Hero: Hey hey, look who's still alive! Don't think I forgot about this. We're in the climax of Arc 1. Like hell I'm dropping it here. We got much to do! And this technically isn't the end by the way, I have one more chapter meant to tie everything together and answer a long awaited question. But that's for later, for now enjoy this final bout between Orpheus and Gangrel. It was very fun to write whenever I did actually write it.

Chapter 15

The dust was settling and the image was now clear, Orpheus' hidden powers have finally surfaced for all to see. The flames would not go out, bathing him in a newfound sense of power and determination. His head would tilt downward slightly, giving a stern stare at Gangrel, who looked infuriated by this turn of events.

"Y-You! You think you can just set yourself ablaze and believe in the notion you can beat me? I have no clue what this is, but it matters not! I'll kill everyone you hold dear! I started with Phila and now your Redhead friend is next!" His angered expression changed to one of mad glee as he pointed his sword towards her, changing his line of sight towards her as well. Sparing no glance, Orpheus would charge ahead; a faster rate than his usual top sprinting speed; and despite having no weapon in his hand, his fist was clenched and took a direct hit on the King's face, sending him up in the air a few inches as he was pushed forward by the sheer force of Orpheus' punch before he could take his own shot against Cordelia, finally colliding with the ground. Orpheus did not keep the pressure up, as he took steps back to go collect his sword, still keeping an eye on the Mad King.

Gangrel would force himself up, realizing that punch moved him far more than he expected. The impact felt like another man was punching him somehow at that exact same spot. These flames must've indicated a power boost for the Tactician. Nothing else would make sense! He would scowl at the Tactician as he tried to get up, further irritated by how Orpheus' expression stayed the same. His feet planted firmly in the ground, he raised his sword skyward, screeching a decree.

"Plegian soldiers! Ignore the common grunts hired by the Shepherds! Instead, target the Shepherds themselves! You bring me the heads of any of them and I'll see to it you are turned into Nobility! And should bring me any royal blood, your reward would make even the rich weep! Now, hop to it men!" Orpheus would see those soldiers complying with his orders, starting to run away from any common Feroxian men and women and opting for his group, the closest to Gangrel. It was like it was Orpheus' two-pronged spear was now being pushed into itself. The Feroxians could only try to slow them down. This was not part of Gangrel's plan, but a welcomed adjustment for his side of things. "What will you do now, boy? You can keep fighting me, but all your friends will die before you even come close to finishing the job! But if you leave now, I'll be more guarded and you'll have an even harder time to kill me by yourself! Choose wisely, or else your tactics will get everyone killed! Either way, I'll still win! You'll either become a hypocrite by indulging on your hatred for me and let your friends die or you risk letting me go! I always get my way! Ahahahahaha!" He would cackle as if one of his pieces put Orpheus in check. But that was it, check, but not checkmate. There was still a chance to fix this.

Orpheus would elect to save his breath, leaving Gangrel be in favor of helping his allies stave the Plegian army encircling them. Lissa had to leave Stahl to stay close to Lon'qu. Lon'qu was just doing his job by protecting her since she meant more than all of them, that much Orpheus understood, but he wasn't about to let his best friend die.

In the meanwhile, a bulky Wyvern unit would encircle Cordelia and Aversa. "Lady Aversa, we're here to help eliminate the lone Pegasus Knight. She'll not stand a chance!" One would speak up, ready to throw his axe at Cordelia the moment the order was given.

"While I appreciate the willingness to spill blood, this one is my plaything, silly boy. Please let it stay that way." Aversa replied, wind magic charging in her hand.

"But Milady! We want to succeed and get our pay from her head!"

"Oh? Is that right?" She would fully charge her Arcwind, unleashing it on the Rider, inflicting severe cuts all over his body, from his arms, legs, to even the throat, knocking him off his ride with such force. "Tell you what, boys. You try to get involved, I'll happily get you acquainted with my magic. I've no need for the money, so you can split it amongst yourselves when I'm through playing with her. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" They would say in unison.

"Ma'am?" She sounded irritated with that word.

"Forgive us! Yes, Mistress!"

"Much better. Now, watch your surroundings and make sure she doesn't flee." She would smirk, seeing that look of fear on Cordelia. This whole time, her Arcwind would only toy with her; never harming her; but that soldier killed in friendly fire was but a taste of her true power. Cordelia only realized how weak she really was. She could be killed at any point in time and unlike Orpheus, it didn't seem like there was a skill to help change the situation in her favor. "Now, give us some space, boys. I'm not the biggest fan of cramped spaces..." Without even saying a thing, all the Wyverns would move away and give her the space she so yearned for.

Orpheus had reached Stahl, only to see the Hero unit to have apprehended the injured Cavelier. Pulling him up with a sword, near his throat, he intended to make the Tactician either give up or watch a comrade die. A mage was behind, ready to counter anything. "Don't take another step or else he dies, you hear me!?"

Orpheus' face would still remain as stoic and unphased as he was against Gangrel. Thinking of what to do in about five seconds, he would quickly sheathe his blade and his left hand would go up for a moment; the Hero looking pleased with what looked like a surrender of will, but Orpheus would reach into his coat and pull out his Elthunder tome, opening it quickly with his left hand and his right pushed straight ahead, palm open.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing? Do you want your friend to die!?" He would warn again, but panic was in his voice now. He knew his life was in danger if he went through with it. He would inch it ever so closer to Stahl's throat, but Orpheus was not phased. Around his arm, strings of electricity could be seen scattering about as his attack would charge. The mage would start to be engulfed in fear. He would take on step back, then hesitate like he knew Orpheus would strike him first, then take one more step. He was like prey caught by his predator's sights, trying to sneak every step before making that mad dash to safety.

Stahl would open one of his eyes, his head struggling to look up. "Orpheus… Don't worry about me. Just do what you gotta do. Please." While Stahl spoke slowly and feebly, the mage would take a couple of more steps before dashing out as fast as he could. "D-Do it, Orpheus!"

"H-Hey! Get back here you coward-!" He couldn't finish his sentence to the fleeing mage who would stop in his tracks, both of them hearing the sound of electricity spark up rapidly and when they would see, the Elthunder was ready to fire at any time.

Back up in the Sky, Aversa could sense that power and look down. "Oh, my. Is he really going to kill his own friend? Looks like that power is too much for him." She'd still sound as presumptuous as ever.

"No, Orpheus!" Cordelia would have her Pegasus move in the direction of the Tactician, but Wyverns would immediately halt her path.

"Where do you think you're going, dear? Come, watch the Fireworks with me. Your little boy toy looks like he's ready to do anything to end this war. Who knows, he may throw your life away too if it means ending Gangrel and this army."

"Shut up!" That fear in her body just left her and was replaced with irritation and disdain for Aversa's claims on him. "You don't know a damn thing about him! He won't kill Stahl! That's his best friend!"

"Oh, really? I don't think you know him that much either, dear." She would fake a pout. "You were so cute when you were scared. You sound like every other woman when you're angry like that. I'd kill you, but this looks too good to miss. This power of his is more dangerous than you think, Little Red. All of our lives are at risk if he can't control it!" She seemed all too familiar with this power never before seen before.

Back on the ground, Orpheus would keep that charge ready to go, but then slowly letting it dissipate and his hand's angle would shift downwards ever so subtly. Now fearing for his own life, the Hero would shove Stahl to the ground, before Orpheus as he tried to escape as well; however the mage would fire an Arcthunder from multiple angles, hoping to kill both Ylisseans in one attack. Those who could witness the fight were surprised to see Orpheus overwhelmed like that, a cloud of dust would fill the area of the attack, no one being able to see the inside of it. Cordelia could not speak. Despite how she wanted to descend and run to find him, she couldn't leave that spot. Aversa was surprised to see he stopped himself. Chrom, still with Sumia up in the sky as well, would point at a particular spot at the edge of all the dust. "There! He's safe!" The red-head would turn to that spot and see him there, standing with that stoic expression, Stahl safe and right next to him.

He would quickly place Stahl against one of the few trees still standing and quickly dash forward, disappearing from sight for a second. He would reappear behind the Mage and right as he could sense it, it was already too late; Orpheus' blade had already impaled him from behind. His life was forfeit.

The Hero that backed away earlier still looked hesitant, a faint shiver in his blade. That shaking would stop when he would hear an ally scream in pain. Turning, he would see Gangrel's lightning smiting his own soldier. "S-Sire! What in blazes are you doing?"

"Wiping out the weak, you fool!" He would growl. "Either you die to them or you die to me! I'll not accept cowardice in my army! Fight!"

Looking at the Mad King with such contempt, Orpheus' grip on his blade all the more felt tighter. "Gangrel, you sicken me! You're next!" He would start to approach him, grabbing a blade that was was pierced in the earth and holding it in his left hand, opting for a dual-blade style of combat. This blade however was not infused with Rubber lacing around the hilt. But, Gangrel still was not aware of that. Surprise distance attacks were already out the window for him.
Reaching the King in front of his Fort once more, this time the scales tipped in Orpheus' favor. There was no Ace in the Hole for Gangrel. No insurance to get him out of this. The King's Game was over now. It was either be serious and face a Warrior, or die by taking this lightly.

"I'll be sure to keep you alive once I crush you. I want you to watch as the rest of your friends die one by one and you'll be the last one to join them!" He would crackle out in laughter, but aware that Orpheus was now formidable.

"I'm not going to put up with you anymore." Orpheus would declare as Gangrel lunged for the opening move of this second encounter of this climactic battle. Swinging his blade to Orpheus would push back with the sword in his left hand, attempting to counter with his blade on his right, forcing Gangrel to jump back. The swing of his attack looked faster… and stronger. No longer would using ultimatums be effective against the Tactician, but only wise and well planned attacks would. Gangrel, a man who was used to having things go his way one way or another, had his luck running out quickly. No matter how he tried to put Orpheus on the defensive, his will was unshaken, the strength in his counters were too strong and now the Mad King was being pushed as each blade colliding with his was feeling heavier and with more knockback. Gangrel getting good distance from Orpheus, would point his Levin Sword directly at the Tactician.

"Why won't you just die already like all the rest!?" He would even ask himself where that power was coming from. Those pink flames are clearly what's drastically turned this fight against the king. Quickly charging a shot of Thunder magic, he would fire it straight towards Orpheus, a novice mistake. The Tactician would quickly move to the side, dodging with ease as Gangel showed signs of desperation, his strategy looking more hasty and flawed then when he thought he was in control. "How…!? How are you so strong?"

"I told you Gangrel. I am not going to put up with you anymore!" Orpheus would emphasize once more, a short roar coming out of his mouth as those pink flames would grow ablaze once more, changing their color to red before the Tactician nearly disappeared from sight like an afterimage again, something only Myrmidons usually could do, before reemerging in front of the Mad King, hitting him with the hilt's end of his sword, hard.

The King's breath felt like it was forced out of him as he took steps back, Orpheus simply watching. To Gangrel, this felt like a blunt object that was launched at high speeds from say, a severely strong gale of wind slammed dead center into the region of his diaphragm. This got the attention of everyone and even the Plegians. He was on his knees, a hand on the ground desperately trying to not let its' body from keeling over.

Orpheus was toying with him now. He could have easily killed him multiple times over but he wanted to make Gangrel feel utterly crushed. This choice was a dangerous one to make. But it was unclear if he was aware of this fact already.

"No! King Gangel is losing…! We must save him!" The Wyvern Riders would ignore Cordelia since without their king, there would be no fortune for them to receive. The Dark Flier would simply sigh and respond with a shaking head of disappointment.

"Well, it seems this war is over. Gangrel looks finished. I suppose this is where we stop playing, Little Red. And after I was having so much fun too." She sarcastically whimpered. "I must go serve my true liege now. One who is more fit than this clown. Tata, dearie!" She would part with Cordelia. Leaving a gush of Arcwind to keep the Knight from pursuing her.

"N-No! You get back here! We aren't-!" Her voice would cut itself off, her mind remembering Orpheus, who was now about to get swarmed by fast moving wyverns.

"My King!" A soldier snags Gangrel off the battlefield and thus, out of Orpheus' reach. "Will you be alright?"
"Of course!" He snapped back. "Now.. take me to that mountain south of here. I must exploit his weakness of poor magic at range. Just like when I first met him." He grinned, his hand clenched tighter on his sword, sparks of electricity dancing around the blade.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Orpheus was handling the horde of Wyvern Riders encircling him. Picking them off one by one if the riders made the mistake of trying to swing their bulking axes at such a mobile target. Gangrel had arrived at the upper parts of the mountain where he quickly ejected himself from his escort, landing and immediately looking at where he left the Tactician. Raising his sword skyward, his widest smirk yet was smeared all over his face. "Let's see him handle all of this!" He began gathering and building all of the magical lightning he could for one powerful attack. "He could barely handle one of my quickly charged attacks. I'm going to build this one up and just end him right there."

"B-But Sir! You may kill all of our Riders there as well!"

"Fool! They're already falling by his blade! It'll be in good honor for them to serve as catalysts for his and Chrom's fall! Better to die this way then simply to their blades! You just make sure no one comes too close to me, my attack will soon be ready."

"Y-Yes sir…"

Orpheus could see a glow off the corner of his eye; turning, he would spot Gangrel with his strongest attack yet. But in this instant, Orpheus was nearly too occupied to counter; the Wyverns were still here. Despite his newfound power, he was still being put on the defensive to the thinning, yet still annoying group of Wyvern Riders. Clearly he did not care if his men would die with Orpheus. An expected choice from the Mad King. Now he was being pushed to creating opportunities to take them all out, but perhaps if they saw that Gangrel was planning to take them all out too, perhaps they'd back away. He would need to find a way to break through the encirclement, and focus their attention in the direction of the mountain. One would begin to break formation to go after him, Orpheus would swiftly and narrowly, avoid his axe and move right past him, moving south and getting the rest of their attention at him and what would be behind him. Finally, their tunnel vision would clear up.

"W-What!? Is he going to take us out with him?" One shouted, his loyalty faltering now. The crumbling resolve was the key to making this opportunity to fight back appear.

"Bah! It's too late now! He can't avoid this!" Gangrel would aim his blade at Orpheus' direction and a large beam of concentrated lightning magic would fire forward. The Wyvern riders, with their Wyverns at least fast enough would turn tail and run. Cordelia recalling what happened when they last encountered Gangrel, the fact Orpheus was easily overpowered was bad enough. But this; this would most certainly kill him. She needed to get him out of there. She would have her Pegasus swoop downward, but this would be a close one. She needed to get Orpheus' attention, grab his hand and pull him out of both the direct point of contact but also escape from the potential blast radius. "Orpheus! Orpheus!"

Orpheus, meanwhile, would put his sword back in his sheath, and the other one would be stabbed into the ground; while he didn't hear Cordelia, he had pulled out the Elthunder tome from his coat and immediately began charging up his own counter-strike; his face looking as stoic as before.

Cordelia would rush as fast as she could, but she was too late. There would be no way she could reach him in time. All she could do was scream his name off the top of her lungs. But he finally noticed her, his eyes widening and looking more sharp, more refined. The pink flames that engulfed his body turned red once more as he fired his Elthunder right back at the Levin Sword beam, as it was only some yards away from making contact with the Tactician. But there was no simply slowing of the beam, it was being pushed back! Somehow Orpheus' power was overwhelming the Mad King's own powers! This new ability seemed to get even stronger when put in a pinch. The sight of a despairing Cordelia was enough to push Orpheus beyond his limit and break his old shell.

"WHAT!? THIS IS… IMPOSSIBLE!" Gangrel was flabbergasted, he was being overpowered by this mangy Tactician? He could not stop his own blast from returning to its owner.

"My King! I'll save you!" On sheer instinct, his lone Wyvern Rider would save him via a grab by the Wyvern's clawed feet. It was not Gangrel's preferred method but it was that or risk being caught in the blast.

"Quickly Get away from the mountain or else we'll both die!" He squirmed as the Rider would try to move quickly but Orpheus' Elthunder attack had nothing to slow it done once Gangrel broke his focus off his own attack. The impact on the mountain was severe, smashing the side of it clean, both shockwave and debris made it difficult for the Rider, Gangrel, and Wyvern alike to maintain balance. "N-No! I can't hold on!" He continued trying to cling for dear life on the Wyvern's leg, but the beast was moving too much; leading to the King's fall. He would shout a cursed shout as he disappeared into the brown smoke, no longer being able to be seen.

"King Gangrel!" The Rider called him out but to no response. For now he needed to settle his Wyvern down before he could search for his majesty.

At Orpheus' location, Cordelia slowly descended upon Orpheus' spot, which he never left despite the powerful blast that was near him when countered it. "O-Orpheus! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. More importantly…" He would look back at the clouded mountain. "I know he's still alive. I need to finish him while he's weak."

"But Orpheus. Maybe we should all regroup first." Cordelia offered up a valid point, but Orpheus just shook his head.

"I know that's the wiser option, but if Gangrel escaped here, it could drag this out even longer and I think we need to end this now before he reaches his capital again. He was willing to kill his men when he attacked. What's to say he won't use his entire nation as hostages. Cordelia, please; take me to him. You back me up if he has anyone else left. We can do this. Together."

"...Okay." She would ponder and just nod her head. "But if it looks bad, let's pull back. At least until Chrom and the others can rendezvous with us."

"A sound strategy. Then please, allow me to board." Orpheus would walk to the knight, a small smile appearing for a brief moment.

"Now there's the Orpheus we know and love. Permission granted." The flames around his body were not exhausting Orpheus climbed aboard the Pegasus and it would take flight once more, but his body felt… warm. Not burning like you would expect from a man literally on fire, but what was hostile to Gangrel and his army, was assuring for Cordelia. This was it. The moment to end it all. Now she just needed to make sure Orpheus made it to end the Mad King's life and end his legacy of contradicting terror.

Meanwhile, the Dark Mage and his companion were making their descent to the battlefield, that was now being cleaned up at this point by the Ylisseans.
"Well, maybe you can finally meet Orpheus now that Aversa has flown the coop! Nya ha! Get it?"

"Yes, Henry. But this isn't over yet. Gangrel must die first."

"Oh, that reminds me! You never got to try your power on the Ylisseans. I'm certain they wouldn't have noticed if you tried it."

"Well, clearly it wasn't needed. And besides, they have one of our own. Clearly Tharjawould have noticed."

"Oh yeah! I could sense her hexes from a mile away! Probably would've counter hexed us or something."

"For now we get a little closer and see if we're needed; if not, maybe I can finally…"

With the dust clearing, Gangrel was able to stand himself up once more. His only remaining soldier near him, the Wyvern Rider was all he could command from this distance. The High Risk/High Reward attack was too much of a risk as he was now backed into a corner. Fight, die, or fall a long fall on the other side of the mountain.

"Lord Gangrel, what shall we do now? He's coming after you again."

"It's simple. You finish off that Pegasus Knight and then come help me. Together, we will live and crush this Tactician."

"Yes, sir!" The morale in him rose for this was the most pivotal moment of the battle!

"After this is over, I'll be sure to punish that wench Aversa for going AWOL on me. The Grimleals shall not have it easy anymore. I'll not fear Grima and his legion anymore!"

The two Ylisseans have nearly reached their destination. Orpheus had his target locked, but he had one more order to give out.
"Cordelia, you keep that Wyvern off my back. After he's done, we can take Gangrel on together."

"You got it. Be careful, Orpheus."

"I will. You too." His response was a bit blunt, but he did mean what he said. Seeing the opportune time to drop, he would leap off the Pegasus, quickly descending and nailing the landing on the ground, Gangrel only yards away from him. Orpheus' calm temperament changed the instant he locked eyes with the Mad King.

"You are a cockroach, boy. Constantly nipping at my feet but this time, I shall squash you like the bug that you are!"

"I've had it up to here with you, Gangrel! You've done nothing but take innocent lives again and again! Including the lives of Emmeryn and Phila." Orpheus' fists would clench, sparks of flames igniting once again. "IT'S OVER, GANGREL!"

"Hah! You die now! Now!" Gripping onto his Levin Sword tightly, a bit too tight, he would lunge after the Grandmaster. Orpheus would quickly unsheathe his main sword and with both weapons, he would block his vertical slash with a cross-block, catching his blade in place before pushing Gangrel forward, who still believed his magic would do nothing to Orpheus. Without his magic to support him, Gangrel's skills as a swordsmen were starting to be shown. Orpheus wasn't just out to defeat Gangrel, but to humiliate him and his name. For every attack, Orpheus would either block it or respond with a parry and/or a quick riposte. His defense shored up in an instant thanks to his power. With a chance now appearing before him, Orpheus would move forward, trying to give Gangrel less ground to stand on. If pushed far enough, there would be nothing but sharper rocks and a long drop to the bottom where death would surely be imminent.

Up in the air, Cordelia was dancing around this lone Rider. While he had strength, her agility made it so she was not easy prey. She would try to slowly exhaust the rider, like a painted dog, circling around him until the opportunity came to finish him.

Gangrel needed to create an opportunity to get a shot at Orpheus. But it would not be by his regular attacks. Orpheus needed to be off guard. Or Gangrel could resort to either the unorthodox or something dirty. But what could it be? He needed to be quick as well. Orpheus was running out of reason to play with his prey.

Cordelia with a javelin thrown at precisely the right moment, would pierce into the Rider's chest, his balance failing and his body, now plummeting to the ground.

There! It was there which Gangrel realized this was it. His blade would once again be highlighted in that powerful lightning, Orpheus ready to deny it but Gangrel only had his crooked smile on. "Block this, you fool!" He would point, but not horizontally to Orpheus, but above to his right, ignoring him for another target. Orpheus would quickly turn around, seeing who he was after.

"No! Cordelia!" Orpheus finally put the pieces together, but it was too late. By the time she turned around, she felt the full brunt of his magic. She and her Pegasus would slowly descend to the rubble that Orpheus created, her pained voice echoing throughout the mountaintop.

"I have you now!" While Orpheus was focused on her. He would aim for Orpheus' chest, but he saw it on the corner of his eye, but the quick reaction was not fast enough. It pierced in his arm, but it didn't stop Gangrel from unleashing his thunderous might, immediately electrocuting the Grandmaster. His screams now echoed through the mountain as well, but on a much elongated scale.

The closing Ylissean army could hear it, a sense of panic going through the banner. "Sumia! Get me closer! We need to save them both!" Chrom would relay his order, but with clear fear in his tone. Gangrel pulled one last ounce of luck out of him, and it couldn't have come at a better time. "Someone get Lissa and Lon'qu a lift! We need everyone on Gangrel, now!"

Even Stahl, who was recovering from his injuries, would mount his horse and quickly push on, desperate to save his friend.

The Dark mage and his acquaintance now started to rush, the latter person sensing Orpheus' imminent danger. "No! That dastard is still at it! I need to get in range! And then I can save Orpheus! I can save my-there!" and with hands clenched, an colorful aura emanated from their body.

"Ahahaha! Scream! Die! DIE!" Gangrel would cackle harder than the bolts of electricity pulsing through his blade.

Orpheus' left hand would loosen for a moment, dropping the sword in that off-hand, but with a desperate move and a sudden surge of slight extra strengh, he lifted his right as best he could before swinging it vertically, forcing Gangrel to back off. "Dastard…!" Orpheus felt little control over his left hand.

"You're done, boy! My next attack will end you! Whether you survive it or not doesn't matter anymore! I shall finish you now!"

"Orpheus! Come back now! Regroup with us and we'll finish him together!" Of all people, it was Sumia who called out to him! She broke her timid Persona and reached out to the Tactician.

"Run away and I'll spill that red girl's guts all over the mountain. Another death in your name, boy!" He would quickly fire widespread bolts around the mountain, with the intent to keep them all back. None shall help Orpheus now.

With a grit of his teeth, and a grip on his remaining blade, the flames around his body reignited for one final attack. The Mad King would bring his blade up for a hard, downward swing. Orpheus had his sword close to his body, the hilt of the sword past his left arm. With enough thunder around his blade, Gangrel would bring it crashing down, just to have it intercepted by Orpheus' blade, attempting to repel it. But even with the boost to his strength, it was still a weakened man defending against a full force swing. Taking steps back, the sound of bolts crackling around him, the only other thing that could be heard was the Mad king's voice.

"You have no chance, boy! You are done! Ahahahahaha!" Orpheus could only struggle to hold his ground, this was now a battle of who would outlast the other. But the edge was on Gangrel's side.

In the distance, Henry would ask, "Hey! Are you sure you're using your powers? Orpheus looks toast!"

"I-I am! It's not enough! His wound is fatal with all that electricity! I can sense it in his body. He's fighting through so much pain! Someone needs to make it to him, he can't win this alone!" They were starting to sound desperate, clear panic in their tone.

Back against the wall, Orpheus' state of mind was weakening, the flames around him feeling like they were fading, yet he still would not go down. The rubber weave would soon reach its limit at this rate and if it gave way, it would heat up and eventually the electricity would reach him as the blade would be a conductor again. "You fool! Don't you understand how futile this is! You should never have challenged the King!" Gangrel remained stubborn in his swing. Wanting to go through Orpheus' sword and end it like that. His focus was too centered on Orpheus.

There was movement behind him in the rubble. Movement he never could have anticipated. It was not methodical, clearly a struggle to even achieve any of that movement, but it would not stop. A bloodied Javelin now stuck out, pointing in a new direction. And with all of her strength, a perfect arc and a barely stable form, it would shoot its way through the wind, guiding it to its target. And when it connected, the sound of a torn fabric was heard between the two men amidst the crackling magic.

"What the-!?" The Mad King would shift his crooked glare behind him. It didn't hit him, not directly at least. It pierced his cape and stuck itself there. When he looked past that, he spotted a bright, yet dimmed and bruised red. It was Cordelia. She threw the Javelin that killed the last Wyvern Rider since she landed near his body. "You WENCH!"

*NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!* An unknown voice echoed through Orpheus mind. But he had no time to ask any question. The point was valid.

With a loud roar like before, his flames were fanned, burning hotter than ever! They turned Red for the final time! And even more power coursed through his body. Pushing back against the Levin Sword, Orpheus now sought to exploit Gangrel's final mistake.

"GRAH, YOU!" He tried to deny the pushback and yet he was taken aback. Orpheus showed overwhelming strength. He pushed Gangrel's blade back far from his body; but Orpheus' motor kept his body moving, and moving fast. Bringing it around with the momentum, he would bring up a diagonal swing from the bottom to his right, slashing Gangrel's chest; a second swing, now horizontal, would also be a clean uncontested swing. Gangrel was now being pushed back against the edge, screaming in agony, which was music to Orpheus' ears. He was finally making him pay for everything.

And with a step back, he would raise his sword amidst the pain that was finally seeping back into his body, the adrenaline now fading. This last attack had to end it. "This is for Emmeryn. And Phila; Mustafa…. And for Cordelia's sisters…!" He would drop the hardest vertical swing he could muster up, ready to take one more life. "THIS IS FOR EVERYONE!"

"AAAAAGHH, ORPHEUUUSS!" The last person he would hate was not Chrom, but a Tactician he never heard of until now. And he acknowledged it by finally saying his name. The name of his killer.

With that swing, cutting deep into Gangrel's body, he would take his own steps to his rocky plummet. A mad and cruel descent for a mad and cruel King.

With anchored breaths, slow and hard to take in, he would turn around, taking steps back to the other side. Each step felt harder than the next. And when the Tactician finally arrived to his destination, he was seen by the army he lead and the allies he met along the way. But Orpheus would lift his blade up one more time, declaring victory over the Mad King. The Mission was a success. His name was now roared through the battlefield, chants and cheers completing this ocean of noise; relieved that it is finally over. Comrades and friends and even former enemies, celebrating with embraces, handshakes, and so on. The flames around his body now beginning to fade away away as he collapsed to the ground, lying on his back, arm clearly in so much pain, he was unable to move it still. But he could still smile. And give one thumbs up; a cocky gesture. Typical of the Sharp-tongued, Smart aleck Tactician.

Hero: And that's how he goes down. And now we can begin going to the reconstruction era; aka, the two year time skip before Walhart makes his move. But we're not skipping it. Oh no, we're getting some couples established and romance going! In fact, to make up for my disappearance I'll tell you an obvious one. Lon'qu and Lissa! That one is going to be enjoyable. But was it great to see Ignis at work here? Or rather, you saw two variations. Thanks to FEH, Bonfire is now the weaker version but I decided to stay true to the actual FEA lore and let Robin and his family members be the only ones capable of it, much like how Aether belongs to Chrom and Lucina. Speaking of, we aren't seeing her until Walhart gets into the picture so don't expect her. Anyway, to anyone who followed this story from the start, I apologize for the wait and for those who just arrived; welcome! Hope you like my re-imagining of the story of FEA. Also speaking of FEH, feel free to check out "A Mother's Legacy" which I wrote because Fjorm is just the BEST(Also her New Year's alt just reaffirms my belief about her and the Summoner.) So let that hold you over. I think I'm going to try and finish this Arc before I contemplate going back to my Persona fic. It's been so dead and I need to ask myself if I even want to finish it. So yeah, next time, we found out who Chrom's getting with! And what is the rebuild process going to be like? Expect some short timeskips as we settle into the short era of peace!