Byleth slammed to the ground and bit his tongue. His head throbbed and his vision spun. He stumbled to his feet. The newcomer, the one'd that'd ambushed him from a tree above him, lunged at him with a lance. He jumped back but was too late. The tip of the lance slammed into him and he gasped. The lance dug into his armour and it'd made a gash. The newcomer yanked it free and-
And it tugged his sash.
The lance had torn a hole in the middle of it, but the outer parts of the fabric still held it together… for now. The newcomer gave another yank and this time Byleth heard an audible tear in the material. He jerked his hands downward. He grabbed the lance and pulled with strained hands. He looked up. His opponent was a tall girl with ponytailed blonde hair. Her green eyes blazed at his. Nearby, Edelgard cried out and Ferdinand shouted.
I'm going to lose them.
The time he had to help the remaining Black Eagles was running out. He gripped the lance and tried to dislodge it to no avail. His opponent (who he remembered as Ingrid), yanked the lance from side to side, making the tear in his sash bigger. Byleth tried snapping the lance but failed. He exhaled and spat. Ingrid pulled again and this time he pushed the lance forward, following her momentum and jabbing her. She let go of the weapon and stumbled back. He flashed his head downward and tried to pull the lance free again.
'Come on,' he breathed. He pulled too hard and made another rip in the sash. He cursed.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Ingrid dash towards him.
He pulled the lance free but Ingrid crashed into him and they fell with a breath-jerking thump. She landed on top of him and clawed for his sash, but he jerked her hands into his own, interlocking their fingers. He squeezed and drove one knee upward, managing to flip them over. Both their hands and arms trembled against one another, but he was stronger. Slowly he forced her right arm down to the ground and trapped it with his knee. He then used his free hand to pull her sash away.
He spat at one side, heaving in air. He'd known in theory how good the students were in battle, but only then did it truly sink that he wasn't dealing with ordinary bandits or soldiers, but exceptionally gifted warriors, many of whom almost certainly outclassed Jeralt's mercenaries. He heard a rustling sound nearby and looked up… and then froze.
Stood on the edge of the mound was the grey-haired boy, the one who'd introduced himself a week prior as Ashe. Ashe pointed his bow and arrow at him and pulled the string back. Byleth jammed his eyes shut, but then many things happened at once. A loud, scraping, metallic hum filled the air and then it was followed by two sudden crackling explosions.
'Ashe!' Ingrid shouted.
Byleth opened his eyes. Ahead of him were plumes of fresh purple and blue mist. Ingrid wiggled out from under him and ran towards Ashe who now lay on the ground, writhing in a ball of pain. Near him lay a man who also writhed in pain on the ground. He had long black hair that covered his face but Byleth knew it was Hubert. He looked at the man and immediately pieced together what'd happened. The man had broken cover to hit Ashe with his spell, and had got struck himself in the process.
In other words, Hubert had sacrificed himself to save his professor.
Before Byleth could think any further, Dedue emerged from the mist behind Ashe and charged towards him. Byleth forced himself to his feet and his mind raced.
If he's here… then does that mean he-
Dedue swung. Byleth raised his sword and parried. The force of Dedue's blow jolted his shoulders, but he kept his balance long enough to thrust a leg out and send the man stumbling backward. Before he could press his advantage, Annette appeared, coming from the same direction Dedue had and raised her glowing blue hand at him. Byleth threw himself down the side of the mound. He rolled, hearing a loud bang from behind him. He tumbled down the incline and smacked into a tree at the bottom. He scrambled to his feet, wincing and heaving in deep breaths that made his lungs burn. His muscles ached and his legs trembled. He looked back up the mound but couldn't see Annette or Dedue… yet.
And what if there's more of them? He thought. And where are-
'Professor!'
Byleth jumped. He looked around. Petra and Ferdinand raced towards him through trees. Both of them still had their sashes on, but Petra's was ripped slightly, and Ferdinand had a black eye.
'Where are the others?' Byleth asked.
'Bernadetta ran west,' Petra said. 'We need to follow her.'
'What about Edelgard?'
The expressions on her and Ferdinand's faces told him all he needed to know.
The Adrestian heiress had been eliminated.