"We will initiate our attack here with the Golden Deer as a single unit," Kratos explained as he drew his finger in the dirt. All of the Blue Lions knelt in a circle around the makeshift map that their professor made in the ground for them to see. "Once the landing is ours, we will break off from the main group and attack from the left passage toward the courtyard."

He looks up at his students. "Gautier, Molinaro, and Blaiddyd; you three will act as the primary vanguard. Whatever happens, you will hold your ground until I issue further instructions, regardless of the circumstances. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The three boys said in unison.

Then to Ingrid. "Galatea; you will assist me from behind and cover their flank from enemy archers. If anyone from the front falls out of formation, you will be there to take their place. In the meantime, Ubert will be the one to provide cover fire."

The blonde nodded dutifully. "Of course."

"I'll do my best!" Ashe added.

"Dominic: your enhancement spell will be invaluable in a pinch, but it must be timed and used properly. Do not intend to cast it without my orders, unless it is necessary. I trust that you will know who and when to deploy it if such a scenario were to occur."

"I won't disappoint you, Sir Kratos!" Annette replied enthusiastically.

"And Martritz: you will remain by one of the knights following our lead. Ensure that you do not needlessly expose yourself to enemy fire. If there is a wounded ally, do not immediately come to their aid without someone to provide protection. These men do not care if you are non-combatant; the moment they are given the opportunity, you will become a target."

"I understand." Mercedes bowed her head in compliance. Kratos let out a satisfied grunt before standing back upright, and the rest followed suit.

"And what about me?" Asked Felix impatiently as he crossed his arms.

"You," said Kratos as he drew the pole carrying the Blue Lion's banner from the ground and held it out to the swordsman, "Will be our standard bearer."

Felix's eyes narrowed at the banner pole in the brigand's hand before looking back up at Kratos with a mixture of contempt and confusion. "...this is a joke, right?"

From his hip, Mimir could see Kratos' grip on the pole tighten and decided to intervene. "I don't think that anyone here's having a laugh, lad."

"So then, why am I not on the frontline? I'm a soldier, you've seen me fight! Why the hell am I the one responsible for carrying the colors?"

"Do not mistake this for your lack of skills in battle." Kratos asserted, stepping closer to the young man until he was practically towering directly over him. "Every warrior who fights under this banner rallies to you, for it is more than just a piece of cloth. It represents the strength of one's company. When our enemies see it, they will stop at nothing to seize what it represents. This role is paramount on the battlefield, and no other holds greater significance. Therefore, you shall guard the pride of both your fellow students and your nation- even with your life, if necessary."

Felix's expression darkened. "' Pride' is one of the last things I'd ever consider fighting for." He spat.

"And that is precisely why you will bear it," the brigand told him, his patience wearing thin. "But if that is your wish, then I will personally escort you back the way we came. And then, you can have the privilege of explaining to the Archbishop why you chose to let your class face this battle alone."

The air surrounding the Blue Lions suddenly became thick, and the rest of the students began to shift around uncomfortably. Felix, in contrast, stood rigidly as he stared back up at the brigand with seemingly unwavering eyes. Eventually, however, he looks around at his fellow students; particularly at Annette and Mercedes. Their expressions were a mixture of worry and anticipation of what might happen next, and seeing this caused the swordsman to finally relent.

" Fine. " He snarled under his breath before snatching the standard from Kratos' hands.

Normally, this type of behavior would've led to even harsher ballocking from the otherworldly warrior, and instead, Kratos nodded in satisfaction as he turned to the main group. "Are we ready to engage?"

Madek, the captain of the knights tasked with assisting both classes, nodded. "I just spoke with my scout. The rest of my troops are in place and are waiting for us to begin the assault."

"Very good." Then to his students, "Blue Lions, prepare for battle!"

x-x-x

The bandits didn't even know they were under attack until the arrows had started flying. Two found their marks, and their targets swiftly dropped. Another arrow impaled itself in one of the brigands' thighs, while the fourth missed, bouncing harmlessly off the ground. The sound of one of the men screaming as he fell and grabbed at his leg was what alerted the rest of the camp. The bandits hurriedly scrambled to their as they watched a company of soldiers hurrying towards the bridge leading the landing.

One of the men turned to the other and yelled, "Sound the alarm! We're under attack!"

Meanwhile, Kostas was in his tent when he heard the horn blasting through the air, and he hurried outside to see what the commotion was about. "What is it? What's happening?"

"The knights are here, sir!" Said one of his lackeys, his eyes wide with fear. "They just came in from the south entrance!"

Kostas was agape. "The knights chased us all the way out here?!"

The thief nodded vigorously. "Chief, let's get out of here! There's no way we can win against them!"

The younger man could see a vein swell in his leader's temple as his mouth twisted in anger and grabbed him by the collar. "Shut your dumb mouth!" He screamed into his face. "Where would we go at this point? You can't be a thief if you fear death!" He emphasized this by shoving his subordinate away towards the source of the fighting. "If we die, then we'll at least take most of them down with us! Now get moving!"

x-x-x

The bandits didn't even get the chance to form up and block the bridge as Kratos and Byleth led their respective squads across it. A couple of them even dared to try and confront the mercenary and the brigand as they reached the other side, but were quickly dispatched with a swift swipe of the blade and the butt of an axe to the head.

"Give them another volley!" Kratos bellowed, loud enough for the archers to hear, and the bandits were once again pelted with arrows. "Blue Lions, on me!" The students of his class immediately rallied to the standard that Felix carried, and they made their formation on Kratos as they prepared to take on the rest of the thieves on the landing. They charged forward while mowing down any poor soul brave enough to challenge the wall of shields and spears on their own, meanwhile, Byleth led her remaining students on their right flank to provide further pressure on the bandits attempting to hold the landing. But soon enough, the remaining thieves were in full retreat as they ran down the stone stairs leading to the main courtyard.

"The landing is ours!" Said Kratos to his students. "Everyone, stay in formation and follow me!"

As he led his team towards the left passage, Kostas was enraged to see a group of teenagers being led by adults against him. "Sending those brats instead of the knights means they've underestimated me!" He snarled, gripping his fist. Then, to his lackey, "You two! Get up there and start pelting those noble brats! Let's see how they handle being shot at from above!"

Once the Blue Lions had secured the base of the stairs leading to the courtyard, Kratos and his students wasted no time getting back into proper formation before marching forward, with shields and spears at the ready and the knights following closely behind them. Just ahead of them, a massive brigand who was only just a head shorter than Kratos began to rally his men, and the bandits began to charge toward the Blue Lions.

"Blue Lions, halt!" Kratos commanded, and the students immediately obeyed. "Phalanx!" In anticipation of the running bodies heading straight at them, the God of War stepped into the front formation to strengthen the vanguard. "Get ready!"

All of the men dug in their heels, and the wave of bandits came crashing down on them. However, thanks to their training as well as the reinforcements from their teacher, the line held firm. However, Sylvain could be seen struggling to hold his ground, and Kratos acted swiftly. "Dominic, on my command, focus your spell on Gautier!"

"Yes sir!" She shouted back.

"Hold…" Their professor said as Sylvain slowly began to lose ground. " Hold…" From the other side, the giant bandit could be seen sneering as he noticed the formation beginning to break, and right at the last moment, Kratos bellowed, "ADVANCE!"

At this command, several things happened at once. First, the students in the vanguard opened up the gaps in their shields just enough to allow their spears through, and cries could be heard from the enemy side as steal penetrated flesh. Second, Annette tethered her enhancement spell to Gautier, who felt a sudden surge in physical prowess. Third, Sylvain, Dedue, and Dimitri suddenly surged forward and began to overrun the lump of bodies pressed up against them, and the bandit's offensive quickly crumbled.

Realizing they were about to be run over and disposed of, the large thief raised an arm with an axe in hand in an attempt to swing over the wall of shields and into anyone he could find. However, Sylvain saw the opportunity he was given launched his spear forward, and hit his mark, causing the bandit to let out a gurgling sound before tumbling over the side and down the side of the mountain.

"Move forward!" Kratos commanded, and the Blue Lions continued down the path. However, they'd only gotten an extra couple of steps in before an arrow came whizzing down and impaled itself on Dimitri's shoulder. The prince let out a cry that made him sound more alarmed than injured, and he dropped his shield as he fell backward. Kratos reacted immediately by grabbing the boy by his good arm and immediately brought up his shield for protection.

"Your Highness!" Dedue shouted in worry as he looked back towards the prince.

"Do not worry about him!" Kratos yelled back at him. "Focus on your job!" Then back at the Mercedes who stood with the knights. "We have a man down! Galatea, take his place. Ubert, take out the-"

"I'm on it!" Ashe called out as he notched an arrow. At the top of the wall that hugged their left side, and archer could be seen bouncing in and out of view as he waited for his opportunity to take another shot at the students below. But once he stood up again to get another clear shot, Ashe was ready for him and preemptively fired to where the bandit would be standing. His skills and foresight proved true, and the thief was met with an arrow to the chest, causing his seizing body to flop over the edge with blood trickling from his gaping mouth.

"Good shot, lad!" Mimir told him.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Keep moving!" The white brigand instructed them. "We need to get off this chokepoint, or we will continue to be exposed to enemy fire!" Once they'd finally made it to the end of the passage, with Mercedes left behind to tend to a wounded Dimitri, the Blue Lions came face-to-face with the remaining bandits on a courtyard that was way too wide for their current formation to be effective. However, anticipating this, Kratos gives them the command that they've all been waiting for. "Take them!" The remaining Blue Lions let out a bellowing roar before breaking apart to charge the remaining thieves. Kratos turned to see Felix continuing to hold on to the standard next to him, who waited with narrowed and impatient eyes. "Have at them."

The blue-haired swordsman smirked. "Finally," he says before tossing the colors over to Kratos and drawing his sword.

Kratos watched as his students utilized their month's worth of training to overpower the remaining bandits. From the other side, things were going equally as bad for the ruffians, and those with the remaining sense had decided to retreat towards the crevice that led out of the canyon where the rest of the knights were waiting. Meanwhile, Kostas turned and hurled curses and insults at the fleeing men before ultimately turning around and facing the incoming soldiers.

"On your right, Brother!" Kratos reacted to Mimir's warning to see another large ruffian heading towards Ingrid with her back faced towards him while dueling another bandit. The God of War wasted no time in charging the man before bringing up his axe and severing the bandit's hand from his wrist. The ruffian howled and fell to his as he gripped the empty stump of his wrist, falling to his knees.

"Well, guess he won't continue to fight after that one," Mimir commented.

Kratos was about to make a sound in agreement before suddenly his entire world went into a dark shade of blue. His bodily suddenly became rigid, and Kratos could feel himself moving against his will as he watched his previous actions moving in reverse until he suddenly found himself standing exactly where he was just a moment before everything returned to normal.

"On your right, Brother!"

"What?" Kratos said out loud, as though he were still processing everything that happened. Eventually, he looked back at Ingrid. The bandit's hand he'd previously severed was now perfectly intact, and due to his confusion, he'd had lost precious time that he could've used to close the gap and intercept the attacker. Regardless, Kratos made a beeline towards his student, despite realizing that he was too late to do anything about it.

However, before the ruffian could deal the killing blow, an arrow suddenly pierced him through the neck, killing him instantly. Kratos turned to see where the arrow had come from, and he could see Claude standing atop the ledge of the landing they'd previously taken with his bow in hand. Upon seeing that Kratos had noticed the shot, the Golden Deer House Leader smirked and gave him a playful salute before focusing back on the battle at hand.

"Brother, is everything alright?" Mimir asked in concern.

Kratos gruffed and shook his head. "Yes. But we will talk later."

"Aye, we sure will. That's the first time I'd ever seen you act like that in the middle of battle."

Kratos wanted to snarl at the head before returning his focus to the rest of his students. "Enough. We must finish this before anyone else gets hurt."