(A/N: If last chapter was the soup and salad. This chapter is the meat and potatoes. Here we go!)
When Byleth and Milly returned to Professor Jeritza's private quarters, they had a veritable army of various allies ready to kick ass and take names. There was just one problem.
"Oh! Damn him!" Milly shouted. "I knew it! I knew he was going to go down there by himself!"
"No point in dwelling on it. He's down there and that's where we're going," Shamir, among those gathered, stated. "Let's move."
She, Byleth, Milly, and the rest of their squadron on short notice, ran down the stairs in the wall behind the bookcase. Together, Byleth and Milly had managed to gather ten people: Shamir, Suzaku, Oldrin, Petra, Lysithea, Hilda, Ferdinand, Ingrid, Leila, and Kallen. When the twelve of them reached the bottom, they could already hear the sounds of fighting.
Shamir pulled up a radar device. "Looks like another force has already engaged the enemy," Shamir said.
"Another force?" Oldrin questioned.
"Where's Lelouch?" Milly asked.
"Unless his HLKMF has activated, I can't…" Shamir saw something on her radar and stopped talking. Byleth and Suzaku peered over her shoulder to see what it was. Under a list of active HLKMFs, two frames appeared within this large, strange prison area: Death Knight and Zero Matrix.
"Zero's here," Suzaku commented.
"So's the Death Knight," Shamir said. "Which means the Flame Emperor may not be far behind. Be on your guard!"
"But which path do we take?" Hilda shouted. "There's fighting going on in both directions."
"There is less fighting towards the east. A small, fast unit should go that way," Petra stated.
"Petra's right," Suzaku said, looking at the ever-detailing radar device. "Look at the map. There are warp panels of some kind in this place. Likely they'll feed out into the center area which is a complete dead end."
"That's where the Death Knight's signature seems to be coming from," Shamir said, putting it away.
"Petra, go with Ferdinand to the east," Byleth instructed.
"We'll get it done, Professor," Petra said.
"I'm right behind you, Petra," Ferdinand told her and the two ran off.
Oldrin drew out her twin swords and faced west. "Let's go rescue Flayn."
"Don't get sloppy," Shamir warned, loading her rifle. "The enemy has been down here for quite some time and at least one of them knows the layout better than we do. Let's kick their asses, get Flayn, and get out."
"Copy that," Suzaku said, equipping energy gauntlets. "Let's move!"
The group tore west right into a big, empty room where a lot of fighting was going on. Mages donned in black robes covered the area.
"These are the Flame Emperor's forces all right," Shamir said, firing her rifle, scoring headshots against unsuspecting targets. "Black cloaks. Mostly mages."
"Is that really all we have to go on?" Milly asked, flinging a fireball at an approaching enemy and blowing them off their feet.
"We know very little about the enemy's forces," Suzaku said over comms. "Watch out for members of the JLF too while we're at it."
"I don't think the JLF is aware of this operation," Kallen communicated.
"What makes you say that?" Suzaku inquired.
"Call it a hunch," Kallen replied back.
"There's a lot of them," Oldrin said, slicing her way towards a wall. "Goddess, how did the Flame Emperor fit them all down here?!"
"I don't know, but they're closing in on us," Ingrid warned. "There's a pathway to our north. We need to make an opening!"
"Hilda! If we combine our strength, these guys don't stand a chance! Form up on me!"
"Ugh! Fine! I don't want to really go all out, but Flayn's life is on the line here. Let's go!"
Kallen and Hilda charged forward, mowing down anything that got even remotely close to them. The two swung, leapt, cleaved, and smashed their way through enemies like scoring strikes in bowling.
"Ugh! You're making me work!"
"For the glory of Japan!"
Dual Critical Strike!
Hilda and Kallen let loose an energy axe quake along the ground simultaneously and the shockwave ripped across the battlefield, mowing down hordes of foes and clearing a path like oak trees in a tornado.
"Up high!" Hilda exclaimed, offering Kallen her hand.
Kallen smirked, and casually slapped Hilda five.
"We've got reinforcements coming in from behind!" Ingrid exclaimed. "They appear to be teleporting in!"
"In that case, how about you let us help you out!"
The new reinforcements were suddenly blown away by bolts of rainbow colored lightning. "Be dazzled by my overwhelming arcane arts! AHHHHAhaha!"
Members of Byleth's force looked to see two figures dressed in light gray cloaks, wearing strange knight helmets with wolf ears attached.
"We've had our differences," the one with the deeper voice said. "But Zero wants Flayn rescued. I know we had a bit of an adversity back at the Holy Mausoleum, but this time, let's work together."
"You really think we'll trust you?" Ingrid asked, snappy.
"Let's trust them for now," Byleth said.
"Professor!" Ingrid exclaimed.
"I agree with the professor," Shamir said. "I think this time we can let Zero's presence slide. His forces appear to be on our side, at least until the time Flayn is rescued."
"That is correct," Zero's voice came in over comms.
"Zero!" Suzaku shouted.
"I've asked my associates to lay waste to the Flame Emperor's forces. I will not condone kidnapping children. Just this once, consider my army your ally."
Lelouch's voice then came over the comm line. "Do as he says."
"Lelouch!" Byleth shouted, relieved to hear his voice.
"You lying, cheating—"
"Good to hear from you too, Milly," Lelouch commented. "Zero rescued me when I came down here in over my head. I nearly got myself killed by the Death Knight."
"Where are you?" Byleth demanded to know.
"Deeper behind enemy lines. Zero's forces are with me. We're all working together. Let's rescue Flayn, okay?" He requested.
Suzaku growled. "Just be all right, okay, Lelouch?"
"I don't need you to worry about me," Lelouch told him. It was his subtle way of reminding Suzaku that people weren't supposed to know they were too chummy with each other.
"All forces move on ahead!" Byleth shouted. As they charged forward, Constance continued to sling spells at incoming forces of the Flame Emperor.
"All right, shady lady," Yuri, the other member of Zero's force that had been there, said to her. "I'll watch your six. You stop the reinforcements."
"Call me that one more time, and I'll tag you with a bolt of lightning," Constance shouted. She and Yuri then backed up into each other's backs, causing her to blush. "W-Watch where you are standing!"
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm unpopular. Poor Yuri," Yuri joked and then took out a rifle, tagging enemies heading towards him. "Just don't screw this up."
"Ah! Who do you think you are talking to?" Constance asked and began slinging spells at enemy reinforcements as they continued to pour in like an infestation of beetles in an old house being smoked out from underground.
Yuri chuckled. "Right, I've got you confused with a different loud mouth magic prodigy. Silly me."
Constance growled, but her aggravation only caused her to step up her game.
Rescuing Flayn will help confuse who exactly Zero's enemy is for some time, Yuri thought. Quite the sneaky tactic, Lelouch. I knew I picked the right horse to back in this operation. Let's just hope you don't drop the ball when the time is right.
More fire seemed to come from through the walls as Ferdinand used a shield to cover him and Petra's acrobatics kept her from getting tagged.
"They are quite persistent," she complained.
"They must be using some kind of infrared goggles to get such precise aiming at us from the other side of a wall," Ferdinand deduced.
"Shall we be breaking down the wall then?" Petra asked.
"No, we don't want to risk bringing the ceiling down on our heads," Ferdinand said, only for the wall behind them to be smashed in and a large man charge through it and then through the wall in front of them with energy gauntlets.
"Coming through!" the boisterous newcomer shouted.
"Or maybe the ceiling is sturdier than that," Ferdinand commented, now having been proven wrong.
The newcomer grabbed a rifleman and punched him in the face. "Hey, pal! Nobody likes a camping wall shooter."
"I am being certain he has already lost consciousness," Petra commented as they stepped up behind the newcomer.
"Noble stranger, might you be a member of Zero's forces?" Ferdinand asked.
"Yup!" The large man, said, turning around, sporting a gray cape and a helmet with wolf ears attached to it. "Just call me the Wall Smashing King of…uh…wall smashing!" Balthus had to be careful yet again not to give away his title, lest people talk about it.
"I am having the confusion," Petra said.
"I believe our friendly savior here is simply trying to hide his name and face," Ferdinand said. "Makes sense for a wanted vigilante working for Zero. But, Mr. Wall Smasher, it appears we are headed the same way. Might you accompany us?"
"A'course!" Balthus exclaimed. "My treasure senses are tingling down this way too. I bet there's loot like you wouldn't believe in this series of narrow passageways."
"Loot?! I would be liking that greatly. Shall we be procuring forbidden gold, Ferdinand?" Petra asked.
"Well…if we find anything of value, it is bound to belong to the Flame Emperor. In that case, let us examine what we find and have it appraised for if it is lost later."
"Woohoo! Free stuff! Yeah! I'm all fired up, let's do this thing!" Balthus then charged down the narrow passageway, using his big, bulky energy gauntlets as shields before he began punching enemies in the face.
"We should be following him," Petra said and then ran after hers and Ferdinand's new ally. "KREEEEYAAAAAAAAAH!"
Ferdinand sighed. "Well, I don't like the idea of stealing things. I will simply ask the Archbishop if the things we find can be returned to their original owners later." He raised his trusty energy lance and shield. "En garde, fiends! For you will face the wrath of Ferdinand von Aegir!"
Like a trio of speeding trucks, Ferdinand, Petra and Balthus charged down the passageways and bowled over whatever got in their path.
As Byleth's forces headed north, Lelouch, disguised as Zero, was already trailing east from the northwestern tip of the battlefield towards the Death Knight's current location. Hapi, Ayano, and Yukiya were accompanying him.
"You sure it was okay to leave C behind?" Hapi asked, referring to C.C.
"Members of the Officer's Academy would recognize her as someone I rescued. I don't want to draw attention to myself," Zero told her.
Yukiya took aim and mercilessly shot down an enemy mage in the corner by the wall.
"But what about the Death Knight?" Hapi asked, greatly concerned.
"We'll make do without her for dealing with him. We have the Ashen Demon here. That should hopefully be enough," Zero responded.
Hapi flung a miasma bolt at an enemy dead ahead before Zero could tag them himself. She then watched Zero leap at the enemy and stab them in the throat before he could get back up. Blood pooled everywhere. Hapi was taken a bit aback by this.
"Are…you okay?" she asked. "You seem a bit…bloodthirsty."
Zero withdrew his energy knife from the man's throat. "Let's just say I'm taking the situation a bit personally."
"I guess symbol or no, you're still human under there, huh?" Hapi asked.
Zero stood up and faced away from Hapi, using his hands under his cape to adjust his interface to find wherever the enemy may lie in hiding. He did not respond to her.
"Hey, I mean, it's okay, being human, I mean. Like, I get it. You want us to think you're this big larger than life hero that doesn't have time to bleed and every breath they take makes the world more awesome, but like…it's okay to be who you are under that helmet every now and again," Hapi said to him.
"Wasting your breath, Hapi," Yukiya commented.
"No, sighing would be a waste of my breath," Hapi pointed out.
"Hapi, the world would be better off if I didn't have to be human," Zero told her.
Hapi shook her head. "Don't say that! If you throw away what makes you human, you'll be no better than the Flame Emperor! Being human isn't just about emotional pain and suffering, it's about also having empathy and knowing that no matter how much your life sucks, that doesn't give you an excuse to drag others down to your level! I would know…I've…thought about it."
Zero turned to look at her.
"What? You think I get cursed with this cool power to summon animals when I sigh and I never once thought about wreaking havoc on major metropolitan areas with it? Nah, I've thought about feeding cocaine to a bear and a hippo at least once or twice and watching the fireworks that ensued. But…you know…being cruel to the world doesn't make you feel better. …Not when you're human, anyway. And…that's why I follow you, Zero. Even though you hide your face and you're identity, and you try to stand as some sort of invincible symbol, you're still a human underneath all that and I can put my faith in the hands of someone else, like I did Yuribird, Coco and B back in the day."
"You guys feel like having this conversation later?" Yukiya asked. "We've got company."
"Ah, good point. Don't want to raise a death flag with the Death Knight nearby." She started unleashing unfriendly spells at nearby enemies.
Zero watched Yukiya and Hapi attack the surrounding forces for a bit, before calling out to Hapi directly. "Hapi."
"Yeah?"
"If I am still human, it is only because the Ashen Wolves make me so. If you all follow me because of my ideals, then I am able to avoid losing my humanity because of your devotion," he told them. "Having said that, the person I am inside isn't deserving of your faith, only the symbol I project myself as."
Hapi smirked. "Heh. Ah, c'mon, just say we're your friends and let's have a good old fashioned feast later. You're as much an Ashen Wolf as the rest of us."
Zero generated a magic blast and fired it an enemy approaching him as he stood faced away from Hapi and Yukiya. An Ashen Wolf myself? Hmm…maybe I am. "Hapi! Yukiya! Hold the enemy here! I'm going on ahead!"
"By yourself?" Hapi questioned.
"Balthus will be joining me shortly. Don't worry, I know my own limits," Zero said.
Hapi smirked. "Be careful out there, okay?"
"Don't worry, I will," Zero said and took off.
While Lelouch looked for somewhere to shed his guise as Zero, Byleth and the others were pushing north and around the corner towards Hapi and Yukiya.
"Enemy activity reduced east of here," Shamir pointed out, looking at the heat signature radarscope she had.
"Must be a direct result of Zero's forces," Oldrin pointed out.
"How did they get past so many enemies?" Lysithea questioned.
"They must have come down here first and the enemies swarmed after things got rowdy," Ingrid pointed out.
"Probably as good of a guess as we'll be able to puzzle out," Hilda commented. "Just gotta knock 'em all down and keep moving forward."
"Agreed," Shamir said and kept shooting at enemies from afar.
Suzaku, Hilda, Kallen, Oldrin, and Ingrid rushed headlong into the fray alongside Byleth. As melee focused units outside their frames, they could handle the most enemies without too much risk to themselves. This was especially true with Shamir, Lysithea, Leila and Milly offering suppressive fire from behind. Of course, Byleth's forces could only push forward so much. Enemies were now seeming to warp in from the busted prison cells that surrounded them.
"Warp magic?" Lysithea questioned.
"No, there's some kind of crystalized signature coming from inside those cells. Impossible…warp crystal gates are in the theoretical stage at best. How could they be using them on such a small scale?" Shamir wondered.
"I'll take care of it!" Suzaku shouted.
"Me too!" Leila exclaimed.
The two began diving into cells, shooting and punching gigantic rose quartz crystals that seemed to be self-generating magic energy that appeared to be the cause of the enemy's ability to warp into the area.
"They must be monitoring this area somehow. Someone must be watching this battlefield from the shadows," Suzaku pointed out.
"The Flame Emperor no doubt!" Shamir exclaimed in between shots.
"Is there no end to them?" Kallen wondered aloud. "They just keep coming!"
"If we take out all of the warp gates, they might stop showing up!" Leila shouted.
"Grrr, these stupid things!" Kallen shouted, smashing one without hesitation.
"There's only one left!" Suzaku shouted.
"I'm on it!" Leila exclaimed, only to trip over a raised cobblestone in her path and crumple to the floor. Prone on the ground, a group of mages spotted her and took aim.
"Leila!" Suzaku exclaimed. He was too far away to get between her and the shots.
Fortunately, he didn't have to. A newcomer with an energy sword of their own darted in front of Leila and deflected the attacks. It was one of Zero's men.
Leila slowly got to her feet. "Oh uh…thank you." She dusted off her skirt.
"You should be more careful," the man said. A blue ponytail cascaded down from the back of his helmet.
"S-sorry," Leila apologized.
"Consider my debt repaid," The man said.
"Repa…Oh!" Leila recalled how she had let two men escape the battlefield at Magdred Way. This was the smaller of the two combatants. "Oh, it's you! Um…"
The man ran off.
"Ah! Wait!" Leila called out to him, but he was long gone.
Suzaku ran over to her. "Miss Leila, are you hurt?"
Leila shook her head. "No, but that member of Zero's forces…"
"Hmm, which one?" Suzaku asked. There were three out there in the fray helping out Byleth and the others.
Leila smiled, shaking her head. "No. Nevermind. I'm sure he and I will meet yet again someday."
Suzaku smiled and then pat Leila on the shoulder. "I don't really know what's going on, but you seem pretty happy. Anyway, we need to take these black robed forces down. Cover my six, Leila!"
"Right!" Leila exclaimed.
Lelouch eventually reached the end corridor that fed into the room with the Death Knight inside. Electric torches lined the room as the skeletal knight waited patiently at the far end of the room.
"So, you managed to fight your way here," he said, voice echoing.
"Give Flayn back!" Lelouch shouted.
"I don't take orders from you, not anymore," The Death Knight stated. "Nor am I interested in a battle with one as weak as you. Kill him."
Other enemies in the room took out their weapons and began to attack Lelouch. There were six in all, one each with a different weapon type: Sword, lance, axe, rifle, energy gauntlets, and one clearly well versed in the arcane arts.
Lelouch, clad in what was left of his Skull Beetle's energy reserves, prepared to fight back. However, energy gauntlet user approached, a blur of white rushed into the room. They were kicked aside and into the wall by Suzaku.
"Lay a hand on him," Suzaku said calmly, only to glare, "And you'll be dealing with me next!"
The axe user charged forward next, only to be cleaved in half by a different energy axe, one with a pink energy crystal powering it.
"Oops, didn't realize you were so weak," Hilda said with a wink and a chuckle, stepping into the large room.
The energy lance user thrust his weapon towards her, only to get his weapon diced to pieces by Oldrin. Oldrin then proceeded to kill him with only a few well-placed slashes.
"I am Oldrin Zevon of the Glinda Knights, and you…" she gave the Death Knight a tough stare, "You are under arrest."
The rifleman backed up, taking aim, only to get a bullet in his forehead for his troubles.
Shamir, lifted her rifle and ejected the cartridge. She reloaded the weapon and pointed the crosshairs down range at the Death Knight. "I don't see Flayn in your possession. We can take her back after we're done with you."
The mage turned to try and run away, only to get impaled from behind by a hurled energy lance. Ingrid then wound the weapon back to her hand, and stood there with it firmly in her grip. "A knight stands for those who are weaker than themselves." She gripped the weapon with both hands, dismissed the chain and aimed the weapon at the Death Knight. "You don't deserve the honor of being called a knight."
The whip-like structure of the Sword of the Creator then arced through the air and eviscerated the swordsman. Byleth strolled into the room.
"Excellent. You will all die together. How joyous," The Death Knight commented.
"Is that really Professor Jeritza under there?" Suzaku questioned.
"It is. I confirmed it myself earlier," Lelouch said.
"Professor, I don't claim to understand what your reasons are for dressing up like that, nor kidnapping Flayn, but what I do know is that you've broken some serious laws," Shamir spat contemptuously and took aim. "And if you walk out of here alive, it won't be to the sunshine of freedom."
The Death Knight prepared his best weapon: The Scythe of Sariel. "Kill me if you can. If you don't at least try, then this room will become your tomb."
"Oh don't worry," Lelouch said. "Nobody here has any intention of making light of you!"
"Wonderous. Then…COME!"
Shamir took the first shot, her bullet bouncing off the Death Knight's horn as he charged forward. Byleth charged up to him. The Death Knight took a swing, expecting her to block it, and block it she did.
"You! You're the one I am the most interested in! Show me your POWER!"
Byleth immediately activated her Crest of Flames and then went to work fighting the Death Knight one on one. However, in her haste to come and aid Lelouch, she hadn't brought her HLKMF. She was fighting with one arm tied behind her back practically. In such circumstances, the Death Knight was far, far more powerful than her.
This was proven when he took an armored step forward and made the muscles in her arm creak from the strain as their weapons scratched against each other.
"Hang on, Professor!" Oldrin shouted and went to fight the Death Knight with her twin swords. She managed to push the Death Knight back a few paces, her furious sword swings, getting deflected as he gave up ground. He took sweeping strike at her legs, but she flipped backwards over him, sheathed her swords in midair and took aim at him with a rifle, tagging him in the chest before her feet touched the ground. However, the strike bounced off his armor harmlessly.
Ingrid came swinging in next. "Knightkneeler!" She shouted, channeling magic through her energy lance. Her energy lance thrust forward towards the Death Knight's chest, but he simply grabbed her lance and broke it before slashing at Ingrid with his powerful scythe.
Byleth jumped in front of him and blocked the attack, but the Sword of the Creator could barely withstand the force of the Death Knight's blow. The Death Knight pulled back and took several more strikes at Byleth's weapon. After that, he was suddenly kicked in the face and knocked off balance.
Suzaku had taken a leaping, spinning kick and delivered it at full force right into the Death Knight's helmet. He dropped to the ground, standing to Byleth's left.
"Nice one!" Oldrin shouted.
"Hrrrrrrn," The Death Knight growled.
"Banshee Theta!" Lelouch shouted and swarmed the Death Knight with multiple blasts of dark magic, the after effects of which corrupted his HLKMF systems, greatly reducing movement. "He's been grounded in place, now's our chance!"
Byleth nodded and made the Sword of the Creator glow. "Allow me to demonstrate!"
Critical Strike!
Byleth delivered a fearsome, slashing blow with the full brunt of the Sword of the Creator's power to the Death Knight's torso armor, dealing significant damage to his frame.
Deranged laughter could be heard from the Death Knight as the effects of Lelouch's Banshee Theta wore off. He grabbed Byleth and Suzaku by the face and slammed them into the ground, only for an energy axe to go spinning through the air and nearly catch him in the face. He barely had time to swat it aside.
Hilda was now barreling forward and took a hefty swing at the Death Knight. And, much to his surprise, she was winning the exchange. It was subtle, but it was there. The blades of his scythe and her axe met at around waist height alongside his left hip. He could see the glow of her body. She was using her crest.
"This game is getting more interesting," He uttered and activated his own Crest of Lamine.
Now, he had the advantage and slowly began to push Hilda back.
Suzaku got up from the ground and just began punching the Death Knight repeatedly in the back. However, he felt like he was using his bare hands to punch spiked steel.
I always knew Professor Jeritza was tough. But this…
Snarling, The Death Knight emitted a dark wave of energy around his scythe. "RAPTUROUS!"
Critical Strike!
In the same, powerful, horizontal swing, the Death Knight launched Suzaku and Hilda across the room.
"Damn," Hilda said, getting up on one knee, one hand on said knee, the other gripping her axe. She had one eye closed. The other had dust and sweat in it. "Is it just me, or did he get even stronger than last time?"
"This is why I said not to get sloppy," Shamir rebuked. "Professor Jeritza has always been one of the strongest teachers at the academy. Just the idea of him in a customized HLKMF is enough to scare most of the knights. Not many would even try fighting him in a serious battle."
"Well aren't we just foolish for not bringing Catherine then!" Lelouch shouted, his attitude suggesting that they couldn't exactly complain about what they were up against now. They simply had to do what needed to be done. "Banshee Theta!"
Lelouch was horrified when the Death Knight leapt out of the way and then barreled towards him.
Byleth, however, thought fast and used the Sword of the Creator's whip state like a lasso to grapple the Death Knight from behind.
Ingrid, having picked up the discarded energy sword of the enemy Byleth killed, rushed back into the fray to attack the Death Knight while he was immobilized. Despite being grappled by the most powerful weapon known to man, The Death Knight grabbed Ingrid's sword wrist with his gauntlet and proceeded to snap her arm like a twig. Ingrid screamed from the pain, only for her mouth to be shut by the Death Knight's fist.
"Ingrid!" Lelouch called out in alarm.
Shamir began harassing the Death Knight by taking out pistols instead of a rifle and flanking him with shots. She was the fastest, most calculated shot in the entirety of the Church of Seiros. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite fast enough.
"Death Gamma."
A blast of dark magic blasted Shamir off her feet and knocked her to the floor. She was hit with another one just as she got to her feet. And then another and then another.
"Shamir!" Suzaku shouted and ran headlong to fight the Death Knight one on one. Byleth and Hilda also jumped into the fray to fight.
The Death Knight growled, putting both hands on the Scythe of Sariel. "Squirm for me!"
Critical Strike!
The incoming lance strike sent Byleth, Suzaku and Hilda flying as Oldrin then activated her Crest of Ernest and flung herself at the Death Knight in one-on-one combat. At first, Lelouch thought this foolish, but, much to his amaze, Oldrin was holding her own. Each of Oldrin's swings seemed to have enough heft behind them to keep the Death Knight from fighting back.
No, Lelouch thought, examining the situation more closely. It wasn't Oldrin's strength, but her crest that was pushing the Death Knight back. Lelouch remembered this from his notes. The Crest of Ernest had a paralytic effect that destabilized the mind and nervous system for a hair's breath of time, preventing an enemy from acting on a threat immediately. This kept the Death Knight on the backfoot as he continued to try and lift his scythe in retaliation to Oldrin's attacks.
Zero could see the sweat running down Oldrin's forehead. She was pushing herself to activate her crest with every swing, something an ordinary warrior would find themselves bleeding from the eyes at attempting to do so for 5 seconds, let alone fifteen, or even thirty at the rate Oldrin was going.
Panting, Oldrin kept swinging away at the Death Knight, eventually buying Hilda enough time to recover from being struck by his critical strike and get in close.
"You asked for it!"
Critical Strike!
Aglow with the Crest of Goneril, Hilda's axe swing tunneled into the Death Knight's armor along his left hip and sent him flying into the wall, smashing it.
"Did that…get him?" Hilda asked, panting.
"Do you have to ask?" Lelouch groaned.
Like the stubbornest zombie known in fiction, the Death Knight pulled himself off the wall, more excited than hurt. "It appears that even in this form, you can still hurt me. How fortunate."
"Fortunate? Is this guy crazy or something?!" Hilda exclaimed, shocked.
"Well, it's Professor Jeritza, so that stands to reason," Lelouch said.
The Death Knight charged forward at an exhausted Hilda, his scythe poised to slice her pretty face, only for his wrist to get caught by a man standing just as tall as him in a gray cape and wolf-earred helmet.
"Get your hands off her!" Balthus shouted from behind the helmet and delivered the mother of all headbutts to the Death Knight, empowered by his Crest of Chevalier.
Stunned momentarily even though his crest, thanks to Balthus's crest, the Death Knight was unprepared for a shield bash to the torso from Ferdinand followed by several quick, successive strikes from Petra.
"Be relaxing! We are here!" she shouted.
"I know that voice! Baltie! Baltie, is that you?!" Hilda shouted at the disguised Balthus.
"Uhhhh, no…me no speakie…uh…normalese. Me uh…Me Mr. Window Smasher…yeah," Balthus said, trying to save face.
How did she recognize him through his voice changing software? Lelouch thought.
"Baltie! I know you better than anyone!" Hilda shouted. "Take that stupid helmet off and let me see your face!"
Lelouch wasn't exactly sure what to do under these circumstances. He couldn't exactly tell Balthus not to show his face since it would blow his cover as Zero, even inside the Skull Beetle. No, this might actually work to their advantage. He decided to stay quiet and let Balthus be Balthus.
Sorry about this Zero, Balthus thought and took off the helmet.
"Oh my goddess, it is you," Hilda said, recognizing Balthus on the spot.
"You know this guy, Hilda?" Ferdinand asked her.
"How could I not know this big idiot?" Hilda said with exuberant cheer. "Baltie and my brother are super tight. He's practically a member of my family. I'd recognize him anywhere!"
I don't know how much I buy that, but maybe I just didn't wire Balthus's voice modification software properly, Lelouch thought.
Balthus rolled his shoulders. "Well, now that the little family reunion is all taken care of. What's say we go back to punching this guy in the face!" With a mighty punch, Balthus's fist collided with the Death Knight's helmet, but this time the warrior barely budged. He retaliated with his own fearsome right hook, decking Balthus in the temple. "Oh yeah? Well have some of this!"
Balthus and the Death Knight began swinging at each other in close quarters, brute force meeting brute force. Unfortunately, while Balthus was strong, he wasn't quite strong enough to go against an HLKMF without one of his own and started losing ground after a particularly brutal punch to the gut.
"Baltie!" Hilda called out in alarm.
Byleth went back into the fray, using silver energy gauntlets of her own, shoulder checking the Death Knight. After throwing a series of punches, she got some distance between them and then whipped the Sword of the Creator back out. However, her sword swing was immediately met by the Scythe of Sariel.
Not even Balthus brute strength of Byleth's Sword of the Creator is appearing to have lasting effect and meanwhile we're getting exhausted, while this guy has barely broken a sweat.
"I commend your courage," The Death Knight told Byleth. "But courage is no match for power." He held up his hand. "Death Gamma!"
Blown off her feet at point blank range by the dark magic spell, Byleth was hurled back on her back, having trouble getting up as the Death Knight stomped on her stomach. Balthus grabbed him from behind and suplexed him, only to get a spiked elbow to the face, breaking his nose as the Death Knight blasted him in the upper torso with Thoron, electrocuting Balthus.
Hilda, angered, swung back at the Death Knight, but her weapon got grabbed mid-swing just as the Death Knight stood up. He hadn't even turned to look at her. He then pulled her toward him with a mighty yank, crushed the weapon by the shaft with his bare hand and then kicked Hilda in the stomach.
"Death Gamma."
Hilda was blown off her feet and across the room, falling unconscious.
The Death Knight then turned his attention toward the still standing Lelouch.
"It is just you and me."
He slowly started to march towards Lelouch, seeming to charge up another Death Gamma. However, before he could fire it, Suzaku leapt onto his back, grappling the Death Knight around the throat with his arms.
"Lelouch! Fire your Banshee Theta!"
"Now?! Are you nuts?! I'll hit you too!" Lelouch shouted.
"That doesn't matter! We have to bring this guy down! It's the only way!"
"FLEA!" The Death Knight roared and grabbed Suzaku by the leg before hurling him at the ground by his back. He then picked Suzaku back up, slammed him on his other side, on Suzaku's back, and then once more and then spun and hurled Suzaku at the wall.
Suzaku was embedded in the hard brick wall, and coughed hard, barely able to remain conscious.
This was it. They were absolutely up the road to fair middling FUBAR. Lelouch tried to think of something anything that would get him out of this, but nothing was coming to mind. No doubt the minute he turned to run, he was a dead man.
However, before he could completely give over to despair, he heard a voice in his head. It was Byleth on comms. She sounded exhausted, but very much conscious. "Is it ready…Lysithea?"
Lysithea? I know she's here, but what does she have to do with this?
Into the room strolled Lysithea, slowly and methodically. At not even five feet tall, she calmly approached the well over six foot tall Death Knight, magic power glowing in her palms.
"You? You dare? You are small. Weak!"
"I may be small!" Lysithea shouted. "But I'll be the one who will take you down!" She held her hands out at her sides, crest of Gloucester going at full blast. "Professor! Thank you for buying me time! I'll handle it alone from here."
Byleth smiled and let her body go slack. If this failed, there was always Divine Pulse. But she had faith in Lysithea. She was, after all, the strongest mage in the entire Officer's Academy.
"Death Gamma!"
The on target attack would have blown a man twice Lysithea's size off her feet, but not Lysithea herself. She stood there, stalwart.
Of course! Magic has a lower effect against targets with high magical energies! For the Death Knight to do anything to Lysithea, he'll have to get in close!
"This won't go how it did last time," Lysithea said. "You've got, what still 40 to 70 percent of your HLKMF's energy left?"
"Fifty-eight," The Death Knight replied calmly.
"Good. Then this has a one hundred percent chance of working," Lysithea replied calmly. She brought her hands closer together.
Magic or no magic, the Death Knight considered himself virtually invincible to all forms of attack. Yet, for some reason, Lysithea's confidence gave him pause. He charged forward. Whatever this was, it would not stop him.
Purple lightning sparked around Lysithea as a magic circle rippled beneath her feet, ruffling her skirt from below. She chanted, eyes closed, not even concerned about the Death Knight's charge. "On the land of the living, I call upon thee in the land of the dead, to unleash thine fury. O hear me divine undertaker and rid this heathen from my sight!" Lysithea shouted as her eyes flew open, glowing purple. "This ends now!" Lysithea shouted and slapped her hands together with a loud clap. She then raised her left hand to the ceiling. "DARK SPIKES!"
The Death Knight drew close to Lysithea, so close he was preparing to take a one-armed swing at her with his scythe.
"TAU!"
In the next instant, the Death Knight was paralyzed by a trio of magic rings around his torso as he floated in place. In the instant that followed countless sharp spikes of dark magic formed around him and aimed right at him, planning to turn him into a pin cushion.
Lysithea snapped her fingers as each spike began to glow and prepared to charge forward.
"OUT OF MY WAY!"
Lysithea slapped her left palm into her awaiting right.
Critical Magic!
Each spike slammed into Death Knight, exploding like a tiny grenade on impact, each spike slamming into him not all at once but within fractions of seconds of each other, a powerful semi-sphere of dark magic erupting and growing larger by the second before detonating with powerful force and red lightning caused by the critical magic phenomenon.
From inside the Skull Beetle, Lelouch could only watch as Lysithea's attack did so much damage that performing magical unit calculations to get the exact read was a fools errand, the damage was off the charts.
In one fell swoop, after multiple battles of the Death Knight being the most painfully tough enemies to break through, Lysithea had left him prone on the ground with one single spell.
Panting, Lysithea took a knee, leaving her left arm outstretched. She had just enough magic to cast Luna Delta juuuuust in case Jeritza decided he wasn't quite finished fighting.
And indeed, despite his armor practically falling off him, his skin becoming exposed as the armored cracked and broke like porcelain, body covered in wounds from Lysithea's attack, Jeritza was also getting up to one knee.
He was laughing. "That spell. Do it again," he chuckled. "I want to feel that pain all over AGAIN!"
Lysithea was about to prepare to cast Luna Delta, Lelouch ready to cast another Banshee Theta, but there was suddenly a flash of concentrated light right behind the Death Knight. In the room, the Flame Emperor had appeared.
"Halt. You are having a bit too much fun," they scolded their subordinate.
"You are getting in the way of my game," Jeritza growled, his voice distorter inside his frame still working.
"Hmph. You will have more opportunities to play soon. Your work here is done," The Flame Emperor told him.
"Understood. I will go."
The Death Knight then warped away without another word.
Now, all focus was on the Flame Emperor as they strolled towards Lysithea and Lelouch.
"Are you looking for a fight?" Lelouch asked, the Skull Beetle still having plenty of power ready to take the Flame Emperor on if it had to.
"I grow weary of this battle. I have withdrawn my forces. The fair maiden you seek is yours."
"You think you can just walk away from this?!" Lelouch dismissed the Skull Beetle so that the Flame Emperor could see the rage on his face. "After what you did to Shirley!"
The Flame Emperor's mask stared back at the angry Lelouch.
"WELL?! ANSWER ME!"
Lelouch was still returned with silence.
"I thought that perhaps you and I could one day see eye to eye, but you nearly killed someone that never meant you any harm!"
"Be silent!" The Flame Emperor shot back. "You stand there in your righteous hypocrisy. Had I let Shirley Fennette face me unopposed, it would be her down here fighting my forces anyway. She needed to be subdued."
"Don't give me that! You nearly killed her! The Death Knight has more than enough power to knock someone like her out non-lethally. Yet you nearly sent her to meet the goddess! And for what?! For worrying about someone who means the world to her! Shirley did nothing wrong! You, however, you sicken me!" Lelouch put the Skull Beetle back on. "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" He unleashed a powerful Banshee Theta, only to receive an axe strike to the chest, courtesy of it being thrown by the Flame Emperor. The difference in power between the Skull Beetle and the Zero Matrix was obvious as only a single hit from the Flame Emperor, disabled the former. And Lelouch's Banshee Theta didn't even bring the Flame Emperor to one knee.
"I do imagine we will meet again," The Flame Emperor stated as Lelouch got up onto one knee. "I dislike the idea of making someone of your caliber my enemy, but if that is how things are to be, so be it. Farewell." The Flame Emperor then warped away.
Lelouch gnashed his teeth, too angry to process the meaning behind the Flame Emperor's words.
Byleth now was getting up off the floor. "Flayn should be further in. this way!"
There was a side bedroom adjoining the room they'd all fought in. Lelouch and Lysithea followed Byleth into the joining room, finding Flayn face down on the floor, but in one piece. However, she wasn't alone. Laying on the floor, also unconscious, was another girl, taller, around Lelouch's age, with blonde hair styled into pigtails.
Is that…?
Balthus strolled into the room. "Wait, I thought we were only here to rescue Flayn. Who's this other girl?"
"I don't know," Byleth said.
"Well, you guys should probably get her to safety too. Not like we can do anything about it."
"Then why did you come in here?" Lelouch snapped.
"Hey, pal, I'm a simple man. Just wanted to see if there was any treasure left to snag."
Lysithea kicked him in the shin.
"Ow!"
She turned away from him, puffing her cheeks, arms folded. "Hmph!"
Byleth picked up Flayn under one arm and the mysterious girl under the other. "Tell Zero we appreciate the help."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell him," Balthus said. He then left.
"I'll get us a healer," Lelouch said. "We'll need one to move our injured."
Byleth nodded. She then spoke to Lelouch's back. "You did good work out there."
"You as well," Lelouch said. He had to admit, he hadn't seen Byleth building up to a Lysithea finish coming. And what was that spell she cast anyway? He gazed down towards the short, white-haired girl as they strolled out of the corner room together with Byleth. "So," he said, as they began taking the long way back to get out of this subterranean dungeon. "Dark Spikes Tau?"
"After our last encounter with the Death Knight, I never felt so powerless. So, I began researching an anti-HLKMF spell, guaranteed to crush even the hardest Hard Light Knightmare Frames, or even standard Knightmare Frames. But, as I learned, there isn't a spell like that in existence. Anti-Armor spells don't exist, because magic was often considered the bane of armored combatants dating back to the early days of the Church of Seiros."
"So then how did you…?"
"I spent weeks and sometimes near sleepless nights inventing my own spell. I need to create a spell that would disrupt the electrical hard light currents projected by an HLKMF, plus deal enough damage to overload the circuitry. I also considered causing a magic current overflow to damage the HLKMF crystal directly to rapidly drain its power source. Ultimately, I settled for, instead of having a spell that specialized in one fault, I had it put pressure on all three faults, creating an attack guaranteed to cause critical damage to any Hard Light Knightmare Frame. It's still a work in progress though. Right now I can only cast it after performing the incantation, which I created by using parts of incantations from other, similar spells."
Lelouch smiled, even as Lysithea continued to go into detail about her genius. He was impressed. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder firmly. "You did a good job. I seriously thought we were going to die."
Lysithea stuck her nose in the air, blushing. "Wh-who do you think you're talking to?! I'm a genius! I can do anything!"
Lelouch smiled. "Yeah, you're a genius, all right. Even I don't think I could invent a magic all on my own."
Lysithea smiled, practically giddy. "Right? Right?! It's an achievement worth its own pages in a history book, right?"
Lelouch nodded in agreement. "You should hone your craft, Lysithea. You'll be a fantastic teacher, one day if you keep this up."
"A teacher, hmm," Lysithea said, her mood deflating.
"What's the matter?" Lelouch asked her.
"It's just…no, never mind. Let's talk about it later. Right now, we need to focus on making sure Flayn is okay."
Lelouch nodded. "I absolutely agree."
The first place Lelouch found himself was the infirmary, not just to unload Flayn and the mysterious girl, whom he was pretty certain he knew who that was, but also to check on Shirley.
When Manuela saw him stroll in, at first she was going to say something to Lelouch. However, without even hesitating, she watched him stroll across the room and sit down next to Shirley's bedside.
"Oh my," she whispered to herself. "How romantic."
Shirley was in that special state of sleep where you were sort of waking up, but would roll back over if no one disturbed you. However, Lelouch's presence caused her eyes to flutter open. Only her head was visible with the way she was snuggled down in the hospital bed.
"L-Lulu?"
"Are you all right?" Lelouch asked, nary a hint of emotion on his face.
Shirley smiled, blushing, giddy. "Lulu…were you…worried about me?"
Lelouch nodded, humming in acknowledgment.
Shirley smiled even more, eyes filling up with tears. "Thank you," she said and then nestled her head back into the pillow, drifting off to sleep.
Manuela chose now to approach. "Magic healing can restore trauma and injury, but she lost a lot of blood, not to mention, given how long that knife was in her back, she'd been injured for at least twelve hours. It's a miracle she survived."
Lelouch didn't say anything, or even acknowledge Manuela's presence. He simply stared at Shirley asleep in bed, as if he was a gargoyle gazing out over the city.
"Well…right, I'll leave you two alone, I guess. I should probably make sure Flayn and that girl are okay."
Manuela walked away. As for Lelouch, he sat there, watching Shirley for hours, not moving from his seat. It was as if some part of him was afraid that, if he dared to take his eyes off her, she'd vanish…forever.
3rd Day of the Horsebow Moon
Seteth was all too grateful to have Flayn back safe and sound. He'd been beside himself for nearly a week and now he could finally have peace of mind. Manuela's medical report came back with an all clear. Flayn wasn't sick or hurt or injured. Just a little hungry and tired from being held in captivity. Seteth made sure that Flayn would have all of the fish she could ever hope to ask for until she made a full recovery.
However, as he approached Rhea that morning, there were other things on his mind besides the well-being of his younger sister. "Rhea," he said. "I have a report."
"Let me here it, Seteth," she replied to him.
"I'll begin with the most mundane and end with the most troublesome. I have already spoken with the new Professor. Flayn has said that she wants to join the Professor's class to feel…safer. I…was hesitant to accept this request at first, but I could not refuse Flayn's request in the end," Seteth explained.
"That sounds wonderful," Rhea said, beaming, "Flayn must be so happy."
"Yes, except there is a problem with that request, or rather, a problem with her joining the professor's class," Seteth stated.
"A problem?" Rhea asked, surprised and confused.
"The knights have already finished their investigation. There can be no mistake. The Death Knight and Professor Jeritza von Hrymn…are one in the same. The Empire has, of course, denied any involvement, as we expected. I am…uncertain how much I believe that, but I cannot accuse them on speculation alone."
"I see. We need to replace the professor of the Black Eagles," Rhea stated.
Seteth nodded. "Fortunately, I had a brilliant idea, given we have someone on campus quite qualified for the job. It was a tall ask, but they agreed to my terms. However, the condition was that they would teach the Violet Tigers, not the Black Eagles. It was a…strange request, but…if it is all right with you, I…."
"You want to know if I am okay with moving Jeralt's kin to the Black Eagles," Rhea stated.
"You were the one that spoke of their qualifications. Now that the new professor is directly responsible for Flayn's rescue, I cannot bring myself to look down upon them. I owe them a great debt. To simply chase them out of a classroom they've grown used to seems…"
"Have you asked them about this?" Rhea asked.
"I've considered it, but ultimately we need a professor in each class. To accomplish that on short notice, it won't be possible for Miss Eisner to continue teaching the Violet Tigers."
"Then it sounds like the decision has already been made," Rhea said. "You were only seeking validation."
Seteth sighed. "Please do not phrase it in such a manner. I am simply following protocol. And…I worry, given what has just transpired, for Flayn."
"Flayn may not look it, but she is a big girl. I am sure she will be fine, Seteth. After all, it was not just the Professor's actions that rescued Flayn, was it?"
Seteth smiled, knowing that someone else with a little sister also greatly contributed to Flayn's rescue. "Yes, I do believe Flayn…will be just fine." He then looked at Rhea seriously. "As for Zero's involvement…"
"I already heard about it from Shamir. I am…quite perplexed," Rhea commented. "First he attacks the Holy Mausoleum, now he aides us in rescuing Flayn?"
"There's more. Hilda Goneril reported that Balthus von Albrecht was part of Zero's forces," Seteth stated. "Meaning that the Ashen Wolves may very well be Zero's army."
Rhea sighed deeply. This was growing more and more complicated.
"I could have Abyss shut down…if you gave the word," Seteth stated.
"No," Rhea told him. "I think for now we can allow Zero to remain at large."
"Despite his actions at the Holy Mausoleum?" Seteth questioned.
"I've been thinking about that, but his latest actions paint the picture of someone who was led astray and is now walking down the right path. I do not know why he won't show his face, but I believe if we allow him to remain at large, we may yet learn what he is after," Rhea stated. "I do not yet know if he is our enemy and, for the time being, he stands against the Flame Emperor. For that alone, I will allow him a chance to prove himself."
Seteth nodded. "That just leaves the matter of the mystery girl. As it turns out, after some fingerprinting and blood sampling, she is none other than the missing Lila la Britannia."
Rhea gasped, startled. "Princess Lila? She's been missing ever since Clovis…"
"I'm well aware," Seteth said with a nod. "But, there can be no mistake. Supposedly, she left home without telling anyone and came to Garreg Mach all on her own in secret, only to be jumped by the Death Knight. She has asked to be instated into the Violet Tigers immediately."
"I think that prudent," Rhea stated. "Has her mother been informed?"
"I called her and left a voicemail, but I have yet to hear back," Seteth stated. "I may speak with Prince Schneizel soon if I do not hear, just to let someone in authority know that she's been found. As for the location where Flayn was found, it appears as if the enemy somehow located an old prison built underground centuries ago into Rome and fixed it up. It has long been removed from modern Monastery maps and was rendered inaccessible decades ago. It was any wonder I didn't think to look for Flayn there. No one except you or I should have known about that place. So how did the enemy?"
"Perhaps we will have to uncover the Flame Emperor's face in order to know," Rhea said with a serious stare. "It is not worth questioning why at this time. No one at the monastery should have had access. Our enemy comes from outside. It is simply a matter of researching until we find an answer."
"I concur," Seteth replied. "I…do believe that is everything to discuss."
"Then it sounds as if the situation has resolved itself in a positive way. Surely the Goddess is watching over us all," Rhea said with a radiant smile.
"Yes," Seteth said, "I do believe so."
Later that day, sequestered away in Edelgard's dorm room with the door locked, the princess herself, and Hubert, chatted about the…consequences of what occurred beneath the monastery.
"And the way he looked at me," Edelgard said, looking guilty. "I do believe whatever good will I have built with him has been eroded away."
"Calm yourself, Lady Edelgard," Hubert told her. "It is not as if you and Lelouch had a shouting match face to face."
"But what if he—"
"I do believe if he had any indication that you and the Flame Emperor were one in the same, we would already be under arrest," Hubert pointed out to her.
"Still, what happened with Shirley was a huge blunder," Edelgard said sorrowfully. "I should have been more specific with my orders to Jeritza. I never could have imagined that—"
"Calm yourself," Hubert said more sternly. "You could not have anticipated that it would be Miss Fennette to be the first to figure out the truth. We shall learn from this blunder, and we shall grow accordingly. On the bright side, it would appear fortune favors us. I overheard some of the knights speaking and it appears the new professor is being transferred to our house now that Jeritza has been considered an enemy of the church.
Edelgard blushed. "The new professor…my teacher?" she questioned.
"That appears to be the case. So, I suggest you quit panicking over one girl who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and focus your efforts on what it is you desire most, even if I do find it foolhardy."
"There's nothing foolhardy about wanting to grow closer to people!" Edelgard snapped. She stared at the ground. "I only have this year, so I…I want to be who I want to be…if only for a little while."
Hubert could see the hurt and pain on Edelgard's face. "Lady Edelgard."
"Sometimes I lie awake and wonder what if this will all be for naught, if my ambitions go astray and Lord Arundel turns me into his mind controlled puppet and forces me to hurt the very people I swore to protect," Edelgard said, looking pale.
"Should that happen, know that I will strangle Lord Arundel myself with my bare hands," Hubert said venomously. He then added reassuringly, "You have nothing to fear. Your plan is flawless. You will become Emperor, and you will liberate this world."
Edelgard smiled. "Thank you, Hubert. I am glad I can count on you."
"Of course, Lady Edelgard. Your will is my command," Hubert told her.
"Professor, no!" Milly exclaimed, clinging to Byleth's arm.
It was late at night and Byleth had just broken the news to the Violet Tigers that, tomorrow, they would be getting a new professor.
"Oh, who cares?" Sokkia asked, standing in a green night shirt that just had the word "SOUP" on it in bright yellow letters. "It's not like she's leaving the Monastery."
"I mean, our new professor could end up being even more strict," Tink commented.
Sokkia clung to Byleth's free arm. "Professor, no!"
"Are you sure you can't just stick around even for a little longer?" Rivalz asked her.
"The decision was made for me," Byleth said calmly.
"We'll miss you," Oldrin said. "But…I still want to study under you, even if you're not my main professor anymore. I've learned a lot from you."
Byleth smiled. "Thank you, Oldrin."
"Yes, I did not expect you would be as good to us as you have been. I will cherish our time together, Professor," Marrybell told her.
"Professor, just once, please let me take comfort in you!" Leonhardt exclaimed, attempting to rest his head in Byleth's ample chest, only to get grabbed by the back of the neck by an irritated Oldrin.
"You should get going before Sokkia starts crying," Oldrin told her.
Sokkia was now blubbering as quietly as she could. Too late it seemed.
"Safe travels, Professor," Euphemia told her. "I know it hasn't been long, but…"
"You as well, Princess," Byleth stated to her.
"We'll miss you, Professor," Nina said to her.
"I will miss you all as well," Byleth said.
Shirley was present, having recovered from her attack, but she had no idea what to really say. She had so many mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, the Violet Tigers were her friends, but on the other hand, the person that had made her growth possible…was leaving.
"I'll see you all around campus," Byleth said, pulling her arms free of Milly and Sokkia. "Take care."
She then walked out of the room.
Finally, after about a minute after Byleth left, Shirley bolted from the classroom. "Professor, wait!"
Byleth turned in the moonlight to see Shirley standing before her, fist clenched by her chest.
"Let me go with you!" Shirley exclaimed. "I…I want to go to the Black Eagles, with you, Lulu, and Flayn."
Byleth smiled as brightly as the moonlight above. "I would love to still have you in my class, Shirley." She extended her hand. "If we go to my dorm room, I can get the paperwork filled out tonight."
Shirley marched over and took Byleth's hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you," she said. "I promise not to let you down!"
4th Day of the Horsebow Moon
The Violet Tigers waited around that morning for the arrival of their new teacher. Nobody, not even Euphemia or Marrybell, knew what to expect. They were completely in the dark along with the rest of their class.
"I hope it's woman as beautiful as our last Professor," Sokkia stated, fantasizing about it.
"Me too!" Leonhardt exclaimed. "That chest was 200% fabulous!"
"Wow. Marika is right there," Oldrin commented.
"Are you sure they're arriving today?" Milly asked, checking her phone. "It's one minute until…"
DUNG! DUNG-DUNG-DUNG-DUNG! DUNG-DUNGDUNGDUNGDUNG! DUNG!
Milly put her phone away. "Well, you know what they say, if the teacher doesn't show up within fifteen minutes after class starts, we are legally allowed to leave."
"That's just a myth. Don't make me report you to Seteth," Marrybell said dryly.
However, before even two minutes had passed, everyone could hear the clacking of boots along the cobblestone walkway just outside the classroom.
"Sorry I'm late," a calm, mature sounding, feminine voice uttered, "I had to break up a fight between two of the knights in the market. They were bothering the townsfolk. It took thirty seconds longer than I expected."
Milly froze and made sure to sit completely still and upright in her seat. She knew that voice all too well.
Everyone watched as white boots echoed on the wooden floor of the classroom, Euphemia frowning, almost sighing as she saw this. Welp. There went her fairy tale romance education.
Standing now behind the desk, dressed professionally for the job, was Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia of the Holy Britannian Empire. She leaned over the desk, gripping it with her palms. "Now then," she said with a wry smile as Sokkia now sat in her seat, shaking with fear, going paler by the second. "I hope you all are prepared for a strict, streamlined curriculum because I do not tolerate failure in my classroom. Not. One. Bit."
(A/N: I don't think anyone saw this coming until the last few paragraphs. Cornelia now in charge of the Violet Tigers and Byleth switching houses. It's amazing what you can do with a different medium that isn't bound by the laws of its source material :D. Big status quo shake up this time around. And with the mysterious Lila la Britannia taking Monica's place. Coming up on chapter 24…more "support conversations" and then…well…that's a secret. Teeheehee. But, I'm sure you all will love it. You would let me know if you didn't love what you're reading. Heck, if you don't like something, feel free to leave it in your comments or review. I don't want my review/comment section to be an echo chamber of praise. If I don't know something I'm doing wrong, I don't grow. And if you don't feel comfortable putting it out there for everyone to see, feel free to message me directly. I promise I don't bite. But I do get defensive XD.
And, as always, until next time, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)