Kallen considered her options against Bismarck. That sword of his eliminated most plans of attack. Long-range attacks probably wouldn't work. He'd just dodge them or block with the sword. Close-range attacks would also be dangerous, considering what happened the last time she tried to block. The Galahad's fingers were Slash Harkens, but weren't large enough to catch with her fork knife. If she could cut them, though, he wouldn't be able to hold the sword.

She decided to go with that strategy, and resumed her quick attacks, watching carefully for any response. It took him a while, but he eventually tried the Slash Harkens. Kallen prepared to cut them, but he saw it coming and stopped them before they came in range. She cursed her luck, but that at least told her something. He saw her attack coming, but just barely.

Even knowing that, however, she knew that strategy alone wasn't going to work. She stopped her high-speed flight and began to close in. Even if he could see her attacks coming, overwhelming him was the only thing she could think of at the moment. Arming the radiant surge, she fired a long range blast. Bismarck blocked it with the sword, which then began glowing with pink energy, deflecting her blast. She tried a wide range blast, but he moved out of its path. The energy disc would be pointless, she figured.

Bismarck moved in to attack, using another forward slash that Kallen just barely blocked by folding her wings forward. As she backed off, he moved in and repeated the attack, which Kallen could not quite avoid this time. Thankfully, it struck the energy portion of her right wing. The sword broke through, but the wing just reset itself.

Kallen countered, using her fork knife to hook his sword so she could get a clear shot with her radiant surge. Bismarck managed to twist out of the way, freeing his sword and backing off. As Kallen considered what to do next, her attention turned to the cave, a cloud of dust emanating from it. The realization struck her immediately: an explosion. The cave only had one tunnel which ended at those strange ruins, so there were not many things that could explode inside. If Lelouch wasn't responsible, and even if he was, he was probably in danger, which meant she needed to win quickly.

Bismarck came in for another attack, attempting to cut straight through her with a downward slash. Kallen rushed at him, adjusting for his attempts to dodge. She collided with him at full speed, pinning his sword with her radiant surge. She didn't let up on the throttle, pushing him into the cliff face a short distance from the cave. "You've been predicting my movements," she announced, "but I bet that won't matter if you can't move."

"What?" Bismarck exclaimed, having apparently seen what was coming.

"Goodbye," Kallen replied, priming the wide range burst. The Galahad's left arm was pinned beneath his sword, so he raised the right to fire the fingers. Kallen seized it with her left hand. She triggered the burst; though his sword blocked a fair portion of the blast, enough of it bled over to fry the Galahad just above the chest and below the waist.

When the burst subsided, the Galahad was warped but intact. Its Float System was inoperable, though, and she doubted it would be capable of precision movement with its legs damaged. Kallen let go, allowing the Galahad to plummet the short distance to the ground. To her surprise, Bismarck could still move it, though standing seemed to be difficult. Unwilling to let him threaten her rescue attempt, she blasted the Galahad again, destroying it.

With Bismarck dispatched, Kallen landed and raced into the cave. The Shinkiro was intact, its cockpit open. The four strange men were lying on the ground, dead. No one else was present that she could see. Then her eyes turned to the ruins, blown apart by explosives. Recalling the original look, she realized that it had a crease down the middle, like a giant door, even though there was clearly nothing behind what was left of it. If it was a door, Lelouch must have destroyed it to seal the Emperor in, and was probably stuck in there with him. She didn't get why he would do such a thing, but she wasn't about to leave it be. She couldn't fix the ruins, but she knew two people who probably could.


Kallen made her way back to the Ikaruga, leaving orders with Tohdoh to make sure no one attempted to enter the cave. After landing, she rushed to Zero's room. C.C. and Marianne were still there, not that they could leave with the Mordred under guard.

"Kallen?" C.C. asked. "Where's Lelouch?"

"In trouble," Kallen replied. "He blew up the ruins on Kamine Island. You two are coming with me to fix it."

Marianne spoke up. "My, quite the devoted subordinate."

"Not now," Kallen growled. "Move." She pointed to the door to punctuate the command.

Marianne complied, as did C.C. after smirking, no doubt amused by Kallen's attitude. Kallen escorted them to the hanger. The guards were surprised, but she ordered them to stand down. Being the captain of Squad Zero had its benefits. "You two take the Mordred," she ordered.


It hadn't taken long to get back to the cave. Tohdoh had done as asked, though given that most of the enemy forces were busy, that wasn't much of a surprise. Kallen dismounted from the Guren as Marianne and C.C. left the Mordred. Marianne went to work on the control box near the broken ruins.

Needing some answers, Kallen turned to C.C. "What are these ruins?" she asked.

"A portal," C.C. explained, "to the World of C."

"The World of C?" Kallen said.

"The simplest way to describe it," C.C. began, "would be 'God'. It is the collective unconscious for the entire world, a place where one's heart and memories become one; a sea of metempsychosis. Humans are given masks by this collective unconsciousness; they are windows into the sea of one's heart and memories."

Marianne cut in. "It's too broken to fix," she stated. "You do it, C.C."

"Are you sure you want to go in?" C.C. asked.

"Of course," she said, "Charles is waiting for us. It would have been easier if you just gave him your Code." C.C. remained silent. "Fine, I'll go ahead then." Marianne squeezed C.C.'s hand as she put her other hand on the door, causing it to light up.

Kallen watched, the meaning of Marianne's comment not quite reaching her. The light cut off after a few seconds, and Anya's body collapsed. It occurred to Kallen that she probably should have caught her. Anya seemed ok, but couldn't be revived.

"Marianne's no longer there," C.C. stated. "It's just Anya now."

Kallen sighed. "You were supposed to fix it, not send in Marianne alone." Grabbing some of the cables from the useless control box, she tied Anya's arms and legs.

"Is that really necessary?" C.C. asked. "She is unconscious, after all."

"If she wakes up while we're in there," Kallen stated, "then our Knightmares will be at her mercy. I just got the Guren back, I'm not about to lose it again."

"If I open it so we can enter," C.C. said, "you'll be giving the Emperor what he needs."

"If anyone can stop the Emperor, it's Lelouch," Kallen stated confidently. "Would you rather leave him trapped in there?"

"You certainly are motivated," C.C. noted. "Lelouch is lucky to have someone like you." Kallen blushed, and C.C. just grinned. "Put your hand on the door like Marianne did."

Kallen complied, and C.C.'s forehead began glowing. The ruins lit up again in tandem, growing ever brighter until she couldn't see anything at all.


When the light subsided, Kallen could hardly believe her eyes. They were standing on the ruins of some temple, high above the clouds. Looking up, Jupiter inexplicably floated above them, the Great Red Spot angled down at them like a giant eye. A spiral of material she couldn't identify reached up to that spot. "Where are we?" she asked.

"The World of C," C.C. stated. "This is the form it takes to humans. That which we're standing on is the Sword of Akasha."

"Where can we find Lelouch?" Kallen said.

"At the top, I would assume," C.C. replied.

In the distance, Kallen could make out a voice, unmistakable in its booming tone. Sound carried rather well in here. "Once lies are deemed useless," the Emperor said, "personae disappear. If people can understand each other, conflicts disappear."

Kallen stopped herself and C.C. "Lelouch doesn't seem to be in trouble yet. I want to hear this first." This had something to do with that strange green light that had appeared over Kamine Island the first time. Now she'd figure out what caused it.

"You seem more curious than I remember," C.C. noted.

Kallen fumbled for an excuse. "I just want to understand what's happening, is all." C.C. merely smirked.

"That is merely an ideal theory of metaphysics," Lelouch replied.

"It shall become reality very soon," the Emperor said. "That is the Ragnarok Junction. The world will cast off its deceitful mask and show its skin of truth. 50 years ago, my brother and I were in a living hell. All our kinsmen were rivals who wanted the throne. Assassinations were commonplace and lies led to betrayals. Even my own mother was a victim. We hated and were saddened by the world, so made a pact: we would create a world without lies."

"C.C. and I agreed to that pact, as well," said Marianne.

Kallen turned to C.C. "Is that still true?" C.C. remained silent, and Kallen decided against pushing the matter.

"In the original plan," Marianne continued, "only one Code was needed. But further research revealed that we needed a second Code, C.C., to make sure the plan would succeed."

"Since Marianne couldn't persuade C.C.," the Emperor said, "we had to use you."

"Then, for what have I…" Lelouch trailed off in mid-sentence.

"Let's go, C.C.," Kallen said, heading for the steps. C.C. followed.

"If the Ragnarok Junction is successful," the Emperor stated, "then such tragedies will no longer take place."

"All masks will be gone," Marianne added. "We can all be who we really are."

"I see," Lelouch mused. "The battles between Britannia and the Black Knights were just bait to lure C.C. out. In other words, I was just noise for the world from the very beginning; a hindrance." Lelouch turned to greet Kallen and C.C. "What do you two think?"

"You noticed us?" C.C. asked.

"It's the only way my mother could have come here," Lelouch responded. "I suppose you brought them, Kallen?"

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't blown up the door," Kallen said.

"C.C.," the Emperor interrupted, "now that we are all gathered, the plan can commence. We shall grant your wish afterward." Kallen watched as a mark lit up on the Emperor's palm, identical to that on C.C.'s forehead. Her mark and his glowed in tandem and the world around them crumbled, revealing a machine of impossible size. Only Jupiter and the spiral leading to it remained.

"Ah, it has begun," Marianne said happily, "the Sword of Akasha will kill God."

"Once we merge our marks together," the Emperor stated to C.C., "the new world shall be born."

As he approached, Kallen turned to Lelouch. "Are you really ok with this?"

"You're not?" Lelouch asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I understand it completely," Kallen admitted, "but discovering the truth is what I've been trying to do with you all this time. What point is there to life if such discovery is unnecessary? People won't have any motivation to act if they don't have to make any effort to learn. It sounds wrong to me."

"Hmm," Lelouch said, "well put." He stepped into the Emperor's path, shielding C.C. "I won't approve of you, or your train of thought. Why do people lie? The answer isn't only because it's used for conflicts, but because they yearn for something. A world just as it is will bring no change. You don't call that being alive. It's just like a world of memories; a complete and secluded world. I do not want that."

"Lelouch," Marianne said, "are you going to deny me, as well?"

"Your wish is the same as his then?" Lelouch asked.

"It's a good thing to reunite everyone scattered around." Marianne replied. "You can even become one with the dead. You could see Euphemia again." She turned to Kallen. "Haven't you lost people you would like to see again?" Kallen froze for a moment, thinking of her brother.

"So you two really do believe this is a good thing," Lelouch continued. "However, you are forcing this good on others. It's no different from evil."

"Everyone will understand eventually," the Emperor stated calmly.

"They won't," Lelouch angrily retorted. "Right now, only one thing is clear. You may believe sending Nunnally and I away was a good thing, but you abandoned us!"

"We were trying to protect you," Marianne protested.

"Then why not stop the war between Britannia and Japan?" Lelouch countered. That left Marianne at a loss for words. "When you two prioritized the plan, our well-being no longer mattered. That's why we were abandoned, leaving us with nothing but a self-satisfying excuse."

"That's not how it was," Marianne said.

"You just said that people could become one with the dead," Lelouch reminded her. "Our safety didn't matter, because as long as the plan went through you'd get to see us again. You don't care about the future."

"The Ragnarok Junction is the future," Charles stated. "It's the gentle world Nunnally spoke of."

"No it isn't," Lelouch insisted. "The world you speak of is merely a world gentle to yourselves! The world Nunnally desires must be a world where people can be kind to others."

"So what?" the Emperor scoffed. "The Ragnarok Junction has already begun."

"I wonder," Lelouch replied. "I am Zero, the man of miracles." He removed his contact as he did so.

"Geass doesn't work on me, and the others can't stop it," the Emperor replied.

"But there's one person you're forgetting," Lelouch pointed out. The Emperor's face went from confusion to disbelief. "That's right. The World of C is the will of all humans, and humans aren't equal; your own words. Because they are not equal, you know what that means of my power, right?"

"Fool," the Emperor exclaimed, "the power of kings cannot defeat God."

"This isn't about winning," Lelouch countered, "this is a wish." Facing the sky, Lelouch called out to the planet above. "God! The collective unconsciousness!" Jupiter began to glow in response. "Do not stop the progress of time!"

Kallen caught sight of Marianne charging in. "Lelouch, naughty children like you…" She stopped when Kallen moved between them.

"I'd rather not beat up my friend's mother," Kallen said, "so stay back. You're not going to force your world on everyone."

"Isn't there anyone you've lost that you want to see again?" Marianne asked.

Kallen found it somewhat ironic that she was helping to oppose this. She was changing history to save Lelouch, after all. She knew this was worse, though. She was saving Lelouch, possibly at the expense of a better future, but she had the choice to go back and people would still persevere either way. There would be no going back from this. "Not if it means the entire world grinds to a halt," she replied.

"There's no way it can work," the Emperor said to Lelouch, "not on God – not on humans themselves."

"Even so," Lelouch insisted, "I desire tomorrow!" At that, the symbol of Geass lit up on Jupiter, dissolving the spiral from the top down into its individual pieces, which Kallen now recognized as people. The machinery around them fell apart as the spiral continued to dissolve.

"Charles, stop all of this," C.C. said, sitting down. "This was all just too preposterous."

"C.C., as long as our marks still exist-." The Emperor stopped in mid-sentence when he noticed his legs had dissolved. When Marianne went to him, she began to dissolve, too.

"This is the answer not of lies," Lelouch explained, "but of reality."

"How can this be?" the Emperor exclaimed. "I should be immortal, yet I'm being devoured by the World of C."

"But what about C.C.?" Marianne asked. "Why isn't she disappearing? She agreed to this plan, didn't she?"

"Forgive me," C.C. said, "but I realized that you two were only doing it for yourselves."

"No, that's wrong," Marianne protested. "It was for Lelouch and Nunnally as well."

"Do you two know the meaning of Nunnally's smile?" Lelouch asked.

"Her smile?" Marianne responded quizzically.

"Why don't you?" Lelouch responded. "Nunnally cannot see or walk, so she knew that there are things in this world people can't do alone. Her smile is the very least she can give to express her gratitude."

"Such deceptions are..." the Emperor began.

"You will not call it a lie," Lelouch said, cutting him off. "You looked down upon us, watching delightfully as you neglected reality. I won't accept that. The only truth here is that you abandoned us."

"Lelouch," the Emperor growled. If it were any other situation, Kallen would have laughed at seeing the Emperor rocket across the room in superhero fashion to grab Lelouch. "You obnoxious fool!"

"Stay back, Kallen," Lelouch insisted.

"Deny me and what awaits you will be Schenizel's world," the Emperor explained. "Good and evil are merely two sides of the same card. Even so, you would…"

"Even so, I deny your world," Lelouch announced. "Begone!" At his command, the Emperor and Marianne vanished completely. The machinery around them fell dark, rendered useless by the will of humanity. "C.C., are you going, as well?"

"I should be smiling when I die, right?" she responded. "What do you plan to do now, having denied Charles' plan and chosen to let time move ahead?"

Lelouch didn't answer, instead turning around to face her. When he did, Kallen noticed that both of his eyes now glowed with the Geass symbol. "Your eyes," she pointed out.

"Ah, I thought I felt something weird," Lelouch remarked. "I guess this contact won't be enough anymore." He pocketed it.

"We should go," Kallen said. "Everyone's probably wondering where Zero is, and if all of this had any effect on the outside world, then there's probably a lot of confused people out there."

"Indeed," Lelouch replied, "but I don't think they'll believe I just killed the Emperor."

"It doesn't matter what they believe," Kallen replied. "You still have the power to make Nunnally's world a reality, and if what the Emperor said about Schenizel is true, then the man standing in the way is out there waiting for us."

"Then I guess we should go greet him," Lelouch said as he helped C.C. to her feet.

Together, the three of them walked toward the exit. Kallen finally felt optimistic. Before, Lelouch hadn't had anything to go back to, and only his former enemy and C.C. by his side. Now, the Black Knights were wary but still somewhat loyal, and he was with two friends. Hopefully he could change things without resorting to the extreme measures he used the last time.