Sorry about missing a week. I was simply too busy last weekend with yard work.
Chapter 96 – Blood of the Eagle and Lion Pt 6 (Great Tree Moon)
Mercedes panted as she finished healing the wounds on another of the countless casualties that were being brought back to the Loyalists' main camp. The soldier she had just healed would never fight again, having lost his right leg, but he would at least have a chance to survive. Mercedes would have done more to address the soldier's wound, but there wasn't time for her to focus on any one soldier for long.
The carnage around her was overwhelming for the blonde cleric. She just couldn't keep up with the devastating losses the Loyalists were taking.
Looking to her side, she saw Marianne was similarly struggling to keep up with the number of wounded soldiers being brought back. The queen couldn't even find time to pray to the Goddess to give the dying peace in the afterlife. Nearby, Gilbert grimaced as more and more wounded and dying soldiers were brought back, the scene being all too familiar to the aged knight.
Gilbert, for his part, wished to be by Dimitri's side, but the King of Lions had ordered him to protect Marianne in case the Imperials came after her. Rodrigue had vowed to protect the king in Gilbert's stead, yet this had not fully assuaged the veteran knight.
As another soldier began screaming due to his utterly mangled arms, Marianne heard a wounded woman say, "K-King… Di… mi… tri…"
Marianne looked over to the woman. The soldier's armor was that of the Lionheart Corps, Dimitri's personal battalion.
A deep chill filled Marianne's heart with dread. Worried, the queen turned to look out at Gronder Field. It was too far to make out anyone from where the camp stood, but she could see the Imperials were swarming all over the Loyalists. The roar of a Demonic Beast echoed across the fields as she saw one charge onto the central hill, which had been turned into a sea of flames.
Bringing her hands together in prayer, Marianne pleaded silently to the Goddess for Dimitri's safety.
…
Hilda scowled as she heard one of the Alliance's generals shouting "Fall back! Fall back!" The pinkette was still fighting Dedue, who was putting up a fierce effort trying to kill her.
Just as Hilda was thinking about retreating, Dedue said, "There is no escape for you, Hilda. Today is the day the Leicester Alliance will fall."
"Don't count us out yet!" Hilda retorted.
She then roared as she swung Freikugel's blade to the ground, unleashing a burst of fire toward Dedue that knocked the Duscuri knight back several meters. By the time Dedue recovered, Hilda was already dashing away from him too fast for him to pursue.
Deciding to let her go, Dedue swung around, rushed toward an Imperial fighter, and buried his axe in the man's neck.
As Hilda moved to direct the retreat, she was shocked to see Claude being carried on Petra's shoulder, despite Petra being wounded herself. Claude's blood was running down Petra's arm.
Knowing the Brigid princess wasn't likely responsible for the wound, Hilda ran over and said, "Claude! What happened to you?"
"He was attacked by Setiawati," said Petra.
"Seta – what? Wait, never mind! It's not important! We've gotta get you both a healer!"
As Petra nodded to Hilda, Claude said painfully, "It's all going wrong… I thought we stood a chance against the Empire, but…"
"Save your strength, Claude! We'll find some way to turn this around."
"It's no use. We've already lost too many to that fire spell. We've gotta get out of here while we still have a chance."
"But Claude–"
"Look out! The Loyalists are coming from the north!" shouted one of the Alliance officers.
Alarmed, Hilda moved to get a better look to the north. To her dismay, hundreds of Loyalist cavaliers were moving into position to attack them. Swinging back around, Hilda saw the Imperials were hot on their heels, with Alliance soldiers being cut down left and right.
Hilda scowled in dismay. There was no way for the Alliance to fight off the Loyalists and the Imperials at the same time.
The pinkette whirled back around as she heard shouting from the Loyalists' cavalry. Their horses were now galloping toward them with weapons ready. She immediately made out Sylvain thanks to the Lance of Ruin glowing in his grip.
"Hilda, look out!" shouted one of the Alliance officers.
Hilda then heard a Wyvern's screech and turned to see five Imperial Wyvern riders diving toward her.
Time seemed to slow down for the pinkette as she readied her axe. Even if she could protect herself, she wouldn't be able to keep the Wyverns off Claude and Petra.
Just as Hilda braced herself for the end, she heard a loud crack like thunder as crimson lightning streamed through the sky. The Imperial Wyvern riders were all struck by the red lightning and sent crashing to the ground.
Hilda recognized the attack. It was the power of the Lance of Ruin.
Shocked, Hilda swung around to see the Loyalist cavalry was now veering out of the path of the retreating Alliance troops. Instead of attacking the Alliance, Sylvain's knights charged toward the Imperials who were chasing them.
"Drive the Imperials back!" Sylvain shouted. "Cover the Alliance's retreat!"
Hearing Sylvain's command left Hilda wide-eyed in relief.
Sylvain then shouted, "Hilda, Claude, get out of here! We'll hold them off!"
Hilda was about to thank Sylvain when she heard the whinny of a Pegasus and turned to see Ingrid diving toward them. To her dismay, Ingrid didn't look like she was planning to help.
"What are you doing, Sylvain?!" Ingrid shouted as she flew in front of Sylvain's horse. "Dimitri gave you a direct order to–"
"I know what he said, Ingrid!" Sylvain barked. "And you know what? Screw his orders!"
Ingrid leveled Luin toward the redhead as she said, "Don't do this, Sylvain."
"Ingrid, he's lost it! There's nothing to gain from fighting the Alliance and you know it!"
"Dimitri is our king! And as his knights, we are sworn to his service!"
"That doesn't mean obeying every single order he gives us!"
Ingrid tightened her grip on Luin as Hilda watched in alarm, expecting the blonde to attack at any moment. It was clear that Ingrid was torn between her duty and her heart, but it was also readily apparent that she wasn't going to forsake the former for the latter.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Sylvain!" Ingrid shouted before rushing toward Sylvain.
Before Ingrid could reach him, however, a bolt of lightning came crashing down between them, forcing Ingrid to break off her attack.
"Felix!" Hilda said in surprise upon seeing the swordsman settling from his spell.
"Stay out of this Felix!" Ingrid barked, directing Luin toward him threateningly. "If you get in the way, I'll cut you down as well!"
"Are you listening to yourself, Ingrid?!" said Felix. "Have you become just as blind as the boar?!"
"I have my orders from Dimitri, and I'm going to carry them out whether you like it or not!"
Felix drew his blade, ready to fight Ingrid if need be. The others watched the two anxiously as the battle raged around them.
But just as Ingrid was about to attack, she heard the wind whirling around her. Alarmed, Ingrid looked down just in time to see a tornado forming beneath her. Nearby, Sylvain saw Annette was the one channeling the spell.
Ingrid let out a loud yelp as she and Celdia were caught in the tornado and sent spiraling to the ground. It wasn't enough to inflict serious harm, but Ingrid was still knocked off Celdia's saddle.
Groaning, Ingrid tried to get up, only for Felix to be upon her in an instant. Before she could react, the swordsman slammed the pommel of his weapon into the back of Ingrid's head.
With a loud grunt of pain, Ingrid was knocked unconscious.
Felix looked down at the blonde Pegasus Knight for a moment before signaling for two of the Church's soldiers to haul Ingrid away.
"Ingrid…" Annette said remorsefully.
Sighing loudly, Sylvain said, "Thanks for the hand, Felix."
"Save it, Sylvain," snapped Felix. "We've still got a battle to fight."
…
Dimitri paced to his side as Edelgard looked down at Ladislava's battered body. The Crimson Warrior still drew breath, but the Emperor knew her champion wouldn't be fighting for a while, if ever again. Trauare was now trying to keep Ladislava alive while, all around Edelgard, the Imperials trained their weapons on the King of Lions, knowing they stood no chance against him, but ready to die for their monarch.
"Stay with me, Aerin!" Trauare said frantically.
"Get Ladislava out of here, Trauare," said Edelgard.
"There will be nowhere for you to run," said Dimitri. "Before this day is over, I will have all your skulls in piles across Gronder Field."
As Trauare tried to drag Ladislava away, four of the Imperial soldiers leveled their lances at Dimitri. They were about to charge when Edelgard waved her arm and said, "Don't. You are all no match for him. I will deal with the King of Lions myself."
As Edelgard readied Aymr, Dimitri let out a dark chuckle and said, "So you finally have the courage to stop hiding behind the bodies of your minions, Edelgard?"
Edelgard did not respond to Dimitri's taunt as she slowly stepped to the side, mirroring Dimitri's movement. The Emperor's purple eyes scrutinized Dimitri's every move, while the King of Lions continually envisioned seeing Edelgard's corpse before him.
"Now then, how shall I kill you?" asked Dimitri. "Shall I stab your chest? Break your neck? Smash your skull? Tear out your throat? I will allow you to choose your own death."
"I'm not interested in methods of dying," said Edelgard. "All that matters is when death takes place, not how. And I have no intention of dying today."
"I'm sure all of the people you've slaughtered so far thought the same!"
Dimitri rushed at Edelgard like a wolf upon lambs. The Flame Emperor's axe deflected and parried the King of Lions' blows, sending shockwaves around them each time their weapons clashed. The Imperial soldiers watched the Emperor's duel anxiously, with Dimitri attacking her endlessly as Edelgard masterfully blocked and avoided each strike from Areadbhar.
Dimitri let out a roar as he slammed Areadbhar to the ground, knocking Edelgard back several meters. The Emperor's boots dragged across the soil as she maintained her stance.
Dimitri then chuckled as he said, "Is that the best you can do, Edelgard? Perhaps you remember how our last battle here went? I beat you that day, and I will do so again."
"Is that how you remember it?" asked Edelgard. "Then I need to share a secret with you, Dimitri." Edelgard then smiled as she said, "I let you win back then."
Dimitri's one good eye widened as he said, "You lie…!"
"Think about it, Dimitri. I could have used both of my Crests against you that day if I wanted to beat you. But I couldn't let Rhea know I had two of them, let alone the Crest of Flames. But now she isn't here to protect you."
It wasn't the whole truth, Edelgard thought. Dimitri was still much stronger physically than she was, but she needed every advantage she could get against him.
To her satisfaction, she could tell it had worked.
Dimitri's face contorted in rage as he let out a roar of absolute hate and rushed at the Emperor.
…
Hubert heard Dimitri's roar and saw Edelgard continue her duel with the King of Lions. Though his first instinct was to rush to the Emperor's aid, he turned upon hearing another shout and saw Rodrigue blast down several Imperial Fortress Knights with an Aura spell. Having used up most of his Mana, Rodrigue drew his sword and slashed two more Imperial soldiers.
Knowing the Shield of Faerghus had to be dealt with, Hubert readied a Dark Spikes T spell, aided by two of his subordinates channeling Mana to him. Within seconds, Hubert unleashed his spell, which crashed down around Rodrigue and sent him falling from his horse, which perished to Hubert's dark magic.
Rodrigue quickly scrambled to his feet, deflecting the blade of another Imperial before slashing open the soldier's throat. He then turned just in time to raise a quick ward, blocking a Miasma Δ spell from Hubert, which shattered Rodrigue's defense.
Rodrigue scowled as he watched Hubert. The knight was nearly out of Mana and badly overextended trying to follow Dimitri to Edelgard. Hubert, meanwhile, had no less than eight subordinates with him who could channel more Mana to him.
The head of House Fraldarius knew he stood little chance against him.
"The Shield of Faerghus," Hubert said with a smirk. "You've come all this way just to die."
"If my life will bring victory for my king, then so be it," said Rodrigue. "Do your worst, boy."
"As you wish."
Hubert readied another dark spell, aided by his subordinates as Rodrigue sent a blast of holy magic at him with what remained of his Mana. The attack was blocked by Hubert's minions, prompting Rodrigue to rush toward Hubert with his sword ready. But to Rodrigue's surprise, two of Hubert's minions rushed forward at the Shield of Faerghus, despite having no weapons. Rodrigue ran one of the men through, only for the subordinate to grab Rodrigue and hold him in place along with the second minion.
Rodrigue was shocked at the fanaticism of Hubert's men as they wrestled with him, giving the Emperor's majordomo the time he needed to ready a Hades Ω spell.
"Watch how weak you are!" Hubert shouted as he unleashed his spell.
Rodrigue, unable to defend himself against Hubert's magic, howled loudly as the dark spell engulfed him and the two subordinates holding him in a pillar of black flames.
As the spell passed, the two subordinates fell away, already dead, as Rodrigue collapsed to the ground.
With the last of his strength, Rodrigue said, "Your Majesty… Please… bring us… victory…"
Hubert smirked as Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius breathed his last.
…
Having fought her way near to the south end of the central hill, Byleth watched as Hubert's Hades Ω spell engulfed Rodrigue. Knowing there was nothing she could do for Felix's father, she quickly turned to see Dimitri and Edelgard clashing with one another.
She had to reach them. She knew it would be nearly suicide since she would be cut off from the others. But if she did nothing, Dimitri would surely be overwhelmed, regardless if he won against Edelgard.
Byleth rushed forward as Anna caught sight of her and shouted, "By, wait! What are you doing?!"
Byleth darted through Imperials, who were too stunned to attack her. The Archbishop slashed through four Imperial soldiers who got in her path, but the rest panicked at seeing the woman rip through their forces like a demon.
A Demonic Beast roared as it tried to cut her off, but Byleth immediately lashed the Sword of the Creator at it mid-jump. The Crest of Flames blazed above her as she cut the Demonic Beast in half with one swing. Seeing her kill the beast with such ease, the Imperials in her path fled as though she were death itself.
But as she broke into another sprint toward Edelgard and Dimitri, a massive wall of ice sprouted up before her. Byleth skidded to a halt, almost crashing into the wall. Then, immediately as she stopped, she felt her legs go cold and looked down to see her legs rapidly encased in ice. However, the ice did not go above her waist, leaving her rooted to the ground. Looking around, she saw the wall of ice encircle her. She couldn't get out, but thankfully no one could reach her while her legs were stuck.
"My, my, my, isn't this a surprise?" said a sultry voice behind the wall of ice.
Byleth turned to see a woman standing behind the ice, her hand surrounded by magical frost. The reflection of the ice obscured Byleth's view of her, but she knew it could only be one person.
Cornelia smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Byleth Eisner."
Oh, that's bad. Really bad.
The trickiest part of this chapter, IMO, was Ingrid. She has such a romanticized view of chivalry and honor that she just has to follow her orders to the letter. I couldn't figure out a good way for the others to convince her to stop fighting the Alliance, so I had to resort to Felix knocking her out cold.
As for Rodrigue's death, that was a necessity. He'd be someone who could cast a lot of doubt upon Cornelia if he was kept alive. Besides, he only ever survives in Three Hopes; every route in Three Houses where he appears, he ends up dead.
EDIT: I've updated Rodrigue's death a bit by having Hubert's cronies sacrifice themselves to let Hubert kill him.
See you all next time.