"We'll need both kingdoms to stop fighting each other and help us. If we had Xander and Ryoma, there's no way we'd lose," Corrin stated as she led her group along the outskirts of Hoshido.

"But how can we convince them? We can't tell them the truth!" Azura responded, reminding her how difficult it would be with the curse.

"We'll just have to find another way. It's the only chance we have. Now that I know there is a common enemy for both countries to fight… I think we can save Nohr and Hoshido!"

"Corrin… I suppose you're right!" the songstress said with a slight smile. "I felt so powerless on my own, but together we might be able to pull something off!"

"Listen, I know you mean well and all," Johnny said as he slung his suitcase over his shoulder with some straps he found in the fort. "Why can't we just go and take this enemy ourselves?"

They all slowed their pace and turned to him, save for Gunter. The Stand user instinctively grasped the strap on the suitcase.

"Johnny, this enemy is immensely powerful. Even with the help of your… skill, we still wouldn't fare too well as we are." Azura informed him.

He rolled his eyes as he recalled the state he left Valentine in from his infinite spin. While it had been some time since he had used it last, he was aware of what it is truly capable of.

"Fine."

"Listen carefully: Fort Jinya is just ahead," Gunter announced, alerting the others as they continued their approach. "The fort is sure to be well defended by Hoshidan soldiers."

Corrin looked at the fort with hope and said: "Let's try to reach out to them."

"Milady, didn't you say that you'd been branded as a traitor? These soldiers have likely been ordered to attack you on sight."

"Also, you must not forget you can't tell anyone what you've learned," Azura added.

"I know. Just the same, we have to try and talk to them. No one wants this war to continue forever. Surely some of them will listen. All right, here go noth-"

"Actually, if what the geezer says is true, why don't I go?" Johnny interrupted her, earning an agitated look from Jakob. "I am not one of theirs, nor am I one of… Nohr's, right?"

Corrin nodded, allowing him to continue.

"Since half of you are seen as traitors and the other half are enemies, wouldn't it make sense for me to go?"

Azura nodded in agreement, but before she could add something, Corrin spoke up.

"That won't be necessary." She smiled at him and continued. "Thank you for your concern, but we're not trying to deceive them. They are my family, and I'm sure if I speak from my heart they will listen."

She's… not serious, is she? Does she really think that is going to work?!

Before Johnny could object, Jakob spoke up and said: "Very good, my lady. Shall we proceed?"

Corrin turned and led them towards the fort. When they were all looking away, Jakob grabbed Johnny's shoulder and leaned towards him.

"You must not interrupt my lady when she is speaking, and you should especially refrain from objecting to her orders," the butler whispered.

"Get off of me," the Stand user responded with an annoyed tone, pulling his shoulder out of his grasp, before continuing with the others.

They began to approach the large fortress. As they got closer and closer to the entrance, it began to feel a bit ominous with how quiet it was.

"So this is Fort Jinya…" Corrin muttered before speaking up. "Have the Hoshidan forces abandoned it? It's so quiet here…"

Just as she said that, a man appeared and slowly walked towards them. He had green hair and wore gold, wire-frame glasses and a blue outfit with several symbols of Hoshido along it.

"Ah! Yukimura…" Corrin exclaimed with a small, hopeful smile.

"You have some nerve showing your face around here, Lady Traitor," Yukimura sneered at her, making her smile fade. "And the same goes for you, Lady Azura. You were raised like any other princess of Hoshido, and yet… you seem to have no trouble turning your back to us when it suited you. I suppose you never truly thought of this kingdom as your home."

Azura looked down as she took what he said into account. Her memories of spending time with the Hoshidan royal family flashed through her mind. She remembered how willing they were to take her in after the horrible situations she faced in Nohr. Lady Mikoto, who had just lost a child of her own, was more than happy to treat Azura as her own.

I suppose to them… I have betrayed them… And I can't tell them about the enemy because of the curse… Have they always wanted to find a reason to cast me out…?

Noticing the hurt in her friend's eyes, Corrin spoke up. "Y-You're wrong, Yukimura! We haven't betrayed Hoshido at all! We're not the enemy, and neither is Nohr! Please, if you would only listen…"

"Silence!" the mechanist shouted. "I won't let you try and justify your betrayal."

"Please, Yukimura…"

Johnny groaned inwardly as this played out just as he imagined it would.

"We did not expect this to be too easy," Gunter stated. "It's unfortunate, but we should prepare ourselves for a battle."

"Yukimura… Just hear me out!" Corrin tried to reason with him.

"I do not have time to listen to your poisonous words," the Hoshidan said defiantly. "You abandoned your friends and your family. I would not be surprised if you'd helped the Nohrians capture Lord Takumi! And on top of everything else, Lord Ryoma has gone missing…"

Corrin's eyes went wide upon hearing this news. "It can't be… My brothers are-"

"Your brothers?!" Yukimura shouted with an agitated tone. "You dare think of yourself as a member of the royal family? Thanks to you, ill has befallen Hoshido's best and bravest."

"I… I'm sorry," Corrin said quietly, horrified at what her actions had led to. "I never meant for-"

"I don't want your apologies. I want you to atone for your crimes. Guards! Capture the traitors!"

"Will you not listen to me? Our real enemy is elsewhere…" she almost muttered as Hoshidan guards began to approach them.

"I told you I should have been the one to lead this," Johnny said as he pushed his way in front of Corrin.

His hands began covered in pink stars as he took aim at the incoming warriors. A strange pink creature appeared next to him, the same one Azura had seen before. Corrin looked alarmed as his fingernail began to spin around his finger. Something that did scare her was the look she saw in his eyes: a determined intent to kill. Just before he fired his nail bullet, Corrin pushed his arm down, so he fired it into the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Johnny yelled at her.

"We can't kill them! We need them to join us, not to become our enemies!" she responded, now pulling out the Yato to put it between her and the American.

His mouth hung open for a moment. "Well, let's see if that happens now."

Much to everyone's surprise, except Johnny and Azura, the hole that the nail bullet made in the ground started moving toward the nearest Hoshidan. Before he had time to react, the hole moved right underneath him and attacked him, nearly leaving a hole through his leg. He fell over and dropped his axe, wincing in pain as he could almost feel air pass through the hole.

Another Hoshidan jumped up to attack them, a katana held high above his head as he let out a war cry. Corrin reacted quickly and struck him with her sword. He fell back to the ground, unconscious but alive.

She then turned to Johnny and said: "Do not kill anyone… please."

He was silent for a moment before he nodded. "Alright."

Without delay, he stood up and fired two more nail bullets at the Hoshidan guards, careful to not kill them. They fell to the ground and were noticeably breathing still.

Johnny then glanced at Corrin over his shoulder. "Happy?"

The princess hesitated before responding because she was still confused and amazed by his ability. She gave a slight smile and said: "… Y-Yes. Thank you."

Together they all battled their way through the fort, trying not to kill anyone despite Johnny's complaints. Gunter and Jakob covered their flank and rear, Corrin and Johnny led their advance, and Azura supported them by singing to boost their energy and to help the Stand user grow back his fingernails. Just after Jakob incapacitated a Hoshidan mage, a man with red hair wearing a mask appeared before them.

"I am Saizo, retainer to Lord Ryoma," he began, focusing on the princess and the American. "I am certain that you are to blame for my lord's disappearance. I will not – I cannot – forgive your betrayal. You don't honestly think you can stand against me, do you?"

"Please, I do not want us to fight," Corrin tried to reason with him.

"But I don't care," Johnny said simply and fired a nail bullet at the man.

To his surprise, he suddenly disappeared before the nail bullet hit him. Without either of them knowing, Saizo appeared behind them and threw a shuriken at the man, getting it stuck in his back. Johnny screamed in pain but felt rather glad as he saw the hole from the nail bullet zip past him straight for the ninja. The hole attacked Saizo, but he was still able to fight, throwing another shuriken at Corrin. She managed to get hit, but before he could do any more damage, Gunter managed to stop him with a swing from his axe.

"Grah! I can't die here…" the ninja muttered as he struggled to remain in a fighting stance. "For Lord Ryoma's sake, I must retreat for now and live to fight another day…"

Saizo disappeared, and Jakob rushed over to two of them to heal them with a staff.

"Ugh… Things would have gone so much better if I was on a horse…" Johnny mumbled as he pulled the shuriken out of his back.

With all the guards taken care of, the only one remaining was Yukimura, who sat upon a strange mechanical beast. Anyone could tell that he was willing to defend the fort and Hoshido from anyone.

"Lady Mikoto… I hope you understand what I must do, wherever you are…" he said to himself. "I will deal with those who would harm Hoshido…"

He began to throw daggers at them. While they were not extraordinarily strong, he was sending quite a sizable volley.

"I know where to shoot…" Johnny muttered to himself as Tusk suddenly shifted from Act 2 to Act 3.

As a surprise to all of them, Johnny raised his hand and fired a nail bullet into his own head. Jakob and Corrin jumped back in shock as they saw his body twist and contort into the hole he made. It then quickly moved behind the Hoshidan tactician when Johnny rose from the hole and fired two nail bullets into Yukimura's back. He fell off his beast, which stopped moving, and gritted his teeth from the pain he was feeling.

Corrin approached Yukimura and said: "I'm sorry… I truly am."

The tactician looked up at her. "I don't understand… We're defeated… Why don't you kill us?"

"Because we don't need to continue this senseless violence. I know how to end it! However, I need your help in order to do it."

"Ugh… Helping you means turning against Hoshido. And you say I must do this to help Hoshido? I don't believe you. How can I trust someone who has turned against everything I love?"

"Y-Yeah!" the Hoshidan mage chimed in, slowly making her way beside Yukimura along with Saizo. " We'll only trust you if you can bring back all the lives you've taken! Return Lady Mikoto and maybe we'll listen!"

She was on the verge of tears as she said her name. Johnny saw how they were all reacting, save for Gunter and Jakob. The last time he felt the pain of loss was…

Gyro…

He was not going to lose anyone else if he could help it, but his wife was depending on him to help her.

I need to get back to my world… to them. This isn't my fight.

His train of thought was interrupted when Saizo suddenly yelled: "There is no other way… I must sacrifice my life to rid our lands of these Nohrian fiends!" His body began to glow with a raging fire. "I'll show you what true dedication and loyalty mean! Gaaaaaaah!"

"Get back!" Gunter exclaimed, rushing in front of Corrin to protect her. "He intends to sacrifice himself in attacking us!"

"Saizo, stop!" Corrin pleaded.

"I believe in Hoshido…" The ninja began. "Even if I must give my life. I will stop you! Raaaaww!"

"No, Brother! You're wrong!" a voice called out.

A man with green hair wearing a headband and a girl with pink hair and a white dress rushed over to them. Both seemed to be panicking about what Saizo was about to do.

"Stop, please!" the girl shouted nervously. "Saizo, d-don't hurt my sister!"

"Kaze! Sakura!" Corrin called out, glad to see them come to her rescue.

"Why are you interfering?" Saizo asked them, his body shuddering from the immense heat building up. "These people deserve their fate. They've turned against Hoshido!"

"Brother, you mustn't be so rash!" the man identified as 'Kaze' declared. "Lady Corrin is trustworthy! When I was a prisoner in Nohr, it was Corrin who let me escape! She saved me – an enemy – without worrying about what would happen for doing so."

"Corrin is… a very kind person," 'Sakura' added. "Look! Even d-during this battle, she didn't kill a single defender! Why would she do that if she had truly betrayed Hoshido?! There must be a reason! Please, just listen to her!"

"… Then what of him?!" Saizo growled, looking at Johnny.

He could feel all eyes on him now. Part of him just wanted to find a way to get back to his world and put a bullet in the ninja's head, but the other part of him wanted to at least explain things as best he could.

Johnny sighed as he went with the latter part of him. "Corrin is a good person. I did intend to kill some of you, but she stopped me."

Saizo's eye became narrower. "Then why should I listen to a man who intended to kill me!"

"I am not from this world! After what I've had to experience, dispatching my enemies is the most effective way to do so, but you are not my enemy. My only enemy is already gone, and I am not your enemy. All I am trying to do is return to my world… however that would be possible…"

Everyone silently held their breath as they waited for Saizo to engulf them in flames. However, they were surprised when the flames went out and the ninja returned to normal.

"Th-Thank you, Brother…" Kaze said, still surprised by what Johnny said.

"This doesn't mean that I trust her, or especially him! But I will listen to what she has to say."

Corrin nodded to Johnny, silently thanking him for making Saizo stop. "Our real enemy is not in Nohr or hidden Hoshido. It lies somewhere else… The explosion in Hoshido, the death of my mother… These events weren't set in motion by King Garon. Somewhere else, a powerful and ambitious force is manipulation us all."

"So that's it? An enemy we haven't heard of is the reason for this conflict? Sounds like the work of an active imagination. Nothing more."

Tell me about it…

"Educate us, then – who is this mystery enemy?" asked the red-haired ninja.

"I'm sorry… I can't say much. Only that… A day will come when the skies above Nohr and Hoshido switch colors. If you need proof that what I say is true, meet me at the Bottomless Canyon."

"Do you think us fools?"

"No, I don't think that at all. I just… I'm sorry, but I can't say more."

"Well then…" Yukimura began. "It seems this was a waste of our time. I've heard enough. Away with you."

Corrin's face fell once she realized that no one would believe her, even when they listened. Just then Sakura rushed to her side.

"Wait, Sister! Please!" she announced.

"Sakura?"

"Um… Please… t-take me with you! I'm not very good at fighting, but I'm sure I can find a way to help!"

"Lady Sakura, why are you—?!" Yukimura started before he was cut off.

"I'm sorry, Yukimura, but I believe that Corrin is telling the truth. We haven't spent much time together, but I can tell…" She looked back at Corrin who returned it with a warm smile. "I can tell by the look in her eyes… She isn't trying to trick us."

"Lady Sakura… I didn't expect this. I don't know what to say right now… I've been by your side since you were born. I can tell that your mind is made up. I won't try to stop you. Just… promise me that you'll be careful."

"Th-Thank you, Yukimura."

"Brother, I would ask for your understanding," Kaze began. "I would like to accompany Lady Corrin on her mission."

"If you are set on that course, you may do as you wish," Saizo sighed.

"I am."

"In that case," he started as he pulled his brother close to him and whispered: "Make sure you keep an eye on this blue man."

Kaze stepped back and silently nodded, quickly glancing at Johnny.

"Thank you, Sakura, Kaze. Thank you for believing in me," Corrin said to them happily. "Let's head to our next destination…"

The group then set off from Fort Jinya, which was left almost completely intact, save for a few wounded guards.

"Do you think that letting Sakura and Kaze go with them was such a good idea?" the mage asked.

"Ideally… no, Orochi," Yukimura responded. "I still have my doubts about Corrin, but… that otherworldly man… I… believe him."

Saizo looked at him, alarmed. "You what?! After what he has done to us and our forces? How can you trust someone who did that?!"

"I never said that I trust him, but I do believe that he was telling the truth about being from another world. Those clothes… his manners… that power… He isn't Nohrian and he is certainly no Hoshidan. Whether or not his intentions are true, I think it was wise of you to tell Kaze to be wary of him. Who knows what kind of chaos he could have brought from his world to ours?"

-To Be Continued