Deliverer of Birthright

by romeoraiden

My First Story. Two Nations. One desperate enough to bring a terrible war, the other more concern for themselves, and at the center, a sheltered Princess is forced to make difficult choices for the good of all. In her quest to do what's right many will stand with her and many more will oppose, throwing her in a state of despair. And from the chaos a Fallen Hero will rise again.

21. Chapter 21: No Turning Back Now

*Chapter 21: No Turning Back Now

"FORWARD NOW! This is our chance to end this war as swiftly as possible, strike down any soldier that gets in your way and only the soldiers and march for the Castle!" Xander roared as he commands his forces to strike. "FOR THE GLORY OF NOHR!"

"FOR THE GLORY OF NOHR!" The Nohrian Soldiers cried out at once as they and the Grimm march forward, ignoring the civilians but plenty among them don't even try to avoid collateral damage as they rampage through Suzanoh and engage the Hoshidan warriors. This could potentially be the final battle for them so it's all or nothing now.

"You two remain by my side as we march for Shirasagi. The streets will drown in chaos in mere seconds so it may be easy to get lost under all the confusion." Xander instructed Silas and Charlotte who agreed to accompany him in this invasion.

"This is it, isn't it?" Silas said taking a deep breath, feeling really nervous. "It's come much sooner than expected and I'm grateful for that but still…"

"You're having second thoughts about all this, my friend?" Xander asked sincerely.

"It's not that, your Highness, I'm fully committed to seeing this through to the end, no matter how much blood I have to spill. However, I must confess that rather we win or lose, this day and the coming days will leave me with many regrets that are already plaguing me." Silas admitted, feeling unease.

"I see. I sympathize with your plight. It would leave a stain on your humanity as well as mine if we were to go through with this and not feel anything for those we've wronged. But bear this in mind once we continued that we must move forward no matter what. We didn't attack these people just for glory after all. Our people need these lands. Look for no further example than your parents who've worked until they bled in making sure at least our military was kept from starving this long. Conquering Hoshido can end such difficult times."

"You're right. Forgive me for being such a bother to you at such a crucial moment, Milord." Silas replied hardening his heart.

"Don't apologize to me about matters of the heart, Sir Silas. Now let's get out there and end this!"

---

"Form up and create a blockade around Shirasagi! Let not one of these fiends poison our soil any longer!" Reina shouted to her soldiers as the Hoshidan forces gather and amass a strong defense while the citizens run behind them and rush to the Castle. In the midst of a crisis, the residents of the Capital have been instructed to move to Shirasagi as it's the most fortified place in Hoshido to hold off deadly assaults like this so with a miracle they just might be safe there while the rest of the city becomes a battlefield.

"Come and feel the sting of my blade, demons!" Another Kinshi Knight dared as he thrust his spear towards one of the bigger Ravagers, stabbing it right through its head, only to have the neck of his mount as well as his own be swiftly and savagely bitten off by two other Ravagers, causing them to fall to their deaths with Nohr swarming their adversaries with superior numbers, forcing the Diviners to hit harder than ever before.

"Let there be Light!" Orochi cried as she and every Diviner in the immediate vicinity band together to activate the Light Scroll at once and with these many magic users, they manage to summon far more Soldiers of Light than before who quickly engage the Creatures of Darkness.

"Aerial Carnage!" Reina ordered as she leads several Sky Knights to fly above the battlefield before falling down towards the distracted Nohrians and Grimm and rain down their blades and arrows upon them before most of them could notice and those that did only few were able to counter. Made much easier with the stronger Grimm like the Nevermore and Nuckelavee elsewhere, otherwise this could've turned out uglier.

"Hey, fall back with the citizens. You're sitting ducks if you focus on maintaining the army." Hayato reminded Orochi.

"Don't state the obvious with me, you damn brat and make yourself useful, we can't let a single Nohrian get near our people!" Orochi protested.

"We have a little bit of luck since we've already confirmed that the one leading this attack is Crown Prince Xander. That boy is chivalry personified and has most likely ordered his troops to ignore our citizens and allow them to escape and at the very least we know the Grimm won't try to ignore that order." Reina said.

"That's a small breath of fresh air but dammit all, to think that they would attack us while the rest of our strongest were out. Did they plan this?" Orochi muttered.

"At least Yukimura has planned on something like this but is there time to use that weapon with this current state?" Reina wondered. "At any case, we must press onward and holdout as best we can. I sincerely doubt that the others won't make it in time for the real fun."

"You are the craziest partner ever, I swear." Orochi mumbled.

"And proud of it. At any rate, you two should head back to the Castle and assist with the main defense. We won't be able to hold on for long around here anyway." Reina suggested to Hayato and Mozu.

"Jeez, show a little more enthusiasm, old lady. At times like these you got to keep your chin up in more ways than one." Hayato suggested.

"Lad, when you'd been at this as long as I have, you ultimately start to get tired of heroic speeches and just go with the flow of battle." Reina said preferring to keep a realistic outlook on this war than one of a dreamer.

"Don't call me a la… never mind. Let's go Mozu, the real show is elsewhere and calling my name." Hayato declared as the younger members of Hoshido's army leave to secure the Castle.

"That kid, I swear. I pity how he is to be the next Chieftain of the Wind Tribe and Oldstrong as a whole." Orochi muttered.

"You see a hindrance, I see promise. Better for him to suffer the consequences of having Pride at an early age so that when he's finally a man he can have the wisdom to lead his people into a better prosperity. He tragically already knows how to shoulder the burden of ending a life." Reina said, finding the boy most amusing. "My main concern with him is that rather or not he will survive this war and grow up to become the man his people need him to be."

"I'm more worried on how long before literal Pride will show up and consume him." Orochi muttered.

---

"No, no, no!" Takumi cursed in horror upon seeing the state his home succumbed to in mere seconds, the focus of his attention being the three Nevermores heading this way and Sky Knights moving in to intercept them, and hopefully the Basaras will be able to keep them out of at least the Castle.

"Time to go, you're Highness. We can't afford to stay here with how dire things have become." One of the soldiers assigned to guard him suggested while also presenting him his Fujin Yumi.

"I'm… I won't go and hide anywhere while all this is happening, especially not without my mother." Takumi tried to argue with his usual headstrong demeanor that his people know him of having but it's easy to notice how it's all for show, though the spark in his eyes are real enough.

"Be that as it may, at least let us escort you somewhere we're less vulnerable with a more advantageous course." The Samurai suggested. Seconds later, the feather of a Nevermore blasts through the wall and destroys Takumi's bed but no one was thankfully near it. "Because in here we're an easier target than a feral Kitsune in plain sight."

"Things always have to be complicated and a total pain." Takumi mumbled as he departs with his escort to a safer location and hopefully find Mikoto to keep her safe as well but are forced to stop when their path is blocked by a monster that none of them have ever seen before that is comparable to a large many-legged insect, hard to tell if it's a giant worm or a giant centipede. The pitch-black skin and white skeletal armor plate and a single eye located above the largemouth that sports numerous rows of massive teeth are clear signs that it's a new type of Grimm.

"This is new…" Takumi uttered, just as surprised as his men by the sight of this new threat. The Grimm Worm focus its attention on him and opens its large mouth with a red smoke-like substance similar to what's within a Seer spewing from it, giving them the impression that it's going to attack but how it does so is something that catches them off guard as a small pack of Beowolves immediately come rushing out of the giant worm's mouth.

"WHAT THE FU-" Takumi cried, trying to shoot at the Beowolves but fired too late with one of them slashing the Sacred Treasure off his hands and knocking him to the ground, now forced to let his men deal with the new threat as a fight ensues while he tries to reach for his bow with a Samurai helping him and they both then take cover.

"If they had a freakish monster like those then why did they take so damn long to bring them into the fray?" Takumi asked no one as he tries to fire again at the Grimm but again halts upon realizing that the Grimm Worm has vanished from where it originally was, leaving only the hole in the ground. "Where did…?" He felt it only for a second, the ground below him and the Samurai began trembling but couldn't react to it in time, except for his subordinate.

"My Prince!" He shouted, pushing Takumi out of the way in time as the Grimm Worm bursts out of the ground they were standing on but only succeeds in swallowing the Samurai instead, to Takumi's horror.

"NO, Mishima!" Takumi cried upon seeing the faithful samurai be swallowed whole with bits of his blood raining down and provoking the Prince to fight back. "You monster!" He shoots an arrow at the beast but despite its size, the Grimm evades the arrow rather easily by narrowly moving right, though this can be attributed to Takumi being sloppy in his current state, leaving himself vulnerable to be eaten next but is saved in the nick of time by a Kinshi Knight who swoops him into his Kinshi. And while he was added he picks up a red glowing scroll and throws it at the Grimm's mouth.

"Eat this, you abomination!" The Knight shouted as the scroll turns out to be a magical bomb that explodes upon being eaten by the Grimm Worm, explosive flames coming out of the mouth as it falls to the ground but it doesn't seem to be dead yet, judging by the barely noticeable trembling. "You alright, you're Highness?"

"Renji? Thank you." Takumi muttered as the Kinshi Knight flies the Prince down with the other soldiers who just finished dispatching with the Beowolves, however twelve among them have fallen due to gruesome injuries.

"We must get to the Throne Room; the Queen should still be there and escort them both to the safe zone along with the rest of the incoming civilians."

"Will even that place be safe now that this new threat has shown it's ugly face?" A Priestess asked hugely scared, turning to the new Grimm as it gets back up and looks ready to attack.

"It'll hold up against attacks from underground so get a move on! I'll hold this thing off." Renji ordered as he chooses to stay and face the Grimm alone.

"Renji…" Takumi wanted to protest but was stripped of his choice as his escort force him to flee.

"Run, you're Highness!"

"Alright you filthy vermin! Let's go, I'll fucking have ya!" Renji dared as he rides his Kinshi to battle, readying to fire an arrow with the same explosive glow as the scroll and the Grimm response by opening its mouth and from it come out several Ravagers, followed by a Titanboa to take the shot instead.

---

"Hold the line! HOLD THE LINE! Nothing gets through!" An Oni Savage ordered as his forces defend one of the blockades leading to the Castle from the incoming Nohrians, among them is one of the Nuckelavee who marches forward at top speed to bring them down, and once it's screams, fear consumes all but one of the Hoshidans, that being the same Oni Savage, who musters all his courage and runs forward to confront the Demon of Terror with just his Silver Mace to aid him, which proves futile as the Nuckelavee tosses him aside as if he was a toy, crashing through a wagon while the evil beast proceeds with the rest of its targets, only to be stopped by a large Dragon Spirit that bashes itself into the human portion of the Nuckelavee, knocking it in its entirety to the ground and manages to bite off the demonic head, attempting to remove the upper portion of the Grimm but proves fruitless with the Nuckelavee fighting back. Charlotte comes then leaping down from above and cuts the same Diviner down with her Killer Axe as she and other Berserkers she is leading ambush the blockade and dispose of them quickly, allowing their forces to proceed, Xander not far behind.

Blocking their path next is a unit of Light Soldiers, of which the Crown Prince is the first to go up against.

"You're all already repetitive!" He roared as he swings Siegfried ferociously, unleashing a mighty wave of dark magic that overpowers the majority of Light Soldiers and destroys them. However there is one Light Soldier that's cut out above the rest that is a giant of a Swordmaster who stands his ground and takes Xander head-on as the two clash with their swords. The force of the Light Swordsman is very strong that the first three strikes each nearly succeed in knocking Xander off his mount, forcing him to jump off his horse, and face it foot lock and as they continue to clash their blades, Xander has a better time holding his own but it does not change the fact that this foe is still physically stronger than him and quick enough to prevent the warrior prince to get close to land a critical blow, which is easier said than done, even from long range, and it gets even harder when the Light Swordsman finally manages to get the Crown Prince and lands what should be a critical hit on his left shoulder with his large katana of light.

"You're Highness!" The Nohrians cried out to their prince after receiving such a blow that would kill any normal man with east, thankfully though, Xander is advantageous than most men, especially with his Sacred Treasure and with a rapid swing, he tosses the large blade of light off him and marches forward with a mighty roar while his blade surges with its own dark powers completely, except that the red outlines it usually displays are now gone, making the blade entirely black and as he stabs the Light Soldier by the left abdomen, it explodes in a violent burst of darkness.

"Let nothing stall you! Victory is nearly ours!" Xander declared to his men while raising his sword in the air, it's mere presence maintaining their morale high.

"Gods! There's no escape." A civilian cried in horror upon seeing the strength of the Crown Prince as many among them have not manage to escape and were caught off by the previous fight.

"It's over. There is no more hope left for Hoshido…" A mother uttered with despair while holding her crying son in her arms.

"It's not over until I have the last drop of blood." Reina declared as she and her Sky Unit march to the scene and block the path from the Nohrians. "Want to give a crack at me, boy."

"You're Reina, the Commander of Hoshido's entire Sky Knight unit. We didn't get the chance to meet during your ambush in the Opera House but I've seen the state you left my father in, he clearly did not exaggerate when he spoke on how formidable you are." Xander said.

"You're no slouch yourself, kiddo. And I can see the same vicious fire in your eyes that your old man has." Reina complimented, readying her blade for this fight.

"You honor me, though you'll find that I don't have the same patience as him when facing a true challenge. And you're in my way. Morbid Fixation." Xander said.

"You'll have to kill me if you want to move any further first, boy." Reina dared.

"Then drown in darkness!" Xander shouted as his forces move forward to attack, with the Hoshidans ready for the worse while the civilians cower behind them. A Nevermore moving in first, aiming straight for Reina, not that she'll be able to strike it down, as a powerful wind in the shape of a crescent moon hits the Nevermore by the face, cutting it in two easily, which then combust into a gust of wind that hits only the Nohrians and Grimm and knocks them to the ground, with few such as Xander, Silas and Charlotte able to resist the strong winds and stand their ground.

"What now?" Charlotte protested while more Grimm charge and head towards the top of the market, likely where whoever fired that attack is, where those same demons meet their end as they get wiped out by the same wind attacks, and soon enough the assailant jumps off the building revealing herself to be Corrin.

"Corrin!" Silas shouted, surprise while Xander narrows his eyes.

"The Lost Princess." One of the citizens gasped surprised to see her come in their defense. After all, she's been the subject of many topics, more so negative than positive ever since what happened the day this war started, for her to be here, will baffle most of them.

"Took you long enough, lassie." Reina smirked, happy to have her here.

"Sorry I'm late. Though the others will be here much later." Corrin informed her. Seconds later, Hinoka, Kaze, Jakob and Felicia arrive at the scene as well beside her.

"Felicia! Jakob! You're both alive!" Silas gasped.

"Wait, is that Silas?" Felicia uttered.

"Well, this day is just full of letdowns." Jakob scoffed.

"Wish to stand against us again, Corrin?" Xander questioned his former sister, not even bothering to notice the thought to have been dead friends, instead more focus on the changes done to her sword and the power it is emitting. "So that blade really is the Yato? And you've most likely went to meet the Rainbow Sage? In under such short notice at that."

"What can I say, I'm more resourceful these days. And like I said before. Every land Nohr takes from Hoshido, I will take back no matter the cost to my wellbeing." Corrin declared while pointing her blade at her brother with newfound conviction.

'Not even the smallest hint of hesitation in her body. Though there is still unease in her eyes there are clear signs that she is more compose than before.' Xander noted that Corrin seems stronger in a sense. 'In such short notice must mean that she received more than power from the Rainbow Sage. Curious.'

"And the liberation of Suzanoh starts now, in case you weren't paying attention. And I know the city hasn't been lost yet but you get the point." Corrin explained as elsewhere, Robin takes to the sky and lets loose his power as he creates several thunderclouds above the Capital, blackening the sky a bit.

"Rexbolt!" Robin commanded as a multitude of lightning bolts rain down on the ground and hit a multitude of Grimm across Suzanoh, giving the Hoshidans more of a fighting chance, but there is still more Nohrian reinforcements coming due to that red pillar-like portal still active with the next Grimm coming happens to be a Carnage, only much bigger than the one Robin faced in Kyoto, this one has to be almost twenty stories high. "Wonderful."

"By the Grace of Sephiroth! How are we supposed to stop that?!" One Pegasus Knight asked in distress to see such a creature. "We can barely hold our own against the smaller Leviathans!"

"Man up! All of you! We must not surrender no matter what!" The Knight leading the rest of them ordered to stay strong.

"There are mostly women here, jackass!" Another argued.

"All of you stand down and focus on the smaller adversaries! I got this one!" Robin ordered all of them as he flies to face the Carnage on his own.

"Was that Lord Robin?" One of them asked.

"Lord Robin? Who died and made him one of the big shots?"

"Didn't you hear the news? The foreigner has left such a huge impression with the Royal Family that he's earned a noble status."

"WHAT?! Is that allowed?"

"Not exactly but desperate times and dude's crazy powerful. Gotta stay on his good side somehow."

The Carnage notices Robin and immediately strikes at him by firing it's red laser beam and Robin counters by using both Levin Swords, while channeling Ignis and thrusting both blades into the dark attack, causing an explosion that while destructive and huge only it's shockwaves hit the ground and cause extensive damage but there was fortunately no one around to feel such intense force, minus for the Nohrian reinforcements.

---

"Is he…"

"He's fine, Felicia. He's practically a phoenix at this point with how much beating he can sustain." Corrin interrupted Felicia, overconfident in Robin's abilities more so than she was originally.

"You would know better than most, Milady." Jakob chuckled amusingly.

"So it has come to this, has it Little Princess. There is truly no going back?" Xander questioned. "I really don't know why I'm asking this when you made your answer pretty clear but I supposed I can't deny my own reluctance."

"I'm more reluctant than anyone here, brother. However, neither of us could never deny our birthrights, nor the foes that come with them. As much as it pains me to say this but you really should've prepared for this." Corrin said, hurting more inside with her own words.

"Indeed, and truth be told, even though I prayed it would never come I have in fact been preparing for this moment ever since you became a part of our lives, I knew deep down that you were my enemy and I should not have been as accepting of you as I did, but as days turns to weeks, then months and then years I could not deny that all I saw in you was another sister I wanted to love and care for, and so I did, even more so I helped mother raised you in father's place and I prayed more and more for you to never know the truth because the very thought of you hating me and Nohr as a whole for the Injustices done to Hoshido was more than I could bear. Even though father is innocent there was no way to prove it, not enough to convince Hoshido and the world as a whole and when the Day of Fate finally arrived I overestimated my willpower on how you remaining with Hoshido impacted me and I spoke with a broken heart rather than the logic I've convinced myself into embracing for so long. There was nothing I could do in that moment except behave in accordance to my duty as Crown Prince of Nohr but also the elder brother of five and try to make things right." Xander said somberly, ceasing this chance to express his true feelings. "When mother suggested to take Elise to the Opera House with the hopes of lifting her spirit no one would've been surprised that an ambush would occur there, an attack against us in the name of the Dawn's own notion of justice, and I was not surprise when I learned that you were involved in some way but still I was hurt, I was struck with sadness and anger overcame me but even still I had enough time to process your decision and your place with the world and yet I could not shake the desire to beg you for a second chance, to start anew as my younger sister. The great princess I know you can be and Nohr desperately needs."

"Xander…"

"But I underestimated my own anger and lashed out more so than I intended and made a fool of myself. My actions were not that of a future king nor an older brother but of a beast lusting for the blood of my enemies and thrill of victory, everything my people have been accused of being for centuries when it was my duty to prove the world wrong, and I've said some things to you that I did not entirely mean to ever say to your face as I never wanted to hurt you in spite of all this. Worse still, though it was an accident I also hurt father as well. It could be understood as to why I would behave as such with so many of my most trusted comrades and soldiers being slaughtered left and right just for fulfilling their duty in protecting my family but I cannot shake the feeling that in that moment I was more a tool than a man, like someone was pulling strings in my heart to think irrationally. Regardless, I lost my chance then and there and now more than ever there is no turning back."

"Wrath…" Corrin cursed under her breath, the mere thought of that monster sickening to her core.

"I'm done wanting to try and convince you to return, Little Princess, this is your home and your Birthright. I'll make peace with that eventually, as I know everyone back home will but right now this isn't about us but Nohr as a whole. I will put an end to this useless war and take these lands so that my people can thrive again, even if I have to cut a path from the flesh of the Gods themselves!" Xander said with a much stronger tone befitting of a True King and restored conviction that had been previously shaken. "I invite you to stop me for it is your right to defend your home but remember that in this battlefield there is no justice, honor, or righteousness, only the total conviction to win! So raise your blades and give it your all for we will do so as well and tenfold! And may your God offer your souls salvation in the Eternal Flame for your failure!"

All the Nohrians howl with raw strength and convictions with the words of their Crown Prince, more ready to see this through to the end.

"This guy…" Hinoka uttered, admittedly taken aback by Xander's words. The man has a way with them, and all the Hoshidans in the vicinity would be lying if they said that they didn't feel some kind of admiration for him despite his motives. 'No wonder Corrin is so distraught by fighting him. He and Ryoma really are alike.'

"Prepare to return home disappointed again! But before we start though, answer me this, did Silas tell you what I told him regarding what really happened in the Bottomless Canyon?" Corrin asked more serious than the Crown Prince has ever seen her display, with the Prince sparing a brief glance at the young Cavalier and vice versa before returning to Corrin.

"Yes, he told us as much, and you already know my answer, Little Princess. I don't believe such a thing. I will never believe such a thing. My father is not a perfect man and is the farthest thing from a saint. He's done things that make him seem atrocious, I won't sugarcoat the truth nor deny his many sins as King of Nohr, and I certainly will never defend him when the truth is plainly obvious but despite all that he has done, I know that he did love you as his daughter and would never have done such a thing to you, nor anyone." Xander said firmly, holding on to the faith he placed on his father as if his own life depended on it.

"I know that to be true as well because I know now that it wasn't him who did that to me, but Iago." Corrin revealed, catching her foster brother and few of the Nohrians off guard by this.

"What…" Xander uttered. Sure, Iago is a vicious man with dark impulses but his loyalty to his family and Nohr as a whole has never been brought into questioning, even with his open dislike of Corrin due to her true heritage.

"It's true, Lord Xander, the two of us and the Hoshidan Royals heard it straight from his venomous mouth when he had us trapped in Kyoto, and you really shouldn't be surprised, his irrational hatred for Hoshido is not something he ever tried to hide, in particular, his prejudice to this nation's Royal Family." Jakob affirmed.

Though silent, the increasing frown on his face shows that Xander believes them enough, even making him tighten his grip on Siegfried with the Holy Sword's power dangerously manifesting, although, Xander does calm down and regains his composure

"I see. A manner for another time, for that holds no place right here. Now is the time to end this War!" Xander dismissed, his resolve not fading.

"I knew you would say something like that. So then I will have to end this myself!" Corrin roared as she instinctively raises the Yato and releases a powerful twister against her former people and Xander counters firing his darkwave from Siegfried that clashes with the twister.

---

"Take a hint and get lost you dirty demons!" Hayato shouted as he blows away as many Nohrians and Grimm that get any closer to the gates that lead to the Castle, assisting him is Mozu who's latest weapon of choice is an oak tree of all things and bashes anyone who gets near with it, blowing them sky-high. Her latest target is a Manticore that she knocks away and has it crash into a Nevermore close to reaching the castle, the impact was so hard that they both fall on top a few Cavaliers coming in, with only one of them barely making it out safely.

"Those kids are monsters!" A Berserker cried as none of them seem able to pass the two.

"Someone get a Sorcerer here!" A Paladin ordered.

"Out of my way!" A Sorcerer shouted as he steps forward to take on the two devil children with a powerful dark magic attack. "Eclipse!" He surrounds the two children in a dark sphere bursting with dark energy set to explode, however Hayato manages to escape in time, leaving only Mozu to take the shot and the dark spell instead dissipates upon making contact with the Demigoddess.

"What the fuck…" The Sorcerer uttered shocked.

"Eat this!" Mozu shouted as she throws the oak tree with it rolling down the stairs and squashing most of them with the rest able to fall back.

"Ha! Now that's how you take out the trash!" Hayato smirked.

"What are you kids made of!" One of the soldiers standing guard asked baffled by what just happened.

"We of Oldstrong are made of tougher magic than here in Hoshido." Hayato smirked full of himself.

"I'm from Aikawa." Mozu reminded him.

"And I guess being Half-Nohrian is pretty neat." Hayato shrugged.

"Dumbass!"

"Oh, I like this new feistier you. Like a smaller Rinkah I can actually tolerate." Hayato laughed.

"Guys!" Sakura shouted out to them as they see the Princess and Azura run up the stairs, while ignoring all the knocked down or dead Nohrians left there.

"Princess Sakura!" "Lady Azura!" The Hoshidans shouted in surprise.

"Well, you two picked a fine time to arrive. Where are the others?" Hayato asked.

"Trapped in Kyoto. They wanted us to go there to keep us away from all this but Lilith managed to get at least Corrin, Hinoka, Kaze, Robin, Felicia and ourselves out." Azura explained while in distress upon seeing the state of Suzanoh but not nearly as much as Sakura who is in total despair.

"Well, ain't that a kick in the can." Hayato hissed.

"W-here's my mother and brother…?" Sakura asked with haste.

"Safer than the rest of us I'll bet but something tells me you two are better off with us. You know, because you're one of the few healers currently here at the moment." Hayato suggested.

"I-I think you're right. I promise to do my best." Sakura said agreeing to stay and defend the gate.

---

"You're Grace, the Nohrians have breached our last defenses and the Capital is under siege by a swarm of Grimm." A Monk cried out the alarming news to the Queen with the rest of the Royal Guard having gathered around her to keep her safe from the danger.

"No, no, no! I need more time!" Mikoto uttered in horror as there's no time left for her to stop this.

"It seems we have no choice now. We must deploy Izanami." Yukimura declared.

"Are you mad?! Letting that thing loose within our soil will be disastrous." Mikoto argued against.

"It's only harmful to anything close to Magical in its current state so once we have our Diviners fall back it should be safe to activate it in the Capital with the only casualties being Nohr's Mages, Grimm and inevitably the Light Soldiers." Yukimura assured her. "Our own experimentations with Anti-Magic are bearing fruit."

"Not from what I've-" Mikoto shuttered before the ground begins to tremble violently, causing all of them to lose their balance briefly as another Grimm Worm emerges from the ground, right between all of them and the doors to the Throne Room. "A Void Traveler! Of all the Grimm that should've stayed as just drawings in books."

The Grimm lies its head on down, opens the mouth and from it come out over thirty-seven knights, identical to the Geist possessed armor knights but much more human size and it's difficult to tell if there's really a person inside of the armors so for all they know those are really Grimm.

"Stand your ground! Let none go near our Queen!" Yukimura ordered as the Royal Guard are armed and ready for the worse.

'Can things get any worse.' Mikoto muttered in distress. Tempting Fate must run in the family because Mikoto's words are answered as something else comes out from the Void Traveler, only this time it's really a person who just so happens to be the Queen of Nohr herself, accompanying her is Nohr's Top Tactician, Iago, and secretly the true culprit of this war.

"Queen Arete!" Yukimura gasped in horror with all of their soldiers growing tense with such dangerous foes standing before them. But what is she doing here, based on what they've learned, Arete should still be in Nestra with Garon discussing things with King Alexander regarding what happened in Cyrkensia.

"Well, well, so you're Queen Mikoto. This meeting has long since been overdue, wouldn't you agree?" Arete said, sounding almost like Camilla, sugar-sweet with a hint of venom, though the venom part might be more based on natural hostility from the war than Camilla's level of malice. "A shame my King could not join us today but sadly our hands are full because of my wayward daughters and your meddling brats."

"You…" Mikoto uttered, somehow left with few words to give, focusing her gaze on Arete, her yumi in hands but shaking a bit but there's no fear in her eyes.

"That's all you have to say, how lackluster." Arete said with a shook of her head. "Then again, this whole thing feels as such."

"Aptly put, your Grace. Which is only fitting, seeing how today marks the end of Hoshido." Iago smirked with pure bliss and true malice in his face.

"You won't like the outcome of this battle!" Yukimura declared.

"Oh, I think we will." Arete countered with dark magic coursing through her body. "Come and face me at your own expense and prepare to die!"

The battle commences once a green arrow comes bursting through the hall from the left aiming straight to Arete, that is blocked with one of the knights taking the hit for the Shadow Queen and gets destroyed in the process, revealing the Geist wearing it. An arrow that came from Takumi as he and his men arrive at the scene.

"Mother!" Takumi cried out to her.

"Takumi, no!" Mikoto uttered in horror to have his still frail son here of all places.

"My, won't this be fun." Iago said more giddy to have both the Queen and Second Prince here to be eliminated. The Tactician makes the first move, releasing the dark power of his dark tome, firing an attack similar to the Mire Spell, but his is purplish and more explosive as upon touching the floor near the Hoshidans, portions of said floor begin to trigger explosions that cause considerable damage to most of them but the combined magic of the Diviners are able to counter this destructive force with their spirits. This leaves most of them caught off enough for Arete to make the next move, channeling power from her own tome.

"Ginnungagap!" Arete howled as she cast the same spell the Sin of Sloth used against Robin but clearly different in a way and not as powerful but no doubt just as deadly, with a sphere of multiple colors manifests above her targets that she lets fall on them, though Mikoto notices on time and unleashes her own magic that creates a barrier around herself and allies. At the very least, Corrin has enabled Mikoto the ability to use defensive magic with no hindrances and she is successful in blocking the Ginnungagap spell, though it's power still goes loose with the blast instead heading for the ceiling, triggering a large explosion that destroys the top of the castle, leaving a large hole that reveals the sky but also causes much of the castle to tremble and chunks of it falling apart.

"She was not this deadly back in Cyrkensia." Takumi uttered, flabbergasted by the Shadow Queen's magic prowess.

"Nice defense, little queen. Too bad it's all for nothing." Arete said as she cast Ginnungagap again but this time on herself, her body now surging with an aura of the Magic's power.

"What did she just do?" Mikoto uttered.

"By the Light! She's infused her body with Ginnungagap itself. Such a high-level technique is not possible for the human body to tolerate." Yukimura gasped.

Arete goes forward and places her left palm on Mikoto's barrier and by that single touch, she destroys it entirely, and without skipping a beat, her knights rush forward and engage the Hoshidans.

"I hear the tactics of that Yukimura fellow have always been a hassle for our soldiers. Deal with him once and for all." Arete ordered Iago.

"With pleasure, your Shadowiness." Iago smirked sinisterly as he moves ahead.

"You're Grace, take the Prince and run for it!" Yukimura pleaded as he mounts on his beast-like karakuri to partake in this battle.

"Takumi!" Mikoto cried out to her son who stubbornly partakes in the fight but doesn't last long. He shoots down another of Arete's Geist Knights, destroying the armor and forcing the Grimm within out, who doesn't need to possess anything to engage in combat as he reaches for the young Prince, grabbing him by his neck and pins him to the wall. Recklessly, he fights back, going as far as to use the Fujin Yumi as a blunt weapon but the Geist effortlessly knocks the bow off his hand with a swing of its right hand to his wrist and begins to strangle Takumi, only to be shot in the head by a Pursuer arrow from Mikoto who pulverizes it.

"Takumi, we must go." Mikoto said as she helps him up his feet.

"But what about the others?" Takumi argued.

"We'll only get in the way." She replied bitterly as she forces Takumi to run to another hall.

"Not so easy, little miss." Arete said as she begins to follow them but is first blocked by two Masters of Arms who aim to stop her, though they don't last long as a flick from both her wrists is all it took to dispose of them as they are both struck with a barrage of Elwind-like attacks that shred their bodies, creating multiple gashes that they quickly bleed to death. "My long-awaited retribution will not be delayed any longer."

Yukimura fires several shurikens and arrows from his mechanical beast that strike down any foes that dares get near with the only one who manages to hold his own is Iago who powers his way through his rival Tactician's wave of comrades and automatons and fires a torrent of darkness at him that Yukimura counters by firing multiple arrows that manage to dispel the darkness.

"Ha! Spellbane arrows? What primitive and outdated artillery. I was under the impression that you fools were in the makings of real war machines but it seems my intelligence reports misinformed me." Iago mocked.

"I'll wipe that horrid mask and smirk off your face in due time and I won't even have to waste a single drop of Hoshido's true power." Yukimura declared, fully committed to win this battle.

"Oh, really. Have you been outside lately? Because from where I'm standing I'm safe to call checkmate." Iago replied. "Are you good with boardgames, Yukimura? Like this shogi? In Nohr we play a similar game called chess, and as Tacticians, we are taught that we must not be afraid of treating our soldiers as pieces for casualties are inevitable and at the end of the day victory is everything and the ends justify the means. And last time I checked, you're strongest chest pieces have removed themselves from the board, your King is dead and your Queen lacks a wide range as well as brute strength."

"Such heartless tactics are a stain on my honor as a proud Hoshidan Commander. And on that honor and the privilege bestowed upon me by my Queen and late King, I will prevail and remove your corruption from my homeland forever." Yukimura argued in disgust by Iago.

"How unimaginative. Really, I'm not sure what was I expecting." Iago shook his head in disappointment. "How can one have as much power as you have and not grow a spine. What a waste."

"Enough talk, Demon. It's time to die!"

"Demon, am I? No, my friend. You don't even know the meaning of the word." Iago chuckled cruelly.

---

Corrin clashes swords with Xander, the two former siblings no longer able to hold back anymore, the Princess, with her very limited experience channels power from the Yato and releases a powerful horizontal tornado to make one great slash to Xander, who the Prince parries laughably easy, releasing a small darkness to push her aside, making her take a few steps back that she almost falls pitifully on her butt, fortunately she manage to evade that fate, only to meet a worse fate as Xander delivers his own magically enhanced horizontal slash that Corrin blocks with her sword that also releases a gust of wind to make a shield but the dark attack still blows her several feet away until she crashes straight into a flower shop.

"Is that all you have to offer, Corrin!" Xander roared, his expectations growing dimmer.

"You know… if you wanted me to surpass you one day you could've given me a better demonstration of your power to have a clearer picture on what I should strive towards and not babyproof the fortress." Corrin suggested painfully.

"Touché, however when in comparison to having Leo as a teacher and you the student, you were always going to be the poor one with me and Gunter, regardless of your profound strength." Xander lectured reasonably coldly as he moves forward and strikes at Corrin again with the Princess doing her best to gain the advantage and deliver as many powerful attacks as possible, none which prove to be of any effect against Xander as with two more strikes, Corrin is again on her knees despite parrying significantly better than she has shown before. "At least your reflexes are finally to my liking."

"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Corrin shouted as she stabs Yato into the floor and within seconds a tornado bursts out from the ground below Xander that blows the Crown Prince a hundred feet in the air, legitimately catching him off guard.

"At least something came out of letting you play with Leo's toys that he never bothered to use because of his simple-minded view of strength." Xander groaned as he easily dispels the twister with a slash of Siegfried and starts falling back down, already prepared to lay his sword down on Corrin who wisely runs out of the way as the resulting explosion from Xander's dark magic, while not that necessarily large was devastating, vaporizing the entire flower shop. Xander does not relent as he runs fast to deliver another horizontal slash that Corrin miraculously evade with godspeed by jumping and making a slip before landing behind Xander and finally landing what should've been a critical hit from the back but the amount of force she pour into her blade was all for naught that all she accomplish is forcing him to take a few steps forward, that accomplish only in annoying the already aggravated older brother and with a single counter-attack, Corrin again finds herself lying on the ground. "But even that amounts to nothing." He scoffed.

"Don't doubt me too much!" Corrin warned as she gets back up to fight and uses much more strength that Xander is slightly caught off by this heighten resolve, not that it may do much as the two continue to clash some more with Corrin apparently getting the upper hand, forcing Xander to take a few steps back and even getting on his knees for a brief moment, his guard completely down as Corrin thrust her blade at his chest, no point in avoiding killing blows with such a great defense. Sadly, the truth is that Xander purposely let himself be put in this position as he easily evades Yato and grabs her by her right wrist and with great effort lifts and tosses Corrin aside to a wall, followed by a straight blast by Siegfried that tears apart the entire structure with the Princess in it.

"Milady!" Kaze cried out, trying to aid her, only to be held back by Silas who holds nothing back this time, ramming himself at the Ninja with his shield and slamming him to a wall to pin him down and attempts to slit his throat, but fortunately for the Ninja, the wall they hit has become considerably weak from the chaos and that push was all it took to cause it to crumble apart a bit that the two fall inside the building and Kaze kicks the Cavalier off him, with the latter backflipping back on his feet as he proceeds to assault the Ninja and clash with their blades.

Jakob also attempts to rush in and aid Corrin, even though he and Felicia know better than the Hoshidans how abhorrently foolish the mere notion of opposing Xander is, that will not deter the Butler helping his mistress however way he can but he too isn't giving much of an opportunity with a Beringel blocking his path and showing no mercy.

"How dare you get in my way!" Jakob shouted as he utilizes the Flame Shurikens he acquired and throws them at the dark ape but only delivers enough damage to horribly burn the monster but not enough to stop him as the beast delivers its violent assault on the Butler, forcing him to remain in the defense, and though Beringels aren't known for being agile, this one appears to be the exception as it is able to keep up with Jakob's wildly praised speed and agility enough to continuously hinder his path to Corrin, to his ever-growing frustration, which may not bold too well against a monster that actually has a brain to use.

Felicia assists Hinoka with supporting the soldiers from being overpowered by Nohr's superior numbers since the Light Soldiers are anywhere but in their vicinity, leaving them outnumbered, thankfully though, while her stamina doesn't do her any favors, her magic is still vital as she creates several pillars of ice around the Nohrians that hinders their movement and give the Hoshidans more chances to fight them off one at a time, though it doesn't do them much against the more aggressive ones like the Grimm, though still they persist, their numbers look to be unlimited with no clear end because of that giant portal, doubtless to say that they may be facing the full might of the Nohrian Army, though obviously not in its entirety since the first portal was stopped from activating.

"Don't you dare give up, everyone! We can't lose our Capital to them!" Hinoka yelled, adamant about not being defeated and has noticed that a fair number of her troops have already started getting worn out by all the aggression in such a short amount of time.

Among the Hoshidans that will surely never surrender would be Reina who engages Charlotte in combat and given how the former matches King Garon in terms of brute strength, it's no wonder who the winner of this fight would be, however the Axe Fighter is no slouch in battle and is resilient, probably due to the Berserker style armor she's wearing, though the Hoshidans who've faced her before would be more surprised by how she's actually wearing something more refine. Reina hits Charlotte's wrist with the pommel of her Naginata, causing her to drop her Killer Axe but this does not halt her as the female Berserker manages to deliver a clean punch to the face that does knock the veteran knight to the ground and drop her lance, that Charlotte picks up and proceeds to stab the older combatant with her own weapon. Thankfully Reina is able to defend herself with the use of her halo piece that like all Kinshi Knights carried on her back that was ripped off her in a previous battle against a Ranger who attacked her from behind and injured Killua that is near her and picks it up to swing hard enough at her own naginata to force Charlotte away from her, giving her a chance to get back up and continues to use the halo gear as a blunt weapon against Charlotte that she uses to disarm her once she thrust the spear through the hole, kicks her to the floor and reclaims her weapon.

"If you're what passes for retainers for Queens, then Nohr's Royal Guard really does have low standards." Reina mocked the young Berserker.

"Oh, piss off you old hag. This fight ain't over." Charlotte cursed as she forces herself back up while picking up a different axe dropped in the battlefield to face the Kinshi Knight once again, and that's when something pops into her head. "Hold on a second. For the sake of clarifying, you're really THE Reina and a Queen's retainer too?"

"I hardly see if it's any of your business little miss." Reina shrugged but Charlotte took it as a rude yes. "Still, I'm glad my reputation proceeds me in your war-torn nation."

While this discussion is going on, Reina easily spots without turning around a Beowolf slowly attempting to sneak up on her to attack that she can easily parry even if Charlotte attacks simultaneously. Charlotte notices the Beowolf too and an idea pops into her head.

"Oh, I know about you alright, you're the bitch that threw her son away because he was only half of what you wanted him to be!" Charlotte snapped out of nowhere with anger, and this resulted in Reina losing her concentration, completely caught off by what Charlotte said, a mixture of shock, horror and anger eminent in her face, that led to her losing her focus and gets ambush by the Beowolf who bites her by the right shoulder but the armor there protects her skin but she is still in danger being pin down by the ferocious Grimm that tries to kill her and manage to squish her right arm so tightly that the bones of the forearm break, causing Reina to scream in pain. She is still able to save herself by grabbing a Silver Star Axe near her with her left hand and uses it to strike the Beowolf by the forehead, hard enough to make it momentarily cease its assault and later thrust the weapon into its mouth, and piercing it from the back of the head, killing it, afterwards she pushes the wolf off her, leaving herself lying on the ground, nearly defeated but still she tries to force herself back up to fight, only to be hit in the head harshly by Charlotte using her own halo gear, knocking her out cold.

"Goodnight, bitch." Charlotte hissed.

"REINA!" Hinoka cried in horror upon seeing the beaten state of her mentor and rushes in furiously at Charlotte with the Berserker ready for more combat.

"C'MON!" Charlotte dared.

---

The giant Carnage slams it's left arm that it morphs into a hammer down on Robin but instead it collides with a huge fireball he made to protect himself, the clashing explosion sets the Carnage's entire arm ablaze but it doesn't harm it as much as it just absorbs them with no ill effect. The beast then fires its laser at him. Robin goes high up in an effort to keep such a destructive blast from reaching the Capital as the giant demon seems hellbent on disposing of the Tactician, which works well with him.

"The cold shoulder worked the first time." Robin said as he attempts to perform another ice spell that he used to defeat the first Carnage, casting the more powerful Rexcalibur to freeze this beast but is stopped by a very large Ravager that catches him off guard from the back and nearly bites at him but he evaded it in time and cuts off both the wings, causing the bat to fall from the sky. He is intercepted by four more Ravagers of similar size who reach his current altitude to kill but all it took is a few slashes from his Levin Sword to silence them. This distraction cost him as the Carnage finally lands a hit with its beam. He shouts in pain as the blast really does a number on him but he is able to keep his body and everything else in tact with Ignis but the impact was painful enough and he falls into Suzanoh in defeat. The Carnage steps forward until it stands where it believes Robin will crash land and from its belly it opens up revealing a beastly mouth with razor-sharp teeth as it intends to eat him, except, that's Robin's next plan as he lets himself get eaten while still protected by Ignis so he can't be chewed or anything else instantly. And once inside, Robin cast his ice magic, freezing the beast in its entirety, and finishes it up with an explosion from within, leaving no trace of it.

"You've got to be kidding me!" One of the Wyvern Knights shouted in shock upon witnessing the defeat of the Carnage.

"Aw, hell yeah! That's how it's done!" A Falcon Knight howled over Robin's triumph as victory momentarily favors Hoshido. With the rest of them fighting against the invaders with more conviction.

"Okay… one down…" Robin breathes heavily as doing all that took some real effort, giving himself a few seconds to catch his breath before turning his attention to the tower-like portal. "Time to turn that off." He declared as he flies towards it in an attempt to stop the swarm of reinforcements.

"You're not going anywhere near that Gate!" Shouted a Malig Knight not far from him, just having his Wyvern stay balanced in the air getting the Tactician's attention and would not had taken seriously if it wasn't for the fact that he was holding a frightened little girl from Suzanoh hostage and has a dagger around her throat, really getting Robin's attention as he stops his pursuit, now solely focus on defusing this situation.

"Whoa there, don't go doing anything truly-"

"YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP! I don't negotiate with Hoshidan Trash. Let alone a traitor!" The Malig Knight yelled furiously, clearly not willing to listen, especially when he moves the dagger closer to the poor girl who looks like she's struggling to not utter a word as her tears continue to shed. Judging by his tone alone, word of Robin's former ties with Nohr's Royal Family must've spread to the army when it was previously never mentioned due to how unimportant it was at the time and just how the Paladins mainly answer directly to Xander and the Dark Knights with Leo, the Malig Knights are especially close to Camilla so her hatred for Robin must've been passed on to her subordinates. Kinda makes sense since the soldiers often speak very fondly of the Royal Siblings, well Xander, Camilla and Elise, Leo is a total mix baggage because of his ego. "You're going to do exactly as I say and back off, and maybe… JUST MAYBE! I won't paint the streets below us with this girl's blood. I'll kill her if you don't back down! I swear to Qliphoth!"

"Clearly." Robin raises his hands in defeat and even allows Morgenstern and his Levin Swords to fall down to the street. "So what, you expect me to fly out of the city and not be any more of a bother?"

"I would much prefer to tear your insides out for my Wyvern to feast on you." He replied cruelly.

"Right… well in that case…" Robin said, coming up with something until he notices a Snake Spirit come from behind the Knight, wrapping itself on the arm that holds the knife and pulls it away from the girl, giving Robin the opening he needs to save her as he sucker punches the cruel man off his Wyvern, pulls the girl into his arms and gets rid of the sub-dragon by blasting it with a wind blast, sending it tumbling to the ground, along with its rider who definitely did not survive the fall.

Now saved, the girls starts crying as loudly as she wants while Robin holds her in a warming hug that is quite brotherly.

"There, there. You're safe now. Everything is going to be okay." Robin assured the little girl before turning around and notices Orochi next to him, hitching a ride on a Bird Spirit, and it doesn't take him long to figure out where that snake came from.

"I had a feeling you could handle it yourself but I didn't want to take any chances." Orochi smirked.

"Help is always welcomed." Robin smiled as they descend to the street and they notice a man and a woman who aren't evacuating along with the rest of the people that remain in the south section of Suzanoh, leaving them to deduce that they may be the parents of the girl who were escaping together when the Malig Knight kidnapped her out of the blue.

"Karin!" The two cried out to their daughter as Robin gently releases her on the ground and she immediately runs to her parents' embrace.

"Sephiroth bless you, Sir Hero! Bless you." The mother cried with joy as the three make a run for it with everybody else.

"This is getting out of hand. We have to shut that portal down now." Robin declared.

"Easier said than done. Judging by the amount of power that must've been used to create that thing I say the best way to do that would be to close it from the inside, and by that I mean back in Nohr." Orochi deduced. "I'm afraid the Queen's spell is our best hope because of the light magic it generates."

"The Barrier of Concord is based on Light Magic?" Robin asked surprised.

"Yeah, I was caught off as well. The both of you and Corrin have such lame memories." Orochi joked.

"Right…" Robin muttered before coming up with an idea. "If the Light is our answer than we already have the necessary tool for the job."

"The Scroll? But you can't use it."

"But you can. Gather as many Diviners as you can, I have a plan." Robin requested.

"Will it be painful?" Orochi asked very worried.

"Is watching your home get destroyed painful-er?" Robin countered.

"Point taken. Let's do whatever your crazy mind has planned."

---

"The Carnage has been defeated, and rather easily no less." Xander muttered as he noticed the fall of the great Grimm, though it was difficult to tell who did it, he had a pretty good idea who it was and while the shock of the monster's defeat did not faze him, it certainly did to most of his troops who are awestruck by the actual ''Demigod'' Hoshido has off their sleeves that significantly raises the morale of the Hoshidans. "It truly is a shame that we had to be enemies, Robin. I had such high hopes for you and Corrin for the future of Nohr."

The Crown Prince returns his attention to Corrin as the already defeated Princess forces herself out of the debris that previously crushed her, however Yato is no longer in her possession, still trapped under the debris and she can no longer stand on her feet, being forced to crawl instead, leaving her in a very pitiful position that shows just how vulnerable and frail she truly is when in comparison to her former brother.

"It seems you were right in stating that I would return home disappointed yet again." Xander said with pure revulsion evident in his face. "You really can't hold your own with anything without someone holding your hand every step of the way."

Corrin ignores his cold words as she forces herself back on her feet but it's a real struggle as Xander did not hold back at all as its agonizing just to keep herself on her knees, she is in desperate need of a healer but it seems like there may be no one around who can help her as everyone from both sides is stretched really thin.

"Enough of this foolishness Corrin. If you are to live, fight and die for whatever cause you've chosen to follow, then you owe it to yourself and those who stand by you to give it your all." Xander scolded, knowing that Corrin is holding back. "Show me you're true power. The Power bestowed upon you by your ancient Forefather."

"No… No! That thing is not who I am!" Corrin snapped defiantly at Xander, refusing to turn into a dragon again, likely because of her previous rampage. Even though it was Wrath's fault, she still sees the harm she's caused as her own doing.

"You refuse to acknowledge the beast inside?" Xander questioned. "You didn't seem to mind all that much when you caused Leo to fall into that hole and dislocated both his shoulders."

"NO! That's not… I didn't…" Corrin uttered, her words fractured by all the stress. "I… I may worship the Precursors but I will not be revered as one of them. If I am going to win or lose this war against Nohr I want to do it as me… not a monster. As whom you know me as. I've caused enough pain as a Dragon."

"Corrin…" Xander mused, having sentiment for her new plight as she's clearly in conflict with herself.

"You knew, didn't you? Robin told me how you and Camilla reacted when you saw me transform in Kurosaki. Like you've seen me like that before and dreaded seeing it again." Corrin asked, trying to sound demanding but was ultimately pleading for the fractured truth.

"That day was not the first time Camilla and I witnessed your true form and true power, same with Leo and Elise but they do not remember that night well for how young they were. Same with mother and father. On the night you came into our lives actually." Xander confessed.

"What…" Corrin uttered, left with more questions upon this revelation.

"You say that you've caused enough pain as a dragon and feel ashamed of your actions. That shame hurts me as well, and really, I'm glad that you have forgotten everything about your youth and the misfortunes that come with it." Xander said.

"I don't…"

"Enough!" Xander snapped harshly to cease this discussion, raising his blade, prepared to strike her down for good. "None of that matters now. What does matter is this battle and the outcome. History will rightfully remember Nohr as the villains of this war, I will never deny that, however when people are in desperation and it reaches its peak, sometimes what is needed to bring peace is not a hero but a monster. I would become that monster in father's place if I could and I shall prove my resolve right here and now! Not a day will go by where you won't be in my thoughts, sister. Goodbye."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Felicia cried out in desperation, rushing to Corrin's aid as she uses her ice magic to create an ice pillar that carries Xander and raises him high up away from Corrin and by the time he leaps back down the Maid reaches for her Princess and propels the both of them upwards by creating an icy stalagmite on her feet and grabs Corrin as they both land on a roof.

"Felicia!" Xander cursed as he fires a powerful dark attack that will destroy the whole building like before, and thankfully Felicia sees this coming as she escapes the destruction with Corrin with another ice launch. "Run as far as you can but there is nowhere you can go where the Darkness won't find you! Laufey, to me!"

By his command, his faithful steed, Laufey rushes to her master's side as she was ordered to stay away while he faced Corrin, and the Crown Prince hops on with an impressive leap and goes in to chase after the two women.

"It's up to Felicia now to keep her safe." Kaze cursed his misfortune as he and Jakob remain incapable of helping being both surrounded by enemy infantry.

"They won't last long in a game of mouse against our Crown Prince." Silas declared.

"Don't underestimate Felicia. She may be a fool as a maid but when it comes to combat, there are few obstacles for her." Jakob said putting his faith in Felicia.

---

Mikoto and Takumi make a run for it, being forced to flee from their own castle and home and getting out isn't easy with the halls that lead to the exits blocked off by the Grimm, such as the corridor they are running in blocked off by Beowolves that the two are able to fight off with their respective bows and taking them down from a safe distance.

"Come on, the front door is still not much farther from here." Mikoto said with haste.

"There should be guards keeping the gates secured but the fact that we haven't seen more troops must mean that they have their hands full outside." Takumi concluded.

"Anywhere is better than here trap like mouse in our own home." Mikoto replied.

"No argument there." Takumi said as they continue their escape but don't go any further as a strong wind current triggers that blows the two to the floor and away from their destination and they crash land right next to the caster of this wind, which is Queen Arete.

"Going somewhere?" Arete asked smugly.

"Crapbaskets!" Mikoto cried at their misfortune.

"Oh, you say that too." Arete said intrigued.

"You too? Aw, dammit so Corrin didn't get that from me then." Mikoto muttered in self-pity.

Takumi gets up in an attempt to face the Shadow Queen, only to be immediately tossed aside as Arete covers the young man with a dark magic aura that allows her to levitate and slam the Prince to a wall, leaving him pin and upside down.

"Takumi!" Mikoto cried, though she cannot do much as Arete covers her in the same dark magic, cruelly sending her crashing upwards to the ceiling before quickly tossing her back down to the floor, followed by the wall on the right, the Dawn Queen gasping for air as the brutal assault leaves her with little.

"MOTHER!" Takumi cried in anguish, watching her receive less mercy than him.

"As I said, this meeting has long been overdue so you'll have to forgive me if my manners are a bit lacking." Arete said sadistically with a bit of obvious sarcasm to her fellow queen. "Although…" She began while Mikoto begins struggling to move, only for Arete to press harder. "Such curtesy is unbefitting of you." There is really a lot of suppress rage in her for reasons obvious to Mikoto and Takumi. Although the feeling is mutual.

Mikoto begins channeling more of her magic power, releasing a small shockwave strong enough to release her from Arete's grip and out of instinct the Queen of Dusk backs away from the Queen of Dawn.

"The feeling is mutual!" Mikoto shouted as she harnesses her magic for offense despite not having a conduit in hand and releases a fire attack that is akin to an Arcfire that successfully hits Arete though she is still infuse with Ginnungagap so her Resistance is superb.

"You'll have to do better than that." Arete laughed as she cast an Ember spell that would've done plenty of damage to Mikoto if she had not erected a barrier around herself while she gets blown further away from Arete and Takumi, with the former making sure she doesn't get away as she fires more flames that make it harder for Mikoto to keep her barrier up until she is forced to turn it off but by then she is able to counter the next Ember by firing a thunder spell that makes both attacks cancel each other out. Arete continues her assault with a Flux Dark Spell, an orb of darkness that creeps its way to Mikoto and threatening to crawl its way to her that she is able to defend herself by summoning two Ox Spirits that burn the darkness away from her and then sends them after Arete, that are later destroyed by two Thoron spells.

'Interesting, the mana flowing inside her is so balanced that she is able to perform many spells without the aid of a conduit for long periods like me, however, in her case she is more comfortable with defense and has no real experience with offensive magic so the spells are quite pathetic even though she is pushing herself, which is why she relies on archery more.' Arete mused as she's been keeping a close eye on Mikoto's movement.

Mikoto pours more magic as she picks up her bow, enchanting an arrow and firing it, powered with a chunk of Lethality. Sadly, Arete is easily able to stop the attack as she creates a mighty tornado of Excalibur that stops and shreds the arrow apart effortlessly and then thrust the twister towards Mikoto who again defends herself with a barrier, however the force was enough to blow her pretty far, and likely crash-landed right in the main hall of the castle where the doors that serve as the main entrance are.

"NOOO! MOTHER!" Takumi cried out enraged, forced to helplessly watch his mother being butchered by this titan of a sorceress while he remains trapped in such a pitiful state. "Dammit! DAMMIT! Why am I so useless! Am I always going to be so worthless… Sephiroth?"

Mikoto breathes heavily as that attack was not easy to repel and it tore through enough of the barrier to impact her, though not so much as her skin remains perfectly fine, though her dress is a complete disaster and ripped. At the very least it'll be easier to run now this way. The doors to freedom are right there on her left but there was no way she would leave without Takumi but first she has to keep fighting Arete, however she already acknowledges that she can't beat her. The best she can do now is hold her own long enough for help to come.

"I bet that right now you must be thinking that you're only solution to survive this is to hold on long enough for help to arrive. Is that right?" Arete questioned smugly as she enters the main hall to continue her onslaught. "That's usually how it goes when I'm the one sent to take out the trash."

"You won't win. Nohr has tried and failed to break Hoshido before with nothing ever bearing fruit and it will happen again." Mikoto declared maintaining a strong front and continues the fight, firing several fireballs at Arete but it doesn't cost the Shadow Queen much to reflect them by surrounding herself with Elwinds that reflect the flames and extinguish them, later counter-attacking by firing an extended Thoron that Mikoto only has time to make a small shield in her right hand that successfully blocks the thunder spell but the force still pushes Mikoto back that she is already near to the doors. She saves herself by summoning a rat spirit and sends it after her foe who doesn't recognize the threat on time and bashes itself on to Arete, releasing an icy attack that finally manages to hurt her to an extent and stops her Thoron but the ice is instantly melted away by her flames.

"Only because my new family has made the mistake to show mercy and allowed you to continue your futile existence. Now, however, there will be no more chances once we've annex everything you have." Arete countered while playfully pouring dark magic into her left hand, the damage Mikoto managed to inflict already proven pointless.

"Nothing will come of any of this! Consume everything and you'll just start another war like the one Mokushu brought upon themselves." Mikoto argued.

"You mean the war your late husband could've stopped if he'd ruled with strength and principle instead of necessity? Though, if not for that tragedy you would've never become queen so I suppose happy accidents do exist." Arete coldly retorted. "Although, like you, I too harbor abhorrence for war. So many lives wasted for something that will ultimately be short-lived. Peace and Chaos are such fickle little things, though none are more fickle than you, Mikoto."

"Me? I have done nothing but maintain peace and order in Horus while you and your King raised more and more homes to the ground for sports!" Mikoto snapped at Arete.

"Your giant barrier succeeded only in giving us the time we needed to assemble our army to the magnitude it is today. We are numberless while you are surrounded with no way out. This is more your fault than Garon. In fact, you're the only one who's guilty." Arete stated.

"YOU STOLE MY BABY!" Mikoto snapped enraged, casting another spell that is a large shockwave of fire and electricity charging towards Arete, with the Shadow Queen taking the hit and resists rather well while everything else and the main hall falls apart and burns to cinders. Arete releases a shockwave of her own that cancels out Mikoto's, followed by her creating four magic chains with shackles that manifest from her left palm that wrap on all four of her limbs and pin her to the doors.

"YOU'RE THE ONLY THIEF HERE!" Arete snapped back and then releases another shockwave from her palm that destroys the doors and blows Mikoto through them and she quite painfully gets thrown to the ground, caught between the ensuing battle going on in front of Castle Shirasagi for all to see.

"MOTHER!" Sakura cried with complete terror upon seeing the beaten state of her mother.

"THE QUEEN! NO!" The Soldiers yelled as many stop their current fighting and rush to her aid, though none can help as Arete creates a large magical dome with Mikoto at the center that strikes everyone inside, minus for Mikoto with lightning, electrocuting them until their skins have been scorched and their faces unrecognizable.

"No…" Azura uttered horrified to see her mother again, this time in a darker perspective as she genuinely never believe she be capable of such violence, granted she always had a bite to her, that's how she managed to hold her own in Nohr for so long before becoming queen. Though considering what happened in the Opera House, I guess they all had this coming.

"Mother! Mother!" Sakura hastily rushed to Mikoto's side to help her.

"No… Sakura… get away from here." Mikoto pleaded for her youngest daughter to flee.

"I'm not leaving you!" Sakura shouted attempting to heal her, only to be pulled away by Arete using wind magic and crashing into another healer rushing to do the same.

"Pick on someone your own size!" Hayato shouted, stepping forward and fires a powerful horizontal tornado at Arete, who unfortunately won't cost her much to repel this attack as she fires a Goetia that easily destroys the tornado and blast Hayato into a pillar of the castle and knocking him out cold.

"Hayato!" Mozu cried out to the Wind Mage and she cannot help fight Arete as the Nohrians are swarming the gates and she has to help the Oni Savages and Diviners hold them off otherwise they'll be overrun by this end as well.

"All this peace and tranquility has made all of you soft." Arete said coldly, walking towards her adversary. "Monarch 101 dictates that a wise leader must never seek out war but must always be ready for one and in spite of all our skirmishes, you weren't prepared at all for any of this. Trying to keep Hoshido self-contained with Corrin still outside of your reach and the Rising Darkness at your doorstep. You are truly pathetic, Queen of Light."

"Mother, no!" Azura rushed forward next getting between Arete and Mikoto. "Please, stop this! You've won already. Suzanoh is at its last knees. No one else has to die."

"Oh, Azura." Arete smiled with a more motherly tone before pulling her daughter closer and embracing her in a warming hug that catches the Songstress off guard by how nostalgic this feels. "My, how you've grown into such a beautiful woman. Yes, you're siblings back home are dying to see you again."

"I…" Azura muttered, lost for words and her will to fight gets zapped from her body again. She wants so badly to hug her back but the sting of everything drives her back into a mental turmoil.

"This will be over real soon. Yes, we'll be a family again, right after this usurper learns her lesson!" Arete returned to her cold persona, channeling lightning magic infuse with darkness to fry Mikoto, further harming the defeated queen, to everyone's horror and helpless to stop the revenge hungry Demon Queen.

---

Xander continues his pursuit of Felicia and Corrin but lost track of them after chasing them for almost a mile. The Ice Princess was always fast but she's never displayed the ability to overexert herself this much with her magic, ice is never something that should mix well with speed in any regard but she manage to keep out of the Dark Prince's grasps until he stops in a section of the Capital that seems unscathed for the most part when in comparison to everywhere else, likely because most of the Nohrian forces were focus on heading for the castle and this area is quite far from it, making it arguably the safest place to be in. Felicia always was good in hiding when she agreed to play hide and seek with Elise and Corrin.

"How I detest this game, I'm just not one for anything that's indirect!" Xander hissed as he begins channeling more power from Siegfried until it looks like the Sacred Treasure is going to explode with dark energy that he lifts upwards and releases the power into the sky in the form of a darkish red orb and once it is high enough, disperses into a rain of darkness that hits everything in the streets, except for Xander and his horse, causing everything, including all the buildings to be torn apart into pieces and sparing nothing with the only thing that remains intact is a dome of ice northwest of Xander where a restaurant used to be that is holding strong with only a few cracks showing.

"There you are." Xander declared as he charges towards the dome and with a mightier swing, destroys it completely, only to find neither of his two targets inside. Xander frowns left to believe that this might've been a decoy. "Not as clumsy as you seemed, Felicia." He sighed as he is forced to use something as he picks up a small orb with the Grimm-like brand and from it immediately comes out what has to be the smallest Grimm seen thus far, a small black beetle with white carapace, elytron and four red eyes. "Locate for me the one who created this ice."

As he instructed, the Beetle Grimm spreads its wings and flies to the eyes to examine it, while at it, its whole body is engulfed in black smoke for a few seconds before it flies off into a different direction and Xander follows, confident that it will lead him to Corrin.

---

Felicia and Corrin managed to escape into the sewers before Xander pulled that rainstorm of his and the Maid stops to catch her breath as she has been really pushing herself more than she's capable of.

"Felicia, you didn't have to go this far for me. Eluding Xander is a death sentence. You know that." Corrin uttered while lying on the floor, still shaken from her laughable performance when fighting the Crown Prince.

"Well, opposing Nohr already ensures my death sentence, so why bother trying to stay out of trouble." Felicia shrugged.

"I should've never had let you and Jakob get involved. I should've had Robin take you somewhere safe, like Niflheim where Flora must be." Corrin muttered with regret, having her also a target of her former foster brother.

"Please, don't say that Corrin, I made my choice and I don't completely regret it. I told you before that Jakob and I fighting for you would be worth anything." Felicia said in assurance to the Princess. "Besides, going home is easier said than done with all the safety measures my father has made over the years."

"Always have to lighten the mood in the last second, don't you." Corrin smiled a little amused.

"It's a gift." Felicia smiled back. The maid then turns as she notices a strange-looking beetle flying towards them. "Oh my, that has to be the strangest Beetle I have ever seen. It almost looks like a Grimm but Grimm can't be that small."

"Huh?!" Corrin gasped, taking this a lot more seriously, forcing herself back on her feet with the intent to splatter the beetle to the wall, only to stop as she notices a dark attack heading for them and instead tackles Felicia to the ground to evade the incoming attack, which came from Xander who found them rather quickly.

"As I said, there is nowhere you can run where the Darkness won't find you. And in case you forgotten, I am the Crown Prince of Darkness, so this cat and mouse game was never going to end in your favor." Xander reminded.

"Xander, leave her out of this. She's just acting under my orders!" Corrin pleaded with him.

"That's entirely up to her, Corrin. If she backs away now and leave you to your fate, I'll gladly see to it that she is escorted safely back to her Tribe and family but we both know she won't. Father handpicked each of your servants knowing that they would willingly lay down their lives for your benefit if need be, though I suspect Flora was the exemption. Isn't that right, Felicia?" Xander asked and is instantly proven right with the Princess of Niflheim already having two Flame Shurikens for combat. "Just as planned. I cannot allow you to die for your supposed loss in the Canyon has caused a disaster for both our homes so bringing you back will ease things, but that doesn't mean I'll be merciful since you and Jakob have also betrayed me."

Xander fires a much bigger wave of darkness towards the two that Felicia attempts to block by creating a large wall made entirely of blue ice, which sadly proves useless, being easily destroyed by Xander's attack and goes straight for her, forcing Corrin to step in, instinctively manifesting her dragon wings to use as shields for herself and Felicia, the resulting explosion blows the two through the sewer ceiling and find themselves back in the surface, even as they crash back in the street, the two are alright.

"So, you refuse your true self only when it's to save yourself? Can't say I'm surprised, it says a lot of your character." Xander said getting to the surface as well with Laufey curiously already by his side. "Maybe now you'll take this more seriously, Corrin. Prepare yourself!"

---

"Protect the Queen!" Hoshidan warriors howled in fury, rushing to aid Queen Mikoto who continues to be ravaged by Queen Arete, sadly the Grimm block their path with Manticores ambushing them from the air and burning them to crisps.

"MOTHER!" Sakura cried with total horror, forced to watch her mother being electrocuted to death with a Maiden forced to hold her down to keep her at least safe from the onslaught.

"Mother, please don't do this!" Azura begged for Arete to stop but it falls on deaf ears when the Shadow Queen tosses her aside and bumps into a Beowolf that holds her by her shoulders to restrain her.

"Do not interfere again, Azura. Don't even dare harbor compassion for them!" Arete warned cruelly with nothing left to stop her now. Nothing except her curiosity as a white glow begins to emit on the back of her left hand, forming some kind of emblem that she quickly notices and her curiosity over this sudden thing made her cease her attempts to murder Mikoto.

"What…" She uttered confuse, even more so when she notices the same one in Mikoto's right hand. "What trick have you have off your sleeves now?"

"This is… the national emblem of…" Mikoto uttered recognizing the brand.

"That emblem… it's the same one." Azura uttered as the emblem they both have in their hands is the same one that was carved into Archduke Izana's chest by that evil entity who interfered from contacting the Dawn Dragon. "Why do you both have that emblem?"

"So familiar, but why…" Arete mumbled, trying to discern what the familiar emblem signifies, and why it seems to tie her to Mikoto.

Suddenly, an explosion occurs above them in one of the higher floors of the Castle with several Hoshidan warriors are blown off and crash land in the battlefield, all of them dead, among them is tragically Hoshido's top tactician, Yukimura.

"NOOOO!" Sakura cried out to the burned corpse of her uncle-figure.

"Yuki…" Mikoto uttered weakly and in horror to see one of her dearest friends die so cruelly.

"My Queen!" Iago called out leaping down from the hole he caused as he is the one who killed Yukimura as instructed and lands on the battlefield. "My pitiful rival will trouble us no more as ordered. Now there is only a few trash left to deal with." He smirked sinisterly at the Queen of Hoshido and the youngest Princess.

"You've had your fun Iago; this one is all mine." Arete said, eager to resume her assault.

All attention then shifts back to the Nohrian Gate as a large beam of white light is fired directly coming from the east of Suzanoh, said blast hits the target, causing a distortion that lowers down its power, signaling to all the Nohrians that it may shut down. And the ones responsible for this are Robin, Orochi and twelve other Diviners who together use both Morgenstern and the Light Scroll, the former being used as a conduit to empower the latter, and Orochi takes this power and fires the beam of light.

---

"It's working!" Orochi cheered as she can feel the pillar about to close.

"Good, but first we deliver the main event!" Robin said as he unleashes Ignis to empower both Orochi and the spell they are casting that will soon take full effect and start their victory to save Suzanoh with the Gate's red color changing to white and it causes a small tremor as Robin and Orochi have finished their spell.

---

"What? What is happening?!" Iago uttered confused by this event, just as in the dark on what could be causing a rift in their plans, and it only gets worse as he is all the sudden lifted off the air. "What sorcery is this?!"

All around, the same is happening to all the Nohrians, including the Grimm as they are being attracted by the Gate as its power is being used in a reversal effect, now instead of bringing them from Nohr to Hoshido, it'll pull them all back in. The Nohrians shout out as they are each being pulled away and forced back into their home. Even underground, the Void Travelers are also being affected, forced into the surface and into Nohr, the battle is all but over.

"Robin sure has outdone himself." Hayato who gets back up muttered, feeling the familiar surge of power that belongs to the Tactician.

"Does this mean we won?" Mozu asked with relief until she too begins to float off the air and pulled away like with their adversaries. "SAVE ME!"

"Oh, what the hell!" Hayato groaned as he flies after her, grabs her by her hands and tries to keep her from being sucked in but the current is strong. "Of course there be side effects to such a powerful spell."

Arete too gets pulled away into the pillar, back to Nohr and away from Azura again.

"NO! Azura!" Arete shouted as she managed to reach out to her daughter and grabs her hand, not willing to be separated from her again. "Not this time!" She declared, and poor Azura could do nothing but stay silent and numb to the whole thing, unable to fight back or refuse. How could she, like Corrin, she has good reason to go back to Nohr and she sorely regrets what she had done in Cyrkensia.

Azura is spared the burden of making a choice when Takumi, now free from Arete's magic grabs both her legs to keep her earthbound.

"Azura! I got you!" Takumi shouted as he pours all his strength to keep her from being dragged into Nohr with Sakura and few others who are able to help.

"I will not have us remain apart again!" Arete yelled more in outrage as she is about to cast another spell. The force sucking her in is so great that she is certain that she cannot escape from this, but this could be beneficial if she can maintain her hold on Azura, all she has to do is electrocute the ones keeping Azura in Hoshido and at the very least she can take her daughter back. Unfortunately, Mikoto beats her to it, mustering whatever strength she can and shoots a fireball straight at Arete's forearm, forcing her to release her grip on Azura.

"AZURA!" Arete cried out to Azura as she loses her daughter again while she returns to her Kingdom of Darkness, and the Songstress herself watches helplessly as she lies back down with Takumi and Sakura tending to her.

---

"Oh, I just know Robin is responsible for this and when I get my hands on him I swear…"

"Would you shut up you damn fool and hold on tighter! You're not making this easy!" Hinoka shouted as she holds on to Jakob as best she can with Rukia's aid from also being pulled into the Gate since he's also Nohrian.

---

"You got off lucky this time Corrin but next time you will not be so fortunate." Xander cursed as he held on as long as he could before he and Laufey also get sucked in as well, leaving Corrin and Felicia saved from the Crown Prince's wrath.

"Oh, thank the gods for Robin." Corrin sighed, knowing damn well that only her Tactician would be able to pull off something so grand.

---

"Glory be to us! The spell worked!" Orochi cheered at their triumph as all around the Capital, the Hoshidans cheer over being able to push Nohr away with the great Capital now safe to thrive again. "You've outdone yourself this time, Robin."

"Yeah, though I doubt we'll be able to pull a stunt like this again." Robin said. "Then again, I doubt the Nohrians will be able to pull an assault like this again either so we're in luck."

"Amen." Orochi smirked. "And are you sure all Nohrians will be pulled in?"

"Those who are either loyal and born of Nohr alike." Robin affirmed.

"Ah, Sir Robin, I think you're spell worked a little too well." A Diviner said pointing at the sky where Hayato and Mozu are at, as they see them with the Wind Demigod fruitlessly still trying to pull the frighten Mozu away from the Gate.

"Oops… guess I forgot to exclude Half-Nohrians and Nohrians who are on our side off the list." Robin muttered. "Jakob is going to give me an earful."

"Eh, a minor setback. I think the Nohrians we kept in prison were set free and have also been sucked in." Orochi noted.

"Let them all go, Suzanoh is what's important, and if you excuse me, I have to pick up our kids." Robin said flying to help Hayato and Mozu.

"Those last seven words give off a lot of red flags, you know." Orochi snickered at the negative implications.

"Grow up, will you!" He scowled.

---

Eventually the portal fades away with the last of the Nohrian enemies removed from Suzanoh, with the Hoshidans wanting to cheer for this victory but this was a hollow one with a large portion of the once great capital now in ruins and so many casualties on their part, the people can only mourn for their losses of their many soldiers. All over, Corrin can hear the cries and anguish of the people as she makes her way back to her comrades, their rage and hatred for Nohr growing ever stronger as the full weight of this war has finally sunken in on all of them. She's thankful that none of the people she's come across are batting an eye as she and Felicia walk by, uncertain on what to do or say to such a situation just yet. Even while she was in the safety of her fortress she dreaded this war as she was given a clear enough description on just how awful war can be but seeing it up close was more than she could take and now she is bearing witness to the aftermath of one of many battlefields, she can only imagine the extent of such chaos occurring all over the Kingdom that is her home now. When word gets out that the Capital was attacked, regardless of the fact that said attack was repelled morale will surely dwindle all across Hoshido, worse still that a nobleman contributed to this attack by luring the Kingdom's champions like Ryoma away when all of this was happening, the chaos may never be healed.

"I can't stop any of this…" Corrin muttered to herself, losing to Xander and witnessing his true strength first-hand lowers her own morale. "I have no intention of giving up but I don't have the strength to lead these people to salvation, Hydra. I still don't know where to start, I'm so lost."

"Ah, Milady. Wonderful to see you safe!" Jakob cheered as he, Kaze, her sisters and brother go to see her. "I see you did good on your part, Felicia."

"Hey, give me more credit than that." Felicia sighed.

"Milady, you're sword." Kaze said as he gives her back Yato, that she graciously accepts.

"Thank you. Are all of you okay?" Corrin asked worried.

"Honestly, Milady, we've had better days." Kaze admitted, distraught by the chaos done to the Capital. "We have suffered many losses and while civilian casualties were minimal as we expect of an attack led by Prince Xander, it was still unavoidable under all the chaos and almost half of Suzanoh's defense force have all but been annihilated."

"Dammit all!" Hinoka cursed in outraged. "I can't believe all of this happened! If only we had never left we might've hit them back harder before this all even began."

"That's wishful thinking Milady. We have only ourselves to blame, we put too much faith in our magics and overlooked possible sightings of them, we were all barely lucky that Mozu and Hayato went looking for trouble and managed to stop one of those large portals from being open otherwise we would've had double the amount of enemies to contend with from both west and south." Kaze noted.

"At least we managed to stop their assault this time." Felicia said weakly, trying to stay positive.

"What about mother?" Corrin asked.

"She's… okay actually. She fought against Queen Arete who was the true ringleader of this assault, alongside Nohr's Tactician, Iago but even though she sustained a lot of injuries in the fight, she's shockingly more resilient than we imagined." Takumi explained weakly, still sore over not being able to help at all during the battle, not noticing the brief look of horror and rage coming from Corrin before said sister goes to look for Mikoto and finds her, sitting down in the only remaining pillar next to the doors to the castle being treated of her wounds by the healers with Azura beside her, both silent and quiet, not saying a word.

"Mother? Azura?" Corrin called out to them with Mikoto turning to see her daughter, her spirit lifting up as she stands up to greet her properly after such a terrifying fight.

"Corrin!" Mikoto said with relief as the two embrace. "I'm so glad you're all okay."

"You too." Corrin said a little weak, taken aback by the fact that Arete was here and she and Mikoto fought. "Has there been any word from Ryoma and the others?"

"Yeah, one of the Diviners that came with us warped here earlier to let us know the chaos in Kyoto has been detain and the city is now liberated." Hinoka informed. "The bad news is that Yamamoto got away with a large chunk of his warriors."

"Another time, then, and how come they haven't been back yet?"

"After Lilith took down that dome Iago placed over Kyoto she hasn't reported back, probably exhausted and Ryoma wanted to find her before going anywhere of course." Hinoka continued. "Now what do we do?"

"We make contact with Izumo and request the Archduke's aid." Takumi suggested. "Remember that he has a powerful magic scroll that allows him to manipulate the time of inanimate objects and he even offered to help us fix the damages done to this war as compensation for rescuing him and Izumo from Envy."

"I hope this kind of damage isn't more than he bargained for." Corrin said worried by how much strain this sort of damage will do to the kind Izana. "Where is Robin?"

"He and the Diviners, along with Mozu and Hayato are examining where that large portal came from and make doubly sure it is safely disposed. Can't afford to let something like this happen again after all." Kaze said.

"What about the Protection Stave we put around the Capital, is it still operational?" Takumi asked.

"Yes, it seems that the effects the Nohrians cause wore off once that huge portal was sealed so we're safe from enemies who attempt to warp their way inside with only special Warp Scrolls designed to work around it operational."

"That's one of our protections that still is stable but what about our forces, how stretched are we?" Corrin asked.

"Thin, very thin. The Nohrians sent their higher numbers all across our land and spreading as much chaos as possible in an effort to exhaust our resources, or so it would seem, we amassed this many soldiers to defend the Capital for that very reason." Takumi said, tightening his grip with frustration. "Our only true solace is the fact that Mother will be able to reactivate the Barrier of Concord tomorrow and cease the fighting altogether."

"For how long, though?" Sakura asking in distress even though she actually spoke in a straight tone for a change.

"Peace, my children. Hope has not abandoned us yet. We… we will find a way. We have to." Mikoto tried to be the voice of optimism in this dire time while placing her right hand on Sakura's shoulder but she herself didn't look so confident.

Felicia instinctively lower her head on the ground, no particular reason when she notice the emblem that magically appeared on the back of Mikoto's right hand and widen her eyes in shock upon seeing it and begins to tap on Jakob's shoulders rather hastily, earning the rude butler's attention who gives her an annoy scowl, though before he could protest why she would bother him she points her finger at the queen's hand and quickly turns to see what's making her behave this way and he too widens his eyes in surprise.

"It can't be…" He uttered in shock as they both recognize the emblem.

---

And here's the semi-finale chapter of the year since 2020 is coming and personally, the only good thing that came out of 2019 for me was the idea to make this Fanfict as everything else was pretty boring with nothing grand really worth my attention but that's just me. Mikoto and Arete finally see each other again and it's as enemy queens. I contemplated for months on how this reunion would play out and ultimately decided that it be anticlimactic for their feud to be cut short by recognizing each other so soon so this is the role I chose to take for the two fallen Vallite Royals, which is fitting considering their loyalties to their respective new families who oppose one another. Again, I made Robin seem Overpowered, yes, but considering his condition it's alright, Corrin finally confronts Xander and gets demolished as a result which isn't surprising since he's Xander. Also, the reason why Corrin is pretty much fine from the wounds she received from Siegfried is simply that Xander didn't bother to use that ability to make unhealable injuries as he was holding back and was merciful enough to at least give her a semblance of a fighting chance. Anyway that's all for this month, thank you for watching and Happy Thanksgiving, the "Midseason" Finale of this story is next month and I will be taking a break until next year.