The Dustbin

Day 58: Foreign Exchange Part 2

15th of Pegasus Moon, Evening

"I BRING URGENT NEWS-!" cried the Soldier as he forced his way into the Roundtable Chamber...

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL GUT YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"I'LL SNAP ALL OF YOUR BONES IN TWO! STARTING WITH YOUR BACK!"

"I'LL RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND THEN SODOMIZE YOU WITH YOUR OWN HEAD!"

"AHH! DON'T HIT ME!"

"NOT MY FACE!"

Before the hapless Soldier's eyes was complete and utter chaos. The Roundtable, a place where the Five Great Lords were supposed to reconvene in a civil manner, was now descended into complete and utter anarchy, with said table having Duke Goneril stretching Karna across his shoulders into a backbreaker, while the latter had his own arms constricting the former's neck into a reverse-anaconda chokehold as he was being bent over backwards, Marquis Daphnel locking Duke Goneril's legs into a reverse clover hold, the three of them looking more akin to a trio of humans playing the role of a viper pit, and off of the table was Margrave Edmund holding the struggling Count Gloucester by his chin in a camel clutch. The only ones who were in their seats/not fighting were Duke Riegan who was taking a quick nip from his flask with a stoney expression, Count Ordelia, who was cowering behind his own seat, and both the Duke's and Count's grandchild and son respectively, Claude and Lorenz, who were trying to break up the three to no avail.

It was around at this moment that the Soldier then notices that the floor of the Chambers were littered with severed heads, accidentally kicking Viscount Phlegethon's head across the floor like a ball while walking further in.

It then took a few seconds to have the Roundtable's occupants to notice that the Soldier had walked in, to which everyone got back to their original seatings as if nothing had transpired, save for the empty bloody sack surrounded by broken glass along with the aforementioned severed heads all over the floor and table.

"... Never mind the mess," Duke Riegan spoke in a nonplussed manner. "Speak."

The Soldier then collects his bearing before speaking what he was about to say. "... We're under attack," he spoke. "The Almyrans have now launched a combined air and ground assault!"

"All we needed to hear!" Duke Goneril then gets up from his seat while hoisting his [Brave Axe] over his broad shoulder. "Anyone too chicken to fight on the frontlines, stay here and wait to die!"

"Ohohoho! Nobody calls me chicken and gets away with it!" snickered Marquis Daphnel as she drew her [Rapier] while following after the Warrior.

"Save some for me!" Karna snarled with a wicked grin as he then dragged his [Scythe of Sariel] across the marble floor, its screeching causing everyone hearing to squirm. But he then stops the scratching as he then whispered something into the Soldier's ear before leaving.

"... Oh, and the Professor now just recommended that we should evacuate the citizens further away from Derdriu," said the Soldier. "Apparently, the enemy's super-cannon might be aiming for them next."

"WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?! MOVE!" Margrave Edmund then casts [Warp] onto himself to teleport to the refugee camp outside of Derdriu.

"This is really bad!" Count Ordelia panicked. "The Almyrans are now circling around us like vultures to carrion!"

Duke Riegan squints his eyes before declaring a proclamation. "Count Gloucester, Claude, Lorenz, you three rally our men to supplement the city's stationed men," he ordered. "Count Ordelia, come with me. We need to move those artillery pieces elsewhere."

"Understood," nodded the violet-haired Count as he turned to the boys. "Come! The enemy won't wait for us! Let's give them a proper Leicester welcome!"

"Coming father!" Lorenz replied.

"Stay safe, gramps!" Claude remarked as he left.

Then the Soldier leads the last two men out of the Roundtable Chambers as the enemy attack goes underway.

"Milord," the attendant waiting outside where the Soldier was walking towards before kneeling down and handing the old Duke a sheathed sword.

The blade glows slightly through its scabbard as Duke Riegan retrieves it before strapping it around his girdle. "Thank you," he nodded before resuming his stride towards the growing chaos. "Someone fetch us a carriage! Time is of the essence!"

At the Streets of Derdriu...

"Now the enemy decide to come to us?!" Leonie remarked as she got onto her (borrowed) horse. "Why now of all times?!"

"We're facing an organized army from an established nation, supplicant," Byron pointed out as his helmet collapsed into its chameleon visage. "They're incentivized to move in a more methodical manner beyond 'rush in and kill everything'."

"I have a name, you know!" the Bow Knight barked back. "And don't underestimate me! Just because you're more willing to crawl into the depths of Hell and back doesn't mean I can do the same!"

"You dumb bitch, he's saying that you're going to die if you run off without a-!" Cyrus then sees Leonie galloping off towards the incursion zone on her (borrowed) horse. "... And she's gone."

"... You know, you could've not said 'dumb bitch' and she would've cooperated," Hilda snarked.

"And suddenly, I run into a woman with the opposite problem," growled Cyrus. "... Seriously, just watching her ride the Blade Breaker's coattails like if he's some sort of god to her is an eyesore."

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Holst asked suddenly, preventing the situation from spiraling further out of control. "Heard from my sis that you're the smartest person in all of Fodlan, with all you automatic 100s, so spill it!"

"Measure up our enemies first," the Eligor spoke. "I want their numbers, their formations, unit specialties, behavior patterns, everything! Do not charge in blindly-!"

"Who cares?!" barked out one Alliance Wyvern Knight passing by them. "They're Almyrans! Kill them before they kill us! It's not higher education to figure out how and why!"

Byron slaps his hand onto his helmeted face in exasperation as he watched the yellow-standard Alliance Army charge towards where their enemy is coming towards. Shortly after, Duke Goneril, Marquis Daphnel, and Professor Yuga arrive to where the others were situated at.

"What are you all doing just standing around like a bunch of idiots?!" the Duke barked. "The enemy is upon us! Get out there and start killing those bastards!"

"I advise against that," Topaz then dropped from above the roof and lands between Byron and Duke Goneril. "I spotted a dense formation of Wyvern Knights acting as a vanguard for the upcoming rear fleet of enemy reinforcements. They all number to thousands in total. Do not fight alone or the fliers will surround you."

"Peh, since when did the infamous Dustbin become cowards?!" the Duke growled before he shoved the Espio aside. "I'll fight my way: hacking apart every last one of those camel jockeys that so much as looks at me funny!"

The Warrior then runs off towards the front, joining the rest of the Alliance Army in their collision course.

"... Byron, did you take into account for more than a few of us running off dick-first into enemy formation?" asked Karna.

"Indeed I did, and I jinxed it twice," sighed the armored Eligor. "... Hilda, Holst, Cyrus, Marquis Daphnel, and I will go after that bullheaded man so that he doesn't get himself killed out there. Professor Karna, I'm afraid that you'll be the one who'll have to delegate the rest of us. But I trust that you have all of this covered?"

"Don't die, or I'll kill you all of you twice," Karna replied as the group then went off towards where Duke Goneril had ran off towards. "... Before we begin, I must ask, where's Leonie?"

"... She left," Vidar grunted. "... Stupid like... pink man."

"C'mon, she's not that stupid," Raphael pointed out. "And you guys were a little mean to her."

"Settin' de bar so low that I can walk over it, big man," smirked Sorcha before her ears perked up to ear to the sounds of hoof-beats closing in towards them. "... Someone's comin'."

A neigh heralds the presence of Count Gloucester, with Claude and Lorenz following behind the former.

"Hey guys," spoke the Bow Knight as he got off DeRosa's back. "Sorry for the hold up. My horse got taken by someone else."

"And that's why I bring my own," the Paladin sighed as he shook his head. "... Father, it appears some of us are missing."

"Damn Goneril..." grimaced the man before he looked towards Karna. "... And I take it that you're left in charge of this outfit?"

"Sadly," nodded the Professor before Topaz whispered the information into his ear. "Alright, we got our game plan. Count Gloucester, take the rest of the Golden Deer to make sure that the rest of the city doesn't get overrun! I'll take the rest of my Dustbin and lead a hit-and-run blitz attack on isolated enemy clusters to thin their numbers!"

"Take the defense, got it," Claude remarked. "... Wait, what about Leonie?"

"If I find her, I'll drag her back to you guys by her heels if I must!" Karna replied. "So in the meantime, second verse same as the first, don't die or I'll kill you all twice!"

The remainder of the Dustbin then climb up towards the rooftops before jumping from place to place, with Selene being piggybacked by Vidar and Sorcha using her [Adharma] blade's ranged vacuum slashes to boost herself across the air in an unorthodox fashion, with Karna and Topaz being the only ones traversing through the elevated height normally.

As soon as the Dustbin were out of sight, Count Gloucester then leads the remaining Golden Deer into a defensive formation around Derdriu's commercial district.

"Oh and I must mention, Professor Yuga at the Roundtable stated that the enemy's superweapon is now trained onto our evacuated civilians next," Count Gloucester stated. "We're still figuring out how they're calibrating their firepower, so keep that notion in meantime."

"Is my father okay?" asked Lysithea.

"He's with my gramps, moving the artillery pieces elsewhere so they still work," Claude answers as the skies are now lighted up with arcs of flame coming from the rear's Fire Orbs. "... Guess that confirms it."

"And my father?" asked Marianne. "Is he well?"

"Margrave Edmund is evacuating the civilians with his congregation keeping order during the process," the Count answered. "He's well."

"Thank the Goddess..." sighed Ignatz as he took breath. "... No deaths so far."

"Me too, buddy," nodded Raphael. "... I wouldn't know what I'd do if Maya got caught up in this mess-"

Faint shrieks were heard as Almyran Wyvern Knights closed in towards them.

"We got company!" Claude exclaimed as everyone readied themselves for a long night of conflict.

"(KILL ALL THE MEN)!" the Wyvern Knight screamed in Almyran as he raised his [Silver Lance]. "(TAKE THE WOMEN ALIVE)!"

At the New Artillery Battery Grounds...

"Duke Riegan!" a Soldier runs up to his superior. "Our forces made contact with the enemy! Engagement is on the way!"

"The civilians?" the old Duke asked.

"Evacuations are proceeding smoothly with Margrave Edmund leading the operations," said the Soldiers. "We've also been forwarded by the Central Church's scout. They're on their way with further material and military aid."

"Excellent," Duke Riegan nodded before he turned towards Count Ordelia, whom he noticed that his hands were trembling on his cane's pommel. "... What is wrong, my man?"

"... Oh pay me no mind," the Count sheepishly remarked as the Ballista and Fire Orbs fired around them. "... Just an old fogey being jittery and all with his advanced age-"

"Count Ordelia, you are literally half of my age, so that excuse is invalid," Duke Riegan pointed out as he then took a seat on a rock next to where the bolts were stacked in a neat triangle. "... Speak the truth."

Count Ordelia sighs before explaining himself. "... Frankly speaking, I'm still worried," he confessed. "Our enemy is Almyra, and now of all times, they've developed the sense to attack from sea rather than through Fodlan's Throat. Just what brought upon this development so suddenly? Was Morfis their version of a 'practice'? Have they been holding back on us this whole time, playing all of us for fools?!"

Duke Riegan sighs. "... I'm grateful that you're cautious," he pointed out. "Nevertheless, we must hold fast to our faith in our own capabilities. Just because our enemy is stronger this time doesn't give us the privilege of turning tail and running. That and... you know what happened to Viscount Phlegethon, correct?"

Count Ordelia sighs once more. "... So the enemy has no intentions of letting us live even if we surrendered unconditionally?"

"Unfortunately, their cunning failed to temper their brutality," sighed the old Duke. "... Makes me wonder why my daughter disappeared for him of all people."

Count Ordelia then looks back out towards Derdriu. "... Thank you for your words, Duke Riegan," he remarked. "... I am never a confident man after what I've done to my own family... but damned if I forget the reason why I haven't offed myself out of shame to this day."

"Think nothing of it," the old Duke nodded as he stood back up. "Just looking out for my fellow man."

At Derdriu's Industrial District...

One arrow, one enemy shot down, one more arrow nocked, rinse and repeat as she rode atop of her (borrowed) horse's back.

It felt normal for Leonie. Galloping through the narrow streets clanging with steel and screams of fighting men. Every kill she'd made sustaining her growth to becoming the Blade Breaker's peer.

"One more... just one more," she breathed heavily as she rode her horse through the narrow alleyways as the whole city now erupted into an open battle.

Sure, she'd all but abandoned her class and the Dustbin, but for her, there was only one obvious answer at that time.

Enemies are to be killed, no matter what. For her, there was no distinction between a common bandit an a foreign army.

If the Dustbin can do it like ducks to water, then there's nothing stopping her from doing the same and more.

And besides, she was more of a "learn on the job"-kind of person. Granted, this kind of attitude doesn't net her a lot of friends but right now, that is irrelevant.

"... He looks more gaudy than the rest of his ilk," Leonie squinted her eyes towards a royally-dressed wyvern rider escorted by his fellows. "... Then he must be their commander!"

Quickly, she then takes an arrow from her quiver and nocks it onto her [Silver Bow] before firing it towards him. However, the surrounding Wyvern Knights then intercept the shot with their [Aurora Shields] as Leonie then brings out her [Silver Lance], locking her eyes towards her prize and leaping off of her horse to claim the leader's head for herself.

However, the leader in question swings his [Dahaka] through her weapon, breaking the spearhead into pieces as she was then sent flying back by the force of his swing.

"Ameer Shahid!" spoke one of the Wyvern Knights, only for their leader to raise his hand.

"(Leave her to me)," he spoke to his men calmly in Almyran. "(Sweep the surrounding area. Ensure that no one interferes)."

The subordinates nod their heads before dispersing throughout their surroundings, leaving only Shahid and Leonie by themselves in the road cloistered between the abandoned factory buildings.

"Cocky, aren't you?" smirked Leonie as she drew her backup [Steel Sword]. "Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl!"

Shahid chuckles mirthfully before he spoke. "Oh no no no, of course not," he spoke in fluent Fodlan tongue. "I'm just amused at the prospects of anyone daring to face Royalty with this much gumption! Truly, you are quite bold or stupid."

Leonie blinked stupidly. "... You know how to speak our language?!"

"I figured I'd spare myself the hassle of having to hire a translator to address my future subjects," Shahid replied as he put aside his orate and brutal-looking war-axe in favor of drawing his [Shamshir]. "Be my woman, challenger. Consider it a privilege to bear my offsprings."

Leonie gnashes her teeth upon that provocation. "YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST!"

She then charges forth, swinging her blade down with ferocity of a beast as her [Steel Sword] arced across the air. Shahid nimbly dodges the sword swing before flicking his curved blade from below, nicking Leonie's chin and forcing her to flee.

"Good head on your shoulders, I appreciate that," Shahid complimented as he eyed Leonie's physique. "... You're my type, woman. Strength and intellect, both of which will be mine in due time."

"I HAVE A NAME, YOU KNOW!" Leonie barked as she braced herself into another offensive stance. "IT'S LEONIE PINELLI!"

"So you say," Shahid licked his lips slightly as he raised his [Shamshir]. "You face First Prince Shahid Al-Mansur I Muhammad 'The Great'!"

The Ameer and Leonie then continue clashing blades in the streets of Derdriu.

At the other side of the raided city, Duke Goneril runs though the crowding Almyran Wyvern Knights with his [Brave Axe] as he lead the rest of the Alliance military in their efforts of pushing back against the invaders through their superior knowledge of the city's layout and supporting fire from the backline's artillery.

"COME AT ME YOU COWARDS!" he roared as he removed his weapon from a dead drake's head. "FODLAN'S THROAT OR NOT, YOU WILL NEVER GET PAST ME!"

The Alliance Army rallies around Duke Goneril's triumphant rallying cry as they continue pushing back against the Ameer's [Rashidun].

"(FORM UP)!" barked Nader as he rallied the rest of the men in the chaos. "(DON'T GET CAUGHT ON YOUR OWN WHILE THE ENEMY IS STILL PRESENT)!"

For Naqib Nader, this was easily the worst day he'd suffered under his 20-year career as a military man. He was beginning to have doubts about Amira Khawlah's plans, but due to his lesser position in the military hierarchy, he couldn't do much save keep most of his men alive.

As he was thinking of a way out, a [Rashidun] Wyvern Knight flies up to him from behind. "(Captain)!" he addressed. "(Our ships are about to make landfall)!"

He nods, remembering the Amira's plan. "... (All units! Retreat)!" he barked.

One of the [Rashidun] then blows their horn, signaling a retreat as they all began to fly away from Derdriu's heart.

"Duke Goneril, the enemy is in full retreat!" one of the Alliance Soldiers reported.

"Don't let them get away!" he ordered as he raised his axe. "All ground troops, prepare to charge! Fliers, notify our allies to prepare for final attack orders!"

Duke Goneril then runs towards where the Almyrans where flying away towards, hurling [Tomahawks] and [Spears] at their fleeing backs as both groups make their way to the ruins of the docks.

"(GET TO THE SHIPS AND PREPARE TO RESUPPLY)!" ordered Nader as several of his own men and the [Rashidun] all land on the decks of the [Bahamut]-class galleons.

"(Captain! Our specialists are ready to engage)!" the galleon's captain barked out as one of his subordinates hands Nader a commander's baton. "(We'll fire at your command, Captain. Just give us the word)!"

Then the Alliance Forces led by Duke Goneril then approach the docks as they see the Almyran ships docking.

"PREPARE TO BOARD!" the Duke ordered. "CHARGE-!"

But what they weren't expecting was the ships to then open its frontal hatch, revealing multiple lines of iron barrels carried by Almyran men.

"(ARQUEBUSIERS! OPEN FIRE)!" roared Nader as the muskets cracked to life, igniting their black powder to charge their leaden shots that ripped through the Alliance's men like paper.

Neither armor nor leather did anything to stop the leaden balls from breaking into their skin and bore themselves into their meat, and upon hitting bone, the lead breaks into an explosion of shrapnel that tore them apart from the inside, killing them all from where they stood.

"(SECOND VOLLEY)!" ordered Nader as the front row retreated, replaced with another row of Arquebusiers waiting behind them. "(FIRE)!"

Another leaden volley was shot, this time, more of them hitting Duke Goneril in his legs and chest as he felt his bones shatter upon being struck by their shots, instantly downing him as he saw the rest of his men fall dead around him.

"(Third volley, hold your fire)," Nader ordered as the second line retreated and replaced with another row. "(Maintain this position and allow our men to resupply. Fire at will upon anyone that threatens our checkpoint)."

Duke Goneril crawled across the gravelly ground as he bled from all over his body, pain shocking him from all over from where he was struck during the storm of fiery lead. "... Cowards," he snarled. "Fighting... with tricks rather than... martial prowess."

Nader sighs as he then walks towards Duke Goneril accompanied by a few of his own men. "(Take him away)," he ordered. "(He's no threat to us)-"

But just before the manacles could be clapped around one of the wounded man's wrists, his [Brave Axe] slashed through one of their chests before another was dragged towards him by his hand before having his head be severed from his neck.

"... You're... going to have to kill me first...! ... Damn camel jockey!" snarled the wounded Duke Goneril as he lunged towards Nader.

"(CAPTAIN)!" shouted the ship's captain before Nader raised his hand as he dodged the wounded Warrior's swing, ordering them to cease.

"(He's mine)," the Naqib pressed his order as he then brought out his [Silver Axe] from his sheathe. "... May I have your name?"

Duke Goneril's eyes widened. "... How are you speaking out language, you savage?!"

"... From a close friend," he answered solemnly before readying himself. "I am Naqib Nader al-Azim Ehsanullah, 'The Undefeated'. Leader of Almyra's Janissaries, Royal Guard of the Shah!"

"YOUR NAME AND TITLES MEANS NOTHING TO ME!" Duke Goneril roared as he refuted to address himself, bringing down his [Brave Axe] onto Nader's weapon, disrespectfully instigating their duel. "JUST DIE, YOU CAMEL JOCKEY! I ACCEPT NO PITY FROM AN ENEMY! ESPECIALLY FROM AN ALMYRAN SCUM LIKE YOU!"

Nader grits his teeth disappointedly as he pressed against the Duke's assault. "... Wonderful."

The two large men continued to clash arms with all of their might. Whereas the Duke fought with hatred guiding where his [Brave Axe] should land after each swing, the Naqib's posture in battle was controlled, rational, and focused on the present, each step taken with purpose and measured thought.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD!" roared Duke Goneril as he then smashed his weapon into the hard earth.

"Good gods, I am fighting a rabid animal rather than the famed 'Lion's Roar of the Throat'," Nader shook his head disappointedly. "... One second, you declare us as savages and in the next, as cowards. Are your ears working as they're intended? Can't you not understand that you're contradicting yourself?"

"I DON'T LISTEN TO BEASTS TALK!" Duke Goneril bellowed back as he then ripped his weapon out of the ground, scattering a wave of rubble towards the Naqib, blinding him temporarily.

Through the dense screen of dust then emerged the maddened Duke, bringing down his [Brave Axe] down so hard that the blade caves itself in from striking against Nader's weapon.

All Nader can do was pity to man. Forgive me, Judith, he thought. ... But he's forced my hand.

At the Residential District...

"Where did the enemy go?!" asked Holst as he and the others looked above at the less-populated sky.

"I faintly heard a horn blow from the other side of the city," Byron answered. "It's a safe assumption that they've made a temporary retreat."

"Temporary?!" Hilda cried out. "For what?!"

"Resupplying, duh," Cyrus remarked. "Standard raiding and siege tactics. Bring extras and establish a checkpoint to resupply."

"If that idiot gets caught with his pants down and somehow the Almyrans don't kill him, I will," growled Marquis Daphnel before awkwardly looking at Holst and Hilda. "... No offense."

"None taken," sighed Holst. "... Father's especially thickheaded when Almyrans get directly involved."

"Come to think of it, I think I never saw your father in person during my time in captivity," Cyrus pointed out towards Holst. "... That was your doing, wasn't it?"

"Be grateful that he did," growled Hilda.

"You're right," Cyrus nodded. "I would've killed him before today!"

Maquis Daphnel then looked at Byron as the two began to bicker once again. "... Is it that bad?"

"Well if he had his way, then he wouldn't be alive to this day," the Eligor answered. "He takes any notion of perceived pity from an enemy very poorly."

Then the group hear a clamor of shrieks coming back from the oceans. From the night sky returned the [Rashidun] Wyvern Knights, their mounts now carrying barrels of black powder by their talons.

"Oh shit," Byron chuckled slightly in fear. "FIND COVER!"

The Wyvern Knights then lights their payload with their lit [Torches] before dropping their cargo towards below them. In the next instant, the whole district was set ablaze after a choir of explosions that drummed across the whole city of Derdriu.

"WHERE DID THEY GET THOSE THINGS?!" Hilda screamed out as Byron put out the flames closest to them with his [Ice Magic].

Cyrus sniffs the air. "Hm, Shangri-La proprietary blend," he commented. "I can pick up a hint of a scent reminiscent to rotten eggs from the burning."

"How can you tell different kinds of blast powder apart just by scent?" asked Marquis Daphnel.

"Because my folks back at Battu used the same shit when blowing up Shangri-La's walls," he answered. "... And Shangri-La used it against us to booby-trap several rice silos we tried to raid. Waste of food, I'd tell you."

"... Curious, but how does our black powder smell?" asked Holst while he flapped his cape onto the ground to put out the fires.

"Lacking in volcanic sulfur despite one of your regions being a literal volcanic wasteland," answered Cyrus as he pulled his pants down and began urinating onto a small fire, much to Hilda's disgust. "So more akin to coal than rotten eggs. Makes sense why you guys are so wasteful with them when one properly-blended barrel is enough to set a whole town square on fire, not a whole cartload of those inferior blends can barely start a forest fire."

"Can you stop roasting our continent for about two seconds?!" Hilda remarked as she stamped out the fire next to her with her [Freikugel] shoveling up dirt with its blade. "It's starting to get old!"

Eventually, the fire around them is extinguished enough to the point of being manageable, allowing them to proceed further through Derdriu, now being set upon by a horde of refreshed and resupplied [Rashidun] Wyvern Knights.

"Alright, let's see what this thing can do!" Holst then draws his [Zhanmadao] as he faced the Almyran men of war, clashing his sword against their [Silver Axes] and [Silver Lances]. "Hm, swings well enough. Let's see how it cuts."

"Keep that shit away from me!" Cyrus snarled as he then attacked a Wyvern Knight with his [Gradivus] lance. "... (So)," he spoke to one of the enemy in fluent Almyran, "... (no hard feelings)?"

"(Orders are orders)," the Wyvern Knight casually replied in Almyran as he broke off the lock before coming back with another flying thrust-charge, only for the Battuian Bow Knight to parry the incoming blow before knocking the rider off of his flying mount with the blunt end of his polearm.

Cyrus then bucks back Darius, the latter stomping the downed rider to his death, crushing his head like a splattered fruit as Holst overcomes his own weapon lock and slays his foe before moving onto the next ones incoming.

"Ew! You got blood on me!" Hilda whined as she snapped through a Wyvern Knight's [Silver Axe] and embedding her [Freikugel] into his head before jumping off of the chaotic flying mount.

"FOCUS DAMMIT!" roared Byron as he swung his [Perun] around himself to deter the enemy from coming near the range of his chain-axe. "MARQUIS! HOW ARE THINGS LOOKING FOR YOU?!"

"Not great!" she replied after pulling her [Rapier] out of a slain Wyvern Knight's neck before evading another thrust from an incoming sweep. "The flames are spreading through Derdriu and we're nowhere near where Duke Goneril has ran off towards!"

"THEN BUY ME SOME TIME!" Byron then planted his axe by its blade into the ground as he began in protected incantation. "I'LL CLEAR THE WAY IN ONE FELL SWOOP!"

The Eligor then begins charging up by concentrating the surrounding mana into himself, cold air welling up around his body like a whirlpool drawing in water.

"EVERYONE! HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Holst cried out as he cut down a Wyvern Knight with his [Zhanmadao]. "PROTECT BYRON!"

"Wait a minute, something's up!" Cyrus remarked as he noticed the Wyvern Knights moving in a different behavior pattern before looking back at Byron. "... Oh crap. THEY'VE TAKEN NOTICE!"

Suddenly, the [Rashidun] then all pull out their flintlock pistols before aiming their barrels at Byron.

"(FIRE AT WILL)!" one [Rashidun] Wyvern Knight yelled in Almyran as their guns cracked to life.

The leaden balls pelted all over their surroundings, with Cyrus being shot off of Darius' back after the lead strikes him in his shoulder and chest while the latter miraculously only got away with grazes to its hindquarters, one of Hilda's pigtails being shot off during the chaos, Holst miraculously parrying one of the balls before the resulting shrapnel scratched all over his face and nape, temporarily blinding him, and Marquis Daphnel being shot in her arms and legs, instantly downing her as she dropped her weapon, with Byron's [Perun]'s chains being the only thing protecting him from the stray shots as he continued his incantation.

"(THEY'RE DOWN)!" one of the [Rashidun] cried out. "(EVERYONE! CHARGE)!"

All of the surrounding Wyvern Knights then swarm around the group in disarray, but suddenly, Holst and Cyrus recover on time to retaliate, the former dual wielding his blade and scabbard to sweep off the aerial riders while the latter then threw chunks of burning rubble with his bare hands, spooking the wyverns long enough to load another smoldering rock into his [Bowgun]'s sling before shooting it into one of the Wyvern Knight's heads, setting it on fire as he crashed into his fellows, causing half of the flock to land onto a burning building into a heap of screams and flailing shadows.

"I DIDN'T RECALL THAT YOU'RE THE ONES ALLOWING ME TO DIE!" Cyrus bellowed out as he then kicked his [Gradivus] into the sky, impaling a wyvern and its rider through the same shaft before they also crash-landed through another burning building.

"Glad to see you up and kicking!" Holst beamed. "... So, complications aside, how about a team-up?"

Cyrus looks around to check his surroundings, spotting Hilda spayed on the ground face-down.

For which, he then kicks hot ashes into her face to wake her up, causing her to cough while waking up. "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL-?!"

Cyrus then promptly cuts her off by picking her up like a stray cat before turning to Holst with a blissful expression as if he'd found a warren of newborn rabbits in a burrow during springtime. "... I decline."

The Battuian then throws Hilda up into the air, sending her flying up to the air, screaming in a soprano so shrill and ear-grating that those who came within her proximity to wince painfully even as she'd reached her apex.

Upon reach the peak, Hilda then falls back down, weighed down by her [Freikugel] even as the heavy Relic cleaved through several wyvern heads in twain before crashing on top of another [Rashidun] as her axe blade plants itself onto its back, compromising its flight and causing it to crash back to the ground, streaking its carcass right before Cyrus' feet.

"... I hate you," Hilda growled as she shoved off the fainted Almyran.

"Tell it to someone who gives a shit," Cyrus then goes off running into a burning building before coming back half-roasted with his [Gradivus].

Marquis Daphnel tries to get up, but her shoulder and legs now sporting new fractures behind her open wounds didn't contribute to her overall structural integrity. "... Damn kids," she growled as she tried to get up before Darius picks her up by her clothes before throwing her onto his back. "... Gonna be honest, did not see that coming."

Darius snorts before galloping away from the battle.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" asked Judith as Darius galloped faster. "The battle's that way... oh."

She then sensed a massive charge of mana coming from the protected Byron similar to that of a barrel filled to its brim of black powder with a lit fuse.

"... He's done, isn't he?" she asked, to which the horse nodded before gaining further distance.

"ALRIGHT, IT'S DONE!" Byron cried out as a storm of icy wind began to emit from his very body. "CLEAR OUT OR GET WASTED! IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM!"

Letting out a roar, the Eligor then unleashes a hurricane of subzero winds around himself, indiscriminately blasting everyone caught within range.

"THE KING'S SWORD!" roared Byron as a tornado of a blizzard was erected around himself. "[REXCALIBUR]!"

From within the spiral, the [Rashidun] were sucked into the vortex right before the victims within began to freeze to death. As the spin cycle persisted, the excess frost riding the turbulence solidifies into several icy blades that were all then launched outwards, harrying those who weren't dragged into its chilly embrace, including Darius carrying the crippled Judith to safety, nimbly dodging all of the icy blades that rained down upon them.

On the ground, Holst and Hilda held on for their dear lives with the latter's [Freikugel] unleashing [Apocalyptic Flame] as their impromptu heat source, Cyrus deliberately ran into one of the burning buildings in order to not freeze to death, and standing at the eye of the storm, Byron maintained his mightiest spell, until he made sure to put out the city's fire acting as their side's area denial while taking out as much of the enemy Wyvern Knights as possible.

Eventually, the Eligor ceases his spell after overexerting himself, collapsing onto his knees as the freezing winds began to subside, frozen wyvern and rider alike falling like rain, shattering into pieces as each landed. From the dissipating haze, Holst and Hilda were revealed to be alive, albeit a step away from suffering hypothermia, and Cyrus, who'd just taken a fire-bath, came out relatively unfazed, save for his clothes being burned in some areas.

"... Tha-tha-tha-that's... wha-wha..." Hilda's teeth chattered between each syllable she'd uttered, "... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SPELL?!"

"Byron's best," shrugged Cyrus as he went over to the exhausted Eligor to pick him up by his shoulder. "... First time using it against multiple people though."

Holst heaves out a visible breath from the surrounding cold. "... Well, we won for now," he chattered while shivering. "... Where's Marquis Daphnel?"

Then a menacing neigh echoed from behind them, revealing Darius coming back to his master with Judith slumped over his back.

"Good horse," nodded Cyrus. "I knew that you trusted me enough to make the right call."

"... Good for you, shitheel," moaned Judith as she'd pivoted her head around towards the other four's direction. "... By the way, can someone find a healer? My arms and legs are a few pounds heavier in the worst way imaginable."

Cyrus sighs as he looked at the weakened Byron, their only available healer being down for the count. "... Sorry ma'am, but you're benched."

Slapping onto his horse's hindquarters, the Bow Knight then sends Darius away back to the rear with Judith in tow.

"... You sure you're gonna be okay without your best friend?" asked Hilda in a semi-mocking manner.

Cyrus grumbles as he then picked up the [Rapier] dropped by the Marquis as she was on her way out before loading the weapon into his [Bowgun]. "... I'll get by."

The three (four counting the semi-conscious Byron) made their way towards the docks, passing through half-frozen and half-scorched corpses on the way, strewn throughout the ruined city before the scent of the sea's brine tickled their nostrils.

"Anyone smell blood yet?" asked Cyrus as he kept his loaded [Bowgun] at the ready in one hand while keeping Byron propped up in another.

Hilda humors his request. "... No, just something burning. Or recently burnt."

Holst then closes his eyes as his ears perked to differentiate the sounds coming from up ahead. "... I hear metal clashing."

The group then all run towards the ocean and spoke a pink-haired and wounded Warrior clashing axes against a well-built Almyran man with hair akin to a small lion's mane.

"FATHER!" Holst cried out as he then ran ahead of the group.

"(DO NOT LET THEM GET NEAR US)!" the ship's captain barked in Almyran. "(SUPPRESSING FIRE)!"

The lines of gunmen began alternating from one row before another as they began peppering the ground between the group of four and Duke Goneril's duel against Nader, their footing peppered with a repeating volley from the Almyran Arquebusiers.

The group was then forced to take cover inside the abandoned warehouse from enemy fire right at the eleventh hour.

"So close...!" Holst gritted his teeth as he viewed the rate and volume of fire directed at them. "One I can see and parry, but over a dozen?!"

"Glad to see that even you have a limit, mister 'Hero of Leicester'," smirked Cyrus as he hunkered down.

"Hey, can you like use your thing to take out the guy barking orders at those creeps?!" asked Hilda right before she ducked under a stray shot with her [Freikugel], the pellet ricocheting off of her axe's blade.

"That's not how Almyran chain of command works. Once they're given an order, they aren't allowed to stop unless their commander says so," explained the Bow Knight as he propped Byron against the warehouse's walls as the gunfire continued drumming from the outside. "... That guy said 'suppressing fire,' so unless he literally says otherwise, those guys are gonna keep firing until they run out, which, given that they're right next to their resupplying area, IS UNLIKELY!"

Holst then tries to peek out, only to immediately withdraw his head back inside as another leaden ball bored through the door's edge. "... Well, we're up the creek in this one," he commented as he nervously chuckled. "... Think anyone else's going through worse-?"

Smashing through the roof came in three [Rashidun] Wyvern Knights.

"DOUBT IT!" Cyrus retorted as he then shoots the [Rapier] from his [Bowgun] towards the newcomers.

Around the Industrial District...

"WHERE DE FEK ARE WE NOW?!" barked Sorcha as she swung her [Adharma] through the building as it was brought down around her group, clearing their way towards the enemy hiding behind it.

"Judging by the machinery, unfinished products, and workbenches..." Karna spoke as he then kicked up one stool before kicking it towards a [Rashidun]'s head before firing his [Expiration Δ+] at the rest of the group, suffocating them to death in the black cloud, "... we've entered the Industrial District."

From the corner of Vidar's unblinking eyes, he sees a hoof-print outlined with coal residue along with a strand of orange-reddish hair.

"See sumthin'?" asked Selene as the War Master sniffed the hair.

"... She... that way," Vidar grunted as he pointed towards the alleyway leading further depths into the concrete jungle.

"I veto going that way," Topaz suggested as she pointed up. "We'll be easy pickings for the enemy fliers if we traverse through that narrow of a space."

"Guess that means only one other way," Karna shrugged before he then kicked down the doors of another industrial building. "Anyone got a light?"

The Dusbtin remnants then all began walking through the dimly-lit factories as the chaos chattered beyond the workshop's walls. Selene herself was clinging onto her twin sister's arm lest she tripped over something. Karna himself was walking over one object after another, while Topaz and Vidar used their superior sense to navigate through the darkness of the clutter.

"... Think anyone can notice us while we're scurrying in here?" asked Karna. "... I mean, mostly comin' from me, we're not exactly the most of subtle lot."

"I just assume that we're harder to spot due to the roof over our heads," Topaz remarked as she then climbed up to the rafters before resuming her trek. "... Then again, I've run the bad luck of getting caught several times before I met you all, so... let's just say I learned to assume nothing."

"Question is, how de fek are dey gunna fight us in 'ere?" asked Sorcha as her twin trembled in the dark, briefly knocking over a chair, spooking the latter as she pulled Selene in closer. "... I mean..." she then looked around the factory internals, "... der's not enuff room in 'ere te fit one flyin' fek-"

Then crashing through the rooftop, several [Rashidun] breach into the factory from above.

"ARE YE FEKIN' SHITTIN' ME?!" cursed Sorcha as she then threw her massive [Adharma] towards the group, crudely cutting them upon collision with the blade, splattering their insides all over the factory's floors and walls. "DAT'S HOW DEY COME IN?!"

Vidar then looked back at Selene, who was now hyperventilating at that sudden and improbable ambush. "... You... alright?"

The Griffon Knight nods before running up to the open rooftop and whistling for her mount. The second after the sound was emitted out, Morrigan came flying in from the skylight.

"I think I'll take de skies," she suggested as she got onto her winged mount. "... Can't see shite in de dark, so might as well take me chances against the thousands waitin' fur me outside."

"Not without me, you're not," Topaz then jumped aboard in Selene's lap. "... Okay, I kinda wanna find out what wyverns taste like."

"Just dun't eat mine, alrite?" sighed the Griffin Knight before the two took off into the air, seen from below by their Professor being assailed by numerous Wyvern Knights from all side, with the most of them falling dead and plummeting towards the ground, with one of them landing next to Karna.

"... Can we get a move on?" Karna snorted in a strenuous manner. "... Lest you forget, I'M ALLERGIC TO WYVERNS!"

The three then hastily move on through factory after factory building (Sorcha retrieves her [Adharma] blade), manuvering through the interconnected doors that they made/broke their way though, all the while, the sounds of dead Alymran [Rashidun] pelting onto the factory rooftops like hail drumming over their heads, with one occasionally being too heavy and opening a hole through the roof, allowing the still-living [Rashidun] to rush in.

"FEKIN' PIECES OF SHITE!" roared Sorcha as she then pulled out her [Ne Zha] gauntlets and gutted the rider after jumping onto his mount. "HOW MANY OF DEM ARE DERE?!"

"Standard Almyran procedere-ACHOO! ... dictates-ACHOO!" Karna spoke in-between sneezes with one accidentally casting [Vermintide Z+] rather than the intended [Expiration Δ+], causing the Wyvern Rider and his mount to be devoured by a horde of spectral and invoked rats, "... I'd say about ten-thousand minimum."

"... Too many!" Vidar pointed out as he the snapped a wyvern's neck around his arm. "... Enemy... like rabbits... after winter!"

Sorcha then shoots a stream of [Samadhi Fire] through the gap, incinerating all those who dared to come into their spot, deterring those who were in an attempt to do the former. "... Ugh, I'd ratha fite that rottin' dragon again."

"SHUT UP AND KEEP MOVING!" Karna then kicked down the next set of doors before entering.

As the three continued moving, up at the skies was Selene flying circles around the [Rashidun] while Topaz hopped from one Wyvern Knight to another, taking a fatal bite out of their flesh along with their rides.

"(WHERE DID THAT FOREIGN FUCK GET HER HANDS ON A GRIFFIN)?!" one [Rashidun] screamed in Almyran. "(I THOUGHT FODLAN KILLED OFF ALL OF THEIR OWN POPULATION)-!"

Topaz bites off his neck before killing his wyvern and jumping back to Selene's lap. "... It appears that the enemy are astonished by the presence of your mount."

"I kinda recall dat Faerghus wasted em," Selene pointed out as she rubbed her hand against the beast's head. "... Gotta wonda why-"

Topaz notices that Selene had stopped her talking before looking towards the same direction.

"Ye see hair colored like dat of a sunset?" Selene asked.

Topaz nods before the Griffin Knight then snaps her bridles, prompting the griffin to fly down towards where its master had locked her eyes towards.

"(THEY'RE AFTER THE PRINCE)!" one of the [Rashidun] cried out. "(KILL THOSE WHORES)!"

All of them then pulled out their flintlock pistols before aiming their barrels towards the descending griffin. Topaz then looks back before the hail of lead rained down upon them, forcing Selene to maneuver Morrigan to dodge the oncoming volley.

"They're going to be an issue if we leave them alone!" Topaz then stood up and slithered around Selene's back. "I'll hold them off as much as I can! You go on without me!"

"Wait, but ye can't fly-!" Selene cried out but the minute Espio leapt off of the griffin's hindquarters as she then threw her [Zulfiqar] across the night sky.

The obtuse-angled blade then spun itself through the air in a blur, cutting through rider and wyvern alike like hot through butter as she plummeted down to the earth. In midst of her quick descent, several of the [Rashidun] than all charged towards her with their [Silver Lances] pointed at her fall path, planning to kill her before the impact of the fall can.

Topaz smirks as she began to speak Almyran. "... Too smart for your own good."

During her fall, she then undoes her cloak and shroud, revealing her grotesque features hidden underneath, causing a collective lapse of focus to the [Rashidun] as she then opened up one of her arms to unleash the implanted Relic, [Blutgang], like a mantid's claw.

During her fall, she anchors her boney blade through a wyvern's wing before leaping towards another and biting off the rider's face off and slurping it down her gullet and resuming her downwards trail of carnage.

Eventually, the last [Rashidun] manages to reload his pistol on time, aims it at Topaz, but just before he could even pull the trigger, the mutant Espio then blocks the barrel with the palm of her right hand, the shot burrowing a clean hole through her hand, to which she then slides the barrel through the fresh hole, turns the barrel's vent onto to its own shooter, right before pulling him closer towards herself and then sinking her teeth around his throat.

After her last kill, Topaz then breaks through the factory's roof, bumping into several of the rafters before landing on top of Karna's head.

"... Why me?" asked the Professor as both he and the Espio scrambled back up. "... Any updates?"

"Selene spotted Leonie and made a beeline towards her," she informed. "... We best make haste."

"... Find... friend!" then Vidar punches through the next set of doors before running through another set of doors by ramming his body though them.

"HOLY SHITE!" Sorcha cried out as the rest of the gathered group followed after Vidar tackling through one door after another. "WHY DIDN'T HE DO DAT IN DE FIRST PLACE?!"

"... He said 'friend,' right?" Karna pointed out.

"Ah," Sorcha nodded. "... Guess Leonie's 'air wasn't enough of a lead."

With one final scream, Vidar then punches an additional pair of doors off of its hinges before pivoting his head before sniffing the air.

"... Blood," he grunted as he then sniffed further down the alleyway. "Not like animal's... nor Topaz's drool... FRESH BLOOD! FRESH BLOOD!"

"Oh crudcakes," Karna groaned. "CHEESE IT!"

The rest of the Dustbin then sprinted down the alley as Vidar took the lead. Eventually, the group come across a slumped and heavily-wounded Leonie, faced down by a royally-dressed Almyran with a bloodied [Shamshir] in his hand.

"Leonie!" Karna cried out, causing the Almyran to pivot his head towards the group.

"... Well, company," he muttered to himself in Almyran before catching notice of one of them. "... Oh! Topaz! Long time no talk!"

The little Hassashin groans before addressing her technically-superior in Almyran. "... (Prince Shahid, before we begin, how did you recognize me despite my current look)?"

Shahid chuckles before answering. "... (I could never the color of a woman's eyes)."

"Creep," shuddered Karna before he stepped up and addressed to him in Almyran. "... (Let her go, now)."

Shahid looks back at Leonie, who was groggily looking towards the cloaked Professor and his students. "... (You made new friends)?" he taunted. "... (Ah, even after 15 years since your capture, you've been an utter bane to all existence)."

"(That of which, I hold in pride, Prince Shahid)," Karna mock bowed. "... (Although given your prestige, don't you already have enough women waiting for you at your bedchambers)?"

"... (I assure you, one more won't make a difference)," Shahid smirked before kneeling down and caressing Leonie's face like a kitten's. "... Don't worry. You won't be the only Fodlander attending to my needs-"

Leonie then lunges towards him and bites down onto his thumb, for which he then recoiled back in pain with a muffled scream.

In this moment, Topaz then reaches into her bandolier of throwing blades around her upper thigh before taking one out and throwing it at him.

However, in a sudden twist, Shahid catches the thrown blade between his fingers without even so much as looking at the direction where it was thrown from.

"... Bullshite I call it," Sorcha commented. "How did ye catch dat?!"

"Please," he scoffed while tauntingly twirling the caught blade between his fingers like a coin after wrenching his bleeding thumb out of Leonie's now-agape mouth. "Evading assassinations is a rite of passage for Almyran Royalty."

Then in the next instant, Shahid then swipes his [Shamshir] through her right leg, cutting it through her knee before she could even react.

Upon regaining her senses after that momentary loss, she then belts out a horrid screech of agony as Shahid then pierces his sword through the amputated leg before raising it up, feeding the leg to his personal wyvern.

"Remember to chew! You've just filled up on her horse," remarked Shahid as he then looked at his thumb. "... And split down the middle too," he sighed with a grimace at his fractured thumbnail. "... I guess all dogs need to be housebroken first."

But just before the group can intervene, from behind them, several unmounted Wyvern Knights of the [Rashidun] then ambush the Dusbtin as the above was now clouded with flying Almyran troops.

"DAMMIT! WE'VE BEEN HAD!" Karna growled as he then brandished his [Scythe of Sariel].

"Professor, leave the Ameer to me," Topaz suggested. "The rest of you, hold the line!"

"SORCHA!" Selene's voice called out.

"DON'T COME TE ME!" the Vanguard bellowed. "GIT DE REST OF THE GOLDEN DEER! WE'RE IN AN AMBUSH!"

"As if I let you," sneered Shahid before he then produced a loaded flintlock pistol and raised it towards the sky and shot out a booming flare. "(MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T GET AWAY)!"

Selene was then chased down by every single remaining airborne [Rashidun] Wyvern Knight present as Karna, Vidar, and Sorcha fended off the encroaching horde of the elite Almyran forces on the ground.

"... It's funny how fate works, Ameer," Topaz spoke in Almyran as she then caught her returning [Zulfiqar] that made its way back to her after indiscriminately cutting everything down in its path. "... Five years ago, I was fearful of you, of what would you do to my people if I haven't taken up on your job to find and kill Crown Prince Khalid."

"... Don't take me for a fool," Shahid then snapped his fingers, letting his wyvern to bow its head down to allow him to retrieve his famed axe, [Dahaka]. "... You found him, didn't you?"

Topaz smirks. "... The poor fool stuck out like a sore thumb," she answered. "... It is that perhaps why I failed to kill him. I wasn't the only one after him."

Shahid raises an eyebrow. "... You know, I can let the girl go if you can go and kill Khalid right now," he offered. "Just bring me his head and I'll call off the attack."

"... Don't take me for a fool, Ameer," the Espio remarked as her left arm then opened up to unsheathe [Blutgang] from its fleshy prison. "... I can see through your lies a bit better than before."

"Caught onto my exact words, haven't you?" smirked Shahid as he rubbed his wyvern's head affectionately. "So yes, I plan to cut off all of the girl's limbs, saddle her up onto my dear Azia's back, and after I bathe and groom her, I plan to leash her to my bed and keep her there."

"You're a disgusting man," Topaz growled.

"Grew a heart during your time away from home?" taunted Shahid as he dual-wielded his sword and axe.

Topaz shook her head. "... No."

With Leonie as the sole witness, she then sees both Topaz and Shahid move in a blink, clashing arms against each other in an even contest of strength.

Their desperate struggle for Derdriu's future resumes.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Learned how Arabic names work the hard way. I even learned over the course of writing this chapter that some guy from Egypt had a name so long that British passport couldn't fit it.

That said, I think 3-4 (main name, father's first name-optional grandfather's name, surname) should be a decent length.

So, this chapter was meant to cover the whole battle, but after remembering my 57k-long chapter from hell last month, I decided to add another part down the line for this arc just to avoid slog.

With that said, I was wrestling with a few things in my mind during this chapter's development:

One: show of power in terms of scale. Starting out this fic, I wanted to keep the show of character's physical feats relatively grounded in a traditional Fire Emblem sense, but after Three Hopes came out, suddenly, one character facing down a hundred at once became a thing.

Granted, I never played Three Hopes, but still, the Dustbin were meant to be a cut above the rest of the Garreg Mach's student body in exchange for poor (initial) academic performance, so as a result, I sort of settled on a compromise of making them an "in-between" stage of showing of power. That and it also works to their humbling in that even after during their experiences out on the field, this is literally the first time that they've dealt with an organized army as as a cohesive unit.

Two: characterizing the Five Great Lords. After much deliberation and studying the context, here are my results.

Duke Riegan - part old man who's done with everyone's shit while being relatively focused on the bigger picture.

Duke Goneril - a soft example of Fodlan's equivalent to "Eagleland - Type 2/Boorish," albeit a complicated example due to his job as border patrol and implied messy family life.

Count Gloucester - realpolitik incarnate. Treats the political game between the nobles ala poker, but knows when to put the cards away, such as during an invasion.

Margrave Edmund - stoic, don't piss him off.

Count Ordelia - nervous wreck with a helluva guilt complex (related to Lysithea)

And three: Shahid's characterization. Admittedly, I was inconsistent with him ever since he was alluded, and some corners of the fandom either plays him straight, or establish a "Draco in Leather Pants"-treatment.

Ultimately, I decided to split the difference and make him a paradoxically a despicable piece of shit while being a genuine menace who's overshadowed by his younger half-sister (she's the brains behind the [Dantalion Cannon] and the whole military operation) and by his own need to become the next Shah (even going as far as to drag Nader and forming the [Rashidun]) as a sort of dick-measuring showcase. Weird hybrid, but I made my bed and I shall now lie on it.

That's all I have to say. See you all in the next chapter, after I finish editing me and my Discord partner's webcomic script for the rest of this month.

References:

- Duke Goneril was performing an Argentine Backbreaker and Suplex Hold-combo on Karna while being choked out by the latter's Anaconda Chokehold and has his legs constricted by Marquis Daphnel's Texas Clover Hold.

- Sorcha's method of air-travel with her [Adharma] as her propellant is based off Monster Hunter Rise's "unofficial" Blast Dash technique. Normally, you'd ground yourself to traverse the earth in successive bursts, but someone figured out how to fly across the whole map with the damn thing.

- Topaz's method of letting the gun shoot through her hand before grabbing it by the barrel is a reference to Deadpool 2.

- Shahid's wyvern's name, Azia, means "rising sun" in Arabic, and serves as a complimentary to his weapon's name, the [Dahaka]. Put together, and it references the mythological Azi Dahaka of Zoroastrianism.