Chapter 24A: Tears of a Dragon

In this stage, you'll be surrounded on all sides. Your only objective is defeat Hans on the northern side of the map but it's still worth wiping out the enemies in the stage, including the ones that drops valuable items or gold.There are two fire orbs to the north and one to the south. The dragon veins in the corner will allow you to create firestorms that can slow down fliers in range. This works both allied and enemy fliers. Once activated, the effect is permanent so make sure to activate it at the earliest time possible. Also, don't underestimate your enemies. They're mostly advanced Classes with rank B+ weapons and can take out your allies with lower defense ratings if the enemies initiated the attack.

First, head south and take over the fire orb that has your army in range. Leave a pair there that can both use and defend the fire orb. The two enemies there drops a Venge Naginata and 10,000g. Let the enemies approach you so you can take the initiative. If you want to be safe, move your units to the south so the enemies get in range of the fire orb.

On the fourth turn, more enemies will arrive from the west. As usual, hold your ground away from the enemy traps and keep your units together so you can easily heal them when necessary. The enemy fliers will attempt to retake the fire orb you captured earlier so make sure top reinforce the units there if needed. Use the Fire Orb's range to damage both of these fliers to ensure that they're almost dying when they reach your defenders. On the 6th turn, a second batch of enemies will arrive from the west again.

On the 8th turn, a couple of Malig Knights will appear from the SE this time. If you want to move out, always check the enemy units' attack range as well as the fireorbs. This will allow you to move your units together and avoid getting caught by the enemy's pre-emptive attack. At turn 10, a couple more Malig Knights will arrive from the SE. At this point, you should be ready to move forward. You can divide your team to three: two will move slowly from both sides, preferably lead by your main character and strongest unit (most likely Ryoma, unless you trained somebody else) These groups should have healers and backup healers with them. The last team will defend the fire orb from enemy fliers, preferably units that can use the fire orb, heal, and use bows to deal heavy damage against the fliers. (Priestesses, Onmyojis)

At the 11th turn, Wyvern Lords will appear from the NE. If you haven't activated the firestorm there, this will be the good time to do it. At the 12th turn, a couple more malig knights will appear from the NW this time. Activate the firestorm in that area to restrict their movements. At this point, you should have already lessened the enemy threat enough for you to be on the offensive and take out the mages handling the fire orbs.

After getting rid of the mages near the orbs, you can now start luring the two berserkers beside Hans or you can attack Hans himself. However, if you wish to train your units by wiping out all enemies before the boss, you'll have to deal with the incoming fliers which will arrive almost every turn in the NW and NE. If your two offensive groups doesn't have a unit that can use the two fire orbs, just occupy that space to prevent enemies from using them at all. At this point, you can already evacuate the southern fire orb and have your units there reinforce your main groups as you take out the remaining enemies for more exp. At around the 24th turn, the enemy reinforcements will run out, leaving only Hans as the last enemy. You can savor the moment by having ganging up on him and letting your main character deliver the last blow.