle. History may not be repeating itself, but it almost felt as if a number of bloodlines had once again been gathered to this place. The thought had crossed his mind a few times throughout the year, noting just how many of his peers could potentially wield the very same weapons used a millenia ago here once again. If he were a holy man, he might claim the remarkable coincidence of similarly aged nobility as the work of the Goddess. Of course, the real reason likely lay with Fodlan's greater prosperity two decades ago, during an age of peace and political stability in the Alliance, Empire, and Kingdom.

Furrowing his brow, Dimitri found himself once again constructing the strange happenings across Fodlan that had occurred in recent history. As usual, the sheer volume of unexplained incidents he had amassed could only be described as disconcerting, but that feeling was already on its way to joining the ranks of his phantasmal emotional entourage, the quipping accoutrement to accentuate each and every gnawing sting boring at the edges of his mind. Despite the ubiquity of such issues, he preferred them to the others yet; faceless and formless screeching from the depths of his own psyche were much easier to ignore.

Collecting himself, Dimitri returned to his original mental task. The most obvious issue and sign of encroaching disarray was the Insurrection of the Seven, an event seemingly sparked by an earlier rebellion from House Hrym that occurred a few years prior to that. Common records denote the event as a just rebellion staged to prevent the rise of tyranny after House Ordelia's forced reconstruction. Yet in spite of their seemingly just cause, stray local and rare unofficial accounts painted a very different picture.

The Adrestian Empire had, for all intents and purposes, shifted its focus from power consolidation to hedonism. Once again, the common accounts called the new system a shift towards modern governance, incorporating principles of the Alliance into the usual Adrestian hierarchy to drive each and every house to put forth their utmost in service of the people. Yet everything he had heard about the people and from the people spat in the face of that idea, reducing it to little more than bureaucratic drivel meant to obfuscate the nobility's relentless profiteering. This Dimitri knew to be true, both from his research and his experience.

Lord Arundel's arrival at Faerghus during his childhood was tumultuous, to say the least. He could not properly remember all of what transpired during those strange days when he could not spend much time with his parents, but he did remember the warning his uncle left him. The nobles in the Empire were taking advantage of the anger and fear people held, and that he was never to believe the reasons any of them gave for the Insurrection. They were no different than children who had much yet wanted more, and that endless want would hurt many people.

Dimitri couldn't help but smirk as he recalled even official records struggling to mask the blatant mismanagement of certain areas in the Empire. Ignoring the ramifications of the oldest Empire in the continent undergoing rapid political destabilization and the wrongs inflicted upon countless people, there was something of a comedy behind the Empire's troubles. Much more so, of course, than those afflicting his own Kingdom.

"What? Losing your nerve all of a sudden?" Sylvain asked. Dimitri blinked, quickly looking over to see the red-haired Gautier lazily stretching next to him.

"You looked confident with that smirk just now, Your Highness," Ingrid said, doing somewhat more serious stretches on his opposite side. "You aren't that worried about our Professor sitting out, are you?"

"Or perhaps the boar has been staring at the sun too long and is finally feeling his eyes burn," Felix said, standing a slight distance behind the trio.

Dimitri chuckled at that, shaking his head in response. His friends were right. He had all night to review the omnipresent jigsaw puzzle of Fodlan's downward spiral. But today was a day for his classmates, the purported highlight of their year at Garreg Mach. "I'm afraid it's nothing so whimsical. You've merely caught me annoyed at my incompetence when it comes to composing a rousing pre-battle speech," Dimitri said. "Unlike our Professor, I don't think I can get away with a straightforward briefing on our path to victory. That would require me to know such a thing beforehand."

"Huh. I suppose rousing speeches are a little different than unwarranted lecturing," Sylvain teased. "Maybe we should set you loose on some of the other classes. I bet you'd scold Linhardt out of all his motivation in a matter of minutes."

Dimitri shook his head. "I can't imagine Edelgard or Professor Manuela letting me get away with that," he said.

"As interesting as it would be to witness His Highness wield words half as well as a lance, there's no need to spoil the competition," Ingrid said. "Besides, I want as many opponents out there as possible."

"Considering that this will be a mock battle including battalions, you'll have no shortage of opponents," Felix said. "The question is whether or not any of them will be worth our time."

"After you defeat a large enough quantity, the quality stops mattering," Ingrid said, glancing back with a smirk.

Felix gave a small 'humph', but couldn't stop himself from smirking as well. "Keep following my brother's advice and you'll be picking street fights soon enough," he said. "Unlike you, I'll focus on handling the real opponents and leave the small fry for you."

"I think both of you are getting ahead of yourselves," Dimitri said. "As the leader of the Blue Lions, I will naturally be the one at the forefront of our charge."

"Alright, alright, settle down," Sylvain said before either Felix or Ingrid could respond. "Sheesh, you guys are acting like we're competing against each other out here. I don't mind the panache, but let's try to keep our heads about us. Besides, if you three get to run headlong into battle without a care in the world, what would that leave for me?"

"Oh? And here I thought you'd be content lounging around at the back this time," Dimitri said.

"What? C'mon, Dimitri. You know me better than that," Sylvain said. "Do you really think I'd waste a chance to show off in front of every girl in the Monastery?"

"... I can't even be mad. He's at least being honest about it this time," Ingrid said.

"Joking aside, I assume you've found a vantage point to do something other than find inspiration for flowery language," Felix said, shifting his focus to Dimitri.

Dimitri shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but battle tactics have yet to cross my mind for the morning. But now that you mention it, we do have quite the view," he said.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Annette called, the girl waving at them from down the hill. "You can't have a strategy meeting without me!"

"It's a little early for one of those, isn't it?" Mercedes asked, suppressing a yawn just long enough to get her question out as she lazily trailed behind Annette. "Ashe and Dedue haven't even made breakfast yet," she added after finishing her yawn.

"Scouting is often an uncomfortable task," Petra said, the girl following along behind Mercedes. She was flanked by Lorenz and Ferdinand, both of whom appeared to be surveying the area around the hill as they walked. "I think not all of us need be here for the planning. That can be accomplished at camp."

"Perhaps," Lorenz admitted. "But getting a bird's eye view of the battlefield is paramount to sound tactical evaluation."

"Thus, all tacticians amongst our group should have their own overview of the battlefield," Ferdinand said. "There has never, in recorded history, been an instance of too many eyes resulting in a lack of information."

As Dimitri allowed the small group to join him, he offered silent thanks to the Goddess for creating much needed noise around him. Various greetings and pleasantries were tossed around in the oddly calming maelstrom of budding excitement, granting some semblance of security and solace in the eye of the storm his classmates coalesced into. There was, of course, the inescapable vigilance of Felix, whose eyes pierced through even the thickest shroud of social entanglement. His relapse into silence had not gone completely unnoticed, sparks of animosity nipping at what could have been mistaken for deathly calm. The odd sensation tickled Dimitri's imagination, once again prompting him to wonder just what form of boar-based torture his friend must have endured to intertwine such ardent fury with the common animal.

Regardless of his or his friends' flights of fancy, the tactical assessment came and passed as quickly as he expected it. Gronder Field may have been the site of a historically significant battle, but the significance certainly owed nothing to the land itself. Ignoring the man-made fortifications currently being erected across the field, the only features of note in the area were a thin river with two bridges, a hill near the center of the battlefield, and a few interspersed patches of trees that could provide some semblance of cover. The general consensus was that their starting position allowed for easy engagement against either of the opposing houses, but the narrow bridges would force them to either advance slowly against one opponent or divide their force to battle two. Ideally, he would have preferred Byleth lead the charge against the Golden Deer while he lead the charge against the Black Eagles, but Annette was more than willing to fulfill that role in their Professor's stead.

With their plans settled amicably, the class ultimately regrouped at their base camp. Leading those that followed him, Dimitri noticed Byleth seemingly discussing something with Ashe and Dedue near the large cooking pot they had commandeered from the Church's supply convoy. A slight way off, he could see Leonie and Monica running circles around a somewhat worried Marianne and cackling Hilda, unsure of exactly who was chasing who at the moment.

Before Dimitri could make any more of the situation, Byleth spoke. "Already done surveying the battlefield?" he asked. Noticing Byleth's speech and the rest of their class's return, Marianne and Hilda decided to go join them, prompting Monica and Leonie to end their chase and follow suit.

"Our battleground is Gronder Field. While it has historical significance, there are very few things to take note of," Dimitri said. He chuckled. "If this were a real battle, I'd certainly have spent a little more time looking into things… but I believe our preparations were sufficient for what is to come."

Byleth hummed at that. "Are you feeling confident, then?" he asked.

"Very," Dimitri said with a grin. "We can win. I'm sure of it. After all, it's not as though we've spent the last half-year sitting idle. And I'm feeling stronger this moon, as though I could conquer a thousand opponents all on my own!"

"We'll need to hunt down a few more opponents, then," Byleth said with a grin. "I can turn a blind eye if you're that excitable."

"I cannot let you do all the hunting, especially with so many opponents," Petra said. "I too have been eager for the battle!"

"We're only joking, of course," Dimitri said, glancing back at Petra with a smile. "There will be plenty of prey to go around, I'm sure."

"Of course! No matter how good the hunter, they cannot be everywhere at once," Petra agreed.

"Hmph. The only thing I'm concerned about is whether or not we've left anyone worthy to cross swords with to the other Houses," Felix said.

"Fret not, my friend. The Black Eagles may be greatly diminished without me and Petra lending them our strength, but you might find a few surprises amongst the less enthusiastic of Adrestia's next generation," Ferdinand said.

"Our dear Hilda is a prime example of such hidden strength," Lorenz said. "Advantage or not, we should not take our opponents lightly. Especially Claude, who is no doubt trying to connive some ridiculous and prohibited strategy into play, tormenting poor Professor Hanneman all the while."

"So what if he does? All we need to do is win," Leonie said as she walked over. "That'll show Captain Jeralt exactly what we're made of, so I hope they try something today."

"The last time you asked for trouble, you got stabbed by a table leg," Monica said, leaning forward with a smug grin on her face.

"That was entirely your fault for getting too carried away and going in too deep," Leonie said.

"Mm-hmm. Says the one who slid in and started the fight before I even got inside the room," Monica replied.

"Well there are no tables on the battlefield, so none of that is going to happen again!" Leonie snapped.

"M-maybe we should worry less about… tables?" Marianne suggested, though she was clearly confused about the discussion at this point. "I-I think we have enough healers to go around… umm… I'll try not to slow anyone down."

"Hey, that's the spirit, Marianne," Hilda said. "But even if you do take it slow, I'll keep you company."

"Volunteering for the rear guard in case of surprise attacks? Man, you two are bold," Monica said.

Hilda flinched at that, but then focused a glare on Monica's still smug expression. "Last I checked, people who aren't in the battle don't get to decide strategy. Isn't that right, Professor?" Hilda asked.

"I don't think we're doing strategy yet. It was just a friendly suggestion," Byleth said.

"Totes, Professor!" Monica said, giving a little wink at that.

"I don't think we need to worry that much," Mercedes said. "It must sound strange coming from me, but I think we've prepared and trained a great deal. We should be fine, right?"

"I'd normally call you carefree, Mercie, but that sounded like some real confidence just now," Annette said. She smirked. "I mean, you aren't wrong. We're definitely the strongest class here after all we've been through, but we still gotta try our hardest to win. The Black Eagles and Golden Deer are totally gonna team up against us."

"Like small rebel factions banding together against an overwhelming force," Ashe said with a grin. "If this were a story book, we'd probably be dealt a devastating defeat and an incredible alliance would be born between our two opposing factions. This might not be a real battle, but it's definitely not going to end that predictably."

"I dunno. Being a storybook character might be fun for a while," Sylvain said. "Who do you think I could pull off? The classic dashing knight that does everything just right for the lords and ladies? The dastardly rogue who wins everyone's hearts by giving it their all? Or maybe if we really are playing the villains, the beloved and conflicted enemy hero who fights for love and duty, even when they know they're on the wrong side of things?"

"Pfft! What books have you been reading recently?" Ingrid asked. "If you're going to play a role, try modeling yourself after someone who actually went down in history."

"Come now, Ingrid. There are surely a number of knightly romances across time," Flayn said. "Why else would there be so many books romanticizing such notions as 'the Princess and her Knight'?"

"Is there a book about the knight who had to be saved from his vengeful would-be suitors?" Ingrid asked. Flayn giggled at that.

"Must the heroine really ask about her own story?" Flayn teased. Ingrid raised an eyebrow at that as Sylvain let out a laugh.

"She's got you there, Ingrid. But y'know what? I'm sure that knight pulled off at least a few great things to attract all those suitors he needed saving from," Sylvain said.

"Perhaps. I'd be more convinced if I saw some, though," Ingrid said, looking directly at Sylvain with a playful smirk.

"Try not to blink," Sylvain replied.

"I expect great things from all of you today," Dedue said, startling everyone as he stopped tending to the pot. "No matter the battle, if His Highness participates in it, then we cannot lose. The Professor has also trusted us to win on our own, so we must doubly ensure that we claim victory."

"Well spoken, Dedue," Dimitri said. "And if not for me or for the Professor, then we must fight to show the world that the Blue Lions are the strongest in Garreg Mach!"

With the Blue Lions in high spirits, the class shared a hearty meal before convening near the edge of the battlefield for the pre-battle briefing. As expected of a House Leader, Dimitri led his classmates to the northern plains beneath the hill they surveyed the battlefield from. In the distance, he could faintly make out the silhouettes of the Black Eagles and Golden Deer, neither side hoisting their banners yet to prevent an accidental false start to the competition. He wondered how Edelgard and Claude felt, his imagination painting them both as markedly more confident considering they would be fighting alongside their Professors. While he respected Byleth's decision by now, he could not simply ignore the ramifications of his absence.

Perhaps it was the unapologetic reverberation of the many troops marching behind him that set him more on edge, the calm plains offering no absorption for the timed sound of a thousand boots and hoofs parading forth in unison. Perhaps it was the unassuming faces of his companions as they advanced, an odd mixture of serenity and conceit swirling about a group clutching victory from the outset. Perhaps it was the uncanny resemblance the situation shared with his own personal prelude to tragedy, the passage of time conspiring to replicate such devastation upon him yet again.

Dimitri took a deep breath as he reached their starting point, raising a hand and signaling those around him to a halt. Regardless of whatever circumstances stirred turmoil within him, he would not show it. Today was a test for him, both in character and in spirit. "It seems we are the first to arrive," Dimitri announced, hearing the bulk of the movement behind him settle. Channeling the same bravado of his closest friends, he continued. "I wonder… Were we simply the closest to our starting point, or are our opponent's dragging their feet?"

The roar of approval from the Blue Lions reached atop the hill east of the battleground, catching the attention of those overseeing the battle. Rhea giggled at the small uproar, the Archbishop standing in the center of a cluster of armed knights, flanked by Seteth on her left and Byleth on her right. Bannermen patiently awaited the starting signal as they stood closest to the precipice of the hill, accompanied by trumpeters preparing to herald the advent of battle. "It would appear your class is in rather high spirits," Rhea said.

"As they should be. Even without my guidance, they are more than enough," Byleth said.

"Such confidence in your students is inspiring. I pray they live up to such lofty expectations," Rhea said. She glanced up, watching as two birds flew around the battlefield before passing overhead.

"It seems the Black Eagles and Golden Deer have reached their starting locations as well," Seteth said, glancing up at the signal birds. "Shall we begin, Lady Rhea?"

"Of course," Rhea said. She raised one hand and snapped her fingers, forcing all those near her to attention. The bannermen moved to the edge of the cliff and hoisted high their banners, accompanied by trumpeters blasting on their instruments one after the other as a procession of blares marked the end of preparations.

Claude and Hanneman looked up from the entrance to the nearby woods the Golden Deer had been positioned next to, both fully aware of what was to come. The rest of their small class also gathered, each finishing up their preparations and arming themselves accordingly. "It would appear the time for scheming has passed and the time for battle shall commence," Hanneman said.

"As long as we can pull off the win, it doesn't matter how," Claude said. He chuckled. "Excluding anything too dangerous. Don't want to get you in trouble, Teach."

"You jest, but I can't help but feel that perhaps a little leeway with the scope of our tactics will be necessary if we are to stand a chance," Hanneman said.

"Oh? Does that mean the fire plan is okay?" Claude asked. Hanneman cleared his throat.

"Let's just say… accidents can happen when forced into last resorts," Hanneman said. "Of course, so long as Lysithea is fine with it."

"In for a coin, in for a coffer," Lysithea said with a shrug, having no real objections to Claude's ploy. "Ignatz, Raphael, I hope you two have been running a lot. You're going to be all over the place today, so try not to go down immediately."

"I can't promise anything other than the fact that I'll try my best," Ignatz said.

"C'mon, Iggy! We're plenty tough and you know it!" Raphael said with a huge grin. "Besides, even if you get tired, I can just carry you around!"

Ignatz laughed at that. "I don't know if I could shoot arrows while you're carrying me, but I'm willing to try if it comes down to it," he said. "It's already an honor just to participate in this battle. Might as well try as hard as we can."

"And that's why you two get to be our vanguard," Claude said, clapping his hands together. "Now, enough chit-chat! That horn means we only have a few minutes to take positions, and our strategy needs everyone in the right places at the right times!"

Across the field near the smaller hilly section of the plains, the Black Eagles found themselves preparing in a similar fashion. "If it were up to you, my teacher, how would you approach this battle?" Edelgard asked, standing at the ready with an ax serving as a makeshift support.

"Oh? It's rather rare for you to ask my advice on matters such as these," Manuela said. "You always were the more military minded of us."

"Over the past year, I've learned that my approach to many things, while effective, may not account for certain human factors. You, my teacher, understand those far better than I do," Edelgard said.

"You say that, but all this flattery is clearly intended to improve my performance," Manuela said. Edelgard merely smirked and shrugged, accepting the callout for what it was. "If you had to ask me what my approach would be, however… Well, there's the gaping hole in the Blue Lion's defenses with Byleth out of the picture, but that doesn't change the fact that their class is the largest and composed of highly skilled fighters. We may have a magical advantage against them with our line-up, but a line of mages is nothing against a group of marauders up close. That's our most pressing issue."

"Agreed. Even if we are so bold as to claim our fighters are just as capable as their own, they possess the numbers advantage," Edelgard said. "With our current magical arsenal and the constraints of this competition, we have no way of circumventing such an issue."

"Simply put, if we want to win, then we'll need a few bodies between us and them," Hubert said. He chuckled. "How fortuitous, then, that there happens to be a mutual enemy rife with fodder at our disposal."

"Hey! I wanna get in there and fight too!" Caspar said.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to run in there for a good punch-up or whatever it is you're looking for," Linhardt said.

"You can at least try to be enthusiastic, Linhardt. According to Edie, we won't stand a chance unless everyone gives it their all," Dorothea said.

"I don't know about that, so… I'll go hide in a fort and cheer everyone on," Bernadetta said. "There… there is a fort, right?"

"Well, your rousing speech certainly had some effect, Dorothea," Linhardt said. "Bernadetta has kindly offered to cut deep into enemy territory and secure a foothold for us."

"What?! No! That's not what I meant!" Bernadetta squealed.

"Fret not. It was always my intention to take the area. Your assistance will prove invaluable," Hubert said.

"Oh… umm… th-then you won't mind if I st-stick to the back?" Bernadetta asked.

"Wherever you feel most comfortable is fine," Hubert said with a reassuring wave of his hand. "Your skills can be put to good use regardless of your positioning."

"Ooh, you two really have been working together often," Dorothea said. "Linhardt had her scared out of her wits, but a few words from Hubie has her all buttered up!"

"While I'm sure you'd love to indulge in a round of gossip, I think we're going to run out of time for preparations at this rate," Manuela said. She glanced over to Hubert, who seemed to be thinking about Dorothea's words more than he usually would. "You two aren't getting out of this for free. Our talks are just being postponed for the task at hand."

"Yeah, enough talking! Let's get to swinging already!" Caspar said, hefting an ax up over his shoulder.

"Then we will incorporate Professor Manuela's advice into our plan. We move to encircle the Golden Deer and entrap them between us and the Blue Lions, who will be vulnerable to magical bombardment while finishing off our other opponents," Edelgard said. "If we act decisively, this battle's outcome will be determined within the first few minutes. Now, disperse! Our victory must be absolute!"

As if responding to the rising fervor amidst the preparing Houses, the trumpets blared once again. The second tune marked the start of combat, spurring everyone on the battlefield to action. Dimitri charged forth, the bulk of the Blue Lions following after him. The bridge directly south of them would take their group towards the central hill and the surrounding lowlands between them and their class's primary opponent, the Black Eagles.

"Cavalry, mobile units, secure the lowlands! Infantry, with me up the hill!" Dimitri roared, recognizing that the carved path upwards would mostly impede horses by limiting their movement. "Ferdinand, Sylvain, take point!"

"Edelgard was always my target! I will show you just how lucky you are to fight alongside me rather than against me!" Ferdinand yelled, raising his lance as he charged ahead on his horse.

"There's a long path between Edelgard and you, so try not to make a fool of yourself just yet," Sylvain called after him, advancing a little more slowly. "Ingrid, let us know if something weird starts happening!" he called upwards as a pegasi flew overhead.

"They're setting up ground forces to intercept! No archers in sight!" Ingrid said. She whistled, prompting the accompanying battalion of pegasus riders to move into formation behind her. "Our objective is to keep the enemy from getting into formation! We throw them off balance and the cavalry hammers them into the ground, understood?!" A chorus of agreement rang out behind her, prompting Ingrid to encourage her pegasus to get ahead of the rest.

With Ingrid preparing the way for Ferdinand, Leonie, and Sylvain to rush in afterwards with their battalions, Dimitri felt confident that their group could at least prevent the Black Eagles from sparing any reinforcements to the central hill. Seizing that area was the Blue Lions' primary objective, as the area would allow for the largest class to quickly maneuver around the battlefield, something their starting position made inherently difficult.

"Your Highness, Felix and I will handle the enemies blocking your path!" Dedue said, running alongside Dimitri and adding his armored battalion to the force heading uphill. Felix simply grunted in response, the Crest of Fraldarius flaring behind him as he began bounding forward past the rest of the army.

"I don't have time for small fry! Their commander must be atop the hill already!" Felix said, rushing past a surprised footsoldier and striking him with his training sword. Despite the weapon being made to look like a replica of a metal blade, the heft behind the hit coupled with Felix's enhanced strength sent the footsoldier tumbling down the side of the hill, exposing yet another to a follow-up from Felix and leaving him free to charge forward.

"Seems like Felix will be the one taking the hill, then," Dimitri said as he swatted his first opponent aside with his lance, the attack effortless to him as the man had tried to round on Felix and exposed his back to Dimitri. "No matter! Flayn, Marianne, Hilda, help clear the path!"

"You heard him. Start the shooting," Hilda said as she lazily raised her bow. The battalion of archers under her command opened fire almost immediately, aiming beyond Dimitri's melee and into the disoriented group Felix was rushing through.

"It will be rather difficult for Felix by himself, will it not?" Flayn asked as she and the mage squad behind her began hurling gusts of wind magic into the melee, preventing the enemies engaging Dimitri's group from taking full advantage of their high ground.

"Felix can usually handle himself, but it will be troublesome if he falls," Dedue grunted, using the blade of his ax to bat an armored knight off the hill. "He may need support."

"I-I'll go after him," Marianne said. She rushed to the side of the large path, noticing the melee focused near the central area that formed a small flat portion of the uphill path. Seeing a clear line upwards, she took off running past the fray.

"It would be good for at least a healer to be ready," Dimitri said, thrusting his lance forward with enough strength to knock over three opponents at once. "In that case, let us clear a path!"

On the forested side of the battlefield, Annette and Lorenz took a much more cautious approach than their House Leader. Both of them launched Sagittae spells towards the woods, clearly defeating a few of the archers trying to hold them at bay, as Ashe, Leonie, and Petra exchanged shots with the mobile group led by Ignatz, the boy managing to take a few of their soldiers down but otherwise forced to retreat from the start.

"Hey, Lorenz… I'm not the only one who thinks this is a little too easy, right?" Annette asked, eyes darting left and right as she tried to detect any other nearby enemies.

"You are wise to restrain our forces like this. As much as I dislike Claude's methods, there can be no arguments that the man has a sound tactical mind. If he wanted to hold this position, he would have put more than Ignatz and his men here," Lorenz said.

"It's almost like he wants us to fight at their base rather than around it," Annette said. She hummed in thought, watching as Ignatz began running further back into the woods, his men entering a complete state of retreat. "The only thing his base would have are these woods and the fortifications the Church allotted them…"

"Perhaps he has decided to focus entirely on defense," Lorenz said. He glanced over to the hill and noted the large pile-up along the path upwards, scowling as an idea crossed his mind. "As half of our class is already engaging the Black Eagles, I believe he may actually try to bide his time until our forces have depleted each other."

"If that is his ploy, then he is a fool," Petra said, raising a hand to stop her forces along with Leonie and Ashe from chasing after Ignatz. "There, to the south. A Black Eagles force is attacking the Golden Deer's flank… and facing little resistance?"

"Hold on," Ashe said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pair of binoculars. "... Yeah. Looks like only Raphael is out there, and he's… mostly running away from magic."

"A second retreat? Are they really off to that bad of a start?" Leonie asked.

"No… I think Lorenz might be onto something," Annette said. "Bringing both groups in to attack his base… wait. Where's Lysithea or Professor Hanneman?"

"... Don't see them," Ashe said, scouring the battle to the south.

"Those two are powerful mages… when Professor Hanneman and Marianne combined their strengths during the first mock battle, they trapped the Black Eagles in walls of ice," Annette said, recalling what she had seen that day. "Lysithea's really strong… if Professor Hanneman helped her out, I don't know what they might be able to do."

"... Let me take point, you three," Mercedes said, stepping out from behind Lorenz and Annette with a group of monks. "If you think they're going to try something magical against us, my unit is the best suited to handle that, right?"

"Good call, Mercie. You three, take the rear and focus on covering fire. Mercie and I will take point, with Lorenz on lookout at the center," Annette said.

"Tch… not going to get many chances to shine hanging out in the back, but I guess it beats getting taken out by a trap," Leonie said. "You sure you don't want us to scout ahead a little first?"

Annette giggled at that. "We already have scouts, silly! Once we see what terrible trap decimates the Black Eagles, we'll go in after and know how to avoid it!" she said.

Lorenz whistled. "Devious. You and Claude would get along quite well," he said.

"So we are taking the slow hunt… very well. Not every opponent is meant to be beaten with speed," Petra said.

The calm shift in formation on the far east side of the battlefield served as the complete opposite to the chaos rapidly overtaking the western front. Pegasi darted upwards into the air, a flurry of white wings parting to unveil a storm of cavalry. Riding front and center for the stampede was none other than Ferdinand, the man indulging in the revelry of his blitz tactics and striking down any soldier who dared cross his path. As he knocked another man to the ground with a passing thrust, his eyes darted around rapidly. He knew that despite the great loss of his intellect, the Black Eagles were better at strategizing than simply throwing their foot soldiers forwards and hoping for the best.

His train of thought was derailed as quickly as his battalion leader was dismounted, an explosion of dark magic sending both rider and horse for a tumble across the plains. "Turn!" Ferdinand yelled as he swerved his horse away from the hill. Bursts of dark magic erupted alongside him, throwing up dirt and debris that got the better of a few of his riders. "Dark magics… Hubert!"

An amplified cackle accompanied the sudden shifting of wooden fortifications, spikes and stakes glowing a bright shimmering pink before they began to scatter into the blowing wind. "For a moment, I was certain you'd run blindly into certain defeat. Color me impressed, Ferdinand. Seems you can learn new tricks," Hubert taunted, surrounded by a squadron of dark mages.

"We'll see how long you can maintain such an attitude," Ferdinand said, guiding his battalion at an angle to make them more difficult to hit.

"Unfortunately, I cannot simply crush you here and now. Your new classmates have enough sense to not let you run away unsupervised," Hubert said, shifting his attention to the now rapidly approaching Sylvain and Ingrid. "I'll handle the fool on the ground. You Swarm the skies."

Hubert's men said nothing, instead moving in unison as each of them began preparing the same spell. Ingrid darted downwards, preparing a spell of her own as she approached her targets. The mages behind Hubert suddenly spread their arms wide into the air, dark magic flowing out of their hands and breaking apart into what appeared to be a wave of bugs that suddenly shot towards Ingrid.

Unfamiliar with the attack, Ingrid attempted to unleash a Blizzard spell, launching forth a wave of cold air that would form ice on the ground. Her spell began to freeze the leading edge of the attack, magic dissipating into black dust before her eyes. In the next few moments, however, the amalgamation of Swarm spells overtook her attack, the magical insects funneling towards her with little to stop them.

"What kind of spell is that?!" Ingrid asked through gritted teeth, the girl pulling up and prompting her pegasus to pull out of their planned attack, her battalion quickly following suit. As they took back to the skies, the swarm of magical bugs gave chase, seemingly gaining on them. Looking back, Ingrid could already tell her battalion was in trouble. "Scatter! If we spread out their magic, it can't overtake us!"

As the flying squad was forced into disarray, the ground forces found themselves similarly troubled. Sylvain had been granted a battalion of Gautier knights as a reward for helping his father, and he couldn't help but consider himself lucky for it. Hubert unleashed a spray of Dark Spikes at him and his men, the lances of energy known for how well they could skewer a charging horse and its rider. "First Banshee, then Swarm, and now Dark Spikes?! Sheesh, you're one helluva sorcerer, aint'cha, Hubert?!" Sylvain asked, his horse deftly zigzagging him out of the way of an incoming dark lance that exploded into the ground behind them.

"You're more of a study than you let on, I see. And certainly in command of riders far superior to the average battalion," Hubert said, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to launch another attack. He raised his hand, lances of dark magic assembling in a spire around him, before his attention shifted away from Sylvain. "Luckily for me, I have easier targets!" Hubert said as he suddenly thrust his arm out towards Ferdinand's group, which had used the opening Ingrid and Sylvain's approaches created to try and flank Hubert.

Firing one after the other, Hubert's second Dark Spikes spell struck true. Ferdinand's horse barely managed to stop short of getting directly impaled, but the following explosion of magic directly in front of it threw both mount and rider into the air. Flipping forwards through the air, Ferdinand had no idea what would happen when he landed. His lance flew free from his hand, the boy screaming in confusion as he heard the riders of his battalion experiencing a similar fate all around him.

Slamming onto his back, Ferdinand tumbled across the grassy plains with absolutely no sense of direction. Grunting in pain, he rolled off his back and propped himself up on his hands and knees, trying to get some semblance of location. Looking around, he saw a burst of flaming orbs being swatted away by Hubert's mages, streams of dark magic launching out and engulfing every shot of the Bolganone spell to the point that not even its explosions could escape.

Striding past the amorphous globules of residual magic, Hubert raised his hand as he approached Ferdinand, magic crackling at his fingertips as he prepared another spell. "To think you would dare call yourself a rival to Lady Edelgard," he sneered, opening his hand and sending the magic he held surging outwards in two streams that swirled above Ferdinand. Recognizing this particular attack, Ferdinand huffed and darted forwards, barely avoiding the clumps of Mire raining down after him. He drew the sword at his waist, closing the distance between him and Hubert as quickly as he could. "Yet again, you underestimate me!" Ferdinand yelled as he bounded toward Hubert, sword raised high for an overhead strike.

Hubert merely smirked, magic swirling in his palm once more as he held his fist near his chest. Ferdinand brought both arms overhead, sword trailing through the air and leaving a golden streak in its path as the Crest of Cichol appeared above him, golden sparks bursting in the air around him. As the weapon descended, Hubert suddenly swung his fist outwards, hand extending as darkness erupted from it.

Sword met crystalized magic as Ferdinand found himself held in the air, his blade clashing against what looked like a modified version of a Dark Spikes spell. Before he could say anything else, Hubert slammed his other hand against the crystalized magic he held, sending forth a burst of magic that sent Ferdinand flying backwards. Not one to fall twice, Ferdinand flipped over just before he would have hit the ground, digging his sword into the earth to help keep his balance as he skid backwards.

"That's no normal magic," Ferdinand said as he righted himself. He chuckled, raising his sword as Hubert twirled the lance of darkness in his hand overhead before keeping it at his side. "What is that even supposed to be?"

"Come now, Ferdinand. Surely you of all people have heard of the Frozen Lance technique," Hubert said. "This is simply its natural evolution, flavored with a distinct Vestra touch. Why enhance a real weapon when I can simply create a much more potent one?"

Ferdinand was about to argue, but paused as he saw bits and pieces of his sword's blade falling off, the weapon looking as if it were rapidly corroded just by making contact with Hubert's magical lance. He glanced down to his own armor as well, noting that bits and pieces of the padding had seemingly been burned away. "... Since when could you do something like that?" Ferdinand asked, eyes narrowing as he recalled Hubert being capable of using Dark Spikes for almost three moons at this point.

"Asking such a foolish question. But I suppose I can enlighten you somewhat… You didn't really think I would use my full strength in sparring matches, did you?" Hubert asked, a huge grin crossing his face. Ferdinand grunted, taking the taunt as confirmation that Hubert had simply never elected to unveil this attack against him in their training bouts before.

"Arrogant as ever, I see. Good. That arrogance will be your undoing," Ferdinand said, noticing the combined battalions of Ingrid and Sylvain managing to outmaneuver Hubert's mages. Hubert himself seemed to notice, the man's attention shifting for a moment and giving Ferdinand the chance to pounce. Sword met crystalized magic once again, this time glancing off the weapon and forcing Hubert to step back as he reacted a moment too late. "Magic lance or not, your martial prowess is still lacking!" Ferdinand added, whipping his sword around for two deft strikes that forced Hubert back yet again.

Ignoring the explosions of magic rocking the side of the central hill, Felix thrust his sword forward at the Black Eagles commander guarding the central hill. Bernadetta let out a yelp and dove away, the girl barely avoiding Felix's sword. Not bothering to stop and lose his momentum, Felix went into a full body swing that allowed him to strike down another member of Bernadetta's battalion, his sword striking with enough force to send the man tumbling back down the side of the hill closest to the Black Eagles.

"Not much of a fighter, but you've decent survival instincts," Felix said, stepping over to Berandetta and going for a wide sweeping strike.

"I prefer my compliments in a safe space!" Bernadetta squealed, leaping up to the decrepit ballista installed on the hill and clinging on to avoid Felix's ground-focused strike. She scrambled atop it, rolling onto the now broken firing mechanism just in time to avoid another swing from Felix before the boy suddenly had to fend off two of her battalion's soldiers. Clambering up to the far end of the inoperable weapon, she quickly readied her bow and fired off a shot in Felix's direction. Disarming his second opponent, Felix twirled around the man instead of striking him down, allowing his body to serve as a shield between him and Bernadetta's arrow. "Eek! Sorry!" Bernadetta yelled.

"Quick reflexes too. I see why they chose you for defense," Felix said, kicking the now arrow-struck opponent aside. Bernadetta was about to ready another arrow as Felix raised his hand high, blue magic surging upwards before it arched back down as a Thunder spell. The blatant flash of light startled Bernadetta, the girl pushing herself off the ballista and barely avoiding a direct hit. Before he could try to pursue her, some of the spare battalions rushed up from the south towards him.

"Wave after wave of insects. Is tiring me out your only chance of victory?" Felix asked.

"We won't let them!" Marianne called, the girl called as she rushed over to Felix's side. The boy raised his eyebrow in confusion at her sudden appearance, but said nothing as both of her hands began to crackle with magic. Recognizing which spell she was preparing, Felix couldn't help but grin as he drove his sword into the ground and began the same preparation.

"Hey! You wanna fight someone, then fight me!" Caspar yelled, the boy charging up the hill in front of his battalion with an ax slung over his shoulder. He was greeted by Felix and Marianne radiating electricity, blue sparks surrounding them as they both began to bring their hands together near their sides. "Wha-?"

"Get lost!" Felix and Marianne yelled as they both unleashed a Thoron spell, a bright blue beam of crackling magic thundering down the hillside. Caspar instinctively dove off the side of the path, almost falling off the hill as he clung to the steeper rocky section. Looking back, he saw his own battalion along with the spare allotted to him get blown apart by the twin blasts of magic.

Marianne exhaled slowly, taking a few moments to shake off the lingering magic clinging to her hands as she calmed herself. "There we go… that sh-should make things easier," she said, glancing over to Felix.

"... Yeah," Felix said, noting the sheer difference in power and scope of their attacks. He had never outright tested their magical abilities against one another, but seeing her Thoron next to his own made it clear as day that her mastery of magic was far superior. "Now, where did that little-" he continued, only for Marianne to suddenly pull him toward her.

Felix stumbled forward, feeling the arrow whizz past his ponytail as he and Marianne stepped back. He turned, watching Bernadetta throw her bow aside and take up the lance Felix had left unattended, the girl letting out a scream as she charged forward. Before he could react, Marianne had pulled him behind her and whipped her sword out in one swift motion, the hazy visage of a Crest flaring up behind her as icy wind accompanied the drawing of her weapon. The attack managed to halt Bernadetta in her tracks, her lance deflected by Marianne's slash as ice began to form along bits of her leather armor.

Stumbling backwards, Bernadetta felt the ice growing on her and screamed, a mixture of fear and rage pushing her onwards as she brought her lance back around far more savagely than before, forcing Marianne's blade to the ground and preventing her from closing the distance. "Why the heck are you all so focused on this hill?! It's just a stupid rock!" she screamed, suddenly going for multiple thrust attacks. Marianne narrowed her eyes, seemingly recognizing a change in Bernadetta as she started moving to the side, redirecting Bernadetta's attacks instead of trying to block or parry them outright.

Seeing an opening, Caspar hauled himself up onto the hill and hurled his ax at Marianne's side, the sudden projectile seemingly coming out of nowhere. His weapon made half of its flight before a flash of golden light enveloped Felix, the boy moving to intercept it. Reaching out with blinding speed, he caught the handle and spun himself around, throwing it right back at Caspar as the boy tried to give chase. Caspar yelped, jumping as high as he could and letting the sideways spinning weapon pass underneath him. Upon landing, he readied his gauntlets and lunged forwards, aiming to tackle the off-balance Felix to the ground.

Digging his heel into the floor, Felix righted himself and raised his own gauntlet-covered forearms in time to block Caspar's tackle, redirecting the smaller boy off to his side and allowing both fighters to get their bearings. Caspar proved to be the more reckless of the two, throwing himself right back at Felix with a series of quick swings. Felix leaned back out of the way of the first, ducked the second, parried the third with his forearm, and guided the fourth just off-center enough to go for an elbow strike. Caspar stooped down, turning his advance into an all-fours scamper past Felix to avoid the counterattack.

Letting out a breath, Felix quickly pursued Caspar, catching the boy just as he turned around. He wound up a huge punch, his entire body turning to allow for the largest swing possible. Caspar raised both of his gauntlets up for a guard, protecting his face and chest. Felix turned, lowering his arm and instead throwing his lower body around for a devastating standing sweep. The hit caught Caspar completely off guard, the boy yelping as his legs were taken out from under him.

Slamming onto the ground, Caspar grunted as he saw Felix complete his spin, his opponent approaching once again. Forcing himself up, he threw out a backhand that prevented Felix from getting directly atop him. As Felix stepped back, Caspar raised himself back to his feet and drew a handax from his back, annoyed that Felix's reach advantage made brawling with him a poor decision. Just as he prepared himself, he heard heavy footsteps suddenly rushing towards his side.

Turning just in time to see Dedue shoulder rush him, Caspar was thrown entirely off balance by the impact. Before he could fall, however, Dedue grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to his feet just in time for a lariat. The heavy impact rocked Caspar hard enough for his handax to fly out of his hand, the boy completely stunned. Felix took full advantage, moving over to the downed boy and delivering a series of light punches to his chest and face, ensuring the boy recognized his defeat.

In his hazy vision, Caspar could faintly make out Bernadetta hitting the floor face first as she clutched the back of her head, Hilda standing behind her with an ax in hand and a mischievous grin. He groaned, realizing that they were probably the first members of the Black Eagles to fall as the Blue Lions seemed to start surveying the situation around him. He tried to get up, only for a few people wearing the Church's uniform to stop him. Taking the hint that he had been eliminated from the battle, he grumbled and lay back down.

As the battles near the center and western portions of Gronder Field continued, the eastern side remained a slow and steady approach. Mercedes and Annette led their groups into the heart of the forest Ignatz had been retreating to, which was undoubtedly the small fortification that the Golden Deer had been given for the battle. As they stepped forwards, the two half expected to find Claude, Lysithea, and Professor Hanneman ready to unleash the full extent of their forces against them, but instead found the still retreating Ignatz sprinting onto the seemingly abandoned stone fortification near open ground. Strangely, Raphael seemed to be doing the exact same thing as he rushed out from the other side, a blast of magical wind sending a few tree branches flying overhead.

"Iggy! They're a comin'!" Raphael yelled.

"I can see that, Raph!" Ignatz yelled back, drawing a set of arrows and driving it into the flaming sconce near the center of the fortification.

"Igniting his arrows… but that's not enough to light the forest on fire, right?" Mercedes asked, perplexed by Ignatz's odd action. The boy grunted and readied his bow, suddenly aiming straight up and firing the three flaming arrows beyond the treeline.

Annette's eyes widened as she realized the fortification he stood on was one of the only areas that wasn't obscured by a canopy. "That was a signal! Everyone, get ready!" she yelled.

Just outside of the forest on the side least visible to either of the other two Houses, Claude whistled. "Ignatz says it's go time! Lysithea, Teach, this is all you!" he called.

"Finally," Lysithea said, pulling her sleeves up as far as she could. Dark magic engulfed her hand, wrists, and then entire forearms as she dropped to one knee. With a grunt, she plunged both of her arms into the ground, a small pulse of purple energy emanating from her as she did. "Now, rot!" she yelled, the Crest of Gloucester appearing above her head.

Next to Lysithea, Hanneman did the same action, a smaller pulse of dark magic emanating from him. The earth in front of them rapidly began to tremble and darken as Claude stepped back, eyes trained on the now shifting forest in front of him.

Inside the forest, Dorothea and Linhardt stepped into the clearing with their battalions at the ready. "This is his back-up? Really?" Dorothea asked, the girl adjusting her hat as she looked around the area. "Oh, but the Blue Lions are already here… were you guys kind enough to get rid of all his help for us?"

"I was just wondering the same thing," Mercedes said, confused about the entire situation.

"Mercie, pay attention! We don't know what-!" Annette began, only to be silenced as the ground began to rumble.

"Gronder doesn't get earthquakes… ah. So Lysithea must be around here," Linhardt said, the boy allowing himself to lazily fall against a tree and use it as support. He whistled. "She's really trying to win, huh?"

"You could at least pretend to be concerned!" Dorothea snapped, the girl having fallen down onto her rear from the sudden shaking. She looked around worriedly, eyes widening as she noted the grass along the ground rapidly beginning to shrivel and the nearby trees beginning to break apart and wither. "H-hey, Linhardt?!"

"Fine, I'll ask. Are you okay, Dorothea?" Lindhart replied, not even bothering to look in her direction as he seemed content to wait out the shaking.

"Not that, genius! I have a question!" Dorothea yelled.

"Then ask," Linhardt said.

"Dead trees burn better, right?!" Dorothea asked.

"Mm-hmm. Why would you ask…" he began, only to pause and open his eyes as he noticed the trees around them rapidly dying in rapid succession. "... Oh," he said, noticing a sudden series of fiery explosions coming from the source of the rumbling.

"Run!" Annette yelled, the girl turning to bolt along with her soldiers. Mercedes copied her, wasting no time as she also fled the area. She glanced back, watching as Linhardt and Dorothea immediately gave chase, the disaster spreading from much closer to where they came from than where the Blue Lions had appeared.

"That should be enough for the entire forest," Hanneman said, the man retracting his arms from the ground. "Now to cut off their escape route… Lysithea, if you would?" he asked, watching as Lysithea let out a breath and also stood up.

"Right. You'll cut them off from the other side of the forest," Lysithea said.

"Remember, Teach. Fire to try and block them first, arrows to pin them down. You and your guys don't need to take them all head on," Claude said.

"Of course. I don't have the slightest belief I could handle those students in a direct confrontation," Hanneman said.

"Try to have some confidence," Lysithea said, walking over to him and the squad of surrounding archers as white magic began to swirl around in her hands. "Once we clear these guys out, we draw in the rest of our opponents and pick them off."

"Let us hope things play out according to plan, then," Hanneman said. Lysithea nodded before unleashing a wave of light that enveloped Hanneman and his men, casting a Warp spell to send him to the side of the forest that the Blue Lions had entered from. When Hanneman reappeared, he could faintly feel the encroaching magic coming from within the forest. Raising his hand, his squad of archers produced flaming arrows and began firing into the woods, soon accompanied by a barrage of Fire spells of his own.

"We're being flanked!" Ashe called, the boy leading the group's retreat. He dove into nearby underbrush, readying his bow as flaming arrows flew past him.

"To move like that… how could they be shifting so quickly?" Petra asked, scaling a tree and getting into the branches as she also readied her bow.

"Lysithea has that transport spell! She must have gotten good enough to move a whole battalion with it!" Leonie called, taking cover behind one of the larger trees.

"If we continue to flee, we'll end up exactly where Claude wants us!" Lorenz yelled, stopping as he overheard their rear guard. "Annette, Mercedes, we must hold our position here! We cannot keep advancing into enemy fire!"

"And what about the Black Eagles?" Annette asked, stopping as she turned and saw the still following Dorothea and Linhardt.

"Truce?!" Mercedes yelled at the incoming duo before anyone else could answer. "We need you to stay put for a little!"

Dorothea rolled her eyes. "Yeah, no thanks! I'd rather not be stuck in the shaking forest that's being lit on fire!" she said, raising her hand and unleashing a Sagittae spell at Mercedes.

"We're trying to help you," Mercedes said, stepping forwards and throwing up a magical barrier. The nature of the Sagittae spell made it ideal for slowing multiple opponents or trying to ensure you did something against one mobile opponent, but those strengths also made it highly ineffective against wards or other such barriers, especially those created by highly resistant mages. While Mercedes may have focused her studies to become a healer, her training with the Blue Lions had repeatedly shown her to possess immense magical resistances. Blocking a Sagittae spell, especially one from someone without a Crest, gave her no issue whatsoever.

Watching Mercedes nullify Dorothea's attack, Linhardt began struggling to come up with a better plan. "I don't think you're going to push past her like that," he said.

"So I just need a stronger spell, then," Dorothea said, picking up her pace as electricity began to spark in her hands.

"That's not what I meant!" Linhardt called after her.

"That was your second warning," Mercedes said, her look of concern slightly dropping into one of annoyance. "I know this is a battle, but that doesn't mean we have to throw ourselves at each other the moment we get the chance."

"You could always do me a favor and fall over," Dorothea said with a wink. She brought her hands together, magic crackling between her palms as Mercedes shook her head and sighed. As soon as Mercedes started walking over to her, Dorothea thrust her arms forward, unleashing a Thoron spell at point blank range.

The bright arc of blue energy seemed to split against the upper part of Mercedes' torso, consuming her from the waist upwards and breaking through bits and pieces of the now rotting canopy around them. Withering leaves were blown into the air, a mixture of muck and static swirling through the area as the sound of rampant lightning created a cacophony of screams in the area.

Despite the direct hit, Dorothea could tell something was off. Mercedes didn't seem to react to her attack, the woman not even making a sound of pain as her body was consumed. Worried that she may have used another barrier or perhaps been warded by one of her allies, Dorothea stepped forward, trying to pump even more magic into her spell. Her hands shook and ached as the overflow of magical energy intensified, but the pain was nothing compared to the creeping fear born of Mercedes and her allies' complete and utter silence about the situation. She grit her teeth, preparing to take another step forward, when she felt fingers clasp around her hands.

Magic spurted out to Dorothea's sides as her hands were forced together, the compression of her spell causing an immense swell of pain to overtake her arms. Crying out in agony, Dorothea let her spell disperse, streaks of lightning crackling out from her now closed hands and scarring the nearby trees. Wincing in pain, the girl shut her eyes as she tried to gather herself.

"That was dangerous," Mercedes said, the woman speaking markedly more quietly than she usually did. Dorothea opened her eyes once more, met by a sight completely foreign to her. She had seen Mercedes around the Monastery often, and was used to her usual expressions. A gentle calmness, a playful happiness, or even a look of sad disappointment would have been expected. Looking at Mercedes now, Dorothea saw none of that. She saw what seemed to be nothing at all, an unnerving apathy that she had only ever caught a glimpse of on Professor Byleth's face when he was still adjusting to his new position and the expression usually worn by Jeritza, the supposed Death Knight.

Taking in the shift in Mercedes' demeanor, Dorothea flinched as she saw Mercedes slowly raise her right arm, hand balled into a fist. She wanted to pull her hands free and go for her sword, but Mercedes' grip proved to be far stronger than she expected. She briefly considered throwing out a knee, but the rumbling and twisting ground had caught up to them, her footing far from stable enough to allow for that as she seemed to almost sink into the ground. "... Truce?" Dorothea whimpered, seeing no real escape option.

A look of disgust crossed Mercedes' face as magic suddenly swirled around her fist, the white light temporarily dwarfing the sunlight that pierced the now expanded canopy above them. "No," Mercedes said, turning her body slightly and rearing back to punch.

"Please not the fa-!" Dorothea managed before Mercedes' fist slammed directly into her nose. She could both feel and hear the snapping of her nose as her vision left her, the strange sense of collapsing overtaking her as Mercedes had apparently released her hands. Falling over, Dorothea vaguely noted her hat flopping down to the floor near her, though she wasn't certain if she heard it fall or caught a glimpse of it as she dropped.

Mercedes huffed, shaking out her bloodied fist as she slowly shifted her gaze to Linhardt. "Well? Aren't you a healer?" Mercedes asked.

Linhardt gulped as Mercedes spoke. Dorothea was right in front of him, and all he had to do was go over there and use his magic. But having seen Mercedes drop his ally like a sack of bricks and noting that Annette had commanded her soldiers to spread out and prevent any other avenue of his escape, he couldn't help but feel trapped. He looked to his own battalion of monks, most of which were on the verge of panicking.

He heard a cracking sound, snapping his attention back to Mercedes. The woman shifted her hands in front of her, cracking the knuckles on her left hand this time before tilting her head in a questioning matter. "Do you want me to bring her to you?" she asked.

A completely innocuous question from Mercedes on any other day. The only thing even remotely out of the ordinary was that Mercedes had not offered to heal the girl herself. Yet the question sounded so much more threatening when it lacked Mercedes' usual pitched tones. In Linhardt's mind, she may as well have asked him to pick the time and place of his own death. He looked around, noting that Dorothea had yet to draw her sword and there were no spare weapons lying around. After witnessing Mercedes completely brush off Dorothea's magic, he briefly considered drawing his own sword, but froze when he saw Annette and her troops beginning to advance on them. He gulped, glancing back to the spreading fire which would soon be nipping at him and his troops' heels, and made his decision.

Drawing his sword and raising it high, Linhardt gave his orders. "A-All troops-!" he began, only for his mouth to be forcefully shut by a swift uppercut from Mercedes. He blinked, mentally kicking himself as he was about to fall onto his back.

Caspar had done the same move time after time, and had told him that the Rushing Blow was a fundamental technique for any aspiring brawler. He had just seen Mercedes knock Dorothea out with a single punch, so why didn't he think the girl was capable of performing at least that level of technique? As he hit the floor, he heard his men begin to panic, eyes forced open as he watched Mercedes back away slowly, allowing Annette's troops to rush past her and easily dispatch his own.

"For the Goddess' sake," he grunted, trying to get back up. As he approached a seated position, he wished he had stayed down. The first thing he saw was Annette practically skipping over to him, ax bobbing along the ground as she hummed upon her approach. His eyes widened as he thrust his sword forward, trying to keep the girl at bay. Annette giggled at that, swinging her ax to the side and disarming him with ease. Linhardt gasped, eyes widening in fear as Annette's shadow overtook him. He looked up just in time to see Annette finish whipping her ax around overhead, the girl smirking maniacally as she dropped the weapon down on him. He barely registered the staggering pain in his neck before he lost feeling in the rest of his body.

Outside of the forest, Edelgard and Manuela rushed around in an attempt to greet whoever managed to escape the spreading fire. "To think Hanneman would allow something like this! Has he finally fallen off his rocker?!" Manuela asked as they ran.

"We can ask him that after we win," Edelgard said. She shifted her head toward the central hill, noting that all signs of combat had ceased and a large force of the Blue Lions were already on their way to join the battle. "I believe we might be the only Black Eagles left, my teacher," she added, not seeing any signs of grand magic from inside the burning forest.

"All the more reason to take down at least someone else before we get eliminated," Manuela said. Edelgard nodded, rounding the outskirts of the forest to see what the commotion near the front could be. Stumbling upon a small melee, Edelgard and Manuela stopped in their tracks.

Hanneman stumbled back, letting out a grunt as he swiped his hand to the left and unleashed a Wind spell. The blast of magic deflected two incoming arrows from the treeline, allowing him to focus solely on evading Leonie's incoming lance thrust. He twisted to the side, coat whipping around behind him as he allowed the attack to practically graze him. The closeness of the strike gave him the opportunity to try a cross counter against Leonie's quick attack. His fist caught nothing but air as Leonie easily leaned back out of range, the extended reach of her weapon barely leaving an opportunity for Hanneman to even attempt the counterattack to begin with.

Leonie wanted to spin around and go for a wide sweeping strike against Hanneman, but his few remaining archery troops opened fire on her, forcing the girl to retreat. Their attempt to defend Hanneman left them vulnerable to a sudden burst of arrows from within the forest, two of them going down in quick succession.

Taking stock of the few troops he had left, Hanneman looked around quickly before noticing the new arrivals to the field. Leonie followed his gaze, noticing Edelgard and Manuela's forces as well. "They're in for a bad time," Leonie said with a smirk.

Before Hanneman could ask anything, he saw a combination of fire and wind magic burst out of the tree line, suddenly striking the area around the incoming Black Eagles. "It seems my attempts to keep you here have done little to dampen your spirits," Hanneman said.

"It wasn't a bad try, Professor," Leonie said, suddenly whipping her lance around and taking out one of the last archers in Hanneman's group. "It just wasn't good enough."

Hanneman huffed indignantly, taking a moment to adjust his glasses. "... I suppose this can't be helped, then," he said. He raised one hand high, prompting Leonie to ready her weapon once more. "If I am to fall here, then it will be on my own terms!"

Fire consumed Hanneman's raised hand, his fingers curling into a claw-like shape as he stomped forward. Leonie instinctively took a step back, the flames emanating from his hand shimmering with an almost golden light. Hanneman let out a guttural scream, slamming his flaming hand down into the ground in one swift motion.

The ground cracked as billowing pillars of flame began to streak towards Leonie, the girl letting out a yelp as she broke into a sprint to the side. The attack passed by her, the burning fissure speeding up as it entered the forest. Hanneman grit his teeth, his back cracking as he inhaled as much as he could and closing his eyes as if trying to focus. Seconds later, he snapped upright, ripping his hand out of the ground as the small pillars of flame suddenly all began to flare up one after the other, each creating larger explosions than the previous one. As the explosions reached the tree line, Hanneman unleashed the full force of his spell. "Ragnarok!" he yelled.

Leonie glanced back to see the outer portion of the forest explode, the sheer force of the magical burst enough to knock her off her feet. She briefly saw Petra tumbling through the air above her, the girl seemingly having tried to jump out of the treeline as she sailed overhead. She heard tumbling nearby and glanced over to see Ashe skidding past her in pain, the boy's charred armor almost breaking apart as he left a trail of dirt and embers in his wake.

Forcing herself back to her feet, Leonie wasted no time switching to her bow. She saw the majority of her allies' troops laying defeated on the ground while Hanneman dropped to a knee, the older Professor needing to recover after unleashing an attack of that magnitude. Wasting no time, she rose to her feet and opened fire.

Unprepared for the swift counter, Hanneman took the first arrow to the shoulder, letting out a grunt of pain. By the time he registered Leonie's position, her second arrow struck his torso, downing him. "I believe that's enough," Hanneman groaned, wincing as he heard Leonie rushing over to him. He opened his eyes to a notched arrow aimed directly at him, a vicious glare trained on him from his former student.

"Hmph… next time, I'll forget the whole courtesy thing and take you down quickly, Professor," Leonie said.

Hanneman chuckled at that. "Courtesy is essential for politics and relationships, but it has no place on the battlefield. I'm actually rather surprised you of all people would make such a blunder," he said.

"It's a mock battle," Leonie said. She sighed, losing the vicious glare and instead looking somewhat bored. "Y'know, I think this is kinda what Captain Jeralt and Professor Byleth mentioned a few times. It's weird trying to get into a fight you know isn't real."

"Perhaps. You certainly seem to be taking after both Eisners these days," Hanneman said. He sighed. "Do try to focus. Claude and Lysithea never came to aid me, so I can only assume they plotted something behind my back after I agreed to assist in his original plan."

Leonie nodded, letting out a sigh of her own as she shifted her attention over to the battle near the edge of the forest. "Thanks for the warning, Professor," she said. At that, she began checking on her allies, deciding to recoup their forces before throwing herself into another battle.

Combat intensified near the far edge of the forest closest to the hill, a handful of monks sent flying as a golden light forming the Crest of Seiros that was bright enough to eclipse the growing flames of the forest erupted in the area. Edelgard stood at the center of it all, each swing of her ax whipping the very winds around them away as she stormed her way through the incoming Blue Lions. Her eyes focused on Annette, the girl emitting a flash of golden light as if rivaling the Adrestian heiress, her own Crest of Dominic flaring up as she twirled her weapon overhead.

The golden light around Annette took on a bright green hue as the magic enveloping her weapon took on the appearance of a wind spell. Striking forth with her weapon without trying to close the distance, Annette began unleashing dancing blades of wind with every swing. Edelgard sidestepped the first swing, the wispy magic threatening to blow the shield mounted on her forearm away. She ducked low to avoid the second one, thankful for one of the only perks of her stature showing itself, her hair billowing behind her as the magic sailed over.

Stooped down, Edelgard found herself in the perfect position for a sprint towards her opponent. Annette twirled her ax around once more behind her back, gripping the weapon tightly as the last of her magic spiraled around the head of her weapon. She was about to swing when blue chains suddenly formed around her, catching both her ax and her mouth. Annette barely managed to let out a gasp before staggering back, eyes widening as she traced the magic back to its source.

"I thought Lysithea was the only one I'd need to use that on," Manuela said, the Black Eagles Professor leaving Mercedes and Lorenz to their troops so she could aid Edelgard. As Edelgard stood back up, Manuela put a hand on her shoulder, green light leaving the older woman's palms and shrouding Edelgard in a flash. "She shouldn't be too much of a problem now."

"You have my thanks," Edelgard said with a nod. At that, the leader of the Black Eagles took off, weapon trailing low to the ground as she prepared to overwhelm the younger girl. Annette took a few steps back, bracing herself for the incoming attack and having given up on trying to dispel the Silence spell Manuela had struck her with.

Rushing in from the area farther away from the treeline, Dimitri and Dedue interposed themselves between Edelgard and her target. The Adrestian heiress grit her teeth, striking quickly in an attempt to swat Dimitri out of her way. The head of the Blue Lions flicked the butt of his lance up, misdirecting her attack, while Dedue attempted a hammer blow to immediately capitalize on her lacking guard. Edelgard dove to the side, avoiding Dedue's attack but ultimately losing any chance of catching Annette unguarded, the short recovery time of returning to a fighting stance more than enough to let the small girl join Dimitri's group.

Huffing, Edelgard 's eyes darted to her surroundings. She saw Manuela skitter backwards, the older woman whipping her sword around to parry a series of quick strikes from Felix. Her instincts kicked in, and she snapped her attention to her opposite side just in time to catch Hilda going at her with a low sweeping lance strike.

Jumping to avoid the attack, Edelgard raised her ax high to slam back down onto her opponent. Hilda spun around, lance tucked under her right arm and digging through the earth itself while her left arm held an ax of her own. The Crest of Goneril lit up as Hilda wildly swung, slamming the weapon against Edelgard's with enough force to send the airborne Adrestian princess flying back through the air.

Crashing onto her back and sliding across the earth, pain flared up through Edelgard's body. She caught a flash of herself being impaled into the dirt and let out a grunt of effort, managing to twist her body enough to change her straight backwards slide into a diagonal tumble. She felt an impact near her as she came to a stop, confirming her suspicions as she forced her eyes open.

"Aww," Hilda said, the bulk of her lance slammed into the ground where Edelgard should have landed. While the weapon didn't pierce the earth with a direct stab, the heft of the weapon had been struck down into the ground, the area near the tip naturally lodging itself into the dirt from the sheer force of Hilda's strike. "Edel, why'd ya have to roll? Dimi said I could sit out the rest of the battle if I managed to beat you or Claude."

"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of fostering your laziness," Edelgard said as she quickly got back up. In the corner of her eye, she could see Manuela now whirl around, sword magically extended with the Hexblade technique as she struggled to hold her ground against a combined assault from Felix and Marianne. She glanced back over to Hilda, who was quickly being joined by a now recovered Annette alongside Dimitri and Dedue. Weighing her options, Edelgard made her decision.

"If you want that break, you'll have to earn it," Edelgard said before dashing away from Hilda.

"I'd really rather not," Hilda said, rolling her eyes at Edelgard's comment. She sighed, jogging after Edelgard as she heard the other Blue Lions rushing to join her.

"There. All in a big cluster," Claude said, his voice just loud enough for Hilda to hear him. She shifted her gaze south, toward the smaller set of overgrown bushes that was just far enough away from the main forested area not to catch ablaze. Her eyes widened as she saw swirling masses of dark magic form numerous lances near the top of the underbrush, each trained in the approaching group's direction.

"You guys should move!" Hilda yelled back to Dimitri's approaching group, deciding to hurry after Edelgard and escape the range of Lysithea's attack.

Dimitri barely had time to register Hilda's warning before the Dark Spikes were launched, the swirling masses of dark magic rocketing towards his group. He and Dedue both prepared to brace themselves, seeing no clear way to avoid the incoming attack, before they found themselves being protected.

Annette's ax was enveloped in white light as she got in front of Dedue, raising it to try and block the incoming attack. Two dark lances flew directly at her and Dedue, forcing her to act quickly. She swung upwards in a crescent motion, her own magic splitting the first Dark Spike with the force of her swing. She whipped her weapon back around in an attempt to block, trying to stop the second Dark Spike with her ax head.

Her first swing had consumed almost all of her magic, leaving little more than a dim light to shroud her ax as the second struck. Dark magic pierced through the blunted faux metal, bits of the weapon sent flying away from Annette as Lysithea's attack struck the smaller girl directly in the shoulder, piercing it. Annette let out a pained gasp as she fell back into Dedue, the man from Duscur moving to catch her as she fell. Struck by Lysithea's magic, Annette immediately realized what was about to happen.

Next to her, Dimitri was about to try and swat the incoming magic away with his own lance before Mercedes got in front of him, the girl practically sliding to a stop as she emerged from the burning forest. Appearing with white magic coating her right hand, she dispelled the first incoming attack with a powerful backhand. The second one flew straight to her, prompting her to raise her other hand and catch the incoming attack in her palm, an aura of magic enveloping her as she not only held the Dark Spike at bay but began stifling the follow-up explosion.

Before Dedue could catch her, Annette staggered away from him, clutching her shoulder as the Dark Spike began to shrink in her body. "Stay ba-!" Annette called as she tried to get away. Before she could finish her sentiment or get any real distance away from Dedue, however, the Dark Spike exploded, releasing a blast of magic that sent both Annette and Dedue flying in opposite directions.

"That should have taken them all out," Lysithea grumbled as she and Claude emerged from their hiding place.

"If Mercedes didn't show up, you would have been at least two for three," Claude said. He raised his arm, prompting a squad of archers to emerge from the bushes behind them, bows at the ready and aiming upwards. "Let's keep wearing them down!" he commanded.

"I think not!" Lorenz declared, emerging from the side of the forest with a battalion of mages in tow. He unleashed a Sagittae spell as his troops cast Fire spells of their own, barraging Claude and Lysithea's group.

"Change of plans, return fire," Claude said as he and his troops rapidly broke off from Lysithea. "You can handle those two, right?"

"Easily," Lysithea said, stomping toward Dimitri and Mercedes without so much as flinching at the barrage of magic flying around her. She held out her right hand, dark magic crackling between her fingertips as she glared directly at Mercedes.

"Dimitri, stay behind me," Mercedes said, raising her hands in preparation to try and catch more incoming magic.

"... Until she's within range," Dimitri said with a nod. At that, Mercedes took a step forward and raised one arm high into the air, the Crest of Lamine materializing behind her. A fountain of green and white light spread out from her raised hand, a deluge of magic spreading out and enveloping almost the entirety of the burning forest and its surrounding areas.

"Fortify… so you really are a problem," Lysithea said, sparing a moment to glance over at the downed Dedue and Annette. As she expected, both of them seemed to shake off the daze that had overtaken them, Annette sitting up and pulling the destroyed scraps of her left arm's armor off so it wouldn't get in her way while Dedue discarded his now broken gauntlets, opting to switch over to the large ax and shield he wore on his back. "Then I'll have to get rid of you first."

"You know it won't be that easy. I've already parried your strongest magic," Mercedes said. Lysithea smirked at that, a slightly manic look crossing her face as the Crest of Gloucester sparked to life behind her.

"Are you sure about that?" Lysithea asked, slowly raising her hand crackling with magic towards Mercedes. Mercedes raised both her arms, hands glowing with magic as she prepared to block any incoming attack the younger girl could throw at her. Lysithea's hand sparked wildly for a moment before the magic suddenly dispersed, an unseen pulse of dark energy spreading out in front of her.

Feeling the odd shift in the air, Mercedes raised both her arms in an attempt to create a magical barrier. The attack might somehow be invisible, or capable of appearing directly on the target like some kind of Thunder spell, and she needed to ensure that Dimitri wouldn't be struck. As she began to weave her magic into a barrier, she suddenly saw the light in her arms dissipate.

Mercedes tried to speak, but her body suddenly stopped responding to her. Only a vaguely shocked gasp escaped her as her arms suddenly froze in place, stuck in an odd pose as she began trembling. Lysithea began chuckling, slowly raising her hand as sparks of dark magic began emanating from all over her own body, causing her hair to billow behind her and float into the air on its own. Similarly, Mercedes' entire body began to slowly lift off the ground, the girl's eyes widening as magical fractals materialized in the air around her.

"Parry this, you filthy casual," Lysithea said, watching as Mercedes floated helplessly in the air in front of Dimitri. She began to close her outstretched hand, more and more fractals of magic tesselating into existence and taking on a brilliant bluish white hue around her target. Mercedes could only let out choked gasps as her arms were compressed against her body, twisting against her will as her legs seemed to contort in shaky spasms. "Luna," Lysithea said, closing her fist entirely.

The brilliant bits of magic around Mercedes began rapidly interlocking, coming together to form a brilliant full moon that completely encapsulated her. It shined brightly for a few moments before suddenly dimming and being drained of color, shifting to a murky black and purple that instantly revealed its dark magic origins. The orb of magic swirled around, suddenly compressing into itself even more as smaller blobs of dark magic broke off from it, trailing purple smoke and orbiting the central orb like ghostly wisps. After a full rotation as the wisps and orb rose even higher into the air, the wisps suddenly flew back into the central mass of magic, causing it to burst into a cloud of magical dust. Piercing the dissipating cloud, Mercedes' limp body fell to the ground, crumpling onto the floor unceremoniously.

Dimitri looked at Mercedes in horror, the girl laying there as blood trickled out of the corner of her agape mouth and her limbs spasmed randomly. The whites of her eyes were clearly visible, a mixture of tears and blood slowly dripping from them as her body barely drew breath. He grit his teeth, looking from Mercedes to Lysithea as his vision became tinged with red.

Lysithea hadn't wasted any time watching the results of her handiwork, already unleashing a Swarm spell towards Dimitri to prevent him from closing the distance. She took a step back, thinking she could get some distance, before she saw Dimitri run directly through her attack. "What the-?!" she began, almost stumbling over backwards at his sudden appearance.

Ignoring the acid burns forming on his face and armor, Dimitri went straight for Lysithea. The shocked girl raised her hand to try and unleash another quick attack, but Dimitri refused to let her. The Crest of Blaiddyd appeared behind him as he bounded forward, lance extended so he could grip it like an elongated club rather than a piercing implement. Setting his foot down in front of the retreating Lysithea, he let out a roar of effort as he swung.

Striking with enough force to send a heavily armored knight tumbling away, Dimitri sent Lysithea flying before she could launch another attack. The impact of his strike caught her extended arm and side, the clear sound of both his weapon and her bones crunching accompanying the hit. Lysithea whirled through the air a few times before she began tumbling along the ground, her body ragdolling across the area before she landed facedown in the dirt.

Ignoring the powerful bursts of magic behind her, Edelgard thrust herself between Felix and Manuela and swung low, forcing the Blue Lion to back away from her Professor. Whipping her weapon around overhead with a full spin of her entire upper body, Edelgard parried Marianne's reprisal stab, thwarting both attackers. "Ah, just in time," Manuela said, taking a moment to catch her breath.

Edelgard nodded in response, not needing to look back to recognize that her Professor was on the brink of getting winded. Manuela may have been skillful enough to defend herself against both of her opponents, but a combination of her age and little endurance training meant she could only fight two opponents for so long. Even now, Edelgard barely had time to register her own thoughts as she raised her ax to block a high strike from Felix before quickly sidestepping, the swordsman immediately going for a kick to her gut that would have grounded her with ease. She considered counterattacking, but was immediately forced to move as Marianne sliced in her direction and unleashed a swift Cutting Gale. The blades of wind magic blew cut grass and dirt along their path, the debris flying past Edelgard's face as she rapidly backed away. The leader of the Black Eagles grit her teeth as she realized her evasion left Manuela open to attack once more, her Professor now launching a Thunder spell at a rapidly approaching Felix as he rushed at her yet again.

Having dodged to one side, Felix knew Manuela's attack was primarily meant to limit where she could expect his attack to come from. His clash with Manuela had given him a newfound respect for his Professor, whose swordsmanship he recognized as closer in origin to his brother's style than what he expected, though that meant he had an idea of how to defeat her.

Glenn's technique was developed as a mirror of his reputation. It was flashy, swift, and excelled at fighting against multiple angles of attack at once. While Manuela's flowing swordplay included a few extra flourishes that screamed operatic flair, the basis of her motions were unmistakably similar. She could shift her sword around in a single direction to redirect multiple thrusts or weave streaks of steel around her to defend against attacks from various angles, leaving few openings for Felix to capitalize on. Stooping down as Manuela steadied her posture after launching her spell, Felix decided on his plan of attack.

Felix sheathed his blade before slashing out in an instant, the force of the attack shaking Manuela's hand. Whipping his arm back, he retracted his sword next to his sheathe before delivering the exact same strike. Manuela shifted her arm around to counter once more, but the recoil from her initial block weakened her guard immensely. Felix struck yet again, this time knocking Manuela's sword aside entirely as she was forced to step back. Seeing an opening, he focused, the Crest of Fraldarius sparking to life behind him as he repeated his attack twice over. The first follow-up disarmed Manuela entirely, the songstress hissing in annoyance as she lost her grip on her blade and staggered backwards. The second scraped across Manuela's fur coat, failing to rip it with a dulled edge but pulling it down along with the blade.

Twirling around as she shed her coat like a second skin, Manuela opened her palm as if she were about to slap Felix, tiny orbs of flame forming along her fingertips as she spun around to face him. Felix hopped backwards, raising his sword as a guard when he saw Manuela slap at the air in front of her, five flaming trails jumping from her fingertips and spiraling towards him. Manuela's Bolganone swirled around Felix, detonating rapidly and forcing him to halt his assault. Enveloped by lingering fire and smoke as his armor was charred, Felix let out a grunt and swung upwards, clearing his vision while striking against anyone attempting to capitalize on the opening Manuela created.

His sword passed through nothing but air as he was suddenly surrounded by a bright white light, his muscles suddenly tensing as he lost control of his breath momentarily. Recognizing the effect of the Nosferatu spell, Felix hurriedly began backing away and grabbed one of the vulneraries he had been given, chugging it down quickly to ease the magical fatigue threatening him.

"Hey," Manuela huffed, running a hand through her now messy hair to clear it from her face, "how about a break? We're both a little… winded, right?"

"That would mostly benefit you," Felix said. He raised his sword as if preparing to strike again, but then simply smirked and sheathed his blade. "But fine. I won't attack you now."

"Oh? Aren't you a gentleman," Manuela said. She did her best to let out a demure giggle, but her lack of breath turned it into a raspy cackle. "I didn't think you of all people would humor me."

"You'll wish I hadn't," Felix said. Manuela raised an eyebrow at that, about to question him on what he meant before she heard a pegasus cry out as it approached her. She whipped her head around just in time to see Ingrid dive down towards her, lance outstretched as if to swat her rather than impale her. Letting out a yelp, Manuela dove to the side and rolled across the ground, feeling Ingrid's pegasus fly right past her as wind trailed after her. She peeked her head up just in time to see Ingrid circle back around, raising her lance high to strike the downed Manuela.

"Not the face! I surrender!" Manuela squealed, raising her arms to protect her head and face from any damage. She felt a sudden wind pass by her, a sign of Ingrid's pegasus stopping, followed by a light tap from a piece of wood on her arms.

"I was just going to smack your shoulder, Professor," Ingrid said. She giggled. "Although I'm flattered that you think I'm so fearsome."

Manuela let out a sigh of relief, relaxing as she closed her eyes and simply let herself lay down on the grassy field. "Considering your teacher, I'd be more surprised if you weren't fearsome," she said. She hummed, beginning to feel a slight chill from the winds that were swirling around her before she felt a familiar warm weight fall over her. Opening her eyes, she saw that Felix had draped her coat over her, covering everything under her arms. "Just when I was getting chilly."

"Hmph. I'm just making sure you don't lose that," Felix said. "That trick you did to dodge my final strike… no. That can wait."

"Oh? Interested in learning how to disrobe a woman?" Manuela teased. Felix rolled his eyes at that, turning around to survey the rest of the battlefield.

"Looks like only the House Leaders are left over here," Felix said, noting that Ignatz and Raphael were both on the ground near the edge of the forest, gripping at small bruises on their arms and legs as Ashe, Leonie, and Petra seemed to be taking a moment to recover. "What happened on your end?"

"Hubert's finally been defeated," Ingrid said. "He's a lot tougher than he looks, but once Sylvain and his men took out Hubert's support, he eventually lost against Ferdinand. It helps that he started to run out of magic."

"Hmm… did he take out your entire squadron?" Felix asked, noting that Ingrid had arrived here alone. Ingrid shook her head in response.

"I left Ferdinand in charge of my troops after his was wiped out, so he and Sylvain will arrive with a force from the west," she explained. "Although I don't think they'll be needed."

Near the southern section of the battlefield directly below the central hill, Dimitri whipped his lance around with renewed ferocity. He batted Claude's sword away, slammed his lance down to stop a redirected slice, and then thrust forth with enough force to tear the leader of the Golden Deer's pauldron clean off his shoulder. Ripping his lance back, he swung the weapon wide and swept low, dragging the head of the weapon through the ground and carving a path through the dirt. Claude hopped backwards out of the way, about to say something before he was peppered by a Sagittae spell from his side.

"Your men are defeated and you are outnumbered! Surrender, Claude!" Lorenz yelled, hands glowing gold as he began to prepare another spell.

Claude staggered back, catching his breath as he examined the situation. Lorenz's appraisal was correct, as he saw the remnants of his archer squad laying defeated on the ground near him, most subdued by a combination of Lorenz and Dimitri's own troops who were also preventing him from making a break for it. His bow lay broken on the ground behind Dimitri, the leader of the Blue Lions having snatched it out of his hands in a surprise attack and snapping it in half. He knew Lysithea was out because of Dimitri's presence, and doubted Raphael or Ignatz could have made it past both the Black Eagles and Blue Lions after escaping the forest. Escaping on foot looked like an impossibility, and there were likely no allied forces left to aid him.

If he had his pet, he'd be able to work something out.

But he didn't.

"... You actually make a pretty good point, Lorenz," Claude said, straightening up to speak. He sighed. "I'm not going to lie to myself and say I'm good enough to take Dimitri, you, and all your men on my own. Especially not when I'm practically surrounded and armed only with a sword."

"Then are you surrendering, Claude?" Lorenz asked, hands still glowing with magic. Dimitri reacted similarly, not making any move to attack but remaining combat ready all the same.

Taking a deep breath, Claude twirled his sword around in his hand once before plunging it into the ground next to him. "I hate to say it, but it seems like this is a checkmate. The Golden Deer won't be winning this round… I surrender."

"A wise decision… as wise as your leadership today," Lorenz said. Claude looked over to him and raised an eyebrow.

"... Was that a compliment?" Claude asked.

"Do not let it go to your head," Lorenz said as he let the magic in his hands dissipate. "I still find your propensity for underhanded approaches contemptible, but you succeeded in bringing the full force of a greatly diminished Golden Deer house to bear. Failing to recognize such leadership skill would reflect poorly on me."

Claude chuckled at that. "I'll take what I can get, I guess. Maybe next time we have a match, you won't have such an obvious numbers advantage. That should be a more interesting game," he said.

"So long as we are not endangering lives, I have no quarrels against such a rematch," Lorenz said. "A good leader must test themselves, after all."

Leaving Lorenz and Claude to their banter, Dimitri quickly shifted his attention over to the last battle. He focused on Edelgard, prepared to throw himself into the fray, until he saw the sorry state of her battle.

Swinging her ax around wildly, Edelgard let out a scream as the Crest of Seiros flared to life behind her. She batted away Dedue's ax, backhanded Hilda's lance away from her side with her shield, and stomped down with enough force to break the ground and stop Marianne's Blizzard spell and Annette's Wind spell. She rose back up, feeling two arrows strike her back as she staggered forward, head jerking around to see Ashe and Petra striking at her. Letting out a roar, she broke the strap on her shield and hurled it at the two of them, prompting both to move out of the way as she drew her sword instead, opting for full offense over defense.

Leonie rushed at Edelgard's side, her lance deftly deflected by a quick swipe from Edelgard's sword. The Adrestian heiress immediately followed with an ax blow, forcing Leonie to back away. Edelgard kept her momentum, spinning her ax around to block a blow from Marianne with its shaft, putting her in prime position to try and slice through her midsection with her sword. Marianne teetered back out of range, throwing out a Nosferatu spell as she retreated that caught Edelgard off guard. The draining magic elicited a grunt of pain from Edelgard, but the Adrestian Heiress refused to relent. Throwing herself at Marianne in a frenzy, she began to swing wildly with both weapons.

Battering Marianne with attacks, she disarmed the girl quickly and was about to land a sword strike before a flying knee to her side sent her tumbling to the ground. Rolling over and fighting through the pain, Edelgard swung her sword as she got up, preventing Petra from immediately capitalizing on her compromised position. She stood up and went for an overhead ax strike, but her slowed movement gave Petra the opportunity to step in and catch her arm. Stepping in with her shoulder raised high, Petra bumped into Edelgard while hooking her leading leg around Edelgard's rear foot, tripping her as she rammed into her.

Falling backwards, Edelgard lost her grip on her ax. Ignoring the lost weapon, she immediately kicked from the ground, preventing Petra from getting atop her as the girl was forced to catch the incoming attack. Calling on all the strength in her core, Edelgard snapped up and swung with her sword once more, forcing Petra to back away and drop her leg. Huffing, Edelgard tried to get up, only for Felix to strike her with a Thunder spell and force her back down immediately, the mixture of shock and pain causing her body to fail her. She tried to get up yet again, only for Dedue, Ashe, and Leonie to dogpile atop her, pinning the girl to the ground.

Letting out a scream of defiance, Edelgard's body glowed gold as the Crest of Seiros formed in the air around her. She began pushing upwards, fighting against the encroaching weight, before Felix, Petra, and Annette joined in on the dogpile pushing her down once again. Sinking back into the ground as she collapsed, Edelgard let out shaky breaths as she realized there was no escape. Glancing forward, she saw Dimitri slowly walking toward her. She wasn't able to see his face, but she imagined either a look of pity or condescension plastered across his face.

"... I think the battle is over, Edelgard," Dimitri said.

Pity, then.

"... So it would seem," Edelgard admitted, the glow of her Crest leaving her as her body relaxed. The people dogpiling on her recognized the lack of resistance and quickly got up, giving Edelgard enough space to roll onto her back and let out a heavy breath. "I hate to admit it… but it seems this is as far as the Black Eagles House goes."

With the battle concluded, it was only a matter of minutes before the official announcement was given. "That is the end of this year's Battle of the Eagle and Lion!" Seteth's voice boomed across the battlefield. "And the winners are… the Blue Lions!"