Finally, here it is, the next chapter! Glad I was finally able to find some time to finish it. Before we continue, however, I'm proud to say that Code Geass: Julius of the Empire now has its own TV tropes page! Thank you, RelentlessDarkness, for informing me, and thank you, the person who actually took the time to make the page, because it never crossed my mind that a story of mine would get its tropes page! (Though it would seem that all of you are hyped for when we finally reach the JuliusVSZero part XD) Anyway, let's shove my excitement and pride away for a minute so that I can thank YOU, the readers, for giving this story a chance and, hopefully, enjoy it.
Now, with that out of the way, let's start!
Stage 10: Resolution of three Kings
Euro Britannia, 1000km South of St. Petersburg
The morning sun rose, bringing in the first rays of light for the day. It shone over the military base, which was preparing for deployment. Suthrelands of the Order of St. Michael patrolled the area, as the doors of one of the hangars opened, revealing the golden Vercingetorix equipped on a flight unit, that also was going to provide transport for Jean's Gracchus.
Shin Hyuga gazed at the status screens inside his cockpit, noting that they were ready for lift off. Still, he was indeed impressed with the technology provided. "A float system, huh." He shrugged, not realizing that what his unit had equipped was very different from the experimental system that would allow Knightmares to take to the skies without any hindrance in performance. "The homeland isn't to be trifled with, I see." He smirked, as the countdown for their lift off began.
Jean, inside the cockpit of her own Knightmare, inputted the coordinates for their destination. "Destination coordinates entry complete." The red haired knight reported, leaning back in her pilot seat and grasping the controls. "Auto-nav system activation confirmed."
The flight unit's engines engaged, as it slowly left the hangar and began to gain speed on the flight track. Off to the side, all of the Knights of St. Michael stood at attention for the lift off of their Grandmaster, as the machine slowly rose from the air. Becoming air-born and reaching optimal velocity, the flight unit raised its altitude and took off into the distance, its passengers awaiting patiently their arrival.
St. Petersburg
Blood dripped from the steel blade, as Julius swung it threateningly to his side. His current opposition, in the form of Raymond du Saint-Gilles, was terrified, as the old man glanced between all of his dead subordinates that lay in pools of their own blood and the monster in front of him that slowly walked towards him.
"I am greatly disappointed." Julius' voice rang in the room, as he slowly and ominously walked towards the old grandmaster. "To think that you have been waiting for an opportunity to revolt against me." The prince, who had removed his eye-patch ever since the attack on himself, chuckled, his left eye glowing sinisterly. "What a shame."
Raymond du Saint-Gilles had planned to assault the prince and force him to surrender his control over Euro Britannia and release Duke Velaines, but he could have never been prepared for what happened. Having taken the whole of his force, even Knightmares, and called the prince to the HQ of the Knights of St. Uriel to prove his point, the old knight now gazed at the dead bodies of all his comrades and the motionless Knightmares, the pilots of which most likely had fallen to the same fate.
The bald man just couldn't comprehend what had happened, as the smell of blood slowly began to fill the room and his body froze from sheer terror, gazing at the sinister smirk and horrid left eye, the glow of which made him fall on his knees, his legs having grown limp with fear. One moment all of his knights were aiming at Julius, then he took off his eye-patch to reveal that hideous left eye and everything went to hell. His subordinates began screaming for dear lord, clutching their heads in agony and in their hysteria began to flail about violently and kill each other, while the twelfth prince simply looked on in delight. The old man was now by himself before the monster.
Julius stopped walking, now right in front of the old man, who couldn't utter a single word, having completely frozen from terror, making himself chuckle. "What's wrong? Don't tell me that you're going to have a heart attack and pass away before I can punish you for your foolishness." Julius laughed maniacally, but it would seem that his words no longer registered with the grandmaster. "This was all very amusing, but I have more important matters to attend to." The dark haired prince said, his face and voice becoming serious, as he then in one precise and swift motion severed the grandmaster's head from his shoulders, after which it fell to the ground alongside the body and a pool of blood began to form. Julius quickly stepped back, as to not get his shoes covered in blood, and threw the bloodied sword off to the side.
Gazing at his work without a hint of emotion on his face, he couldn't help but sigh. "It's going to be a drag to clean all of this up." He grumbled, as he put his eye-patch back on, but then an idea came to him, making a crafty smirk to place itself on his face. "Then again…" He walked off towards the armory.
Half an hour later, Julius walked out of the barren building, with a detonator in hand. He had made sure to plant bombs in all the necessary locations to completely leave nothing of the crime scene. He chuckled to himself, as he walked away with his cape floating behind him from the blowing breeze. Deciding that he was at a safe enough distance, he pressed the button, as the boom from the explosion resounded in the air. He could feel the shockwave from the blast, but paid it no mind, as he then crushed the detonator in his hand and threw it away. With an amused smile on his face, he made his way towards his transport that would take him back to the palace where he still had a few more things left to do before he could join Shin on the assault on Castle Weisswolf.
Julius was sure that allowing Shin Hyuga to act on his own would most likely prove problematic, but he had to make sure that he wouldn't return to a revolt that would cost him his position, thus making sure that the political situation of Euro Britannia was in his grasp was of high priority. He would have to deal with Shin when the time came.
Somewhere above the Atlantic
In the sheer vast skies, a strange sight was present. A lone float engine was being pulled forward by an air balloon. The sea glittered from the sun light down below and there were almost no clouds to be seen. The air at that altitude was quite literary freezing. And yet, growling ruined the tranquility of it all.
Pushing their foreheads against each other, Ryo and Ashley were staring off, growling and freezing, with their noses leaking from the cold. Both were in their respective pilot uniforms, though Ashley had bandages beneath his and on his forehead to cover up his wounds from the fight with Akito's Alexander.
"I don't know why Akito trusts you, but don't think even for a second that I believe in you!" Ryo growled, as the two pilots tried to push each other with their foreheads, neither of them backing down.
"The same goes for me!" Ashley argued, pushing harder. "I'm not about to be all buddy-buddy with you guys!"
"What's with that attitude?!" Ryo pushed back stubbornly, as the two pilots continued to growl against each other.
"You wanna go?!" Ashley yelled.
"You're so gonna regret it!" Ryo argued.
"You're the one that's scared!" Ashley and Ryo continued their back and forth conflict.
"What?!" Ryo roared, but then both of them stopped, the cold getting to them, as they sneezed loudly.
Standing off to the side, Yukiya and Akito were watching the two bicker. While Yukiya found it quite amusing, Akito simply leaned against the wall and continued to observe.
"It's really cold up here." Yukiya commented with a delighted smile.
"I know that already!" Ryo and Ashley yelled at the same time, failing to notice that some of their snout fused together as it fell down. They became confused, as Akito and Yukiya stared at them speechless.
"Miracle." Akito noted silently, making Yukiya snicker.
The four were currently on the main engine of the Ark that survived the explosion. Yukiya had hacked into the air balloon of the W-0 to take control of it and hide their signatures. They had fixed up Ashley and attached pulling cables from the air balloon to the engine, thus being able to maneuver. It had all worked splendidly and now they had the element of surprise on their side, as they slowly made their way back towards Castle Weisswolf.
While Ashley had been skeptical at first about getting friendly with his saviors, he soon found out that being in their company wasn't all that bad. He could even go as far to say that he was actually enjoying himself.
The four male pilots were seated on one of the decks of the main engine, that also served as the control hub, so it actually had accomodations and supplies, which the pilots were grateful for. Sitting in a circle, the four boys had decided to pass the time until Ayano was done with making dinner, since she had drawn the short straw when they were deciding who was going to cook.
Hearty laughter echoed, coming from Ryo and Ashley, the latter having laughed at the former's joke and vice versa. "You are actually a pretty cool guy." Ryo commented with a friendly smile, as he ceased his laughter.
Ashley smiled and shrugged at his comment. "Well, you guys aren't that bad, either." The orange haired pilot chuckled. "You are certainly tough!"
"You're a hard one to crack yourself!" Ryo replied heartily.
"There you go again, flattering me!" Ashley said cheerfully, as both of them erupted into joyous laughter once more.
"Well, as true as that is," Yukiya entered himself into the conversation with a curious smile on his face. "why don't you tell us more about yourself?"
"Yeah, come on, spill the beans!" Ryo motioned for Ashley to speak.
"Alright, alright!" Ashley laughed, after which he smirked. "What I'm about to tell is sheer truth." He said, gaining the others' attention. "My mother was a wolf." He declared proudly, making Yukiya and Akito curious about his claim, while Ryo laughed.
It was true that he spent most of his early years being raised by a wolf on the streets. Life was tough back then, since survival was everything. Until Shin came to him. Ashley remembered that he was on the verge of attacking the man, since he seemed like a threat to him and his mother wolf. Strangely enough, the man offered them a place to call home, all in exchange that he became a Knight of St. Michael. Ashley had been suspicious at first, but all of his doubts evaporated, when Shin kept his promise. He had lived along with his wolf parent, which sadly passed away, due to old age. He made a lot of new friends, most of which ended up becoming his squadmates. Shin had become the man he trusted and admired the most, until the man's betrayal, when he and the prince set him up to die on-board the Ark.
"Really?" Ryo laughed.
"If what you're saying is true," Yukiya mused. "then can you speak like a wolf?" he asked, curiosity nagging at him.
"Huh?" Ashley became confused from his question.
"You know, the sound that wolves make." Yukiya explained, even deciding to give an example. "It's something like this, gyao gyao." Yukiya raised his eyebrows at Ashley. "Didn't you know?"
"You're wrong!" Ashley corrected him, giving him his own example. "It's wof wof!"
"That's obviously a dog." Yukiya commented, making Ashley become even more confused.
"Eh? What was it again?" Ashley wondered, as he loudly went through different wolf sounds, but it wasn't quite right. It seemed that a lot of time had passed back from the old days. "Hmm…" He mused, as he continued to go through sounds, trying to remember.
"I'm telling you, it's gyao gyao." Yukiya told him.
"Yes." Akito nodded with a blank expression. "Gyao gyao." In truth, that was simply how Japanese described wolf sounds, but the Britannian pilot was oblivious to this. Akito was beginning to find him as enjoyable company, even though he had spared him simply because he wanted to atone for killing his friend. The blue haired Japanese began to feel that they could actually make good friends.
"Gyao gyao?" Ashley repeated uncertainly and let it play out in his head a few times. "Now that you mention it, it may have actually sounded like that."
Ryo laughed at Ashley's predicament. "Don't think that hard about it." His comment made Yukiya chuckle.
"Just so you know, I'm serious about this!" Ashley argued his point.
Ryo chuckled. "If you're a wolf, then I'm a lion!" He declared with a smirk.
"What?! Really?!" Ashley exclaimed, shocked by the revelation, failing to see the joke.
Akito decided to join the conversation as well. "I'm a cat." He said with the most blank face and tone ever.
"Yeah!" Ryo agreed cheerfully and then tried to imitate a lion. "Gaoo!"
Akito decided to humor him. "Meow." He muttered out, realizing that he most likely looked and sounded like an idiot. Still, he wondered if Leila would actually find this funny, considering that she had a cat herself.
"No, Ryo." Yukiya corrected his friend with a cheerful smile. "Lions roar."
"Really?!" Ashley and Ryo both exclaimed, surprised by this revelation. It would seem that the two had a lot more in common than they perceived, their hardheadedness being one of many things.
"Your characters are overlapping." Yukiya told them with a sigh.
"They're not!" Both of them argued.
"Lions do something like this." Akito said and then, surprisingly, let out a roar that was curiously close to the real thing, shocking his companions for more reasons than one.
"Really?!" Ashley and Ryo exclaimed, not having known that it was true.
"That was… accurate." Yukiya chuckled nervously.
"Indeed." Akito nodded with crossed arms, keeping his blank expression.
Their light hearted chatter was put to a stop with Ayano's arrival. The girl didn't seem too impressed with what she had heard on her way over to them.
"What stupid topic are all of you talking about?" She sighed, as she approached them. "Come on, food's ready." Ayano motioned for them to get up.
"So pushy." Yukiya joked, as the four of them stood up from their seats and followed after Ayano to get something to eat.
St. Petersburg
So far, so good. Julius thought to himself, as he walked down the regal corridors of the palace. He had spoken with Andrea Farnese to warn him that should he turn on him while he was away, there would be dire consequences. The man, while displeased, seemed to have gotten the message across and would most likely not attempt anything that would result in his untimely demise.
Right now, Julius found himself heading to a limousine that would drive him to the flight site, where his Knightmare was prepared for flight and awaited. Still, it would seem that the day had to have another interruption for his main task.
"Your majesty!" Julius heard a voice call out to him, which immediately irritated him, since he would most likely waste more precious time. Time that could be used to neutralize Leila Breisgau and her unit, thus removing the seed of hope that Europia had. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be.
"What is it?" Julius spoke out, turning to look at the messenger, who stopped dead in his tracks, since his gaze was more like a glare.
Shaking himself out of the trance, the messenger bowed. "Your majesty, there is a call from an Europian general that wishes to speak to you."
"Europian?" Julius frowned and was quickly angered at his troops' incompetence. "How did he get a hold of a line that could reach me?" He asked threateningly.
"I-I do not know, my lord." The messenger stuttered out. "The man says that he wishes to negotiate with you privately."
Julius narrowed his eye. "Negotiate?" He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Does this mongrel believe that he is in any position to request my attention?" He growled, angered that some European soldier would dare to ask for him directly. "I have better things to do than play politics with some fool." Julius informed the messenger with a very stern tone, intent on making sure that he wasn't to be troubled any further. "Tell this supposed general that mere animals are not worthy to bask in my presence."
"Y-yes, your highness!" The messenger nodded profusely and dashed off to complete his task, lest he lose his head.
Intent on not allowing anything to get in his way, Julius resumed his course. This whole politics business is one huge headache. Julius grumbled to himself. How does Schneizel bear with all of this petty crap? The twelfth prince wondered to himself. Sure politics wasn't something he was bad at, quite frankly he was very good at it, but it wasn't something which he enjoyed. He wasn't like his elder brother, who only manipulated the scales, no, he made the rules around himself and made sure that whatever came to pass, he would always come out on top in his own way.
It took only a little more than half an hour for Julius to arrive at his destination and properly prepare himself for the battle to come. Dressed in his black and gold pilot uniform, he entered the cockpit of his same colored Knightmare. However, it wasn't just his Knightmare that would fly for Castle Weisswolf, as the whole force that he had made Shin assemble was preparing to depart as well.
Julius entered the coordinates into the navigation console and leaned back in his pilot seat, crossing his arms. By now, Shin would have landed at the destination and proceeded to scout the territory. The flight unit's engines activated, as it began to gain velocity. The prince watched, as he slowly rose into the air, the machine reaching its optimal altitude.
Now a good amount of distance away from the ground, he enjoyed the privacy, as he removed his eye-patch. Whenever he was alone, he usually discarded his eye-patch, for there was no use for it. While he had become accustomed to working his way around with only his right eye and made sure to adapt to his blind spot, there was nothing like looking around with both eyes. The image was that more clear.
Gazing at the clear blue skies, through the video feed of his Knightmare, Julius leaned on his right arm and chuckled, enjoying the view. Now by himself and with nothing better to do, he considered the possible outcomes that awaited him on his arrival. "Either Hyuga has already set a trap for me, or is preparing to do so." Julius chuckled to himself, the Geass in his left eye beginning to glow. "It won't make a difference." He brushed his black hair back with his left hand, though it quickly returned to its original position.
Castle Weisswolf
At the W-0 base, Leila had called for a meeting in the control room. She still remembered vividly how she failed to keep up her composure in front of her subordinates, something a commander should never do. Even though she had apologized, the blond girl still felt it necessary that she helped boost the team's morale. Right now, everyone was gathered at their stations and were waiting for her to begin speaking.
"Everyone," Leila began, her tone even and her expression serious, as she stood at the helm of the room, so that everyone could see her better. "once more, I apologize for my actions yesterday, but, even though we are unaware of our friends' whereabouts, I believe that we mustn't lose hope!" She declared, gaining surprised looks from her comrades. "We'll continue to search for the Wyvern squad's signal!"
Inspired by their commander's renewed vigor, the whole unit erupted into applause and cheers, making Leila blush slightly. She noticed Claus scratching the back of his head with a satisfied grin, which made her that more reassured of herself, seeing that she had the whole-hearted support of her team.
"Thank you, everyone." Leila smiled. "Now, we should-"
The emergency alarm began to ring, putting everyone on edge, as they scrambled for their stations. The map on the large screen showed two signatures heading their way.
"What is it?" Leila asked, confused and surprised, as everyone became on high alert.
"Units with unknown IFF codes have breached the security parameter!" Sarah reported. "They're heading straight for us!" She said, as she checked further data provided by the scanners. "Most likely Britannian…"
Claus nervously took a step back. "… Knightmares?"
Leila was shocked that they were being attacked so soon after she had revealed herself to the public. She bit her lip, worried if the Britannians were planning a full-scale assault, knowing who was leading them.
Within the forests that surrounded castle Weisswolf, all wildlife scattered away, eager to get out of the way of the galloping metal behemoth. The Vercingetorix stampeded its way towards the castle at an insane speed, courtesy to its quadrupled mode, which made the rough terrain a meaningless hindrance. The golden Knightmare, carrying its large SDA axe, sped through the forest, as its pilot, Shin, grinned inside his cockpit.
He was followed by Jean in her Gracchus, the silver Knightmare, barely being able to keep up with the other unit. The red haired knight couldn't help but feel that there was something strange, but even so, she would never doubt her lord.
"He's in an unusual hurry…" Jean noted, as her Gracchus made its way through the forest.
Looking at the screen, Leila nervously clenched her fists. She had been prepared for this, knowing that it was bound to happen eventually, but she couldn't shake off the anxiety that came with her responsibility for the lives of all her friends, as their leader. "Report enemy position!" She said.
"Enemy is to the north-east! Distance 25km!" Olivia reported.
"Closing in at a speed of 140 kph!" Sarah reported.
Hearing her report and witnessing the data for herself, Anna was shocked. "140kph? Through a forest?!" She exclaimed, unable to comprehend how a standard Britannian unit would be able to achieve such speeds under these conditions.
"Your thoughts, Captain Clement?" Leila asked her friend, as she sorted through the info.
Anna gazed at the readings, deep in thought. Only one possible solution existed for this predicament. "If it's a four-legged Knightmare that can gallop like an animal, it could run at a high speed on rough terrain." She said, turning to Leila with a worried gaze, unsure of what to make of her own thesis.
"A four-legged Knightmare?" Leila asked, but then the gears in her head turned and she felt her heart skip a beat, as she almost fell forward, grabbing hold of the railings of her control station. She remembered the golden Knightmare of Akito's brother clearly and the news that it was most likely leading the assault wasn't the least bit good. The blond commander remembered Akito's words on how dangerous his older brother was. Steeling herself, prepared to tackle this opponent, she gave her orders. "The minefield…" She said, gaining Claus' confusion. "Activate the minefield to the south-east!" She declared. "No, activate all defense systems!" Claus was surprised that they were taking such extreme measures just against two units, but Leila was intent on not losing to that man. "Use everything we have to halt their approach!" She ordered.
In the forest, the heavy stomps made from the Vercingetorix echoed, as it continued making its way to the castle, followed by the Gracchus. Hidden sensors picked it up and turrets in the distance activated, opening fire at the golden machine.
Facing the challenge head on and not slowing down in the slightest, the Vercingetorix activated its SDA axe, which elongated and began to spin rapidly its clockwork-like mechanisms. The Knightmare then proceeded to cut through anything within its path.
"They found us already, eh?" Shin chuckled. "They seem smarter than the fools of Europia's main force." He noted, as his Knightmare continued forcing its way through. "These will be worth crushing." He grinned.
Turret fire continued to rain on the Vercingetorix, which, thanks to its superior speed, was able to dodge all of the ammunition hurled at it. Taking out its signature shotgun, the golden Knightmare began to take out the turrets one by one, as each shot connected and was followed by a spinning reload, only to follow by more. The turrets were quickly dealt with and the Knightmare of the grandmaster continued its fast approach.
"Enemy speed is not decreasing!" Olivia reported.
"Approaching minefield!" Sarah added.
Stepping on the landmines, in a show of grandiose that most Knightmares lacked, the Vercingetorix sped through all the mines, leaving a trail of explosion behind itself. Where it stepped, soon after it was long gone, the mine exploded, leaving a trail of devastation.
"Minefield reaction confirmed!" Sarah reported, but then her composure fell from shock. "Enemy movement is not slowing!" She said.
Claus was beginning to grow more worried by the second. "It's running faster than the mines can detonate?!" He exclaimed.
Shin continued his approach, as he reached a rocky hill, which his Knightmare quickly began scaling, though it had to take a side route that ran along the hill.
"Enemy is changing course!" Sarah reported, beginning to sweat from the tension. "It's shifting 12 degrees eastward!"
Leila was surprised to hear that their enemy was charging straight for them, but she wouldn't allow this to topple her resolve.
Jean, having fallen behind with her slower Gracchus, was growing concerned for her lord, who didn't seem to stop his approach. "Lord Hyuga! You've gone out too far ahead!" She called to Shin over the coms, worried that she was unable to bodyguard him, as she began making her way along the river sideways of the hill that Shin scaled up.
"Jean, support fire. These coordinates." Shin replied, transmitting the coordinates to his subordinate's unit, as he continued his advance.
The Gracchus stopped to take out its foldable canon that used Sakuradite ammo. Inputting the coordinates that Shin provided, Jean prepared to fire. "Commencing support fire!" She informed and opened fire. The Gracchus' attack was like a small artillery strike, which completely obliterated the front part of the whole structure of the enemy base and the forest around it.
"Area around front gate hit!" Olivia reported. "System Sigma-3 is down!"
"Defensive wall activation in 90 seconds!" Sarah reported, as she and Olivia desperately scrambled over the controls.
Leila maintained her firm gaze at the Vercingetorix's signature. She wasn't going down so easily.
Shin chuckled, as the castle came into view from the distance. His Knightmare continued speeding through the forest and just as he neared the entrance, he felt a tremor, which confused him. In the next instant, a giant metal wall emerged from the ground, blocking his entrance, as it slowly began to surround the whole castle.
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Shin sped up and prepared his Knightmare for jumping. The centaur-like Vercingetorix flew high into the air, attempting to sneak through the wall before it reached its maximum height, but, alas, wasn't able to make it in time, as it hit the rough metal surface and slid down the wall, exiting out of its four legged mode and landing on the ground, with the wall now completely activated.
"Lord Hyuga!" Jean's worried voice ran through the coms. "Lord Hyuga, are you alright?!"
"A wall has sprouted around the castle." Shin informed her. "Scout it." He ordered and then chuckled. "We need to provide his highness with some intel on the enemy after all."
Jean let out a relieved sigh and proceeded with her orders. "Right away, Lord Hyuga!"
Gazing at the wall, the Vercingetorix took out its shotgun and fired a few rounds at it to test its resiliency. With his shots not even leaving a scratch on the metal, Shin opted for a tactical withdrawal for the moment, since he also had to finish his preparation for Julius' reception. Entering into its four legged mode, the golden Knightmare began galloping its way back.
"The commander of this castle seems to be more formidable than I thought." He noted, but then a strange feeling came from his left eye, his Geass having activated. The blue haired knight smirked. "Akito, are you still alive?" He wondered.
"Defensive wall activation confirmed!" Sarah reported. "We have visuals of the enemy Knightmare!" She said and brought the images on the large screen.
Claus chuckled at the now retreating Vercingetorix. "You'll have to try harder than that to get over that wall."
Leila, however, knew that this was just the beginning. "Remain on high alert. 24-hour standby." She ordered, confusing her subordinates. "Also, keep hailing Wyvern Squad's signatures."
"Roger." Sarah and Olivia nodded.
Claus looked at Leila, figuring that she was most likely exerting herself. "Commander," He said with a friendly tone and smile. "don't you think that you should get a little rest?"
"I'm not-" Leila wanted to argue that she wasn't tired and that the situation required her attention, but Claus cut her off.
"I'll handle things here." The middle aged man replied with an even smile. "This will be your only chance to rest."
"Lt. col. Warwick…" Leila was taken aback by his kind gesture.
"Sarah, Olivia!" Claus called out their names cheerfully. "We'll be staying here."
"Yes, sir!" Both officers replied.
"The rest of you, take a quick break!" Claus told everyone, gaining some confused looks, but he didn't mind them, knowing that he was doing this for their own good. He turned to Leila and smiled at her. "Go on, Commander…" He gestured for Leila to take her leave and rest.
Leila eyed him curiously for a moment, but then smiled warmly at him. "Keep an eye on things here, Lt. col. Warwick." She told him, glad that the man was committed to the unit. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up, as she walked down from her station and headed for the elevator along with Anna.
The other personnel also vacated the premises, though Oscar Hammel remained. The grey haired officer approached his superior. "Lt. Colonel." Oscar called out to gain Claus' attention. "Do you think that Akito and the others will manage to make it back?" He asked, wanting to hear the man's thoughts, if only to ease his own doubts.
"Come on," Claus shrugged and chuckled. "those guys would never die that easily."
Oscar could only smile at his reply, thinking it completely true.
Roughly 30km away from castle Weisswolf
After they had finished their scouting, Shin and Jean now stood in front of their Knightmares, as they watched multiple air-carriers approaching. Leading the formation was a single flight unit, which carried Julius' personal Knightmare.
Seeing that he had reached his destination, Julius stretched his arms inside his cockpit and cracked his neck, having gone sore over the long journey. "Well then," He chuckled, putting on his eye-patch, as he spotted Shin and his lapdog. "the show begins."
The flight unit landed, at the large clear land that the Britannians would use for assembly. The Caligula detached from the flight unit, stepping forward. The black and gold Knightmare made a few steps forward, its sensors picking up the landing of the other aircrafts, which soon began deployment of Sutherlands. Julius' Knightmare was in full armament, with two long MVS swords sheathed on both sides of its cockpit and a sakuradite rifle in hand. Its large red cape was blown back by the wind, as the machine came to a stop in front of the Vercingetorix and Gracchus and their respected pilots.
The cockpit of the black Knightmare opened, with Julius jumping down and landing in front of Shin and Jean, who didn't seem to care for his theatrics. The prince had put away the key to his machine inside his uniform, so that his current companions didn't get any ideas.
Standing up, he smirked at Shin and crossed his arms. "So," He began with a mocking tone, as more and more aircrafts landed around them. "Lord Shaing, what have you to report for me?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "Surely you didn't laze about until my arrival."
Jean stood next to Shin, hiding her growing discomfort from dealing with the prince, as she clenched her fists, though Shin ignored her. "Of course not, your highness." Shin replied, hiding his anticipation for when he would finally have the prince where he wanted him. Shin turned to his side, seeing that the mobile bases were already being setup along with more soldiers, Knightmares and weaponry being taken out of the aircrafts. "We scouted the perimeter and the enemy's defenses." The blue haired knight explained. "They've setup a huge wall around their base, which I believe can only be penetrated by heavy artillery fire."
"Hmph." Julius shrugged, as he turned to look at the assembling army. "Stalling out the inevitable, huh?" He chuckled, as he then returned his attention back to Shin. "And what of the enemy personnel?" He asked. "I was informed that there is one of our own inside."
"We have ordered the spy to ensure the enemy's crippling surrender." Shin replied, gaining a surprised look from Julius. "We've arranged for the meeting to happen on remote territory not too far away from here."
Julius narrowed his eye at the man. He was clearly up to something, but he would deal with him when the time came. If his claims that the enemy would be surrendering were true, then he would be able to sate his curiosity about Leila Breisgau. After that, he would dispose of Shin and take possession of that secret weapon that her unit had. A transport that could allow one to strike anywhere on the globe was indeed an asset he wished to have.
"Fine then. I want to be informed when we will be setting off for the meeting." Julius shrugged, figuring that that was all the info they had on hand. "Other than that, you are dismissed." He waved them off to leave, as he turned around and walked over to his Knightmare, taking out his key from his pocket and activating it.
The black machine knelt down, the cockpit opening so the prince could enter. Entering his machine, with the cockpit closing behind him, and activating its controls, the Knightmare rose to its feet. Shin and Jean watched the clone of the Lancelot model walk away from them, as it was headed for one of the mobile bases. Shin narrowed his eyes at the unit, finding it the most troublesome hindrance in his path at the moment, but there were ways around it. Jean, however, was very unnerved by the prince's Knightmare. She remembered reading the data statistics and reports on Nonette Enneagram's Lancelot Club and she was blown away by the performance of the machine. If the prince was seriously as dangerous as he claimed to be, then he would be a serious threat to her lord.
A soldier approached Shin and bowed in front of him. "The order of Michael's Black, Blue and White regiments have arrived." The soldier informed his superior.
Shin looked at the soldier. As Grandmaster of the order, he had full authority over the knights, but right now the prince's orders were above his, so he had to tread carefully, for not all of the knights were as loyal to him as Jean and some others. "Have all troops take their assigned positions." Shin ordered. "Remain on 24-hour combat alert. Tell them not to forget that this is enemy territory." He said and turned to walk away. "Relay my orders to prince Julius and inform me if his highness has some discontent with them."
"Yes, my lord!" The soldier replied.
Inside the control center of Castle Weisswolf, Claus, Sarah and Olivia were hard at work on their stations, though they occasionally took a coffee break.
"Sorry about this, girls." Claus chuckled, as he took a sip of his coffee. "You are the only actual military personnel."
"It's fine." Olivia replied.
"Indeed." Sarah nodded. "We've been trained to handle long-duration missions."
"You have, huh?" Claus replied, looking at his bitter coffee. His mind was troubled with a lot of things. He had received his orders by his Britannian superiors to arrange for the surrender of the W-0, but he had actually become attached to all of the people he had worked alongside and he didn't want to sell them out, only so they would die a dog's death. He'd have to confront Leila about this and convince her to act so she could save the lives of everyone here. He let out a heavy sigh and looked at the room around him with a worried gaze. "Still, I'd rather not have this castle turned into a battlefield."
E.U.
Throughout the republic, the masses were lined up on the streets chanting for Leila Breisgau. The blond commander's name had become synergeous with hope for the citizens of the E.U. The streets were filled with cheering people, as a political proclamation was about to take place at the Presidential Office. They had been informed that the provisional government had an important message, but that was all that they knew.
Inside the room, where the broadcast was going to be held, stood Gene Smilas, who waited patiently to make his announcement. The man was calm, standing between two flags of the nation and a microphone in front of him. However, no one knew that under his calm surface the man was furious. He had failed to get in touch with the Britannian prince and convince him to work together, even though he was sure that he would be able to meet all of the royal's demands.
Damned brat. Smilas cursed in his thoughts. I should've predicted that someone as prideful as him wouldn't be open to negotiations. The general sighed, but resumed his even expression. No matter, the scales will tip in my favor, even if there are sacrifices to be made. He thought, though he then noticed the camera man giving him the go signal.
Straightening himself, now that he was on live international television, the general began his speech. "Citizens of Europia, there are sad news that I must report to you." He said, as the whole of the nation listened to his words. "The woman who kindled the fires of courage and hope within us all, Leila Breisgau, is dead." He dropped the bombshell, which was of course a fabricated lie that he would use to rally everyone to fight against Britannia, all to complete his ambition of ruling over all of Europe. "Leila Breisgau is dead." Smilas repeated, making sure that his message came across to everyone. "We have confirmed reports from Castle Weisswolf Base, where Leila Breisgau was stationed, came under attack by Euro Britannia and was destroyed." He continued, now sure that everything would work out perfectly, since he had learned that the siege of the castle was led by the Britannian prince. So what if he killed off Leila prematurely? There was no way she and her squad would survive a second encounter with the homicide prince.
"Weisswolf Castle was located some 1000km away from our border with Euro Britannia, but our enemy crossed it and attacked." The general continued, moving on to the main part of his speech. "The one leading the assault, the monster of the Britannian imperial family, Julius vi Britannia, killed our Leila and all of the staff and officers with her." Smilas knew that people reacted stronger when they had a face to blame and seeing as the prince's reputation was ideal for such use, he had a perfect target. "I shall continue what Leila Breisgau started." The general declared. "The Britannians will pay for killing her." He said narrowing his eyes, in order to make his speech have more hold in people's minds.
"For untold years, our ancestors were exploited and oppressed by royals and nobility. And they righted that injustice by means of the Revolution, driving away the Britannians from Europe." He continued. "However, the descendants of those who escaped to the new world have been waiting for the right time to take their revenge!" He declared, clutching his fist in front of himself. "The Britannian emperor sent his most volatile offspring at our throats! Everyone remembers the brutal conquest of Warsaw!" Smilas said, his tone rising higher. "Julius vi Britannia is a merciless and cunning beast that will not stop until all in his path are but dust! Now is the time for all of us to rise in arms, together!" He declared, raising his fist in the air. "We will not allow those fiends to reclaim the lands they were driven from and we will not bow before nobles and royals ever again!" Smilas concluded his speech. "We will rise for the tomorrow that Leila Breisgau tried to protect and fight for our future!"
All throughout the E.U., the despair that had filled people when they heard that Leila had been killed, was replaced by newfound anger and drive. The whole nation was finally allied against a common enemy, Britannia and its image, Julius vi Britannia. The people would rise in arms to do what even the Britannians themselves could not, defeat the homicide prince and drive Euro Britannia out.
Castle Weisswolf
Having watched the whole speech in her office, Leila gazed at her screen in silent thought, unsure what to make of the general's betrayal, until Claus stomped furiously into the room and took a seat across from her. She eyed him curiously, seeing his frowning features and clenched fists.
Claus himself had a right to be angry. Not only did their allies betray them and leave them to their fate, but they also sold them out, so that they could rally the people and send on a suicide war against Britannia. Taking a drink from his alcoholic beverage, he let out a sigh and calmed himself down before speaking. "Looks like Gen. Smilas' regime has assumed full control of Europia." He noted, looking at Leila, who stayed silent, worry clearly written in her eyes. "The General cut a deal with Britannia and tried to renew it, but failed, because the Britannian prince cut him off." Claus chuckled at the general's expense.
"Do you have proof of that?" Leila asked him, clenching her fists, the situation having become even more dire than it previously was.
Claus smiled and leaned back in his chair and pointed to the floor. "I sold intel on this place to Britannia." He confessed, gaining a sad look from Leila. "If the General really did care about you, he wouldn't have made me your second in command." Claus shrugged, as he rose from his seat and walked in front of Leila's desk, while her cat meowed from under her bed.
Leila looked down, realizing the man's motivation and she couldn't bring herself to blame him for it. "You did it to pay for your daughter's medical bills, right?" She asked with a solemn look, gaining a frown from her second in command.
"You knew everything, but you left me at large?" He asked her, clicking his tongue at how trusting she was.
Leila narrowed her eyes at him. "People can change."
Claus furiously slammed his fist on the desk. "They never change!" He yelled, but Leila stared unflinching back at him. "Once scum, always scum!" Claus sighed, as he walked over to the window behind Leila. "Just hand over the castle and the secret weapon to the prince. If you do that, then perhaps he will let it slide that you ruined his plan." He sighed once more. "That's the only way that you guys have a chance to get out of this alive."
"If Euro Britannia gets their hands on the ultra-long range transport, war will spread to every corner of the globe." Leila stated, knowing full well that if she surrendered she would be dooming the whole world.
"You risking your neck to fight here isn't going to change anything." Claus told her, as she rose from her seat to look at him. "The world's not that nice a place."
Leila could see it in Claus' eyes, the pain. She could recall in how many people she had seen the pain they hid inside themselves. Ryo, Yukiya, Ayano, Akito and even Julius. Everyone seemed to have something to prove that there really was no kindness in the world. She herself was no exception, but she wanted to change this state of despair that had taken over humanity. She wanted for all man and woman alike to be equal and happy. That was her dream, ever since her childhood, a dream she dearly held on to and would not allow anything to take it away from her.
"I'll-" She wanted to reason with Claus, to make him see things her way, but he cut her off.
"Listen!" Claus told her, as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders to make sure that she was clearly listening to what he had to say. He didn't want to see the people, he had become attached to, get slaughtered. "Just worry about saving your life and the lives of the people here!" He told her. "That's more than enough! Nobody could fault you for that!" She gazed at him sadly, making him sigh. "Rabble-rousers like Smilas are never the ones who die. They pile-up corpses underfoot and use them as a steppingstone to reach the high fruit they're after." She stayed silent in thought. "The General wants to make himself emperor of Europia. You were just a means to that end." He said and watched, as silent tears fell from Leila's eyes, the reality of being betrayed coming straight at her. "I've already set up the negotiations with Euro Britannia." He said, turning his back to her. "Please draw up a letter of surrender."
Britannian base near Castle Weisswolf
The sun was beginning to set, as Julius gazed at it from the control room of his base. He was sitting in his throne, looking at the large digital map in front of him of the enemy base, inspecting the location they were in, for any possible ambush sites.
His silent contemplation was ruined with the arrival of four individuals, which made him let out a frustrated sigh. Entering the room, Jean Rowe, followed by three Knights bowed in front of the prince, who didn't even spare the effort to look at them.
"Greetings, your highness." All of them said in synch, as they rose to their feet, gaining a small glance from the prince.
He let out another sigh, seeing as this would most likely be another mundane affair he would have to deal with. Oh the chores of being in charge. "Pray tell, why have you decided to bother me, Lady Rowe?" Julius asked Jean, who frowned at the way he addressed her, which provided some mild amusement for the prince, since he knew that she was sensitive on the knight-gender topic.
"The knights behind me, your highness," Jean gestured to the trio behind her. "are the three Swordmasters of the order of St. Michael." She explained, since she was left in charge by Shin, who she wasn't aware what he was currently doing. "They have a few questions for you." Julius raised his eyebrow at the three Knights, wondering what could they possibly want.
"Your higness," The one on the right, Brondello, began. "We wish to ask why did we need to cross the border to take this castle in the middle of nowhere?"
Julius frowned at the man's question. It would seem that Shin did a poor job of explaining the operation to their troops, but he figured that he himself wasn't obliged to answer their question and would get some amusement out of this, as repayment for being interrupted. "Since Lord Shaing has seen fit not to inform you, I will be the one to tell you, that we are preparing for a raid on enemy territory." He smirked, seeing the confused look of the three knights, since his answer wasn't anything specific. "Surely, knights of great prestige such as yourself wouldn't cower from a fight, even if they aren't aware of the circumstances?" He continued to smirk, as he gestured to them with his hand, as then a mocking smile placed itself on his face. "Or are you afraid to fight? How unsightly."
The three knights stood at attention and bowed, realizing where the prince was headed and that he was most likely displeased with being troubled. "No, your highness." They said. "We simply wished to get some clarification on the situation."
"If that is all, then you are more than welcome to leave." Julius replied, narrowing his eye at all of them, as he leaned on his left hand, which was playing with one of the crystals of his eye-patch.
"Yes, my lord." The four knights bowed and exited the control room.
After they did and were a good distance away from the room, Jean turned to them and chuckled.
"So far you've done a poor job to prove the fearsome reputation of the three Swordmasters, disciples of Lord Manfredi." She mocked them with a smug smile.
"Why you-!" Scholtz roared, attempting to slash at her, but was stopped by Dore.
"Stop it, Scholtz!" Dore told him, as he then turned to Jean. "When will the battle be?!" He confronted her, eager to prove that they were more than worthy of their titles.
Jean was about to walk away but stopped with her back turned to them. "I cannot tell you that just yet, but I'm sure that you gentlemen will be ready and waiting when the battle finally comes." She mocked them once more and left, leaving them out of Shin's plan, knowing that their loyalty lay with the deceased Manfredi and not with their new master.
Elsewhere in the forest near the base, Shin Hyuga had wandered off by himself, drawn in by strange voices, like in a trance. He walked through the forest, as he continued to hear a familiar voice call out his name.
"Shin…" It echoed, but grew louder with every step he took.
Shin continued to walk, but came to a stop and drew out his sword, once the voice sounded like it was near him.
"Shin… my most beloved child." He turned around to gaze at the empty forest, the Geass in his left eye becoming active unwillingly. The blue haired Knight was confused by hearing the voice over and over again.
"My Shin…" His eyes widened upon realization, as he turned around to see the figure of his dead mother standing across from him. "I didn't want you to turn out as your father did." The figure said, as he continued to stare at it. "Forgive me!" It said, as it drew closer to him.
Shin aimed his sword at her, realizing that she was just another ghost that haunted him. "Away with you. I thought I told you that a woman like you is no mother of mine." He spat out venomously, but recoiled when the ghost of his mother dropped to her knees in front of him.
"I know, so please protect Akito." She begged him, making Shin frown.
"By betraying father?" He growled, his face twisting in anger, as the ghost of his mother looked solemnly at him.
"Akito's father was kind to me. But he was killed by your father." The ghost said, as it began to shift into a more grotesque version of the time when Shin had killed her. "Oh, he was killed…" The ghost continued, as its voice began to twist and distort in a sickening way. "And then I was killed by you… Me, the woman who gave birth to you."
Unable to take anymore, Shin frowned and yelled out furiously. "Begone, ghost!" He slashed at the figure of his dead mother, making it disintegrate into dust with a disgusting scream.
However, Shin then heard another familiar voice. "Shin, my younger brother… Shin Hyuga."
Shin turned around and smiled warmly when he saw the image of Michelle Manfredi, who still had that gnashing wound on his neck and blood all over himself from the time he had ordered him to commit suicide. "Lord Manfredi." Shin looked at the man, who had been so accepting of him that the blue haired knight had become to consider him like an older brother.
"Hurry to my side, Shin." Manfredi smiled warmly at him. "I wish to be reunited with you soon."
Overjoyed to hear that the man held no ill will against him, Shin turned to face Manfredi, smiling happily. "It won't be long. Soon, I can join you, Manfredi." Shin replied.
"I am also waiting." Shin turned around to see the ghost of Maria Shaing, his adoptive mother, who had been nothing but kind to him, ever since she accepted him into her family. "I may only be your foster mother, but I love you all the same." The ghost said with a warm smile, as its wound from her death was present, along with all the blood.
"And I you, Maria." Shin replied, becoming more and more content from hearing that the people he held dearest to himself still loved and cherished him, even in death. "I wish to be reunited with you soon."
"Brother…" Shin heard and saw the ghost of Alice, his adopted younger sister, appear alongside that of her mother. The girl's dress was dripped in blood from the wound of her death. "I miss you, too." Alice smiled at him. "It's so very cold here… Hurry. Please hurry and join us, Brother."
Shin stood in between the three ghosts that yearned to meet up with him again. That alone was enough to make Shin content. All he wanted was the love of someone who would not betray him and seeing how the people who he had liberated from the pains of life still held him dear, he knew that he would be more than happy to reunite with them.
"If I can…" Shin said with a small smile, as he raised his blade against his neck and grabbed firm with both hands, eager to rejoin the people he loved. The ghosts looked at him with unwavering warmth and love, as he was about to run the blade through his neck. "I love you." He told the ghosts, as he was about to plunge the blade into his neck, but found his hands stopped.
"Lord Hyuga!" He was taken out of his trance, as he saw Jean in front of him, gripping his hands desperately to keep them from taking their owner's life. The ghosts around him disappeared and he noticed that the sun had set and it was night time. "Please stop this, Lord Hyuga!" Jean begged him, as he slowly came to, realizing that she was there and saw her worried expression.
"Ghosts were speaking to me." Shin said, looking around himself, confused from what had happened, his Geass still active in his left eye, though it didn't seem to take an effect on Jean, or she didn't seem to notice. She let out a relieved sigh, when she saw him shake his head lightly, his Geass disappearing. "No, there can be no such things as ghosts." He said, as he allowed Jean to take the blade from his hands and throw it to the side. "This world is not so wonderful that the dead would cling to it." He chuckled, slowly going into a laughing fit.
Jean was pained to see her lord like this, as she wrapped her arms around him, with tears in her eyes, making him stop. Shin was the only person to be kind to her and take her in to give her a chance, a woman, who was aspiring to become an accomplished knight, something which was seen as blasphemous and ridiculous in Euro Britannia, even though in the homeland there was no such sexism. She didn't remember when, but over time she had fallen in love with Shin Hyuga and she would do anything he told her to and follow his every command, all in the hopes that her feelings might one day reach him.
She looked up at Shin, the tears clearly evident in her eyes. "If it let me be with you, I would follow you in to the gates of Hell." She said, burying her face in his chest.
Shin gazed at her silently with a solemn expression. In truth, he had also become fond of Jean, even though he would never allow himself to admit it. His most trusted subordinate was yet another person who displayed affection towards him, but he himself was unable to respond to that affection, for deep down, he held a small ounce of fear that she would leave him if he let her in, just like he feared for Manfredi, Alice and Maria, but he made sure that they would never betray him.
Morning came and with it the sun shone brightly, heralding the beginning of a new day. Julius had already rose from his sleep and prepared himself for the meeting. He decided that he needed to look his best for an occasion such as this, so he opted for his black and gold royal garments and cape, instead of his pilot uniform.
Soldiers and Knightmares bowed to their knees, as he passed by them, walking over to Shin and Jean, the former of which was also not dressed in his pilot uniform, but rather his white and red Knight uniform. They stood in front of the trio of Knightmares that stood out from among the rest that were going to accompany them, to ensure that the enemy got the fact of their total defeat across. The golden Vercingetorix stood next to the silver Gracchus, with its SDA Axe planted in the ground, while the black and gold Caligula was in front of Julius, surrounded by Sutherlands which bowed to the prince upon his arrival.
Julius gazed at Shin and Jean and smirked. "Let us go and deliver the enemy their harsh reality!" He declared, making a dramatic gesture with his left hand.
Jean stayed unfazed by the prince's theatrics, finding his boasting foolhardy, but Shin was greatly amused by them. It would be a shame that after today, Julius vi Britannia would be no more.
The three of them entered their Knightmares and activated them, the eyes of the machines briefly lighting up to indicate that.
Inside his cockpit, Julius removed his eye-patch and grabbed the controls of his Knightmare firmly. "Lead the way, lord Shaing." He ordered over the coms.
The Vercingetorix entered its four-legged mode and picked up its SDA axe. "Oh, your highness doesn't want to be at the helm?" Shin chuckled, deciding to tease the prince. He could allow himself to have some fun, since after today, everything would be in place and his plan would come to fruition.
"Hmph." Julius shrugged inside his cockpit, but smirked nonetheless, replying to the jab at his pride. "It is only proper of a knight to escort a prince to his destination." He replied, as he activated the landspinners of his Knightmare and made them rev. "Though with that said," He grinned, deciding to make this a challenge. "due try to keep up!"
Jean watched in awe at the blazing speed at which the Knightmare took off at the rough terrain. The Lancelot model was truly a force to be reckoned with, as her unit and the Sutherlands had no hope of matching it. She feared that if it came to a confrontation, even with their superior numbers, they would still fail to bring down the black Knightmare. As her nervousness grew about Shin's plan, surprisingly, she heard him laugh heartily over the channel.
"I will accept your challenge, Julius vi Britannia!" Shin replied, as the Vercingetorix began to gallop after the Caligula, slowly catching up to the black Knightmare, as the two continued to race through the forest towards their destination.
Jean quickly took herself out of her stun and followed after them along with the other Knightmares. "Wait, Lord Hyuga!" She tried to get them to stop, but the two Knightmares were already far away into the distance.
Continuing their small contest, Julius frowned when he saw that the Vercingetorix proved to be passing him with its four-legged mode that allowed it to traverse rough terrain with ease. On paper his machine should've been as fast or even more on clear terrain, but it would seem that the golden Knightmare had his model beat on off road.
"It would seem that this is my win!" Shin boasted over the coms with a victorious smirk, as his Knightmare put more and more distance between itself and the other unit.
"Tch." Julius clicked his tongue, but grinned, as he wasn't about to lose at a contest which he himself started. On the side of the road, there was a shallow river with large rock formations, which he intended to use as a ramp. Making his Knightmare speed up, it moved to the side and drove along the rocks, jumping high into the air. The Caligula then fired off its two wrist mounted Slash-Harkens which tied around two trees far ahead and began retracting them, gaining even further momentum mid-air. The black Knightmare landed with a heavy stomp, but the impact was nothing to its heavily armored chassis and reinforced skeleton, as its landspinners activated once more, ensuring that it lost as less speed as possible.
The jump had put the Caligula a good hundred meters in front of the Vercingetorix, which was steadily galloping towards it. Shin couldn't help but chuckle at the tactics the prince employed, as he raced forwards. It was a good thing that he wouldn't be in his Knightmare when the time to strike came.
The race soon came to an end, as both Knightmares arrived at their destination, the old Roman ruins near the castle. Much to the prince's annoyance, it was a tie, since Shin was able to close the distance between them at the end. Their escort arrived not long after and some of the soldiers, along with Jean exited out of their Knightmares and went over to the ruins. Shin and Julius followed suite and exited from their machines, as the knight and prince made their way towards what seemed to be a hall, if evident by the two stone seats and stone table in the middle of it.
"I will give you this, Shin Hyuga," Julius smirked, as he sat down on one of the stone seats and crossed his legs, glancing at the knight that stood a few meters to his side. "you have good taste in choosing venues." He said, gesturing to the ruins.
Shin smiled and bowed. "I'm pleased that it is to your highness' liking." He replied. A fitting place for your grave. He chuckled in his thoughts. Now, I only have to wait for the enemy commander to give me the codes for Apollo's Chariot and dispose of them. His plan was going off without a hitch. He would lure in Julius with a false sense of superiority, created by the negotiations, get what he required and eliminate his enemies in one fell swoop.
"Hmm?" Julius raised his eyebrow and smirked, when he saw Leila approaching from the distance, accompanied by a man, who he presumed was their spy, since he was carrying some kind of case with himself.
Leila, who was approaching with Claus, carried herself with pride and unwavering conviction. She knew that she entered right into the enemy's grasp, but she would not allow herself to cower before them. She had assured Anna that she would come back safely, even though she realized that the probability wasn't high in the slightest, unless her suspicions about Julius vi Britannia proved true and she was able to have a proper conversation with the Britannian prince.
As she and Claus reached the ruins, they were stopped by Jean and a few officers with rifles. If the worse were to come to pass, at least she knew that her friends wouldn't die without a fight, as the defenses of the Castle were raised to highest alert and the Squadron of Alexander drones could help defend the castle, though for how long, she was unaware of.
Placing his case on what was left of one of the pillars, Claus opened it and handed over a journal to Jean, who looked at it and then back to him.
"You're the Schwarzwald Mole?" Jean asked him with a stern expression.
"Yeah." Claus replied evenly, as Leila stood behind him, silently analyzing the female knight in front of them. "This is a draft of the commander's surrender document." Jean took the folder from him. "Our only condition is that you allow all base personnel to leave unharmed." Claus said, while Leila turned to look at Julius, who was smirking at her. She also saw Shin standing off to the side, his expression showing his evident amusement at the situation. It would seem that she was not up against one, but two deadly opponents.
"Where is the base's decryption cypher?" Jean asked him, as Julius rose from his seat and began walking towards Leila, who stared right at him.
"It's in there if you want to have it." Claus replied.
"I assume this also contains data on Apollo's Chariot?" Jean asked, as she went through the document to check if it was fabricated.
"Yeah." Claus replied, his voice even, though he became slightly unnerved when he saw Julius approaching them.
"Since you were our spy, I could arrange for asylum in Euro Britannia if you wish." Jean told him, as she finished with her check and closed the document.
"True…" Claus said, as he went over to his briefcase and closed it. "I might take you up on that." He then watched curiously, as Leila walked over to Julius, standing face to face with the taller prince.
Both of them stood across from each other, staring into the other's eyes, as Julius smiled and raised his hand for her to shake so they could seal the deal. However, he was surprised when Leila took it and shook firmly, though he was more intrigued by the happy smile on her face. The prince had seen his fair share of women back at the capital and many were like his eldest sister, Guinevere, who believed that since they were beautiful, they were powerful. How beautiful they were, however, was open for debate, since Julius found his older sister's attitude to be quite annoying, though he would admit that she had a very high social standing. With that said, there weren't many he recognized as truly beautiful, with his younger sister Euphemia being one among the few, but it would seem that this girl in front of him, Leila Breisgau, also possessed that strange and attractive allure he found most women to lack.
This woman, Julius thought, as he narrowed his eye curiously at her. She really is the most interesting one I've met so far. He chuckled to himself, finding Leila's courage and warm smile amusing, or maybe there was something else about her that he simply couldn't perceive.
And that's a wrap! A lot of stuff happened in this chapter, with some of the characters getting a little more development. For those of you that wanted to see LeilaxJulius, I'm sure the ending didn't disappoint and on that note, you'll probably enjoy next chapter too, for I have a lot more planned for those two. Do take note, however, that Akito isn't going to stand by and let someone take his girl, so there is that to look forward to when the time comes XD. As for the scene with the Wyvern Squad, I decided to incorporate a part of the drama CD, since I found it hilarious and I wanted to add it to the story, though I'm not sure how well I translated the Japanese, since all I did was write what I (think) understood they were talking about, plus adding something more to it, like some of Ashley's backstory. For those of you that haven't already noticed, I LOVE the Vercingetorix's design and I would've loved it even more, had its name been kept as Sagramore. And on that note, we see a little more of Shin(like in the anime), though I think its better to say this now to avoid confusion, he wasn't speaking with real ghosts created by 'god', the man is simply mentally ill, which isn't helped by his Geass, which if you haven't noticed is slowly going out of control. Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed doing so! Have an awesome day!
P.S. How many of you think that the E.U., even united under Smilas stands a chance against Britannia? ...*silence*... Yeah, I thought so XD.