Almost at 100 chapters now! Hope you'll all enjoy this one.
Chapter 97 – Sacrifice (Guardian Moon)
Solon watched as Kronya continued her battle with Byleth and Dorothea through a dark crystal ball hovering over his left hand. Now that the diva had joined the teacher, Byleth was no longer falling for Kronya's verbal jabs or innuendos. Dorothea's magic also made it so Kronya had to dodge against two opponents at once, though the assassin continued to evade their attacks.
Everything was going according to plan. Now all Kronya had to do was lure the Fell Star to the ritual site and he could be rid of them both.
…
Kronya made a loud hiss as another Thunder spell from Dorothea nearly hit her. The assassin dodged by twisting her body around the attack in midair. The spell was followed up by the Sword of the Creator's whip form, but Kronya's tails jabbed at the blade and deflected it.
As she landed, Kronya snarled. She hadn't expected to be given so much trouble by Edelgard's best friend, of all people. The assassin had tried attacking the diva earlier, but Byleth had been quick to protect her. It was just another thing she hated about the bluette.
"You filthy worms…!" Kronya hissed. "You think you can match ME?!"
Kronya then rushed toward Byleth as the bluette readied herself to counter the attack. But when Kronya was halfway to her, she vanished.
Alarmed, Byleth realized Kronya's intent and whipped around to see the assassin reappear in front of Dorothea. The diva let out a surprised yelp as she barely blocked a series of slashes from Athame. Then, before Dorothea could recover, Kronya raised one of her tails, poised to stab the girl's head.
Kronya made a surprised "Huh?!" as the Sword of the Creator wrapped around the tail and pulled, flinging Kronya away from Dorothea. With another furious hiss, Kronya twisted in midair and got herself loose from the whip sword, soaring through the air to land some distance away from Byleth.
But as she landed and looked back at her opponents, she saw Dorothea had already sent a Thoron spell at her, and it was coming too fast to dodge.
Kronya's eyes widened in shock. Her power, Blink, wasn't ready yet.
The orange-haired assassin let out a shriek as she was electrocuted by the spell and blasted back into a tree. The spell's energies quickly left her body leaving her barely able to stand.
"W-W-What the…? How did you…"
Kronya's face filled with fear. The spell had done serious harm to her, and she was no longer certain of her victory. And as she looked up, she saw Byleth charging at her, ready to run her through.
The assassin let out a terrified yelp as she Blinked away, reappearing a short distance to the north and stumbling as her feet touched the ground.
"You can't run forever, Kronya!" shouted Byleth.
In fright, Kronya hastily threw another volley of knives at Byleth, who easily deflected the attack. It was enough to slow her down, though, allowing Kronya to break into a run.
"She's getting away!" Dorothea said as she and Byleth began chasing her.
Kronya was almost panicking as she looked back to see Byleth and Dorothea pursuing her. In her wounded state, she couldn't move with nearly as much agility or speed as before. One of her tails grabbed a tree and swung Kronya around it as a fireball from Byleth nearly scorched her. Kronya was about to dart off to the west when a Thunder spell from Dorothea cut her off, making the assassin yelp in terror.
"Get away! GET AWAY!" Kronya shrieked as she threw another volley of knives, this time aimed at Dorothea.
The diva saw this coming, however, and raised a ward to block the projectiles. Kronya was then forced to leap back as Byleth jumped at her and swung her blade from above. Byleth then made a horizontal swing at the assassin, who teleported away from the attack.
Byleth looked around, trying to find where the assassin had gone. Turning northward, she saw Kronya reappear near a large, gnarled tree.
Before the assassin could continue her flight, time ground to a halt.
"Is this really the time to be using my power?" asked Sothis.
Byleth knew she was taking a gamble here, but if it paid off, she could end the pursuit here.
"Ah, a clever plan. Well then, time to give that backstabber a surprise."
Kronya disappeared again before reappearing next to Byleth as the bluette's horizontal swing reversed itself. Byleth was now on the ground after having leapt at Kronya, just after her landing.
Time resumed its flow, and Byleth made her horizontal swing again.
Again, Kronya Blinked away from the attack.
Knowing where the assassin would go, Byleth quickly readied a Sagittae spell and flung it at the gnarled tree.
Kronya reappeared milliseconds later, her eyes going wide as saucers at seeing Byleth's spell flying at her with no time to dodge.
The assassin let out another painful scream as she was blasted through a tree by the spell and sent tumbling across a wide stone ruin. Four groups of crumbling stone pillars were at each corner of the ruin. Moss and other plants sprouted from cracks in the stone.
Byleth and Dorothea emerged from the trees as Kronya, now bleeding in several locations, slowly rose to her feet and held Athame defensively. Her leotard had been ripped apart in several places as a result of Byleth's spell. Her left breast hung out of its confines and rested atop her arm as she clutched her ribs beneath her right shoulder. One of her tails had been completely ripped off while another been cut in half. The tail segments resting on the ground showed they weren't an actual part of her body, but some kind of magically animated attachment to her outfit.
"H-How?" Kronya said fearfully. "How could I really lose… to a pair of lowly creatures like you?"
"The only 'lowly creature' I'm seeing here is you, Kronya," Dorothea said spitefully.
"You… how dare you! You think you can look down on me, you pathetic slut?!"
Angered by these words, Dorothea was about to ready another Thoron spell when Byleth raised a hand before her, stopping the diva.
"It's over, Kronya," said Byleth. "You're finished."
"No…! No! I'll never give in to filthy vermin like you!"
Kronya readied herself for one last defiant clash with Byleth and Dorothea as they readied their blades. The assassin slowly stepped back, trying to come up with some way to turn the tables on her foes.
"Well, well, now…" said an old voice behind Kronya.
Surprised, Kronya turned her head to Solon and said, "Solon! Don't just stand there and stare, you old lech! I need your help here!"
"Yes. You most certainly do."
As Solon said this, he slowly walked toward Kronya, who turned around with a loud "Huh?" as the necromancer stretched out his black right hand.
Byleth and Dorothea let out gasps of shock as Solon plunged his hand into Kronya's chest, literally grabbing the assassin's heart.
Kronya quivered in agony as Solon slowly stepped back, forcing her to follow him toward the edge of the ruin.
"Have no fear, Kronya," said Solon. "Your sacrifice will help to rid of this world of the filthy vermin that have long infested it."
As he said this, the glowing lines on Solon's body began to turn a foreboding purple, and dark flames began to surround him and the pillars at the corners of the ruin. Kronya dropped her blade and let out a scream of agony as blood seeped from her chest.
Solon then began to speak, his voice distorted by his magic.
Azhir uval nutarus.
"What is he doing to her?" Dorothea asked in horror.
Byleth quickly looked at the dark magic surging around them. Though dark magic wasn't something she was overly familiar with, this spell was completely unknown to her.
Azhir mudas ethanul.
The dark flames spread from the pillars and began to form a wall on all sides. As they surged, tendrils of black energy surged out of the fire, lashing out toward Byleth and Dorothea. Byleth slashed at one of the tendrils, but her blade passed through it without effect. The tendrils then quickly wrapped themselves around Byleth's body and limbs, trapping her in their grip. Dorothea let out a shriek as she too was bound by the spell.
Time froze before anything could go further.
"I know not what foul magic this is," said Sothis, "but we must not be caught in it! Waste not a moment!"
The tendrils returned to the darkness as the flames dimmed. Their spread was reversed, returning to the four pillars as Athame rose into Kronya's grip again.
Byleth couldn't go back any further. She now regretted using the Divine Pulse to attack Kronya.
Time began to flow, and so Byleth grabbed Dorothea by the wrist and said, "Run!"
Azhir uval nutarus.
The two ran for the edge of the ruin as the dark flames began to spread quickly. Kronya lost her grip again on Athame as she screamed in agony. From the flames closest to Solon, the black tendrils again emerged and darted like lightning toward Byleth.
Azhir mudas ethanul.
Byleth turned her head and saw the tendrils coming and knew they couldn't outrun them. She looked back to see the black flames had almost closed off their exit.
They weren't going to make it… not both of them.
Dalektharu il dask daku.
Byleth immediately readied a Force spell and shifted herself behind Dorothea, who felt Byleth's movement and turned her head to see the teacher. Her eyes widened as she realized what Byleth was about to do.
"GO!"
Byleth unleashed her spell, blasting Dorothea away with a wave of force. The singer screamed as she was launched clear of the ruin just before the wall of black flames closed. She crashed a few meters outside the flames.
"PROFESSOR!" Dorothea screamed as she pushed herself up and saw Byleth ensnared by the black tendrils.
Riftuuz e thara samanar utamus.
Byleth struggled to break free of their grip, but no amount of effort could allow her to get loose. The tendrils wormed their way all over her body, ensnaring her limbs and coiling around her. The bluette let out a concerned grunt as two of them wrapped tightly around her torso, squeezing her breasts and pulling her back toward the center of the spell. Then, as she tried to brace her feet on the ground, the tendrils lifted her from the floor, and Byleth let out a cry of near panic as she was rendered helpless.
"Professor, hang on!"
Dorothea rushed toward the wall of flames as she readied her magic. She didn't know what to do, only that she had to do something to save Byleth. The flames surged outward at the singer, making Dorothea scream as she was knocked back to the ground.
Elas umanes azarathan rakas ibna.
On the other side of the ritual, Kronya let out another scream as she shrieked, "Solon! S-STOP IIIIITTTTT!"
Solon's mouth curled in a grin as he tightened his grip on Kronya's heart.
The necromancer then said, "The time has finally come…"
He pulled Kronya's heart from her chest as he spoke and held it high.
"To unleash the Forbidden Spell of Zahras upon our enemies!"
He crushed the black, crystalline heart in his hand, shattering it like glass.
Darkness surged from Solon's hand and merged with the black flames of the ritual as Kronya fell backwards to the ground.
The assassin, her lips dripping with her blood, reached out toward Byleth and whimpered, "Help… me…!"
The black flames roared as Kronya was engulfed by a wave of darkness. Byleth, forced to watch as Kronya disappeared, now saw the darkness rapidly coming for her.
There was nothing she could do to stop it.
"BYLETH!" Dorothea screamed as she watched the darkness swallow the bluette.
For a second, the darkness swirled in a vortex, creating a pillar of dark fire that could be seen for miles. Then, just as suddenly as it had surged, the black flames receded and withered away.
There was no sign of Byleth, or of Kronya. The ruin was empty. Though the stone pillars remained, any plants that had once been there had vanished.
Dorothea looked on in muted horror as Solon said, "Begone with you… Fell Star. Belanora mordanos nenaar ila mor nu farlos kada."
Solon's face curled in a wide, sinister grin. The spell had gone better than he could have hoped. Not only had they rid themselves of one of the Church's greatest warriors, but he had also managed to dispose of Kronya in the process. The necromancer had always hated the Nightblade, considering her an annoyance.
Solon turned to leave the ruin when a Thoron spell slammed into his barrier. Perturbed, he turned to see Dorothea readying another spell.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Dorothea screamed as she cast another Thoron, which hit Solon's barrier uselessly. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO PROFESSOR BYLETH?!"
"Hmm? Oh, it's you," Solon said dismissively. "What do you want?"
"Don't act like you didn't hear me! Where is she?! WHERE IS PROFESSOR BYLETH?!"
Solon chuckled as he turned to Dorothea and said, "She was swallowed by the mystical darkness of the forbidden spell. An eternity wandering in a void of darkness, never to return to this world…" Solon then made a short scowl as he said, "To think we almost had the Sword of the Creator…"
"You… you're lying! She's alive! Professor Byleth… she wouldn't die to something like that!"
"It is possible that death has yet to find your friend. But there are worse things than death. Drifting through the darkness with no chance to escape… Overwhelmed with hopelessness… It must be torturous."
Dorothea was wide-eyed at Solon's words. Had he really condemned Byleth to such a horrible fate? She didn't know what he had truly done, but whatever it was, it had taken sacrificing the life of his ally to achieve it.
"Now, if you're quite done, I have more important matters to attend to."
Solon turned to leave again, and again his barrier was struck by Dorothea's magic. He turned back to her with an expression of amusement and ire.
"You're not going anywhere," Dorothea said as she barely contained her outrage.
Solon then let out a laugh and said, "You dare to challenge me, you insignificant beast? You seem to have forgotten our last encounter. Without your friend, you have no hope of victory."
"I don't care if I can't win. I don't care if it costs me my life. But for what you did to Byleth… I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"
Dorothea's hair began to billow as she began to channel her power, her hat falling to the forest floor. She had been casting spells for a good while now, but she found she still had Mana to spare. She didn't know where it was all coming from. She thought briefly that it could've had something to do with Solon's ritual, or perhaps the Sealed Forest simply had a large amount of ambient Mana she was drawing on, but it hardly mattered.
All that mattered was making sure Solon would die.
Dorothea let out a screech as she released a spell, sending a blue blast of fire at Solon. The spell, Agnea's Arrow, slammed into Solon's barrier, this time having a noticeable effect and causing it to flicker briefly. Solon made an irritated grunt at this.
"How trite," said Solon. "But if you wish for pain, I shall oblige. If you prefer it so, you shall also be added to the ranks of the dead!"
Solon's magic began to surge as he raised his right hand, unleashing his dark power into the ground of the Sealed Forest. The ground began to shudder as purple cracks began widening in the earth.
A skeletal arm grasping a broken sword ripped from the ground. In another spot, a second boney arm emerged holding a rusted axe. One by one, more and more bones began to sprout from the earth.
And then, as it released a sinister laugh, the first of Solon's skeletal minions pulled itself from the ground and stood, readying its ruined blade to serve its master.
Dorothea's eyes widened with horror as more skeletons burst from the ground, and soon she was outnumbered at least thirty to one.
"Rip her limb from limb, my servants!" Solon shouted.
With an unholy growl, the first skeletal minion rushed at the terrified singer.
Oh dear, Dorothea solo against skellies? That sounds bad.
I know you guys think I might've been lying about Kronya's role, but don't worry. This isn't the last you're going to see of her. How else am I going to keep lewding her? XD
You know how everybody complained about how, in-game, Byleth didn't use the Divine Pulse to get out of the Zahras spell? Well, now I had her try (and fail) just that. Of course, you know that's not gonna be the end of her. Also, I know you guys will think I lewded the spell a bit, but take a look at the in-game cutscene and tell me that's not just a few inches from a tentacle scene. ;P
And yeah, I know Byleth doesn't learn Sagittae in-game, but I think the characters should be able to learn more spells. I'll be looking into doing that more in the future.
Finally, see if you can figure out where the lines for Solon's spell came from. Here's a hint: WC3ROC.