In the Somniel, David and Cheetah had just finished another sparring match and were just headed to the restaurant to make a meal for themselves.
"Hoo… Those bouts can really take the wind out of us if we're not careful. How many times has that been now?" David asked.
"I've lost count, honestly. But I am nonetheless glad we are doing them. They remind me of our early days when our rivalry started." Cheetah said.
"Yeah… We haven't fought each other in so long, I actually kind of missed it." David said. "The rush of having to make a decision in a split-second. I haven't felt that in a long time."
"I'd say we are ready to return to the others now. Hopefully we will be able to keep up with them." Cheetah said.
David sighs. "I've been thinking about that, actually. I always try to project myself as this cool, smart and talented guy that everyone can look up to. But all they got was… Yeah. I got so worked up over what others thought of me, I was practically going batty. Add that with senior year exams, university applications, my job and the other hobbies I've been keeping track of, and I felt like I was going insane at points. I was actually slowly stopping being me."
"Perhaps you've been stretching yourself too thin. Even you must learn to relax once in a while." Cheetah said.
"I suppose. But what about you? Do you have anything to take away from this?" David asked.
"I believe at the end of the day, when it comes to me… even if I grow stronger, there are always times I must look back and see what I need to improve, so I can do better. Rosado and Goldmary rang true at the Grand Crossing. I musn't be too predictable." Cheetah said.
"I don't think that's going to be enough. You need to give your enemies a reason to be afraid of you." David said.
"I suppose you're right… but what could that be?" Cheetah asked. "Even I don't know the answer myself right now."
"You pride yourself in being a cheetah, right? Maybe you just need to rely on your instincts a bit more than normally." David said. "Then again, there have been a few things that have been getting to us recently too. Masakado's destruction, your tenure with Claude, not to mention…Esmeralda and Glacius' lobotomization. I think the latter one hit us both especially hard."
"It wasn't really a lobomization, it was a memory wipe. And that one was not your fault." Cheetah said. "They signed on with that Thomas person before even knowing you. It was their choice at the time."
"I suppose so. But I still can't help but feel responsible. If they hadn't met us during the Tokyo Games, then maybe… Nah. I'm just speaking in hypotheticals at this point. This may have ended up being the best for them." David said.
"Yes. Though, I feel responsible since it happened under my watch. If only I realized what was going to happen sooner…" Cheetah said.
"Hey, hey. There was no way anyone was going to know what was going to happen. We'll just have to take it for what it is." David said as he saw Froslass and Luxray at the entrance. "Oh, look. Even our Pokemon were worried about us. What have we been doing to ourselves? I guess this is proof that I still have a lot to learn."
"Yes, well, we'll work on that for sure." Cheetah said as her comm rang out. "That was Nesma. They are headed for Destinea Cathedral."
"Destinea…Cathedral? I think that e-mail Mark forwarded us said something about that." David said as he took out his phone and scoured the e-mails before seeing Mark's as his eyes shrunk at the realization. "Oh no…"
"What is it?" Cheetah asked.
"They're about to lose the Emblem Rings…" David said.
"And if they aren't prepared, the Bracelets as well." Cheetah realized.
"Urg… We gotta get down there and get them out of that trap. But what can we do? As we are now, we don't stand a chance against Sombron. No one does!" David said.
"Perhaps there's another way we can assist them. At this time, the others had to have spared Princess Ivy, correct? Along with her retainers, Kagetsu and Zelkov?" Cheetah said.
"Um… Y-yes. Yes, I believe they have." David said.
"Let's seek them out, and inform them of the upcoming events." Cheetah said. "It's risky, but the more Princess Ivy knows, the better her convictions to help save Elyos will be."
"Well… It seems like the best shot we got right now. Alright, let's do it!" David said.
"There is still the matter of Princess Hortensia, however. She will no doubt be tricked by her father into believing her sister is dead at their hands." Cheetah said.
"We can worry about Hortensia later. Right now, we gotta get to Ivy." David said.
"Then I hope you don't mind if I can give you a lift aboard the Zi-O Liner."
A new voice garnered their attention as they saw a young woman with short turquoise hair with a small 'E" hairclip around the forehead, had grey eyes, wearing a grey coat with a white and light-blue shirt underneath along with wearing a purple tie and also with necklace that says E-mc2, short grey pants, black bands on her thighs, and also black and grey boots with black socks underneath.
"I'm sure the Rebellion mentioned my name before, but allow me to introduce myself." The woman spoke. "My name is Doctor Albert Einstein of Kiana's world in the Xross-Verse. And yes, I'm a female in that world. Anyway…" She showed the text message on her Zikan Phone. "Zeo ordered the deployment of the Zi-O Liner for the Hero Alliance's escape plan, so if you wish to hurry and help, get on the train. And David Ishihara, I'll even let you drive it since the controls is a motorcycle."
"You sure that's a good idea? I've been known to be…a bit reckless." David said.
"As long as you can drive a motorcycle better than Tsubasa considering her history of crashing her bikes." Einstein smirked.
"...Now you're speaking my language." David smirked as he and Cheetah followed Einstein to the Zi-O Liner parked near the edge of the Somniel.
"Surprised you were able to get that here." Cheetah said.
"We have our ways of doing so." Einstein replied. "Now come, we have work to do."
"Yeah. Let's get on." David said.
As the group trudged through the snow filled landscape to Destinea Cathedral, they spotted Veyle in the distance.
"Veyle-chan?" Hibiki said in surprise as they approached Veyle. "What are you doing here in this snowy region?"
"Yeah, you shouldn't be out here with your injury." Chopper said.
"I…I don't know." Veyle said.
"You don't know? How can you not remember?" Subaru asked.
"Well, how about you all? You look worried. Is something the matter?" Veyle asked.
"She's right. We need to get to the cathedral." Jexi said.
"If it's the cathedral you're looking for, head that way." Veyle said, pointing to a different direction.
"Oh, thanks for the directions, Veyle-chan." Houki replied.
"Uh-huh. You're close. See the really tall tree over there? Use that as a landmark. I owed you all for patching me up the other day. That was so kind…" Veyle said before noticing something. "Huh. Were you wearing that ring before, Alear?"
"Yes. It's very important to me." Alear said.
"I didn't notice it the other day. It's pretty. Really…pretty…" Veyle said as if in a trance near the end.
"Uhh… Veyle?" Gunvolt asked.
"Em…blem…Ring…" Veyle said dazily as she moved closer and held her hand out.
"Veyle!" Alear called as Veyle snapped out of it.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I'd better be on my way!" Veyle said before running off.
"(What was that?)" Ace thought as he sensed something.
"(Not good, her other self is slowly taking over.)" Geiz thought with a frown while watching Veyle leave.
"Guys, before we go any further, there's something I need to address." Zi-O spoke to the Alliance. "The Rebellion's not coming with you."
"Huh?!" The rest of Team XDR exclaimed.
"But why? We're supposed to go in there and stop the ritual!" Maria said.
"I know, but someone needs to prepare an escape route in case things go south." Zi-O stated. "In addition, I need to confiscate the Emblem Bracelets for this mission only. You're coming with us too Dan, since I can't take off your bracelet."
"I get it. We can't risk Sombron and the Four Hounds to notice the Emblem Bracelets, or else they'll go after them and corrupt them too." Geiz realized.
"Oh yeah, I'll also need to confiscate the Draconic Time Crystal. Can't let them have that one either." Zi-O said. "But don't worry, I promise to return them to you guys after we escape Elusia."
"We understand." Ace said. "This will only be temporary, your Majesty." he said to Veronica as he handed her Bracelet to Zi-O. The rest of the Alliance also handed over the other Bracelets and the Dragonic Time Crystal.
"Dan, you gonna be okay?" Natsu asked.
"Don't sweat it. All I gotta do is swoop in and save ya if you guys get caught." Dan said.
"Actually Dan, we're going to save them in a different way, so expect a lot of drilling involved." Zi-O said.
"I'll have our Roy rendezvous with you all as well." Ace said.
"Fine by me." Zi-O noted. "Well then, best of luck, Hero Alliance. You're gonna need it."
With that, Team XDR and Dan stayed behind while the Alliance went ahead to Destinea Cathedral.
"Now then…" Zi-O pulled out his Zikan Phone and contacted someone with a text message. "Time to catch our train."
Meanwhile at Destinea Cathedral…
"Aw, the snow's really coming down out there." Hortensia groaned.
"Yeah, the cathedral always gets hit harder than anywhere else, huh?" Rosado asked.
"And Ivy's late. We've been waiting here for ages. What if she never comes? Maybe things went bad at Brodia Castle and she didn't survive…" Hortensia dreaded.
"No way! Princess Ivy can handle herself!" Rosado assured.
"Thanks, Rosado. You're sweet." Hortensia said. "Ugh… Why is this happening, anyway? Ever since Lord Sombron was released, Father's been acting weird. He used to be so kind to me! But since they came into the picture, it's like I hardly exist."
"You mean the ones who showed up at Elusia Castle with Lord Sombron?" Rosado asked.
"Yeah. That kid with the hood and the four weirdos who follow her around. Father probably only likes them because they brought him so many rings. I thought if I could get him some, he might praise me like he used to… Heh, look how that turned out!" Hortensia said.
"I'm sorry, Hortensia…" Rosado apologized.
"It's not your fault. What happened at the Grand Crossing with those Heroes…that was all me. I just… I don't have any clue what Father's up to. I don't know why he wants the rings or what this ritual's about. I'm totally in the dark!" Hortensia said as Goldmary entered the room.
"Hortensia? Pardon me for interrupting." Goldmary said.
"Hey, Goldmary." Hortensia greeted.
"King Hyacinth has asked you to join him at the altar. And he wants you to have this." Goldmary said as she pulled out a ring, it was black with a grey design as it had a purple gemstone.
"An Emblem Ring?" Hortensia asked.
"Whoa, the king gave you another one, huh?" Rosado asked.
"He said you should wear it and prepare yourself for battle." Goldmary said.
"That must mean the Divine Dragon and the Hero Alliance are coming. Good. I'll get some answers about what happened at Brodia Castle. Let's go, you two." Hortensia said.
The group had soon arrived as they stood before a large cathedral.
"I can hear chanting." Jiro said, plugging into the walls. "Looks like they've already gotten started."
"Let's head inside, quickly." Alear said before Marth appeared with an uneasy expression.
"Hold on a moment." Marth said.
"Is something wrong, Prince Marth?" Minerva asked.
"I sense the Fell Dragon's presence. He's waiting for us inside the cathedral. We're not ready to fight him. If the ritual has been completed, we should retreat. And even if it hasn't, I think we had best escape at the first sign of danger." Marth advised.
"Zeo said he's got our backs in case things go south. Nesma, you also notified Cheetah and David, right?" Hope asked.
"Yes. I contacted Minerva with a message before we arrived." Nesma said. "Nevertheless, we must be prepared for the worst."
"(She's right… this was the moment in time Richard warned about in his letter to Mark where things take a real tone shift.)" Hope thought.
Mark knew it too. "(The second we go face to face with Sombron, it's all gonna go crazy. In that case…) Marth…no matter what happens in there, we swear to you…Sombron's not gonna win. We're all coming home, no matter what. And that's not a promise; it's a fact."
"Alright. But we shouldn't stay any longer than we have to. Whatever we do, we must avoid a direct encounter with the Fell Dragon." Marth said.
With that, the group headed inside the cathedral. As they entered, they stood before King Hyacinth in the Cathedral's altar, Hortensia with him.
"I bid you welcome to Destinea Cathedral. We're so happy to greet you, loathsome Divine Dragon." King Hyacinth said.
"None of that talk, Hyacinth. We're not here to be talked down to." Connor said.
"Alas, your presence indicates that Ivy lost her battle. A predictable outcome, of course. You don't appear to have taken her captive. I assume her body has been left for the birds." King Hyacinth said.
"You mean my sister… is dead?" Hortensia asked, a feeling of anger starting to take hold.
Alear was about to jump straight to asking where King Morion was, making the first fatal mistake as warned by Richard's letter, but Hope stopped her.
"No, Princess Hortensia, your father doesn't know what he's talking about. Your sister is alive and well, we spared her after the battle at the border." Hope assured.
Ace looked to the left of the altar as he saw King Morion, but something was wrong. "No…"
As Morion turned around, he revealed he was already a Corrupted.
"Dammit, we're too late!" Ragna said.
"Indeed you are. As you can see, the ritual has been carried out." King Hyacinth said with a condescending smirk.
"Alcryst, Diamant… I'm sorry." Miriam said.
"Hyacinth… you bastard!" Diamant said.
"We have to leave at once, everyone. Call a retreat without delay." Marth said.
"We can't!" Alear said.
"King Morion is beyond our aid." Marth said.
"Not entirely. There might be another way to help him. Laura, Leonora, do either of you think you could…?" Wizard Noelle asked.
"Noelle, what you are about to suggest is beyond wishful thinking." Leonora said. "The only way his soul can be at peace is by striking him down."
"She is right. Both his soul and flesh have been corrupted beyond saving. He cannot become an Einherjar, I'm sorry." Laura A. said.
"And it is too late for any of you to run." King Hyacinth said as the doors behind them closed.
"Well, so much for that. Guess we're doing this." Yang said.
"This grand cathedral will serve as your grave. Thanks to your impetuousness, you brought the rings unto my very hand." King Hyacinth said.
"We don't fear you, we pity you." Simon said.
"We are not trapped in a cathedral full of your soldiers and Corrupted. You are all trapped in here with us!" Lorenz said as everyone prepared for battle.
Hyacinth's men assumed their attack positions along with the Corrupted, including Hortensia Rosado and Goldmary, who guarded the door to the altar, stationed at the stairs leading up to it as King Morion was in the altar blocking the path to Hyacinth as he growled.
"We can't save Morion...but I think Hope might've gotten through to Hortensia back there earlier. Should we try and talk her down?" Sakura said.
"Defeating her will only result in making things worse. If we can get her to see the truth now, we can avoid any future altercations." Lysithea said.
"We'll have to reach her first before that happens. Let's get to it!" Connor said.
"It looks like she has a different Emblem Ring on her too. Isn't that…" Balthus said.
"It appears to be the Ring of the Instructor." Vander said.
"Byleth's ring." Theo said.
"Me?" Female Byleth asked.
"It looks to be your Male Counterpart." Mari said.
"I see…" Female Byleth said. "I don't really approve of seeing a version of myself used this way."
"Then we should do something about it." Caspar said. "Already knocked down her sister, what's one more?"
"Remember, don't go too hard on her or her retainers, we need them all alive. If we can convince them here, that's one less problem to worry about." Betty said.
With that, the group advanced. Elusian flyers tried to rush them before they could get up either of the first two staircases, but the long ranged units shut them down. Rosado however was able to get in close among the fliers as he and Goldmary advanced down opposite sides.
"How dare you make Hortensia sad!" Rosado said.
"Don't get your locks in a twist, pretty boy. Like Hope said, we spared Princess Ivy. She's alive and well, you gotta believe us!" Connor said.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Rosado demanded.
"Aelita let you go at the Grand crossing before, remember?" Connor recalled. "When Hortensia had the Ring of the Princess Exalt, they could've kept going, but she let you guys go. They were hell bent on roughing Hortensia up, but Aelita let you escape."
"That doesn't mean you would do the same for Ivy." Rosado pointed out. "Ivy wouldn't have run. She… she would've accepted it."
Mark, after punching a flier in the face, overheard the conversation. "Actually, she did accept death when she thought it was gonna happen!" he said. "But…we're not gonna let you all off that easy."
"...Excuse me?" Rosado asked..
"Well, think about it. If you all die, you'd never be able to answer for your crimes. You want to erase your guilt, you're all gonna have to work for it! And I think Ivy gets that. Working to atone for your mistakes…that's what it means to worship the Divine Dragon, right?" Mark asked.
This caused Rosado to stop. "Wait…then, you know that Princess Ivy…?"
"Yeah, figured you three would know that." Mark said. "Yes, Ivy told us about her beliefs. Part of why I decided not to punch her. We just let her get spooked by a ghost instead."
"The ghost was not amused." SE spoke up.
"Point is, Princess Ivy's alive. You wanna keep fighting us, then that's your choice. But if you feel that what your country is doing is wrong - and I'm fairly certain you do - then this is the chance to stop it. You can't change this from the inside…so maybe you gotta do it from the outside!" Mark offered.
Rosado took Mark's words into consideration before lowering his weapon. "Alright, I'll listen to you for now. But you'd better be true to your word about this."
"Good. Now you should get outta here before some even crazier stuff goes down." Kaito said.
"Okay. Sorry I got so mad before. Not very cute of me, I know. I was just feeling bad for Hortensia. I was right before, at the bridge. You guys are pretty nice. I'll see you guys later, and please convince Goldmary and Hortensia so we can all come back alive." Rosado said, flying off.
"We got Rosado convinced! How's it goin' with Goldmary?" Connor asked the other side of the staircase.
"Could be better if she wasn't trying to kill us!" Kazuma said as Goldmary was attacking the ones who went up the right staircase.
"Please reconsider! As a goddess, I can guarantee you'll be well taken care of." G. Aqua said.
"Uh huh…nice try. I know someone's homeless when I see them." Goldmary said.
"Ouch…" Michiru said. "Even still though, we're telling the truth!"
"All that matters to me right now is making Hortensia happy again." Goldmary said. "I must insist now, please die."
Goldmary swung her sword at the group advancing up the steps, not open to reason just yet.
"Looks like we're gonna have to be a little more hands on with this lady!" Ethox said, parrying a strike of hers.
Goldmary went for another attack, but Darkness deflected her attack. This was followed up by Ethox disarming her after a quick combo and knocking her down to the ground. But Goldmary discovered that even after that, Ethox didn't go for the finish.
"You're… sparing me?" Goldmary asked.
"You seem nice. Plus, I wouldn't wanna kill someone who's so close to Hortensia." Ethox said. "That should be proof enough we didn't kill Ivy, right?"
"We know she worships the Divine Dragon." Kazuma said. "I even got photos of her subs hauling her out after she fainted…"
"She what?" Goldmary blinked in confusion. "You didn't…."
"Nonononono, she fainted cause she saw Stoplight Eye!" Megumin quickly explained. "A ghost!"
"I was about to say that! Jeeze..." Kazuma said. "Point is, we didn't kill her, she's alive, and she and Hortensia can have a happy sisterly reunion later. You're welcome."
"Cadzuma may be a lot of things but he does not lie." Ram said.
"Are you sure?" Goldmary asked.
"Yes, even if he is sick and depraved." Ram said.
Goldmary took a moment to think before lowering her weapon. "Fine. You'd better not lie about this, or you're going to get it from me."
Goldmary then retreated after saying her piece to them.
"Well…I think that turned out nice." Subaru said.
"...Yeah." Kazuma grumbled, reluctantly accepting the L. "Nice one, Pinky."
"Same to you, Kazu-trash." Ram said.
"What good friends." Ethox said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Okay, we just got Goldmary!" he said on the comm.
"That only leaves Hortensia. Hopefully I got to her before this popped off…" Hope said.
They advanced up the stairs and took down more Elusians and Corrupted before facing Hortensia herself as she guarded the door to the altar.
"I'll only ask this once. Did you or did you not take my sister from me?" Hortensia asked.
"Rosado and Goldmary believed us when we told them Ivy was alive, so you know we weren't lying." Hope said. "Besides, you're just like your sister in every way."
"Huh?" Hortensia asked.
"I mean, c'mon, who are you even doing this for? Hyacinth or Sombron?" Hope said. "Hyacinth doesn't care about you or your sister! Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Ivy to fend for herself out on the border with no Emblem Ring."
"Father really did that?" Hortentisa asked.
"I know you're not like your father, Hortensia. You can feel something's wrong." Hope said. "You have to have thought at one point that things haven't been the same ever since this whole thing started."
"You… knew what I was thinking?" Hortensia gasped in surprise.
"Just a hunch. I've seen plenty of people who've questioned their own authority figures. You're no different. As my friend Mark says, the eyes tell it all." Hope said.
Hortensia looked at Hope's eyes for a few seconds before speaking. "To be honest, my father used to be a kind man to me and Ivy, but that all changed when Sombron was revived. His four followers didn't make things better either." She then sighed while lowering her tome. "What a mess… Where is my sister now?"
"She's still out on the Elusian countryside, but she's still alive. I bet right about now, she's thinking up a way to free Elusia from this chaos." Hope said. "As Second princess to the kingdom, you'd better do the same."
Hortensia thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, this country is beyond saving unless Sombron is dealt with, but not now, not when he's become this powerful. I'll rendezvous with my retainers and leave Elusia for the time being, and hopefully find my sister somewhere. Stay safe and please stop my father, alright?"
Hortensia then fled from the area.
"You realize she fled with Byleth's ring right?" Jexi said.
"We'll worry about that later. We have more important things to take care of." Sectonia said.
With that, the group busted down the doors to the altar and faced down King Morion's corrupted body.
"King Morion… We know that this whole thing…might've been your fault with your constant attacks on Elusia…" Alphamon said. "But seeing you in that state is even more unsettling. Do not worry, though. We will ensure your soul is laid to rest."
"Graaaargh!" Corrupted Morion growled.
"Please rest peacefully, King Morion." Azura said as she held up her Blessed Lance.
Brandishing his Silver Sword, the corrupted king charged Azura, jumping to go for an overhead strike. Azura twirled and dodged the attack before spinning her lance and striking with a thrust into Corrupted Morion's chest as he cried out in pain.
Jumping back, Corrupted Morion growled as he switched out his Silver Sword for a Tomahawk, charging towards the songstress once more.
Azura remained composed, however, her feet light as she stepped aside the slice of the axe. "More to the left…" she aimed her lance, plunging it straight into the Corrupted's unbeating heart as he slumped back a bit.
"Raa…argh… Strong of body… Strong of heart…" Corrupted Morion groaned before his body crumbled and disappeared.
"Indeed you were." Azura said, lowering her lance and closing her eyes. "Rest well, your majesty."
"Tell me. How did you all feel about the new Brodian king? Once Lord Sombron drank his blood, we had no need of him. But we corrupted him…for you. Am I not generous? You all can show your gratitude by dying." King Hyacinth said as he engaged with Lyn.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to pass on that offer." Sachiko said.
"And besides, you're one who will be paying for your crimes here." Yuri said.
King Hyacinth then used Lyn's Emblem ability as four illusory doubles appeared around him, all wielding Mulagir.
"Body doubles? Is this Lyn's Emblem ability?" Al asked.
"Looks like it. They may seem extremely frail, but don't let that fool you. They'll launch a bombardment on us if we're not careful." Sachiko said.
"Then we better take them out quick before they overwhelm us." Ajna said.
"Hmm…yeah….I think I got it!" Female Byleth said as she drew her sword as she ran close to one of the Hyacinths as the other doubles vanished after he had been hit.
"But…how did…" he said.
"Your doubles are impressive…but…it's a shame only the real one can cast a shadow." Female Byleth said.
"Heh, they always forget the shadows!" ZS smiled as he quickly dashed to join F!Byleth, landing two punches on the king before he flipped his board up and slammed it into Hyacinth's face, breaking his nose. "Bing, bang, and a boom!"
"Please, no more! No more!" King Hyacinth pleaded as the group had him cornered.
"We've won, Hyacinth. It's over." Alear said.
"Get away! Do not come near me!" King Hyacinth said.
"Wow, you get your nose broken, and you're begging for mercy?" ZS asked. "Come on, at least try to throw a punch, dude! Man, how you beat Morion, I'll never know…"
"Uh… ZS? We SAW how he beat Morion." Sachiko said.
"Well then, why isn't he doing the same thing now?" ZS asked.
"That's…a good question, actually." Mark said. "Either he can't do it too often or…" he started before a thought struck him. "...It's part of the trap! Everyone, back away now!"
A blast of dark magic tried to hit as the group dodged the attack as they saw the hooded figure from Lythos.
"It's you. The one who killed my mother." Alear said.
"Oh, thank you, thank you! I thought I was finished there." King Hyacinth said.
"I'm not being merciful. Merely pragmatic. The ritual was a success. The Fell Dragon will be here in a moment." the figure said.
"He can move once again? That means the sacrifice worked!" King Hyacinth said.
"Here he comes." the figure said.
Appearing on the altar was a purple skinned man with pointed ears and a set of blades floating behind his back.
"THAT'S Sombron?!" Frosta asked.
"This evil…it's monstrous." Ace said.
"It seems I have returned. However, I require a bit more royal blood." Sombron said.
"Well, a lot of royals are before you now. So why not help yourself to…" Hyacinth began before Sombron assumed dragon form and bit right down onto the Elusian King as Lyn's ring fell to the ground.
"He…just ate the king without a second thought…" F!Byleth said.
"This is not good. I don't think we can match up to him right now." Tanjiro said.
"We can if we use the emblems. Everyone, engage!" Alear said.
"The rings won't make a difference." Jexi said. "He doesn't even need them to be like this."
"But we still need to…" Alear said before realizing her ring was gone. "What?"
They all looked to the cloaked figure who just smirked as they held all six of their rings.
"Where's the Draconic Time Crystal?" the figure asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" DW typed.
"Bold of you to assume we needed it." Vegeta added.
"Don't bother questioning them any further, my lady. It's obvious they don't have it." a familiar voice said as four figures approached from behind, three of them familiar.
"It's you… that horned lady from Firene Castle!" Filo said.
"You may call me Zephia. I am a Mage Dragon of great power…and Lord Sombron's humble servant in all things. As for my companions here…they are like family to me. Together, we are known as the Four Hounds." Zephia said.
"We saw you two at the border, dragging King Morion away." Le Kraken said, referring to the green haired man and the girl.
"Name's Griss, and I'm not the prisoner-taking type." the green haired man said.
"Call me Marni. I heard we'd be meeting some royalty today…but you look like a bunch of losers to me." the girl said.
"And who might you be?" Ty asked of the dark-grey haired man in full armor.
"I am Mauvier. The pleasure is all mine. Lady Veyle has told us much about you." the man known as Mauvier said.
"Wait…Veyle? What does…" Alear said before looking at the figure. "No it couldn't…" she said as the figure removed their cloak to reveal themselves as Veyle.
"That's not Veyle right now. Look at her eyes." Ace said.
"What? But she…" Alear said in a mix of emotions before noticing Veyle's eyes were now blood red instead of the usual. "You're right…what's going on here? Were we tricked this whole time, or is there something else at work?"
"Well, I think we'd better let it out of the bag now." Hope said. "The Veyle we've come to know before? She's not in charge of her own body right now."
"This is her other personality that's been locked away, but is able to surface through Zephia's magic." Ace said. "Bringing out her draconic instincts."
"You mean…right now, a darker side of Veyle is in control of her?" Alear asked.
"That's right." Hope said.
"I'm surprised you know…it's almost like…you peeked into the future." Veyle said.
"Not exactly. Let's just say a friend of ours on the outside gave us a hot tip." Hope said.
"And he'll leave it at that." Jexi said.
"It matters not." Sombron said as he went and corrupted the six Emblem Rings before the group's eyes. "I have the rings and you will not be escaping."
"I dunno what the Rebellion's got planned but they better do it soon." Kazuma murmured.
And as soon as Kazuma said it, the entire cathedral began to shake.
"What the?!" Marni asked. "Why's the cathedral shaking?!"
"Wait… one of their groups is missing… don't tell me…" Zephia said.
"Emblem…Engage!" A voice called out as Dan broke into the cathedral in dragon form.
"What's this?" Sombron said, noticing the bracelet. "You didn't say anything about the Emblems taking another form."
"I…I didn't know!" Evil Veyle said in shock.
Moments later, the floor that the Hero Alliance is standing on started to leave numerous cracks.
"Below us! Everyone fall back!" Mauvier warned as the Four Hounds and Evil Veyle backpedaled.
"Heh." Jexi smirked. "Sorry, but we're not planning on staying around. But don't worry. We'll be back…for the Emblems and for Veyle."
"Guess what time it is!" Mark smiled.
Simon looked at Lyn's ring and quickly grabbed it.
"It's half-past noon, and you know what that means, boys and girls!" the half angel laughed. "It's time to catch our train!"
"Wait…they're not gonna…?" Scarlet asked.
The ground below the Hero Alliance's feet burst apart and they fell in while Dan quickly flew after them. Afterwards, a red and blue magic seal appeared on the hole, preventing entry.
"See ya!" Makoto said after they dropped down into the hole and landed on board the Zi-O Liner, which quickly sped off through an underground tunnel the Rebellion made in secret.
"After them!" Sombron said.
"We will not let them escape, my Lord." Zephia said as she, the Hounds and Veyle gave chase.
The Hero Alliance soon rested in the train's dining area as they reconvened.
"Well done, Xross Drive Rebellion. Tunneling under the church? Genius." Rimuru said.
"While introducing the concept of the underground subway to this world at the same time!" ZS laughed. "Woo! Wish we got a recording of their faces!"
"Heh, we aim to please." Zi-O smirked with his arms crossed. "Want some snacks? Naomi and Noelle prepared them for you guys."
"Maybe later." Mark said. "We kinda have to plan our counterattack."
"Also, while we may have lost the Emblem rings for now…" Simon said as he pulled out Lyn's ring. "We gain one back."
"Let's not celebrate just yet. The enemy is likely to be coming after us. Until we can safely leave Elusia, we need to be on guard." Ainz said.
"I'm glad we escaped with our lives. But… how did you all know so much about what was happening with Veyle?" Alear asked.
The group held a debate with their eyes for a moment before they reached a decision.
"Well, you've been with us this far, you deserve to know…" Mark said. "Remember how I went off on a thing involving a friend of ours, got killed, got revived, all that?" he asked Alear, who nodded in affirmation. "Well…I kinda ran into another you. One who had already gone through these events."
"So…basically you all took a cheat sheet and memorized important events." Alear said.
"Basically." Mark confirmed. "We've been through a lot of adventures like this, and, well…we didn't want to watch another friend of ours watch a loved one die. We've had enough of that."
"I'm sorry, you said you knew what was going to happen before it happened?" Diamant asked.
"Before you ask, because I know it's on your mind, no, we did not know your dad was going to die." Scarlet said. "It's…a lot more complicated than it seems, knowing these things. We prefer to go into things blind. But more than that…we can't save everyone, even if we know what's going to happen. We can't make everything perfect."
"...We understand." Alcryst said. "Diamant. Father wouldn't want us to lament over not being able to save him, knowing the future or not."
"Your brother's right. Morion wanted you to become a great king for Brodia. I know this isn't how you wanted to assume the throne, but it's your time now." Hope siad.
"You're right. Thank you." Diamant said. "But before any throne can be taken, we have to stop Sombron."
"Before we choose our next course of action, Ainz is right. Veyle's evil side and the Four Hounds are probably coming after us right now, with a whole horde of corrupted in tow. We have to be ready." Adora said.
"Do they really think they can outrun a bullet train like this?" Chris smirked.
"Probably not. But they could easily set up an ambush the moment we emerge." Ainz said. "Our best chance would be to get as close to the border as possible and then travel by foot towards the only other kingdom we haven't been to. Solm."
"The border between Elusia and Solm isn't far. We can get help from their army." Hope said.
"Speaking of help… you're probably wondering how we know the landscape of the cathedral back there to prepare the escape plan. Well…" Geiz said. "Let's just say we had a little help from the one who knows Elusia all too well. I think you guys can figure out who."
"Ivy. So she came around." Hope realized.
"You can thank David and Minerva for that. They informed her of what would happen." Cure Starlight said. "Heck, David drove this train earlier with permission from Einstein."
"Speaking of which… I think we really should…" Sunset started.
"Don't. It's alright. You have nothing to apologize for." David said.
"But if we knew how much stress you've been going through, we wouldn't have harassed you so much." Sunset said.
"Didn't I say not to worry about that? Cheetah and I just had to get our heads back on straight, that's all. Nothing a little combat therapy can't fix." David said.
"Does that mean we can…" Sunset started.
"No. The answer is still no, no matter how many times you ask." David said.
"Eh, worth a shot." Sunset said.
"Just let it go, Sunset." Lingyin insisted.
"Also…" Aether said, showing another ring. "Ivy gave him this."
"Lucina's ring!" Jexi said.
"She must've taken it after we spared her. Now we have Lyn and Lucina on our side." Hope said.
"Alear, better get this over with and awaken them now. We're gonna need it for the road ahead." Zi-O said as Aether handed the Emblem Ring to Alear.
"Here." Simon said, handing Lyn's ring to her.
"Sweep Across, Emblem of Blazing! Reignite us, Emblem of Awakening!" Alear said as she cleansed both rings and summoned Emblems Lyn and Lucina.
"I'm Lyndis. Just call me Lyn. Ready to turn this battle around?" Lyn asked as she held Mulagir.
"Yes. It is good to see you at long last, Lyn." Cheetah said.
"And you're Marth…? No, that's not right…" Alear said, finally getting a good look at Lucina now that she was no longer corrupted.
"It is I, Lucina." Lucina said. "I may not be the Hero-King, and I cannot replace him. But I can aid you. I strive to be a light in the dark, a light for all who have fallen to despair. For now, we may only escape. But as long as we survive, hope will abide."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." David said.
"Speaking of hope, how'd it go with Hortensia and her retainers?" Cure Starlight asked.
"We managed to talk them all down. Hortensia, Rosado and Goldmary all deserted, so that's the good news." Hope said.
"But the sort of bad news is, Hortensia was given the Ring of the Instructor, and after we talked her down she sort of… absconded with it." Connor said.
Chris facepalmed upon hearing the blunder. "One job. You guys have one gacking job! Now we need to find her and her retainers before Sombron's forces catch up to her!"
"Do not be alarmed, Chris. I am sure Princess Hortensia will keep the Professor safe until the Divine Dragon can cleanse him." Edelgard said as she appeared with Dimitri and Claude, along with the other Emblem Bracelet spirits.
"And thanks to your clever thinking, we didn't get snatched by Sombron. Nice job!" Hector gave a thumbs up.
"Hector, it's been a while." Lyn said.
"Father! Robin!" Lucina gasped.
"Good to see you safe, Lucina. Welcome back." Chrom greeted.
"Now that you're free from Sombron's control, we can fight together once again." Robin added.
"Yes. Together." Lucina smiled.
"It is good to see you safe as well, Princess." Ace said to Veronica.
"Likewise." Veronica said.
"Here, you're gonna need these back." Dan said, approaching the team with the Emblem Bracelets in hand.
"Thank you, Dan." Ace said as he took Veronica's Bracelet.
"Now that Sombron and his top forces know about you guys, there's no reason to keep you a secret anymore." Adora said as she slipped on Chrom's.
"Maybe Dan showing up to Sombron in his Emblem state might not be a good idea." Shirabe admitted.
"Clearly you've never been around these guys enough." Connor said, pointing to the Dimensional Heroes. "They do crazy stuff like that all the time."
"It is part of their charm." Emo nodded.
"That being said everyone, please protect this train with your lives as we head for Solm. We've started our adventures because of this." Zi-O said.
"Don't worry. We won't let your prized ride get derailed. We're friends after all." Gemini said.
"Heh, of course." Zi-O smiled before punching his open palm. "Alright team, battle stations!"