(The chapter starts with Corrin, Azura, and Xander moving together through Valla.)
Corrin: It hasn't been that long since our encounter with Iago, but it feels like we've been walking for ages...
Azura: That's likely due to the scenery. Everything here looks the same. It's all destroyed buildings no matter where you look.
Xander: At this point, fighting against some of the invisible soldiers would be preferable. At least then we'd have some reassurance that we're going in the right direction.
Corrin: You're right. We'd be lucky if we found out that we were moving in the right way given that we have no evidence this is where those soldiers are coming from.
Azura: Hold on... Look off in the distance. I think I see something...
Xander: It looks like more of the soldiers in purple fire... Let's advance with caution. It wouldn't do for us to be ambushed at this point.
Corrin: Hang on a moment... N-No, it can't be... Their leader... It's...
Garon: ...
Xander: F... Father?!
Azura: How did he get here?!
Corrin: There are invisible soldiers everywhere around him... That has to mean something. Do you think that he's involved in this somehow?
Xander: He did undergo a pretty drastic shift in personality a few years ago... It was after the death of my mother. He suddenly grew violent, seemingly out of nowhere...
Azura: If it had something to do with the invisible soldiers, that would make sense. They've been wandering around freely while surrounded by purple fire as of late, and they're mindless... They're set only on destruction.
Xander: That seems to fit the description...
Corrin: But we won't know about it until we go to confront him head-on. I know this is going to be hard, but... We have to do this. The future of the continent needs us to do this.
Xander: I understand completely, and I agree with you. We've come too far to back away now. Do not worry about me, Corrin. I'm ready for this battle.
Corrin: I'm glad to hear you're with us, Xander. Now, let's take care of things!
(The battle begins. The objective is to defeat Garon, who waits at the top of the map. The enemy faction consists of invisible soldiers. The map itself is a wide, open space with a few destroyed buildings scattered about that act as fortresses.)
(If Corrin initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Corrin: Once upon a time, I called you my father... And yet, you were capable of so many monstrous acts. I wonder... Was any of it real? Were you always simply a puppet to the fire?
Garon: Step aside... Or suffer the consequences...
Corrin: No... I can't focus on the past now. There's a world out there that needs me, and I'll do what I have to in order to save it from people like you!
(If Azura initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Azura: Years have passed since we last saw each other... Tell me, King Garon... Do you remember me?
Garon: Arete... You look just like Arete...
Azura: Hmph... To you, I was only ever a shadow of my mother, it seems... How tragic. However, that has no bearing on the outcome of this fight. Prepare yourself.
(If Xander initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Xander: Once, I believed in you. I thought that you could be a good person, a driving force for peace on this continent... Clearly, I was a fool for allowing that ideology to sweep me up for years. I should have seen what you were doing sooner. Maybe things could have played out differently if that was the case.
Garon: ...
Xander: But lingering in the past won't do me any good. The battle needs my attention first and foremost, and I can't get distracted now. I won't be holding back. On behalf of those who fell in Nestra, I will show you what I am capable of!
(If Camilla initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Camilla: So much has happened so quickly... I must say, I didn't know what to make of it at first, but you didn't seem to hesitate at all. Perhaps this was part of a scheme of yours, Father.
Garon: All was done in the name of Anankos.
Camilla: Anankos, you say? If you wish to use that name as a shield to hide behind while blocking out your crimes, so be it. That won't stop me from delivering the swift justice that I've prepared for this duel!
(If Leo initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Leo: Tch... You always acted as a lifeless husk. I should have seen it sooner for what it was. Now, it seems so painfully obvious.
Garon: I acted for the best of Nohr.
Leo: You have no right to speak those words... Though I doubt you mean them even if they did just leave your lips. It matters not to me. You've taken too many innocent lives in the past, and I will no longer simply sit back and watch. Goodbye, Father.
(If Elise initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Elise: I don't want to believe it... You're my father, for crying out loud! Nobody wants to believe that their father is evil, but... I can't resist that anymore. I'm not the little girl I once was, and I'm going to prove it to you!
Garon: ...
Elise: So... Get ready! I'm not going to hold back!
(If anyone else initiates combat with Garon, the following dialogue plays out.)
Garon: You disgust me... Stand aside or be struck down in the name of the great and mighty Anankos!
(When Garon is defeated, the following dialogue plays out.)
Garon: Where... Where is...? Urgh... Ah...
(After the battle, Xander, Camilla, Leo, Elise, Azura, and Corrin stand over Garon.)
Corrin: It's over... Finally.
Garon: Children... Is that you...?
Azura: Something feels different now... The purple fire that appeared during the fight is gone...
Leo: Perhaps the control over him is loosening...!
Elise: It... It's us...
Garon: I... I'm sorry...
Xander: You weren't in control...?
Garon: It was him... A-Anankos...
Camilla: Anankos...
Garon: I... I'm so sorry...
(Garon slumps over, dead.)
Corrin: Then... All that time, he was...
Azura: Being manipulated by the reincarnation of Anankos...
Xander: I should have seen it sooner... The shift in his personality was so drastic. He became a husk of his former self.
Camilla: He was forced to serve a god's whims...
Leo: I believe that he likely died long ago... He was brought back by Anankos' whims.
Elise: What makes you so sure...?
Leo: Think about it. All the soldiers we've fought so far have been empty shadows brought back by Anankos after they died. If what Corrin and Azura learned at Notre Sagesse is to be believed, then that means this happens to all soldiers of Valla.
Camilla: In other words, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the reincarnation had the power to take over our father after he passed away of natural causes...
Elise: He... He seemed proud of us. You know, once the possession was gone. Maybe he knew what had happened and was glad to be freed.
Corrin: There was no way to escape it... He was going to have to die if the possession was going to disappear...
Xander: We acted in his best interests here today. We did what was best for both him and the future of the continent.
Azura: This is a difficult thing to grapple with... I understand if the four of you need time to grieve.
Camilla: ...Point me in the direction of Anankos' reincarnation, and I'll take care of the rest.
Leo: I feel the same way.
Elise: He won't get away with this!
Xander: Exactly.
Corrin: I suppose we're all in agreement about what has to come next then...
Azura: Those enemies were coming from the direction we were walking towards... It seems our instincts after the last battle were correct after all.
Corrin: That's a relief... It minimizes backtracking, and we'll be able to finish things as soon as possible... After all, with Hans, Iago, and the king dead... There's not really much of a war to fight anymore. At least, not between Nohr and Hoshido.
Xander: You're right... Both countries have suffered immense losses, and if we wish to minimize those casualties further, we must press on through Valla.
Camilla: We accomplished our mission, just... Not in the way we expected to.
Leo: This was for the best... Let's keep moving.
Elise: Yeah... That's a good idea. Everything's going to be fine after we take care of Anankos, so let's go show him what we're made of!
(Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise walk away.)
Azura: ...They're struggling.
Corrin: It's only natural... This is a lot of information to learn all at once. I can understand why it would be overwhelming... I think what they need most is time. If they want our support, I'm sure they'll come to us. We're a family here, after all. The entire army is a family now, and if they need us, they'll reach out.
Azura: Yes... I'm sure you're right... We should follow after them.
Corrin: Yeah... You're right. The future of Pheuyura awaits us... We're history in the making, after all... There's a lot riding on our victory here, and I don't want to give up when we're so close to peace at long last... Maybe it's finally within our grasp...
Azura: I sure hope so...
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Once again, I spent more time procrastinating on this chapter than actually writing it. Oops.
-Digital