Crimson Flower
Rain of Enmity
"Agnea's Arrow." Rhea muttered the name of the spell.
Commanding the spell with her bloody left hand, Rhea brought the arrow of pure magical destruction down to Byleth, having readied to cast it after she had dodged Byleth's thrust.
Everyone looked wide eyed, with Lysithea and the Imperial Army watching on, horrified as the most powerful spell known to Fodlan caused an explosion that engulfed Byleth.
A blinding blue light engulfed the blackened Tailtean Plains.
The Imperial Army was in shock at what they had seen, they were just cheering a while ago when they saw their commander, said to be the best warrior in their army, land a serious wound against Rhea but now…
Lysithea was beyond horrified, having witnessed her beloved being consumed by the blue explosion that Agnea's Arrow had caused when it descended upon Byleth, her eyes started to glisten with tears.
Until she noticed a slight gold light coming through from within the ongoing blue explosion, then gradually the gold light became more and more evident for everyone to see until a pillar of light broke through and for a brief moment, the darkened desolated plains shone bright.
Rhea's eyes widened as her strongest spell had just been canceled right in front of her by the same person she attempted to obliterate with it.
There he was, Byleth, his left arm raised up at the sky enveloped by the pillar of light he had created that countered the devastation that Agnea's Arrow had caused. His use of Aura, the strongest offensive Faith spell, surprised Rhea, not aware that Byleth knew the way of magic to incorporate it in battle but what surprised her is the presence of white gold embers spread around the spell.
'He incorporated the power of the Crest of Flames into the spell?'
She didn't know such a thing was possible for she never witnessed it happen before and this revelation made Rhea sweat, surprising her for how her body is subconsciously reacting.
Is she nervous? She never foresaw Byleth utilizing magic let alone cast Aura, a spell that even her highest ranking clerics couldn't learn so easily.
She had thought of him only really on strength of arms entering this battle, much like Nemesis did centuries ago but this recent development has her unprepared. Bearing such a knowledge, Rhea immediately took a vial of elixir that was strapped on her thigh, instantly feeling the healing effects of the potion upon ingesting.
The wounds she had received earlier stopped bleeding and closed up, doing so caused Rhea great discomfort at the sensation of her damaged flesh healing itself at an accelerated pace. Despite healing from such a wound, Rhea could still feel the sensation of pain embedded within her flesh as if traces of the wounds she had suffered lingered to cause her discomfort.
Standing up, she saw Byleth waving his left hand away after protecting himself from Agnea's Arrow, there was evidence however that despite offsetting the spell, he suffered some minor damages on himself as evident with the singed parts of his clothing as well as sporting a slightly bleeding cut near the right side of his brow.
The Imperial army breathed a collective sigh of relief before roaring into cheers at the spectacular display of Byleth countering Rhea's spell. Lysithea on the other hand could feel as if her life had already slipped away from her when she feared for Byleth's life after Rhea casted Agnea's Arrow.
But there was something that was bugging her, something she realized just now within the ranks of the enemy.
If Rhea was present in this battle then where is her inner circle? She knew Flayn and Seteth had kept to their word to flee from the war after they were spared from death by Byleth and Edelgard but where was Gilbert? Catherine? Cyril…?
All of which were staunchly loyal to Rhea and will gladly lay down their lives for her, why were they absent in this battle? A crucial battle that would determine the victor of this war?
Slowly walking up to Rhea, Byleth noticed the shocked anger within her eyes, he could feel a small sense of amusement at the sight of her, at least he knows he still has enough surprises to keep her unaware of this fight.
He had Lysithea to thank for teaching him about magic upon his return, both of them had noticed how quickly Byleth can learn Faith magic as if he was naturally attuned to it, something Byleth had credited to his connection to Sothis. It seems that beside the power she had bequeathed him, the ability to learn and adapt to new things seem to have been a byproduct of Sothis merging her soul with his.
"Is that the best you can do?" Byleth coldly mocked her.
"You impudent child…" Rhea gritted her teeth.
"There's more where that came from." Byleth told her before rushing towards her again, now having a clearer mind in battling Rhea to follow-up on his momentum so far.
Rhea spat out her saliva mixed with her blood, engaging Byleth once more, having let go of all restraints in keeping her graceful exterior and fighting style, resorting to a more savage but still nimble style in an attempt to get back at Byleth.
Successfully landing a kick to Byleth's chest which pushed him back, Rhea fired a ball of fire towards him only for Byleth to counter back with his own fireball, creating an explosion in between them that caused a smokescreen to obscure their visions, the rain didn't help as it caused it's contact with the fiery explosion to create steam.
Byleth stayed his ground, Sword of the Creator on the defensive as his eyes shifted left and right to ascertain where Rhea is, suspecting her of using the smokescreen and steam to her advantage.
Then, the ground beneath him split open to reveal a fiery orange glow. His eyes widened, realizing this spell, having seen it earlier.
"Bolganone."
Another fiery explosion was heard from within the smokescreen by both the Imperial Army and the Knights of Seiros, neither knew who was responsible for it until someone emerged above the smoke to reveal Byleth, having narrowly avoided the explosion and going down straight to where Rhea is.
The smokescreen cleared off with the sheer force of the Sword of the Creator and Sword of Seiros locking against each other again, neither being dominant in this exchange as both glared directly at each other, their faces inches apart.
"How much longer are you going to continue this defiance, child?!"
"Tell me what I need to know then maybe I will consider it!" Byleth said with gritted teeth, exerting more force and pushing Rhea.
"I… have…" Rhea blocked a slash from Byleth. "Nothing to say to you!"
Rhea's sword met against Byleth's sword just as Byleth was about to swing it down at her, staggering Byleth aback, Rhea then spun around behind Byleth and slashed him across the back, rending his skin and flesh with the Sword of Seiros' jagged edge.
Byleth nearly fell to the ground due to the pain he felt, feeling the blade cut so deep, he could feel his blood dripping down from the wound at his back and staining his black coat with his warm blood. But this wasn't the time to mind the blood and pain as he sensed Rhea wasn't done with him.
Parrying Rhea's second attack to his back by immediately turning around, Byleth decided to pay Rhea back and swept his left leg against her feet, making the Archbishop fall on her back at the muddy ground before Byleth swung his sword down to cut her after standing back up.
Rhea was also quick to react by blocking his attack while on the ground but she was steadily losing as Byleth's strong position on top of this exchange was threatening to bring both his and her own sword against her once more.
Quickly finding a way out of the predicament, Rhea kicked up her legs to hit Byleth on the stomach before lifting him up with her leg strength and kicking him away.
Byleth managed to regain his balance after being tossed by Rhea but had to lift up his sword to block Rhea's attack, Byleth tried to knee her but Rhea used her own knee to anticipate the attack.
Both of them hopped away from each other, they stayed still for a moment as drops of rain poured down on them, rainwater seeped into the cut Rhea had given Byleth at his back, cleaning away the flowing blood from the cut on his back and his face.
Despite the stinging pain behind him, Byleth refuses to let it hinder him in this battle. A medic can look after it later, his focus needs to be on the woman before him who is intent on killing him.
"Where is your hubris from earlier?" Rhea questioned him, ironically being full of confidence now after she had gained the advantage from her former employee.
"You and Nemesis, despite never being related, share the same amount of overconfidence with the power you wield." Rhea lectured. "Humanity was never meant to wield the power of Sothis and it is foolish of you to think that you can."
Byleth scoffed at her.
"Maybe you should stop thinking of a long dead man, I am not Nemesis." Byleth responded before adding something that he was fully aware can piss Rhea off.
"If I was never meant to possess the power of Sothis, then why did you put the Crest of Flames within my heart?"
Rhea was silent but her widened eyes and mouth spoke volumes.
"You refuse to tell me but I know you put something in me that made me possess this power, Rhea. As you did my mother and those before her." Byleth continued his stern tirade at her.
"You speak as if I am not worthy of it then answer me this: why did Sothis gave me this power?"
"What…?" Rhea's body shook.
"She willingly gave her entire existence to give me this power the day I fought Solon." Byleth added, seeing the visible cracks that formed from Rhea's silent stare at him.
"Sothis trusted me enough to give all what she had for me, knowing I will make the right choices–"
"SILENCE!" Rhea's voice roared out across the plains stained with the blood and corpses of those who fought on it.
Unable to contain her anger once more after being confronted by Byleth and invoking the name of her mother so callously as if… as if…
He knew her personally…
The way he talked about her, she didn't want to believe it. Rhea knew that the experiment she had done to Byleth was a success, the Crest Stone resonated with him far greater than it did to Sitri and her failed predecessors.
Instead of being weakened and beset by frailty, Byleth was instead empowered after the process. Rhea knew he was the one she has been waiting for after centuries of waiting and toiling.
But she never foresaw that her endeavor was that successful to the point that Byleth seemed to have made a direct connection to the Goddess that slumbered within the Crest Stone.
Then, why? Why hasn't she made her will known through Byleth if Sothis had once co-inhabited within her vessel? Why didn't she open a bridge of communication? Did her mother not have the desire to speak to her? To let her presence known?
Or perhaps… has she forgotten about her?
The very thought of such a thing threatened to break what stability Rhea's mind had, her eyes darted towards Byleth.
Denial and anger not just to Byleth but also as to why her mother had refused to talk to her despite apparently being within the former professor during those times.
It was him, he must have prevented her mother from communicating with her! That must be it! It is all his fault! Everything is his fault! This war, the wavering faith of the people of Fodlan and finally, her mother's existence seemingly now out of her reach.
Byleth took her mother much as Nemesis did but Byleth went beyond, took all her power and her existence.
He must pay, judgment has been levied out and justice, to be carried out by her.
With seething anger, Rhea blazed off towards Byleth, her emotions fueling her entire being.
Unstable as they may be.
Somewhere on the other side of the battlefield, two entwined tortured souls continued a battle for domination. One bent on acting on his obsession for vengeance while the other is focused on severing that which beholds her to the past in order to move forward.
The two never spoke a word to each other after Dimitri charged Edelgard following Dedue's death, pining his death to her as another to add to the list of reasons why he endeavors to end the Emperor's life.
Their crest empowered relics clashing threatened to split the very earth beneath them, both using the farthest limits of their birthright's powers to gain an advantage over the other.
Edelgard would normally not prefer to fight this way, preferring to instead take her time to defend and counter her opponents, analyzing them first but she is forced to respond with her own attacks of such scale to match the savagery of Dimitri's attacks, the latter allowing a deadly combination of his fighting prowess and heightened emotional stimuli to fight Edelgard.
Sparks and the particles of the glow on their relics flew for each time the Areadbhar and Aymr hit one another, the soldiers from each side tried to intervene to protect their liege only to be prevented by the shockwaves the two were causing, instead the soldiers fought each other in a bid to contribute to this battle.
For those witnessing the duel, it felt like they weren't watching a duel between two human beings but instead, they were witnessing a battle between two monsters in human form.
With loud grunts, the two entered another lock between their weapons, both staring directly at each other's eyes.
Then again, in the reflection of each other's eyes they saw the other as they were during their days of carefree youth back in Faerghus.
The reflection of their younger selves in their places threatened to break what focus the two had.
Edelgard maintained hers with sheer will to move ahead the path that lies beyond Dimitri's defeat while Dimitri maintained his by thinking of nothing but the hatred he possesses towards Edelgard.
Both didn't want their past with each other to hinder this duel that they know will only have one person standing alive at the end of it.
Both of them want to be that one person.
"Are you sure this is right, El?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Dee. Why does it sound like you want to back away? Didn't you tell me yesterday you wanted to learn how to dance?"
"But shouldn't a proper dance instructor teach us–"
"Are you saying I'm not fit to teach you?"
"N-No! I didn't mean that–"
"Now, quit fussing around and let's start before anyone starts looking for us…"
Holding the poles of their respective weapons with both hands tightening their grips, the two continued their dance of death with bared teeth.
Both swung their relics, parrying each other as they strafed to Edelgard's right.
"Wrong foot, Dimitri! You're supposed to lead with your right!"
Edelgard mounted her own offense by continuously swinging the Aymr with such precision to force Dimitri back, staggering him back. Dimitri tried to thrust the Areadbhar, only for Edelgard to predict it, missing her and giving her an opening to land her left fist on his face, stunning him enough for Edelgard to give an overhead swing to his head.
Dimitri barely blocked it, adjusting the pole of the Areadbhar to meet against the Aymr's handle, preventing it from deeply lodging itself on his shoulder as the Aymr wounded his shoulder, denting the black armor he wore.
Wincing at the stinging pain, feeling the energy of the Aymr's power and the Crest of Seiros on his shoulder's flesh, Dimitri roared and pushed upwards to send Edelgard aback, ignoring the pain and powering through.
"El, the sun's going down! I really oughta be heading home!"
Edelgard shook her head and continued with the dance, gesturing to the blonde boy to lead the dance. Soon, Dimitri was beginning to get the grasp of the lessons he was receiving from the brown haired girl.
Leading the dance as instructed, Dimitri's nervousness soon diminished after seeing what seemed to be a proud smile from Edelgard as the two danced, kissed by the rays of a setting sun.
Dimitri's retaliation took the form of sharp whirling strikes, the wound he received on his shoulder didn't hinder him, it only incited him to tap into his power through rage.
Spinning the Areadbhar around with such speed and skill, Dimitri was beginning to confuse Edelgard when and where he'll attack until whilst spinning the ancient lance, Dimitri began to attack her in different directions, forcing Edelgard to simply remain defending herself as she tries to study the pattern of this new move from Dimitri.
However, Edelgard did not have the time she needed as Dimitri's whirls and spinning strikes managed to land shallow cuts on her cheek, forearm, shoulder and elbow in an attempt to deflect them.
"Now, let go of your hand from my back, raise your arm and let me spin around…"
"Like this?"
"Yes! Now keep at it and wait for me to put my hand back on your shoulder–"
Having had enough, Edelgard jumped back, launching a fireball to Dimitri who swatted it away with Areadbhar without effort, next thing he saw was Edelgard jumping towards him with the Aymr raised and poised to slam it down on him.
Dimitri managed to jump back just as Edelgard's Aymr hit the ground, causing the earth around Edelgard to cave in with the attack and causing tremors around her, disorientating and unbalancing many of the soldiers surrounding her.
The King of Faerghus, upon landing, impaled his lance on the ground, using it as a crutch to keep his footing steady as he watched Edelgard pull the Aymr out and stare at him, the Emperor slowly walked up at the rim of the crater she had created, the Aymr pulsating with power from the Crest of Seiros.
Had Dimitri taken that blow even while defending with the Areadbhar, he wasn't sure if he could have survived the intense amount of force and pressure behind Edelgard's attack.
"I had no idea dancing was this tiring! The people in court make it look easy!"
"And I can't believe you haven't danced before! For someone who is clumsy and rigid, you actually can move!"
"I didn't need to hear that, El!"
"Come on, let's get out of here before someone finds us!"
"To where?"
"Well, you did tell me there's a place to buy some of Faerghus' sweets here…"
Wiping off the blood flowing from the cuts on her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand, Edelgard could notice the heavy breaths Dimitri was taking as he touched on the dented part of his shoulder armor where she had lodged her Aymr in, the same can be said for her, this prolonged battle between them have been taxing to both of them. The amount of energy they expended on each other yet a clear victor between them is yet to emerge.
Drops of their blood fell to the ground, diluted by the rain drops on the muddy ground.
Edelgard knows at this point that she needs to unleash everything she has.
Even if it means resorting to using the Crest she thoroughly despised using. The Crest of Flames, forcefully implanted in her by desecrating her blood like how Lysithea was desecrated. A Crest implanted in her against her will and her family's, brought so much terrible suffering for her brothers and sisters, all of which died or went mad, her father who couldn't do anything but watch as his children died. The Crest that began her hatred of everything regarding the wretched system that had plagued Fodlan for centuries, a system she seeks to break if only she can defeat the man before her.
It was time to end this.
Raising the Aymr with her right hand, it momentarily lost its orange red glow, puzzling Dimitri as he watched with wary eyes what Edelgard is about to do next.
Her Crest of Seiros manifested before slowly transforming to something else, the pattern changing to that of the Crest of Flames as white gold flames swirled around the Aymr and it glowed a brighter orange hue.
He had seen this last time and it was this power of Edelgard that led to Dimitri being defeated by her the last time they came to blows in battle.
Dimitri remembered questioning Rhea why Edelgard had come to possess the Crest of the Goddess herself when Edelgard was ironically the one fighting against the very institution built to revere her. Why does the Empire possess two wielders of the Crest of Flames despite being the enemy of the Church?
The response he merely got from Rhea is that both Edelgard and Byleth were both thieves of the same scale as Nemesis, who stole the power of the Goddess for themselves to wreak havoc and commit heresy using her divine power.
This time, Dimitri was more ready to combat against such a power, he has to withstand this if he is to be victorious.
"LET'S FINISH THIS, EL!" Dimitri challenged her, undaunted by Edelgard utilizing the power of the Goddess herself.
'Yes, let's.'
Aymr and Areadbhar collided against each other, sparks flew, red orange light and white gold flames trailed behind with each hit from each other.
Every strike from Edelgard was like watching her wield such a divine looking fire in the form of an axe as her attacks had begun to make its presence known to Dimitri, the King was faltering from the different kind of power behind the Emperor's attacks.
Every slam of the Aymr on Areadbhar threatened to burn Dimitri's flesh within his armor, the flames of white gold seemed gentle.. Divine but the heat it radiated with was intense like the intensity of the fire produced by the Ragnarok spell. Contrary to that, Edelgard could feel the flames she was using were warm and even rejuvenating for her.
Dimitri tried to fight back, using the hateful savagery he had displayed to his advantage to get out of this situation that Edelgard had pressured him into but Edelgard was strangely calm, collected as if influenced by the very flames she was using.
There wasn't any ounce of anger on her face… only determination.
A determination she wanted to layer over the barest form of hesitation that had been clouding her even before this battle.
A hesitation that took the form of memories of the past, a past that is so far gone that it can be mistaken as another lifetime long ago.
Driving down the Aymr, Dimitri's guard threatened to break. One more strike is all Edelgard needed to completely make the Faerghus King vulnerable.
Just as she was about to deliver an upward swing to disarm Dimitri and then lay down the coup de grace to secure her victory, the image of a younger Dimitri stood in place of the one she was fighting.
He was looking at her with the same mournful eyes he had on the very day she had left, the last day of when she was still known as the girl who was called El, the day she left her first love and her innocence behind.
The day that marked the death of the girl to pave the way to the woman she has become.
The momentary pause gave Dimitri, still clinging on to the hate he possessed over the thought that the woman before him had caused him nothing but misery, an opening and promptly delivered a stab to the Emperor, driving the Areadbhar atop her chest, dangerously close by her heart and the terrible scar she bore.
Blood poured down her regal red dress, almost hiding it due to the color as drops of blood mixed in with the rain. The white gold flame on the Aymr dissipated, the orange glow disappeared as well after the Emperor had let go of it following the stab she had suffered.
Dimitri looked on to her, a grim but triumphant look shone over him as his right hand held on the Areadbhar that was impaled on his most hated enemy.
Edelgard could only watch with eyes wide as saucers, her shock overriding every part of her body, unable to feel the pain even with such a grievous wound above her chest, she was unable to comprehend to herself why she allowed herself to hesitate.
Hesitate at such a crucial time to finally go one step closer to her goal.
And that hesitance is now the reason for her own doom.
Falling down on her knees, Dimitri withdrew the Areadbhar from her chest, having realized that he had missed his mark, that is her heart, more blood flowed down as Edelgard merely looked up, her eyes still in shock.
"Go to hell, El." Dimitri spitefully said as his blue eyes glared at her with such condemnation.
Just as Dimitri was about to swing the Areadbhar to separate her head from her neck, a blade arrived that threatened to sever Dimitri's own head.
"Felix?!" Dimitri exclaimed in shock, having hopped away from his attacker, revealed to be one of his closest friends from his childhood.
The cold look on Felix's eyes never wavered, his eyes glaring straight at the Faerghus King.
"Boar."
Dimitri's eyes softened up for a bit, remembering his tumultuous bond with the man before him, the man who hindered his path to obtaining his prize in the form of Edelgard's head.
Then, he remembered how the man who was loyal to him, his father and the entire Kingdom of Faerghus was slain by his own son, the very son that stands against him now.
"You killed Rodrigue... your own father, Felix." Dimitri remarked, still bewildered at the fact that such a man he looked up to was a victim of patricide brought by his only surviving son.
There was a brief moment of pain in Felix's eyes but was soon buried by the same coldness that had clouded it akin to the hatred that filled Dimitri's own eyes.
Bringing up his blade to his stance, Felix wasn't going to allow this encounter to hinder him in his goal to battle the man he once called a friend. For him, Dimitri was nothing more than another product of a land and its culture that had poisoned the minds of its people with false promises of glory at the expense of their lives, all in the service of something that bears more weight over family and people they love.
Much like how his own brother and father fell victim to a culture that should have died so long ago.
"I said I'd cut down anyone who stood in my way. Even my father. Even my friends." Felix said without hesitation.
With a mournful sigh, Dimitri assumed his stance again, still feeling the adrenaline had over fighting Edelgard, not wanting any lingering sentiments towards Felix to hinder his goal to finally kill her.
"I see. That was all I needed to hear to finally work up the resolve to kill you." Dimitri said and without hesitation, lunged at Felix who was prepared to take on anything Dimitri dishes out to him.
As for Edelgard, she merely looked down on the muddy ground, coming to terms why she had allowed herself such weakness and why had she decided that she was ready to fight Dimitri since yesterday, only to falter when the time came to end it.
Was she truly resolved to the path that she had decided to cut open forward?
Soon, more came to her aid but she didn't heed them as she was too lost in her own thoughts, the sound of a pegasus and horse dying fell on deaf ears.
Time passed by quickly as Edelgard mulled over the resolve she had lost.
Until she remembered the people who had brought her up to this point.
Hubert, who staunchly served her ever since he was commanded to be her servant, genuinely formed a platonic bond of trust and loyalty.
Ferdinand, who had tried earnestly to surpass her only for their relationship to become that of respect and loyalty comparable to Hubert's, only this time Ferdinand did not hesitate to question her.
Everyone in the Black Eagles, despite their share of ridiculousness and the way she tried to deceive them in the Holy Tomb, they still stood by her out of respect and the friendship they shared with her.
Dorothea, having been the one who made her feel love again after Edelgard had long forsook the possibility of feeling such a thing ever since she left a piece of her heart within Fhirdiad's walls. She was the light in the regal but grim life she had lived and she will do everything to be of the same vein to her.
Her teacher, Byleth, the one who further inspired her to move forward with the path she was willing to take. It was Byleth who had helped her reach this point in her path, one of her pillars that kept her strong and resolved to move forward with both his skill and guidance. The only person she was comfortable with to take commands from due to the deep respect she held towards him.
Lastly, there was Lysithea. She was there when Byleth wasn't, she was the light that didn't hesitate to shine on her in the form of barbed words that made her question herself when she was about to make decisions that would have cost her humanity, she reminded her to never stray too far on the path of becoming not just a good leader but also a person who wouldn't abandon her morals to reach her goals unlike many who came before them. Lysithea had no reason to be loyal to her cause yet Lysithea stuck by her side, dedicating herself to see the future Edelgard seeks to create even with such a short life ahead. They may not be related by blood but she and Lysithea consider each other as sisters.
Remembering all of them and how they believed in her goal for the land, it gave Edelgard the strength to pick up the Aymr that lay on her side, inanimate and powerless without her touch.
Having realized her resolve again, Edelgard could feel the pain on her wound above her chest and decided to truly step forward once again despite the pain she was about to feel.
The image of a young Dimitri offering his hand for her reach blocked her vision as she picked up the Aymr, her touch reigniting the bright orange glow it has as white gold flames shrouded its edges.
"El, are you alright? Let me help you stand up…"
Edelgard shook her head and stood up on her own two feet, ignoring the hand of Dimitri as she didn't need it. The hands of those who she now loves and cherishes were what pushed her to stand up and push forward, destroying the image of the young boy that barred her way.
Regaining sight of Dimitri, he had just defeated Ingrid, Sylvain and Felix, the latter being at his mercy, the Areadbhar either ready to run through his heart or Dimitri's hand threatened to break his neck.
Hearing the footsteps on the muddy ground approaching him, Dimitri was caught off guard to see Edelgard up at her feet despite the grievous wound he gave her.
He immediately let go of Felix when he saw the Aymr clad with the same power that threatened to overpower him earlier.
Trying to put an end to Edelgard once again, Dimitri tried to lay down his attack before the Emperor could, only for Edelgard to counter his attack by swinging the Aymr upwards with so much force that it threatened to break Dimitri's arms, forcing him to let go of the Areadbhar using both the power she possesses and the element of surprise.
Just as the Areadbhar was impaled on the ground behind Dimitri after Edelgard deprived him of it, the Emperor was quick to drive her Aymr on to his stomach, denting the armor protecting it and wounding and searing his flesh within.
Edelgard didn't stop with just dealing a single severe wound as upon dislodging the Aymr, she drove it down Dimitri's left knee, almost cutting it clean which forced Dimitri to painfully go down to his knees, in shock and in pain from the wounds he had received, wounds that he slowly realized he couldn't bounce back from again.
Looking down, Dimitri's shock was replaced with horror and then, his hatred overtaking him despite the pain and the presence of death just looming before him.
He watched Edelgard raise the Aymr up with one arm, readying to swing it at him again. The two shared looks at each other, there was no more hint of hesitation in Edelgard's eyes, only pure unbridled determination while Dimitri could do nothing but show her every fiber of his entire spite on to her.
Knowing this is the end for him, Dimitri with all the grudge he bears wanted to make it known to Edelgard how much he hated and blamed her for everything, unable to just allow himself to die without making her feel something about her deeds over the years, especially the Tragedy of Duscur.
"Edelgard! You... I will kill you! You will know the regret of my father, who was killed for you! Of my stepmother, who was slain by her own dau–"
The Emperor never gave him the chance to finish it, cutting him off mid sentence and quite literally, swinging the Aymr to his neck in a quick and clean fashion which severed the Faerghus King's head off of his body.
It took her and the soldiers of the Empire and Faerghus a few moments to register what had just happened.
The limp body of the headless king fell to the ground, quickly drenched in the pool of his own blood as Dimitri's head rolled to the Emperor's feet, the Emperor who looked up at the raining sky.
"Farewell, King of Delusion." Edelgard said, feeling the adrenaline running within her veins leaving her, letting go of the Aymr once again.
She had just killed Dimitri, her first love. Shock once again overcame her for what she had just done. The image of the young gentle boy she remembered fondly was forever gone.
The last bits of what was her past, truly severed. All that lies ahead is the path forward. No more will she ever be hampered by the reminder of a life long gone and out of reach.
Yet for all that, why is she so glad that it was raining? That the drops pierced her eyes as they rolled down her cheeks?
Edelgard didn't care for her surroundings as the soldiers either roared in triumph or wailed in defeat at the sight of Dimitri's severed head had all but sealed the victory of the Empire over the Kingdom.
Not knowing that there was still a battle that was yet to determine this war's outcome, to turn it around even if Dimitri had died.
But Edelgard would only know the outcome of such a battle when she wakes up, collapsing on the muddy ground after dragging herself to where Hubert and Dorothea lay unconscious.
Byleth was pushed back by an incensed Rhea after she thrust her sword against his, Byleth remained firm with his boots leaving skid marks on the muddy ground.
The Archbishop didn't give Byleth room to breathe, following up with swift and precise strikes that Byleth barely parried away.
Ever since dropping the fact that he and Sothis had communicated directly, Byleth seemed to have ignited an even vengeful flame within Rhea, one that burns with vehement denial over what she had learned.
Rhea was beginning to grow more desperate though, as Byleth had noticed with the way she does her attacks, always going in for the kill which often leads the attacker open but in Rhea's case, she uses her nimbleness to avoid the counterattacks Byleth tries to dish out to her.
Such movements in quick successions will eventually tire her and it showed when Byleth managed to backhand her across the face when Rhea tried to do the same method she did to slash Byleth across the back earlier, the hit causing her cheek to be cut by the blackened steel of Byleth's gauntlets.
Rhea touched the blood on her cheek, her breathing ragged while she fumed and glared at Byleth.
Using her speed to close in the distance between them, the two continued the clash of swords and as everyone watched tensely, they all noticed that the battle seemed to be heading into Byleth's favor.
Taking advantage of Rhea's depleted stamina after correctly predicting her movements to expend her energy, Byleth felt vindicated going into the defensive to wear her down. She may have the energy to still parry blows from the Sword of the Creator but not from the legs and hands of Byleth.
Kicking her straight to the stomach, Byleth was given an opening to slash her down with a overhead swing, Rhea naturally brought her sword up to parry the attack only for Byleth to perform a feint and delivered a quick slash across her body, cutting into her flesh and spurting out blood which further stained Rhea's white dress red.
The cut wasn't too deep as Byleth had to slash her quickly to avoid her from either blocking or dodging his attack, fully knowing how fast the Archbishop's reaction time was compared to the rest of his other foes.
Withdrawing, Rhea clutched on the agonizing cut on her body, the wound was situated near to the one she had received earlier when she got lashed by the Sword of the Creator's whip form, having to take the elixir she possesses to recover from such wound.
No more vials that she had left, meaning that she had to fight carrying such pain with her as the tip of Byleth's sword dripped with her blood.
Byleth wanted to speak, to implore Rhea to just surrender but he knew she would not. Such words are wasted on one like her, even Edelgard had expressed her wish at some point that Rhea would just surrender and subject herself to exile far away from Fodlan.
Both of them acknowledge that Rhea is too stubborn to see her presence from Fodlan removed.
Even if Rhea wasn't human, her stamina will have to run out especially with how she moves to gain any advantage against Byleth, it even amazes Byleth that it took this long of holding out against her assault for Rhea to show her first visible sign of exhaustion.
And he was about to take advantage of it.
Bearing the wounds he received from Rhea, Byleth's counterattack was about to unfold.
Dispensing with any form of mercy, Byleth rushed towards the wounded Archbishop, unleashing a storm of blades which steadily sent Rhea back. In her point of view, blades of the same kind were trying to hit her in every direction, her movements having been slowed enough to allow her to move accordingly in response.
Not allowing herself to be on the defensive, Rhea ducked over a swing after finding an opening and tried to sweep her leg to trip Byleth only for the latter to anticipate the move by moving his leg and planting it firmly on the muddy ground to block Rhea's sweep.
Getting caught, Rhea raised her sword once more to block the downward slash coming from Byleth, the force of the blow was enough to plant her back rather unevenly on the mud.
It did not end there as Byleth repeatedly slammed the Sword of the Creator down onto her blade, if her sword wasn't made of blessed Mythril, Rhea surmised that her sword may have been shattered by now if it wasn't for the unbreakable steel.
She could feel her grip weakening, the compromising position, the exhaustion and the wounds she received were main factors of such and she knew that she cannot keep with this position as it will be only a matter of time until Byleth overwhelms her fleeting defenses.
Every blow from the Sword of the Creator against the Sword of Seiros felt like Rhea was being buried into the mud, her lustrous green hair nearly stained brown with mud, each clash denting the muddy ground even more and burying Rhea as the sound of otherworldly steel reverberated across the battlefield.
Rhea needed to do something or else she would either drown within the mud or be gutted like a fallen beast if she allowed Byleth to continue his attacks.
Desperation creates new ideas with Rhea deciding to resort to something she considered low, something she had tried to berate Byleth earlier, freeing her other hand's hold on her sword's handle, Rhea took a fistful of mud around her and flung it to Byleth's face, causing him to flinch and be blinded momentarily.
Scurrying away to regain her footing, Rhea was quick to reorganize herself, now breathing more raggedly as she watched Byleth recover from the same stinging sensation in his eyes that she had experienced earlier.
An eye for an eye.
Byleth didn't expect her to return the favor from earlier, he had thought her earlier comments about it suggested she was above such things.
In a surprising move, Byleth, despite being half blind, shifted his sword into its bladed whip form and spun it around to create a 'barrier' of blades to deter Rhea away as his eyes recovered, preventing Rhea from taking advantage of the situation just as she was thinking of doing so.
But such a move played into Rhea's favor, just as Byleth was regaining his sight, Rhea allowed the Sword of Seiros to intercept the whip form of the Sword of the Creator, allowing it to wrap around the blade.
An event that mirrored what she had done twice in the past against Nemesis and Byleth, Rhea poured her strength into tossing away her entangled sword which also pulled away the Sword of the Creator from his grip, effectively disarming both of them.
With a loud roar, Rhea launched herself towards Byleth, punching him across the face right after he had recovered, Rhea punched him again on the other side of his face with such power that the blow threatened to break Byleth's neck.
Following the two savage punches, Rhea kneed Byleth to the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him before slamming him down on the muddy ground by kicking his face, planting herself on top of a stunned Byleth.
Not wanting to give Byleth a chance to recover anymore, Rhea was quick to draw the dagger sheathed behind her waist.
"I will gut you like swine to a slaughter just as I did Nemesis!" Rhea declared as she raised her dagger, intent to impale Byleth with it on the chest. The image of Nemesis lying on his back overlayed on Byleth as she brought her dagger down.
The Imperial soldiers and Lysithea both watched in abject horror as Rhea's dagger made contact towards Byleth, the dagger piercing his flesh but not to the Archbishop's intended target.
In the last second, Byleth had risen to meet the blade, the dagger instead stabbing him above his chest which narrowly avoided his unbeating heart, his hands on Rhea's arm that was holding the dagger, preventing her from twisting or pulling it out to stab him again.
Fighting against the pain, Byleth then did the unthinkable and bashed his own head on to Rhea's nose, causing the Archbishop to clutch her face in pain and her body's weight to loosen, Byleth then punched Rhea to the chin which sent her flying and landing on her back not too far away from Byleth, the latter painfully removing the embedded dagger on top of his chest, blood flowing from the wound as he pulled the dagger out and threw it on the side.
Both bitter enemies rose up from the mud, blood flowed from Byleth's chest while Rhea's broken nose bled, her nostrils constantly leaking crimson down to her lips and making her taste the bitter taste of it.
Their swords both out of sight, Byleth and Rhea both roared out against each other and charged with fists raised.
Rhea was the first to land a hit, punching Byleth across the face once again. She tried to kick him to the solar plexus again but Byleth was able to react this time by catching her leg with his left hand and then hitting Rhea's broken nose with his right elbow.
"Gah!"
Rhea could feel the pain in her nose anew as drops of blood fell to the mud, her head was forced to snap at the side when Byleth punched her across her face as retaliation for the punches earlier. She received another punch to the stomach and before she could even gasp for air, took another beating across the face.
By now, blood is falling down from her nose and lips, she didn't care to wipe them off anymore when she saw Byleth was about to smash his fist over her face once again. Immediately catching sight of the stab wound she gave Byleth, Rhea barely avoided the punch, Byleth's fist instead grazed her cheek but she didn't care when she punched Byleth's wound on his chest.
This caused Byleth to visibly recoil in pain, giving Rhea the opportunity to punch him again on the face, Byleth tried to block with his arms to protect his face only for Rhea to switch back to either his stab wound or his stomach.
"You want answers about your mother?!" Rhea asked Byleth as her beating on him continued.
"Your mother was nothing more than a failure! A failed centerpiece to a grand plan to return the Goddess into this world!" Rhea ranted on, uppercutting Byleth below the chin which caused him to fall on the ground once again.
Rhea positioned herself on top of Byleth and continued beating him senseless with uncoordinated punches, uncontrollable rage at the impudence and betrayal being the only thing fueling her now.
"She and those who came before were meant to herald my mother's return! All of them were weak, fragile and unable to even manifest the Crest of Flames when I created them!" Rhea yelled out, her fists making repeated contact on Byleth's face, letting out all those years of hating him and feeling the need to inflict as much pain as she can to him.
"Your mother was the worst of them all! For she spawned a traitorous filth like you! If I had only known that day on how you will turn out to be, I wouldn't have listened to her pleas and given you life! I GAVE YOU THE LIFE YOU LIVE NOW AND YOU BETRAYED ME!"
"I AM THE REASON YOU DRAW BREATH NOW! I WILL ALSO BE THE REASON THAT IT WILL CEASE TO BE!" Rhea yelled out, her bloodied face contorting to that of maddened rage.
Then, her fist was caught by Byleth's hand, his green eyes glowing with fury beneath his bloodied face.
Rhea couldn't believe it, how does he have such strength despite the beatings he took?
Unbeknownst to her, Byleth felt an incredible amount of rage he has never felt before especially at the sound of Rhea talking badly about his mother, his mother that he is now fully aware gave her entire life for, literally, for him to live and the person that his father loved the most.
He was not about to let Rhea badmouth Sitri just like that, it was Sitri who offered to give her life for him, not Rhea. Byleth, if he would believe Rhea's words out of impulse just now, doesn't owe the Archbishop anything.
He had finally known the truth about Sitri and what Rhea had done to her, straight from the latter's mouth. Now is the time to finish this fight.
There was a sharp feeling of pain on Rhea's side, she looked down and her eyes widened when she saw Byleth's other hand grasping a dagger that was impaled on the left side of her waist, recognizing the dagger as the hunting dagger that Byleth always had strapped on his waist but was never seen drawing it out.
Propping herself up as her hands touched the handle of the dagger, she pulled it out, screaming loudly in pain whilst doing so.
"I've heard all I need to hear from you." Byleth said, his voice dripping with cold fury, wiping the blood from the corners of his lips with the back of his hand.
"Don't speak of my mother as if you actually knew her." Byleth continued. "You think just because you created her, you knew her? No, she wasn't just an experiment of yours, she was someone my father loved and I owe my existence to her, not yours."
"How dare you… This is why I never told anyone about this especially to you humans, none of you can comprehend what I was trying to do… to allow for the return of the Goddess. All you care about are your feelings and whims instead of what I aim to bring about!" Rhea spat out while touching the stab wound she had and throwing the dagger on the side.
Byleth's eyes narrowed, his eyes challenging her further as drops of blood fell from his bloodied face and lips.
"You're one to talk Rhea, is it really Sothis' will and desire to return to life or is it merely just yours?!"
Taken by surprise at this, Rhea roared out in anger and denial. What Byleth had just said had pinched a nerve within her, something that she vehemently denied within herself, and to hear Byleth speak of the Goddess as such…
Then, Rhea noticed the Sword of Seiros still laying on the muddy ground just not too far away, still entangled by the Sword of the Creator. Hers and Byleth's eyes met, both looking to get to the same place.
The two combatants raced to where their swords were, both diving into it and grabbing their swords by the handles. Byleth was quick to revert the Sword of the Creator back into its sword form as soon as his hands touched it, pulling the entangled whip from the Sword of Seiros after it had loosened and Rhea had pulled her own sword away.
Their wounds slowing down their movements, they backed away from each other, both needing to take a breather and to collect themselves, both knew this battle was about to reach its end.
Rhea assumed her stance, holding the Sword of Seiros with her two hands and pointing its tip directly towards Byleth.
Byleth however, assumed a stance so different from what he has been usually seen utilizing.
A style that he is to use for the first time in battle, having only practiced with it privately after observing the combat styles of his former students and those he had faced. A style far away from what Jeralt had taught him all his life.
He shifted his handling of the Sword of the Creator in reversed grip, stretching his right arm forward while keeping his left arm ready to anticipate any development. The Crest of Flames manifesting above him.
Rhea eyes him warily, not certain if he was bluffing her by showing a never before seen stance, holding the sword in reversed grip with the blade pointing down to the ground, it was reminiscent of how those who learned the blade to lurk in shadows, assassins, does but the way Byleth is standing suggests otherwise.
The stance and the way he was keenly looking at her, it was as if Byleth was beckoning Rhea to come to him as he will not move a single inch from his spot.
Crazed with her unstable anger and adamant to end this here and now by her blade and hands, Rhea charged forward, her sword still pointed at Byleth, the former mercenary unmoving as he waited for the Archbishop to come close.
Rhea swung her sword towards Byleth's exposed left side only for Byleth to react by moving his right arm to anticipate the Sword of Seiros, its blade grinding against the Sword of the Creator's own.
Then, Byleth was quick to slam his left arm down to the guard of his sword, applying it with so much force that it also forced Rhea's sword and her as well to go down as the Sword of the Creator impaled itself on the ground.
Before Rhea could react, Byleth ignited the Sword of the Creator with elemental fire, causing his surroundings to heat up and despite the constant rain, the fire that burned on his didn't show any sign of extinguishment.
Pulling out the Sword of the Creator, now blazing with flames, Byleth remained holding the blade upside down and swung it to Rhea, forcing Rhea to block it, feeling the intense heat radiating from the Sword of the Creator.
Rhea was still processing what Byleth has done only to be taken aback when the fire was instead replaced with lightning shrouding the Sword of the Creator, due to the rain and how soaked she was, the lightning conducted towards Rhea, electrocuting her due to the close contact of the lightning covered blade near her.
All of this, Byleth has learned from Lysithea when he observed her use of Soulblade on her swords to empower them.
Fighting against the shocks she was receiving, Rhea swung her sword so hard that she staggered Byleth back. Rhea capitalized with her momentum by plunging her sword forward, forcing Byleth to block against it with his sword.
The two swords made contact, an electric blast scattered the lightning that graced Byleth's sword away and further pushed Byleth back, his boots firmly planted on the ground despite the force of Rhea's attack and the blast that ensued.
Not wanting to lose his balance, Byleth had no choice but to impale the Sword of the Creator as he was being pushed back, to lessen the force that propels him back and to use it as a crutch to hold on, being forced to one knee as a result.
Rhea took this as a sign to deliver the decisive blow, she ran as fast as she could, mustering what little energy she had left in order to jump up in the air with her sword ready to cut Byleth down with one final slash.
When this slash connects, all will be over, the betrayer who stole her mother away from him will die just as Nemesis had, by her hand.
Screaming loudly as her last battle cry, she swung her sword down to bifurcate Byleth only for her to stop in midair.
Not because of hesitation but because of an extremely painful feeling in her right thigh, she looked down and her eyes widened in horror and shock at what she had seen.
Protruding from the ground just below her and near Byleth was the Sword of the Creator's whip form, the end of it being deeply impaled on her right thigh and even going through it.
As she remained painfully suspended in the air, Rhea realized what her adversary had just done.
He had foreseen what she was trying to do, making her believe she got the momentum and the perfect opportunity to kill him only for him to use the act of impaling his sword to the ground as a front to maintain his ground as he was pushed back by Rhea's attack.
Only for him to shift the Sword of the Creator into its whip form and commanded it to protrude from the ground and impale itself deep into Rhea's thigh.
Her attempted moment to land a decisive blow ended up being the moment where Byleth landed the final blow to finally defeat the Archbishop in this grueling and violent duel done out of need for answers and of hatred to one another.
Retracting the Sword of the Creator back into its sword form, the impaled parts of the Sword of the Creator was forcibly pulled out, leaving Rhea to fall face first on the muddy ground. She immediately held on to her badly wounded thigh, bleeding profusely, her femoral artery having been damaged from the impalement.
Byleth stood up, Sword of the Creator in hand as he approached Rhea, immediately kicking away the Sword of Seiros as he stood over the defeated Archbishop, still clinging on to her injured thigh, unable to even look at him anymore as she trembled in pain and in defeat.
"I only needed to hear from you about my mother and what you truly intended for her and for me." Byleth said as he looked down on his fallen adversary, taking note of the pool of blood that had begun to form around her due to the last wound he gave to her. He never intended to use the power of Sothis to rewind time as he saw fit, not wanting to rely on that power to defeat Rhea this time.
It was also a risky gamble for Byleth not to do so, having intended to provoke and goad Rhea into blurting out what she knew about him and Sitri in this fight, fully aware of the growing unstable state of mind of Rhea.
Tightly holding onto his sword, Byleth's eyes stayed glued onto Rhea. The tip of the Sword of the Creator was still dripping with Rhea's own blood.
"Fortunately for you, Edelgard intends to take you alive which works for me, I can ask you more questions that way–"
"I will not beg for mercy from you or that wretched girl nor will I be coerced into a forced confession to anything Edelgard comes up with." Rhea spitefully said with every venom she can muster into her words, her eyes glowing green while her pupils turned to slits.
Byleth was quick to press the blade into Rhea's throat.
"Don't be a fool now, Rhea. Try to transform into that monstrous form of yours and you wouldn't even be able to even sprout a wing." Byleth said, warning her of the repercussions of attempting to transform into the Immaculate One, not wanting a repeat of the last time Rhea has done so.
Rhea could only growl in anger. Despite her body being defeated, her spirit and will remained defiant in front of everyone. Something that the Knights of Seiros took note of even if a large number of them had become depressed or felt the need to lay down their arms right after they had witnessed seeing their beloved Archbishop, broken and defeated.
"Surrender now, Rhea. Tell your knights to stand down and they will be granted mer–"
Then, an arrow struck Byleth in the stomach, staggering him back as he looked down on the foreign object lodged deep within his abdomen.
Even Rhea was surprised at the sight of Byleth being struck by an arrow and was even more surprised when another arrow struck Byleth on his left arm.
Lysithea and the Imperial Army all watched in horror at seeing their commander being hit by arrows out of nowhere. The snow haired girl was quick to rush to Byleth's side and whilst doing so, a roar of a wyvern was heard from above in the dark rainy skies.
Descending down, the winged reptile landed straight near Rhea, roaring loudly and protectively against Byleth before it hit Byleth with its tail, knocking him down on the ground as a result.
"Lady Rhea, I have come to save you."
"C-Cyril?"
Time froze for Lysithea as she caught sight of the person she had been pondering on where his whereabouts were in this battle.
The Almyran had the look of one filled with resentment earlier when his eyes glared straight to Byleth before his eyes somewhat softened at the sight of Lysithea who was nearing Byleth.
Then, it shifted back to anger and then he looked away, instead carrying the wounded Archbishop and hastily laid her on the back of his wyvern.
He gave Lysithea one last look before gritting his teeth towards the heavily injured Byleth on the ground, tempted to take out his bow again and fire loose another arrow but decided against it to prevent Rhea's capture.
The sudden arrival of Rhea's rescuer brought back hope to the Knights of Seiros as a result.
"Sound the retreat! Return back to Fhirdiad!" A knight declared and soon, the horn was sounded to signal their retreat.
Lysithea watched as Cyril flew away on the back of his wyvern, his eyes focused to the direction of Fhirdiad as he took the bloodied and defeated Rhea with him to fight the Empire for another day.
Shaking her head, she rushed back to her beloved's side, arrows still lodged on his body as blood poured from his wounds, old and new, his eyes half-closed as if threatening to drift into unconsciousness.
"Byleth?! Byleth?!" Lysithea called out for him as her hands glowed green to start healing his wounds to staunch the bleeding.
His eyes closed to darkness and his ears became deaf at the ensuing noise that occurred. The last thing he saw was Lysithea trying her hardest not to panic at the situation and behind her, the sight of a wyvern carrying Rhea becoming more and more distant.
Happy New Year to everyone!
I finally finished writing this longass chapter filled entirely with fight scenes just a day before my work resumes. Again, writing these fight scenes ain't easy and I'm glad we'll only have few of them going forward that I can count them with my finger in one hand. Anyway, I have not much to say now besides enjoy and hoped all of you had a fun and relaxing holiday, I had.