After setting sail from Solm, the group had soon arrived in a forest clearing while the sun was setting as they convened there.
"I don't see any Elusian soldiers yet." Alear said.
"They're likely headed for the castle. We'd better go to Florra Port. That's the port closest to Firene Castle. You all might remember it from your first time here." Alfred said.
"Right, our first time here. We were so taken in by those beautiful, rolling hills…" Alear mused before she looked in the distance. "Oh no."
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked.
"Smoke. From the northeast." Alear said as Alfred turned to said direction.
"That's the direction of Florra Port. They must have… No, no, no!" Alfred said.
"Let's go." Alear said.
The group hurried to Florra Port as they saw some of the houses and windmills burning.
"What the heck happened here, dess?!" Kirika gasped.
"Why would they do this? These people aren't soldiers. Farmers live here. Families." Alfred said.
"Don't give in to despair, Alfred. For your kingdom's sake, we have to be strong." Alear said. "There are more Elusian warships off the coast. If any more make land, Firene will crumble. We need to fend off the incoming vessels then rescue as many villagers as we can." she said before Zephia and Griss soon approached.
"Oh dear, what a mess! And the smell from that smoke. It's really quite horrid." Zephia said.
"Well if it isn't the Mage Dragon and the Sadomasochist." Connor said.
"I didn't want to believe it, but there they are, Zelestia… the 'us' of this world." Gregory said to his Fellow Wind.
"Inconceivable… in this world, we really are pledged to serve Sombron." Zelestia said.
"Yeah, sorry we couldn't tell you before." Kokoro said.
"Hard to believe, huh?" Ty asked.
"Yeah. Especially for me." Gregory said.
"They for certain attacked this town in an effort to draw us out." Zelestia said.
"Well they succeeded. I don't see our teams from here or Brodia yet." Connor said.
"We'll just have to stall for time. Don't like the idea of stroking egos, but we need to keep these guys here so they don't do any more damage." Hope said. "Veyle. No doubt your evil half will make an appearance. You gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine. It'll be hard to face the Four Hounds, but you'll all be right by my side." Veyle said.
"Good, that's what we want to hear, Veyle." Kiana smiled before getting serious and turned her sights on her foe. "Alright, let's not waste time and deal with them. Mona, you'd better put out those fires so we can safely cross through the paths."
"Understood." Mona complied, using her Hydromancy to put out the fires.
"So, Zephia. Did you and the other hounds have Elusia set this place ablaze so we'd come running?" Hope asked, everyone's focus on Zephia and Griss.
"Exactly. And I have to thank whoever split Veyle in two. You did us a great favor." Zephia said. "Now we don't have to wait until the defect falls asleep."
"(Defect, huh?)" Aile thought with a scowl.
"Yeah, we know all about that. Veyle's double personality disorder was a pain, so we had a new associate of ours separate Veyle's evil side from the one we made friends with." Connor said. "But let's cut to the chase. There's a reason you made this big a scene to call us out. You want all the emblems we've gathered. And you're aiming to take them by force with a no-holds barred emblem on emblem battle."
"Well look at that, you had the smarts to put it all together. Saves us an explanation." Griss said.
Just then Marni and Mauvier had soon arrived as well.
"Ah, we finally made it! What did I miss?" Marni asked.
"Forgive our lateness. There was a complication." Mauvier apologized.
"Marni… Mauvier…" Veyle said.
"Now we just need your Evil Twin and we have the whole Bad Bunch." DW typed.
"How could you two do such a horrible thing? Those are innocent people!" Veyle said.
"Oh, it's you. The boring one." Marni said.
"That chronicler was right… you weren't my friends!" Veyle said as Mauvier had his eyes closed in guilt.
"(Chronicler?)" Boss thought before realization sets in and smirked. "(Woz… of course. Heh, you clever son of a bitch.)"
"Chronicler?" Zephia asked. "So he's the one who told you all those lies about us?"
"No, he told me the truth! All this time, I thought the four of you really cared about me, but you don't!" Veyle said.
"Veyle, it's all right!" Alear said as she pulled Veyle into a hug.
"Remember what I said before Veyle? You're no longer alone." Ace said, putting a hand on the young dragon's shoulder.
"Yeah, you're one of us now." Mark nodded. "And we're known for looking after our own, right folks?"
"Hai!" Hibiki nodded. "We're friends no matter what, Veyle-chan!"
"And if you want her that badly…" Houki said, donning her IS frame. "You'll have to go through us first."
Everyone else readied their weapons as well.
"That looks like fun, let me join in." a voice said as they saw Evil Veyle approach. "Zephia, fetch me the Ring of the Hero-King."
"Yes, as you wish." Zephia said as she did so.
"Marth!" Alear called.
"And my Hounds, prepare yourselves as well." Evil Veyle ordered as a Corrupted Marth floated next to her.
"Whatever you desire, my lady." Zephia said.
Each of the Four Hounds equipped an Emblem that most suited them. Zephia chose Sigurd, Griss as a sage went with Celica, Mauvier slipped on Micaiah for support, and Marni went offensive with Emblem Roy.
"Ah, how exciting this is. Right? Don't you agree, Alear? You know, seeing as how I no longer share a body with that pathetic little girl anymore…you and I aren't friends." Evil Veyle said. "Only one of us deserves the honor of calling the great Fell Dragon her father. That honor belongs to me, and me alone!"
"Are you done rambling?" Rafal asked.
"Yeah. Here's a little tip. Some of us don't like people who talk more than we do." David said. "And that aside, you can keep that honor. Our Veyle doesn't want it anyway."
"You're right, the time for talking is over. It's time to fight, Emblems to Emblems. Six on our side, and 13 on yours. A bit lopsided, but we can work with that." Evil Veyle said. "Oh, that's right. I have an exciting surprise for you all." she said as appearing was King Hyacinth.
"Father!" Ivy said.
"Oh, that is just a new low… turning Ivy and Hortensia's own dad into a Corrupted so you can have six emblem wielders?" Connor said.
"I was going to give him the Ring of the Lady of the Plains, but those thieves over there stole it." Evil Veyle said, a scowl at David and Cheetah. "So, Hyacinth, I hope the Ring of the Sage Lord will suffice."
"Yes, Lady Veyle." Corrupted Hyacinth said.
"Ivy, Hortensia, I know this is hard to accept. But that's not your father, not anymore." Simon said.
"I know. That's why, if you don't mind… I want Hortensia and I to be the ones to fight him." Ivy said.
"Not alone, Princess Ivy. As your retainers, we will do everything we can to help our king find peace." Kagetsu said.
"Indeed. Let us put him to *rest* for good." Zelkov added.
"Don't worry, Hortensia, we'll be right by your side too." Rosado said.
"They'll sorely regret all the pain they've put you and Princess Ivy through." Goldmary said.
"Everyone ready?" Hope asked as everyone prepared to fight, Emblem Rings on both sides and Emblem Bracelets alike slipped on. "Let's Rumble!"
"Zelestia, I hope we don't mind that we go a round with your counterpart." David said.
"Not at all. We'll do whatever we can to help." Zelestia said.
David nods as he takes Cheetah, Zelestia and a squad with him to confront Zephia.
"You think you can defeat me and my knight? Then by all means, try." Zephia said.
David and Cheetah nod to each other before Engaging with Lucina and Lyn.
"First, a little dose of illusions." Cheetah said as she created copies of herself. Zephia charged at the copies with Sigurd's Engage Skill, wiping out two of the copies, but setting up for Cheetah's own Engage skill. "Now, Astra Storm!" she said as she fired arrows of energy at Zephia, severely injuring her wyvern.
"Grr… Loathsome little pest!" Zephia said.
"Like that? Well, you are not gonna like this." David said as he twirled his blade. "You will not stop me!" he said as he pointed his blade at Zephia, compelling Cheetah, her remaining copies, Zelestia, and his assembled squad to attack at once before David deals the last blow, causing Sigurd's ring to fly out of Zephia's hand. "Cheetah, catch it!"
Cheetah used her innate speed to chase after Sigurd's ring and leaped to catch it, just as she landed on the ground on her back.
"Oof… That had to hurt. You okay?" Sectonia asked.
"Yes… I got it." Cheetah said as she showed she caught Sigurd's ring.
"Ngh. Armed like this, and yet I did not win…" Zephia groaned. "Those two… They were so in sync… I have underestimated them…" she growled in frustration as she retreated empty-handed.
"Alright, one down!" David said.
"Don't get careless, Ishihara. We still need to drive the rest of them out." Cheetah said.
"Yeah. Let's do what we can to back the others up." David said. "In fact, I'd say that our reinforcements will arrive soon. We have to hold them back until then."
"Don't get careless. You already used up your Engage Skills. Lyn and I need to recharge before you can Engage with us again." Lucina's voice said.
"Yeah, good point." David said. "I just hope everyone else is doing well on their fronts."
Meanwhile Simon along with several of the group were confronting Mauvier.
"You can't win, Mauvier. Just surrender already. We have the good Veyle on our side now. You don't have to fight for them." Aelita said.
"Even so, I still have Marni to protect as well." Mauvier said.
"The Four Hounds really mean a lot to you, don't they?" Bassam asked.
"But they aren't good people. They're harming innocent people and causing chaos at every turn." Tanjiro said.
"Enough talk. Ready yourselves." Mauvier said.
"If that's the way you want it. We'll be as gentle as possible." Simon said before drawing Thrace as naginata clashed against spear. "The last thing any of us want is to make Veyle sad." he said before managing to disarm him.
"What more could I have done?" Mauvier asked before retreating.
"Wait, hold-! Dang it, there goes Micaiah…" ZS sighed.
"We'll just have to remember to get her next time." Scarlet said.
With another group, they were facing down Marni as she had Roy all set.
"With him at my side, I'm invincible! You're going down for sure!" Marni boasted as she held a Lancereaver.
"Relying on emblems for strength is no substitute for skill." Lei K said.
"Wow Lei, that actually sounded like something the Shifu would say." Adora said.
"Hey, I gotta say something to get this girl's ego down a notch." Lei K replied.
Marni growled, swinging her Lancereaver as it caught fire. "Can I kill you now? Die!" She called, going for Blazing Lion straight from the start.
"Nope!" Frosta said as she erected an ice wall to block Marni's strike and mitigate the fire coverage in the area, before jumping through the steam and kicking her in the face. This was followed up by Hilda, who had the advantage against Marni since Lancereavers are disadvantageous against axes, and bashed her back, Marni only just blocking with her shield.
"We're not done yet! Chrom, let's do it!" Adora said, Chrom at her side.
"Ready when you are." Chrom assured.
"Emblem, engage!" Adora called as her hair turned dark blue and she gained a combination of Chrom and Robin's clothes, wielding Falchion in her hand. She then clashed swords with Marni, still shook up from Hilda's strike, as she and Emblem Robin attacked in unison.
Marni tried to go for another Blazing Lion attack, but Adora saw it coming and countered with her own Engage attack.
"Robin, juice me!" Adora said, raising Falchion to the sky.
"I'll lend a hand!" Sir Robin said, channeling lightning magic into Falchion.
"You're Dead!" Marni called, swinging her flaming sword to strike.
"Anything can change!" Adora called, going in to meet her. "Giga Levin Sword!"
Both struck each other at the same time, but it was Adora who got the decisive blow as Marni exploded in a burst of magic lightning. She collapsed to her knees, dropping the lancereaver, still alive, but otherwise really ticked off.
"No fair, no fair, no fair!" Marni growled before she retreated.
"Giga Levin Sword?" Lei K questioned the choice of Adora's finishing move name.
"It was the best I could come up with." Adora admitted.
"But you do realize the point was to take the Emblem Ring back, right?" Sachiko asked.
"Don't worry, we'll get Roy back. We still have three other emblems in play." Sir Robin said.
Speaking of which, Griss was making the task of pinning him down difficult, as he was using Dark Warp constantly, causing bursts of damage all over the battlefield.
"That's far enough!" A voice said as Gregory fired a blast of magic at Griss, who blocked it and took notice of his Fellverse double.
"What a shock. Aren't we just two peas in a pod? Is this some sort of Divine Dragon trick? If you're me, then you must relish pain. So I'll give you a taste of the finest pain as I kill you!" Griss said.
"What? Why would you think that? C'mon, stop it! Fine. I don't like the thought of hurting myself, but…I don't seem to have a choice." Gregory said as he took out Hector's Bracelet. "I'm kind of surprised no one has used this one yet. But let's see what you can do, Hector. Are you ready?"
"I'm always ready. Let's do this!" Hector assured.
"Alright. Let's do this… Emblem, Engage!" Gregory said. He is soon in a golden armor with dark blue hair.
Smirking evilly, Griss preformed another Dark Warp to attack Gregory with.
"Here it comes… What do I do?" Gregory asked.
"Use my ability. I'm not much of an attacker, but when it comes to defense, my skills are top notch." Hector said.
"Okay. I trust you." Gregory said. "Gutsy, aren't you?" he asked as he spun the axe before he planted it in the ground.
"Rejoice!" Griss said as he used Dark Warp, engulfing Gregory in a burst of red and blue fire but found him still standing. "Huh? It's like it had no effect at all!"
"Sorry to disappoint you. Now, if we fight the same, that means weapon attacks hurt a lot, right? So let's see you handle this!" Gregory said as he charged at Griss. "You're not gonna enjoy this." he said, dealing a critical hit with Armads.
"Mmm, delicious pain. Let's do that again sometime." Griss said before retreating.
"No!" Gregory said, too late to stop his counterpart from making off with his Emblem, as some of the others came up. "Sorry. I couldn't stop him in time, he still has Lady Celica."
"It's okay Gregory. You still did very well against him." Madeline said.
"Indeed. You did very well." Rime added.
"Still, your counterpart threw me for a loop, Greg." Prometheus said. "If he wants pain, I've got plenty to offer in ample supply."
Darkness then turned to the others. "I'm not as bad as him, am I?"
"Not even close." Some of the group said.
"...Huh? What's wrong with this chick?" Prometheus asked.
"Darkness… Is a bit of a masochist herself." Nesma said.
"But she's more tame compared to Griss, if we're being honest." Kazuma said.
"...Then she gets a pass. I'm not interested." Prometheus walked away.
With the Four Hounds dealt with, Ivy, Hortensia, and their retainers were free to confront their Corrupted father without any distractions.
"Hortensia." Corrupted Hyacinth said.
"Father! I've missed you. I wanted to see you so badly. I've been so sad since you died…" Hortensia said.
"Then, dear daughter, follow me. Kill your friends and bring me their rings." Corrupted Hyacinth said.
"No, I won't. I want to live up to my father, the wise king of Elusia… My real father. Before the Fell Dragon ruined him. Goodbye, Father. I'm sad we didn't have more time together. I love you. Soon this will all be over, OK? Soon you'll be able to rest." Hortensia said.
"Father. I've not seen you since we were at the Brodian border. That was our farewell. In this life, at least." Ivy said.
"It need not be. I can appeal to Lord Sombron, ask him to welcome you back as our ally." Corrupted Hyacinth said.
"No. You are…not you. I will not cling tearfully to my father's shadow. But I am grateful for this. Grateful for the chance to thank you, say goodbye, and tell you that as Elusia's queen… I will surpass you." Ivy said with determination in her eyes.
Corrupted Hyacinth then attacked everyone with a powerful blast of magic as they evaded.
"As long as he has Leif's ring on, he is able to counter our every attack." Kagetsu said.
"Then perhaps the *key* to defeating King Hyacinth is in plain sight. In order to defeat him, we must first *reacquire* Leif." Zelkov said.
"I do believe stealing the ring away from our former king is your job, Zelkov." Goldmary noted.
"We'll keep Hyacinth busy so you can do it. Ivy and Hortensia are counting on us to see them though this." Rosado said.
With that, the Elusian residents attacked Hyacinth, dealing him damage whilst he still adapted to their attacks. Once Zelkov saw his chance, he came from behind, dagger in hand, and swiped the Ring of the Sage Lord off Hyacinth while also weakening him with his dagger.
"He got Leif! It's all you, Hortensia!" Rosado said.
"You finish things as well, Princess Ivy!" Kagetsu said.
"Well Ivy… once this lands, it'll be your turn." Hortensia said.
"I will be ready, Hortensia. No matter what hardships lie ahead." Ivy assured.
"My time to shine!" Hortensia said as she dealt a critical attack with wind magic. Ivy then prepared to finish off her Corrupted father with her own attack, but not before he had some final words to say to his daughters.
"The moment I slipped into the Fell Dragon's thrall, my fate was sealed. Ivy, Hortensia… I'm sorry. Know that I love you both. Elusia is yours to lead…and yours to save." Corrupted Hyacinth said.
"Rest well, Father. May you finally rest in peace. For real this time…" Ivy said. "Enough!" she called, launching a powerful fireball onto Corrupted Hyacinth, burning him away.
"And then there was one." Hope said as everyone faced down Evil Veyle.
"Hehehe, I'm so glad you came. Quite a backdrop, isn't it? Florra looks much prettier up in flames. I knew you'd come if I set it ablaze." Evil Veyle said.
"Yeah, it's a habit. What're you gonna do?" Connor said.
"Hero-King! Let's make it hurt, shall we?" Evil Veyle said as a surge of power burst from Marth. "Impressed by Father's power? Fell Dragons are far beyond Divine Dragons."
"To hell with you and Sombron." Ace said. "Compared to the real Veyle, you're just a cheap knock off."
"Yeah, so save the 'who's better than the other' talk." Hope said.
Saying nothing else, Evil Veyle drew Marth's Exalted Falchion and went on the attack only to be knocked back by the arrival of the others. "Grrr…" she growled before she and the remaining others vanished in a veil of darkness.
"They got away it seems." Ainz said.
"Yeah…but we got a few spoils of war." Alear said, showing the now revived Emblems Leif and Sigurd.
"A shame we couldn't get all of them, but at least we got some of them back. It must've been harrowing for you both." David said.
"It was a miracle just to get back two of them, dude." Theo said. "Besides, we aren't done yet."
"He's right. They've likely retreated to Elusia by now." Sigurd said.
"So…let's get a boat and set off to sea!" Ethox said.
"Yes. And so, thank you again for saving us." Leif said.
"You're welcome. Now…we should get a ship as soon as…" Alear said.
"No worries. Just called one down." Jexi said as a certain ship was splashed down into the harbor.
"The Sunny!" Hope said.
"I mean, what else was Jexi gonna call down to cross the sea with?" Mermista asked.
"It is one of our only two sea vessels." Al said.
"Two? Oh yeah. You guys bought one back in Solistia." Connor said.
"Yes, The Grand Terry." Homura said.
"The Thousand Sunny…" Zi-O observed the legendary ship.
"Yeah… She's a beaut, ain't she?" David asked.
"Mhm." Zi-O nodded. "Seeing this ship in real life is amazing."
"Very different compared to the Alcorr, Captain Beidou's ship." Aether mentioned. "She's the leader of the Crux Pirates."
"Different is one word to use." Mark said as the group boarded the ship. "Now let's go, we're burning daylight."
"Yeah. It's time to set sail!" Pit said.
"Raise the colors!" Shiki said.
"Sombron better get ready. We're taking Elusia back from his claws one way or the other." Hope said.