The Dustbin

by LoneTaker

The actual professor that was supposed to teach at the Officer's Academy before being replaced by a mercenary of all people, due to the former's unforeseen absence, now finds himself teaching/leading the worst class in Garreg Mach, comprised of the academy's worst students, as their sole Professor. Things cannot get any worse from there, right? Right?

55. Day 55: Extracurricular Activity Final

The Dustbin

Day 55: Extracurricular Activity Part Final

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31st of Guardian Moon, Midnight

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To those within the Lost Mausoleum's depths, all of their eyes were assaulted with the inescapable scenery of a literal tidal wave of rats crawling over each other in perfect coordination under Karna's control.

The "inescapable" part was quite literal. All of the exits and entrances (save for the Agarthans' warp panel and their [Warp Powder]) were being preoccupied by the unending swarm of rats flocking towards Karna's will. Wherever they looked towards, it was nothing but rats after rats crawling in towards the central ziggurat.

Cleobulus then looks back at the Bishops. "Can this thing fly?"

"With wings that have more holes than a fishing net with a body that looks like a stretched-out potato dough and body heavy as if it were stuffed with lead?" the Bishop commented back. "Fat chance ma'am. We were planning to give it new wings and graft out the fat once we got this thing out, but our recent developments have put a massive delay on said plans, so unfortunately, we're stuck using this thing as is."

The Dark Flier clenched her teeth as she gripped her hand around the [Staff of Circe]'s shaft in frustration as it circuit lines glowed brightly. "DESTROY THEM ALL!"

Upon Cleobulus's command, Vritra exhales another surge of its pitch-black flames upon the horde of vermin, scorching through them in droves even as the latter ceased to cede their endless advance.

"Do not stop," ordered Karna, unfazed by the flames spewed before him. "Kill that overgrown lizard, even if it kills the rest of you."

The rats continued swarming towards the dragon, with most them wiped out in seconds, only for them to be immediately replenished as if their ranks weren't even depleted in the slightest. Throughout the endless swarm, a few rats managed to latch themselves onto the dragon, only for the latter to exhale its flames onto the climbing horde.

"You fool!" taunted Cleobulus as Vritra exhales another exhaust of black flames that scorched the vermin horde swarming around its limbs. "Mere rats cannot fell a mighty dragon!"

"You specifically said 'rats'," rebuked Karna as he beckoned more towards his side to replace the ones that were disintegrated. "You never specified how many."

Both the Umbral Beast Vritra and the rats under Karna's [Vermintide Z+] spell's influence were now locked in another stalemate as the rest watched while trying not to get devoured by the horde in the meantime.

"HOW MANY RATS ARE DOWN THERE AT THIS POINT?!" Dimitri pointed out as he fended off against an Agarthan Warrior armed with a [Bolt Axe].

"Given how extensive the Abyss is, I'd say as much he wants there to be!" Cyrus then assists Dimitri by staking the enemy in the back with his [Gradivus] lance before picking up Dimitri onto his mount.

"Silver lining, at least the Abyss won't have any rat infestations after this..." Constance commented as she then spots a Falcon Knight being slain by a Hero wielding a [Levin Sword]. The latter then spots her before attempting to kill her on the spot, but the Dark Flier counters the [Thunder] spell with a [Ward] before retaliating with a [Sagittae] spell, staking his neck with magical arrows and allowing her to approach the riderless steed. "... I'll borrow you for now. Sound good?"

The winged horse snorts before lowering its head, signaling her that its allowing her to mount. Upon mounting, Constance then takes off into the air before being intercepted by the Dark Mages' [Miasma Δ] spells fired airborne.

"SHOOT THAT BITCH OUT OF THE FUCKING AIR!" ordered Myson as he and his Dark Mages continued firing their [Miasma Δ] while being assisted by the Dark Bishops casting [Wind] through their [Hurricane Axes].

As Constance was given chase by the enemy's anti-air fire, everyone else on the ground were now reintroduced to Plaguebearer erupting from the tide of rats that he found himself buried under.

"... Where the fuuucck," coughed the Fortress Knight as he retrieved his [Axe of Abaddon], "... did they... *cough* ... COME FROM?!"

Just before he could figure out an answer, a blast of cold ice was shot into his face. The armored enforcer then rips the frost off of his helmet's visor, seeing Vidar with his [Baigujing] gauntlets extended forwards.

"... Stinky tin man," growled the War Master. "... I know... you weakness."

The Plaguebearer hacks out another coughing fit before he then cranked the knob on his armor to release more gas from his exhausts, only for him to be shot by [Miasma Δ] from Hapi and [Excalibur] from Linhardt.

"This place is already cramped as it is," said the Valkyrie. "So skedaddle."

"You are like the last place where I'd take a nap nearby," said the Holy Knight while stifling a yawn.

"... Go ahead..." chuckled the Fortress Knight as he then kept cranking the knob to release more sleeping gas from his tank while raising his [Axe of Abaddon] over onto his shoulder, "... and try."

Through the reestablished smog and the rats, Aelfric and the Archbishop spot the engagement happening against the abnormal Fortress Knight.

"... You deal with the metal man, I'll handle the dragon," ordered Rhea as she then advanced towards the ziggurat with her sword drawn.

"H-hey!" Ashe pointed towards the green-haired woman from atop Dedue's shoulder. "Isn't that the Archbishop?!"

Hubert then looked at the unconscious Edelgard, completely motionless and unresponsive to the outside stimuli surrounding her, with special mention going to both of her eyes rolled back of her head, instinctively averting her eyes to her special kind of personal hell on earth. "... I'll tend to my liege lest the Empire loses its last heir to the throne."

"Do that," Claude then nocked an arrow onto his [Silver Bow] as Ashe did the same with his [Steel Bow]. "We'll thin the herd from afar."

"And I'll hold the line," Dedue then headed towards where Balthus and Hilda were scrambling at, with the latter screaming her lungs out as she bawled her eyes out at the unfathomable amount of disgust she's feeling right now in tandem to the amount of rats that were clinging all over her, especially her hair. "... Assuming that it doesn't collapse before I get there!"

"I WANT MY MOMMY!" the War Cleric bawled as rats clung from her pigtails and robes.

"WHY ARE THESE RATS AFTER ME SPECIFICALLY?!" Balthus remarked as he continuously brushed off the vermin clinging and climbing up towards him. "IS IT BECAUSE I'M PRIME CUT OF MEAT TO THEM?! GET YOUR OWN! I AIN'T FOR SALE!"

As he ran towards his destination, he then makes a brief pitstop where his liege was at, slaying the Hero from behind with his [Silver Axe] from behind as Dimitri threw his [Silver Lance] across Dedue's cheek from atop of Darius's back, staking a Warrior through his head that was about to jump the Great Knight from behind.

"Thank you, milord," Dedue bowed his head.

"Think nothing of it!" Dimitri then ran past Dedue before grabbing the latter's hand and dragging him along. "The others need us, right?! So let us help!"

"Try and keep up, tin man," jeered Cyrus as he then rode Dimitri towards where the other frontline fighters were situated at, leaving Dedue to stomp his way through the horde of vermin on foot.

As they all ran towards Balthus and the flailing Hilda perched onto his shoulder, at the pile of rocks where Jeralt and Byleth were riding towards, both Selene and Byron successfully pull Yuri out of the rubble with Topaz still remaining stuck.

"COME ON!" Yuri then assisted Byron and Selene getting the rocks off of Topaz's back.

"What are you all just standing around here for?" the Espio growled. "LEAVE ME! I'M DEAD!"

"Evidence to contrary, you're alive enough to yell at us, so no," Byron remarked as he used his [Miasma Δ] to blast some of the rocks off of the little Hassashin's back. "And even so, we're sure staying long enough to collect your parts."

"Yer one of de few people I can trust me life te," Selene pointed out as she struggled to wedge a boulder off of the pile with her [Steel Lance] as her lever. "So fek leavin' ye te die alone. I'LL FEKIN' KILL MESELF OVER DAN LEAVIN' YE 'ERE!"

"HEY! THERE THEY ARE!" a modulated voice echoed out from behind the three, revealing themselves to be a squadron remnant of Agarthans.

"This is why I told you to leave!" Topaz pointed out.

"Look, even if you have a point, here's what I've learned about myself," the Eligor then draws both his [Hurricane Axe] and [Perun] as mana flowed around himself like a surging tide, "it's that no matter how smart I am, I will always and eventually be proven wrong and come off as an idiot. So with that said, what's a few more rat-eaten pasties worth besides me making another small mistake?"

"Oi pretty-boyo," Selene remarked as she whistled her griffin Morrigan to her side, "can ye fight?"

"... One foot in the grave aside..." the Trickster then draws his [Levin Sword] from underneath his cloak. "... Do I really have a choice other than to die?"

"KILL THEM!" the Hero with his own [Levin Sword] ordered as he and his surviving cohorts then charged towards the three.

But just before they could clash, a fiery lash then gashed across the floor between them, followed up by a few Agarthans being taken down by both Byleth and Jeralt.

"... Well I'll be," smirked Yuri as he saw two distinct silhouettes through the cloud of dust. "... Thanks for saving us, Professor Byleth."

The Mortal Savant then looks back before her face contorted in slight horror at the sight of the state of the four of them. "... And you were planning to continue fighting in that kind of condition?! MEDIC!"

From afar, Marianne, upon finishing her Goddess's Prayer, casts [Physic] unto the three to get them back into proper physical conditions. "There we go," she sighed out as she scampered through the shifting rat swarm around her ankle, trying her hardest not to cringe for every rat that she'd crushed underfoot. "... Now have to get to Hilda before she suffers a heart attack-"

"OH SHIT! HILDA!" the War Monk cried out as the Holy Knight then saw him pick her up off of the rat-ridden floor before placing her bosom against his ear. "SHE AIN'T BREATHIN'! SOMEONE HELP!"

"... I spoke too soon," Marianne grimaced as she hurried towards her side. "SOMEONE! ANYONE! MAKE ROOM! OR A PLACE NOT LITTERED WITH RATS!" she plead as she then took the convulsing War Monk off of Balthus's shoulder. "I NEED TO PERFORM CPR!"

Aelfric then casts [Bolganone] onto a patch of floor before casting [Fire] around the burnt spot on the ground to create a ring of fire that the rats avoided. "Not ideal, but it'll have to do," the disgraced Cardinal then turns his head up towards Karna. "HEY! CAN YOU TELL YOUR FUCKING RATS TO STOP INDISCRIMINATELY ATTACKING EVERYONE CAUGHT IN IT?!"

"Oh really?!" the professor sneered. "THEN NAME ONE PLACE WHERE WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ATTACK-?!"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! ONE OF OUR OWN HAS GOT A HEART ATTACK!" Aelfric cried out as the ring of fire was then smothered out by more rats.

"THEN PUNCH HER IN THE CHEST TO JUMPSTART THAT SHIT!" Karna remarked as he then ordered the rats to push their advance towards the ziggurat even harder than before, now Vritra thrashing about as its body was now akin to a honeyed bread being swarmed by ants. "As you can see," he then raises a wall of rats to block an incoming [Swarm Z] spell fired at his face from Cleobulus, "... I'M KIND OF BUSY HERE KILLING SHIT TO GIVE ENOUGH OF A SHIT!"

Having no other choice, Marianne than reluctantly props up Hilda from behind right before Balthus then punches her chest with his bare fist, trying to reestablish a constant heartbeat through force. The process was anything but clean, but given that Karna effectively took control of the entire battlefield by throwing literally everything into complete disarray through the way of rats, now they were forced to play by his rules.

"SHE AIN'T BREATHIN' STILL!" Balthus cried out as he kept punching.

Sorcha then walks up to where the treatment was occurring right before punching Hilda underneath her left breast, causing her to cough up blood before all of her bodily faculties were back in working order.

"Ye were punchin' de wrong spot, ye idjit," the Vanguard clicked her tongue before facing the now-awake Hilda. "... Also pinkie, wat de ye say te yer savior?"

Hilda then spits onto Sorcha's face in response before rejoining the fray. For the latter, rather than get mad, the Vanguard smirked in amusement as she then followed suit after picking her up [Adharma] sword from the swarm and then swinging it around wildly, shooting out magical slashes at random from the swung blade and wrecking havoc indiscriminately.

Both Aelfric and Balthus were at complete loss of words at this sequence of events before rejoining the fray, with Aelfric going to help out Vidar's group deal with the Plaguebearer while Balthus joined Hilda's charge to thin the enemy numbers. All the while, he'd noticed that literally everyone has their hands full trying to resolve their own shit after Karna had flooded this whole mausoleum with an endless tidal wave of rats.

Okay, first of all, calm down and think, he thought as he dodged another [Swarm Z] before spraying it away with his [Expiration Δ+]. Everyone is thrown into complete and utter chaos, and as much as I'd like to continue this pandemonium just for the hell of it, the longer this goes on-

Karna ducked under a sudden slash projectile swung out by Sorcha's [Adharma] blade, with the aforementioned swinging the giant blade around like a madman, laughing all the while a rain of gore and severed limbs of Agarthans poured around her.

... The more likely that this whole place will cave in because of her, Karna grimaced as he then tried to ascertain this chaos into a semi-workable format.

Meanwhile, atop of the ziggurat, Cleobulus was ducking underneath a beheaded Bishop along with her other Sage Myson and his few remaining Dark Mages and Bishops from the Vanguard's wild swings from her appropriated [Adharma].

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" cursed the Dark Flier as she tried to order Vritra to kill that Vanguard, only for the dragon to remain stuck as its ankles and tail were being devoured by the endless swarm of rats crawling towards it. "JUST HOW IN THE HELL IS THAT BRIGIDIAN BITCH USING THAT WEAPON MEANT FOR OUR TITANUS MECHS AS HER OWN?!"

Myson snorted in resignation as he zapped a few more of the rats with his [Levin Sword]. "I asked the same thing to her, in person," he answered. "In her words, it's easier kill things with bigger swords."

"Uh, boss?!" a Dark Bishop pointed out. "A really angry Archbishop is beelining towards us!"

"SHOOT HER DOWN THEN!" ordered Cleobulus as she then blasts [Luna Λ] at the woman with the drawn sword as the others followed suit. She then telepathically orders Vritra to unleash its surge of umbral flames again, this time, to roast the Archbishop before they can reach her.

Rhea parries every single one of the spells shot towards her while outrunning the flames before unleashing an [Agena's Arrow] onto them, to which both Sages casted [Ward] to block both the spell and the followed up-Archbishop's sword swing.

"YOUR ACTS OF HERESY ENDS HERE!" roared the Archbishop as she pressed her blocked sword deeper into the erected barrier, causing the latter to begin cracking under pressure.

Then over Myson's shoulder, a Dark Mage with a [Flame Lance] then shoots a point-blank [Fire] spell into Rhea's face, the explosion then sending her flying back from the ziggurat's peak and into the central wave of rats.

"... Hot damn," Myson remarked at the Dark Mage. "... I'll see if I can get you a fat, full-rank promotion if you make it past this quagmire!"

Atop of the rats, Karna found himself catching the Archbishop that had inexplicably fallen into his arms, the latter being a little toasty to the touch. "... So, how's it hanging?"

Rhea then spits onto Karna's face before vacating herself off of his arms. "... I can't believe that I'm saying this to you of all people, but please, for the love of the goddess..." she growled, now at the last dredges of her patience, "... tell me that you have some heaven-forsaken plan that could turn this whole catastrophe around."

"As a matter of fact, I just finished concocting said plan after a careful round of observation of my surroundings," Karna explained. "But full disclosure, I cannot control my rats beyond the simple command of 'get to that dragon at all costs' because my Crest is a Minor variant, so forget about me adjusting the swarm to be more coordinated. This is the best I can do."

"... Of course," sighed Rhea. "So, what is this oh magnificent plan of yours?"

"First of all, our division of labor is all over the place and mismanaged, made even worse due to my forced stalemate," he explained as he then pushed Rhea down from a [Hades Ω] fired by Myson before retaliating with a [Gravity H+] lifting a sphere of gathered rats before throwing them atop of the ziggurat, causing the enemy to counter with [Swarm Z] and [Banshee Θ] to prevent themselves losing more ground than they already have. "So far, we have three vectors of opposition; the dragon, the Agarthans, and Plaguebearer. Here's my proposition: you and I will keep the dragon at bay through our means, Plaguebearer will have to be dealt with Vidar and Byron leading the charge of mages and long-ranged combatants to pelt him from afar, while the Agarthans, situated on top of the ziggurat as they are, will have to be dealt with ala siege warfare, or at least keep them boxed in long enough to get them to retreat."

"Why not just kill them?" asked Rhea. "I suppose that'd be an option given how confident you are in your band of hellions."

Karna, with a blank look, points his thumb at Vritra, the latter of which was still thrashing about despite being drowned by millions of rats at this point, repeatedly exhaling its black flames to reduce them to dust, only for millions more to take their fallen brethren's place even as its consumed flesh was growing back at a cancerous rate, hence the established stalemate.

"That," he answered plainly. "That thing is our wake up call. We can't beat it through our current methods without burying ourselves with our enemies, and out of the three, it's the most dangerous combatant here as of now. So, with that said, I demand help from you and the others."

"Wait, demand-" Rhea then found herself staring down at the loaded barrel of Karna's flintlock pistol.

"Either die here and now, or we can all die together, five miles underground," he pointed out as he cocked back the hammer. "Your call. Because as you can tell, THIS THE LAST TIME I'M DEALING WITH YOUR SHIT!"

Gnashing her teeth at the situation that she'd mired herself in, Rhea reluctantly complies as she sheathed her sword in a sign of goodwill. "... Alright, we'll do it your way," she growled. "How do you plan to carry this out?"

Karna then puts his flintlock away just before he spots Constance flying atop of a Falcon Knight's horned pegasi. "HEY RICH GIRL!" he cried out from above. "YOUSE KNOW WHERE CYRUS AND SELENE ARE AT?!"

"ONE MINUTE!" the Nuvelle girl replied as she dodged a barrage of [Miasma Δ] spells shot towards her way before retaliating with [Bolting], causing the culprits to take cover lest they get zapped. Once in the clear, she then flies towards where Karna and the Archbishop were at. "... Regarding their whereabouts, Cyrus is with Dimitri and Dedue trying to fend off the Agarthan infantry, while Selene is with Byron and dear Yuri trying to rescue Topaz from underneath the rocks pinning her down, with Professor and Captain Einser fending off the enemy bands."

"Noted," Karna then quickly formulates a plan before he then tossed Rhea onto Constance's mount. "Change of plans Archbishop! You act as the in-between for our transports while I'll keep the dragon at bay! At least use your freak strength to get the rocks off of my student so she can wreck havoc and get Cyrus and Selene moving as our battlefield transport!"

"I'll ignore the 'freak' part," she grimaced before Constance then takes off towards the rock pile being defended by Byleth and Jeralt. As she then got close, the Agarthans notice the Archbishop from above and attempt to shoot her down with their magical weapons, only for them to be left open for Byleth's [Sword of the Creator]'s scorching lash followed up by Jerald's [Silver Lance] staking the enemy remains.

"Glad you got here the way you did," the Paladin grinned.

Rhea adopts a look of displeasure at Jeralt's implied words before dismounting. "Hold the line," she ordered as she then wound back her fist before shattering one of the bigger rocks stacked atop of Topaz's back, causing Yuri, Selene, Byron, and Topaz to go all pie-eyed. "... The rest of you who can walk, head towards the grounds before the ziggurat. Constance and Selene are to act as transport. Tell Cyrus to do the same when you find him."

"Wat about ye and Topaz?" asked Selene as she then let Byron ride with her.

"Jeralt will deliver her to you once I'm finished!" Rhea then finishes off by delivering a roundhouse kick that scatters several more rocks off of the pile. "NOW GO!"

"Hold tight, Yuri!" Constance warned before she took off with the Trickster. "I cannot guarantee your safety as of our current circumstances!"

"INCOMIN'!" Selene cried out as the Grapplers with [Aura Knuckles] fired [Aura] spells from their weapons to shoot the two flying riders down along with their passengers.

"RETURN FIRE!" Byron then shot his [Miasma Δ] combined with his [Hurricane Axe]'s [Wind] spell, sending a swirl of contaminated wind that explodes into a haze of thick violet fog that blocks the Agarthans' aim by stinging their eyes. "YURI!"

"Loud and clear," he then casts [Thunder] from his [Levin Sword] as Constance assisted with her own [Bolting], frying every single one of the Grapplers before even one of them could escape the smokescreen. "... Coast is clear. Let's haul ass!"

As the two fliers then make their way towards the pandemonium of rats and panicked scream (coming from both enemy and ally alike, no one can blame them, because literally no one can, even Karna, who is currently laughing his ass off at the chaos), Rhea was quickly whittling down the size of the pile of rocks stacked atop of Topaz's back.

"... Why?" the Espio asked. "A leader of another religion, why help me?"

"... Honestly, for two reasons," she answered as she continued shattering boulder after boulder with her punches and kicks. "First is that if I leave you to die, Professor Karna might burn the whole monastery down out of spite with everyone in it, and the resulting domino effect from the casualties would trigger a continent-wide war due to the power vacuum left behind as a result."

"Understandable," nodded Topaz as she felt her legs about to come loose.

"And second!" Rhea grunted as she saw a Hero that was about to shoot her with [Thunder] with his [Levin Sword], prompting her to kick a rock off of the pile before punting it into the Agarthan's face, knocking him out before he was trampled to death by Jeralt's horse. "... No matter who they are, I cannot help myself to leave the helpless be. Even if they're the worst scum in all of existence, I believe that they deserve one chance to prove me wrong."

"Even if said person is an affront to your definition of nature?" replied Topaz as her legs were finally freed, exposing her digitigrade, raptor-like legs for the world to see. "... Before you ask, this was all my own doing for the sake of my beliefs. My people worship Death in your language, and I had in the mind of an idea of becoming my God's vessel once I return."

Rhea sighs as she then casts [Heal] onto her Demonic Beast-like body. "... As long as you don't turn said death onto my people, I'll overlook it."

"Thank you," Topaz then takes off back to the battlefield without the help of Jeralt, skipping across the rats like if she were skipping stone across water.

"We're done here," Byleth spoke to the Archbishop, the latter checking on the father-daughter duo's handiwork with slight grin of sadistic pleasure.

"... Good work," she then composed herself as she then got onto Jeralt's horse. "Room for one more?"

"I'd say 'no,' but then you'll end throwing a hissy fit," the Paladin then rolled his eyes as he then took both Byleth and Rhea with him as he rode them back to the battlefield.

As the three rode towards their destination, all three of them saw the grotesque dragon Vritra being swarmed and dragged down by an endless legion of rats under the control of Karna's [Vermintide Z+] spell. The Umbral Beast bellows out another jet of its pitch-black flames upon the vermin, only for the latter to easily refill their missing ranks in an instant.

"Imagine if Karna pulls this kind of shit on an actual battlefield..." commented the Blade Breaker as he maneuvered his steed through the stream of rats crawling all over the floor. "... Be a hell of a morale destroyer, I'd tell you what."

"I concur," shuddered Rhea.

Seconded, Sothis telepathically motioned to her host. Only a person vile and disgusting as Karna would come up with this kind of sight for sore eyes.

... Is it a good thing I can't feel anything to describe this oddity right now? Byleth telepathically asked her guest.

Yes. the Goddess bluntly put it as they all finally arrived at the central battlefield greeted by Cyrus riding up towards them.

"Enemy forces are dwindled to near nothing at this rate!" said the Bow Knight. "Aside from the ones that made it back to the ziggurat, all we have to worry about on the ground is Plaguebearer!"

"And I'm assuming that he isn't dead yet?" Rhea asked.

"Oh no, he's stubborn as a tick," Cyrus replied. "An Assassin's agility, a Fortress Knight's bulk, a Falcon Knight's resilience against all arcane arts, and the killing blow of that of a Warrior, he ain't even close to being taken down as we speak-INCOMING!"

From afar, the gas-coughing Fortress Knight then rips off a stone altar off of its foundations before chucking the whole thing towards their direction, forcing Rhea to intercept it with her bare hands, shattering the stone pedestal into rubble with her fists intercepting it.

"... Guess we're both-*cough cough*... freaks, aren't we?" taunted the Plaguebearer as he then ground his [Axe of Abaddon] against the floor, entrenching a small ditch in its path.

"You need a breath mint," Rhea snarked as she then casts [Aura] onto the modified Fortress Knight, only for the latter to emerge from the explosion of light unhindered. "... So you aren't exaggerating about the whole Falcon Knight-part."

"Told you," deadpanned Cyrus. "Also, he's coming right towards us!"

Seeing that this battle was a waste of time, Rhea then pulls out of the battle as she resumes coordinating the others to their locations as soon as she got on Darius's back before Cyrus snaps the bridles, taking off as the two of them passed by Selene and Byron.

"DROP HIM OFF NEXT TO VIDAR!" barked Cyrus. "MAKE THAT GAS-COUGHER STOP SPEWING HIS SHIT EVERYWHERE!"

"Doubt that my mask will protect me from falling asleep, but acknowledged," the Eligor then shoots [Freeze] onto the Plaguebearer, forcing the latter to evade the spell rather than take it. "... Well what do you know? He does have a weakness."

"De Archbishop said dat I have to act as transport," Selene pointed out. "Sorry, but yer gunna 'ave te go on foote."

"Acceptable," Byron then leapt off of the griffin before making his way towards Vidar, who was strafing with his [Baigujing] and [Geri Beil]'s ice magic spells being shot towards the nimble Fortress Knight while the other spellcasters in his ranks were doing the same, trying to limit Plaguebearer's movements through the recoil inflicted by their spells.

Upon arriving, Byron then casts [Blizzard] onto the floor where the Plaguebearer was supposed to land, only for the bulky acrobat to stop himself from slipping by using his warpick as an anchor to maintain his balance.

"Crafty bastard," Byron gritted his teeth. "Vidar and company, how're you all hanging?"

"Aside from the rats that I had to dump out of my boots!" Linhardt remarked from atop of Hapi's appropriated horse as he then casted [Excalibur] to dispel the [Sandman] gas encroaching them. "... We're in a stalemate. This guy ain't going down no matter how much magic we throw at it."

"Seconded," agreed the phlegmatic Valkyrie as she then casted [Death Γ] onto the Fortress Knight, only for his armor to bounce off the skull-shaped projectile. "... Seriously, I've seen Balthus on a good day take less hits than this."

"That, I can confirm!" Aelfric remarked as he the casted [Meteor] onto the Plaguebearer, only for the latter's [Axe of Abaddon] to shatter the descending fireball before it could crash onto him. "Bulk, agility, and resilience, it has it all! Just getting close to it is a risk of in itself!"

"So we're... kind of limited on options," Marianne remarked.

"Still a pain in the ass since day one," chuckled Byron as he spotted the vents spewing out the sleeping gas and the surrounding rats that fell asleep near the Fortress Knight. "Try not to get gassed in the meantime. Me and Vidar have a plan."

"... Try... any-*COUGH*-thing..." the Plaguebearer chuckled as he then ran towards them, trailing his sleeping gas behind himself like a volcanic eruption of pyroclastic smoke as his coughing grew more strained, "... I'll wreck it before... you can-*COUGH*-TRY!"

"INCOMING!" Vidar cried out as their group fled from the smoke.

At the grounds before the ziggurat's stairs, Dimitri, Dedue, Balthus, Hilda, and Sorcha were all making their way towards the pyramid's pinnacle with Claude and Ashe acting as supporting fire, only for their progress to be continuously impeded by the remaining Agarthans stationed there.

"SON OF A BITCH!" cursed Sorcha as she was forced to block the incoming [Wind] spells with the width of her giant blade. "STOP SHOOTIN' AT US 'ND DIE ALREADY!"

"Do you think that they're the kind of people who'd listen to reason?" asked Dedue. "And before you answer, no, it's a rhetorical question. So shut up and keep pushing."

"I have to ask, but where's Edelgard and Hubert?" asked Hilda before she ducked under a [Fire] spell shot at her, nearly singing the tips of her hair. "We can like, seriously use their help now."

"She fainted after seeing the rats pour out from the walls like water and Hubert is making sure that none of them are devoured by the swarm," Dimitri answered right before he then threw his [Javelin] at the ziggurat's peak, only for the thrown spear to be redirected by Myson's [Banshee Θ] spell. "... I can't blame her. Anyone remotely sane would be terrified of this sight."

"So does that make us not sane?" asked Balthus. "... I mean, we're not exactly sound of mind pushing for the offense while our ankles are being scurried by these little buggers."

Granted, the defenders atop of the ziggurat weren't exactly in a better position themselves compared to their attackers.

"IS THERE ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE?!" a Dark Bishop cried out as he ducked under a shot arrow.

"WE'RE THE ONLY ONES LEFT!" the Dark Mage replied as he kept shooting with his [Flame Spear]. "ABOUT 99% OF OUR REINFORCEMENTS GOT DEVOURED BY THE RATS!"

"FUCK!" the masked Bishop cursed as he casted [Miasma Δ] to the [Adharma] blade before trying to follow up with another, only for nothing but a fart of said spell to come out of his hands. "I'M OUT OF SPELLS TO USE! AND WE'RE OUT OF MANA POTIONS!"

"Boss lady, I hate to say this, but we seriously like need to pull out," Myson pointed out after he'd shot his last [Hades Ω]. "The moment that lanky bastard brought in the vermin to throw everything into disarray, this whole situation has become beyond unsalvageable. I mean, we were only planning to transfer Vritra after we killed them all and we were in the clear, and I don't think that we're able to do that anymore."

Cleobulus then growls before tossing down a bag of smaller bags filled with [Warp Powder] inside. "Go then," she ordered. "I'll stay behind and ensure that the Archbishop dies by my hands!"

She then opens a compartment in her chest before handing a small amethyst medallion to the Warlock before he and the remaining subordinates retreated from the battlefield. Once vacated, the Dark Flier then conjures a shadowy apparition of a pegasi to ride upon before taking off into the air as the entire ziggurat was now then devoured by the horde of rats.

"SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" Dimitri cried out.

"No she's not," Claude rebuked as he aimed his nocked [Silver Bow] towards the Dark Flier, only for his efforts to be retaliated with an immediate [Luna Λ] that he was forced to dodge. "Nevermind, she's a bigger pain than I thought.

"Quite formidable, she is," spoke Topaz, appearing between Claude and Ashe out of nowhere, surprising them. "Before you two ask, I was freed."

A horse's neigh followed by its hoofbeats was heard coming towards them, revealing Jeralt and Byleth riding towards them. "Hey kids," spoke the Paladin. "What's the situation?"

"We can infer that the enemy forces have retreated, save for their commander," Topaz explained as she pointed towards Cleobulus flying over their heads. "Careful, she knows a spell that can cause the earth itself to tremor, so if we push her the wrong way, she'll simply bury us all here alive. Keep her fixated on the dragon while slowly cornering her before she can properly fight back."

"'Eard all dat," Sorcha remarked as she and the other came down from the ziggurat's stairs. "I mean, de rats are practically de only thins' dat's keepin' de big lizard at bay."

"Then there's our plan," Byleth remarked. "Topaz, find Selene and make sure that you two can intercept that flier before she can notice. The rest of you will have to whittle that dragon down bit by bit. Watch out for its flames and the rats."

"What about Plaguebearer?" asked Dimitri. "His mere presence is a threat."

"Leave it to me," Byleth then extended her [Sword of the Creator]'s lash. "I'll keep it back as much as I could."

"Alright, let's go!" Jeralt ordered as he then led his assigned group towards Vritra while Byleth and Topaz beelined towards where Selene was flying at.

Both Selene, Cyrus, and Yuri were all taking turns shooting at Cleobulus to limit her flight path, with the Battuian's improvised [Flame Lance]-warheads that had missed instead landing on either the Umbral Beast or nearby the Fortress Knight himself, making sure that his remaining shots weren't wasted. Selene's [Crossbow] tried to make precision shots, but all of them missed the Dark Flier's nimble movements, even with the Trickster's assistance of his [Wind] spell turning the skies above hazardous for traversal.

"Flighty bitch ain't sittin' still!" cursed the [Griffin Knight] as she reloaded her [Crossbow]. "I'd go after it, but dat leave me back open fur de dragon's flames!"

"And is it just me, or is that hourglass-figure of a woman a better flier than you?" Cyrus pointed out as he then reached for his next [Flame Lance], only to find that he only had the one left. "Shit. I'm down to one shot, so I'm gonna have to save it for later."

"Either way, the enemy are at their last legs!" Yuri pointed out before casting [Cutting Gale] at the Dark Flier, only for it to be intercepted by her [Swarm Z]. "... Just like a cornered animal, the most dangerous kind."

"SELENE!" Byleth cried out as the aforementioned spotted the Mortal Savant and the Espio running towards the three of them. "WE NEED YOU TO TAKE TOPAZ INTO THE AIR!"

"We're going to surprise her a little," said the mutant Hassashin. "I had my back turned when she'd tried to send me to my God's embrace, so now is the best chance to return the favor."

"All of ye," Selene requested as she then let Topaz onto Morrigan's back, "keep 'er eyes trained onto ye lot."

"Godspeed," saluted Cyrus as both of them then took off in opposite directions as they begun their final counterattack.

Just as the two of them had taken off, everyone else who were supposed to deal with Vritra had retreated back to where they were.

"Okay, so dealing with a dragon even when it's buried waist-deep in rats is not ideal," commented Jeralt as he picked off a rat from his waistband.

"Alright, change of plans," ordered Byleth. "All of you, keep that Dark Flier distracted."

"Quick question!" asked Dimitri. "Just how are we to reach her when we don't have the means to do so?"

Cyrus then trots towards Hilda before reaching inside of her clothes to pull out a live rat, causing her to shriek in realization. "HOW LONG DID I HAVE THAT SKITTERING INSIDE MY CLOTHES?!"

"You know, there was an adage from within the walls of Shangri-La that I've heard relating to that," explained the Battuian Bow Knight as he loaded said rat onto his [Bowgun]'s catapult. "Work in the outhouse for the duration of your life, and the smell of shit ceases to exist."

He then aims the loaded [Bowgun] before shooting the loaded rat towards Cleobulus, the vermin then latching onto her hair before she then flailed around to remove said rat, almost falling off in the process. Cyrus then rides away from her sight as the Dark Flier than retaliated with a [Swarm Z] spell buzzing towards them.

"JUST WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?!" Dedue cried out as everyone ran from the spectral swarm.

"PROVIDE ME WITH RATS SO I CAN SHOOT THEM AT HER!" Cyrus replied. "TO THOSE THAT CAN FIGHT BACK FROM RANGE, KEEP HER OFF OF OUR HEELS!"

"Works fur me!" Sorcha then swung her [Adharma] blade to unleash a razor wind from the swing's arc, the crescent projectile dodged by the Dark Flier before it was then followed up by Ashe and Claude shooting their arrows at her.

"Take care, everyone," Byleth remarked before she sped off. "I'm gonna go help the others."

"IMPUTENT BEASTS!" growled Cleobulus as she then raised her [Staff of Circe] to issue a command to Vritra. "BURN THEM TO CINDERS-ARGH! GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!"

A rat had landed onto her masked face, causing both to scramble atop of the conjured pegasi in panic, giving everyone else ample time to keep the Dark Flier on her toes while those who couldn't fire back provide rats that Cyrus shot at her with his [Bowgun].

But as their cycle of hurting could be established, Cyrus then notices that the cloud of dull-olive smoke was still present, and at the outer rims of the spewing haze were the other spellcasters and Vidar still trying to make a dent into the Fortress Knight's armor. He then noticed that said area of conflict was slowly making its way towards them.

However, like Byron and Vidar, he'd figured out the Fortress Knight's weakness, but noticed that the two's plans were missing a step, with him as said step that was missing. And if Plaguebearer caught wise of them and made his way there, then it was game over.

"HEY DIMI!" Cyrus remarked as he then handed him the last [Flame Lance] he had on his person. "USE THIS!"

"WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" the Prince remarked as he saw the Bow Knight head off towards elsewhere before he then threw a pair of [Bolt Axes] and a set of [Aura Gauntlets] to the group.

"PLAGUEBEARER IS COMING FOR OUR ASSES!" replied the Battuian as he rode off. "I'LL LINK UP WITH PROFESSOR BYLETH BEFORE HE BECOMES A BIGGER PROBLEM!"

"Jerk," Hilda grumbled as she then picked up a [Bolt Axe] as Dedue and Balthus did the same for their matching weapons. "... So anyone know how to use these?"

"One way to find out," Balthus remarked as he then shot [Aura] towards the Dark Flier while Hilda and Dedue casted [Thunder] in conjunction with the former's attempt.

As the air was packed densely with arrows and spells, Cyrus then rode across the graveyard of rats that he and the others had trampled over as he made his way towards where the other group was fighting against the gas-spewing metal man.

"Hey good people," spoke Cyrus as he then shot a dead rat at Plaguebearer, but to no reaction from the man with a bloody slop drenching down his head. "Figured. How's the progress?"

"Non-existent," answered Byleth as she casted [Fire] at the Fortress Knight before lashing out her [Sword of the Creator]'s whip blade form, both of which did little to no damage to their intended targets. "The only reason why we're keeping its movements at bay is because of Byron and Vidar's ice spells making it skittish. Wonder why."

"Something gotta be spewing out those fumes, so I guess ice clogs it up real nice," commented Cyrus as he looked at the dead rats. "... Say, does one of you guys know any [Wind]-adjacent spells?"

"Yuri's got one and Linhardt has one [Excalibur] left in him," answered the Mortal Savant as she then casted [Bolganone] onto the Plaguebearer's footing, trapping him in the hot mire before he pulled himself out of it with little ill aftereffects. "... You got a plan or something?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, "just get those two ready while I tell Byron and Vidar of said plan."

Cyrus then makes his way towards the two, with Byron swinging his [Hurricane Axe] and [Perun] in tandem, keeping himself out of the Fortress Knight's reach while Vidar used his [Geri Beil] fueled by his [Baigujing] to shoot [Frost] at the metal man.

"Hey guys," greeted Cyrus. "You guys trying to gum his works up?"

"... Holes... too small... and too many!" growled Vidar as he kept up his barrage.

"And a spry bastard too," Byron commented during his own fire support. "He's a nimble dodger, that's for sure!"

"Then let me help," Cyrus then pulled Vidar up to Darius's back before setting him before where he sat. "On my mark, use [Perun] to chain him down!"

"Wait, what-?!"

"NOW!" roared the Bow Knight.

Byleth then turned towards Linhardt and Yuri, both of whom she'd gathered shortly beforehand. "BLOW THAT GAS AWAY WITH ALL YOU GOT!"

Both Yuri and Linhardt then unleashed their [Wind] and [Excalibur] respectively, creating a turbulent storm that causes all of the spread [Sandman] gas to immediately dissipate. At the same time, Byron then throws the length of his [Perun]'s chain around the exposed Plaguebearer and constricts his arms and legs around its armor before anchoring the returning axe blade with his [Freeze] spell freezing it to the ground.

"... YOU... THINK... THAT YOU CAN-*COUGH*-STOP... ME?!" the Plaguebearer thrashed in his restraints.

"NO, BUT THIS WILL!" Cyrus then roared out with vigor as he ferried Vidar with his fully-charged [Geri Beil] raised over the War Master's shoulder.

Seeing what was coming, the Plaguebearer tried to move, but then found his feet being sunken in by a pit of erupting magma caused by both Byleth and Aelfric's [Bolganone] spells.

"Nice work, Cardinal," praised the Mortal Savant.

"Anything to atone for my arrogance," he replied as Vidar leapt off of Darius's back and sunk his supercharged [Geri Beil] into the Fortress Knight's armor, the frost then breaching into the gaps and plugging up all of the [Sandman] gas's exhausts.

Without anywhere else to release the gas, the internal tank containing the substance within the Plaguebearer's body then ruptures onto itself, compromising all of his internals as he was then forced onto his knees, fizzing out the gas into an insignificant hiss of steam not unlike a tea kettle.

"... Oh my," gasped Constance. "Did we win-?"

Suddenly, the downed Fortress Knight coughs before belting out a cackle.

"... You... you-*cough*," the last cough of the Plaguebearer then causes his helmet to slip off, revealing Miklan's placid and visably-peeling face, "... got me real good, didn't-*cough*-ya?"

Everyone who'd seen his face back at Conand Tower recoiled back at the sight of this familar visage, save for Vidar, Byron, and Cyrus.

"Miklan?!" Byleth exclaimed.

"I recall you being dead!" Linhardt pointed out. "Usually, that's what happens when people are crushed underneath about a tower's worth of rubble!"

Marianne then turns towards the three Dustbin students who looked unfazed at this revelation. "... You all knew?!"

"Look, if we said 'Hey, Plaguebearer is Sylvan's older brother back from the dead' before you all saw this shit yourself, would any of you have believed in what we say?!" Cyrus pointed out, to which Marianne couldn't refute. "... Thought so."

"That said, his skin tone is giving away signs of internal biological rot," commented Byron. "Guess they didn't cover that in your insurance, didn't it?"

The undead Miklan then cackles out a coughing laughter before pulling out a small hacky sack. "... Yeah well," he then threw the bag down before himself as he began to disappear into a cloud of pink smoke, "... tell my bitch of a baby brother to watch his fucking back."

Plaguebearer successfully makes his retreat, leaving those who were affected by this revelation utterly speechless.

"... So like," Hapi began speaking, "... he's some sort of zombie?"

"Talk to Byron later," shrugged Cyrus as he then turned his horse towards the direction of where the Dark Flier and the Umbral Beast was at. "For now, let's end this madness."

Meanwhile, still standing atop of the wave of rats, Karna kept up his [Vermintide Z+] to mire the Umbral Beast in its place with the infinite swarm of vermin clawing and chewing their way through the dragon's endlessly-regenerating flesh.

"KARNA!" Rhea cried out from below the wave's shadow.

"Sup?" greeted the Professor. "And before you ask, no, the dragon ain't so much relenting even after its ankles were eaten several times over."

"Ugh, figures..." she grimaced. "... Look, can you just get me close to that thing? I need and want to hit it with my sword."

"That sword anything special?" asked Karna.

"I don't pay you to think, Professor Karna," the Archbishop rebuked. "JUST CLEAR THE WAY FOR ME!"

He nodded as he then blasted the dragon with a [Hades Ω], the chthonic stream of light blazing a path forth for Rhea as she sprinted towards the Umbral Beast, screaming like a woman gone mad as she then leapt up into the air, and staked her sword into Vritra's head upon her descent.

The Umbral Beast begins flailing about in agony, but is nowhere near close to death.

"OH YEAH! FORGOT TO MENTION ONE THING!" Karna remarked as Rhea found herself being swung around like a rag doll. "THE HEAD IS NOTHING BUT MEAT!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT SOONER?!" the Archbishop cried out as she hung on for her dear life.

"I recall that you don't pay me to think," he shot back, causing Rhea to scream in frustration at her own words being thrown back at her.

At the other end of the dragon, Cleobulus was fiddling with her [Staff of Circe] to try and get the monster to listen to her commands, but the Archbishop's little stunt had made the Umbral Beast unreceptive to her commands.

"... Ugh, the things I do for a living," the Dark Flier sighed as she dodged another rat and two arrows shot at her. "STOP SHOOTING AT ME, YOU ASSHOLES!"

"She knows that we're not gonna stop just because she said so, right?" Cyrus asked.

"Preach it to the choir," Claude agreed as he kept shooting more arrows at the Dark Flier alongside with Ashe.

"Incoming Dark Magic!" Ashe warned as the three then got out of the way of Cleobulus's [Luna Λ].

At the same time, those with the magical weapons (save Balthus) were having immense difficulty trying to fire their spells properly with them.

"How do these things even work?!" asked Dimitri as he tried to shoot [Fire] from his borrowed [Flame Lance]. "... Silver lining, the craftsmanship of this weapon is superb! It doesn't seem to break no matter how much I grip onto it!"

"Then how did Cyrus break them?" asked Dedue as he tried use his [Bolt Axe] to cast [Thunder], but all of the bolts missing their mark.

"Beats me!" Hilda remarked as she then missed another [Thunder] before she growled in frustration. "Balthus! How do you even use this?!"

"Honestly, don't know myself," the War Monk replied as he casted another [Aura] from his [Aura Knuckles], with more success than the others since the Dark Flier had to actually cast [Ward] to fend it off. "Constance taught me beforehand, but I'm not the kind of person you should be asking for instructions beyond 'trust in your gut."

Hilda then looked at Sorcha, who's swinging her [Adharma] blade and generating razor winds with her slashes from said weapon alone. "... Dun't look at me," the Vanguard remarked. "If it works, it works."

Hilda then tries to follow the whole "trust in your gut"-advise, only for the results to be the same. Her frustration reaching its peak, she then chucks the [Bolt Axe] itself towards Cleobulus, accidentally cutting off one of her spectral mount's wings, causing her to lose balance and tip off of the air.

"Huh," Cyrus remarked. "... Weren't for the fact that I hate her guts, I'd probably fall in love with her for her prowess alone."

"Not going ask how your matrimonial customs works back in Battu," Claude nervously remarked.

"What does that mean?" he replied.

"Never mind."

"YOU FUCKING CUUUUUNNNNNTTSS!" screeched the falling Dark Flier. "YOU KNOW WHAT, SCREW YOU ALL!"

She then casts [Warp] onto herself before teleporting herself onto the mausoleum's ceiling and with her one free hand, her augmented fingers dug themselves into the stone.

"YOU CAN ALL DIE DOWN HERE!" she then began preparing [Quake Σ] to bring the literal house down upon their head. "I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN HELL-!"

But the hand that clung into the stone was then cut off by Topaz's thrown [Zulfiqar], whom despite its blade being dulled by Solon's parrying, was still sharp enough to cut through flesh and wiring with one swipe.

"Throw me," ordered Topaz as she caught the returning blade.

"Wat?" Selene remarked as she saw the Dark Flier with one arm short fall to her death.

"I SAID THROW ME!" the Espio then jumped off of the griffin's back, prompting the raptor mount to grab her with its frontal talons before swinging back a few times and then hurling her towards the falling Cleobulus.

Like a falcon diving towards its next meal, Topaz then latches herself onto the falling Agarthan, for which she then follows up by digging her clawed hand underneath the Dark Flier's face from behind. "Now... SHOW ME YOUR TRUE FORM!"

Topaz then rips the mask off along with Cleobulus's entire face, leaving nothing more than the fleshy undertone smoothed over by her skull's outline, as if the Espio had peeled an orange of its skin.

"YOU THINK THIS IS THE END?!" Cleobulus defiantly screamed as she and Topaz fell towards the mausoleum floor. "THIS ISN'T OVER! I SHALL RETURN!"

"Counting on it," the mutant Espio then plunges her fangs into the Dark Flier's throat right before she'd slammed the Agarthan into the ground upon falling from a great height. Even after Cleobulus's body was now about consistent as ground meat, Topaz made sure to devour her down to the very last bone while picking out her leftover enhancements. Upon finishing her meal, she then retrieves the [Staff of Circe] and tries to snap it in two with her knee, only for the latter to bounce off and remain sturdy. "... Shit. BYRON!"

"Right here!" the Eligor raised his hand right before Topaz tosses Solon's cane towards him.

"Can't break it, so you know how to use this?" she asked as she rubbed her throbbing knee.

"Let me tinker with it first," the armored spellcaster then begins flowing his own mana into the shaft as its cyan lines began to flow brightly. "... Okay, so I don't feel anything right now, nor I can exactly take control of that monster myself."

"Is that so?" Hubert spoke from behind, dragging the still-unconscious Edelgard himself.

"Where were you and here all this time exactly?" asked Topaz.

"Evading the rats so that my liege doesn't die of a heart attack," the Dark Knight replied. "... That said, it seems that save for the dragon, the enemy has been routed. Good work."

"No thank to you, you morose asshat," Byron muttered as he tried to fiddle with the [Staff of Circe] while Rhea was still clinging onto Vritra's head with her sword planted into its head and Karna now gathering his brainwashed rats to devour the Umbral Beast up to its shoulders.

"Well, if it's any help, here's my advice," spoke Hubert. "That dragon was created out of thin air, but what is it that is keeping it together?"

"Holding it together?" Topaz remarked as she then slurped up the peeled face of Cleobulus out of her removed mask, ignoring the taste of lead within the makeup. "Oh right! That exhibitionist clown bitch!"

"I get it," Byron remarked as he then used the same connection that was provided by the [Staff of Circe] to zero in on where Kronya and the [Chalice of Beginnings] was located within the Umbral Beast. "... I got a hit. Kronya's inside the dragon's frontal breast. She's become the literal heart of that creature."

"That settles it then," Topaz remarked. "Hubert, you join the others while piggybacking Edelgard. Me and Byron will spread the word and coordinate with everyone for our final plan of attack."

"Don't die in the meantime," the Dark Knight replied as they all then took off towards different directions. Topaz then ran towards Profressor Karna, while Byron and Hubert (with Edelgard in tow) ran towards where everyone else was gathered at.

"PROFESSOR!" Topaz cried out towards the wave of rats.

"What is it?!" he answered.

"Me and Byron figured out where that thing's weakness is located!" she pointed towards the flailing Vritra. "IT'S ITS HEART! LOCATED IN ITS BREAST! THAT KRONYA WOMAN IS IN THERE!"

"Thanks for the notice!" he replied as he then ordered his rats to concentrate their swarming towards its breast, only for their efforts to barely make an inch past its endlessly-regenerating flesh. "FUCK! IT'S HEALING TOO FAST!"

"Then leave that to us," spoke Byron as he and everyone else gathered before where the creature had remained anchored by the swarm of rats. "Everyone, aim for the parts that aren't being swarmed with rats. That thing can heal faster than we can hurt it? THEN HURT IT FASTER THAN IT CAN HEAL ITSELF!"

Rhea's sword was then slipped loose where it had sunk in right before she landed before the gathered crowd. "Heard your plan," the Archbishop remarked. "Let's do it so."

Everyone then casted their known spells, began shooting arrows and other miscellaneous projectiles, or throw whatever weapon they could find at the creature while Karna's rats all coordinated with the rest of the group to begin sanding down the Umbral Beast's defenses.

The monster then tries to exhales its surge of infernal black flames, only for its open mouth to be gagged with a [Flame Lance] shot by Cyrus's [Bowgun].

"Have to ask!" Dimitri remarked as he kept throwing his [Javelins] at the monster. "But how were you able to break such thing when I couldn't?"

"The trick is to break it on purpose," said the Battuian Bow Knight. "... Even children know basic object permanence growing up, Prince. For shame!"

Dimitri was left stunned as he then accidentally snapped his [Javelin] that he was about to throw in two. ... Am I doing all this just because I'm not conscientious enough?

Elsewhere, Selene was shooting from her [Crossbow] at the beast's eye, rupturing one of its pupils as evident by one of its glowing red reticles going dark. "ONE DOWN!"

"DON'T LET UP!" Rhea ordered as she casted [Aura] onto the abomination. "THAT THING MUST NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!"

Topaz, upon seeing her [Zulfiqar] get stuck inside the monster's cancerous flesh, latches herself onto the creature's body before begin taking huge bites out of it like if she were eating a succulent cut of steak. After eating herself into the creature until she was waist-deep, she then pulled out her trapped sword before running back into the crowd. "Okay, I seriously need to sharpen this thing."

"Since when was the last you did sharpen that weird-looking sword?" Hilda asked as she casted [Thunder] from her [Bolt Axe] (the same one that she'd thrown).

"Never," she replied as Sorcha next to her swung her [Adharma] blade with reckless abandon, enough so to cut off one of Vritra's wings in the process. "This sword can cut through a block of bronze just by dropping it blade-first. But as of today, I've found out that there are things more tougher than a block of bronze."

"None of us would've seen it coming," Marianne remarked as she casted [Aura]. "... Also, bad time to mention it, but now I'm out of spells I can use aside from my [Heal]."

"Same!" Yuri remarked as his [Levin Sword]'s topaz-colored luminescence turned dim. "... I'm out of charges, and only got one [Cutting Gale] left in my tank."

"THEN MAKE THIS OUR VERY LAST PUSH TOWARDS THE OFFENSIVE!" Byron roared as he then recalls Cleobulus's own [Luna Λ] spell and replicates its impact, firing a lunar projectile towards Vritra before exploding brilliantly, leaving behind a smoldering crater of cooked flesh. "IF ANYONE'S GOT ANY NEW SPELLS TO LEARN RIGHT NOW, NOW'S A GOOD TIME!"

"Incorrigible," Hubert shook his head as he casted [Death Γ] onto the Umbral Beast. But as the offense was being pushed forth, he then noticed that its regeneration was becoming slower the longer the barrage of kept up. "... What do you know? Brute force does work when it's applied correctly."

"ALRIGHT! TIME TO CLOSE IN AND HACK IT AWAY!" Cyrus rallied the group as he raised his [Gradivus]. "ANYONE WITH A PAIR OF WORKING ARMS AND A SHARP ENOUGH OF A WEAPON, FOLLOW ME!"

"Sheesh, who died and put him in charge?" muttered Hilda as she took up her [Freikugel].

"At least he's got the balls to do so," chuckled Balthus as he switched out his [Aura Knuckles] with his [Vajra-Mushti] Relic.

"Kid's got a good head on his shoulders when in the crucible," Jeralt remarked as he took up his [Silver Lance]. "... Now if he could only improve his personality."

The melee fighters then all charge in with the remainder of the group providing support fire to keep Vritra's head down. Byleth's [Sword of the Creator] opens up with a blazing lash that scored a deep cut into the monster's rib, followed up by Sorcha's [Adharma] blade sinking into the monster's body as the Vangaurd rammed her weapon into it, leading to Cyrus, Dedue, and Dimitri to attack the monster with their weapons to further strain the monster's regenerative properties. As soon as the Umbral Beast was pinned down by the melee fighters, Hilda and Balthus double-team the monster, landing a combo blow that causes the beast to slightly tip over to its side. Seizing the opportunity, Rhea, Topaz, and Vidar all then go under the beast's belly before using their combined strengths to then completely upend Vritra onto its back.

"... Good work!" Rhea heaved as she wiped the sweat off of her brows.

"Vidar... strong!" the War Master replied. "Together... stronger!"

Topaz then spots a fluff of orange hair peeking out from the closing wound of the monster. "... PROFESSOR!" she cried out. "I FOUND HER! SHE'S IN THE CLOSING CHEST WOUND!"

Against everyone's expectations, Karna then leaps off of his wave of rats with his [Scythe of Sariel] in hand, cutting the closing wound back open to reveal Kronya's face. Upon getting a good look at the Agarthan Assassin, he then locks [Gravity H+] onto her as he kept cutting through the writhing muscle fibers that tried to bury her back into Vritra's body.

"So close..." he muttered to himself as he pulled with his Dark Magic while hacking away at the regenerating muscles. "I am so close, I'm not letting this pass by me!"

In desperation, he then tosses his scythe aside and grabs Kronya by her head.

"I'M GETTING YOU OUT!" the Professor remarked as he physically pulled onto Kronya's head. "ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, MISSY!"

The fleshy tendrils then snapped one after another as the Assassin was slowly liberated from her fleshy prison.

With a loud yell and cranking his [Gravity H+] spell past its natural limits, Karna then successfully uproots Kronya out of Vritra, along with the [Chalice of Beginnings] that she'd held onto.

Now Vritra no longer having its core to stabilize its overall physiology, the Umbral Beast begins to violently convulse and spasm as it then lets out a shrill and pained roar akin to a dying animal.

"It's finally going down?!" Hilda remarked.

"Good riddance," grumbled Hubert, admittedly a little glad that this creature won't be used as leverage.

However, Karna himself wasn't satisfied on letting the monster die on its own. Drinking what was left inside the grail, the bequeathed surge of power of the Goddess then emits from his very being as he then picked up his dropped [Scythe of Sariel] and wound it back.

"Now die you monster," he snarled with bated breath. "You don't belong in this world."

Karna then roared as his wound-back scythe then unleashes a powerful slash across the monster, splitting Vritra across its twain, now its corpse resembling a deboned fish. With that final blow, the Umbral Beast is no more.

"... It's over," Aelfric then collapsed onto his knees in both exhaustion and an overwhelming wave of emotions. "... Rest in peace Sitri. My sins are beyond forgiveness."

Jeralt sighed at his former friend's pitiful state. "... Never got to say goodbye properly because of a certain someone," he then glared at the Archbishop. "... That said, the after-action reports are going to be a pain in the ass."

"I'll allow you to waiver said assignment, for information regarding this little... circumstances cannot be leaked to the public, no matter what," the Archbishop pointed out as she then turned towards Aelfric. "As for you, I'll decide what your punishment shall be, after the bureaucratic mess surrounding it is resolved. For now, you will turn yourself in, or I'll drag you into the cells myself."

The disgraced Cardinal bowed his head in great shame as Rhea then turned to Jeralt.

"And... about your men," she spoke as both she and Jeralt looked around, now ceasing tide of rats leaving nothing but bones of both friend and foe alike. "... Once we identify who's who, I'll inform their next of kin then bury them with full honors."

The Blade Breaker bitterly chuckles at the sight of his band of Blade Breakers now reduced to nothing but corpses. "... So much for that renegotiation."

"As for you," Rhea then turned towards Karna, the latter holding onto Kronya as the former then drew her sword. "Step aside, for she must die."

"Whoa, time out," Karna protested. "You know what you're planning to do is trying to kill the goose that lays the golden egg before it can even lay one, right?"

Rhea furrowed her brow in rising anger. "... What are you implying?"

"Look, patsy as she was, she had to have some extensive inside knowledge about our true enemy," explained Karna. "Now that her own side has effectively declared her all but useless, I'd say we turn their trash... into our treasure."

"And how are you to do such, Professor Karna Yuga?" asked Rhea, her sword still trained onto the unconscious Agarthan. "Not taking into account that her mere presence a massive security risk!"

"Eh, just give me about a shitton of nails, a wooden armchair, and a special order for the blacksmith," Karna replied. "Because as far as I'm concerned, only I can make this kind of gambit work. Shamir, I can probably trust, but Catherine? That woman will probably eat her alive before we get anything good out of her. And besides, rumor of the Archbishop herself torturing someone for information being spread around? That'd be bad for PR, so leave it to me, the Church's whipping boy. I'll get my hands dirty so that you don't have to. Of course, that is, if you're turning this golden opportunity down, then I assume you know more about the enemy then you let on, don't you?"

That last part corners Rhea mentally. With Karna putting her on the spot, she can't afford to indulge in his provocations before everyone's earshots lest she implicates herself.

"... Fine," Rhea then sheathes her sword. "... But I'm enforcing a joint liability. You fuck up even once, you and your students are heading to the gallows!"

"Since when have I failed you?" he smarmily replied. "I sure as hell didn't, given that the dragon didn't flatten you all with the rest of them because of me."

"You fucking killed my men!" Jeralt pointed out.

"Not my problem that they're not used to fighting while ankle-deep in rats," the Professor replied before he turned to the students staring at the remnant rat horde still scurrying about the floors of the mausoleum. "Speaking of, how are you all doing?"

Everyone sans the Dustbin groaned in exhaustion.

"If I see one more rat, it'll be too soon," Claude remarked as he comforted the nigh-traumatized Hilda embraced in his arms. "... No like, seriously. I can feel Hilda trembling."

"... I think I've seen enough rats for a lifetime," Marianne spoke plainly.

"Agreed," nodded Dedue as Ashe sobbed into his chest. "... My liege, are you alright?"

"Just exhausted," Dimitri answered. "... Nothing new."

"Yeah, same," Balthus agreed. "... Except for the really bad aftertaste. Ugh, fighting one fully-fledged dragon is enough, thank you."

"Never thought I'd hear those kind of words being uttered from you of all people," Constance commented.

"... Is anyone gonna talk about that zombie guy we just saw?" Hapi remarked.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Aelfric exclaimed, speaking for everyone unaware.

"To quote the Dustbin, no one would've believed if they said so up until now," Yuri pointed out. "... I'm inclined to agree."

"As you should," nodded Cyrus as he then looked underneath Darius's hooves. "Gonna have to clean these off soon... and maybe get a new set of horseshoes."

"And a bath," proposed Byron. "Two back-to-back confrontations, one of which being against a dragon... indeed, I think we're warranted to call it a day."

"At least tonite was a nite I'll neva' furgit," Selene nuzzled against Morrigan's head, the griffin chirping in reciprocation. "... Dat said, we're gunna 'ave walk out of here."

Everyone groans at the thought of that save for the Dustbin.

"... And you guys are okay with this?" Hilda pointed out as her voice trembled.

"I kinda saw it comin' about 5 miles away," Sorcha answered. "Just because yer muscles are sore doesn't mean dat ye can be a lazy-arse. Dat 'nd, does anyone 'ave an exit plan te begin with?"

The realization then hit both Jeralt and Rhea like a meteorite as the two then facepalmed.

"Damn, it," growled the Paladin. "I KNEW WE FORGOT TO INCLUDE A SUPPLY SQUAD!"

"I shall also share the blame," the Archbishop confessed. "... Admittedly, when read the letter by Karna, I saw red."

"Wonderful," Linhardt deadpanned. "So our options are either stay with the rats until help arrives or go ahead now and risk killing ourselves out of exhaustion."

"I ain't dat tired," Sorcha remarked. "Me 'nd Vidar can go on ahead."

"... Strong," the War Master remarked.

"Good, then send us help," Hubert remarked. But just before he could deliver another barb, he then heard a slight groan coming from next to his shoulder. "... Milady?"

Edelgard finally stirs herself awake back into the real world. "... What happened?" she asked as she groggily looked around. "... And where did all the rats go?"

"... Gone," Vidar answered. "... Dragon... burned all... of them-"

Edelgard blinked at the War Master suddenly stopping himself. "... Hm?" she wondered. "What's the matter-?"

Suddenly, she then heard a squeak. And then something small, warm, and fuzzy skittering right on top of her head.

She then looks up, and finds a rat that was perched on top of her head without anyone noticing it until now.

Her cheeks go ice-cold as her eyes rolled back, followed up by her knees giving out and fainting again on where she stood, her heavy plate armor clanging against the stone mausoleum floors.

"... Ha," Karna pointed at her unconscious form and laughed.

Eventually/about 6 hours later, a rescue team was sent to deliver them back to the surface thanks to a word from Sorcha and Vidar making it back to the monastery. Everyone who had been underground, sharing space with the rats while waiting for help to arrive were reported looking beyond ghastly, riddled with fleas, and suffering heavy insomnia for the following days, requiring that all of them needing immediate medical attention.

Aelfric's hearing date was now set, all entrances leading into the Lost Mausoleum were sealed off, and the Dustbin, in accordance to their efforts that contributed to their rescue of the expedition group (at least publicly; in reality, it was more or less a demanded compensation from Karna/him hogging the majority of the credit of taking out the Umbral Beast, while true, was still considered by many to be a dick move), were rewarded with the [Chalice of Beginnings], only now all of the powers of the Goddess was no more, making it safe for open use. It was then later reported that Cyrus was now drinking his alcohol out of it, and had inadvertently learned [Distant Counter] from said act, to which not even Byron could explain.

As for the Abyss, everything was reported to have gone back to normal, with the Ashen Wolves now taking provisional command of the day-to-day happenings of this underground society of Fodlan's rejects. Under their watch was now Kronya, now Agartha's ex-operative-turned prisoner, held in a secure cell, with her behavior being reported "despondent."

Sitri and Jeralt's men were given a proper funeral with full honors endowed by the Archbishop herself, Jeralt's employment under the Church of Seiros was now permanent on the account of the Blade Breakers being wiped out to the last man, and all classes were canceled for a whole week due to two Professors and several students needing to recover and Garreg Mach being short-staffed as it already is. The now-Captain of the Knight of Seiros's 5th Division, Jeralt Reus Einser, wasn't happy with this arrangement, even with a 200% pay raise from his initial contract.

Overall, the incident was to be recorded as the "Lost Incident," on the account that no sensitive/all information revolving this event were to be leaked to the public, and whoever done so were to be put to extrajudicial death.

---

2nd of Pegasus Moon, Night

---

Manuela sighs at the sight of the infirmary's cots being occupied familiar faces yet again. "... Why is it, when something happens, it is always you lot?"

"... Believe me, professor," chuckled Byron as he and his fellow students were wrapped snugly in bandages from head to toe. "I've been asking myself... the same question... for the past nine months."

"Well, at the painkillers are doing their job properly..." sighed the physician/head nurse before she walked out of the doors. "... Fucking psychopaths."

The Dustbin were then left by themselves in their own cots, the others already having left while Topaz herself has now taken pseudo-permanent residence in the Abyss on the account of her appearance and diet. As for their fellow bedmates who were down with them at the Lost Mausoleum, they were kept in different rooms on the account of Hilda attempting to murder Cyrus in his sleep (which resulted into a physical altercation that required outside intervention), which resulted in said rooming arrangement.

Once all outside presence was no more, the group then all gathered around the lit candlelight after getting out of their cots.

"... Okay guys, real talk," spoke Byron. "That last fight? Nearly fucking killed us all."

"Ye 'ave a point," Selene nodded. "... Dunno wat I was doin' with me class. Save fur de fact dat I 'ave a griffin."

"I mean, I wasn't doing too badly," Cyrus remarked. "I think you guys are just being overly anxious. We're all doing just fine-"

"Nah, Byron's got a point," Sorcha intervened. "I 'eard from Topaz. We fought de Seven Sages, but we never won against dem by ourselves, rite?"

Vidar nods. "... Together... stronger," he remarked. "... But enemy... know that... so they... divide us first."

"Meaning we're going to have to get stronger than we are now individually," Byron explained. "We've gotten too complacent in our current state of power. I mean, aside from Cyrus, Vidar, and maybe Sorcha, does any of us know what our new powers are capable of?"

"... Come to think of it, I think that's why Professor Yuga never promoted mid-battle," Cyrus pointed out. "... He was sticking to what he knew best because the environment wasn't safe enough."

"To which I take full responsibility," apologized Byron before he then took out a notepad and a quill pen. "That said, I propose a training plan for all of us. Once we're allowed to leave this place, we'll begin our training once we inevitably get out onto the field. Our current unknowns are that of the Eligor, Vanguard, Griffin Knight, and Espio. While our current prior knowledges are that of Bow Knight and War Master. So our little homework will be figuring out what these new classes can do, and how are they to synergize with our known two Master Classes."

"So how long are ye thinkin' of doin' dis?" asked Sorcha.

"Current pattern recognition dictates... I'd say about until the end of this month," Byron replied. "I mean, throughout this whole school year, something always seems to happen. I'd say that time would be the best time to test our mettle, and during that time, we'll be ready."

"Sounds gud," nodded Selene as she got back up and returned to her cot. "Rite, I'm gunna sleep me pain away."

"Comin' rite up," Sorcha remarked before letting out a yawn as she followed her twin back to her cot (the twins sometimes share the same bed).

"Raid preparation includes rest, so might as well," yawned Cyrus as he returned to his bed. "Goodnight, and don't let the bedbugs bite."

"... Byron," Vidar asked. "... You going... sleep?"

"In a moment," he replied as his bandaged friend then slid himself underneath his covers while Byron began writing down the actual plan in candlelight, starting from the list of spells that he could learn from the three branches of Faith, Reason/Black, and Dark Magics, and then a sort of "wish-list" of spells that he desires to learn.

He scribbles [Berserk] (from Topaz's testimony and Remire Village's destruction as a cross-reference) underneath [Faith Magic], "stronger version of the [Fimbulvetr] spell" (after getting a closer look at Linhardt's [Excalibur] and using [Wind] spell with his newly-pilfered [Hurricane Axe]) underneath [Reason/Black Magic], and [Bohr X] and [Quake Σ] (two powerful spells he'd never heard of until recently and inspired by his also-pilfered [Staff of Circe] that belonged to Solon of the Seven Sages) underneath [Dark Magic].

For the first in a long time in his life, a fire was lit within Byron's heart. A fire called "desire" was burning brighter than that of the sun itself.

---

To Be Continued...

---

Support Conversations:

---

- Selene and Cyrus (B):

Selene: Oi, ye ever thought about takin' de skies yerself?

Cyrus: Never thought of that, why?

Selene: ... It's kinda funny, dat de ones keepin' us down are de ones takin' de skies. I mean, ye think dat they enjoy that kind of freedom so much, dat dey think der betta den us?

Cyrus: Arrogance, I tell you! But you know, I can sort of understand their fear. The fear of us being free as the wind.

Selene: ... Ye think dat dey dun't like de danger dat comes with freedom?

Cyrus: I mean, if you think about it, I think that might be the reason why Battu doesn't have pegasi. We'd be shooting them out of Father Sky's domain until they go extinct!

Selene: *snort* Dat actually sounds kinda funny.

Cyrus: But as for your question... I think I'll stick to riding Darius.

Selene: Why so?

Cyrus: At least when I fall off, I'm not guaranteed to die upon landing. I was taught how to fall from a horse and recover properly ever since I was a kid before I was then taught how to wrestle someone else off of their horse while holding my position.

Selene: Damn. Ye must got balls of steel den.

Cyrus: ... Care to find out yourself?

Selene: Ahahaha, fat chance, mate. Ye stick te yer ground, I'll look up te de skies so dat I can dream of looking down on everyone else.

Cyrus: Just don't dream of shooting arrows from up there. At us, specifically.

Selene: Pft, ye think dat I'm dat much of a cunt?

Cyrus: Trust me, arrogance isn't a good look for you unless you want to be a Fodlaner.

*both then share a laugh*

Selene: ... Bloody 'ell, yer rite! I mean, imagine if I started wearin' one of dose dresses and started worryin' about me looks over me weapons!

Cyrus: Or worse, become another Hilda. Then I'd have to kill you.

Selene: Peh, I'd sooner die.

Cyrus: One way or the other, I can assure you that much.

Selene: ... So, how can ye be yerself dis whole time without goin' nuts?

Cyrus: Really, I just think about the future. Sure, I was a wreck before the Professor came. Around that time, I was so scared for my chances of coming back home to my people that I started to contemplate suicide. But then I realize that if I die in a land where Mother Earth and Father Sky can't see me, then only oblivion would be waiting for me, devouring me whole.

Selene: ... Dat's not answerin' me question and yer terrifyin' me.

Cyrus: I guess... you just gotta find hope to reclaim yourself. Anything that you can hope for should do.

Selene: ... Can't think of any.

Cyrus: No need to rush. Until you find your hope, I'll be sure that none of us leave your side, alright? It'd be a dick move if we did so.

Selene: *snicker, snort* ... Thanks I guess.

---

- Vidar and Cyrus (B):

Vidar: *happily humming while riding atop of Darius while Cyrus is walking by his side, holding the latter's bridle*

Cyrus: Wow. Like, I cannot believe what am I seeing right now. This is like, the first time I saw Darius willingly let someone other than me ride on his back. Hell, first I rode on him when I was a kid, he tried to buck me off constantly!

Vidar: ... Vidar... strong. Darius... also strong. Both know... we agree... that much.

Cyrus: ... You know, when you put it that way, it kinda makes me look stupid worrying about you.

Vidar: ... Fear... is natural... when unknown... exists. ... Also... I am also... afraid... before I... tried on... riding horse.

Cyrus: Speaking from experience?

Vidar: ... Knights of Faerghus... not heroes to me... or Byron. ... Just better armed... bandits... with stronger homes.

Cyrus: Well, at the end of the day, when all chips are down, might makes right. But really, you're in a good place, all things considered. If strength was a currency, Vidar, you'd be a king of your own nation.

Vidar: ... You strong too... you wish... to be king?

Cyrus: Eh... not really. I mean, I only became strong for the sake of my folks back at Battu. I mean, if they elect me as Kahn, then I'll do the job, but I'm not exactly gunning for it. I'm perfectly content raiding local settlements, taking their women and children and putting their men and elderly to the sword. My people's lives are my sole priority. You guys happened to count by association.

Vidar: ... Vidar also strong... because for someone else.

Cyrus: Byron?

Vidar: ... Vidar can be king... but what king be like... when alone... and cold?

Cyrus: ... Yeesh, that's a fate worse than death. Rest assured, as long as I live, I will not abandon any of you. None of us shall be alone, whether we die of old age or by another's sword.

Vidar: ... Promise?

Cyrus: *bites his thumb to let out blood* A blood oath to our camaraderie.

---

Author's Notes: Finally, the Abyss Arc is done. And a whole lot of shit happened in-between.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, volunteering at the local library twice a week, still looking for internship and if that doesn't work, I'm going to have to find a workable position at one of the many eateries that are near me. Need to find something to do besides play Monster Hunter all day.

As for the fic itself, Vritra the Umbral Beast has been taken out... with less pain than expected. Although in the Agarthans' defense, despite their preparations, it was their first time trying to make a Demonic Beast from the ground up and take control of it directly. While it worked, literally no one saw that an infinite amount of rats would be the thing that would come and ruin everyone's (literally, friend or foe, no one was spared from the torment) day. If it weren't for Karna, the students would've joined the casualties, at minimum.

That said, the expedition actually surviving was nothing short of a miracle of in it of itself. Plaguebearer, now in his version, has become a threat whether he's on his horse or not, and his own anti-infantry specialization has gotten deadlier while being harder to kill due to his armor now bouncing off spells that normally roast Fortress Knights in their own armor, and had to resort to unconventional measures to pin him down and shut his gas down. And with his identity as Miklan now revealed to the students, word's gonna travel fast and it will have consequences.

Cleobulus was only hampered by the fact that she had to double-duty commanding Vritra while attending to others trying to shoot her down, and even then, she was holding off several students while metaphorically (and literally) one-handed. The only reason why she was taken out was that she lost her temper at the wrong time/right at the moment when Topaz and Selene got the drop on her and even then, Cleobulus's isn't too bothered by her death, since she states that she'll be back. In short, it took over a dozen people working together to take out a single Sage, and the latter didn't make it easy while she was preoccupied with something else.

On the plus side, the Umbral Beast Vritra is now dead, Kronya has been taken as Karna's prisoner (the jailer is now under joint liability with the Dustbin students as his "beneficiaries") where she'll be made to spill information whether she likes it or not, Cyrus and Karna drank from the [Chalice of Beginnings] and both gained [Distant Counter] (with the former now keeping the de-powered grail as his personal drinking cup), and humbled by their near-death experiences (and fighting a fucking dragon), the Dustbin now make huge plans to train themselves up to master their new powers so that the next time they fight a Sage, they'll at least stand a chance.

And with Jeralt surviving past his canon expiration date, there's also consequences. No fate can be as more bittersweet than ending up in a job that pays better but utterly loathes, and combined with seeing his wife die as a monster and his former friend being arrested and made to stand trial, combined with him losing all of his subordinates thanks to Karna's intervention (which ultimately saved him, but him rubbing that fact into everyone's faces didn't help), one may wonder if Jeralt would prefer dying back then to spare himself of this sight.

Well, I'm taking a week off from writing to just readjust myself and my other fic's notes. The next chapter will be an interim single-shot chapter before another big arc starts up. See you all then.

References:

- Karna's "motivation" to the rats under his [Vermintide Z+] is a reference to Abyss King Dethnaarok VIII's speech to the Sanagim footsoldiers from Ohsama Sentai King Ohger.

- Rhea's desire to get close to Vritra to hit it with her sword is a reference to a meme from Warhammer 40K.

- Dimitri's comment of the [Flame Lance] not breaking is a reference to Fire Emblem Engage's weapons not having a durability meter like in the majority of the games of the same franchise.

- Topaz's sneak attack to Cleobulus is based off Joker's Ambush animation from Persona 5 (right down to the catchphrase) and Yujiro Hanma ripping off Ryu Kaioh's face during Baki's Raitai Tournament Arc.

- Manuela's expression of disbelief to the hospitalized Dustbin is based off Professor McGonagall's expression to the main trio from Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince.