Defiance
By Mystic Dawn
Notes: Spoilers for Turn 16.
"Zero!" The familiar visage of Charles Di Britannia, the ninety-eighth Emperor of the Britannian Empire, the man they were all striving to defeat, interrupted their worldwide broadcast, appearing on the large screen before them all.
"Use the backup line! Cut the connection!" Tohdoh heard Diethard order amongst the crowd's gasps and exclamations of disbelief, but by his incredulous look, he judged that it was too late for them to do anything.
"Zero," Charles repeated, his deep baritone seemingly magnified. "Do you think you have surpassed me? But, it is not unwelcome. One of the three superpowers, the EU, might as well be pronounced dead. In other words, the pathetic charter you created has divided the world into Britannia and those that are not part of it. Simple, and therefore, lucid. Therefore, whoever wins this war shall obtain the world."
Zero took a few steps backward, hesitantly, and the sudden movement on his part caught Tohdoh's eyes.
"Challenge me,"Charles's voice continued unperturbed.
The former general of the Japanese Liberation Front refocused his attention upon the Emperor, trying his best not to let the creeping feeling of unease at Zero's peculiar reaction affect him.
"You will win everything, or you will lose everything. That is how war is supposed to be." Then Charles thrust his hand into the air triumphantly, crying, "ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!" in a voice that could shatter glass.
An ominous silence permeated the still air. The atmosphere was hushed, tense. Tohdoh looked at Zero again. Now, his entire frame was trembling. Out of fear or anger, the hardened soldier could not tell. What he could tell, however, was that in his current state, Zero was incapable of doing anything to ensure the continuation of their plans.
Steeling himself, Tohdoh raised his sheathed blade into the air, proclaiming for all to hear, "Long live Japan!" his voice ringing in once-forgotten pride for his ravaged homeland.
His voice cut through the stillness like a knife. But he could not judge how deep his words had managed to penetrate the crowd. His pounding heart sounded unnaturally loud to his ears. Had everyone been so demoralized by the Emperor's words that they were unable to talk, let alone act? And then...
"Long live Japan!" Chiba echoed, raising her own fist into the air.
The cry was taken upon the rest of the Black Knights, and soon, everyone in the vicinity was chanting, "LONG LIVE JAPAN! LONG LIVE JAPAN! LONG LIVE JAPAN!" It almost sounded like music in Tohdoh's ears.
He kept his arm proudly raised in the air, the sun glinting momentarily upon the hilt of his katana, and the lingering cries around him made a small, rare smile creep upon his face.
Even if the world would fall into disarray, even if everything he once held dear would soon change for better or for worse, he knew that this time, this time, they at least had a fighting chance. Because, even if everyone else around him failed to live up to his expectations—yes, even Zero, he had to admit to himself, especially after his reaction to the Emperor's presence—he knew that he, at least, had done all that he could in his power to achieve his goal. And he would continue to do so, even if events took an unnatural twist and he was the last man standing against a sea of enemies.
Because he would do anything for his homeland... for Japan.