"This is Milly Ashford and this is what's making news. Not far from where I am standing ladies and gentlemen are the forces of the two Britannian Royals just above the Sakuradite mining facility of Mt. Fuji. Here we-"

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"—istory will remember this day as the day the world held its breath to what future would hold the world. God help us if the he wins. Believe me Jaime, I have never. I mean I have never seen a battle of this grandure before my time. I mean-"-"

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"-ere right now in the outskirts of the battlefield that is still taking place. Explosions in the distance Keep filming! Ehem. Excuse me, the battle is becoming hectic with no side giving ground. It's gonna be a close one ladies and gentlemen-"

"Incoming!"

"Oh my Go—"

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"—I have never seen the skies so dark and the ground so torn. This has to be the largest armored battle in history-"

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"To the whole world, I am Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, Lelouch Vi Britania."

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"Schneizel has kneeled before me. Now, Damocles and FLEIA are both under my control. The Black Knights do not possess the power to fight against me anymore. Howe-"

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"—ver, if they still insist on rebelling. I shall have yu know the power of FLEIA. There are no longer any obstacles to my hegemony. Today, as of this moment, the world is in my hands."

"Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you. Obey me, World!"

"ALL HAIL, LELOUCH! ALL HAIL, LELOUCH!"

The television screen snapped shut and turned black. In front of it was a long table occupied by a number of people in grey military uniforms. Though they all were silent and pondering on this outcome, the reactions on their faces were visible and varied. They were concerned by the sudden turn of events, but none of them showed a hint of despair.

"So." One of the officers, General Gottfried said. "With all this in mind, what now? What does this mean?"

"The obvious of course, Herr Gottfried." Chancellor Richelieu replied while stroking on his beard. "This family squabble had us a power hungry mad Emperor reigning supreme while the Prodigal Prince was left in the dust. It has also cost us a valuable sakuradite mine"

"What of it?" Governor Rianofski stated. "We procure more of that here than anywhere else. It is no great loss."

"I say that this is beneficial for us." General Raus called out. "Their greed and power hungry natures knows no bounds and had cost them all their strengths. It has made our tasks a lot easier. I say we strike now while they lick their wounds clean. They are ripe for the taking."

The other leaders cheered and nodded their approval. Others called out that they march out to their ships immediately and begin all operations for the attack.

"Comrades, let us not forget of the Damocles. It is still operational." Chairman Oskar Tesla said amidst the noise. "One hasty move we make, then all that we have worked hard for all these years would have been caput. So what if we conquer Paris? Or Berlin? Or California? Or Iraq? We would still be at the mercy of that weapon and all our work would count to nothing more than dust. That is, before the shear number of Britannians overruns us. I for one do not want my life to be wasted so cheap."

"So you expect us to just cower in fear then, Herr Tesla? While our enemies marshal their forces in a dictatorship?" General Gottfried asked. "Has the presence of a weapon beyond your understanding made you a coward?"

"Not at all Karl." Tesla said indifferently. "All that I am saying is that we are in no position of making any such attacks now. This victory of theirs has united the world. We will not be facing the Britannians alone."

"Following on that then." General Gottfried said. "What would our next move be? Herr Tesla, do we have any countermeasures against the FLEIJA's?"

"Unless we get a piece of that missile or get the girl who made it there's nothing we can do." Chairman Tesla sighed. "I have some ideas but one is as outrageous as the next. So I am all ears."

"Another question remains, my comrades" Marshal Venner said. "Is that, can the Britannians be defeated now? Personally, I care not if they have that damned weapon Damocles or the vastness of the army. All I ask is that are our soldiers prepared for the coming task at hand."

"You speak of suicide, Herr Venner." Chairman Tesla dryly commented. "Last stands sound good in paper but does little in reality. ."

Everyone expected the Marshall to take insult to the frankness of the Chairman but to their surprise, the Marshal simply leaned back in his chair. The only words that came out from his lips were simple yet ominous,

"Good."

"True." General Raus added. "Our weapons are as advanced and produced in numbers on par the greatest superpowers and possibly even more. Testing were also a success and are combat ready through our training regimens."

"I have something in mind," All the leaders' attention turned to Commodore Heinkel von Strauss. "The Damocles is one thing, the Army they have at hand is another. Despite our superiority in technology and surprise, wherever we strike will expose us. We only have one shot if we are to prevail."

She paused to take a sip from her glass.

"So I say we go now cut off the head of the dragon itself. We attack Japan where this little pup is sleeping." She said with a malicious grin. "Then all our problems will solve itself. Ready for us to take the reaping."

All the officers on the table spoke at once and argued at the audacity of the plan. Each gave out their opinions and had cut the council to several factions. Some agreed to the plan and strike at once, others opted to wait, some criticized how unrealistic it was and the flaws of the plan, while others wanted to gather more resources and allies to increase their chances of victory. It quickly escalated into a heated debate.

"And what say you about all this?" Inquisitor Beria raised her voice and turned to the man next to her. "Kommandant?"

The officers in the room fell silent. Their arguments and retorts put on hold. Their tongues kept behind their teeth. They too turned their eyes to the man seated on the head of the table. A man who stayed in the shadows had one hand rested his chin as though deep in thought. One would have thought that he was sleeping throughout the meeting but his other hand tapped on a mask that was placed on the table. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Apart from sleeping, this was the only other time their leader was ever so serene. He has a history of being brash and unpredictable. The officers in the table knew better than to disturb him at this state. And so he remained behind a shroud of shadows and left everyone in perpetual silence. A flicker of hope burned in their hearts as they waited for their leader to speak. To share to them his mind in what they are to do in the face of overwhelming odds.

The fingers abruptly stopped tapping. The man at the end of the table came to life and stood up. Everyone in the room held their breaths for what he had to say. Their leader had always been an unpredictable person. They all could never read what goes on inside his mind. But with the situation at hand, they were sure that what he would say was going to be important, and if ever relevant.

"The result of this battle a victory." The man said with a sly, sharp tone with a menacingly calm voice.

He reached for his mask and patted the dust off it before placing it on his face. A red Omega emblem lit up on its forehead. The Mask disoriented his voice, making it sound grizzled and more ominous.

"A victory for both the enemy and for us. This outcome is most favorable for us since it has defeated our greatest enemy, Schneizel el Britannia. The Scourge of the EU. He is the greater of two evils. I do believe that I share this sentiment as to the rest of the people in this table?"

All the officers nodded in agreement.

"As for this Emperor, this Lelouch vi Britannia." He continued. "He is nothing more than a child with the world as his chess game. Though I have no doubt that he will be a capable enemy. He has proven as much seeing as how far he had come to achieve within these few months. In fact, I do share these sentiments with him. From pauper, to prince, to a king."

"Regardless, he had made too many enemies on his path to legitimacy and his title is all but in name alone. His government is in shambles, his forces are in disarray and the people hate him en masse. They will rebel after a given spark. A spark that we alone and will set off."

"Kommandant, if I may speak." General Venner said. "But what of the Damocles? It is still a formidable weapon that is beyond our reach. As much as I would like to fight at your side as your Vanguard and give my life to you, mein Fuhrer, there would be none of us left in the aftermath. It would wipe us out at a glance."

"Not to mention the vastness of his army, sir." General Rauss said. "The resources they have at their disposal. As Commodore van Strauss had mentioned, we have but a small window. Even with our Blitz tactics, we'd be vulnerable.

"I agree, sir." Governor Rianofski added. "Sacrifices in war are necessary in war but this will be a slaughter sir. A massacre. How could we inspire a spark when the Britannians could quench us before we strike the match? The Damocles watches us over every sky, where can we strike that would be a victory for us and inspire the world in our cause?"

Omega waited for their questions to cease before making his say.

"I see many questions here, comrades. Reasonable, yes. But you have yet to see the bigger picture. Allow me, to oblige.

The Kommandant pressed a button on the remote and revealed the map of the world. The map was scribbled with X's and arrows in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Attack patterns, army bases and troop movements were scrawled all over the continents.

"As to where, comrades." Omega said. "We shall strike them all. We will attack everywhere. Total war."

The shock on the officers' faces was visible. They were stunned to comprehend the grand design of their Kommandant's plan. Therein lies the question of how long had Omega been planning this and if so, will it work? But they soon understood the wisdom behind the grand design.

"And do not worry about the Damocles or its FLEIJAs." Omega reassured. "They WILL not get in our way."

Before any of the officers could ask what he meant, Omega pressed another button and activated the cameras. Television screens all over the base and the city came to life. There it showed the denizens and soldiers the face of their leader, Omega. Fron there he spoke to his staff as he was speaking to his people.

"Comrades, it is time. Our time in the dark is over. Our proxy wars are over. Our shadow campaigns against our hated enemies, the Britannians, are over. Now is the time. Now is the time we reveal ourselves to the world. It is time for us all to be known. We do this now because the world needs us more than ever. And I know that they will welcome us with open arms and join us in this last rebellion."

"For freedom. For democracy. Against tyranny. And against the Britannians."

"My friends, the Damocles is but one ship with a vast army yet scattered. Its government, in tatters. And we, we are but one world with allies in every corner of the globe. People with the same will and the same dream as us. We shall strike as one and shake the world with our defiance that will be remembered for generations to come. Victory or Defeat, the outcome of this will immortalize us and inspire generations to come!"

"Now is the time. We shall show that Tyrant of an Emperor that there is still one piece left on the board, ready for one last fight. Our final stand for peace and liberty for all man. My friends, officers, comrades, exiles and revolutionaries, will you stand by me and face Oblivion together?"

The officers all stood up in unison and with their hands raised, they proudly cheered.

"HEIL OMEGA! HEIL KOMMANDANT! HEIL MEIN FUHRER!"

From outside the War Room, hundreds and thousands of soldiers watched from the screens their Kommandant's speech. They too raised their hands and weapons in salute and cheered. Their voices echoed throughout their city in merriment.

"HEIL OMEGA! HEIL OMEGA! HEIL OMEGA! DEATH TO BRITANNIA! TO VICTORY!"