The Black Empire

by PaulXion

The Black Rebellion has succeeded and now Zero controls the fate of the nation within the palm of his hand. But he will not stop there. A whole world awaits him and this was but a taste of what was to come. Lelouch Harem.

10. The Plan to Take All

Chapter 10: The Plan to Take All

(Matoir Mall courtyard)

The battle at Matoir mall was intensifying with every minute that passed by. As more and more military troops showed on the streets, a blockade was soon issued around the district blocking all possible escape routes for the terrorists that took over the mall. The battle seemed assure for the Britannians now that they have ample troops within the mall itself. With their superior numbers and firepower, they were already certain that victory was within their grasp. All they needed to do there was wait for their opponents to show up so they can easily mow them down with ease.

But little did they realize that the force they were facing now… outmatched their tactical prowess by a grand margin.

When a G-1 fortress rolled its massive body onto the courtyard of the mall, the tactical officers on board quickly began discussing their plans for the operation.

"Alright, what's our status?" one of the nameless officers asked. "Someone give me an outlay of the situation"

"Yes sir. The forces that are held up at Matoir mall have taken hold of the mall's inner parking area. From the looks of their Knightmare emblems they appear to be members of mercenary group called the Royal Flush. They're an assembled organization of foreign soldiers of conquered nations"

"A mercenary company?" another officer raised a brow in question. "They must be deploying all their troops here for a grand stand. Tch. They're nothing more than people who are just trying to put themselves on the history books. Have the ground force move in from the 2nd floor and advance onward. The aerial troops will be begin their descend once we have the ground level secured"

"Yes, my lord!"

With the order given, a large number of Sutherlands were suddenly deployed from the mobile fortress and hastily broke through the improvised barricade that the terrorists set up to hold the armored vehicles.

(Matoir mall parking lot)

Lelouch groaned. After his memories had returned to him the past slowly began to resurface back onto his eyes. He felt as if he had just lost a year of his life through that one death struggle and that his father, the emperor of Britannia was the one responsible for it. It felt so surreal and false at the same time. Like a sequel to a movie that he happened to miss. But he remembered it now. The time when Suzaku destroyed the Knightmare frame, Gawain and tore him from the cockpit of that machine… it ran all too well into his mind.

Later he remembered being taken to Kamine Island and presented to that giant door that he saw earlier during his recent actions against Prince Schneizel. He didn't know how but when he was taken through that door he quickly found himself in Britannia. For about a week he spent his life in a cell locked in the deepest part of the royal prison where only few are able to visit it.

When the time came to be presented to the emperor… he remembered what the man had done. Suzaku presented him to the emperor like a trophy tied in a ribbon. He became a member of the Knights of the Round because of it. The boy sold out his nation… of course he would sell out his friends… it was a tragedy… but one that gave Lelouch the chance he never thought he got.

He was now within Britannia.

This came as an opportunity… a chance to strike where Britannia would hurt the most. If all goes well… he would be able to do some serious damage and set the Empire's progress for months, maybe years even.

"C2…" the boy spoke out to his accomplice.

"Don't even think about it" she whined. "I'm not the one who gave the emperor his Geass"

The boy saw some hint of truth so he decided to pull some more information. If he was a going to set himself up in this new world, then he was going to need every bit of detail that he missed. In the time span of one year, military positions could've changed, politics run differently, contacts lost and many more uncertain aspects. "So where is Nunnally now?"

"Jeremiah and Elie, tried to find your sister" she explained. "But with the Black Knights refusing to assist them and our resources limited, their search has been… futile"

"What about Sayoko and the members of the Black Knights?"

"Your maid is currently still working at the base command posing as a servant for Diethard. (Hmm?) Don't worry, she's fine" C2 then motioned to her damaged Glasgow and saw if it was still serviceable for combat. "As for Diethard, he's gone into a small state of depression. Your deputy command, Ohgi, is the one leading the Black Knights now. But after your fall at Japan… the Black Knights have been reduced to a small band of soldiers. All of the original members are still there including Kallen. Still… the only people who knows of your identity is Elie, Jeremiah and I. No one else. And no one knew of Nunnally's real importance so none of them can be blamed. Besides… you were the one who sent her to Britannia in the first place"

Lelouch nodded and quickly took the log from the OSI officer's pocket and hid it to his own. With the grim reality slowly returning to his conscious he focused on the more pressing matters. "Very well. Then this adds to my objective. I'll find the one who gave the emperor his Geass and then… get Nunnally" but upon remembering his little sister from his past his mind quickly reverted back to Rolo whose identity had yet remain hidden from his grasp. "I had a younger sister… but not a younger brother! So…… who is he?"

"An agent of the OSI" Jeremiah's voice responded to that question as his figure rolled in from the shadow of his Knightmare. Upon coming to a distance to Lelouch with Elie by his side, they both bowed deeply on their knees. "Your majesty…"

"Elie Damon Deledantes… and Jeremiah Gottwald… my Knights of Zero. How excellent"

"Your highness, forgive us…" Elie stated with his head still lowered. "… for coming for you at such a late time. Punish us as you may see fit"

"I must admit that you took long in your preparations, my apprentice" Lelouch squandered at his failure. "I would've done it quicker even without my Geass. But since this is your first attempt of an operation… let this one slide for now. There are a lot of questions I want to ask both of you, but it will have to wait we're safely out of the district"

"Yes, your majesty" they both said in unison before rising back on their feet.

"Now then…… my knights. It's time. Get to your positions and I will contact you from your frequency. It's time to let Britannia remember how to fear once more"

(Ashford University)

"Wyatt? (Here) Gregory? (Here) Shirley Fenette? (Here)" the teacher was calling out the rows of attendance that afternoon with her hand firmly gripping on the clipboard in front of her. It was just another normal school day with nothing unusual happening and all the peaceful moments going by without anyone's care. "Lelouch Lamperouge? (……) Lelouch Lamperouge, are you…… where is Lelouch this time!?"

"He seemed to have gone out ma'am" said one of the students. "He took his brother Rolo along with him"

"What!?" the teacher snapped. "Not again! Just what is that boy thinking? Passing out on a good day of education, like this. If he doesn't improve, I will have to do something about this. These noblemen… tch… they're all alike!"

"Well, this is the usual thing" another student chuckled. "I mean come on… doesn't Lelouch skipped almost all of his classes? I mean, it's not anything new. He's been doing that ever since he got here in the first place" a chain of laughter followed with several nods agreeing with his statement.

But at the back, only Shirley seemed to be worried about Lelouch's whereabouts. "Oh Lulu…… where are you out gambling this time?" suddenly an explosion occurred, catching the attention of the entire class. "Huh?" when everyone turned their heads to the window, they noticed a large concentration of smoke was rising from the Red Light district. "What in the…"

"Hey! Check it out! There's smoke coming from the 3rd district!"

"No way! A fire outbreak?"

"Impossible. There hasn't been a fire like that for the past two years. Not since the Pendragon incident"

"A terrorist attack maybe?"

"Now that's just freaky!"

It wasn't long then until Milly's voice entered the fray of the school announcement speakers. "Attention, students of Ashford University. As you may have already noticed, there has been a breakout at the Red Light district. From official announcements, it is said that a group of terrorists are responsible for the outbreak. Due to the proximity of the school to the district, class has been suspended for the time being. All students are to leave immediately and return tomorrow. That is all"

"A terrorist attack?" Rivalz said with a puzzled face. "Boy. I hope Lelouch didn't go there"

"I'm worried too" Shirley admitted. "I hope he doesn't get his brother in trouble.

"Who cares about them? I'm more worried about my bike" the boy replied which only made Shirley grumble in response. "Huh? What? Did I say something wrong?"

(Matoir mall courtyard)

The battle was proving well for the Britannian military force. As more explosions echoed from the building another spot on the map switched off telling of another kill on their side. With overwhelming majority in the fight, the officers who were stationed at the G-1 fortress could rest easily as they knew that the whole situation was contained.

"This is A-Squad, the ground floor has been secured. Enemy troops are withdrawing to the higher levels. We have them on the run"

"Good work. Now send in the aerial team" the commander ordered out. "We'll sandwich the terrorists within and wipe them all out!"

"Yes, my…… huh? What the? Is that… ahh~ arghhhh!!!" the radio signal ended with the man screaming his end.

"Squad A, what's wrong?" static was all that remained of the com channel as the officer in charge tried to get back the signal. "Squad A, report your status. (…… static) Tch. Squad D, head towards Squad A's position"

"We're on route now. We should be getting a visual on….. huh? What the!? It's… (static)"

"Squad D!"

With two of their units now down for the count the officers quickly returned to their post to analyze the situation. "What's happening?"

"Sir!" came another soldier's voice. "Both units at the main entrance of the gate have been wiped out by the enemy!"

"They're trying to breakthrough? What are the enemy numbers?"

"Just one sir. A single Knightmare is tearing through our defense lines! It's a Blue Sutherland equipped with some kind of a flamethrower!"

"A flamethrower?" when the screen suddenly plopped up to the main entrance they immediately saw the said Sutherland charging in with a Riot Shield in one hand and a unique weapon on the other. "What are our defense forces doing!? Fire at it now!" the large tank battalions open fired on the terrorist commander but its Riot Shield proved formidable even to large firearms like those of the military. When it got close enough it hastily spread a large fire around the main entrance, melting all those who were caught in the process. "What the!?"

"My lord, the main entrance is blocked! The fire has spread to our tanks and infantry units are getting caught in the blast!"

"Damn them! Pull our troops out of there and get the fire station on the line! Tell them to send all their teams here as soon as they can!"

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Back inside the mall security room, Lelouch smiled proudly at the beginning of his artwork. With the main entrance now blocked by the raging fire, the Britannian forces could no longer send reinforcements from the ground. That means that they had the enemy cornered at the very mall they tried to trap them in. "Well done N-2, now move on to the third floor and join up with your squadron. With their ground reinforcements cancelled we can focus on securing our ground here in the mall. (Yes, my lord) P-7 block the stairway"

The boy looked to one of the cameras and saw one of the mercenaries fire a rocket to the staircase, trapping a group of Knightmares at the floor level. With their point of advance and retreat halted, they were completely sitting ducks. "Good, now R-5, fire left 30 degree downward" he looked at another camera and saw a single Glasgow mow the trapped force down with a single barrage of missiles. "N-1, fire on the pillars and bring the entire parking lot section down" Jeremiah obeyed and quickly fired onto the two pillars supporting the floor section. In a matter of seconds the platoon that held position there was quick to withdraw. "Excellent. Now march through the hole on the ground and eradicate the troops there"

"With great pleasure, your majesty" Jeremiah said grinningly. "All units advance! Show no mercy!"

"Hoo!!"

With things proceeding accordingly to his plan, Lelouch couldn't help but smile. It has been awhile since he had this feeling. The feeling of power… how seeing people dance at the palm of his hands like dolls being controlled by an invisible string. "Excellent. C2, how's it going on your end?"

"We're almost done here" she replied through the com. "The explosives we placed should be enough to sink the whole building. We'll need about 10 minutes… perhaps more"

"Very well. We're just about done in clearing out the troops here" Lelouch motioned himself to the screen where the blimps slowly dotted down one by one. "Elie, Jeremiah. (Yes?) Once you've cleared the floors assemble everyone down at the auditorium. We're going to have a meeting there… oh and bring the mercenaries there too. I'd like to meet the man myself"

Elie visibly smiled on his side of the frame as he understood well what his master was planning. "Yes of course, my master"

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Back inside the G-1, the whole command staff were panicking. A few minutes after the Blue Sutherland made his appearance; there were reports of a terrorist counterattack happening at the mall. Their troops were getting slaughtered one after another like a domino set. Before they could even begin to order a regroup they would become scattered again like a pack of mosquitoes unable to find rest. Before they knew it, they were quickly down to their last few Knightmares sent by the aerial force.

"Contact lost on the forth floor!"

"Squad E and C are facing heavy resistance on the rooftop! We're unable to provide air support due to the chaff gas!"

"Retreat route six has been cut off! The enemy is holding position up by the 2nd floor! We've got reports of a rocket launcher positioned up there!"

"They're monitoring our transmission again! Change IFF codes!"

"We have! Eight times already! They're dominating our ground space on the 9th floor!"

"Sir Caljun's unit has been wiped out!"

"Outrageous! Who the hell is commanding these terrorists!?" the officer barked out.

"Forget that!" another one let out. "We have to withdraw! Order all troops to pull out and have our armored divisions cover them with their cannons! Bombard the whole second floor if you have to!"

"Sir, escape route three has been secured by our forces. Sending transmission to all units of the area"

"Right! Have them fall back to that position and regroup!"

But just as they were groaning about their defeat at the hands of a few enemy numbers, the door to the command room suddenly opened revealing a rather large man with white curly mustache. "What is the meaning of this!?" he questioned out while holding a slice of ham on his hand. From one of his clothes alone any man could tell that this person was a nobleman of high rank. With his grotesque attitude and smirking looks and his round belly he was a glutton and one who would not be easy to face in a public matter. "I was brought out of my lunch because of this!"

"T… the minister?" one of the officers recognized his face. "Margrave Owel? The minister of Pendragon's National Guards?"

"That's right!" he yelled out. "I'm taking command of this ridiculous operation! The whole contingency of the National Guards are being deployed. The military will be following my orders from here on out! With the emperor's absence, I am in command!"

The officers were reluctant at first seeing that the man had barely any combat experience of his own but they digressed as they knew that they could not deny protocols. If they did they would face court marshal for sure. "Y… yes, my lord!"

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Lelouch was smiling widely at that time in the auditorium room that time. He could already tell from the stench and the smell that this place wasn't used to hold meetings or any of that sort. But most likely it was made for a slave show. A place where only noblemen are allowed to enter and bid for their new slaves. It was an inhumane entertainment but something like this always pays big. He knew this because he was a slave buyer himself. The cheapest one he ever saw was one that was sold for 20,000 credits and that alone can feed a man for at least a year or more.

When he entered the place he found it to be packed full with Jeremiah and Elie on the sides and one who appeared to be the captain of the mercenary forces that led here. At the audience seats, about a hundred of soldiers were cheering altogether with glee of their recent victory against Britannia.

"Your majesty" Jeremiah bowed to the prince's presence.

"Jeremiah, Elie. So this is the force that you assembled for me?" Lelouch starred at the rowdy bunch of soldiers below him. "A disorganized military group of militias?"

"I have no excuses for my unsubtle force, my lord" Elie bowed apologetically. "I had only thought of taking you, not staging such a strong point of resistance"

"I see…" Lelouch nodded. "Then I guess this will do. You've done well… but for now we'll have to move on to…"

"Aye so this be Zero eh?" the Scottish wanabe pirate man launched himself up to the stage with a bottle of wine in hand interrupting the conversation with his loud mouth. "What a little chump! I thought you'd be taller and bigger! Bwahahaha! But you're no older than my poor eyed tramp back home, hahahaha!"

"Why you insolent…!" Jeremiah would've pulled a sword at that man for disrespecting Lelouch but Elie stopped him. "Don't try to stop me! It's because of this man that our plan almost went awry! If it were not for C2 then we would…"

"I know that you are furious Jeremiah but we need him right now"

"Grah!" Jeremiah quickly sheathed his sword and turned away in a grunt noise.

Lelouch was pleased that Elie was able to get things contained. If Jeremiah had gone berserk they would've had their hands full. "What of the escape route?"

Elie answered back. "Huh? Oh yeah. It's all set. I have an informant at the lower levels. The emergency elevators should be enough to accommodate us when we make our escape"

"And don't be forgetting about us either" the merc captain reminded while rubbing his fingers together with a sly grin. "I'll be getting my green the moment we get out of this hell hole"

"Don't worry Mr. Dan. Your payment will be ready when lord Lelouch and the two of us reach a safe distance from Pendragon"

"But I'll also be expecting a little extra" he added. "If a certain someone should learn of a certain masked leader's identity, I hope a little money will help make me forget"

"Why you!?" Jeremiah seethed.

"That wasn't part of the agreement, Dan" Elie reasoned. "We had a deal already"

"Then I guess you won't mind seeing the picture of the young prince of Britannia posted on the news all over the world tomorrow eh?" he held out a tape recording device which seemed to have vital evidence that Lelouch was indeed Zero and the prince of Britannia. Lelouch smiled. It was a common and typical blackmail but nothing that impressed him. At least not yet. "I made a dozen copies of these already. If word of this little baby get out, I bet someone in the military force will pay me handsomely for this piece of information, don'cha think?"

"Hmm…" Elie thought for a moment but saw no point in this argument. As his eye turned to his master, they both had the same idea of what was to be the reward of these greedy men. "Very well Dan… you made your point. I agree to your terms" when he sent a wink signal to Jeremiah they both quickly grinned evilly as they knew of what was to come next.

"I agree" Lelouch said finally after a short moment of silence. "Well then… let us give you your reward. What is it that you desire?" he said dramatically like a true Zero.

"2 mil extra in cash and a boat load of ladies! Hahahahahaha!" the other mercenaries laughed with him adding to their evil intent. "Can you cope with that lassy?"

"A reasonable price" It was then Lelouch removed the bang covering his right eye and showed his Geass to them all. "But you wouldn't mind hearing to my offer instead now, would you? (Uhh…?) From here onward… your loyalty belongs to me…" and with the order, the sigil in his eyes moved onto the captain's, twisting and bending his will to his own. "Do we have an agreement?"

The man's voice then reverted back to his original accent which was surprisingly a European. "Yes… my lord. What will you have of us?" immediately the whole company was under complete control of Lelouch's Geass. Their minds now warped and controlled… like drones bent under his will.

With a smile on his face, Lelouch turned to his knights and began his next phase of the plan.

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The minister of Pendragon's National Guard wasted no effort at all in providing assistance to the forces inside. The moment he took his seat on the G-1 fortress, he ordered every soldier within the walls of Pendragon to prepare a massive attack on the mall. He planned to hit every entrance and every nook and cranny and wipe the building off the face of the map. The officers were definitely against this but none of them could voice out their complaints. With the mall now in the hands of the terrorist, they had little say in the matter at all.

"Alright…" the minister widened his smile as he took another bite off his turkey leg. "Special Division Four will attack from the top of the mall. Once the fire here dies down we'll rush to their position and wipe them all out"

"Yes my lord"

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The hallway at the basement of the mall was dark. Darker than most places Lelouch has been through for the past couple of days. There were several rooms situated at the sides which he recalled the mall manager saying that they were rooms for the slaves. It was strange how people built service tunnels beneath the layered earth. Usually, architects would be building their masterpiece on a higher scale contributing to the skyscrapers of the city but there are a rare few who had the vision of a mythical dwarf creature who would rather dig until he reaches the very center of earth itself. The architect of this building was one such man.

Though Lelouch contributed much of his talents to this operation, he found his apprentice's escape route to be rather impressive. Surely no one would expect the terrorist of using such an old escape route built next to the sewer drainage system. It was built during the reign of the 96th emperor of Britannia a long time ago to use as substations for electricity to flow more freely. But now that Sakuradite was the main source of such power, Charles thought that they served no purpose and left them there to rot and collect dust in the passing of time.

"My lord, this way" Elie gestured with his hand for the boy to hurry. "Our plans are already in motion and we still have to bring you back safely to Japan before we can begin our resurrection of Zero. I have my agents working on retrieving your mask and cape. Once we make our way through a gap in the Britannia's radar system we'll head for one of the islands that's not in control of the main army. We'll have to hasten with our plans and skip our rest period and…"

But Lelouch simply quirk a brow up his eye. "Are you telling me what to do, Elie? You should remember your place."

"F… forgive me my lord" Elie lowered himself. "I am simply concerned about your well being. The sooner we get you out of here the faster we can continue with the revolution"

"No…" he spoke out clearly which made everyone stammer. "The revolution will have to be postponed. Until I am certain of Nunnally's whereabouts and safety, I won't take action without caution. I'll admit, your plan of escaping Britannia sounds solid, Elie… but regardless… I won't do anything that will jeopardize my sister"

"I… I understand completely my lord" Elie was somewhat disappointed that he wasn't able to show his plan to his master. But he had other chances waiting for him. "Then what do you suggest we do from here on end?"

"For the mean time, I'll play along as a student of Ashford U. They probably have someone watching over me if I do anything suspicious" he then took out the log book he scavenged from the OSI officer earlier and opened its contents. "Also, by judging the information from this book: The military force doesn't know about me or my true identity as Zero or the Prince of Britannia… so that means that my opponent isn't the imperial government but the Office of Secret Intelligence"

Jeremiah recognized the name. "The emperor's personal agents. No doubt they'll be more cautious after this incident. Shall we kill them for you your highness?"

"No" Lelouch replied plainly. "Killing them will only lay out more suspicion on me and I have enough heat as it is. If I want to get out of the sensors of the OSI… then I'll have to bring their entire command structure down on my knees. It's the only way. By using their resources and their contacts I'll be able to make them my primary strike force in bringing down Britannia from within"

"But we won't have much time my lord" Elie beckoned out with his arms waving dramatically. "If we linger too long, the Britannian forces will take over Japan once again and reclaim it as Area 11"

This news of course made Lelouch raise a brow of question. "Japan? I thought they were in a non-aggression pact with one another. Have they burned the treaty already? Who commands the fleet?"

"The first Princess of Britannia, Guinevere Su Britannia" Elie answered. "She raised her personal army in minor skirmishes with the Japanese but nothing that would escalate to a full scale war. However…… if my information is accurate, they'll probably try to invade it, disregarding the treaty along with it. I guess you could say that they'll use that thing as a smokescreen to hide what's happening. As of this moment, I heard from the docks that two divisions of Knightmares were transferred to her command and so has Commander Guilford"

"Guilford?" Lelouch seemed surprise to see such a military man of such stature, pride and knowledge serve under such a lewd princess like Guinevere. He remembered her when she came to Aries Villa once or twice and from those two visits, Lelouch could already tell what kind of a person she was. She was nothing more but a materialist. She craves power more than anything else and would do anything to get them. Though she may be a prideful girl, Lelouch finds her to be an easy going target. "The 'Guilford'? Why would he put his service to a woman like Guinevere? What happened to Cornelia?"

"She disappeared after the Black Rebellion" Elie answered. "As for Guilford, he's only doing this out of pride. After Cornelia vanished after the battle for Japan, his title was close to becoming threatened. Guinevere vouched for him so you could say that he's repaying the debt that she owed to her"

"Hmm…" the dark lord laughed. "Yes… that sounds more like the Guilford I know. Always putting pride first before his own life. If that's the case then there's no doubt that they will reach the Tokyo Settlement in a few days time. Hmm… this makes things complicated. But enough about that. There are still some questions I want to ask you, Jeremiah"

"Yes, ask away your highness" the green haired knight nodded.

"How did you know the existence of Geass? If my suspicions were correct only the emperor and a few individuals of the OSI know of its power and its abilities"

"I uh…… you could say that it was only by chance my lord. (Hmm?) Back when I was kept prisoner in that tanker under Bartley's research team, I overheard a conversation. I was barely conscious at that time but I could make out what they were saying"

"Did you happen to get the faces of the talkers?"

"Uhh… unfortunately… no. I was placed in a gasmask when they were talking. Forgive me…"

"Hmm… so we're back at square one as usual" Lelouch looked to them. "I guess that situation will have to wait… for now let's just focus on getting out of this place"

"But my lord… are you sure that it's wise to leave the mercenaries here?"

"Don't worry" Lelouch reassured him. "I gave those men explicit orders to carry out. I have no doubt that they will carry it with absolute zeal"

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And truth be told, the dark lord's will was being carried out unconsciously. With his powers alone only fools would dare try to challenge him. And so at the top of the tower, one of his evil deeds was now to be performed.

Two mercenary soldiers were patrolling the hallway that time drinking bottles of whiskey they scavenged from the bar. They did not seem a bit frightened at all and the moment for they knew they had the advantage over the enemy. Just as they arrived on the next intersection leading to the elevators they noticed a small group of their comrades talking to each other.

"Hey guys!" one of the patrols called out happily. "Wanna join us for a drink? There are some leftovers by the bar and plenty more for everyone"

The soldiers turned their eyes to him and it wasn't long until one of the patrols noticed something strange about these men. They seemed odd, like they were dead serious unlike most of them who took their job in such a carefree manner.

"What's the matter?" the other one spoke. "You guys look like you had some serious discussion" and indeed for they had strange red rings around their eyes.

"You…" the leader of the band pointed at them with a tone that sounded much like a person hypnotized. "You are not under the blessing of Zero…"

"Wha?"

"Primary mission number 1: Eliminate the remainder of the group who had not received his blessings"

"Hey, what do you think you're…" that was as far as the man could go when he was penetrated by a hail of bullets. His partner tried to make a run for it but he too was too slow to even make it half way towards the elevator.

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In the security room, a small group of the mercenaries were overlooking the security cameras as they were ordered to by their commander. All the while doing their duties, they soon became bored and decided to play a little game of cards.

"Hey, did you hear?" one of them stated to the cameras. "Zero's actually just a school boy"

"Yeah I heard" the other replied not caring the least. "Got a picture of his face right here. Man… who'd a thought?"

"Well it doesn't matter. As long as we get paid, I couldn't care less who Zero is"

"Yeah. Hey, maybe we can sell this info to the Britannians. You'd think they'd post a reward for this kind of stuff"

"They'll probably give a king's ransom. HAhahaha!" A few moments later, one of the hypnotized soldiers entered the room and gaze at the cameras around him. "Hmm? Oh hey Bull. What are you doing here? I thought you were with the boss"

"Primary mission number 2: Destroy all evidence of Zero's existence at the mall" with a quick motion of his hand he emptied his clip onto the camera screens and burned everyone in the room with a single hand grenade.

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"Primary mission number 3…" the captain of the mercenaries slid on his helmet as he rode on his Knightmare. "Sacrifice our lives on the enemy to buy time for his lordship to escape. Soldiers, charge!!!" in an abrupt battlecry from the front of the mall the whole company of the terrorist that attacked Matoir mall charged out and began firing onto the G-1 fortress not even caring if they live or die on that battle. Bullets flew all over and bodies piled up along the road, followed by a barrage of missiles.

The Britannian soldiers that were stationed there did not expect such an attack and were quickly routed to regroup along the defense lines. Their unmanned Knightmares were easy targets and the soldiers that were fleeing became sitting ducks to the mercs.

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Lelouch held the urge to laugh as he knew that his opponents were all probably fighting each other without even knowing why. "Now that the Britannians are focusing their attention on the attack force, they'll clear the area giving us the chance to escape without notice"

"Always planning so far ahead…" C2's figure appeared from the darkness, her green hair easily recognize by everyone. "You really don't skip anything, do you?"

"The moment I do is the time when I become senile" she mocked the idea of seeing Lelouch as an old man but somehow she couldn't picture it very well. Shrugging the thought off, the witch approached him with her usual expressionless face and quickly took out a small box from her pocket and handed it to him. "What's this?"

"The lens I promised you a year ago. I made a spare just in case. Oh and by the way, you dropped this on your way here" she then showed him the suitcase of money that Lelouch lost during the earlier stages of the attack. "I added some things in there as well" the prince opened his chess set suitcase and suddenly noticed several items in the box. A signal scrambler in which was attachable to any phone line, an earpiece communicator which was made for military personnel only and a pistol made entirely out of ceramic and bamboo which obviously can't be picked up on a metal detector.

"I see…… pretty useful. As for the lens… they're optical technology, meant to block UV visions but keep my sights unhindered. Do they work?"

"Don't try to probe for information" C2 warned him. "As you may already know, you're carrying a very special kind of lens. If your Geass grows to be more powerful than what I gave you then…"

"I understand…… then we'll just have to end this quickly" suddenly right after their conversation was done, the large service elevator began to operate, its doors slowly opening to greet them. But the person who was inside the elevator seemed to have surprised Lelouch a little bit. Long gold wheat like hair and aqua colored eyes and skin as soft as cotton. "You……?"

The woman inside noticed the presence of the prince and slowly bowed to him, her cape touching the floor. "Your majesty, Lelouch…" she spoke in a soft tone. "Monica Kruszewski, the Knight of Twelve and the third Knight of Zero… reporting prior to your orders" immediately the prince's grin widened even more evilly that before. With all of his finest pieces gathered in one spot, he felt like he could already topple the emperor down with just a simple gesture of his hands. But he restrained himself from doing so. For if he was to take action now with the limited resources he had he would be captured and killed for certain. But now… he knew it. He knew well that Britannia could fall. That their capital was ripe for the picking. But no. A single nation that controlled 1/3 of the world was not enough for him. It only thirst his hunger for power even more. The world was now his goal… and if he was going to change the world then he would first have to conquer it… and then… destroy it…