Our heroes versus the Black Eagles. Let's get this started!

Chapter 74 – Imperial Counterattack, Part 1 (Great Tree Moon)

Dorothea was filled with unease as she looked northward for any sign of Leonie or Lorenz. It had been almost thirty hours since they had departed, yet they still hadn't returned.

The diva's thoughts turned to the nobles of her past. So often, when they gave their word, they would go back on it. On a reflex, she began to think that Lorenz was doing the same.

But then she remembered Byleth's words from the previous day, and realized she was lapsing back into her old prejudice. She couldn't do that anymore. She couldn't let herself slip back to her old hatred, or she'd prove she was no better than the men she despised.

With some difficulty, Dorothea told herself that Lorenz wasn't like the vile nobles of her past. He was someone who would endeavor to keep his promises whenever possible.

"Something on your mind, Dorothea?" said Anna as she walked up to the brunette.

"Anna," Dorothea said as she turned to the redheaded merchant.

"Any sign of Lorenz or Leonie yet?"

"No… no sign." Dorothea paused for a moment and then said, "They should've been back by now."

"Hey, since when has Leonie ever failed to keep Lorenz in check? They'll be back. They were probably just delayed."

Dorothea nodded slightly to this before looking back to the north. As the diva did this, Anna could clearly see the brunette struggling with her thoughts.

Anna then said, "I know you've had a rough time with nobility, but there's a saying I've heard in my travels. 'Judge not lest ye be judged'."

"Where did you hear that one?"

"I first heard it in Ylisse. The justice system they have there works on the principle that you're considered innocent until proven guilty of any crimes. It's not perfect, but it works."

Dorothea briefly contemplated Anna's words. It almost sounded too good to be true. A system where, ideally, no one could be falsely punished unless someone proved they were guilty of a crime. Fódlan did not follow such a justice system, giving unequal privileges and judging people solely based on their social standing.

The diva's thoughts were disrupted when she heard hoofbeats approaching from the northeast. Looking out at the field, she saw Lorenz and Leonie appear as they rode rapidly toward the bridge with their escort.

As Dorothea gave a smile of relief, Anna said, "See? What'd I tell you?"

Dorothea could only smile to this as Lorenz, Leonie and their riders returned from their journey.

Lorenz, seeing Dorothea as he brought his horse to a halt, dismounted and turned to her as Dorothea said with a smile, "You're back."

"Of course we are," said Leonie. "You didn't think I'd let him out of my sight, did you?"

Lorenz then said, "My apologies for our late return, Dorothea. There was a rockslide that forced us to take a long detour. Where is the Professor?"

"She's back at the barracks," said Anna. "How'd things go with your father?"

"Better than I had expected. Father had been looking for a chance to turn the tables on the Empire for a good while."

"So, can we count on his help?"

"House Gloucester's army has already cut off the Imperial 11th Army's southern flank. Between them and the army of House Riegan, the 11th is now trapped."

"What about the 5th?"

"It would be best if I answered that in the Professor's presence."

Anna and Dorothea could immediately tell the news wasn't going to be good.

…

"The 5th is already on its way here?" asked Raphael.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lorenz said as he and many of the others stood in the Church Army's makeshift war room in the damaged barracks structure, looking at a map of the area on a table. "They were quick to realize that my father's army had turned on them and managed to retreat before they could be encircled. House Riegan's troops are pursuing them, but it is likely the Imperials will reach us before then."

"How much time do we have?" asked Shamir.

"Probably two hours tops before the 5th's vanguard reaches us," said Leonie.

"And what of their numbers?" asked Seteth.

"The 5th has already suffered substantial losses fighting with House Riegan over the month," said Lorenz. "But I estimate no less than 4,000 men in total, likely more."

"That's a lot of them…" Bernadetta said pessimistically.

"True, but we have a good defensive position," said Byleth. "Alois, Yuri, Ignatz, reorganize our forces and move the bulk of them to defend the north side of the bridge. Leave 200 men on the south end and have another 500 near the center as a reserve. We don't know yet if the Empire is sending anyone in from Gronder Field and we must be ready in case they do."

"Understood, Lady Eisner," said Alois as he, Yuri and Ignatz left the war room.

"Seteth, take a group of fliers and scout southward. We need to know if they're coming."

"Right away," said Seteth as he left the war room.

"Be careful, everyone," said Flayn as she followed Seteth.

Byleth then put her index finger to the map and said, "Leonie, Lorenz, take 100 riders with you and move to this wooded area to the northwest. Don't let the Imperials see you. When the time is right, we'll send a signal so you can hit them in their flank."

"What signal shall that be?" asked Lorenz.

"I'll send up a ball of light," said Dorothea.

"That'll work," said Leonie. "Come on, Lorenz."

Sitting on a nearby chair with his body still covered in bandages, Ferdinand said, "If I were not in this state, I would join you, Lorenz."

"You need time for your wounds to heal, Ferdinand," said Lorenz.

"Then I ask that you look after my men in my stead. I leave their lives in your hands."

"Do not fret. I will not let you down."

"Good luck out there, Lorenz," said Alicia.

Outside the barracks, the group heard Alois shout, "Alright men, the Imperial 5th Army wants this bridge back. Let's make sure they leave emptyhanded!"

…

Two-and-a-half hours later…

Ladislava and most of the Black Eagles waited in a forest some two kilometers from the Great Bridge of Myrddin. The squadron was waiting for Setiawati and her scouts to return from the bridge. The Crimson Warrior anticipated that the Church Army would be expecting them, so she wanted to avoid getting too close and risk being spotted prematurely.

Soon, the sound of hooves heralded Setiawati's return. The Brigid huntress swiftly dismounted her horse and moved to meet with Ladislava and the other aces.

"How does it look, Seti?" asked Trauare.

"Sangat buruk. The vanguard of the 5th Army has already begun its assault on the bridge," said Setiawati.

Scowling, Ladislava said, "Dammit…! I told them to wait until we arrived so we could coordinate our attack!"

"You know how General Krennic is," said Zola. "Doesn't wanna admit to us bailing his ass out of the fire."

"How bad is it?" asked Salia.

"The vanguard is no match for the Church's soldiers," answered Setiawati. "Most of the Church's defenders rally to the north side of the bridge, but they keep a reserve in the center and several warriors remain on the south side."

"So, what's our plan?" asked Trauare.

Ladislava pondered the situation for a moment, knowing the Black Eagles had to move quickly. Yet rushing headlong into the enemy without a plan would be suicide.

The Crimson Warrior looked over at the large ravine that spanned the Airmid River, which flowed far below where the Black Eagles stood. Yet it was difficult to see the river due to a thick blanket of fog.

After another moment of consideration, Ladislava turned to her squadron and said, "Alright, listen up. Here's the plan."

…

Half-an-hour later…

Ignatz shouted "Fire!" to his engineers. The two Onagers and two of the Ballistae launched their projectiles at an approaching battalion of Imperial heavy infantry. Four Fortress Knights were hit directly by heavy stones while bolts from the Ballistae added two more to the Imperials' growing casualties.

As his engineers reloaded the siege weapons, Ignatz was astounded that the Imperials were still trying to push on, despite their losses. The battle had been ongoing for nearly an hour now, and the 5th Army had only sent 1,500 men to attack the bridge. Approximately 800 Imperials were now casualties, with at least 250 being fatalities. The Church Army, by comparison, had only suffered around 60 casualties, with less than 15 dead. The Imperials, lacking their own siege weapons and having no Demonic Beasts, desperately tried to advance through a storm of arrows, bolts, stones, and magic spells, but to no avail.

At the center of the defensive line, Byleth watched the Imperials as they tried to push forward. Even with everything the Church was throwing at them, the Imperials did not back down despite the futility of their head-on attack. The Archbishop had expected a much larger force to attack them, but whoever led the 5th Army clearly did not wish to wait and consolidate their forces before attacking. Though Byleth was relieved that they weren't facing the full retreating 5th Imperial Army all at once, watching their hopeless attempts to advance made her pity the Imperials.

Despite this, she knew she could not show them mercy. Her army was the only thing stopping them from escaping back to the Empire. For all those they had lost in taking the bridge, they could not let the Empire take it back.

As she watched another barrage of projectiles from the Church's siege weapons crash into a platoon of Imperial archers, she heard Alicia shout, "More of them, coming from the northeast woods!"

Byleth turned to see a force of around 100 fliers, both Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders, along with 50 light cavalry archers, emerging from the forest northeast of the bridge. Many of the fliers wore black and red armor, and they were led by two female riders. One had blue hair with a seashell clipped to it and wielded a Scarletite trident, while the other was a green-haired Brigid woman with an impressive bow. The cavalry archers wore little armor and instead were adorned in clothing resembling Petra's garb.

"Look at their armor," said Annette. "Are those…"

Exposed to the sun, Constance said drearily, "There is no mistaking them. Those are the Black Eagles. Doom has come for us all."

"So those are the Black Eagles," Felix said in anticipation. "Finally, a real challenge."

Across the field, Trauare and Setiawati surveyed the situation, though their riders did not yet move to assist the endangered vanguard of the 5th Army.

"You weren't kidding, Seti," said Trauare. "The 5th's getting their asses kicked."

"Then let's even the odds," said one of the other riders.

"Menyerang musuh," said Setiawati as she drew an arrow to her bow. "Membawa kematian kepada mereka!"

The Brigid archers in her battalion shouted as Setiawati rode forward, while Trauare flew forward on Zorne with the other Black Eagle fliers.

Back at the bridge, Byleth immediately turned to Dorothea and said, "Signal Leonie and Lorenz! Get them over here, now!"

Dorothea immediately readied a ball of light and prayed that Leonie and Lorenz would see it.

…

Lorenz watched from the trees as the Black Eagles emerged from the eastern woods, frowning as he immediately recognized them.

Seeing the riders, Leonie said, "Hey, Lorenz, are those…?"

"There is no doubt," Lorenz replied. "Those are the Black Eagles. I'd recognize those riders anywhere. They are not to be trifled with."

A second passed before the two saw a bright light out of the corner of their eye. They turned to see a ball of light rising from the bridge. It was their signal to attack.

"Forward!" shouted Lorenz as he spurred his horse onward.

The riders of the Church roared as they rushed to join the battle.

…

Byleth watched as the Black Eagles turned to engage Leonie and Lorenz. Knowing the Black Eagles outnumbered them and, fearing they also outmatched them, Byleth turned and shouted, "Cyril, Alicia, assist Lorenz and Leonie!"

"On our way!" shouted Cyril as he, Alicia and 50 more fliers took off.

Turning back to the Black Eagles, Byleth watched as Trauare, who had been readying a spell, flew upward and shouted, "Einfrierende Regenfälle!"

A hail of large icicles began to shower toward the Church's riders. Spotting the danger, Lorenz immediately shouted, "Evade!"

The Church riders immediately broke off their charge, but four riders weren't fast enough and were cut down by Trauare's spell. Leonie drew an arrow and fired back at the Black Eagles, but her target weaved and dodged the shot.

"Shit!" Leonie hissed as she reached for another arrow.

But as Leonie did this, she saw Setiawati lining up a shot on her. The Brigid huntress fired her arrow just as Leonie leaned to avoid it. Leonie let out another hiss as she felt the arrow graze her left cheek. Angered, Leonie drew her arrow and fired back at Setiawati, but missed the huntress by over a meter.

As the Church's cavalry and the Black Eagles began to trade blows, Byleth looked up at Cyril and the other fliers as they rushed to aid Leonie and Lorenz.

But then she heard something.

Wingbeats.

They weren't coming from Cyril or Alicia, nor their riders.

Shocked, Byleth whirled around and shouted, "BEHIND US!"

Just as she did, a large ruby-scaled Wyvern and its rider soared up from below the bridge.

Ladislava, immediately picking a target, hurled a javelin as dozens of Black Eagle riders rushed up from the ravine below the bridge.

Me and my cliffhangers, right? Who do you think Ladislava is aiming at?

I've been building up to this for a while, and now it's time to see how the game's heroes will fare against Ladislava and her elites.

It's been almost a year since I started Blooming Heart, but it still feels like we've got a long way to go. I've been kinda dragging things out, after all.

And, once again, sorry if I butchered the Indonesian dialect.

I'll see you next week, the last one before the end of 2022. Oh, and Merry Christmas!