Time for the conclusion of the battle.

Chapter 60 – The Battle of Arianrhod, Part 5 (Lone Moon)

Baron Dominic growled as another hail of arrows cut down a score of his men. He had already fallen from his horse and had one arrow sticking out of his armor, but he wasn't out of the fight yet. He raised his shield to the incoming barrage, as did many of his men, but they were being overwhelmed.

Averill cursed under his breath at seeing his army had been reduced from 2,000 men to around 800 in less than half an hour. With the mud preventing them from moving with any kind of speed, Cornelia's archers, mages and siege engineers were able to pick off his men with near impunity as they tried to get free of the swamp. The Duchess so far had lost no more than 40 men to retaliatory shots from Averill's archers.

And as the carnage continued, Averill saw Cornelia watching as his army was annihilated. Again, the Duchess was looking right at him, as if to taunt him.

"Damn that witch!" said Baron Dominic.

"Lord Dominic, more of them from the north!" shouted one of the remaining House Dominic soldiers.

Averill turned to see what he had been dreading. Rushing toward their position was an entire cavalry battalion of 100 riders, supported by 1,000 infantrymen. Leading the infantry was Rissa, who swung her arm out to direct her subordinates to attack Baron Dominic's army.

"Kill them all!" shouted Rissa.

The Dukedom's soldiers roared as they charged in.

"Steel yourselves, men! Here they come!" shouted Averill.

He knew this was the final nail in the coffin for him and his men. Even if the enemy infantry got bogged down in the swamp, House Dominic's army could not protect themselves from the Dukedom's ranged attacks while also fighting off enemy soldiers at melee range. And he knew Cornelia would not order her men to cease fire; friendly fire was an acceptable risk in her eyes.

The first of Cornelia's infantrymen met Baron Dominic's soldiers in melee combat, bringing new brutality to the battle. The tired soldiers of House Dominic found themselves quickly being overwhelmed by Cornelia's men, who were well-fed and rested. Everything was in the Dukedom's favor, just as the Duchess had planned.

But even at such a massive disadvantage, the men of House Dominic fought bravely to their last breath. After cutting down a fourth soldier with his axe, Averill watched as a captain he had known for ten years mortally wounded two others before three men ran him through with their lances. To his left, one of his mages shrieked as she took an arrow to her chest, releasing her fireball as she fell and striking three of the Dukedom's soldiers with it. A boulder launched from an Onager then crashed down on two more of Baron Dominic's soldiers, killing them as well as two from the Dukedom.

Averill then yelled out in pain as another arrow struck him, this time in his right leg. He remained standing as another Dukedom soldier tried to finish him off, meeting his attacker with a swing of his axe and splitting the man's head in two. Another swung his sword at the Baron, but Averill deftly blocked the strike with his shield and then bashed the soldier with it, letting one of his guards skewer the man from behind. A second later, the guard took an arrow to his neck.

"Lord Dominic…" the guard gasped as his final words.

Snarling, Averill turned to the one who had fired the arrow and saw Valeska readying another shot from a distance. She fired her shot, and another of Baron Dominic's personal guards went down. He then heard two more of his men cry out in pain and turned to see Rissa had entered the fray, having stabbed one man through his collarbone and another between his ribs. The assassin did not dash in closer, staying out of the mud to retain her agility. Instead, she readied a throwing knife and threw it into one of Baron Dominic's clerics, hitting the woman in the back of the head as she tried to heal a wounded comrade.

As the infantry battled it out, the Dukedom's cavalry continually circled the large swamp, cutting down any of Baron Dominic's men who tried to escape. One of them raised a javelin and threw it at another Dominic mage. The javelin missed, allowing the mage to send a Thunder spell at the rider, frying him and his mount. The mage then cried out as a Dukedom swordsman slashed through him from behind.

The carnage continued to unfold as Cornelia watched in satisfaction. She had no intention of getting any closer, yet part of her wanted to get a good look at Baron Dominic's face, which she had no doubt was contorting in fury. She watched as Averill cut down another soldier, despite taking another arrow through his shield arm.

Cornelia was honestly impressed that Baron Dominic was still fighting so ferociously. He barely had 100 men left now, and they were dwindling by the second.

"A worthy effort, Averill," said Cornelia. "But ultimately futile. It's time for you to join your ancestors."

Cornelia's eyes glowed as she began readying another spell. She wouldn't need a Hymn this time; an Anima spell would be more than enough to finish the job now.

As Averill cleaved through another Dukedom soldier, the sky above him began to crackle with magic. Baron Dominic looked skyward and saw the spell just before it struck.

Averill Francis Dominic howled his last as Cornelia's Bolting spell crashed down on him, electrocuting him and those nearby.

After what felt like an eternity, the spell ended, and Averill collapsed dead to the ground.

"Lord Dominic!" shouted one of the remaining House Dominic officers. He let out a loud cry of pain as an arrow pierced his torso.

Seeing their leader fall broke the spirits of Baron Dominic's men. Several tried to throw down their weapons and surrender, but they were cut down mercilessly all the same. Within another two minutes, the last of Averill's soldiers fell into the blood-soaked mud.

The soldiers of the Dukedom cheered victoriously as Cornelia turned and walked back toward her camp with Valeska in tow.

…

Shez growled as she parried a slash from a Dukedom swordsman before she made a lightning-fast whirl of her blades, slicing the soldier in multiple places in less than a second. Her eighth kill of the day fell away from her as she whipped around and stabbed another man through his neck. An archer then fired a shot at her, but she saw it coming well in advance and leaned to the side, dodging the projectile.

The cry of one of her mercenaries prompted Shez to turn to the source. One of her veterans had just taken an axe blow to his spine that sent him to the ground. One of Shez's other mercenaries dashed in and avenged their comrade with a blow from his sword, but this was in turn met by one of the Dukedom's cavaliers running the mercenary through with a lance.

Shez knew they were in serious trouble. She had barely thirty men left while the Dukedom had about 300. It was to the credit of her mercenaries that they had inflicted so many casualties upon the enemy, despite being so heavily outnumbered. But it wasn't enough. They were on the verge of being wiped out.

As Shez tried to think of what to do, she heard Simon whimpering in cowardice nearby, hoping not to be hit by a stray arrow. Despite how useless he was proving to be, Shez didn't dare abandon him. She wasn't about to let Simon's father down while she still breathed.

But within moments, the fighting died down, and Shez realized that she was the only member of her band still standing. Her eyes darted left and right as Dukedom troops surrounded her and Simon.

"Not bad, mercenary," said the captain leading the Dukedom's troops. "Throw down your weapons and maybe we'll be merciful."

After a moment's pause, Shez said, "We both know that's not gonna happen."

"Have it your way, then," said the captain. He then said to his men, "Kill her, but spare the boy. The Duchess wants the heir of House Dominic alive."

Just as Shez gripped her blades tightly and readied herself for the end, the confrontation was abruptly interrupted by a large tremor. It was followed by another. And another. And several more, each becoming stronger as something approached their position.

"What the – MONSTERS!" shouted one of the Dukedom soldiers.

A pack of three wild Demonic Beasts, drawn to the scent of blood, came charging out of the woods. The leader of them roared as it stomped toward the soldiers and grabbed one in its jaws, crushing him. The second one stomped down on another soldier before slamming its tail into a cavalier, while the third blasted three men with its venomous breath.

Forgetting his mission momentarily, the Dukedom officer shouted, "Defend yourselves!"

"Come on! RUN!" Shez shouted as she sheathed her blades and grabbed Simon by the arm.

As Shez and Simon made a break for it, the officer remembered them and shouted, "Don't let them escape! After them!"

Five of the Dukedom's men gave chase while the rest were forced to fight the Demonic Beasts.

The two ran as hard and fast as they could. Shez tried to keep her grip on Simon's arm as the two fled, but the bard clearly wasn't the athletic type. She had to pull him continuously so he wouldn't fall behind. But at their speed, they weren't going to outrun their pursuers.

Then, after a few minutes, Simon yelped as his foot struck a tree root and he toppled over, with Shez losing her grip on him. Knowing they were going to be caught, Shez spun around and drew her blades. It only took seconds for the Dukedom pursuers to catch up to them.

"That's as far as you go, mercenary!" said one of the soldiers. "Get her!"

Two soldiers rushed in with their lances. One tried to skewer Shez, but she pivoted to the side, causing the strike to pass by her waist. Before the soldier could react, Shez stabbed him right between his eyes. The second lancer tried swinging his polearm like a club at her, but she spun around behind the dead soldier, causing the lance to hit the corpse instead. Shez countered with a slash, splitting the lance in two before she delivered two lightning-quick cuts to the man's neck.

"YOU BITCH!" shouted a third soldier as he slashed his blade at her.

Shez leaned back and dodged, though the strike took off two strands of her purple hair. Scowling, Shez countered by slashing through the man's arm at his elbow. He screamed at losing a limb only for an instant before Shez delivered another slash through his face. Then, as the fourth and fifth soldiers attack, Shez was forced to block simultaneous sword strikes from them. She grunted loudly as the two tried to overpower her.

Shez knew she couldn't keep it up for long. She had always focused on speed, using her natural agility to dodge blows and dart in for quick attacks before the enemy had time to react. Power, on the other hand, wasn't her forte. She wasn't a slouch in terms of brute strength, but she didn't possess enough to hold off both her attackers at once.

Then, to her surprise, one of the soldiers groaned loudly as he was struck in the back by a broken lance. He toppled away, revealing Simon had dealt the blow.

Startled, the last soldier said, "What the – GAACK!"

With her left blade no longer forced to fight off an attacker, Shez quickly stabbed it into the last soldier's ribcage. She lifted her boot to the man's chest and kicked him away, ripping her blade out of the man's body in the process.

Shez gasped for breath as her adrenaline settled. She couldn't hear any more soldiers approaching, nor anything but the rustling of the wind. She and Simon were alone now.

"Are you alright, Shez?" asked Simon.

"I'm… I'm alright," Shez said between breaths.

But as she said this, she lowered her head in remorse.

"No… that's not really true," she said. "That's the second time I've lost… everyone."

Simon said nothing, realizing what she meant. They were the only survivors of Shez's company.

Shez took a deep breath and then said, "But there's no time for remorse. We've gotta get out of here before more soldiers show up."

"I… I see," said Simon.

The bard then looked down at his bloodied hands and grew nauseous at the sight of them.

Seeing this, Shez asked, "Your first kill?"

"Y-Yes… You needed help, so I…"

"Thanks. You gonna be alright?"

"I think I'll manage."

Deciding to leave any further discussion until later, the two continued off into the woods, hoping they wouldn't be discovered.

…

"An astounding victory, Duchess Cornelia," Count Rowe said to Cornelia as the two convened privately within the fortress. "I cannot thank you enough for your aid in retaking Arianrhod from that dog Averill."

"You say that as though you had any hand in the battle, Elmore," Cornelia said derisively.

"W-Well, I–"

"As I told you before, had you shown more restraint in dealing with Lonato's heir, there would've been no need for such bloodshed. You should feel lucky that I chose to handle this situation personally."

"Yes, yes, you have my undying gratitude, Duchess Cornelia. And I assure you I will compensate you for your efforts."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Simply ask it of me and it shall be yours."

"Anything I want from you?"

Count Rowe nodded. Cornelia rose from her seat and strode toward him with a sultry smile.

"Well… there is something you could help me with…"

Cornelia's magic flared as she cast a spell on Count Rowe. The shocked count went wide-eyed as the spell immobilized his entire body. He couldn't move an inch, from his mouth to his fingers, eyes, and toes. It was as though she had made a statue out of him, yet he remained conscious and aware of his surroundings.

"An associate of mine needs your… position, Elmore. No, more than that. He needs your voice, your face… your very identity."

Count Rowe tried to say something, but it came out as a choking sound.

Cornelia then turned to a shadowed corner of the room and said, "Chilon, he's all yours."

"Heh, he's fatter than you said he'd be, Bias," said a sinister male voice as an Agarthan man dressed only in a loincloth stepped out of the shadows.

Chilon was a peak physical specimen, with muscles upon muscles and standing over seven feet tall, though his pale white skin showed his Agarthan origins. It was a stark contrast to Count Rowe, who was pudgy and not very fit.

"I'm sure taking on his appearance won't affect your physique too much," Cornelia said sarcastically.

Count Rowe would've been screaming for help if he could, but Cornelia's spell held him in a trance as Chilon stepped menacingly toward him. With a grin, Chilon grabbed Count Rowe by the neck just as Cornelia released her spell. Finally able to move, Count Rowe tried to call for help, but Chilon held his neck with a vice-like grip, leaving Elmore unable to breathe. His legs swung back and forth as he tried to struggle free of Chilon's grip, but it was useless. There was also no one around to hear his struggles.

Elmore then drew his dagger and stabbed it at Chilon's arm.

To his dismay, the blade broke as though it had just struck stone, leaving Chilon without injury.

Chilon's grin widened as he squeezed his hand tighter around Count Rowe's throat.

Cornelia smiled as she watched a series of runes appear beneath Chilon, and the Agarthan Goliath's body began to change shape.

Elmore Maitland Rowe's final moments were spent watching in horror as Chilon's face turned into a perfect replica of the count.

Downer ending to this arc, isn't it?

If you need a mental image of what Chilon would look like in my story, try thinking of Urien from Street Fighter III. Chilon appears as a redshirt NPC in Shambhala in Three Houses, but I think giving him a slightly more involved role could make things interesting. And I hope you can figure out his power fairly easily. It shouldn't be that hard.

We're gonna go back to Garreg Mach next. It feels like I've diverged from this being a Dorothea/Byleth fic for a bit too long now.