Sorry for taking SOOO LONG. I wanted to make this chapter epic but I think this time I overshot it. It's the longest chapter I've written yet. I hope you'll enjoy it. ^^
"The 99th Emperor Lelouch upon his succession to the Britannian throne has ordered the destruction of the Imperial Mausoleum and the names of the past Britannian Emperors. His Imperial Majesty had also taken much of the powers of the aristocracy and ordered the abolishment of the Number system. In the Imperial Senate, the Emperor has created the House of Commons with more than 80% of the seats taken.
"His Majesty's polices have led to a divided state in Britannia with heavy support from the commoners and former numbers and unrest and loathing from the majority of the nobles. Still the Imperial family has given the Emperor his full support from all the policies.
"However, the House of Lords ardently protested against the policy and declared that Lelouch was a usurper and his claim to the throne was illegitimate. They made it clear that should anyone rule after the Emperor Charles, it would be Prince Schneizel.
"Although he has yet to make any public statement, Prince Schneizel formerly the Prime Minister of Britannia was declared by the Imperial Senate the true heir to the Imperial crown.
"Both Lelouch and Schneizel had influence on their side. Schneizel had the support of the Arch-Dukes and the Imperial Senate, giving him excess to a massive portion of the Britannian Army. "However, disenfranchised nobles and knights and the commoners clearly supported the new Emperor. This may put Britannia in a state of civil war."
Pendragon Imperial Palace
Lelouch adjusted the crimson cloak in front of the mirror. He wore a richly made white jacket and pants both, gold trimmed and purple collars. Usually, the black-haired royal did not really care much for such things but he had to admit he looked good in it. It was almost identical to the uniform he wore as a prince so long ago. Lelouch briefly wondered what his mother would thought of him should she be still alive.
"I'm sorry, mother. I failed you." Lelouch murmured. "I promised that you'd be avenged and that bastard is now stuck in that hellhole for eternity. But the price...? I have the blood of so many innocents on my hands...people who have nothing do to with this damn conflict. Not just that. My actions have killed both Euphie and Nunnally." The new Emperor banged his head against the hard mirror.
"But I will not fail her. I promise I will create a world worthy for all the losses that happened." The door opened and Lelouch sensed a familiar presence and straightened to compose himself.
"They think you're the new King Arthur." Suzaku said snidely.
"You don't approve?" Lelouch asked. As for Suzaku, as the Knight of Zero, he had a new uniform. It was similar to his old Knight uniform though it was now dark blue and gold trimmed with an ebony Knight of the Round's cloak. A sheathed gold hinted sword lay on his left hip and a well tooled pistol at the other.
Ironically he looked more like Zero himself.
"Since when did you care about other people's opinions?" The knight asked. The young Emperor chuckled. "Maybe you're right. But I am curious."
Suzaku glared at his former enemy and friend. "I only care about creating a world in the memory of Euphie. Nothing more."
"Oh really." Lelouch scoffed. "Don't worry about it. That's what I plan to do. Once that's done, I offer myself to the devil's den."
"You take a step away from it and I'll skewer you where you stand." Suzaku snarled.
Lelouch gave the Knight of Zero a smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then suddenly an officer appeared at the entrance. The soldier was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard, made up of the former Emperor's personal guard, selected knights from the Capital's defence garrison and other 'persuaded' soldiers who were showing or were potentially rebellious or resistance towards Lelouch.
Lord Jeremiah Gottwald was the commander of the royal guard who, Suzaku noticed was currently absent. He suspected he was doing Lelouch's biddings. The soldier wore a black tunic with gold trimmings with and a white cape. He wore a steel helmet with a white plume. The red epaulettes on his shoulder showed that the guardsman was a captain.
"Forgive me, sire." The guard officer said. "But Lord Weinberg has arrived at the Palace. He seeks an audience with you."
"Gino?" Suzaku whispered, surprised. His face briefly showed disbelief before becoming wooden again.
"The Knight of Three? Very well, Captain Alastair. Sent him in." They headed to the throne room where the royal guard officer waited. Lelouch took his seat with Suzaku at his side then nodded.
The guard officer acknowledged then gestured. Two full squads of royal guardsmen in silver breastplates and black uniforms with red capes charged into the scene armed with rifles and ceremonial but nevertheless lethal swords and pikes. They took up strategic positions around the room and raised their weapons in salute, the red plumes on their gold helms and capes fluttering in response.
Only then did Alastair open the door. Gino Weinburg entered flanked by two visored guards with their guns ready to train on him. He was clad in the green cloak of the Knight of Three over his gold and white uniform.
However, his face did not hold any of the jovial expression that Lelouch often saw instead it was replaced with a distrustful scowl.
"Lord Gino Weinburg, the honourable Knight of Three," the Emperor started. "To what do I hold the pleasure?"
The blond knight stared straight at the Emperor. "That depends on your answer, Lelouch."
Alastair glared at Gino. "You are at the presence of His Majesty! How dare you show such insolence!" The two guards trained their rifles down.
Gino twisted his head around a bit. "You guys wanna play, huh?" Then with a flash of silver, the rifles were sent flying against the wall.
"Damn!" Suzaku moved in front of Lelouch with his sword drawn. The royal guards surrounded the tall knight, ready to fall upon him. Gino turned to Suzaku, raising his own sword.
"So Suzaku...this is what you really want?" The Japanese knight did not reply and just woodenly glared at his old comrade.
"Lower your weapons." Lelouch called out. "Please, let us not spill needless blood." The Emperor stood up from his throne allowing his crimson cloak to flow down and follow him like a possessed lover. "What Lord Weinburg asks is valid considering the change in political power."
Lelouch gave the Knight of Three his most charming smile. "And thus, Sir Gino, would you like to know?" The guards lowered their weapons but did not relax. With a careful glance at them and at Suzaku, Gino approached the Emperor.
"What I want to know is whether you intent to keep your word. Are you really willing to sacrifice everything to create this world you claim to make? I mean, after all that's what every leader from Eowyn to Zero claimed but not all have kept their promises." Gino grinned for a moment at the Emperor and his Knight. "I'm not just a simple grunt you know."
Suzaku's face just hardened.
But Lelouch chuckled. "Never saw you as such." The Emperor assured him. "Then, tell me, Sir Weinburg. What do you think of me? Do you think I'm like one of them?"
A brief moment of uncertainty crossed the Knight of Three. "I don't know. I want to believe in your world. I grew up as a noble but I never cared much of it and I don't like the Number system. I did not care that about it when I fell in love with a maid. I never believed that they deserved to be called Numbers. I think they're people too." Lelouch felt an unfamiliar sympathy for the knight. He had rarely encountered anyone from the aristocracy, hell, barely anyone from the Britannians who held such genuine compassion. Weinburg could prove to be a powerful ally and perhaps something else too.
"Then Sir Weinburg," Lelouch announced walking up to the knight. "We are more alike than I thought. We were both born to Britannia but have never believed in it and we want a gentler world where one is not judged because of one's birth or influences. We want a world where everyone could live freely and could choose their paths without such silly restrictions. I wish only to ask you to help me build this world."
Gino looked at the Emperor in the eye searching for any trace of lie then finally nodded and went to one knee.
"Then I swear my sword to you, Your Majesty." He said formally. Suzaku sheathed his sword and the guards returned to their posts. Lelouch nodded and bid him to rise.
"Then," Gino began as he stood up. "You would like to know you have sizeable amount of 'protesters' massing around the capital."
Lelouch smiled. "Yes, I am aware of that."
"How did you know?" Suzaku asked his voice so harsh that caused both Lelouch and Gino to stare at him.
The blond knight shrugged. "If Lelouch was just another power-hungry prince, then I was on my way to join them." He looked hard at the two. "I'm not willing to trade one tyrant for another."
Suzaku nodded, satisfied but his coldness stunned Gino.
"Then if I may, my lord," Captain Alastair asked. And when Lelouch nodded his permission said. "We are vastly outnumbered. We only have the Imperial Guard to protect the city and palace. We'll need to evacuate the civilians."
"Good. See to it, captain." Lelouch nodded. "So what is your next plan?" Suzaku asked. "Why let them come, of course!" That statement stunned the three.
"Just let them come?" Gino asked, puzzled.
"Why yes," Lelouch explained unleashing his charm on them as he used to do it as Zero. "When Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and became king, almost at once Camelot came under siege. Was it not?"
Cambodia
"That was unexpected." The former second Prince murmured, leaning back against his chair.
"What could he have hoped to achieve by doing this?" Cornelia asked, puzzled.
"It's simple." Schneizel replied. "He wants to change the world. Like Zero had. He wants to become a hero to the people. That is not like him to do that."
"But...this is Lelouch...we're dealing with!" Cornelia exclaimed.
"Yes, dear sister." Schneizel replied. "And if you remember the old Lelouch, the little brother who we used to adore, are you surprised?"
Kannon arrived at his side. "Your Highness, 4th Prince Cassius le Britannia has gathered a host and they're heading straight to Pendragon."
"They're actually going to lay siege to Pendragon?" Cornelia almost shouted.
"So it seems." Schneizel agreed.
"But even with the size of those fleets, Pendragon could not be taken that easily." Kannon commented.
The former Second Prince chuckled. "Of course. However, Pendragon is undermanned and that may prove to be an advantage to our dear brother. After all, they only want to get rid of the Emperor."
Cornelia grimaced. "They're going to need to find a way to get pass Pendragon's defences. Otherwise it'll be suicide."
The blond prince nodded. "First they will launch a full assault on the city."
Imperial Capital of Pendragon
The blue skies on the City of Lights had always been a sight that had awed many people. It was beautiful. More than that, it represented the peace and calm that the Britannians seek when their world had been scattered by Napoleon and the British revolutionaries and the constant fighting hardships faced by the first generations. Birds of many colours would fly, covering over the magnificent creation of the Empire. Upon the foundation of the Holy Empire of Britannia and the creation of the Pendragon Imperial Palace, the skies have been what reflected the glorious achievement and change that the former British nobles achieved when they became Britannians.
Now on the 18th October 2018, those very skies were covered by a thousand glowing lights of Float Systems and the hundred of aerial ships of the Imperial Armada descended upon the Britannian Capital like a swarm of birds down a prey. They were followed by the Imperial Air Force who numbered in the thousands.
"True soldiers of Britannia!" Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four shouted from the Eowyn, Pride of the Imperial Armada. "Our loyalty is to Charles zi Britannia! We will not accept this usurper on this throne! Now clean Pendragon of this filth!"
"Yes, milord!" At once, the ships open fired missiles and cannon shells bombarded the Imperial capital's defences. The city glowed emerald as the weapons exploded on its Blaze Luminous Shields that covered significant portions of the city. Auto-turrets appeared from the walls and returned fire to take down incoming missiles. The barrage lasted for almost an hour without real success as Pendragon's powerful automatic defences and study walls held off the assaults with relative ease.
Prince Cassius watched the scene grimly from the Eowyn's bridge.
"Attack!" Squadrons of Sutherlands, Gloucesters and Vincent Wards launched from their ships and swarm over Pendragon's defences firing machine guns, cannons and missiles. The defensive towers ringed with alarm and turned their guns and missiles towards the incoming invaders. Bullets and missiles sparked out from the glowing city back at the attackers causing large balls of yellow fire spark as they came.
One tower fired a dozen missiles that completely obliterated an entire squadron of the rebels sending the broken pieces down the city streets. A Gloucester landed on the tower in question and with its bulk crushed the turret then sprayed wide with its machine gun at the turrets beside it. One of the gun turrets turned and open fired but the violet Knightmare blew it up with its grenade launcher. It fired a few rounds and a pair of slash harkens into several others.
"The path is clear!" The Gloucester's pilot shouted waving its golden lance at its comrades. Just as it did, the violet machine's lance arm scattered and exploded. A volley of bullets blasted the machine's upper torso.
A Vincent Ward with a trident-avian sigil similar to that of the Black Knights' on its right shoulder plate appeared with a rifle in the smoke. In its other hand was an MVS double bladed lance gleaming in crimson.
"Sir Byron!" The Gloucester's allies arrived to avenge its comrade only to come under fire by a barrage of bullets.
More Vincent Wards with the Imperial sigil appeared armed with MVSs and rifles.
A blue and white Vincent armed oddly with a Lancelot-styled MVS sword led them, waving its blood-red blade at the enemy. The rebel Knightmares turned to the newcomers and the two forces met in a pitched aerial battle.
"Hold them!" The blue Vincent cried out as he sliced a Sutherland through the torso neatly in half and let the two halves fall and explode. A line of rebel Sutherlands and Vincent Wards trained their cannons and rifles and opened fired on the incoming enemy, raining bullets and shells in the skies.
However Lelouch's Wards were part of the Capital's Imperial Guard and were far more battle-ready than the rebels' own machines who were Army standard types and the Imperials suffered only a handful of losses. The Wards then scattered and closed on the line and cut the formation apart with their blood gleaming blades shining in the explosions.
With the Imperial knightmares counter-attack and the automatic defences' covering fire, the rebels suffered great losses decimating their first wave. An Imperial Ward charged out of its formation launched both of its slash harkens, one of the striking a Sutherland's lance out. The other followed and took the blue purple machine's head off.
That was when a light blasted out from the rebel formation. Several red spheres shot out and struck down the Imperial Wards with deadly accuracy. A golden figure appeared in the light and drew out a curved master vibration sword that gleamed violet as the blade activated. The new machine speeded pass the Wards with incredible speed cutting the Imperial machines apart like grass.
An Imperial Ward brought its MVS blade to block a slash from the machine's sword and the sword sliced through the handles and into its wielder. The gold and blue knightmare came to a halt in the sky and opened its golden wings out.
"This is Dorothea Ernst in the Gaheris. Surrender and tell me where the pretender is! Do not force us to destroy you!"
"Lelouch is the Emperor now!" The knight in the blue and white Vincent shouted back. "We serve the Imperial throne! It is you who should surrender!"
The Vincent leaped forward and swung its longsword. The Gaheris brought one wing to block the blow and used it to deflect one of the slash harkens that followed and sliced the other one in half.
"Then die in his service then!" The Knight of Four snarled. The gold Knightmare brought its right arm and fired several blasts of Hadron spheres. Lelouch's knight avoided the blasts and lunged forward with a needle blazer. Dorothea moved aside to avoid the lunge and instead launched one of her chest slash harkens that struck the Vincent's the arm knocking off it off clean of the body. Snarling, the knight continued to swing and his sword met Dorothea's. The crimson blade shattered when it met the violet blade.
"My god..." The knight cried out. Before she could finish the Vincent off, a pair of Wards appeared and open fired on the Gaheris forcing Dorothea to fall back to her own forces.
"Push forward!" Dorothea Ernst shouted. "They may have better weapons but we have the numbers! Push forward to the palace and take out the usurper!" The Gaheris raised its violet sword high and let it shine in the sunlight.
"All! Hail! BRITANNIA!"
"In the distraction, squads of commandos will infiltrate and disable Pendragon's defences."
Inside Pendragon
"Atlas Team, engaging." The crews flinched as the doors burst opened.
Armoured figures burst in, training their weapons. "In the memory of Charles zi Britannia, surrender!"
"Traitor!" The officer in charge shouted drawing his pistol and was almost immediately shot.
Some of the crewmembers managed to draw their side arms and return fire but the rifles' superior fire power took down them in a matter of seconds. The rest of the crew just raised their hands and surrendered.
A figure with the badge of a lieutenant on his armour entered the room, moving forwards between his braced and aimed men.
"Secure the room!" The officer shouted, his electronic voice echoing the room. "Sergeant, disable the shields and weapon systems!"
"Yes, my lord."
"By then, the Armada will deploy ground support which without the automatic and anti-air defences will force Lelouch to use man power instead."
A great force of VTOL ships swarmed out from behind the battleships and under the cover of the aerial forces fire began to deploy their ground-based Knightmares. Garrison Knightmares, anti-Knightmare tanks and even infantrymen appeared from the buildings and opened fired on the swarm of VTOLs before they could land. The skies literally rained machines as the bullets, missiles and cannon shells shot down the VTOL and their Knightmares with them.
A Ward launched both his slash harkens aimed for a VTOL's wings sending the flying vehicle out of control and crash into a building with its Knightmare still loaded. Suddenly all the However there were too many of them for the defenders to handle and soon hundreds of Sutherlands, Gloucesters and Vincent Wards reached solid ground and charged their targets.
"Bring them down!" An Imperial NCO, a warrant officer by the name of Charmelle Finlay shouted firing in a Vincent Ward's into their attackers. She emptied a burst of rounds into an enemy Ward's chest then fired her grenade launcher into a Sutherland blowing up the 5th Generation into a dozen pieces. The NCO turned her rifle into another enemy unit scattering its head and arms with a volley then dove for cover as a duo of Sutherlands fired a barrage of bullets down her position. Charmelle detached a chaos mine and flung it to their positions blasting them with the mine's shrapnel.
"Damn it, Charmelle! They're all over the place!" A second Ward pulled by her side firing as he came.
"We've got to hold on!" Charmelle replied, spraying a few rounds at a Gloucester. "Everyone rally to me!" Two or three more loyalist Wards joined their position near a burning monument built by Princess Guinevere.
"Never really liked that thing much." Charmelle commented. She had been transferred from Area 11 to the Imperial Palace where she had been serving against terrorists when she was to protect a convoy en-route to Pendragon and had garrisoned there when the whole world had turned upside down.
Although she had no idea what the hell was happening in Britannia now, Charmelle was a soldier of the Empire and orders say protect Pendragon. And she was fine with that.
"Bring up the heavy weaponry!"
A loyalist Ward tried to join the rallying point but a stream of bullets caught the Knightmare in its track scattering its chest and cockpit.
"No good. Gerald's group is already gone! A bunch of Suths jumped on them from behind!" A huge chunk of their cover exploded into debris showering the two with dust.
"Yeah, and now they're using the damn cannons on us! Smart bastards!" Charmelle snarled as she launched a grenade round into the direction though the NCO doubted he hit anything.
"Tell me again why we're fighting for Lelouch, Eric?" The other Knightmare pilot laughed. "Because you thought he was cute?"
"What? That's not what I said!" The female pilot fired a burst into a position where she thought the cannon fire was coming from. Charmelle had to admit that she did thought the young Emperor was rather attractive but put that thought away as a second shell pounded on her squad's position. "Damn, requesting assistance at Sector B."
"Since we're going to die anyway, Charmelle...why did you choose to fight for Lelouch?" Her companion fired a grenade shell at one of the VTOLs blasting it out of the skies.
"Well, Eric. I thought I'd get to fight for a system where we will gain our ranks based on merit and skill." She searched for the rebels with the cannons with her facesphere.
"I've been a warrant officer for six years! Six bloody years!" Charmelle spotted one and rained a burst of bullets at it. "Whist I watched those morons from the nobility rise up from the ranks because of their influences and wealth!"
The female NCO turned and threw another chaos mine into the position. "I can outdo them in every area! And I had to bow and scrap those useless bastards! Yes, sir! No, sir! Three bloody bags looted, sir!" She was getting angrier and angrier as she spoke.
"More Gloucesters incoming!"
"You were saying Charmelle?" Eric said as he shot a rebel Ward's head clean off with a grenade shell.
"When Lelouch said he's going to change everything...well...come on! It was better than serving those noble-born bastards!"
"Hahaha, I agree! Well, if we're going to die then hell, let's die as commoners!" No sooner than the soldier said it, a golden lance shot out from the smoke and buried itself on the Ward's chest, piercing through the back cockpit.
"Eric!" Charmelle shouted as her comrade's machine exploded. Cannon shells, bullets and slash harkens hammered their position. A cannon fire took the Ward to her left's entire upper half off. The enemy rained down on them with their lances like a savage swarm.
Snarling, the NCO turned drew her MVS blades and joint them into lance mode then launched her slash harkens at a lunging Ward's chest and arm.
The disarmed Knightmare tried to slash with its MVS but Charmelle dodged the swing and with her own master vibration lance sliced the bastard in half. She then side-stepped a Gloucester's lance thrust and sliced through the purple machine's torso throwing the upper portion flying.
A second lancer this one a Sutherland charged. Charmelle scoffed at the pilot's attempt and slashed, the crimson blade of the MVS cut neatly across the metallic hands and the lance shaft it was gripping.
Turning her Ward around, Charmelle thrust her lower blade into the Sutherland's chest. A Gloucester charged in stabbing its jousting lance forward which the NCO barely managed to parry with the tip of her own MVS double lance. Charmelle slashed and the Gloucester blocked back with its lance then launched its slash harkens.
The warrant officer brought her MVS slashing the first harken but the second one struck her full in the chest pushing her back. The Gloucester took the chance and lunged forward with its lance to bring the final blow.
With a growl, Charmelle kicked the lance away and launched both her slash harkens at close range into 5th Generation Knightmare's groin.
The purple machine recoiled as if it was a man and with a roar Charmelle split the knightmare in vertical halves. Letting the broken machines explode, Charmelle narrowly made her way through the vicious fighting. Imperial forces, in the mist of preventing more VTOLs from landing and engaging those that have landed were starting to be overwhelmed.
All around her were rebels, rebels and rebels with the only Imperials dead or dying.
Palace War Room
"Your Majesty, the rebels have begun their attack." They watched the video screens as the swarms of green dots of the rebel forces swarm over the map of Pendragon's outposts, towers and other structures. Pendragon's powerful automated defences and the Capital's garrison were holding on their own against the larger numbers.
"What did Lord Weinburg say the enemy forces consisted of?" The Knight of Three had drawn out a list of Army units on another screen. "Well, firstly Prince Cassius rallied almost the entire Northern Army and Campbell has got the 90th Corps and some militia forces. Lord Somerset has taken controlled the 3rd Fleet and is transporting them."
"The second force is under the Arch-Duke of Canada. They've got the 205th Division and Imperial Vanguard as well. So that's at least..." "220,000 troops and 200 ships from both sides all together." Lelouch finished for him. "Our own forces consist of the Imperial Guard that protects the city as well as my own personal guard. So that leaves us with about 20,000 men and Knightmares and about fifty strong ships."
The Emperor chuckled to himself lightly.
"Nevertheless, we do not need to fight both sides at once. Tell Sir Hunter to pull back his men into the Palace's perimeter. The rebels want the city intact as they only want my head. Send out Sir Arthur's forces to delay the southern advance."
Lelouch took a good look at the battle-plan. Gino grimaced when he saw the red dots overwhelming the blue ones of the Imperial forces.
"Lelouch! They're penetrating through our defences. At this rate, they'll swarm over the Palace and cut off your head."
"They won't get an inch near the Palace." Lelouch assured him.
"Gino, this is a battle of attrition." The Knight of Three's eyes had widened in shock. "Attrition? They outnumber you ten to one!" The young Emperor smiled. "Numbers do not win a battle."
An officer appeared on a screen.
"Your Majesty, the rebels have broken our first defensive lines!"
"Lelouch's forces do not have the numbers to defend the capital so he will be forced to withdraw to the palace."
Colonel Sir Hunter L. Leveque, commander of the Imperial Guard's Second Division snarled impatiently as his Vincent's arm and slash harkens were being replaced at the Armoury.
The loyalist officer watched the IFF screen where the blue dots of the Imperial forces were being forced back into Pendragon's interior.
The outer walls and the city's districts were overwhelmed with rebel knightmares and their fleet constantly pounded on its defences. Some of the Guard units, including officers and men like him who had but months before transferred from the former Area 11 had all but slaughtered and wiped out.
While Hunter would like to proudly say that they had died fighting against great odds and had taken down more of their enemies, they were losing far too many and far too fast. Leveque had been a soldier for the past eight years and while he was had gained risen through the ranks thanks to the politics of family, the twenty-eight year old was never shy from combat. Thanks to his sharp perceptions and quick thinking Hunter had become a personal guard and agent for the House of Lords. When he led his charge, an arrogant duke back to Pendragon, Lelouch took over.
"Sir Hunter, repairs have completed. You may launch."
"Right. Hunter L. Leveque, launching!" He lowered his blue and white Vincent landspinners and gunned out of the hanger. Outside, the skies were littered with explosions and raining of bullets. Hunter pushed to full speed activating his Float System and lunged into the skies. The Guard commander launched one of his replaced slash harkens into a random Gloucester knocking it off its flight path.
"Captain," Hunter called to his second. "What is the situation?"
"The rebels are pushing on! We can't hold them. Not with the Knights of the Round leading them! What the...agrah!" He opened his facespheres and scanned the area. A white and purple heavily customised Gloucester leapt out from one of the Logres and literally landed on a Vincent Commander Model with the Imperial sigil sending it down on top of a building.
Letting it cushion its landing, the strange Gloucester brought out its jousting lance. The Vincent launched its slash harkens to ward off its attacker and slashed with its own MVS double lance. However, its white and purple opponent parried its first slash and with a swing smashed the MVS lance out of its hand.
Hunter turned away not wanting to see another perish. The rebels have already broken through their defences. He had been the first man to swear loyalty to Lelouch. And what that will cost him he did not know.
The Guard commander launched his slash harkens to a Sutherland armed with a lance sending it haplessly hurling back. The silver lance fell and Hunter caught it then threw it like a javelin into a Gloucester with a rifle. The lance buried itself on the purple machine's chest and dropped its rifle. Grabbing the rifle, Hunter used it to fire on their advancing enemies. "Everyone fall back! Fall back to the Palace!" &&&
"At this time, the second fleet will attack Pendragon from the south."
In the Eowyn
Prince Cassius knew that the enemy was outmatched. They had a larger army not to mention the Knights of the Round on their side and the Duke of Canada's forces were to attack from the rear of Pendragon and despite the capital's magnificent defences, even it could not stand against the might of the Britannian Armed Forces. They were surrounded. And who was commanding them, a pathetic half-blood commoner who should have stayed dead. The nerve!
Cassius drank down some of his finest wine to wash away the disgust that he felt in his mouth.
The first phase of the siege was to distract Pendragon's defences in a massive attack. That way the defenders would concentrate on defending themselves. The second phase was the Blaze Luminous Shields Generators that protected much of Pendragon's entrances and other strategic locations that would lead to the palace.
There were still men loyal to Charles zi Britannia in Pendragon and with their aid and teams of Britannian Special Forces, the main generators would be destroyed and turn Pendragon's defences on the defenders.
Once the shields are gone, Cassius's and Canada's forces would launch full attack on the palace and catch them between them. Despite Pendragon's powerful defences, there were far too few of the defenders to man them and that gave him the advantage...
Even now the shields and defences had fallen and their forces were swarming over Pendragon.
Despite their loyalty, Cassius had to admire the courage and determination of Lelouch's forces, which refused to give up every inch even as fire and death rained down from the Logres and the rest of the fleet.
That's what Britannians are all about. Once the half-breed's head is on a stake, perhaps it was time to root out all the impurity in their veins. One true Britannia. One true PURE Britannia.
He liked the sound of that.
Outside of the Imperial Palace
"Here they come..." Gino said watching the mass of purple shapes flying over the city skies. The blond knight fell in thought for a moment. Was this the right thing to do?
To side with a random prince who claimed to change Britannia? After all, Gino had sworn loyalty along with the other Knights of the Round to the Emperor. After all, he is a knight of Britannia. Is that what he should be fighting for?
To avenge Charles zi Britannia? Or is it to serve the throne and whoever was on it? The other Knights of the Round...well the surviving ones anyway were now with the rebel forces to overthrow Lelouch.
Lelouch...Gino scoffed.
Who would have thought that the Ashford's Student Council Vice President would be a prince of royal blood? And to be the son of Lady Marianne! Gino had heard of Marianne vi Britannia, of course, one of the greatest knights to have ever lived who eventually became the Empress at Charles zi Britannia's side until her death. He had admired her as everyone else did and though he knew that due to her background as a commoner she was a target of many enemies. That was what Gino hated about Britannia. He remembered clearly of how he was forbidden to even touch the commoners.
Of course, he didn't care much about that and that's actually one of the reasons why he ran away from home.
Gino did not want to let his life determined by others. He had a bright future as heir to such a prestigious family but Gino wanted his future to be gained through his own efforts. And that was how he became a Knight of the Round. Lelouch having lost his mother and sister at such a young age had every reason to hate Britannia.
Hell, who knows how long he had been planning for this! Gino shrugged. He was a knight of Britannia. What he was to do was to serve the throne. Nothing more.
If he was going to die now... Well that means he won't have to worry about what'll happen later!
"It's called the hammer and anvil tactic." Todoh explained. "And Lelouch is trapped."
"Your Majesty, we're being hailed by the Eowyn."
"Hmm...Patch it through."
"Lelouch! This is Cassius. You are outnumbered and surrounded. Make it easy on yourself, my dear bastard of a brother. If you do we will spare you the humiliation of public execution."
Lelouch chuckled.
"So let me understand my situation, brother...Your forces have taken the outer city."
Charmelle jumped on a Vincent Commander model and thrust down her MVS into the knightmare's cockpit before the more potent machine could do anything. She swung the lances around and beheaded a Gloucester then spinning it back thrust the back end into its chest. With a snarl, Charmelle pulled it back out and used it to slash the firing slash harken but a second Gloucester came in with a lance and thrust.
While it missed her, the golden lance tore through the MVS handle and Charmelle's Ward's fingers as well. Snarling the warrant officer activated her stun tonfa and smashed it down on the Gloucester's back bringing it to the ground. She struck it again into to cockpit to finish off the pilot. She activated her other stun tonfa and turned about. Blood poured down her head but the red-haired woman had no time to think about that as she avoided a barrage of rifle fire from a Gloucester and a squad of Sutherland.
"Dragoons!" Charmelle shouted to what remained of the defenders. The lancers were coming on to them. One of the Dragoon Wards fired his rifle in full automatic against them. It managed to blast one of the lancers but a Sutherland's lance thrust knocked the rifle out. The Ward brought out its stun tonfa then pummelled the old model.
However, a Gloucester lunged and caught the Ward in the back with its lance. As the Imperial knightmare recoil from the blow, two more lancers: one Sutherland and another Gloucester thrust in their lances skewering the Ward.
"No!" Charmelle shouted as one of her comrade fell. She banked left and right to dodge the barrage that was bearing down on her. She closed in on the Gloucester and leapt. Licking the blood around her mouth, Charmelle screamed a battle-cry and brought down both of her tonfas on the knightmare smashing it to the ground. The warrant officer quickly leapt again and smashed one tonfa against the rifle of one Sutherland and brought the other tonfa around to smash its head. She side-stepped two slash harkens from a pair then dove in smashing both of them. The NCO brought a round-house kick into another Sutherland then launched both of her slash harkens into the last one. One Sutherland lunged at her with its stun tonfa and managed to land a blow on the outnumbered Ward right on to the cockpit.
Charmelle's head struck against her controls from the blow, dazing her for a second. When the Sutherland moved in for the final blow, the NCO quickly recovered and threw a punch against the machine knocking it off its feet. Spitting out the blood, Charmelle glared at the new wave of rebels.
"If I'm going down...YOU'RE GOIND DOWN WITH ME!" She charged her Ward down dodging all the gun fire and slash harkens. A silver spinning lance suddenly hurled towards her screen and only a jerk of her controls managed to avoid it. Charmelle lunged at the Ward that fired a grenade at her. Banking left, she leapt up then smashed one of her stun tonfas down on the enemy Ward's rifle then brought her other tonfa down crushing its head.
"The Imperial Guard have been torn up thanks to the fact that my defences have been hacked into letting your forces in, pushing the remaining forces I have left to the palace."
Dorothea Ernst smashed one wing into a slashing MVS of a Ward then brought her sword to sever the Ward in half. The Knight of Four brought the purple blade around and slash open the chest of the Ward.
As the blue-purple knightmare exploded, Dorothea shouted to her units. "Forward! They're pulling back."
"And there is a second fleet attacking from the rear where there is almost nothing standing between them and the palace."
"Fire all cannons! Full attack!" Canada shouted.
"Now I am in the middle of your hammer and anvil..."
"That is correct, brother. What is your answer?"
The young Emperor grinned, his violet eyes narrowed.
"Very well. I shall attack!"
Dorothea Ernst had been a knight for almost all her adult life and was rarely startled by anything. They had broken through their centre.
Whatever unit, knightmare or ship between them and the palace was gone. Lelouch was surrounded and thus the only thing he can do was to hold on to the palace against them. While it'll be a long battle to get past it, they will ultimately infiltrate it and destroy Lelouch! That was why it was so maddening when a volley of crimson and black beams blast out from the palace.
The volley hit the rebels hard striking down dozens of their knightmares. Dorothea herself had to close her wings to activate her shields against the blasts. When the hadron beams finally faded away, the Knight of Four glared into the open and gasped in surprise.
"What the..."
"My god..."
"What's he doing?" Xingke muttered.
"This defies logic!" Cassius blurted.
"YEE HAAAA!" The Tristan shot out of the hanger in fortress mode followed by a dozen black and gold Vincents of the Royal Guard. Behind the Vincents were Gareths in the same colour scheme. They fired their hadron cannons and missiles as they came. The white, gold and blue knightmare hybrid lowered one of its oversize slash harkens and launched it.
The cobalt harken lanced and pierced through the torso of a Vincent Ward and ploughed its way through the ranks of rebel knightmares. The enemy returned fire with their missiles, cannon and rifles.
"Oh come on, boys! I thought you should know better!" Gino jeered as he bank left and right dodging the attacks as easily as he had done in his trainings. A full flight of Sutherlands attacked him by charging from different angles. Gino grinned and pulled his machine to full speed towards them.
The first Sutherland drew its lance back to thrust. Gino launched both his slash harkens and knock both its arms off. As he did, he quickly transformed back to knightmare mode and used his speed to deliver a powerful kick sending the armless machine haplessly into another Sutherland. The Tristan brought both its slash harkens around and used them to destroy the Float Systems of two Sutherlands.
As the harkens returned, Gino drew his master vibration pole-axes and joint them together.
The remaining Sutherlands closed on to him.
"Come on, I'll take you all with my hands tied!" With a twirl of his pole-arms, Gino slashed. The crimson MVS axe met the silver lance with a shower of sparks parrying the thrust and pulled the lower axe around slashing through the Sutherland's torso. Laughing, the blond knight parried the other lance thrusts at ease and returning with slashes.
A Gloucester appeared behind the Sutherlands and lunged with its golden lance which Gino hooked with one of his axes and sent the purple machine hurling back...right into the arms of a black and gold Vincent which with its MVS lance severed the Gloucester in two.
Around Gino, the royal guard Vincents under the cover of the Gareths fanned out and engaged the enemy forces charging in with almost reckless abandon. Their officers wielding MVS longswords much like the ones Suzaku uses, led the guard almost zealously slashing and blasting with their needle blazers through their enemies.
"All hail Lelouch!" One ebony Vincent shouted, parrying and slashing through the mass of lances then with both hands gripped brought one of the MVS double lance down on a Gloucester's lance block with such a force that the crimson vibroblades cut through it.
Drawing its needle blazer, the royal guard blasted a hole through it. Another Guard Vincent grabbed a lunging lance and hurled it back against its wielder, thrusting it again and again until it pierced through the cockpit system.
"Whoo...these boys know how to fight." Gino commented as he kicked a Ward in the face before destroying it with a single slash.
"Weinburg!" A female voice roared towards him. A gold and blue knightmare came in firing its arm mount hadron blaster. While Gino managed to dodge the blasts, the crimson spheres struck two of the royal guards near him tearing the ebony Vincents apart.
The golden knightmare's wings opened up and slashed down with its violet sword which would have severed Gino in two if the Tristan had any other knightmare. The Knight of Three then avoided a second slash and a thrust and he retaliated by launching his right arm slash harken. The Knight of Four blocked the attack with her wing and fired more hadron blasts.
"Hello Dorothea. Fancy meeting you here." Gino greeted wryly.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Weinburg?" The dark-skinned knight snarled. "Why serving Britannia, of course!" The Knight of Three replied slashing with his pole-axe. The other knight blocked the double slashes then swung with her wing and thrust. "We serve the Emperor! We can't serve this half-breed!"
"Hey, you're the one who told me that we knights have to serve the Imperial throne! I'm just obeying orders." The blond knight fired his auto-cannons which the Gaheris easily avoided.
"Don't be a fool. After all these years, how could you believe that pretender's words? And look at your situation. Are you really going to fight and die for him?"
Gino chuckled. "Well, I think you see my true colours now. Let's dance!" &&&
On board the Eowyn
Though startled, Cassius quickly calmed himself down.
"So the cornered dog had finally decided to bite back?" The fourth prince scoffed. His forces had taken half the city and the remnants of Lelouch's forces were being forced back towards the palace. Ground units under Lady Nonette had pushed into the city's interior while the aerial forces under Lady Ernst were engaging the royal guard and that renegade knight.
"Bring out ships around and fan out on the flanks. We'll surround the palace and the royal guard!"
Nonette Enneagram pulled out her modified Gloucester's lance from a Ward's chest and let it explode.
"Wow," The Knight of Nine whistled. "This battle is getting really hot." Lelouch's ground forces were forming a defensive line near the palace walls where more automated defences were firing.
Nonette pulled herself to a group of Wards that were busy engaging a squad of Sutherlands. One of them saw her advance and turned his rifle towards her. The Knight of Nine activated her blaze luminous shield letting the bullets fall harmlessly on the energy shield. Lowering her lance, Nonette charged head on and ran the Ward through.
As she let the knightmare explode, another Ward attacked her with its MVS double lance. She let the lance slash across her shield then punched the Ward in the face then kicked it in the chest.
Nonette then gave her lance a broad swing to clear the Wards around then launched her slash harkens at one of them sending it flying in the air where a barrage of bullets took it down. She then saw a battered Ward armed with its stun tonfas holding itself against an entire platoon.
"Oh, you're a feisty one. I think I'll like to meet you." Nonette was heading towards the knightmare when the sky suddenly darkened.
"Sir! It's...it's the Avalon!"
"What?" Dorothea muttered as she crossed blades with Gino, sparks showering from the contact between the two vibroblades. Flanked by two Logres, the orange and white air-cruiser appeared hovering over the palace. They were surrounded by a dozen or so of Caerleon-class ships.
"This is Emperor Lelouch. All ships open fire on the rebel fleet! Blast them to dust!" The fleet suddenly exploded with barrages missile and cannon shells raining down on anything between the two fleets.
"Where the hell did that fleet come from?"
"It...It just appeared out of nowhere!" One of the crewmembers mumbled. "Our shields are down to 60%!"
Prince Cassius snorted. "So he's finally appeared in person. Return fire. Aim for the Avalon!"
"But your highness, at this angel, we'll hit our own forces that are already engaging them..."
"It doesn't matter. Lelouch is the key. Our objective is to kill Lelouch!" The officer stared at him then shook his head and obeyed.
Dorothea and Gino clashed blades again.
"You're losing your touch, Dorothea." Gino mocked playfully. "I won't be talked down by the likes of you!" The woman snarled and fired her slash harkens which the other knight blocked with his larger slash harken. Gino grinned and spinning his poleaxes slash forward. The golden knightmare blocked the blades with her sword then fired her hadron blasters at close range.
However, the Tristan managed to narrowly avoid the blasts.
"Almost got me." The Knight of Three returned the attack with his slash harken. The Gaheris parried the blue harken with its sword then like an angered griffin its wings spread out and charged forward. Gino turned to meet the attack and brought one of his master vibration pole axes down in a vertical swipe. The crimson blade met the golden knightmare's left wing in a shower of sparks then Dorothea used the blow to twist around and slashed her sword down on the Tristan's exposed back.
"Oh no you don't!" Gino brought his rear pole-axe to block but the sword came in full force and scattered the axe's head. Dorothea grinned at the younger knight.
"You forget, boy. This sword was made from the same material from the Excalibur. It can scatter your pathetic MVS blades like glass."
The blond knight barked a laugh. "Ha! I'll remember that." He transformed into fortress mode, flying away only to swing around and launched his slash harkens. The Gaheris evaded one slash harken then parried away the other one with her sword.
Before she could move, a black and gold Gareth appeared in front of the Tristan and fired its hadron cannon.
Although surprised, Dorothea quickly recovered and blocked the entire blast with her sword, the violet blade glowing bright amethyst as the crimson beam split in two halves. Its wings glowing, the golden knightmare flashed forward bringing the curved sword in both hands.
"Whoa! It is like the Excalibur. What do you call it?" Gino mocked as he changed his course.
"You only need to know that you'll die upon it!" Dorothea snarled, charging with her sword angled. The royal guard was not fast enough and the Knight of Four quickly thrust its blade into the Gareth's chest before pulling it out to chase after him. The air above her exploded suddenly.
At first, thinking that it was an attack by a royal guard the dark skinned knight activated her wings' shields but soon it seems the sky all around her was exploding with cannon shells and missiles.
They struck both royal guard and rebel forces without discrimination. "My god, now what?" Dorothea turned her cameras around and with horror saw that the barrage was fired by their own forces!
"What the hell is he doing!"
"My prince, Lady Dorothea urges to cease fire! You're destroying more of our own forces than the enemy are!"
"The Avalon is right there! Plain in sight! Continue firing before it gets away!"
"Sire!" The Knight of Four roared. "Highness, this is Dorothea Ernst. Stop firing! Your men are dying here!" "Lelouch must die! If he dies, it's all over! Their deaths won't be in vain. Britannia has more men to replace them! Just destroy that ship!"
Dorothea could not believe what she had heard. They were just expandable?
She had followed Bismarck's teachings of what a knight of Britannia should do and what she now saw with her own eyes was completely against her teachings...what has she gotten herself into?
"Well...well, looks like I made the right choice." Gino's irritating voice sneered, launching a slash harken at her.
"Shut up!" Dorothea shouted firing bursts of her hadron blasters and launched her slash harkens at the hybrid knightmare that swept past unharmed before returning with a torrent of machine gun fire. The Tristan then turned back to knightmare mode and hurled his scattered pole-axe at the golden knightmare.
Dorothea sent the ruined weapon flying away with a swipe of her wing but as she did, the Knight of Three combined both of his slash harkens into the electromagnetic rail cannon and fired. The Gaheris met the bluish purple beam with her wings closed absorbing most of the damage in a blinding light.
A trio of royal guard Gareths joined him and added their hadron cannons into the mix. The combine blast was too powerful for her shields and in a blinding blast of light, Dorothea was sent hurling back out of control. A cannon shell exploded behind the golden knightmare then a second blast hit it from the front. Gino flinched as his adversary disappeared into the smoke being caught in the crossfire between the two fleets. The Knight of Three himself narrowly escaped the attacks himself although he was shocked to see that the Avalon with Lelouch inside was taking all the pounding on its own.
"Hey, Lelouch!" He called, launching a slash harken into the torso of a Ward, piercing its chest and detonating it at once. "You do know that you're taking the pounding from the entire rebel fleet?"
The Emperor's calm voice replied. "Yes, I am aware of it, Gino."
A rebel Vincent Commander lunged forward with its needle blazer at the Tristan which easily evaded the blast and brought around its only half master vibration pole axe to match against the Vincent's own lance.
"Then you know you'll be lucky to last ten minutes."
"It's less than that actually." Deflecting its slashes and thrusts, Gino launched one of his slash harken at the commander model. The Vincent tried to catch the harken though it did by chipping off a few fingers, while it did Gino pushed forward and buried the pole axe into the knightmare's face. As the Vincent exploded, Gino took its double master vibration lance to deflect a Gloucester's lance thrust.
"So what are you waiting for?" As he chopped the enemy knightmare in half, the blond knight saw the answer for himself.
"Your Highness, we've lost signals from some of our reserve forces."
"Never mind that focus all your fire on the Avalon!" Cassius almost roared. "It's going to fall soon."
"Milord!" The captain snapped. "They're entire squadrons! Not a few knightmares..."
"Sir! Our rear guard...our entire rear guard has been destroyed!"
"What? The rest of Lelouch's fleet is behind us? How...how did they get there?"
One of the crewmembers froze. "Sir...it's only one unit. Oh my god, it's...it's...it's the...!"
The white and gold knightmare shot out from out of nowhere and before anyone could even move, a barrage of green beams landed on them striking them down leaving the sky filled with explosions.
"What is that thing?" A group of Sutherlands and Gloucesters lowered their weapons and began firing but the newcomer easily evaded the missiles, bullets and cannon shells with a speed that one could barely see. Just as they had fired, soon the group of knightmares suddenly exploded and were already in pieces.
"Sir! It just took out the entire 3rd squadron!" "Get all units to target the thing!" By now it was obvious that this machine had already out-classed even the Lancelot. A flight of Wards formed up and began showering bullets on the machine but their bullets scattered around the green light.
The machine brought both of hands up in a blur of movement and launched all four slash harkens at the Wards striking all their yggdrasil drives with deadly accuracy. A Vincent commander raised its master vibration lance and charged down to meet the coming knightmare.
"Oh my god...it's the Lancelot!"
The new Lancelot turned its emerald eyes towards the charging enemy and drew its own sword. The silver and purple knightmare closed in and saw how different this new machine was. It was far more armoured than the old one and had glowing green energy wings that one could have sworn only seen in science fiction stories. Regardless, the Vincent continued his flight and bravely attacked the Lancelot...and died as the red master vibration blade cut through his chest and torso.
"You should have just turned away." Suzaku said, wearily. He held his old Knight of Honour's badge in his hands remembering the woman he loved and her cheerful face.
"I will create the world you want." The Knight of Zero proclaimed then pinned the badge on his chest. With that the Lancelot Albion's glowing emerald wings burst into life and shot out into the carnage. He shot right through an entire squadron slashing and hacking anything in his way.
Two Wards turned to face him but Suzaku was already on them before they could fire. He swept pass them in a blur of light, beheading them and hacking their limbs off. A Gloucester lunged with its lance and the Japanese knight easily evaded the thrust and cut the machine in two.
He cut through a Sutherland's lance and body with a single stroke and launched two harkens into another duo scattering their chest armour and torsos. Two Wards charged down with their master vibration lances attempting to surround him. Suzaku parried the first thrust and turned the blade heading into its comrade's chest. The pilot grunted in pain as the blade had actually pierced through his chest
. The Japanese knight then turned and sliced off the hand of the surprised Ward then slashed up, taking off its entire upper body.
A Vincent commander lunged forward at this moment with his needle blazer, hoping to take advantage of the disruption but Suzaku grabbed the blazer with a single swipe and broke the elbow joint with a twist of his hands.
With a judo throw, the Japanese knight sent the Vincent hurling back into the swarm of rebel knightmares.
Sheathing his sword, Suzaku drew his VARIS rifles and activating his energy wings and pressed the trigger sending barrages of energy beams into the swarming knightmares and lit the entire sky with lights and fire.
On board the Avalon
"Well, our boy has done it again!" Lloyd exclaimed, cheerfully.
"The Lancelot Albion the second 9th Generation knightmare in the world." The scientist watched the upgraded Lancelot's statistics as the white and gold knightmare wrecked havoc on the enemy lines.
"And he's only using 60% of its capability!" Lloyd marvelled.
"It seems the Energy Wing system seems to be working quite well." Cecile added.
Lelouch sat down on command chair and nodded. He glimpsed the individual cannon turrets and missiles that were being reloaded and launched, reloaded and launched from the Avalon.
The Emperor watched his royal guard, bravely if not zealously defending the ship and engaging the enemy. His guard officers all distinguished from the rest by wielding master vibration long swords rather than the double lances fanned them out as he had instructed. The flagship's blaze luminous shields glowed each time a cannon shell or a missile struck it and more than once royal guards would intercept a missile heading towards the bridge even sacrificing themselves to prevent the damage. The Indomitable had already taken heavy damage and more than half of the Caerleon-classes were down. One of the light Avalons half burning drove itself on to a rebel Logres in a suicidal attack.
Lelouch was surprised that a number of these soldiers who he had not Geassed had put their lives on the line for the new emperor that they barely know. He did not understand why they were so willing to do so but he nevertheless would make sure their deaths were not in vain. He watched the rebel fleet drawing closer and closer to the palace. Ships at the rear were beginning to spread out to add their fire onto the Avalon and her escorts. The fools. Lelouch knew that his arrogant blood thirsty brother had him surrounded and was bringing the entire army to kill him. There was no escape and he was cut off. Just like old times. That was why Lelouch knew he was going to win.
"This is Emperor Lelouch to all ships. Bring all power to the shields begin advancing."
"This is madness." The commando lieutenant commented, watching as the small groups of black and purple figures attacking the monstrously larger force. "That half-breed has no sense at all. He'll be torn to pieces."
"Genius is often mistaken for madness, sir." A voice spoke from behind. The rebel officer turned and faced the barrel of a pistol held by a young warrant officer with short brown hair.
"Sorry, Lieutenant." The young man grinned. "Traitor outside, loyalist inside." The commandos all removed their masks and helmets revealing all different faces from those the officer had just seen before the mission.
"This is Warrant Officer Zectole Vignal." The young man spoke into his com-link. "Defensives have been retaken, majesty."
"Your Majesty, this is Alastair. All of our ground forces have reached palace interior."
"Very well." Lelouch nodded. He turned to his chess table. "With this I call check." He dropped his knight just near the king. &&&
The world suddenly trembled as the two combatants were desperately trying to kill each other. Charmelle didn't know what exactly happened. One moment, a Knight of the Round suddenly attacked what remained of her squad slaughtering them at ease and when it was her turn to fight the ground shook.
"An earthquake?" She wondered but her scanners were showing no such thing. It was not coming from the ground she belatedly realised. She turned her damaged remaining facesphere up and cursed.
The sky rained of concrete and metal. The armoured statue of Henry IX that Charmelle's group was fighting near exploded and its pieces rained down on the waves of rebel knightmares.
The customised Gloucester pulled a halt to avoid getting crushed by a boulder. The warrant officer took the advantage and launched her slash harkens able to knock the machine's head off and sending it reeling back.
With that Charmelle pulled close back towards the palace and had the pleasure...or the horror to see the fate of her enemies. No wonder the Emperor ordered almost everything to be taken away from the city.
Everything...Pendragon, the shinning jewel of the Britannian Empire collapsed...just collapsed like as if time had suddenly fast forwarded though for certain portions of the city. All the major roads, squares and defensibly building occupied by rebel forces...they fell apart in a matter of minutes and taking those occupied with them.
On her IFF screen, the red ranks of the rebel forces were almost completely washed way from the map...
Nonette managed to survive the explosions when that feisty little Ward knocked her with its slash harkens into a building where it shielded the Knight of Nine from the shockwave and debris that rained down on the rebel forces. Once the surviving rebels had tried to rise up, the Lancelot Albion in its great gold and white armour and glowing cyan wings flew up and swept down on them like a bird on its hapless prey, blasting and tearing anyone apart. The green energy beams blanketed the ground and Nonette herself was barely able to avoid the blasts.
Flights of air knightmares chased the Albion before it destroys the entire army but the white and gold 9th generation knightmare wheeled about and targeted them instead. At that same moment, the loyalist forces began to swarm out of the palace to take advantage of their enemies' demise.
Despite losing most of their ground forces, the rebel forces still outnumbered their loyalist foes but this time Lelouch's forces were fighting them on even grounds now.
But the Emperor wasn't done yet. "Commander, commence Phase 4."
Canada had never even considered that the tiny group of Imperial Guard ships that faced him a threat. It was just a mere bug that would be swatted away in a few seconds. The head Logres and other capital ships were spearheading the attack and the Arch-Duke ordered the other ships to face the small enemy fleet that was there. What surprised him was that they did not head towards them. Instead they flew right around the rebel fleet without firing a single shot.
"Sir, they're just moving away." Canada took this as a good sign.
"They must be thinking twice of their loyalty now. Let them pass. They're not important." They had about five Logres and a dozen of light Avalons which was about a third of the rebel fleet and that they do not need to fight them made sure Canada can focus all his power on Lelouch and his royal guard.
It was then to the shock of his life when his ship the Endeavour suddenly rock from a huge impact.
"Sir! We're under attack!"
"What the hell?" The noble got up from his chair."Where did that shot come from?"
The aide turned to the computer. "From the Imperial Guard!"
"So they're gonna fight after all? Very well. If they want to die then so be it." The fleet began to turn when five of its escort light cruisers blossomed in fire. The ships returned fire to the small Imperial ships but it was pale in comparison to the fire on their ships.
"What the devil is this? We outgun them in every way! Those ships don't have the power to fire on us like this!"
"Sir! Our shields are down to 60%!" Canada personal went to the computer to zoom in on their attackers. "What the hell are they attacking us with?" The noble watched and recoiled in shock.
"By the Gods..." The Arch-Duke was correct. The Imperials were outnumbered and out gunned. And their ships did not have the fire power. But the shots were not just from the ships alone. He managed to zoom into one of the turrets. It wasn't a turret at all. It was an old ancient M1-Longbow Battle Tank. Its shock cannon contained more firepower than any gun the Imperial Armada possessed.
Despite its power, the tank had never been set on ground combat as it was considered far too slow to engage on ground combat.
Well...it wasn't on the ground anymore! The Imperial ships took a beating but not as much as what those tanks were doing to the rebel fleet.
At the rear of the rebel forces, the Lancelot Albion wrecked havoc on the rear ships despite the gallant attempts by the rebel knightmares to intercept it. Suzaku flew in between each cruiser firing energy beams and VARIS fire as he went. Rebel knightmares appeared from all directions attacking him with their rifles, lances, needle-blazers, master vibration swords and grenades but they were severely out-classed. The Japanese knight dove past an entire battle group of Caerleon and left them crashing down with fire on their float systems. He tried his best not to destroy the ships.
Even after everything, Suzaku would not become like Lelouch. An entire flight of Sutherlands were blasted out of the sky by a single volley from his energy beams.
A Gloucester charged down from above with a lance but Suzaku brought his VARIS up and with a single shot turned the machine into a fire ball. A line of Vincent Wards led by a Vincent Commander Model came at Suzaku as the Japanese knight was trying to destroy the engine of the rear commanding Logres. Half of them were wielding large cannons and opened fire as soon as he locked on to them.
Cannon shells exploded around him and while they dealt more damage than an average rifle or its grenade launcher the Albion's power managed to hold them off. He blocked some with his shields and dodged the others and as Suzaku fired a final shot at the Logres detonating the engine.
The swordsmen dove in under the covering fire and brandishing their master vibration double lances, the Wards attacked. Suzaku brought one of his VARIS up and fired several rounds taking down two but the third went wide and they closed in. Exchanging a rifle for one of his master vibration sword, the Japanese knight dodged a thrust from a Ward and slashed, the red blade cut through metal and flesh as neatly as through butter.
The Knight of Zero brought his blade up to block a second slash that came crashing down. He slanted the sword and let the other blade slide down. Then he spun and slashed cutting the purple knightmare's chest open. As he flew pass the exploding frames, Suzaku lowered his sword and then launched his right arm slash harken taking a Ward's head off.
Letting the harken returned, the Albion thrust his sword into the head of another Vincent Ward. Two more Wards came and he evaded another cannon blast and banked left to avoid two slash harkens.
"Suzaku." Lelouch's voice echoed into his earpiece.
"Majesty," Suzaku replied, firing with left VARIS and destroying one of the Wards. The second one retreated back still unleashing his barrage.
"We have launched all attacks. We need you to smash the enemy rear."
The Japanese knight grunted as a grenade exploded on his blaze-luminous shield. As if his statement had been heard, more squadrons of enemy knightmares appeared. At their head, a group of knightmares in dark green and red trimmings led them. They were all Vincents and Gareths which was commonly rare in most Britannian armies.
"Prince Cassius' royal guard." Suzaku murmured.
Just as he did, a volley of hadron beams shot out at him. He banked left and right avoiding most of them and blocked the last of them with his shields. A barrage of missiles, followed by cannon and shot followed engulfing much of the skies around him with fire and lead. Suzaku withdrew his master vibration sword and brought both his VARIS out and returned fire. He managed to take out one but the heavy enemy fire forced him to shift about and displace constantly.
They were truly the elite as their rate of fire was amazing and their numbers certainly helped. The enemy royal guard Gareths fired a second volley and the line of crimson beams converged around him. The Japanese knight had to quickly activate his shields. The blaze luminous shields managed to absorbed most of it but the combine blast sent him hurling back.
"Agrah!"
"Suzaku! Are you alright?" Lelouch's voice returned.
"They're putting up quite a fight." Suzaku replied, snidely.
"Might I remind you that we need you to succeed in this fight?"
Suzaku nodded. "For the sake of the Zero Requiem."
"Then I command you: To Live."
"Yes..." Suzaku's eyes glowed crimson. "...your Majesty!" Bringing all power to his energy wings Suzaku throttled pass them, slashing the first two, beheading one and cutting the other one in half. The Lancelot Albion at that minute had become a blur of green lightning and it flashed pass through the ranks of enemy knightmares slashing, cutting and thrusting. Torrents of energy beams rained on the surprised rebels, destroying or severely damaging most of them. The survivors fell to the sword. The rebel knights did not falter and attacked. Suzaku dodged, deflected and parried attack after attack feeling the machine becoming part of his very own body.
The Knight of Zero slashed and hacked a royal guard Vincent that lunged forward. The Japanese knight whirled about and sliced off the arm of another royal guard before taking its upper body off as well. He kicked the broken knightmare aside and launched his slash harken at another.
A Gareth fired its cannon and missiles but Suzaku absorbed the Hadron cannon with his shield then dodged the rockets. The white and gold knightmare lunged forward with a side kick into its chest.
The larger machine reeled from the back and Suzaku pressed on and launched his slash harken thrusting into the Gareth's torso. Other machines rallied behind its royal guard Gareths who fired their Hadron cannons in a line of crimson blasts.
Pushing all powers to his speed, Suzaku avoided the blasts and pulled the impaled royal guard along.
The Lancelot turned a hundred and eighty degrees and threw its cargo into the Gareth line. The hapless knight fell back into its comrades. Suzaku charged back in spinning and delivered his trade mark kick sending the Gareths scattering down the skies. Imagining each enemy being the cause of the irreplaceable woman in his life, Suzaku charged into them leaving nothing in his wake.
With the rest of the guard came up to surround and finish him but Suzaku was not done yet and he opened his targeting computer and locked on to each and every one of the enemy knightmares on his screen.
He did not let anything stand in his way of creating Euphie's world and pressed the trigger.
"Here me world!" Lelouch announced to the world, dressed in his white and gold Imperial uniform. "I have said that the world that I propose peace, equality and justice."
His crimson blood red cape fluttered behind him. "And I swear to the gods that as long as I remain emperor I will uphold it to my last breath!"
On the battlefield, the Imperial forces began to push forward against the rebels spearheaded by the Emperor's Royal Guard.
"Forward!" Leveque screamed as the blue Vincent launched its slash harkens into the rebel Vincent knocking it off balance. The Wards formed around the royal guard's wings, firing their rifles and grenade launchers as they came. The Tristan led the formation in his fortress mode ploughing through enemy ranks with his large slash harkens.
As the harkens returned, Gino transformed into knightmare mode and wielding a borrowed master vibration lance from one of the Vincent Wards and dove into melee cutting and slashing. He easily avoided the enemy fire and swept through the front ranks, severing arms and limbs.
Prince Cassius sent his personal guard into the melee. He had not expected to use them but the battle left him no choice. One of his Gareths in a grey and silver colour scheme fired his Hadron cannon at the Knight of Three which the hybrid knightmare narrowly dodge.
"Whoa, you almost chipped me! Here, try this for size!" The gold, blue and white knightmare re-launched his slash harkens again this time combining them into the rail cannon and blast into the enemy centre. The electromagnetic beam turned the Gareth and its surrounding units to dust. The beam continued and to hit a Caerleon striking its bridge.
"And I will do whatever it takes to defend those ideals!"
From the smoke and fire, the glowing figure of the Lancelot Albion shot out raining energy beams and slashing and hacking anything in its path. The Knight of Zero literally set a Logres ablaze just by covering the ship with energy fire. He went on ahead towards the bridge and launched his slash harken into it, downing the capital ship once and for all.
"My lord! Our fleet is tearing apart! We should surrender!"
Cassius walked down and shot the man.
"I am not! I am not! You hear? Going to turn myself to that half-blood! Press on the attack!" His ship captain appalled by the prince attempted to reason with him for the last time. Your Highness, this is an impossible situation. The Emperor has trapped our forces and we won't last for ten minutes at this rate!"
"Damn you, you pathetic peasants! I am the prince of royal blood! True blood!" Cassius' face was sweating and his eyes were bulging. "I will never give in to those dirty bloods!"
"I offered peace and I received this instead...I hope I made my statement very clear of how serious I am proposing these new changes! The offer still stands to those men in the opposing army. If you would surrender, I will spare your lives accordingly. If your commanding officer won't listen, I'm giving you men the authority to rally against them."
"I'll never give up, Lelouch! Not to the likes of you! I would rather die."
The captain walked behind the prince.
"As you wish." Cassius grasped and fell gripping his bloodied chest.
"This is a time for a new generation! Pendragon's inhabitants are safe from the harm and the city has been swept clean of the past which Britannia had so been engulfed in."
Dorothea licked the blood around her lips as she stood in her battered knightmare facing the victorious Imperial forces. The Tristan came in hovering towards her.
"Dorothea." The young knight started. "Now you know why I chose this side. I believe in his world...this new Britannia."
The dark-skinned female chuckled. "You made the right choice, Weinburg."
Gino grinned. "It's not too late. You could still come over." The Tristan brought out its hand to the other machine.
The Gaheris had lost its left arm, a leg and its wings are battered and ruined. The machine itself was hovering by a margin.
Dorothea smiled at the other knight. "Well, I think you're right. But this new change is not for me."
With that, the Gaheris lunged forward to attack the Tristan. Before Gino could do anything, six slash harkens of the royal guard struck the golden knightmare sending it hurling back. Two Vincents lunged forward with their master vibration lances and each of them tore one wing off the body. A third charged in and sliced the machine in half by the torso then came back to cut the cockpit in two.
"Dorothea..." Gino murmured watching the explosion.
"With this battle as an example, I want to bring this message clear to the world! Britannia will become a symbol of peace and justice and I will protect my brothers and sisters. Anyone who wishes otherwise will find me personally leading the soldiers of the Holy Britannian Empire, Light of the New World!"
Captain Alastair raised his sword high. "ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"
"All hail Lelouch! All hail Lelouch! All hail Lelouch!"
"All hail Lelouch! All hail Lelouch! All hail Lelouch!"
"He's amazing!" Tamaki cried out as the news went on. "He's changing everything."
"Don't you mean destroying it?" Rashaka asked in a bored tone.
"Could he truly hate Britannia?" Ohgi asked.
Villetta shook her head in shock. "The history of Britannia was forged in blood. From the wars against the Europeans till the conquest of the world, Britannia has fought war after war."
"And now he has taken that from them. Despite the 'Holy' title, Britannia's foundation was built with the sword. With the promise of peace...Lelouch has taken away from the Britannians their very identity, the culture that it had held for centuries. This will not end well. There will be more blood to come." Todoh arrived to the bridge.
"How is Chiba?" Ohgi asked.
"She's resting now." The Japanese general explained. "Kouzki had done a pretty good job with her. She almost near destroyed the prison and injured or killed near half the guards."
Ohgi gritted his teeth. "I can't believe she would do something like this. She had now openly attacked us."
"Considering how readily you were going to kill Zero." Kaguya replied sadly. "I'm not surprised."
"But he manipulated us!" Ohgi all but shouted. "He had played us all like toys since the beginning! He tricked us into thinking that he was a saviour when he was just another damn power hungry monster."
"And Schneizel isn't?" The Japanese princess argued.
"I'm willing to take anyone over him!" The vice commander proclaimed.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Todoh snapped. "We will decide who the real villain is after we come out of this crisis!"
"I agree with the general." Xingke, the Chinese commander and leader of the Black knight military forces answered. "But this is a good time to try to gain any of the former Areas if they wish to join the UFN while this political process is going on. Lelouch offers freedom. Let us make full use of it."
Ohgi's eyes narrowed. "He is still covering his Geass." The former resistance leader said harshly. "He said that Princess Euphemia has been drugged during the incident. They even made a documentary about it. It's certainly false, but the people are buying it."
"He did admit that he killed her." Kaguya pointed out. "I know what he is and what he has done but...at that moment..."
She shook her head. "I believe he feels responsible for it."
"Still..." Ohgi protested.
"He is not the monster we believe him to be." Todoh injected.
"Yeah!" Tamaki agreed optimistically. "He's Zero! I knew he's was bluffing all along."
"So what happens now?" One of the newer European Black knight commanders asked. Xingke stared into Lelouch's talking face on the screen.
"Right now, what we can agree is that the war is now on Britannia's door step. And since our peoples and the UFN are supporting Lelouch, that should be our stance now. We don't know what his plans are but I believe he is serious in taking full control of Britannia and turn it into what his sister wanted.
"The only real question is what will happen to us...when he wins?
Neutral Nation of Japan
For days already, Kallen could not keep her eyes off the news in Britannia. She watched Milly as she made her report on at a shop even as she went to buy groceries for her mother and C.C.
"Lelouch...when are you going to let me in?" Kallen wondered out loud. She quickly turned around to see anyone but it was late at night and thus there was little to worry should anyone spot her. She had died her hair light brown now and wore brown contact lenses which made her look like any other Japanese or Britannian in the city. Japan was still in a transition of Britannian to UFN rule when the world's state renounced. Proper negotiations were put on hold and there was a state of detente between the Britannian and Black Knight forces who both occupy the country. Kallen was now staying with Milly along with C.C. and her mother who were brought to an underground shelter unknown to both Britannian and Black knight forces. Lelouch and Kallen had gone to Milly when they were rescued and there had his wounds treated.
"Kallen, there's no need to..." Lelouch had protested when she had insisted to stay near him after the surgery.
"I'm not leaving your side. I promised didn't I?" She had replied daring the former prince to challenge her.
To her surprise, he didn't and relented. As their relationship progressed, Kallen saw that despite his attempts to cover himself, Lelouch did saw her as a woman. While she wanted to open him up, Kallen wanted him to be himself rather than the self-loathing figure that was now prominent. Which was why she was so frustrated with him when he asked her to stay.
Somehow he had twisted his words on her and she had listened. Now she wished she had taken the first flight to Pendragon if there wasn't so much politics.
She had however planned the date and she just needed to get a few things before...
A silent footstep entered her ears.
Kallen stopped and listened again, hearing it again and it was getting closer and closer. There were times when Kallen mediate before training where she would just let herself go from the world and see only from the sound that entered her ears. Considering how restless she was, it took quite some time to be able to do it and while she did not master it, she did gained and idea from it.
Now she let go of everything in her mind and focused. Water dripping. Cars passing. Insects. Footsteps.
Very soft footsteps. Soft ones were more suspicious and this person did not want to be detected. She waited. Waited and waited...then she struck.
Her leg spun around and struck against a wall. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley.
"Damn!" Kallen broke herself free from the arm and threw in a punch but her unseen enemy dodge the blow then another and another before chuckling.
"Come on, Kallen." He grabbed her by the small of her back and took off his hood.
"Is that how you usually greet your boyfriends?" Lelouch gave her a lopsided smile.
"Lel...Lelouch!" Kallen cried out in joy and hugged him. He held her tightly then kissed her.
"No wonder no one ever wanted to date you..." He murmured.
"When did you arrive?" Kallen asked, still holding him tightly. Lelouch smiled at her.
"Today, I just wanted to let you know that I'm alright." Kallen kissed him again, not caring if the world was watching. She was just too happy to see him. He kissed back, stroking her back giving her goosebumps. "But if you're here then who's in Britannia?"
"Just something I pull off." Lelouch replied kissing her. Considering how Lelouch managed to be in two places at once as Zero, Kallen readily accepted it.
"Oh god, I miss you." Kallen said almost girly, burying her head on his shoulder.
"Me, too." Lelouch replied.
For an instant, a malicious smile forming on his lips. "Me, too..."
How was it guys? I hope I didn't screw it up. Read and Review!