Part 1: White Clouds

Mutiny in the Mist

"Sitri for the last time, you should be resting!"

"Come on Jeralt, I'm bored stiff here! Have some sympathy for me! I'm a poor, poor woman!"

It was now morning at Garreg Mach Monastery, and Sitri was in her bed resting. Or rather, she was there against her will as she had been told to stay there by the doctor due to a certain problem she had. That problem being pregnant.

After that little session she and Jeralt shared in the Red Canyon, it was revealed to her that she was with child. Which was a shocking revelation as this was something she never really considered in her lifetime. Sure, she mentioned it to Jeralt before, but now? It was a little scary to think about. Luckily, Jeralt was very supportive during her time of need. He took time off from his duties to take care of her, making sure she was comfortable, getting her lots of food. There did come to a point where he had to hunt his own food as the cooks were very annoyed with the pair. This had been the usual routine for about six months at this point.

But now there was the newest problem. Sitri wanted to train. Unfortunately for her, Jeralt was having none of it and made her stay in bed. "Please Jeralt? I want to train!"

"You cannot! You need to rest!"

"Uuuuuuugh you are insufferable! Fine!" She groaned flopping her head on her pillow, letting out a huff that blew her bangs out of her face. She looked to the big bump she was sporting and folded her arms, glaring at him. "This is your fault."

"You know, I was surprised to learn that pregnancy between Saiyans is similar to humans." Jeralt said, trying to change the subject.

"What do you mean?" Sitri asked.

Jeralt shrugged while watering the flowers she kept at her window. "I would've thought you would have like something force the baby to grow so that pregnancy m doesn't last long. Can't imagine Saiyans having to sit still at all."

"Well, you're sort of tight." Sitri explained. "We carry on the pregnancy like normal, but we put the babies in an incubation tank so that the women don't have to worry about raising them."

"A tank?" Jeralt mumbled, while scratching his chin. "Jeez, no love on Planet Vegeta, is there?"

"Not really." Sitri replied. "Like I said, we're fighters. Warriors. And we were far too busy with annihilating life on other planets to really raise the kids. So, they would stay in that incubation tank until they were old enough to go on missions by themselves."

She let out a weak cough and slumped back down. "But man, this kid is tiring me out…"

Jeralt could easily see that it was doing more than that. Ever since her pregnancy started and the child inside her grew, Sitri was getting paler. Her coughing fits were becoming more frequent and even though she wanted to train, she barely had the energy to do so. Sometimes he wonders if Sitri knows this too and is just trying to remain strong for him. That's when a knock sounded at the door.

"Are we expecting visitors today?" Jeralt asked to himself, which Sitri heard.

"Yes. I wish to speak to Rhea alone. Just want to know about the history of Fódlan is all. Besides, I would like you to tend to my plants in the greenhouse if that's okay."

He frowned at this, knowing that she was trying to get him out. But no matter what, he couldn't say no. So with a sigh, he stood up and kissed her head, noting the hot temperature on it. "Just don't overdo yourself okay?"

"Of course my love. It's just a quick chat."

Sitri gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand, before sending him away. As he opened the door, he saw Rhea on the other side with a surprised expression on her face. "Oh, Sir Jeralt? I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Don't worry, I was just leaving. She wanted to speak to you alone."

There was a certain edge to his voice that he recently developed as of late. He couldn't figure why, but Rhea was being extra shifty lately, especially when it came to the Saiyan. She acted very strange when the pregnancy was revealed and ever since that day, Rhea had been keeping a close eye on Sitri. It creeped them both out to no end.

Rhea however, bowed to Jeralt and stepped into Sitris room and smiled at her. "Good afternoon my child, how are you daring today?"

"I feel like crap." Sitri grunted. Her mood was severely tainted since Rhea entered her sights. Just like Jeralt, she knew how overbearing Rhea got lately. "Can you close the door? I have something to ask of you."

This confused Rhea, as Sitri almost never went to her for questions. But nonetheless, she complied and closed the bedroom door. "What ails you, my child?"

"You're going to give me answers 'Archbishop'. Specifically about what the hell you did to me."

The air suddenly went cold as Rheas eyes hardened at her words. "I do not know what you-"

"Cut the crap, Rhea." Sitri snapped, before pulling her hair back to reveal her ears were pointed. "You didn't just save my life. You changed me. Last time I checked, I didn't have pointy ears, or green eyes, or green hair. To top all of that off, I don't have a heartbeat. Care to explain?"

"…You certainly have a lot of questions, don't you?" Rhea whispered, walking towards her. "Very well. I suppose you deserve to know the details on how I saved your life."

"Yeah, my life feels real saved." Sitri said, while letting out a cough. "I feel like every day is my last, but at least I'm alive, huh? Sometimes I wonder if I'm even Saiyan anymore."

"I assure you, that you are in every way a Saiyan. I knew you were a goner and so I used a combination of my blood and a Crest Stone to bring you back."

Sitris eyes then narrowed dangerously as she sat up. "Explain. Now."

Rhea saw an energy blast form in Sitris hand and realised who was the one in power right now. She sighed heavily and sat down. "Okay… here's how I did it…"

"Forward, now!"

Byleth walked at the front, leading the Black Eagles and students through the fog, with Jeralt, Shamir and herself closing their eyes trying to find an energy signature on their enemies. But this fog was different. It wasn't natural, and it was making it very difficult to find anything or anyone.

"It's magic." Jeralt concluded. "There's a mage controlling this fog. If we take them down, it should clear."

"Sounds easier said than done." Catherine said from her side. "I can barely see my own hands, much less what's in front of me."

"Just focus." Shamir grunted, holding her bow and aiming it towards any attackers. "We need to keep the students safe."

At the back, Edelgard was feeling overwhelmed in this fog. It felt too claustrophobic and it was starting to bring up dark memories of her past. Her grip was tight on her axe but even she could see how much she was shaking. 'Do not think about it. You're not there anymore, you're not there anymore….'

She jumped in fright when a hand was placed on her shoulder as she wheeled around. But then relaxed when she saw who it was. It was Dimitri. He frowned in concern at her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes. I'm fine. Thank you." Edelgard replied and Dimitri nodded, looking around.

"Stay close. We do not want to be separated. Who knows what's out there."

"Yo, Teach!" Claude called out. "Can you try flying up and maybe see if the fog clears at some point?"

"We already tried that." Byleth replied. "It's never ending."

"Damn it… then we're just blind bats."

"Technically, bats can see through sonar." Lysithea chimed in as Claude glared at her. She just stuck out her tongue in response.

"Hush. It is just like a hunt." Petra whispered as her hand rested on the hilt of her iron sword. She closed her eyes and breathed out to expand her senses. "You pay attention to the little of detail. From the wind, to the crunching of our footsteps…"

Her eyes then opened wide as she thrusted out her sword in the fog. "THERE!"

A cry of pain sounded through the scenery before a mage slumped in front of them, completely dead. Petra pulled her sword out of him and narrowed her eyes. "It seems that it's not only the people fighting. There are unknown figures too."

"This is so frustrating!" Caspar yelled. "We need to find them!"

"We will. Please be silent Caspar." Petra replied.

At the back, Leonie was looking all around her with her bow drawn. "This isn't good. None of us can sense energy, and the ones who can can't use it properly."

"FOR LONATO!"

Her eyes hardened as she turned to her left and shot an arrow into the mist… but nothing happened. That's when she gasped and felt an arm around her with a knife pointed at her throat. It was a distraction!

"LEONIE!"

She saw Claude was running up to her to try and save her but the man pressed the blade against her skin with a smirk. "Not another move! If you do, I'll slit her fucking throat!"

Claude immediately stopped but kept a stern glare at him as he backed away. "Okay? Now here's what's going to happen. You're going to surrender! Okay? Then you're going to go to Lord Lonato and then-"

WHACK!

"….Uuuuuuugghhh….."

Leonie felt herself fall to the ground as her captive let go. She quickly turned around and saw Ashe standing there with his bow. He must have used it to knock out the attacker. But Ashe wasn't happy as he kneeled down to pick up the knife that the man used.

"This isn't right… this is not like Lonato…"

"We will find answers Ashe." Leonie said. "But right now, we have a job to do."

"Job… right…" Ashe mumbled. He then looked at her and held out the knife. "We need to get this to the Professors. Maybe they know how it works."

Claude nodded and helped the two up. "Let's stick to the group until we can make this fog go away. They are waiting for us to make a move."

That's when Byleth walked up to the trio and nodded. "Precisely. Leonie, Claude, Ashe, I want you to join up with Bernadetta. Shoot on sight, do you understand?"

'If we don't get this fog away, it could mean doom for everyone.' Sothis muttered as Ashe was about to show her the knife, but then Byleth felt the fog start to close in. Jeralt noticed this and tried to run towards her.

"BYLETH!"

But it was too late, as the fog closed around her and Jeralt gritted his teeth. "Dammit! Byleth, where are you?!"

Byleth was now left alone in the fog. She just sighed and clenched her fists. "So… this is how we're doing this."

'If I were you, I would prepare for combat.'

Byleth nodded and then Sothis wondered on what the plan would be. Would she keep sensing for Ki signatures? Possibly stay in the air to elude them? One at a time-

'Oh my goodness! What are you doing?!'

Sothis covered her bright red face as Byleth was stripping down to her undergarments. Each article of clothing making a solid 'THUD!' As they hit the ground. She just blinked in confusion at the spirits red face. "What? I need to be at my best, so I need to get rid of the weighted clothing."

'This is literally my life…' Sothis mumbled. 'I'm actually here. This isn't a dream…'

"Sshh." Byleth said as her boots fell to the ground. She was now in only her bra and shorts, while looking around. "I hear them."

"DIE HERIT- EEEEEEHHHHH?!" A civilian holding a rake stopped in his tracks with a bright red face, seeing the semi naked woman in front of him. That was his last mistake as Byleth blasted a hole in his chest with a Ki blast, making him flop on the ground, dead.

"We're getting close. And how much do you want to bet that the one responsible for this fog is nearby?"

That's when Byleth stopped when she heard a voice.

"I can see you Monkey Girl…"

Byleth kept looking around. She couldn't hear anything. Not her comrades. Not her dad. Not even the sounds of nature. Only this voice. "You got off pretty easy the last time you encountered us. No. Not easily. Lucky."

"Why are you here? What is your purpose?"

Silence was her response when suddenly Sothis screamed. 'ON YOUR LEFT!'

She reacted quickly and ducked to narrowly avoid a Ki blast meant to take off her head. The voice spoke again. "My fog will never be stopped. Even now, my allies will dispatch of those you care about. Just you wait."

"Show yourself. So we can fight."

"You will just have to find me first."

"How many are there?!" Catherine yelled while swing Thunderbrand to slice someone in half. "They're never ending!"

Edelgard and Dimitri were back to back, trying to cover all angles as Dimitri had his lance out. Claude then managed to find the group with Ashe and Leonie by his side. "We need to find Teach! She got separated from us!"

Shamir cursed under her breath as the Gaspard soldiers were now joining the fray alongside the civilians. She threw a Ki blast at one, killing him as she was wondering what to do.

"MISS SHAMIR!"

She turned to see Ashe walk up to her. "What is it Ashe?"

"They tried to hold Leonie hostage. They used this knife!"

Her blood ran cold once she saw the knife, recognising it. "Fuck…"

That's when she turned to the soldier she just killed and she realised that he had a sword with those exact same hexes. "They're here."

Ashe however, was confused at this. "M-Miss Shamir?"

"Ashe. You listen to me. You stay close to me at all times, do you understand? This situation just got a whole lot more dangerous."

"Lonato….. why are you doing this? Why…."

Shamir then screamed around her, to alert the others. "JERALT! CATHERINE! THEY HAVE THE SAME WEAPONS AS THE ONES FROM THE TOWN! THEY'RE HERE!"

Catherine froze in place and a bead of cold sweat ran down her neck. "Shit…"

Jeralt however, growled quietly to himself as he looked around. "If that's the case, then it's no accident that Byleth got separated from us. They did it on purpose."

Meanwhile, in the back, the Black Eagles were close together, trying to see through the fog. Bernadetta was shaking in fear so much that she couldn't properly hold her bow. "Oh, why couldn't I have stayed in my room?"

That's when she saw something in the distance. "Hey guys! There's light over there!"

But then her pupils shrunk in fear after seeing a mage come out of the fog with a ball of energy in his hand, aimed directly at her. She tried running, but in her fear, Bernadetta tripped and fell on her butt. She couldn't escape.

"You will die. For our master. For- UUUUURK!"

He couldn't finish his sentence as a bolt of lightning went through his chest, cooking his insides and vaporising his heart. Bernadetta quickly turned to see who it was. It was Dorothea who stood there, completely frozen with her hand outstretched and tears flowing down her face.

"I-I killed him…"

"Kid. You okay."

She slowly turned to see Jeralt there with a hand on her shoulder. "Look alive. You can grieve later, but right now we are in danger."

Dorothea hid her eyes under her hair and nodded. "Understood Professor."

'Okay, this is getting annoying! Where is he?!'

Byleth was wondering that same question. The voice kept trying to attack her but with every attempt, she easily dodged it. It was a stalemate.

That's when she heard a voice behind her. "I GOT YOU!"

The mage popped out from the fog and grabbed Byleths tail, holding it tight which made her tense up and slowly fall to the ground.

Sothis was panicking as she held her head. 'I thought you trained it! What happened?! Oh no, this is bad! Byleth! Wake up!'

"You foolish girl! You think that we do not know your weakness?! You are pathetic!" The mage grinned clenching the tail tightly.

Now knowing what she had to do, Sothis summoned the Time Glyphs in order for Divine Pulse to work. But then she saw Byleths face. She gave a wink to Sothis and the spirit now understood. She was pretending.

The mage held out his knife and held it high. "This is the end for you!"

But suddenly, he felt an impact as the mercenary just jumped in the air and drove her foot deep into his ribs sending him flying back. "Impossible! I will not-"

"Shut up." Byleth said slamming her fist into his chest, completely puncturing it as he dropped to the ground, dead. Byleth just huffed and looked at Sothis. "He was annoying."

'Was there any need for such theatrics? You had me worried!' Sothis said, sighing loudly.

"I needed an opening and they were interested in my tail before."

That's when the fog around them started to slowly clear. 'Well look at that. It's clearing. It appears that you were right.'

"We best rejoin our comrades."

'Indeed. Let's make haste!'

But then the two noticed that they were still alone. Just how far were they?

"It appears that the fog is finally dispersing… did Byleth succeed?" Catherine muttered before spotting Gaspard knights. Her eyes narrowed as she jumped in the air holding Thunderbrand above her head. She yelled loudly and swung her sword down on one of the knights, slicing him in half. The other knight tried to impale her with his lance but Catherine just ducked and sliced his legs clean off.

She smirked in triumph at her victory but then her face dropped into a frown when she heard a voice.

"It's you…"

Catherine slowly turned around to see Lonato surrounded by guards. "Thunderstrike Cassandra! It was your wretched zealotry that killed my son!"

She just laughed in response and slowly walked towards Lonato. "The only name I answer to is Catherine. Prepare to taste the blade of one who serves the Goddess!"

"Now you face a Knight of Seiros!" Catherine declared as she pointed her blade at Lonato. But all she got in response was a chuckle. This got her feeling uneasy. But then something else happened. He looked at his soldiers and nodded.

"Run along men. I shall deal with her myself." Lonato stated while clenching his fist. That's when she saw it radiating dark Ki.

"Fuck… he really does have it, I wasn't imagining things…"

"The fog has cleared. There's nothing left to hide you or the filthy Central Church from the judgement of the Goddess!" Lonato yelled as his other fist crackled with dark lightning. "Now come at me Thunderstruck Cassandra!"

"I said, it's Catherine!" She yelled back as she readied her blade and charged. She swung it in a wide arc but Lonato just ducked under to dodge it and thrusted his palm at her, sending a giant shockwave which sent her flying back and crashing her into a tree. Her armour took the brunt of it, but it still hurt like a bitch. She groaned loudly at the sharp pain going through her back and panted, getting on her knees.

"Ugh… for an old man, you sure are nimble. You also got some new tricks up your sleeve, huh? Who's your supplier?"

Lonato huffed in response and drew his sword. "Just a gentleman who sympathised with my cause. Now, I must destroy you with his gift."

Catherine slowly picked herself up using Thunderbrand as a crutch and chuckled a little, popping her back to relieve the aching pain. "Wow. You may have me on the ropes. But I got to ask, where is Byleth?"

"Byleth? I'm afraid I do not know who that is." Lonato responded. "I assume that that's the woman who the mages that the gentleman sent talked about. They seem to have an agenda with her. They described her as strange. Is she part of the Knights of Seiros?"

"Nah. She's just a mercenary. But they're right on the mark with strange." Catherine replied, readying her sword. "I think we're done talking now."

"I agree. It's time you received divine punishment for your crimes!"

"Look who's talking!" Catherine yelled now charging at him. Their blades met in a clash of sparks, but his enhanced strength overpowered her and pushed her back. She grunted in pain and rolled out of the way of a downward slice from Lonatos sword, as it dented the ground around it.

She yelled again to charge at him, trying to go for his legs, but to her surprise, he jumped over it and hit her in the face with the hilt of his sword. She growled loudly clutching her face and glared. "For crying out loud, stop moving so much!"

"Have I frustrated you? Is it too much to hear when you're forced into a corner? Like what you did to my son?!" Lonato yelled gripping his sword tightly.

He started to charge towards her and swung his sword again, Catherine tried dodging but the blade got caught on her leg and screamed in agony feeling it go through her armour. She held her leg and panted, looking at the mark. That was way too close, luckily it wasn't that bad of a wound, but she wasn't doing too well in this fight.

Catherine gritted her teeth, while slowly picking herself up. But then she saw him form a dark ball of Ki mixed with magic. Now she was really nervous. She was good at swordplay, but Ki was something entirely different. She readied Thunderbrand and closed her eyes. "Oh Goddess, please grant me strength."

"THIS IS YOUR END! NOW DIE!" He screamed throwing the energy ball straight at Catherine who held her ground and gripped her sword tight. She held the blade in front of her with her other hand holding the tip of the blade and braved herself. The ball collided with the blade and tried breaking through, with the force of the impact forcing Catherine back a few feet. But she stayed in place, still holding Thunderbrand in front. After a few seconds, she yelled and angled the blade to send the ball on a different trajectory as it flew up in the sky before exploding, with the force blowing the leaves off of the surrounding trees. But she saved herself, as well as others from death.

Catherine fell to her knees and panted, trying to catch her breath. But she just heard Lonato starting to speak again.

"Impressive. As far as I am aware, you are not one of those who can access this power. And yet, to deflect such a blast… that is truly the power of the Heroes Relics."

Catherine gasped silently when she saw Lonato walking towards her. She tried getting up, but that last attack took a lot out of her to deflect. Then she screamed in pain, feeling his hand grab her hair and slowly bring her up to her feet.

"However, it is clear to see that you are outmatched here. I will acknowledge your strength, and make your death quick and painless. It is more than you deserve, but I'm a reasonable man."

With that, he started charging his energy ball again, this time aiming straight at her face. She could feel the heat of the ball increasing steadily, if that hits her, she's a goner.

Lonato then grunted in pain as Catherine swung her sword, managing to clip his side which ended up forcing him to drop her. Her head was lowered as she propped herself on her knee and used Thunderbrand to lift herself up. "Like I tell my comrades. I don't need those fancy light shows to defeat my opponents. All I need is skill! I am a Knight if Seiros!"

"I see… then you are a fool, Thunderstruck Catherine." Lonato mumbled now waiting for her to make a move. "You wish to put me down? Then come at me."

Catherine gritted her teeth and let out a growl. He was really starting to piss her off as she jumped towards Lonato with a downward slice. But to her shock, he blocked it with his gauntlet and thrusted his palm onto her chest, sending her crashing to the ground. He tried stabbing her with his sword but she grabbed some dirt and threw it in his face, causing him to scream in pain at being blinded. Catherine took that advantage and yelled loudly, swinging her sword which hit him and ended up leaving a giant gash in his chest. Blood splattered all over her as she fell to her knees, panting and looking up into the sky.

"Finally… he's dead."

But then, her blood ran cold when she heard a voice again.

"A cheap tactic like that is not what I expect the Knights of Seiros to lower themselves to."

Catherine's eyes widened as she looked down at her foe. "No way…"

Lonato had a giant wound spanning from his chest down to his stomach. But it was slowly mending itself back together as the dark aura around him intensified. He cracked his neck and glared. "I'm through with playing around. It's time you met your fate."

He grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her up into the air as Catherine gasped for breath, trying to break free. "Please… let go…"

"Let go? LET GO?! Is that what you did to my son after you turned him over for a crime he didn't do?!"

Catherine was forced to look him in the eyes and saw hurt and anger in them. "Because you turned over an innocent person! That's what you did! Now, it's time you met your end. Goodbye, Thunderstruck Cassandra."

Lonato grabbed his blade and forced it through her side, causing Catherine to yell in agony at the injury. He tossed her to the ground as she held the wound, trying to stop the bleeding and crawl away. But Lonato wasn't done as he wiped the blood off of his blade.

"That won't kill you. I want you to know the pain I had to endure when I lost my son. Do you feel it? How it burns? How you can't speak? That's how I felt."

He then raised his blade up high and closed his eyes. "Now, it's time. Goodbye."

He brought his blade down as Catherine's pupils shrunk in fear. But then a voice sounded in the distance which caused the blade to stop mere inches from her face.

"LONATO!"

The man froze when he heard that voice. "It can't be…" He slowly turned to see Ashe who was running towards him as Shamir yelled at him.

"Ashe, stop! It's too dangerous! Get back here!"

Shamir was trying to get Ashe to stay put, but he wasn't having any of it. He kept running towards his adoptive father, who at that point was only focused on him. Dimitri, who was with Ashe, decided to take advantage of this distraction and ran over to Catherine who groaned loudly at her injury. He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rest Catherine. You have done well."

She just chuckled and spat out some blood, giving a thumbs up. "Hey, I roughed him up for you guys."

But then her eyes narrowed at Ashe standing there in front of Lonato. "We need to help him. You need to-"

"No. My priority is you right now. We have the others on standby, but let's get you to Professor Manuela." Dimitri explained carrying her bridal style. He cursed under his breath and looked around. "Where in the world is Professor Byleth…"

Catherine grunted at her injury but responded. "Seems the group that attacked her and Shamir are here too."

"Yes, I heard. Which means they separated her from us on purpose. But if the fog is lifted then…"

"That means she got the best of them." Catherine said, chuckling lowly. "She's something else."

The pair then heard someone screaming and saw Manuela running up to them. "Catherine, what in the world happened to you?!"

"Ah don't worry, Manuela. It's not life threatening. Though I could use a Concotion… or two."

"Why Lonato? I know you were hurt by Christophes death, but… to incite a rebellion?!" Ashe yelled, tears building up in his eyes. "How could you leave me out of this?!"

Lonato looked around, and saw Jeralt and the rest of the Ki students along with Shamir standing in the distance. Obviously, waiting for him to make a move. He just sighed heavily and bowed his head. "Ashe… I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Why Lonato? Why keep me out of this? Why stoop to this level…"

Ashe bowed his head too and tears started hitting the ground as Lonato looked at him. "Ashe… you are a good child. One filled with promise. I didn't want to drag you down this path with me."

But Lonato felt an urge. A dark urge at the back of his mind. An urge to kill everyone around him. 'So… this is the consequence… I'm sorry child.'

"Now Ashe, you listen to me. You stay on the path of good. You don't stray from it, and you fight for what's right. For me, I cannot come back from this."

"But you can!" Ashe yelled as he ran to Lonato hugging him tightly and cried. "Please Lonato, it's not too late!"

"Ashe, get away from him!" Shamir yelled. But Ashe didn't care. Because Lonato hugged him back and patted his head and closed his eyes.

"Take care of yourself my boy."

Ashe then looked up co fused. "Lonato? What are you- URK!"

Everyone tensed up when Lonato hit a pressure point on Ashes neck, causing him to black out. He caught Ashe and slowly lowered him to the ground. "I'm sorry my child. But they must know justice. And I didn't want to hurt you."

That's when the dark aura intensified again and his eyes turned black with red pupils. He slowly got up and growled. "Now for the rest of you. IT IS TIME TO DIE!"

He roared into the air as a giant wave of energy pulsed from him sending soldiers and bodies flying away, Ashe being one of them as Shamir managed to catch him in time. But she, along with everyone else were nervous.

"T-This power…" Felix grunted trying to stay in place.

"It's insane! There's no way we can beat him!" Annette cried out.

But Claude and Edelgard looked at one another and nodded. "He may be strong, but we make up for it in numbers!"

Shamir clicked her tongue while setting down Ashe and hummed in thought. "It's our only shot. Just be careful okay? One wrong move and it's over."

"Alright, let's be smart about this…" Jeralt muttered as he took his stance, drawing his own sword. "You kids stay back for now, Shamir and I will call for backup if we need it."

Lonato roared again as his power level rose to insane heights. Shamir and Jeralt swallower nervously but knew they had to fight. Jeralts aura powered up alongside Shamir as they charged.

Dimitris head snapped up as a cold sweat ran down his neck. Manuela was tending to Catherines wounds but noticed his expression. "Are you okay-"

Her own eyes widened feeling something in the air which Catherine also noticed. "Shit… is that Lonato? Damn, how much power was he hiding…"

Dimitri stood up and his eyes hardened as he looked in the direction of the rumbling. "You rest Catherine. I'm going to assist."

"Dimitri."

He slowly turned around to Catherine who had a serious look on her face. "Don't do anything stupid, you hear?"

"….I promise. Just rest."

With that, he started running to the others as Manuela kept using her healing magic. She huffed in annoyance looking around. "Where in the world is Hanneman?"

"I'm sure he's fine. I'm more worried about Byleth…"

'Where in the world are we?!' Sothis yelled. Currently, Byleth was pacing through the woods trying to reunite with the others. 'They really have it out for you, if they were this determined to catch you alone.'

"I'm sure we will-"

Both Byleth and Sothis froze when a chill went through them. 'That power… it's just like before. But bigger!'

"And I bet that it's where everyone else is." Byleth muttered.

'Follow that energy source! Before it's too late!'

Byleth nodded as she took off from the ground and started flying high speed towards the battlefield.

"DIE! ALL OF YOU!"

Shamir grunted in pain as she used both her hands coated in Ki to stop Lonatos blade from connecting with her. Even with the Ki boost, her gloves got torn and her hands got cuts on them. "What's happened? He was calm and collected before! Now he's a mindless beast!"

"It must be what Byleth described when that mage used a dark crystal." Jeralt replied landing a kick in Lonatos stomach which made the lord double over in pain and he slammed the hilt of his sword on his head. "Don't let him get to the students!"

"On it." Shamir said running back to charge up an attack while Jeralt and Lonato held each other's fists in a grapple hold. He growled in pain as Lonato was getting the better of him. His eyes looked manic as he squeezed Jeralts hands tighter and tighter.

"Kill all of them! Kill the false church!"

"Whatever your issue is, don't associate me with the knights and church." Jeralt growled as he head butted Lonato. "I teach the Officers Academy. Nothing more!"

Over in the back, Shamir held up two fingers and closed her eyes, now focusing Ki into her fingertips, slowly breathing in and out. 'Time to break out this technique. Didn't get a chance to do it last time.'

Jeralt backed away from Lonatos sword swings and thrusted the palm of his hand into his leg, to knock him off balance. It worked as Lonato growled loudly trying to grab Jeralt as the Blade Breaker jumped in the air charging his signature attack.

"ASHEN BOMB!" He roared throwing his attack downwards and it collided with Lonatos head who roared in pain at the scorching heat of the attack. It then detonated creating a giant explosion which covered a wide radius. The students grunted, covering their eyes to prevent dirt from getting in their eyes.

When the dust cleared, Lonato was still standing but had a massive burn patch on his shoulder. But it slowly healed away as he walked towards Jeralt who landed on the ground. "You are strong. I admire strength. It is a shame that you are part of the Central Church, otherwise I would've shook your hand. But now you must die."

Jeralt let out a 'hmph' and took his stance, ready to fight again. "So you seem to have taken hold of your senses once again."

"Yes. Though I fear that it'll not be for long." Lonato replied. "I gain incredible power, but I feel it eating away at my sanity. Taking my hatred and turning it into power. But I cannot stop. I can't turn back anymore."

Jeralt started walking towards him and summoned two Ki balls. "Then we will just have to kill you."

"I'm afraid I won't make that easy. I aim to kill the Central Church. For the crimes they committed and the execution of my son!"

This made Jeralt hesitate. Now this was something entirely new. Since when did the church execute people? Or did they always do that and he was just blind to it? He sighed and aimed his blasts to Lonato. "I sympathise with your reasons. But I can't back down."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Lonato said as Jeralt threw his Ki blasts towards him which Lonato blocked, and he shook his head. "Was that an attempt to blind me?"

"No. It was a distraction. SHAMIR, NOW!"

Lonato noticed a bright light in the distance which belonged to Shamir as she grit her teeth, focusing more and more energy into her fingertips until finally she thrusted it in front of her and yelled. "SNIPE SHOT!"

A long yellow beam erupted from her fingertips and went sailing towards Lonato who barely had time to react. The beam managed to pierce his cheek but otherwise she missed as the beam went through trees, boulders, walls, everything before dissipating. Lonato slowly looked towards the archer who punched the ground. Shamir cursed under her breath and punched the ground.

"Dammit… I missed."

"That was quite a sneaky move. But now we are done here." Lonato said snapping his fingers, as two mages popped out from the bushes and fired a dark spell at Jeralt and Shamir. The two blocked it but the balls then morphed into tendrils which started wrapping around their bodies, startling them.

"What the hell?!" Shamir grunted trying to escape but found her limbs being held in place as the tendrils wrapped more and more around her, tightening its hold.

"Dammit!" Jeralt yelled as he fell to the ground, unable to keep his balance as the tendrils covered his entire body save for his head. Shamir followed suit as the two tried to get out of the bindings.

"DARK BOLT!" The mages yelled as the two started screaming loudly in pain with electricity coursing through their bodies.

"Fascinating!" Hanneman exclaimed, hiding behind a bush. "This has been a fresher set of magic practice than my entire scholar career! I do wonder if it is just Ki that does it, or if there are Crests that help boost the effects!"

"…You know Professor, you could do things other than just hide." Lysithea said, folding her arms and glaring at Hanneman.

"I am merely observing! You lot will be fine!"

"AAAAAAAARGH!"

Everyone whipped their heads towards the source of the noises and gasped seeing Shamir and Jeralt wrapped up and being violently shocked. Hanneman just chuckled nervously and slowly crawled out of the bush.

"O-On second thoughts, I believe I hear Professor Manuela calling me. I'm coming! Just a minute!"

They all just sighed and shook their heads watching him run away. But then they saw the severity of the situation at hand. No more Professors to help them. Claude rubbed his chin as everyone got ready. "Alright we should come up with a plan. How about this? I'll take pot shots at him with Ki blasts with Leonie. Annette, you and Felix go with Edelgard to draw his attention with close quarters combat. Caspar, try going for the legs and-"

"LONATO!" Dimitri screamed sprinting past everyone and towards the Lord as Claude just nodded, humming in thought.

"…Or we just ignore the plan. Alright everyone let's go!"

The Ki students all nodded and sprinted towards Lonato. Except for Petra who just looked around. "I am… confusion. What is my place in the plan?"

Dimitri growled loudly as he charged straight at Lonato, holding his Ki lance in place. The lance collided with the sword as Lonato found himself being forced back by the sheer strength. Dimitri has a symbol flash behind his head for a split second.

"You dastard!" Dimitri yelled. "I'll be sure to destroy you once and for all! For hurting innocent people!"

"Your precious Central Church isn't as pure! They killed innocents too! MY SON WAS INNOCENT!"

Lonato pumped out more Dark Ki into his arms, which finally pushed back Dimitri as his Ki lance was starting to crack under the pressure. "I know of your Crest, 'Prince' Dimitri. Of it's power. But it pales in comparison to my own power!"

'Damn it! He's pushing me back! My lance can't take much more pressure!'

Lonato growled in frustration before reaching around and grabbing Dimitris wrist and squeezed hard. It crushed the bone and caused Dimitri to yell loudly in pain as he tried getting Lonato off him, the lance long dissipated.

"Pathetic! You call yourself our future King?! Where were you when my son was murdered?! You were there that day! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Dimitri gritted his teeth and head butt him on the nose, causing it to break. "SHUT UP!"

He was dropped to the ground and Dimitri held his broken wrist. The pain going through him was overwhelming. Not even a vulnery or a concotion would be enough.

"I am sorry. About your son. But I will not allow you to continue with this foolishness!"

"You say that, yet you're on your knees with a useless arm." Lonato replied. "You only know words, and not action."

He then kicked Dimitri to the ground who tried getting up but screamed loudly when a boot slammed onto his chest. Lonato held his sword and pointed it at Dimitri. "This is your end."

That's when Lonato was sent throwing back when something struck him and it caught both men by surprise. Especially when Dimitri saw what was lodged in Lonatos shoulder.

"An… axe?"

He saw a gloved hand in his sight to help him up. It was Edelgard who had a small smile. "That was very foolish of you. What would happen to your Kingdom if the Prince died?"

Dimitri stared at the hand for a few seconds before slowly grabbing it with his good arm. "Yes… I apologise. I felt the shaking and the screams of Professor Jeralt and Shamir and I just…"

Both Nobles then realised the situation about the two adults and turned to look at them. But they were gone.

"W-Where are they?"

That's when Claude caught up to the two and panted, pointing over behind them. "Let's worry about that later. We have bigger fish to fry."

"Nice shot Edelgard!" Caspar exclaimed. "That was awesome!"

"Try not to get yourself killed boar." Felix said. Dimitri just nodded.

"You're right. I apologise for that."

"You….. you will all pay."

The Ki students all looked towards Lonato who's skin started turning pale and his eyes became black again as he picked himself up and ripped the axe out of his shoulder. The wound starting to patch itself up.

"YOU WILL ALL PAY!" He roared now charging towards the group.

"Everyone split up!" Claude yelled. "Leonie, to me!"

"On it!"

Edelgard didn't have her axe any more so she powered up and charged at Lonato alongside Dimitri, who was at a disadvantage due to only having one arm for now.

Lonato swung his sword horizontally to cleave both of them in half but Edelgard jumped back and Dimitri ducked under as both charged again and punched him in the chest sending him flying back.

As Lonato was flying back, he saw Annette who charged two balls in her hands. One was Ki and one was wind. She combined the two to form a Ki wave that ripped apart his armour and Felix joined in forming his Ki sword and thrusted it in his abdomen causing Lonato to roar in pain.

"KILL! KILL! KILL ALL OF YOU!"

He ducked under a sword swing from Petra and tossed her away which ended up with her colliding with Annette, both girls grunting in pain at the impact.

Edelgard went in for another lunge with Dimitri holding a Ki dagger but Lonato drove his knee in Dimitris stomach causing him to cough up blood and slammed into a tree. That was the attack that finally did him in, he couldn't recover from that.

Lonato blocked a kick from Edelgard and grabbed her ankle hoisting her up in the air. "KILL! KILL!"

He then crushed her ankle which caused Edelgard to shriek in agony as the pain was unbearable. She drew her fist back and punched him in the stomach. While it did little to no damage, Edelgard felt her Crest flare up and granted her a little relief from the pain. But her ankle was still broken and Lonato punched her in the face, breaking her nose.

"LADY EDELGARD!"

A dark orb of magic struck Lonato in the back of the head, followed by two Ki blasts which caused Lonato to drop Edelgard as she groaned, flopping to the ground.

But then she saw Hubert picking her up and carrying her out of harms way. "Are you okay, my lady?"

She gritted her teeth and held her shattered ankle and shook her head. "No… I'm done for now. I can't go on. Neither can Dimitri."

That's when a bolt of lightning struck Lonato in the back which belonged to Dorothea. Her hair covered her eyes and Edelgard noticed dry streaks of tears on her face. "Dorothea I-"

"Stop. Let's just bring him down so we can go back." Dorothea muttered charging another spell and walked towards Lonato.

"We shall assist in any way we can!" Ferdinand declared, charging to the battle.

That's when Edelgard felt a warm sensation on her ankle. It was Linhardt who was slowly healing her. He wasn't looking in her direction however, and kept his head down. "It'll numb the pain. But I'm afraid it'll take days worth of magic to fix you as well as Dimitri."

"Linhardt, why are you looking away?"

"I'm sorry. I just… don't like blood."

Hubert then noticed a tuft of purple hair shaking in the bushes and he stood up. "Bernadetta, assist the others."

"No way!" Bernadetta squeaked out. "You saw how powerful he is! We don't stand a chance!"

But she shrivelled up under his stern gaze and sighed, slowly dragging her bow behind her. "Oh Bernie, why do you do this to yourself…"

Edelgard looked at the Black Eagles fighting with the other students and slowly looked to Hubert. "You need to go too."

"What? Lady Edelgard I-"

"They need your help too. I don't know where Professor Byleth is, but right now, we need everyone. I have Linhardt and Dimitri with me, so I'm safe."

Hubert really didn't want to go. But he sighed and bowed. "As you wish."

She watched him run off and looked at Dimitri who was trying to ignore the pain. "Do we have a chance?"

"…I am unsure."

They were unaware of two shadows looming over them, charging magic in their hands.

"Shit, both Edelgard and Dimitri are down? This is bad…" Claude muttered to himself firing a Ki arrow at Lonatos back. "Guys, focus! We're down two people!"

"Yeah, we noticed!" Leonie yelled firing a Ki blast. "Lysithea! Now!"

Lysithea charged ahead and her hands glowed with magic and Ki which held Lonato down. She spun her hand around as the spell formed chains that held him in place. It was a new spell that she was practicing and it looked like it paid off.

"Finish him off guys! I can't hold him for long!" Lysithea yelled, keeping her eyes closed.

"I'll help you!" Annette said, running towards the girl and using her own magic to try and strengthen the spell.

Both girls were groaning loudly as a giant headache built up in their heads. It was too much strain to contain him.

"You heard her! CHARGE!" Claude yelled, as he ran over and unleashed three Ki arrows which hit him on the neck.

Petra followed suit by using her iron sword and thrusted it into his ribs.

Felix sliced open Lonatos chest with his Ki sword.

Leonie fired an arrow which hit his back leg.

Caspar delivered a punch to his face which had Ki powering it.

Dorothea fired a Thoron spell which scorched his right arm.

Ferdinand thrusted his spear in his stomach.

Bernadetta fired an arrow which hit his shoulder.

Hubert was about to fire a dark spell, but then he heard a voice.

"Not another attack!"

He turned around and gasped to see that Edelgard and Dimitri were bound up by the same electric tendrils as Shamir and Jeralt. The two adults were hung on a tree screaming as the electricity coursed through them.

"You would do wise to stop. We are still collecting data, and so, take another step and we kill your Lords."

Hubert gritted his teeth and let out an uncharacteristic snarl. "You bastards…"

But he knew that he couldn't win. He needed to protect Edelgard. And everyone around him knew that too until they heard.

"I HAVE! HAD! ENOUGH!"

Lonato roared into the sky and broke free of his binds. Both Annette and Lysithea screamed and clutched their heads in pain. But that was the least of their problems as Lonato started pumping out more and more dark Ki. Almost like he was a bomb.

"Shit! EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Claude screamed before Lonato thrusted his hands up.

"DIIIIIIIEEEEEE!'

A dark explosion erupted from his body and covered a wide radius, engulfing the students who were in the vicinity.

"This is… this is insane!" Manuela whispered, her hands shaking at the sheer power that came from the sight of that explosion. "That was also dark magic that came from that!"

"This is way out of my pay check…" Hanneman muttered, as he used some magic on Catherine to help lessen the load on Manuela.

"This is bad…" Catherine grunted. "We're backed into a corner. Hey Manuela, did you send for reinforcements?"

"I did, but if this keeps up there won't be anything left to save!"

Suddenly, the three of them gasped as a harsh gust of wind blew past them as Hanneman had to catch his monocle which flew off. "What in the world was that?!"

That's when he turned his head and saw Catherine laughing to herself. "I fail to see the joke."

"It's obvious who it is." Catherine chuckled while coughing. "Took her long enough."

Both Manuela and Hanneman looked at each other in astonishment. "Is that…?"

"You bet it is." Catherine replied. "And I bet she's pissed off."

The dust finally settled and Claude coughed loudly trying to get it out of his lungs. He slowly picked himself up and breathed out. "Everyone okay?"

"I want to die…" Lysithea grumbled into the ground.

"Okay, so she's fine."

That's when he noticed the danger he was in. Everyone was down. Clothes torn apart, multiple cuts in places. He just shook his head and grabbed his bow, chuckling to himself. "You know, it's really hard for me to plan my escapes when you people keep doing this kind of stuff out of nowhere!"

"Kill… kill…"

Claude steeled himself and slowly turned around. "So just you and me, is it? Alright fine, let's do this- URK!"

He was grabbed by the throat and slowly lifted up by Lonato. Who had a crazed look in his eyes as the two mages looked onward, ignoring the pained screams that came from Edelgard, Dimitri, Jeralt and Shamir.

"It appears that this batch was a success."

"Indeed. Lord Thales will be most pleased. Though it appears that he has lost his mind."

"True, but he has shown to gain control again. A major improvement."

Claude gritted his teeth as Lonato kept a firm grip on his throat. "Guess… I have to embrace death… I'm sorry old man… Judith… everyone… I failed you."

"NO! CLAUDE NO!" Leonie screamed trying to get up but the mages grabbed her attention.

"Ah, Ah, Ah." The first mage said forming a dark magic ball and aiming it at a Dimitri. "If you interfere, then this one dies."

"YOU BASTARDS!" Leonie screamed with tears in her eyes.

"Leonie… it's okay." Claude said, closing his eyes with a smile. "Take care if everyone for me okay?"

"No… we can't… let him… die." Dorothea grunted, trying to pick herself up.

Claude closed his eyes and waited for it.

Everyone screamed as Lonato started to squeeze. It was like time had slowed down. And in the distance, a shadow flew past the trees and landed a solid kick to Lonatos head, causing him to drop Claude as he went sailing into his home, crumbling it down.

Both mages were frantically looking around. "What in the world is happening?!"

They gasped loudly seeing the cocoons being sliced off the trees as the four captives groaned in relief, finally being freed. The second mage formed a magic ball. "Brother! Look around for-"

"AAAAAARGH!"

He whipped his head around to see the first mage drop to the ground, completely dead.

Claude was also confused on what was happening. "Is this… a sneak attack?"

"SHOW YOURSELF INTRUDER!"

He then slowly grinned as he realised what was going on. "You took your time, Teach."

A fist made its way through the chest of the mage who screamed before dropping dead. It was Byleth as she tugged her fist out his chest.

Relief poured through everyone, with Annette, Dorothea and Bernadetta shedding tears of happiness. They were saved!

"My teacher…" Edelgard coughed. "You made it."

"I am so glad to see you again, Professor." Dimitri laughed silently before groaning in pain.

"Rest now, my students. I will take it from here."

She slowly walked over to Jeralt and Shamir, slowly helping them up. Shamir dusted herself off as she smiled. "It's a good job you got here when you did. Looks like they tried to separate us. You sure showed them, didn't you?"

"I'm glad to see you kid." Jeralt smiles, ruffling her head… until he noticed a big problem.

"WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?"

Like a penny that dropped, everyone realised Byleth was only wearing a bra and shorts. Some tried to cover their eyes, while others just stared at her body.

"What? I needed to get the weight off." Byleth replied.

Edelgard was one of them. She was completely drawn in by her body. She also saw how many scars Byleth possessed. But they all looked fresh. And then there was that ugly one on her shoulder that she got. It made her cling to her shirt in fear, being reminded of her own.

"Are you okay, Lady Edelgard?" Hubert grunted, dropping to his knees. "I failed you. I was unable to protect you."

Like the others, he too sustained major damage, but Edelgard shook her head. "We are all alive."

"For now."

Everyone turned to Petra who stared at the large ruined building. "You are all feeling, correct? It is rising in power."

That's when Byleth has a deep frown and clenched her fists. "Dad, Shamir, Claude. Get everyone out of here to a safe distance. I will deal with this myself."

"Are you insane?" Felix yelled, discarding his torn shirt. "We couldn't beat him with all of us, what makes you think you can do it alone?"

She just glared at him. "Go. Now."

Before anyone could argue, Jeralt and Shamir nodded to each other. "Let's go."

Shamir picked up Ashe who was still unconscious and Jeralt picked up both Edelgard and Dimitri. "Be careful kid."

"I know dad."

He slowly nodded and motioned for the others to follow.

'You better hope you have what it takes.' Sothis said in her head. 'Though, I sense your power. You have an insane pool of potential. It should be enough.'

"It will." Byleth replied as the large house exploded as Lonato came jumping out of it, roaring. But then he saw Byleth and his demeanour calmed down as his eyes returned to normal.

"So. You are Byleth Eisner, correct?"

She just nodded as Lonato looked at her. "Only in undergarments and shorts. Yes, you are just as unique as described."

"You know why I'm here." Byleth said, taking a stance. She wasn't fooling around.

"Straight to the chase, I see." Lonato replied. "I suppose it is only fair I accept your challenge."

"It's not a challenge. It's your funeral." Byleth growled causing Lonato to flinch.

"Very well. If you're that confident, COME AT ME!"

Byleth nodded and charged towards him as the two caught each other's hands and pressed their heads together, growling.

A pretty action packed chapter this time around. It's very difficult to write fighting scenes, I have realised. I hope you all bear with me on my writing haha.

So yes, it'll be Byleths turn next chapter. Will her power be enough to do the job?

So I will be using movie villians in this story. One is definitely making its way in, I have an arc planned around that.

I also have big plans for Edelgard. You might have noticed I'm getting her closer with Dimitri and Claude. Perhaps she's realising that she doesn't need those 'allies', hm?

A reviewer asked if Flayn is going to be like Gohan. Not exactly, but you are close. But keep in mind, Byleth is half Saiyan.

We not only crossed 35 favourites and 45 followers. But we are close to 40 and 50 respectively. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to do that, including every reviewer. It means a lot to me, honestly.

And also, as this is DBZ and Byleth is half Saiyan, you should know what she will eventually be acquiring.

I hope you all like the flashbacks. Because they will be over soon as you probably know.

Anyway, I hope you are all okay. Especially those in America with everything that's going on right now.

Please Review, Favourite and Follow.