Well this was a fast update. I don't know why, but it would seem that listening to Fate Apocrypha Ost and re-watching season 1 of CG to hype myself up for the evidently never to come out R3 was a great motivator. Still, I retain hope that it will eventually air and that it will get an eng dub. Don't get me wrong, I like the original Japanese VAs, but Johnny Yong Bosch's performance as Lelouch simply captivates my heart whenever I hear it. On that note, I'm still waiting for the dub of Akito the Exiled to come out, though I'm a little nervous towards Leila's french accent, which I can seriously go without(Shouldn't she have a british accent for crying out loud?! Confusingly enough, Akito's dub VA sounds almost identical to Lelouch's.). Enough about that, now, before we start, I want to clear up some things.
First, I like how a lot, dare I say most, of you immediately jumped to the conclusion that I'm gunning for the LeilaxJulius pairing. While that is the case, it remains to be seen if things will work out between them, with Akito also having a part to play in that area. Besides, it's not like this will be the only pairing attempt I'm going to be making with Julius.
As for who is going to be the emperor of Britannia by the end of this story, well, you'll have to wait and find out :D.
Anyway, that's it from me for now. Let's move on with the 'negotiations'.
Stage 11: Colliding Ideals
The cold wind blew over the Roman ruins, where the confrontation between Leila and the Britannians took place.
"Well, Miss Breisgau," Julius crossed his legs and leaned back on the stone seat, resting his arms on its sides. "it looks like you're in my palm once more." He smirked at the blond girl, who stared at him with a serious expression, while Claus behind her was trying to hide his nervousness.
"Do you find my terms acceptable, your highness?" Leila asked, trying to start off the negotiations peacefully.
"There is no need to rush, now that we've side tracked from the path of battle. We have time." Julius chuckled, but Leila's expression didn't change. "Still," He shrugged, gaining her curiosity. "I must admit that I was surprised when I learned that you were indeed of Britannian blood."
"That is correct." Leila nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "Both my father and mother were of nobility, until they defected."
"So I've heard." Julius replied with an amused smile. "I'll be clear and state that I do not bear any ill will against your or your deceased family for defecting from the empire." He said, enjoying the fact that his statement made Leila raise her eyebrows curiously. "In fact, I respect you for having the courage and willpower to do so and continue to oppose the empire. There aren't many who are capable of such feats."
"Respect me?" Leila asked, confused.
"Indeed." Julius nodded. "Are you aware of how disgusting and pathetic nobility is?" He asked her with an exaggerated gesture. "All of them possess resources and influence, yet they squander them for mundane and worthless reasons, instead of focusing all of that opportunity to achieve something grand." He explained then smirked. "I consider myself an ambitious man and I like seeing ambition in others. It's what makes a select few stand out from the rest."
"What you speak may be true," Leila replied, her serious expression not wavering. "but that doesn't mean that those who don't have or haven't found their ambition are worthless." She said, gaining a frown from the prince. So far the conversation was going well and her suspicions about the prince's character were proving accurate, so she now had a solid way through the conversation and knew with what she could and couldn't get away. It would seem that the prince enjoyed a civilized conversation with an air of regality, so all she had to do was keep up the pace and not straightly butt heads with him.
"I'd be careful of my words, if I were you." Julius warned her with a threatening tone. "Do not let my previous words influence the current reality. You, along with all your allies, are at MY mercy."
"Of course." Leila replied, unflinching, noticing a small glint of intrigue in the prince's eye when he heard her reply. She wasn't intimidated by him, nor would she allow herself to be. "I simply state my beliefs."
"Hmph," Julius scoffed. While he maintained his threatening presence, he was surprised to see that she didn't display any fear when conversing with him, completely different from the time at Warsaw. Either she was very brave or she was simply that good at hiding her fear. "Well, it's not like I expected someone as naïve as you to change just from a single experience. It seems that no matter how many times you come face to face with reality, you'll still believe in that foolish dream of yours."
"I do not find the happiness of all people to be a foolish dream." She replied firmly, seeing the prince look at her, as if he was analyzing her, looking for dents in her defense. She had done her own research on him and she decided to see if the conclusions she had come to were correct. "However, I do not expect someone plagued by grief and anger over what he lost to understand what I'm saying, or rather, they do not wish to understand."
Ho? Shin smirked to himself, amused by the girl's audacity and method of pushing the prince.
What Leila didn't realize was that she was beginning to push a little too hard, as Julius gave her the most menacing glare she had ever seen. "What?" He asked, wanting to see if she was truly foolish enough to repeat herself, knowing full well that she was speaking of his siblings. If there was a topic which was to be untouched in the dark haired prince's presence, then that was his siblings. His fists slowly clenched "No one is allowed to speak of my siblings in my presence." He warned her, though it was clearly more a growl than anything else. "Choose your next words very carefully."
Leila remained unfazed by his threat, though that wasn't to say that she didn't take it seriously. Quite the opposite, in fact. Now she knew for sure that one of the prince's triggers were indeed his deceased relatives. She understood him, figuring that if she were in his place she would do the same, but that still was no reason to excuse all of his violent actions and volatile nature. She still needed to probe deeper to clearly understand him, but Julius made it more than obvious that any further attempt would not end well.
Deciding to switch her approach and target, she turned to Shin. "If I may be so bold, Lord Shaing," Leila began, narrowing her eyes at Shin, making both Julius, whose anger seemed to slowly lower, and the knight confused. "this is the second time we've met."
Shin was confused by her statement for a brief few seconds, but then he remembered one of the Alexander Knightmares that had confronted him back in Slonim. "I see. You were in that Knightmare at Slonim, weren't you?" Shin replied, his own curiosity towards Leila growing.
"Lt. Hyuga…" Leila stopped, scolding herself mentally for not getting out of that habit of calling Akito by his rank. "Akito called you his bro-" Shin cut her off before she could finish.
"Akito is dead." Shin stated firmly.
Julius watched the conversation, finding it very amusing, though he was slightly annoyed that Shin had become the topic of interest. Still, he knew that if the man was to make a move, it would most likely be now, when he presumed that he was at his weakest. Oh, how wrong he was.
"I have no need for a sibling who would disobey his brother's orders." Shin added, making both Julius and Leila frown.
"How pitiable." Julius shrugged, making Shin turn to him, as the two men locked their angry gazes. "To dispose of your own blood relative, the only one who is closest to you more than anyone else, just because he didn't follow orders." Julius growled, remembering how his father had disposed of his brother and sister.
"Ho?" Shin chuckled, mocking the prince. "Is that where the infamous homicide prince draws the line? I thought that someone like you wouldn't be fazed by killing his own kin." Shin was being openly antagonistic towards Julius, knowing full well that the one eyed royal would most likely lash out or be on the verge of, due to his temperamental nature.
However, before their argument could heat up, Leila intervened. "Akito is alive." Leila stated firmly, drawing the curiosity of both men. She could see it. The situation in front of her wasn't an unwinnable disaster, like she had previously thought. She wasn't outnumbered two to one, no, it was a true three-way conflict. Now it was only a means of getting one of them or both to side with her, otherwise she would be sparking a battle which will have her and Claus in the crossfire, or, worse yet, her enemy would ally against her and then settle their differences.
"What do you know about it?" Shin sneered at her.
"Akito was very worried about you." Leila stated firmly. "He said he wanted to stop you."
Shin smirked. "What of it?"
"Akito will come back." Leila declared. "I believe in him."
"How revolting." Shin sneered at her, as he turned around to look at the empty ruins. There was nothing but the remnants of the destructive force of time and a few ravens, which seemed to find it appropriate to gaze at this meeting. "When I look at a simpleton like you, it makes me want to vomit!" He stated. "You believe in him?" He asked in a mocking tone with a grin, as he began walking back towards the table. "You still do not understand that you were betrayed?"
"You're referring to Gen. Smilas?" Leila asked, rising from her seat to confront the man head on. Claus was growing more nervous by the second, as he stood behind Leila, his hand slowly reaching for his hidden pistol.
Julius watched the conversation go on, deciding to let it play out and see if he would get some amusement out of it, as he leaned on his arm and stared patiently at the two.
"Let me edify you." Shin stated, as he came face to face with Leila, whom he towered over due to their height difference. "Belief in others is an illusion concocted by the clever to exploit the stupid." He told her, which made Leila frown. Shin turned to see the prince eye them with an amused expression, which made his blood boil. "If you want proof, then it's standing right in front of you."
Both Shin and Leila turned towards Julius, who laughed at the former's statement. Subsiding his laughter, the prince spoke. "Lord Shaing, you have no idea how many people I've used and thrown away." He chuckled, as he rose from his seat, interested to see where this whole tension riddled situation was going to crack. He turned to Leila with his signature smirk. "Do tell, Miss Breisgau, where does your love for humanity lie?" He asked her, knowing full well that she couldn't possibly win her side of the argument. "You who had lost what she cherished at a young age speak of love and happiness. Having come from such a background, do you honestly believe that humans are worth believing in?" He asked her, eager to hear her answer.
Leila stared between both men, unflinching, though she realized that she was in a tough spot. Both of her adversaries seemed to be on a similar opinion, though there were enough differences to spark a conflict. She'd have to hold her point firm, lest she lose to them. "If you believe in others, they're sure to reciprocate." Leila stated firmly, gaining a disgusted frown from Julius, but oddly enough, Shin erupted into a laughing fit.
"That is why you are betrayed and exploited!" Shin yelled at her, his laughter being replaced with sheer anger. What he hated most was blinded belief, belief in others, who he knew could only betray one another. That was why the woman in front of him riled him up so much. She foolishly believed in others, becoming their tool. This time, however, his statement was able to get a reaction from Leila, who recoiled back slightly, the small speck of fear not being left unnoticed by the Britannian prince, who eyed her like a vulture, waiting to see if she would show weakness.
"You need to learn that humanity isn't the least bit worth believing in." Shin told Leila, who recovered from her sudden shock and resumed her frown towards him. "With people, it's every man for himself." He said, gesturing with his hands. "If you have plenty, to hell with others." He continued, playing with the sheathed sword in his grip. "No, it goes beyond that. The more miserable others are, the more convinced they are that they themselves are happy." Shin chuckled. "What contemptable creatures they are." He smirked, as he turned to the prince. "Isn't that right, Julius vi Britannia?"
"Ho? And what exactly do you mean by that, Lord Shaing?" Julius glared at him, seeing that he needed to remind the man of his place.
"You may reject it, but deep down you are aware that all the monstrosities you commit are simply the flailings of a scared child." Shin chuckled, seeing the prince's face visually twist in anger. "You aren't as imposing as you think you've made yourself out." Shin smirked at him. "In fact, you're simply a little kid who takes out his own pain and suffering on others so you can feel better."
"Shaing…!" Julius growled out, his anger reaching its boiling, as his fists clenched and shook dangerously. He would not be mocked by this impudent fool. He, a prince of Britannia, the strongest among his siblings, wasn't going to allow anyone to make a fool out of him.
"What?" Shin chuckled. "Is it that hard to come to terms with yourself? That you are simply a scared child now that you are by yourself in the large and unforgiving world?" Shin laughed but was interrupted, by Leila.
Her own fists shaking and eyeing Shin with the most hatred she had ever held for a person, Leila truly saw what Akito had meant about his brother being beyond saving. "That is so sad." Her words confused Shin, who turned towards her, while Jean unconsciously took a step back from the prince, who was on the verge of releasing all holds he had on himself and kill everyone within the vicinity.
Ignoring the mad prince, Shin turned to Leila with a frown. "What is?"
"You are!" Leila declared loudly, as with that all of the tension in the vicinity reached its peak.
Shin brought his blade to her neck, Claus was about to reach for his revolver, but was stopped by Shin's soldiers who were aiming at everyone. Julius had already taken out the pistol hidden in one of the inside pockets of his garments and aimed straight at Shin's head, blinded by his anger, completely ignoring the soldiers that were aiming at him as well.
"Don't move!" Shin yelled out, as the whole situation froze in a stalemate. He leaned in towards Leila, staring straight at her. "You are hopeless, I see. Then believe what you will." He sneered at her, but then grinned madly. "All of you will be long dead before he comes." The geass in his left eye activated, as he gazed straight into Leila's eyes. "Die!" He commanded.
What happened next was enough even for Julius to calm his anger, as he stared dumbfounded for the first time since ages at the two Geass users and lowered his firearm. Not only was he surprised that both Leila and Shin possessed the power, but he was also shocked from what occurred after Shin's command and Leila's Geass activated.
Shin screamed out in pain, clutching his left eye, a picture the prince was very familiar with, as the knight then dropped to his knees, the pain being unbearable. What Julius noted, however, was that Leila's Geass was different from either Shin's or his, which shared their red color, while hers was a pure blue.
"What was that?!" Shin cried out, as he clutched his left eye.
"Lord Hyuga!" Jean quickly rushed to her lord, bypassing all of the others who stared at him confused. "Are you all right, Lord Hyuga?!" Jean asked him, as she knelt down next to him.
"Yes…" He managed to reply through pants, as the pain began to subside.
Julius still gazed in awe and turned to Leila, whose Geass had disappeared from her left eye. "What did you do?" He asked, curious and somewhat anxious from unknowing what her Geass did. For all he knew, it might as well be like his, tormenting its victims to their deaths. If that was the case, he was seriously in a bad position. However, it would seem that he wouldn't receive an answer, as Leila gazed at him for a moment, but didn't form a reply, which either meant that she was not about to reveal her trump card, or she was inexperienced with the power.
"Lord Shaing," Leila turned to Shin, who now eyed her resentfully. "What do you hope to attack using Apollo's Chariot?" She asked, wanting to hear the man's true goal, as Julius also turned to look at the downed knight.
Shin rose to his feet, shaking off the sudden shock from before and smirked. "Pendragon." He declared, enjoying the horrified look on Leila's face. "That's right. That is what I want." He chuckled sinisterly, knowing full well what his declaration meant. He would kill the emperor, destroying the established system and sending the whole world into chaos "I want this world to be riddled with corpses!"
Even though Leila and Claus were stunned from the revelation, everyone still turned to the chuckling form of the prince, who seemed to shake with laughter, gaining mass confusion. Soon enough, he erupted into full blown mad laughter, which even unsettled Shin.
"Pendragon…" He continued to laugh. "He says he is going to attack Pendragon… Ahahaha!" The prince's mad laughter didn't seem to end, when he finally forced himself to stop, though there remained an insane glint of amusement in his eyes and sick smile, as he turned to look at Shin. "You want to kill father?" Julius managed to say, stiffening his chuckle, holding his sides that began to hurt from laughing too hard.
"What makes an impudent mongrel like you believe he has the right for such a feat?" He asked, his laughter now completely subsided. While the people around him most likely interpreted his words as loyalty to the emperor, they knew nothing of true dedication and ambition towards a goal. "As much as I would love to see you try, there is only being worthy of killing the emperor and you're staring right at him!" Julius declared furiously, jabbing a thumb at himself.
Initially surprised by the prince's declaration, Shin now smirked at him. "I was right. You really are just a grief driven fool, that was unable to stomach the deaths of his family." Shin turned to his soldiers. "Kill them, they are of no further use." He declared, making Julius growl in anger and Claus and Leila worried that they might not make it after all.
Claus aimed at Shin, which caused more soldiers to aim at him and Leila. Seeing as there was no getting out of this deadlock, Leila wished that he at least saved himself. "Surrender by yourself!" She told him.
He turned to look at her with an apologetic smile. "Not even a guy like me can do something that shameful." Claus told her, as he stood firmly in front of her, aiming at Shin's head. "Stand back."
Unknown to the people down below, up in the sky, a sniper quickly assessed the situation, wondering who to pick as a target, confused by the Britannians' infighting. He noted that it looked like Shin had taken both Leila and Julius hostage and wondered what to make of the predicament. It would seem that for now, Shin was the primary target.
"Things seem dicey down there." Yukiya commented, as he took aim.
The tension was about to escalate, when three of the soldiers ran over to Claus and aim at him from very close range, while Shin smirked at the spy. However, the knight's smirk soon disappeared when he noticed Julius' grin when one of the soldiers got within hands reach.
In a blinding flash, Julius firmly grabbed hold of the soldier and turned him around to use as a human shield, as he then unloaded the clip of his pistol into the rest of the soldiers that were aiming at him, as he then jumped over the poor man that had stood in front of him, who got filled with lead from his allies' gunfire. The prince landed behind the stone seat and took cover reloading his pistol. It would seem that spending those years training under Nonette proved useful, after all.
Taking steady aim, Yukiya licked his lips and pulled the trigger, his sniper rifle firing off a combustion round.
Shocked by the prince's sudden retaliation, Leila and Claus rushed for cover from the gunfire, while the soldiers were confused for who to aim at, as they ran for their own cover when Julius began firing at them as well. Gunshots echoed, as the soldiers returned fire, but the stone seat which the prince used for cover held its ground. The firing stopped, as the soldiers had to reload, but instead of using this chance to kill them, Julius took off running away from the scene and jumped behind a large piece of debris, as he had seen the flash of light that was heading their way fast.
Shin was beginning to grow increasingly furious, as he was about to activate his Knightmare and finish them off, when Jean pulled him behind a large rock yelling. "Lord Hyuga, take cover!"
Just as she said so, the combustion round hit the area where the other soldiers had failed to properly evacuate, sending them to the afterlife in an explosion. All of the survivors braced themselves for the shockwave of the blast, as it hit.
Back at Castle Weisswolf, the tremor didn't go undetected by the base's sensors, as Sarah and Olivia quickly took notice and informed the rest of the team.
"Am I crazy or was that an explosion shockwave?" Sarah stated, as she gazed at the readings confused.
"Yeah, the data shows as such." Olivia nodded, but then everyone heard the surprised gasp of Chloe, turning their attention to her.
"I'm receiving some kind of transmission!" Chloe exclaimed, rising from her seat.
"The Alexander beacons are back online?!" Hilda quickly took notice of the info on her screen, surprised.
Their worries were soon laid to rest, as a very familiar voice was heard on the transmission.
"Guys! Do you read me?" Yukiya exclaimed cheerfully. "Wyvern squad here! If you read me, respond!"
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden revelation, but their surprise was quickly replaced by joy, as everyone erupted into cheers.
"Yukiya!" Sarah exclaimed, recognizing the voice, as everyone cheered that their friends were indeed alive.
"Hey, Sarah!" Yukiya replied over the connection. "Long time no hear! You're sounding well."
"But how?!" The dark skinned officer asked, completely confused, while Joe Wise cried tears of joy to hear that they were alive, receiving warm smiles from his colleagues, who tried to reassure him, that everything was alright. "Why didn't you radio us before now?!" Sarah demanded to know.
"Sorry!" Yukiya shrugged. "To deceive one's enemies, begin with one's allies and all that."
"That's mean!" Chloe exclaimed, but was still happy to hear the hacker's voice.
"We were worried sick!" Hilda added.
Sophie let out a relieved sigh and leaned back in her chair with a happy smile, content with the news. "What wonderful news, Leila."
After the blast had cleared, Leila looked on from hers and Claus' cover curiously. She saw that the blast had almost demolished everything, leaving only a crater in the ground. However, she knew that the fight wasn't over.
Julius and Shin rose from their cover eyeing each other with complete resentment. Shin was furious that he was unable to neutralize the prince with ease as originally planned, but he would still relish in killing him himself, as he activated the Vercingetorix. Julius activated the Caligula, completely intent on not leaving even a blood stain of Shin Hyuga. It was time he disposed of this fellow Geass user, a challenge, he would greatly relish in.
Both of the Knightmares arrived in front of their pilots, as they knelt down and the hatches of the cockpits opened, with both of them entering. Julius sent Leila a brief threatening glance, conveying the silent message that she was next when he was finished with Shin. The two Knightmares activated, their eyes lighting up, as they drew their weapons.
"You've been a thorn in my sight for far too long, Julius vi Britannia!" Shin yelled out furiously, as the Vercingetorix activated its SDA axe, which elongated and spun threateningly. The golden Knightmare entered its four-legged mode, its pilot intent on winning this duel.
Not having the leisure of time to remove his eye-patch to simply kill him with his Geass, Julius made his Knightmare take out its two MVS swords, which activated and began to glow blood red. Julius laughed maniacally, his anger having reached its boiling point, as his killing intent was at an all-time high. "Come then, mongrel! I will teach you just how far beneath me you are!" The prince laughed, as the Caligula spun the MVS swords threateningly and entered a fighting stance.
Leila and Claus watched speechless, as the two behemoths of steel were about to clash. The two Knightmares were at roughly the same height, with the Vercingetorix being slightly higher, due to its four-legged mode. Seeing the battle about to happen, Jean scrambled back to avoid being caught and activated her Gracchus, which came to her, so she could support her lord.
Before she had entered it, however, the two Knightmares charged at each other, clashing their weapons. The two MVSes clashed against the SDA axe, which held firm against the steel cutting blades, thanks its rotary mechanisms. They exited the clash and continued the assault on each other. Each slash, which came at an incredible speed, due to the machines' high specs, was expertly parried by the opponent, as the swirl of clashes continued.
Having another one of its blades parried, the Caligula reversed its grip on the parried swords and attempted to deliver a return strike, only for the Vercingetorix to raise itself on its hind legs and kick the black Knightmare back. Yet by doing so, Julius activated one of the waist mounted slash-harkens of his unit, hitting Shin's machine head on in the chest, sending the golden Knightmare stumbling back, its armor having resisted the hit.
Both pilots growled in their cockpits, as Shin's Geass unconsciously activated. However, Julius was forced to activate the Caligula's wrist mounted Blaze Luminous to block the incoming fire from Jean's Gracchus that entered the battle.
"Lord Hyuga, I'll provide you support fire!" Jean told Shin over the coms, as she reloaded her weapon, giving enough breathing room for the grandmaster.
"Excellent!" Shin grinned, as he used the breather to take out his own shotgun and begin firing at the prince's black Knightmare.
"Grr! Julius growled, as he was forced to activate the second Blaze Luminous, in order to block both Knightmares. The energy shields handled the shots effortlessly, but he couldn't allow himself to stay on the defensive until his energy filler was empty.
Activating its landspinners, the Caligula backed up further into the ruins, using them as cover from the enemy fire. Using the cover, the black machine took out its Sakuradite rifle and fired at the enemy units, which moved away from the shot as it exploded into a large purple blast. Julius would have to make his shots count, since the rifle's ammunition, while powerful and deadly, was very limited.
The two factsphere sensors on the chest of Julius' machine activated and soon retracted, as the Caligula span around and intercepted a slash from the SDA axe of the Vercingetorix with one of its MVS swords. The Caligula used its free arm, which was armed with the Sakuradite rifle, to fire to its other side, where Jean's Gracchus was attempting to flank him, forcing it to retreat, lest it be caught up in the blast. Exiting the clash with Shin, Julius attempted to sever the knight's Knightmare in half with a diagonal slash, but the Vercingetorix jumped backwards to dodge the attack.
Julius grinned inside his cockpit, enjoying the adrenaline rush, as he laughed out. "Now this is a fight worthy of a king!" He boasted, relishing in the thrill of the battle, a battle which he would win.
As the battle between the three Knightmares raged on, Leila and Claus were running away to escape the fight, the latter having picked up his briefcase, thankful that the document they had given to the enemy was destroyed in the blast. Leila looked back with worry at the outnumbered black Knightmare, which held its ground and even pushed its assailants back. However, Claus seemed to stop suddenly in front of her, making her look at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" Leila asked him, noticing that he was staring at the sky with narrowed eyes, trying to make out something in the distance. She raised her gaze in the same direction and immediately felt her heart raise, as she could make out the familiar silhouette of an Alexander, as it glided down towards them. She was ecstatic to see that her friends were truly alive and alright, as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "Akito!" She called out his name loudly, with Claus still being completely taken aback by what he was seeing.
The white and red Alexander, which still suffered its wounds from the fight with the Ahuramazda, descended down towards the ground on its gliding wings, with, strangely enough, Ashley hanging tightly around its neck.
In the far distance near the castle, standing on a wooden bridge near the lake, Anna and Oscar were cheering for their friend as they spotted the descending Alexander with their binoculars.
As they descended further near the ground, Ashley took notice of the fight below and that it would seem that they were right on time. "I can see our drop point, Akito!" Ashley exclaimed.
Inside his cockpit, Akito grasped his controls firmly, intent on setting his score with Shin. "Brother…" He muttered with a dead serious expression.
Up in the air, on the float engine, the other trio of the Wyvern Squad was preparing for their own glide down, carrying packages for their head Knightmare developer, Anna.
Ayano and Ryo's Alexanders had containers attached to them, which contained all of the useful parts of the Ahuramazda, with the latter also having equipped its own gliding wings set.
"Hey, why are we trusting that Ashley guy?" Ayano grumbled, as she and Ryo prepared to jump.
"Jealousy is an ugly thing, Ayano." Yukiya chuckled, teasing his friend, while Ryo waited for them to finish.
Ayano completely flushed and retaliated to his comment. "Who's being jealous of who?!" She yelled back.
"You're an open book, Ayano." Yukiya noted, as he continued with his job of rigging the engine with explosives and setting the timer. Their ingenious plan was to set the engine with explosives and send it on a collision course towards the Britannian base. "If you don't control your emotions better, you'll never be able to play the game of love."
Ayano was becoming more and more irritated by her light brown haired friend by the second, as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her pilot seat with a sour smile. "Ho? I never imagined the day would come when I'd hear those words from you!" She continued to argue, but was ignored by Yukiya, who was focused on his task.
"Ayano, it's time." Ryo told her, as he decided that they had given Akito enough of a headstart. "Let's bail."
Ayano scoffed. "Yukiya, when we get back, we're gonna have a nice long talk!" She told him, angry that he was going to stay up there alone, becoming an easy target for the enemy.
"Yeah, yeah…" Yukiya chuckled.
Ryo's Alexander grabbed hold of Ayano's, as they prepared to jump. "Yukiya, we'll be waiting for you on the ground!" He told him.
"Roger that." Yukiya replied, finishing up with his coding. "I'll bail out as planned, so I'll see you later." He bid his friends goodbye, as they jumped off.
"Yukiya, don't keep us waiting!" Ayano warned him, worried for him, as they went out of range and descended towards the castle.
On the ground, the grueling fight at the Roman ruins was still waging on, with Jean having to fall back since part of a blast from the rifle of the Caligula had hit her, effectively taking out the silver Knightmare's right arm and ranged weaponry.
Using the break, Jean was able to spot the incoming Alexander and immediately became worried. "Lord Hyuga! Enemy reinforcement incoming!" She warned her lord.
"Guh!" Shin groaned inside his Knightmare, as it was pushed back once more by the Caligula. The Grandmaster was in a serious pinch now that Jean's supporting was cut off, as he found himself backed against the ropes from the black Knightmare's onslaught. The fight was truly the most difficult he had ever faced, with the prince proving himself to be more than a handful, as Shin was slowly losing the battle. Still, Jean's news made him grin, as he could feel his Geass pulsing. "So you've finally come, Akito." He chuckled, seeing as he would finally be able to end this fight.
Julius frowned when the image of the incoming Alexander came into his peripheral. "Tch! More and more keep coming!" He growled, as he noticed that his Knightmare was already down to two thirds of its energy reserve. Having to take on another unit would prove to be very taxing on the machine and he wondered if it could keep up with him. Well, only one way to find out. He narrowed his eye and engaged the Vercingetorix, only to grow confused when it jumped back and retreated towards the incoming Alexander. The Caligula quickly gave chase, not about to let the enemy slip away from his grasp.
Seeing the golden Knightmare change its course, followed by the black one, Ashley grew worried, as they were headed for them. "They're heading towards us, Akito!" Ashley yelled.
Akito registered his statement, but his eyes widened when the scanners of his Knightmare showed him Leila and Claus also being present. "Commander?" He was surprised to see Leila there, confused what they were doing in the middle of a battle between Knightmares. Akito quickly disengaged the wings of his Alexander, so they could land near Leila and Claus to protect them.
Once they landed, Ashley quickly jumped off from the Alexander, which raised itself to its feet and took its place in front of Leila and Claus to act as a shield, while the orange haired Knight voiced his frustrations at the incoming golden Knightmare.
"Lord Shaing!" Ashley yelled out at the Knightmare. "You and the prince have some nerve to blow up the Ark while I was still on it!" He stomped furiously. However, he quickly noticed the Gracchus to the side and dodged its incoming Slash-Harken. "Jean! Watch it!" He yelled at her, as he ran for cover from the Knightmare.
"Shut up, traitor!" Jean yelled at him through the speakers of her unit, as she charged towards him. "I'll kill you myself!" She declared, but was intercepted by the Alexander, which slashed off the Gracchus' other remaining arm and delivered a swift dropkick to its chest, breaking its two slash-harkens and sending it stumbling to the ground. "Guh!" Jean groaned from the impact.
"Get real!" Ashley yelled at her from behind the cover. "You're the traitor!"
Claus stared in complete shock, along with a curious Leila. "Who the hell is that?" He wondered out loud, this whole situation having escalated into chaos, as he saw the Vercingetorix and Caligula trade blows once more, with the golden Knightmare having trouble keeping the black one at bay, as they slowly brought their clash towards them.
Realizing that she was most likely the only voice of reason in the scenario, Leila placed her hand on Claus' shoulder to get his attention. "Lt. col., get to the boat!" She told him, wanting him to go to the transport in which they arrived and prepare it for leaving, as she ran off towards the Knightmares.
"Hey, wait a damn minute!" Claus exclaimed, wanting to stop her brashness, but found himself face to face with a grinning Ashley, who grabbed him by the shirt.
"Pops! Akito sent me!" Ashley told the middle-aged man with an energetic smile. "Let's get out of here!"
Claus could only stare at the orange haired youth with utter confusion. "Who are you?"
The Caligula and Vercingetorix continued their clash, as sparks from the collision of their weapons flew into the air. The prince's Knightmare slashed away, having the advantage with two swords compared to Shin's only one axe. Akito saw neither was intent on backing down, so he decided to intervene. The Alexander jumped into the fray, surprising the other two pilots, as it delivered a dropkick to the Vercingetorix and kicked away the Caligula.
"Enough!" Akito yelled out through the speakers, as he now stood in a three-way circle between the other two Knightmares.
"Get lost, Hyuga!" Julius growled through the speakers, angry that the Eleven pilot was interfering with him once more. "After I'm done with your brother, you'll be the next to be impaled on my sword!"
"I do not know what is going on here, but I will not allow neither of you to hurt my friends!" Akito declared, as the Alexander brandished its Stake tonfas.
Shin chuckled over his own speakers. "Akito, you haven't changed one bit since then. You're still a child." He said, gaining the other two pilots' attention. "You have no idea how the world works."
"You're wrong, brother." Akito replied firmly, intent on opposing Shin. "Fighting can't change anything."
"I can't allow the people of the world to go on following the same foolish rulers, like the Britannian prince over there." Shin chuckled, while his younger brother became nervous, but neither he nor Akito realized that this breather was a golden opportunity for Julius, who removed his eye-patch. "Akito, if you are my brother, you ought to understand what I am trying to do." Shin said, as the Vercingetorix extended its empty hand towards the Alexander. "Kill, Julius vi Britannia!" Shin ordered.
"Brother…" Akito replied, but then froze, as he felt Shin's Geass taking hold off him once more, as the Alexander then charged straight for the Caligula, surprising Julius, who, from the shock, was unable to activate his own Geass. Akito began to chuckle madly, now completely under the influence of the command. "Die!" He laughed out, as the smaller Alexander maimed at the bigger and bulkier Caligula.
"This again!" Julius growled, as he struggled to hold off the berserk Alexander. The two Knightmares clashed, with Shin laughing from the side, enjoying the battle. The prince activated his Geass, getting the Alexander within range, but this time the influence of Shin's Geass over Akito's conscience was too strong and the prince's own power failed to grasp his opponent's mind, which was locked inside a steel cage of violence. "Damn it!" He yelled out, as he kicked the Alexander back, only for it to recoil insanely fast and come back at him again.
"Die!" Akito laughed, as the Alexander clashed with the Caligula once more. The black Knightmare, however, used its superior strength to overpower the smaller unit, breaking the clash and making the Alexander stumble back. The prince then made the Caligula grab the neck of Akito's machine, as it proceeded to spin around and throw the smaller unit, which recoiled in mid-air landing swiftly and charging back again.
"Yes, that's it!" Shin laughed victoriously, as the Vercingetorix activated its SDA axe to join the fray. "Let us dispose of this hindrance together, like brothers." Shin grinned mockingly, as he brought the axe down on the black Knightmare, only for it to block with its second sword, while the other was busy holding back the Alexander, which was trying to push its tonfas through.
"Akito, no!" Leila yelled out, as she ran towards the fighting Knightmares. "Stop it!" Her words, however, weren't reaching from the distance.
Trapped between the crosshairs of the two enemy units, Julius growled, as he activated the landspinners of his Knightmare, making it do a three sixty with its swords, hurling the other two back from the sudden momentum. The Caligula brandished its swords once more to intercept the already charging Alexander, while the Vercingetorix got to its feet.
"Die!" Akito yelled maniacally, as he attempted to slash the Caligula with his tonfas in a spinning motion, only for the black Knightmare to slash back with both swords in a cross shaped pattern, severing the white Knightmare's weapons in half.
The Alexander recoiled back, to regain its footing, while the Vercingetorix charged from the back and kicked the Caligula away fiercely, the black Knightmare rolling over from the hit, though managing to right itself, as its pilot groaned from the hit inside.
Shin laughed triumphantly. "Haha! Akito, finish him off!" He declared, as the Alexander charged at the Caligula, which raised its swords once more.
However, both Julius and Shin became speechless, when Leila ran in front of the prince's Knightmare and spread her arms out, as if she was a barrier. What surprised them, though, was the fact that the Alexander stopped dead in its tracks.
What happened? Julius wondered, as he gazed at the predicament curiously, making his Knightmare straighten up and be ready to counter a surprise attack from both of his opponents.
Akito stared completely frozen at Leila, his expression twisting, as he fought for control over his actions. "Commander?" He managed to speak out.
"Don't do it, Akito!" Leila told him, not wanting to see him forced down the same path of his brother. "You're not like him!"
Julius was confused from Leila protecting him, but Shin, however, was furious that this woman would ruin everything. "Akito, kill that woman!" Shin ordered him. "No one can give you orders but me! Kill her!"
Akito froze stiff, as he struggled against his brother's command with every part of his being. His Geass had taken a strong influence earlier, because he was fighting Julius, whom he considered a threat, but now when faced with the woman he loved, Akito was not about to let himself do something he would forever regret. "N-no…! N-no…!" He continued to struggle, as the Alexander slowly knelt down towards Leila, its metallic claws coming dangerously close to her, but she remained unfazed.
Figuring that he owed Leila for stopping the Alexander's charge, Julius decided to make them even by saving her from a foolish death. From what he gathered from the situation, he understood that Shin most likely had his brother under his Geass. He raised one of his MVSes, about to impale the Alexander's cockpit, but stopped himself, when he noticed the white Knightmare to freeze in place. "Impossible!" He gasped out, completely taken aback.
Inside his cockpit, Akito was no longer struggling for his free will, as his hands were steady and he let out a relieved sigh, while Leila continued to gaze at his Alexander patiently, surrounded by the metallic claws. He smiled at her, truly feeling that there was no other girl like her. "Commander." He said over the speakers.
"Akito!" Leila smiled happily, relieved to hear his calm voice.
Julius stared at them, utterly speechless. Akito Hyuga had done what he had considered impossible, breaking the hold of Geass, not once, but twice! However, in his surprised state, he failed to realize that he had lowered his guard, as his instincts kicked in at the last minute, turning around and activating the Blaze Luminous to block the grenade shot hurled at him by a Sutherland, the pilot of which was Jean, who had ditched her unit for an operational machine.
While Julius was distracted, Akito noted the incoming stampede of his brother's Knightmare. Not having adequate time to block the attack properly, the Alexander took hold of Leila as carefully as the time frame allowed it and jumped to the side, dodging the slash which he presumed was aimed at them, only for Akito's eyes to widen in realization, much like Julius, as the SDA axe came down on the Caligula, with the black Knightmare failing to block the attack in time, losing its right arm.
Julius watched in utter anger, as he brought his Knightmare's remaining arm in front of itself with the Blaze Luminous active to protect itself from the next attack. The Vercingetorix used its full weight to deliver a powerful kick to the Caligula, which hurled the black Knightmare a few meters back, with the cockpit colliding hard against the ground, with Julius taking the full brunt force of the impact, as he could feel the pain coursing through his whole body.
"Guh!" Julius groaned out, as he felt some blood drip down his forehead from the earlier hit. He panted trying to get his body to ignore the pain, as his Knightmare slowly rose back to its feet. He could also feel liquid, most likely blood, coming out from the right side of his torso and soaking his clothes, dying them red. "Damn it!" He cursed for allowing himself to get this beaten up, as he clutched the wound on his body with one hand, fearing that at this rate he would pass out from blood loss.
His vision slowly began to get hazy. He needed to get out of the Knightmare and get some fresh air and remain conscious enough to use his Geass, otherwise, he was toast.
"Hahaha!" Shin laughed madly inside his Knightmare, as it slowly approached the damaged Caligula. "It's over, Julius vi Britannia!" He declared, as he raised his axe about to bring it down on the cockpit of the Knightmare.
"Stop it!" Akito yelled out, as his Alexander tackled the Vercingetorix to the side, placing itself in front of the motionless Caligula. "Enough, brother!"
"Akito!" Shin roared, furious at his brother's continuous defiance. However, he dodged back, when a few combustion rounds fell from the sky, aimed at him, exploding where he previously was. Yukiya wasn't going to let him have his win that easily.
"Lord Hyuga!" Jean called out to Shin in concern. "We must retreat! They have air-superiority!"
Shin frowned, as he gazed at Akito. "This isn't over, Akito!" He roared, as he then turned his attention to Leila, who ran over to the Alexander. "I do not accept your surrender! I will kill all of you and take what I want by force!" He declared, as the Vercingetorix reared back on its hind legs threateningly and took off to retreat, followed by Jean in her Sutherland. "I've already accomplished half of what I came here to do!" He grinned madly, as he sent the motionless black Knightmare a glance, figuring that the prince was most likely downed by that last hit.
The four-legged Knightmare and its escorting Sutherland were soon gone in the distance, which made Leila and Akito respectively let out a relieved sigh. Their attention, however, quickly turned to the opening hatch of the knelt down Caligula, from which exited Julius, clutching the wound on his torso with one hand and barely being able to keep the eye-patch on his left eye, as he panted heavily, blood dripping from him. He didn't even register that they were there, as he sat down and leaned on the leg of his Knightmare, using the relief of having to force his legs to work to properly put on his eye-patch and curse mentally that if Leila hadn't interfered at the last moment, he would have been able to kill both of his opponents. Still, it was too late to contemplate on that, as he was his companions' attention turn to him.
He chuckled to himself, as he clutched his wound, wondering for how long it would take for his vision to become perfectly clear again and seeing Akito come out of his cockpit and approaching him along with Leila. "Well, it would seem that I'm not in the best of predicaments, am I?" He chuckled, as he eyed them curiously, feeling the nausea caused by the wound slowly lessen. "So, what are you waiting for?" He asked them. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"
The two blue-eyed individuals in front of him looked at each other, having a silent conversation with their gazes, which the prince was unable to understand. Akito wasn't too sure about what Leila had planned in mind, but if it was her decision, he would stand by her and give her his support.
"No, we aren't going to kill you, Julius vi Britannia." Leila replied, gaining a surprised frown from the prince.
"You do realize that another opportunity like this won't present itself to you." He told her, narrowing his eye at her, wondering if she was really that foolish to pass up on an opportunity to sever the head of the enemy.
"Nothing will be accomplished by killing you." Akito said with a serious expression, not going to let the prince pull any tricks and endanger Leila. "Or are you that miserable that you would beg someone to end your life?" He taunted the prince, surprising Leila and himself, as Julius quickly rose to his feet.
"Watch your tongue, mongrel!" Julius hissed out venomously, as one hand continued to clutch his wound. "Even like this, I'm more than capable of ending you!" He growled, as he and Akito narrowed their eyes at each other, waging a silent war.
Seeing the brewing conflict, Leila knew that she had to intervene. "Stop this, both of you!" She said, getting in between the two. Akito let out a sigh, as he kept his worried gaze on Leila, while Julius looked at her in growing annoyance. Leila turned to face Julius completely, surprising him with her frowning expression. "You are wounded and you still want to fight!" She stated in a scolding tone, surprising both of her companions. The prince in front of her might have been a horrible being that had committed many sins, but he was still human and was owed such treatment. "We have to get those wounds treated as soon as possible!"
Julius frowned at her, completely speechless by her statement. She wanted to help him, her enemy. He was starting to consider that she truly was an idiot, but based on what he had seen earlier, that was up for debate. "You seriously want to provide aid to an enemy? You're too naïve." He told her, narrowing his eyes at her briefly, to which she responded by staring back, while the prince proceeded to take off his cloak and using it to wrap up the wound as tightly as he could. "Besides, it is going to take a lot more than a few flesh wounds to stop me." He shrugged, as he finished tying the cloth over his wound to stop the bleeding.
"I do not find offering help to a person in need to be naïve." Leila replied to his claim, as he brushed some blood off his forehead and stared back at her. "And you don't have a choice in the matter." She said, surprising the prince. "You are coming with us back to the castle."
"So, you're going to take me hostage." Julius noted, figuring that such a course of action was indeed beneficial for them.
"No, as a victor." Leila smiled at him, losing the two for a second from her train of thought, as they couldn't understand what she meant and blinked in confusion. "We did surrender, so there is no longer a need for us to fight among ourselves." She explained, keeping her smile in hopes that she would get the prince to cooperate. If she let him believe that he was the one in control, then maybe there was a chance to interact properly with him. "After all, we still owe you for letting us go at Warsaw."
Julius' eye widened at her statement, as he was left speechless by her actions once more. Seeing that he would most likely not be able to get her to leave him alone, coupled with the fact that if he tried to return back to the base, where he would have Shin executed by the rest of the soldiers, he'd most likely be intercepted by the enemy on the way. He began to chuckle, finding this whole scenario exceedingly amusing, as he erupted into hearty laughter, which made Leila to look at him curiously.
"Did I say something funny?" She asked, not getting the joke, as Akito stayed behind her and silently observed.
Calming down his laughter, Julius smirked at the blond commander. "Leila Breisgau, you are one of the strangest people I've ever met." He told her, as she blinked for a few seconds. "You continue to surprise me yet to this very moment." He said and began laughing again, ignoring the pain in his side. "Fine, I shall allow you to be accompanied by a Britannian prince!" He declared, as he smirked at Leila, who, along with Akito, stared at him with wide eyes. The prince was no fool, he knew that to win sometimes there were alliances to be made, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to cut ties with all of them when he had no further use. Still, he would use this opportunity to get as much information about Geass as possible through Leila, for it turned out that there was much that he did not know. "Be honored, that you will be graced with my allegiance!" He said with a hearty chuckle and proud smirk.
In truth, the two European soldiers weren't prepared for such… flamboyance, they opted to put it. But, seeing as the prince was now at least willing to cooperate, they were content, as Akito crossed his arms and smiled lightly, while Leila clapped her hands in satisfaction.
"Perfect." Leila smiled at Julius, who wasn't sure what to make of her trusting nature. "Judging by your previous statement, you are capable of piloting that Knightmare, right?" She asked him, eyeing his wounds briefly and then turned to look towards the Caligula.
"Hmph." Julius shrugged, seeing that she had him there. "Indeed, I will be able to drive alongside you."
"Right then," Leila turned around to see Akito smirking at the prince.
"Don't get too over yourself," Akito told Julius with crossed arms and a smug smile, though his voice wasn't sarcastic or antagonizing. It was a simple genuine warning. "Those wounds do look like they hurt a lot."
"Mere pain isn't going to topple me." Julius replied with a smirk of his own, as the two locked eyes once more.
Leila looked at them in confusion, thinking that they would start to argue again, but to her relief nothing of the sort happened. Gazing at the two, she couldn't help but think that maybe there was actually a very high chance for them to form a friendship of sorts, though it remained to be seen if such a relationship could be established with the prince. Her thoughts were quickly put to rest by Julius, who lost his smile in favor of a frown.
"Don't get any strange ideas that either of you are equal to me." He said sternly, but not sounding threatening. "I may have agreed to side with you for the moment, but that is all. Our interactions are simply of business relation." Julius said and went to enter his Knightmare, leaving Leila and Akito.
"Hmph," Leila gazed at Akito, who shrugged with a small smile on his face. Maybe he really would give the prince a chance. She watched him look up at the sky, after which he turned to her. "Let's go, commander." The blue haired pilot smiled at her, as he went over to his Alexander, failing to see the joyful gaze sent his way by Leila.
The Alexander and the Caligula activated, as the former carefully picked up Leila, much to her surprise, while the latter picked up its severed arm and sheathed its MVSes. The white and black Knightmares drove off towards the large speedboat in which Leila and Claus had arrived.
Claus and Ashley were already on it and had prepared the boat for takeoff. However, both men were surprised, when they saw the Caligula accompanying the Alexander, becoming nervous.
Julius gazed at the boat from his cockpit and raised his eyebrow, doubt filling him. It seemed large enough, but could it support the weight of the two Knightmares remained for him to inquire. "Are you sure that that boat can carry the weight of two Knightmares?" He asked over the coms, having established a line with Akito's Alexander.
"I am not aware." Akito replied blankly, shrugging, as he then used the speakers of his Knightmare. "Commander, is it going to hold the weight of two Knightmares?" He asked Leila, who was currently in the Alexander's arms.
"Yes, without a doubt." Leila nodded firmly. "That boat has been made with the intention of transporting a small unit of Alexander drones at a quick pace, so I'm positive that it is going to hold out."
"Heh." Julius chuckled, finding her optimism foolish and hilarious at the same time. "We'll find out very soon, won't we?" He said, as the two Knightmares stopped in front of the boat, with the Alexander letting Leila down.
They were greeted by Ashley, who ran over to them. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked Akito, having turned to the Alexander. "I thought that you were only going to rescue your commander?"
"There were a few… developments." Akito noted with an amused smile, as he also saw Claus approaching them.
"Commander, are you out of your mind?!" He yelled out. "Why is the Britannian prince with you?!"
His statement quickly resonated with Ashley, who turned to the black Knightmare nervously. "Prince Julius…?" He asked, hoping that he was wrong, as he gazed at the black and gold Knightmare, though it would seem that luck wouldn't be on his side.
"Indeed, sir Ashra." Julius replied over the speakers, as he eyed the orange haired knight. "It would seem that you are alive and are siding with them." He stated plainly, with his voice lacking in any hint of emotion.
"Aah! That's right!" Ashley exclaimed, remembering the Ark's explosion, after which he frowned at the black Knightmare, taking it for the prince. "You rigged me up to die on the Ark!" He yelled, angry and wanting a proper explanation.
Inside his cockpit, Julius sighed, massaging the sides of his temple, trying to keep himself composed. "Shin Hyuga was the one to set those explosives without my consent, so if you want someone to blame now you have one." He said, but then lowered his voice to a threatening tone, not going to allow a britannian to hold such a tone to him. "Also, are you perhaps forgetting who it is you are talking to?" He said.
Ashley froze in place from the threat and bowed. "No, your highness! I apologize for my rudeness." He said, as Claus watched the exchange utterly flabbergasted, the day having been too wild for him to keep track of everything that had happened.
Leila smiled at her second in command. "Some things happened, but I'll be sure to explain properly to everyone when we get back." She said.
Claus let out a defeated sigh and let his shoulders hung low. "Damn right you should." He chuckled with a smile. For all it was worth, he was glad that she was alright.
Standing on a small wooden bridge into the lake, Oscar and Anna watched patiently for the returning boat with Leila and Claus. It soon came into view much to their relief and surprise, since it also carried an Alexander and a black Britannian Knightmare. However, they were ignoring their confusion, as they cheered for the safe return of their friends.
"Yes, they're alive!" Oscar exclaimed energetically, a great weight lifting off his chest as he saw familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Anna waved towards the boat with tears in her green eyes and a joyful smile. "Leila! Leila!" She called out happily, as she saw her friend wave back from the boat, as it slowly neared the shore.
Up in the sky, however, Yukiya was having other plans than what he had originally discussed with his friends. He hadn't rigged the sakuradite reactor with bombs as in their initial plan, but had instead used the sakuradite reactor to enhance the bombs, since he knew that there was a chance that the enemy would shoot the reactor down before it could even reach them and he wasn't going to be taking any chances. He would use these to make sure that the enemy's superior strength didn't come to harm the people he cared about.
"I hate to do this, but it's war…" Yukiya said nonchalantly, as he finished setting the timer of the last bomb. His gaze sharpened, as he pressed the button and made his Knightmare let the bomb drop right over one of the enemy's bases.
It fell from the sky, gaining velocity, as its timer reached zero and a large purple explosion engulfed almost the whole area, completely wiping out anything in its path.
"Sorry, but I have teammates to protect." Yukiya said.
Down on the ground, a huge smoldering crater was now in place of where the main base had once been. The Britannian forces were in disarray, as the survivors scoured the remnants for anyone they could save.
"Company 2's been wiped out!" Reports came in. "All squads report in for accounting!"
One of the Swordmasters of the order of St. Michael was currently desperately trying to calm down his allies, when he received a transmission from Shin. "Lord Shaing…" Brondello muttered, as the Grandmaster's voice came through the transmission.
"The enemy is above the clouds. I'm sending you the coordinates. Shoot it down with a Canterburry." Shin ordered.
The Britannians quickly prepared one of their artillery cannons, as the heavy armored machine moved in place and targeted its large canon towards the air, the coordinates of the enemy having been input in it. Its canon charged its blast and fired, sending a clear shot of condensed volatile Sakuradite.
An emergency alert signal appeared on Yukiya's screen, which confused him. Everything that happened next was too fast for the Japanese pilot to register, as the artillery strike hit and made the whole Flight engine explode.
From their landing point, Ayano and Ryo looked towards the sky in horror.
"Yukiya!" Ryo exclaimed, worried for his friend's fate, as both he and Ayano watched the chunks of the engine falling down towards the lake.
"Yukiya!" Both of them yelled out in horror.
Inside his Vercingetorix Shin chuckled sinisterly. Everything was slowly coming into place. Soon, nothing would be left to stand in his way. "Akito," He continued to chuckle. "I'm going to kill everyone that you love." His face twisted into a mad grin, with his Geass activating. "Right in front of you."
"Yukiya!" Ryo yelled out his friend's name, as Ayano's Alexander was gripping his firmly, preventing him from going into the lake to save Yukiya himself, which he was incapable of.
"You can't go there, Ryo!" Ayano yelled, also worried sick. "We'll be defunct in water!"
"Let me go!" Ryo struggled desperately. "I must rescue him!" He said, but then noticed the large boat carrying the two Knightmares pass by them. "Is that Akito and Leila?" He asked, confused, but quickly made to call them on the coms.
On the boat, Leila received their call and answered. "Can you hear me, Ryo and Ayano?" She asked, as she then listened to what they had to say. "What?! You say Yukiya is trapped in there?!" She exclaimed, surprised, but quickly steeled herself, not going to allow her lack of control to cost them Yukiya's life.
Akito frowned, worried, seeing the indications on his screen. "I caught his beacon just now." He said.
"Please rescue him, Akito!" Ayano begged.
"Of course I will!" Akito replied seriously, intent on not failing.
Julius watched everything from inside his cockpit, finding it very interesting, as he finished wiping all the blood from his face, the cut on his forehead having stopped bleeding profusely and he no longer felt serious pain from the side of his torso. First there had been that large explosion in the distance, then the reactor fell from the sky and into the lake and now, judging by the others' conversation, they were going to have to rescue one of their comrades from certain death.
He leaned on his right arm and watched with interest how things would play out. This sure is proving to be quite the day. He mused to himself.
"Leila, what's going on?" The commander received a call from Anna on the coms. She gazed at the water in worry, as she listened to her friend. "That thing that just fell, isn't it a Sakuradite Reactor?" Anna asked, growing concerned.
"Yukiya is trapped in it!" Leila replied, informing Anna of their predicament.
Anna let out a horrified gasp, as her face paled. "Oh my goodness!"
"We must rescue him! Any good idea, Anna?" Leila asked her friend over the coms, as they changed their course, so they could properly search the area where the reactor fell.
Oscar gazed at the purple haired Knightmare developer, who thought on the matter for a few seconds, coming up with a plan. "Leila, there are cushion bags in his machine." Anna told the commander on the boat. "If we can access his Alexander and trigger these airbags, then we should be able to float his cockpit up!"
"How can we access it?" Leila asked.
"The BRS can link Akito to Yukiya's systems!" Anna replied, explaining the method to her friend.
Leila turned to the Alexander. "Akito, did you hear?"
The blue haired pilot was already on it, as he activated the BRS link and searched for the airbag systems. "On it." He nodded, as the link activated and he turned on the airbags.
Deep within the lake, Yukiya lay half-conscious in his cockpit, bleeding profusely from various wounds, as his Knightmare slowly sunk to the bottom along with the chunks of the reactor. With Akito having activated the airbags, the cockpit of the blue and neon green Alexander ejected and inflated, steadily rising up to the surface.
Searching for it from on board the deck, Leila saw the cockpit float up to the surface on their 3 o'clock. "It's surfaced!" She declared, as she entered the captain cabin of the boat, where Claus was driving the transport, with Ashley also being present in the room. "Lt. col. Warwick, draw the ship towards it!" She told him.
"Roger!" Claus replied, changing their course towards the cockpit, as Leila exited out of the room.
Ashely gazed curiously. "Is that woman your commander?" He asked.
Claus couldn't help but sigh at his choice of words. "Show some respect." He told Ashley. "Her name is Leila Breisgau."
Ashley smirked, turning back to look where Leila had entered. "Yeah, I've heard about her." He chuckled, remembering how many times Akito and the rest brought her up on occasions. They spoke of her very fondly, especially Akito, and so far, the commander wasn't disproving the high opinions of the pilots he had heard.
Julius watched curiously, as the boat stopped next to the floating cockpit. He saw Akito exiting out of his cockpit and going over to the one in the water, activating its safety ejection lock, removing the lid, revealing the wounded Yukiya. He shrugged, losing interest, as it wasn't his business if one of their own got wounded.
Akito picked up Yukiya, placing him on his back, as he felt him barely chuckle out. "Yo, Akito." The brown haired boy smiled lightly.
"Just rest, I'll bring you to safety." Akito told him, not wanting him to waste his energy.
"You're being too kind to me…" Yukiya let out a small pained laugh. "Aren't you an impostor?"
"Yes," Akito smiled contently, as he carried Yukyia back to the boat. "proper irony."
With Yukiya recovered on board and seeing his condition, Leila called Anna. "We got Yukiya on board, but he's severely injured." Leila told her friend. "Tell Dr. Randle to prepare for treatment!"
Anna completely paled from the news. "Oh my poor Yukiya…" She was able to mutter out, as she fainted on the spot, Oscar having to catch her lest she fall. In all the time she had spent around the young software genius, she had begun to grow especially fond of him, enjoying his quirkiness and cunning wits, and she eventually grew feelings for him, which of course, weren't a secret to her staff. Chloe and Hilda often teased her about it.
"Captain Clement, are you alright?!" Oscar asked, worried if Anna was alright.
Claus docked the boat back in the castle's underground hangar, as the doors closed behind him and the lights in the room activated. The two Knightmares stepped off from the boat, along with the rest of its passengers, as Ashley and Claus carried the wounded Yukiya.
Anna and Oscar arrived in the room along with Ayano and Ryo, all of them worried for the condition of their friend.
"Did you inform Dr. Randle?" Leila asked them, as she sent a worried glance towards Yukiya's bleeding form.
"Yes, she and her staff are prepared and waiting." Oscar nodded.
Ryo and Ayano ran over to Ashley and Claus to check up on the wounded Yukiya, while Anna was growing light-headed from all the blood she could see and was about to pass out once more.
Exiting out of his Knightmare, Akito jumped down in order to help with getting Yukiya to the infirmary as soon as possible. The whole Wyvern squad was silent, as all of them were concerned with Yukiya's survival.
Then, completely drawing all attention to himself, Julius exited out of his Knightmare with a smirk, not caring in the slightest if the wounded pilot would survive or not, looking around the base. "Ho? So this is where the magic happens." He chuckled, eyeing the place. "Not half-bad."
The people present who were yet to learn of the prince's alliance grew wide eyed and shocked upon realizing exactly who was among them. Their enemy was beside them and they were utterly confused as to what he was doing here.
Ryo, however, frowned and ground his teeth, as the prince, who paid him no mind, walked over to Leila and sent the rest an emotionless analyzing glance. "I take it these are your subordinates, miss Breisgau." He noted, not impressed in the slightest by what he was seeing.
"They are my friends." Leila corrected, slightly annoyed by his choice of words.
"Of course." Julius chuckled to himself with a shrug. He saw Anna and Ayano eye him incredulously and with a hint of fear and uneasiness, as the former's legs shook, threatening to give from under the pressure. Oscar unconsciously took a step back, as never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine being in the homicide prince of Britannia's presence. With that said, Julius failed to shift his gaze quickly to notice something very important, as there was a sudden pain in his jaw and everything went dark.
What happened next made everyone's jaws drop, even the stoic Akito, as they watched Ryo furiously run up to the prince and delivered the hardest uppercut he had ever thrown to the careless prince's face, knocking him out cold on the ground.
"That's what you had coming, damn bastard!" Ryo huffed contently, having thoroughly enjoyed sucker-punching the prince out cold. He had been serious about his declaration that he would punch his face in for everything that happened back at Warsaw and it was a huge relief to finally get payback.
"Oi! Do you know what you have done?!" Ashley visibly panicked, becoming terrified of what would happen once the prince woke up.
"Heh. I know that it felt satisfying." Ryo smirked, as Akito quickly regained his composure before anyone could notice. "He deserved it."
"We have to get Yukiya to the infirmary at once!" Leila told everyone, shaking them out. "Take the prince, too, he is also wounded. I'll figure out a way to deal with him when he wakes up." She said, giving Ryo a slightly disappointed glare and in return she received a proud smile from the Japanese, making her sigh.
Back at the main camp, Shin and Jean had returned, with many questioning where was the prince, whispers growing throughout the survivors of Yukiya's bombing. The Japanese was able to wipe out almost two thirds of the whole force of the Knights of St. Michael, which Shin wasn't interested in the slightest. All he wanted was results and he would get them one way or another.
"Proud Knights," Shin began, intent on seeing his plan through. "as you have seen, the enemy is more than worthy of complete annihilation." He said, gesturing in the direction of the crater. "I'm also sad to report to you that the twelfth prince, Julius vi Britannia, is no longer among us." He declared, gaining surprised and unbelieving gasps. "Yes, indeed." He nodded, though he was smirking internally. "The enemy has done what many considered impossible and brought the homicide prince down to his demise." He watched as genuine looks of fear spread through the soldiers, but he would have none of it, as he still required these pawns to be in working condition. "With that said, I'll be taking over as supreme commander." Shin stated with a smirk. "Regroup your forces, strengthen your anger over your lost comrades and we will destroy the enemy! The time to prove your chivalry will soon be upon you!" He declared.
"Yes, my lord!" All of the Knights saluted, though nervously, as they were still skeptical about everything which the grandmaster said, especially the three swordmasters, who suspected Shin to have actually assassinated the prince.
Shin chuckled to himself. Everything is coming into place perfectly. He thought as he gazed towards the setting sun. I shall kill… He narrowed his eyes, as his Geass unconsciously activated once more. Kill them all…
Whew, that's that. First of all, I'd like to point out that even outnumbered, Julius' Caligula's specs and his piloting skills would've been enough to win the fight and kill Akito and Shin, had he not distracted himself, and I think it was very clear that he was dominating the fight. I'll admit that I was very disappointed when we didn't see neither the Vercingetorix nor the Alexander take on Suzaku in the Lancelot in the anime, though the fight between Shin and Akito was AWESOME(Except for the whole interdimensional Geass link and stuff, which almost ruined it for me). It was this same dissatisfaction that led me to the idea of the battle in this chapter, since I figured that instead of having Julius fight both opponents one at a time, it would be way better to make it a two on one and showcase the Lancelot model's superiority(Cuz let's be real, Lloyd knows his stuff.)
Still, I'm a little sour that maybe it was a little too obvious that there would be a reluctant alliance between Leila and Julius, but oh well. Speaking of alliance, Ryo probably didn't make a good first impression XD. Julius won't be happy in the slightest when he wakes up, if you catch my drift. Shin's declared him dead, so he could get the knights under his command, nothing too surprising.
Next chapter we're going to go a little more in-depth concerning Leila's Geass. Also, NO, I'm not going to be having a deus ex machina in the form of the dimensional supervisor appear and save the day, cause the characters are more than capable enough on their own! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I wish you a great day!
