Chapter 26: The Forged Alliance
(Britannia) (Ashford University Infirmary)
Rivalz and Milly waited patiently that afternoon watching over Shirley who slept peacefully on the infirmary bed, completely unaware of the war that was waging on the other side of the world. While they waited for their friend to wake up from her sedated state, Milly, who was bored to her mind couldn't help but look around envious of Lelouch's facilities. It kind of reminded her about the time when she too was still a noble.
It wasn't long then until Villeta Nu entered the room quietly after being called from the teacher's longue. "Sorry I'm late" she said through pants. "I came by as soon as I got the call"
"Coach Villeta?" Milly looked at the woman who entered. "What are you doing here?"
"I got a call from one of Lelouch's doctors saying that Shirley was brought to the infirmary. Did they tell you what's wrong with her?"
"No not really…" Rivalz answered. "She collapsed in the student council building a few hours ago. She was in real pain that time but the doctors said that she'll be just fine now. I got so worried I thought I was going to get a heart attack"
"You sound like a guy who just heard that his son was born" Milly added grinning evilly at the poor boy. "You'll make a great father one day. (Prez… please don't joke) In any case. Shirley should be just fine now. She's asleep for the time being"
"Well I guess that's one good news" Villeta let out a sigh of relief. "But if it's as serious as being taken to a hospital I'll have no other choice but to remove her from the triathlon coming this week. Such a shame. And she was looking forward about it too. In any case. You two better get home as well. There's been an announcement earlier. We have the whole week off"
"Again?" the president of the student council inquired. "That's the third time this month. I might not be a big fan on studying and all but we haven't had class since… forever! I'm actually starting to get bored with all this free time" and to hear those words coming from the party princess herself was enough to make the gods choke on their drinks.
"Now that you mentioned it, we've been getting long holidays lately" Rivalz noted as he had already forgotten when he last had class. He had to admit that having long holidays were good at times. The student council was finally able to catch on their work and the various clubs around campus had more time to prepare for the Christmas festival. But in all honesty, all this free time was really draining all their fun activities. The movies in the theaters were booked fool, the arcade was cramped up and even the various entertainment sectors were having a hard time booking their next customers in a five year waiting list.
"Anyway, I'll have to inform Shirley's mother when she comes back from Area 7" Villetta added groaning all the same. She was hoping to get some rest along the way now that Lelouch was gone. With the OSI firmly in that boy's pockets worked had tripled at best. Though she didn't have to keep watch over him 24/7, the man had made the organization his own personal army of secretaries. He had officers hopping from one province to the next while at the same time making contacts with resistance forces throughout the world. With his personal connection with the OSI, he began expanding his influence throughout the empire. Hollington was now a hub for Numbers and Britannians alike. Even by the minutes, more and more people and slaves moved into those lands hoping for a better future.
But while the student council members rejoiced on Shirley's recovery, they remained oblivious to the great war that was happening on the other side of the Earth.
(Mausoleum of 88 Emperors) (Avalon)
"Prince Schneizel… do you accept?" those were the words that left Kaguya Sumeragi that night as her eyes remained unchanged on the video screen in front of the Avalon's monitor. On her left and right side were two small boxes where Zero and Xingke's face stood also unwavering. The weight of their stare was enough to make any hard boiled criminal beg on his knees and confess his crimes. Heck even Kanon felt a little steam rising from his suit just by watching this monitor.
"What is this?" one of the prince's advisors raised a brow in question of Zero's plan. "Do they plan to ask for aid from the empire? Surely this plan of his is flawed in every turn"
"It could be just another orchestrated plan done by Zero" Kanon theorized also agreeing seeing that this plan was imperfect. To actually ask Britannia to switch sides was just plain insane. The other advisors agreed and saw this to be nothing more but a ruse for the masked vigilante to gain more screen time.
"No…" but they stopped immediately when Schneizel spoke up. "It's a carefully elaborated plan. You could say… that he has me… in check…" it was rare to see Prince Schneizel give out praise to someone. Though he does give a lot of them to his own siblings it was even rarer to see him admit a lost in a battle. "At the moment, Zero has this whole country dancing at the palm of his hands"
"But he's asking the entire federation to for assistance. Surely no one would actually support a terrorist group publically"
"No… this is only a signal to the world…" Schneizel answered back squinting his eyes a bit. "With this act, it proves to everyone that the government of the Chinese Federation, no longer has control over its own people and power. Even if no one answers Zero's call they will still break away from the Federation and declare themselves independence. Once that happens, the remaining countries will empty their weapons against one another making them easy picking for the Black Knights to take over"
"So… what should we do?"
"We are in a very delicate situation at this moment. For now… Zero has generously given us three options" Schneizel looked over to the screen and sighed impressively at the man's tactics. He spoke carefully and calmly like he always does to keep everyone around him at ease but in truth his mind was singing all kinds of praises to the masked vigilante. "All of which are downfall. If we choose to aid the High Eunuchs in this battle, it would look to the world that we were the ones who plotted the rebellion and we will be treated as the villains"
"What if we just leave and ignore their request? Letting both sides fight it off?" Kanon suggested deeming it to be the most efficient political move. Seeing that both the Black Knights and the Eunuchs exhaust their resource on a petty squabble.
"No… Zero would only accuse us to be the mastermind behind this coup and again we will fall as the enemy of the federation"
"But if that's the case then how… are we supposed to act?"
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"You… you mean… you planned this far ahead even when all the cards are held by the enemy's hands?"
"Correct" Zero stated to the concerned Xingke who now looked like nothing more but a bug ready to be squished. Knowing well what Schneizel's answer would be, Zero could only smirk. He was anxious of hearing the man's statement on screen and was almost 100 percent sure that the outcome would be to his satisfaction. "With both of those options leading only to Britannia's demise you can only do what's expected of you Schneizel. Your pride as a member of the royal family demands that you openly cooperate. It was thanks to you that I was able to formulate this plan…"
"I simply stole your strategy and implemented a couple of my own methods into the plan. A brilliant signature, wouldn't you agree?" he stifled a laugh before contacting the hanger bay. "Engineering. Replace Xingke's FLOAT system with one of our own and charge his energy filler as well. I want the Shen Hu in battle ready condition within the hour"
"Of course, Master Zero"
Xingke raised a brow. "What? What are you?"
"You're not out of the fight yet Xingke. You still have an army to lead…"
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"Zero… is this what he meant when he played that game of chess with me back in the wedding reception in the Forbidden City?" Schneizel pondered on the thought of Zero's plan but saw no flaw it in. With the arrival of the new Knightmares and the appearance of a new capital ship the Black Knight Avalon, it was fairly obvious who was going to win this match. "With all of this… he only leaves me with one option…"
Kanon also had to admit that he was impressed with Zero. In all his life serving the 2nd prince he has never seen one who was able to match the prime minister in a game of wits and strategy. But now seeing his beloved prince backed into a corner with very little option he had to believe that there was indeed a first time for everything.
With very little time left to spare, the 2nd prince of Britannia could only let out a small smirk before raising himself from his seat to give his command.
"I've made my decision: We will be joining with the Black Knights on this battle!" the room fell into a deep silence as he spoke those words with a determined face. "Please track the signal of that channel. They need to expect a response from me"
The com officer stuttered for a moment and quickly got to work. "Y… yes your highness!"
"Y… your highness, are you sure!" Kanon blazed completely stunned. "This will mean joining with our own mortal enemies"
"It is the only way" the prince explained giving his friend a calm gesture of his hand. "If we escape now, the Black Knight's strength will be immeasurable. With this act… it will show to the world that Britannia and the Black Knights despise injustice more than each other… or at least that's how it is supposed to look…"
(On a cliff overlooking the battlefield)
Diethard and his troupe of cameramen and intelligence officers of the Black Knights could not help but grin as Zero once again deployed another one of his mind boggling games at his most deadly foe. When he heard that Horai Island was taken by the High Eunuch Loyalist forces, he thought that they would certainly be in a pinch. But Zero came up with a perfect counter solution within minutes. With new orders, they drove to a cliff that overlooked the whole battlefield and recorded the whole scene from the first shot to the last. Heck, Diethard was so impressed and awed by this plan that he even sent extremist-cameramen to various locations to view the conflict from different points of view.
"It's ingenious" the man himself was growing goosebumps and an evil grin literally plastered itself on his face making him look like Satan Himself. "It's incredible! Just how far does your plan go Zero? If this was done within ten minutes… how much more chaos and confusion can you make in a day… no a year! Show me… show it all to me!"
"Commander Diethard, sir!" one of his underling called from the main command van that they were using as a command post. "We're receiving an open channel from the Avalon. It's the royal Britannian Channel"
"Excellent. The 2nd prince's timing is exquisite as ever. Even though he never had much screen time like Clovis, he sure knows how to keep the audience tight at their seats" Diethard nodded returning to his usual mood hiding his gleeful emotion inside. "Connect it to the main screen and broadcast it to the whole world"
"Sir… it looks like the Chinese Federation has seized some of our satellites after we left Luo Yang. I'm not sure how far this screening will go"
"Then reroute it to the emergency broadcast channels on every station. This is a moment of history that will be written in books that are yet to come gentlemen! We are recording history in the making here so I want everything flawless! (Bzzt)" the sound of the screen came to life and everyone in the van had no choice but to turn their eyes to the only TV monitor that had Schneizel's face on it. Though this might just be his own butterfly stomach rubbing him, Diethard could actually feel the gaze of trillions of people all over the world watching the same channel.
The camera zoomed onto Schneizel's face, making him appear on the same screen as lady Kaguya, Zero and Xingke. The whole world paused as these four mighty figures around the globe assembled in one tiny box. Silence grew heavier by the moment and the annoying barks of dogs and cricket noises were nonexistent. All looked and listened in terrible excitement of the prince's next statement.
With the deep breath, Schneizel began. "I, Prince Schneizel El Britannia, the 2nd Prince and Prime Minister of the Holy Britannia Empire, hereby accept this invitation of Lady Kaguya Sumeragi, the grand eunuch of the Chinese Federation. For far too long, the people of the world suffered under the boots of those who use power unjustly. As a representative of the royal family, I too vouch my displeasure on seeing the innocents and hard working people being brought to their knees by selfish, the greedy and the soulless. The High eunuchs have spread nothing but fear and suffering to the people and so in response we shall take action. Today, we the Britannian Royal Army and the Black Knights shall caste their differences aside to deal a heavy blow against evil! The people of the world are waiting… for our victory"
Once the speech ended, Kaguya remained poised and nodded to his response. "Thank you, Prince Schneizel. And so from this act, I hereby order the united forces of this temporary alliance to vanquish the traitors and their collaborators"
Zero raised his head back to the screen and nodded. "As it is the wish of the common people! So it is the wish of Zero!"
(Avalon)
Soon afterwards the transmission died out leaving Schneizel to relax in his seat. "Transmit our chain of command to the Black Knights and form up the Avalon and the Slepnir around their left flank. (Yes your highness) Oh and Kanon… can you release the Guren's pilot from her cell and replace her Knightmare's energy filler?"
"Yes… of course your highness" Kanon bowed before issuing the orders to the engineers at the loading docks.
"And transmit orders to the Knights of the Round as well"
Back on the battlefield, Gino who watched the speech played out loud could not help but grit his teeth in annoyance. Just five ago he was fighting against the Black Knights till his last breath but now they were saying that they were going to be allies. The world was truly becoming a strange place for warriors like him.
"First we were at each other's necks and now they want us to hold hands and sing kumbaya? Just what in the world are you planning Zero?"
Even Suzaku himself seemed rather stunned by this. A large part of him wanted to bark out but yet his dominant side kept telling him to follow orders. His internal conflict was bound to last forever.
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Zero on the other hand was having a blast. Even after displaying his own speech and watching Schneizel take up all the screen time he had to admit that his half brother had made things much easier for him. "Hehehehe… with Schneizel's speech, the High Eunuchs can now be firmly caste as the villains of this story. And without the people's support, Schneizel will have no choice but to join my side as well"
Xingke who kept his gaze at the monitor was also awed. He played his part on TV just as anyone expected him to but he never expected to dance right in Zero's palms like a puppet. "So you… you expected Schneizel's betrayal just as you expected the High Eunuchs?"
"Correct. I anticipated all outcome of this battle. But I cannot claim all the glory. You deserve some of the credit as well since it was your plan to begin with"
(Ashford University) (Student council building)
Milly sat on the sofa that night looking through the budget planning that was done earlier that day. If anyone saw her now they probably wouldn't believe their eyes that Milly was actually working either. She was more likely to have her underlings to do them and review them for her but thanks to the manpower cut in half, it fell onto her shoulders to handle the situation. With Rolo and Lelouch running their land back in Hollington and Shirley in the infirmary, it was only natural that things wouldn't catch up.
"Lady Ashford" one of Lelouch's maids entered the room with a glass of soda in hand. "You've been working a lot tonight so I thought that I would bring you some refreshments"
"Thanks but I won't be long now" she replied. "I'm just looking through the numbers making sure that Rivalz didn't misplace any of them. I'll probably do the rest of them back at the dorm"
"Very well then. Please don't take too long though. My master has ordered tighter security around campus. There's been a lot of crimes happening around the city lately so please do be careful on your way back"
"Yes, thank you" the maid left, leaving Milly to tend to her work just as before. She was used to this kind of work. Reviewing papers and numbers so that the budget would remain balanced and that they would have something left for Christmas party. Whenever her dad had finance troubles she would be the first one to march in his office to see what funding could be cut to meet with the year's annual tax.
"Haaa… I guess I really need to take it easy" she said to herself before taking a cold drink from the table. "I haven't had this much work since I stayed with Lelouch two months ago. Maybe I should ask that lazy vice prez of ours to handle all of this when he comes back. Oh… that reminds me. I'd better give him a call and tell him about Shirley" She speed dialed his number and waited but to her surprise it appears that the other line seemed to be turned off. "Hmm… that's odd. Lelouch usually leaves his phone on. (sigh) Oh well I guess he's probably dotting his little brother again. That boy never changes even when we were kids"
When we were kids…
Milly allowed herself to wander back in time when life was so much simpler when Lelouch would come to her house to play. She loved teasing the boy and forced him to do ridiculous things like putting him in bunny costumes and such. But the strangest thing was that she can't even remember Lelouch's own parents. She remembered seeing them plenty of times before but for some reason, the images that comes to her mind just keeps blurring out like a bad copy of a movie that she bought from the junk store.
The blonde Ashford let out a groan and pulled out the picture that she had found earlier by accident. It was a picture of a time when they were both no older than preschoolers. Lelouch had ice cream on his cheek and when he tried to wipe it off, little Milly ran up to him and licked the whole chunk off his face. The boy was so embarrassed and so red that he would make a tomato weep in jealousy.
"Oh Lelouch…" it was a good thing Rivalz wasn't there. If he was, he'd probably weep in tears thinking that he'd never stand a chance against a boy like Lelouch.
(Mausoleum of 88 Emperors)
Zero gazed down at his monitor, looking at the faces of his commanders and temporary allies of this great battle. With the broadcast of his show finally ended, he spared no time in creating a battle plan for the upcoming battle with the High Eunuch's forces. Even though he was able to turn a large portion of their armies to his side, along with the Britannian elites, they were still outnumbered 10 to 1.
But even against such odds, the man still couldn't help but grin madly at this plan working out with remarkable results. "Hehehehehe…" he chuckled darkly as he gave out his plans to the others. "So… Prince Schneizel… General Xingke… are we all in agreement?"
"Yes I agree" the prime minister of Britannia replied solemnly.
"I also agree" Xingke added sounding not at all psyched about the whole plan. "Following the old traditions of our warfare: When three evenly ranked officers form an alliance, the commander with the largest army has authority over others"
"Then as we discussed… as the leader of our temporary ceasefire, I hereby declare… our Forged Alliance! Xingke will cover the left flank of the Ikaruga along with the dragon cavalry. Schneizel forces and the Knights of the Round along with our third Knightmare squad will guard our right. The Ikaruga and the rest of the Black Knights will charge in and cut through their center"
"Roger!"
"Tohdoh, take command of the Knightmares up front. (Affirmative!) Chiba, take command of Yoshida's squad. (Understood) The Knights of Zero will provide backup. Jeremiah, Elie, handle the units in the air. (Yes, my lord)"
It wasn't long then until Ohgi's face appeared on screen. "Zero. Enemy reinforcements have joined up. We think it's the High Eunuch's personal forces"
"So they brought in all their weapons to finish this in one blow" Zero laughed darkly at their pathetic attempt to turn the tide of this battle. "Good. If they bring all their compatriots, it saves us the time to search for them. Deploy the rest of our ground forces and join up with Tohdoh"
"Roger that" Ohgi nodded and silenced the monitor to prevent their plans from leaking out into enemy hands. "Deploy the Akatsuki squadron and send out our reserves to back up our flanks. All hands battle stations!"
But while the rest of the crew were off preparing for war, a familiar carefree and annoying voice entered the stage, bringing with it, Rakshata's blood pressure. "Well howdy do everyone. Did anyone miss us while we were gone?"
"Lloyd…" Rakshata groaned at his presence. Though she had to agree that he was a mad genius, his lack wit attitude and monotone personality was hard to get used to. How Cecile was able to hold out for so long was nothing short of a miracle. "I see your machines are running smoothly and crudely as ever"
"The process was hard but we manage to scrounge it up to operating levels. The Knightmare frame Z-02, Merlin and the Z-03, Constantine. Though I must admit that they are put together with some spare parts, Zero's budgeting proved to be more than sufficient. And I have to say that your toys have some interesting works in them" but then the sociopath quickly noted his old work flying just off screen. "Ohh~ is that my Lancelot? Someone seems to be tinkering with my poor boy"
"Does that mean Suzaku is piloting it?" Cecile asked worryingly about her old college.
"Who knows?" the scientist shrugged. "But I must say that the engineer has been taking great care about my boy. I would like to meet the man behind my Lancelot's redesigns"
"Enemy forces have begun to move!" Hinata announced to the group who all turned to the screen where the High Eunuch's forces have begun moving, clearly using only basic military tactics. "They're trying to surround us"
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"And so it's begun" Zero muttered incoherently, his masked fixed upon the radar screen. "This is my order to all forces in our alliance! The High Eunuchs have become our enemy! Their betrayal and their greed have caused our hands to be sullied in their sins! They intend to wipe us all with their superior numbers. Descend upon our enemies and wage and attack! Wipe out all enemy forces and grind them to the dust! Show the selfish, the ignorant and the soulless the strength and determination of the free people! All units attack!"
"Rahhhhhh!"
"This is for Yoshida!"
"Push'em back now!"
"Monica, provide cover for our ground force and clear a path. Break the enemy formations!"
"Yes, your highness" the Constantine moved upon the orders of the black king, and with its powerful arsenal of weapons, the High Eunuch's frontline forces were cut aside like a sword through hot butter.
"Elie, Jeremiah, enemy air force are approaching. Destroy them"
"Yes, my master" the two knights of Zero obeyed and rallied to the skies with their new Knightmares. Jeremiah who had been given the frame, Sutherland Sieg, fired a flurry of bombs, missiles and rockets while Elie's Merlin readied its lance creating a spark of electricity from its tip. "Taste this! The fury of our lord!"
Tohdoh noted a clear path through the enemy's line of defense and with little effort, he made a bold move against them. "The way is open! Asahina, Urabe, to me! (Yes sir!) We'll cut through their lines and split into three groups. Once we break through the enemy's front positions, we'll strike their rear with everything we have!"
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"Hong Gu, press forward with a wedge formation! Keep up with the Black Knights and don't fall behind!"
"We hear and obey Master Xingke!" the large man smirked seeing how the tide of the battle has turned to their side.
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"Move the royal guard division to the front and support the Black Knight's fighting on the ground" Schneizel waved his hand in a noble gesture as if playing a game of chess. Though many of his advisors were a bit unease on collaborating with their mortal enemies, they followed orders nonetheless. "Move Gino to the rear and have Anya clear the frontlines"
"Yes your highness"
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Gino followed his orders and moved to his designated position where he cut through a small group of attack choppers that was aiming to hit the Avalon's flank. "I'm really starting to hate this battle…" he muttered quietly groaning with every strike he made. But Anya on the other hand didn't seem to mind. Regardless of who her enemies were, as long as someone gave her orders, she didn't mind who she was shooting. Be it the Black Knights or her earlier allies, they were targets.
"Orders are clear… eliminate all rebel forces" but in her case, the rebels who she once mentioned before became the very force she was working with a few minutes ago. She unloaded a salvo of missiles and used her Stark Hadron Cannon to break a column of the enemy, dissolving their morale to almost nothing.
But while the rest of the alliance fought, Suzaku remained paralyzed, stilled in the very same spot he had been floating since the alliance was made. "This is… this can't be happening. How could… Zero and Prince Schneizel…?" he was so confused at the moment that he didn't even notice a small platoon of Gun Rus rounding up behind him.
"There he is! The White Death of Britannia!"
"Fire at him! Don't let him get too close!"
Suzaku quickly whipped his Lancelot around activating his shield. And not too soon either when a hail of bullets and cannon fire swarmed him. "Wait a minute! Don't shoot! I'm not your enemy!"
"We have him pinned! Second company, hit his rear!" another swarm of Gun Rus appeared, seemingly appearing out of nowhere like roaches. "Take him down! We'll bring this monster down rig… Argghhhh!" but that was as far as he could go when a dark red beam hurled from the sky, melting all six of them into ashes.
"What the!" Suzaku flew back to avoid the beams and immediately did he recognize the only machine that could cause such destruction. "That's… the Radiant Wave Surger… then…" he turned his frame's head upward, gazing upon the last thing he would call a friend. "Kallen!"
"Suzaku…" Kallen gritted her teeth as she gazed down to her rival whom she ironically just saved from being chop sui. "Don't get any wrong ideas. I didn't save you because I wanted to"
"How did you…? Did Prince Schneizel… let you go?"
"Looks like we don't have time for silly questions" Kallen motioned her Knightmare towards a large force approaching their side. It was actually large enough to cover the whole horizon.
"I don't understand… how could the prince?"
"I don't know what's going on at the moment… but I'll let you know that this changes nothing between us"
"Then I guess the feeling's mutual…" Though hesitant, Suzaku had to admit that Zero has won this fight. He probably ordered Kallen to work with him as a gesture of irony, like a school boy getting back at his friends.
And so with their graceful moves, both the White Knight and the Red Devil charged into the very heart of the enemy's attack, wiping them out by the dozen. The opposing force tried their best with their volleys but against two ace pilots on board state of the art machines… they stood very little chance.
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"Advance units, use long range bombardments!"
"Anya, cover the forward lines"
"Dragon Cavalry 5, spearhead the assault and crush them from within!"
"Ready Bow Mounted Hadron Scatter Cannon and prepare to fire on my mark!"
"Gino, fall back out of the firing range and cover the Black Knights from the rear"
"Hong Gu, take the reserves and surround the stragglers!"
"Monica, assist the Mordred and fire a barrage on the enemy! Full spread!"
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On the other side of the battlefield, the High Eunuchs who had no experience in tactical warfare were panicking like headless chickens. It was obvious even to the child's mind that they had no chance of victory over the combined elements against them.
"We can't win like this! We have to withdraw!"
"Even against our superior numbers they're trample them like they were bugs!"
"We have to escape. There's no other choice! (But where!) Uhh… to India! The Maharaja is a strong supporter of the Federation! Surely he can provide us shelter at least for awhile!"
"Yes that's it! Our safety must come first! We'll withdraw with the Ziggurat"
"Master Zhao Hao!" one of the staff officers on board called to the Eunuch. "Reinforcements have appeared from the rear"
"Excellent. We'll use them to cover our escape. Tell them to move in front of us and prepare to (Boom) Bwaha! Wha… what was that!"
"M… my lord. The reinforcements are firing on us!"
"What!" another heavy barrage came forth, destroying the Ziggurat's weapons. "Why are they firing at us!"
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But little did they know that the so called reinforcements that appeared on their rear were waving the flag of the Japanese. A large number of Jimmus and Burais were apparent there, along with detachment of soldiers and armor carrying the Black Empire's symbol.
"This is acting commander Ryoga Senba of the United States of Japan 1st Protectorate Army. We are answering the call of Lady Kaguya Sumeragi to her alliance army. Under the command of our Prime Minister, you are all under arrest"
"Senba!" Tohdoh and his companions recognized the voice and were ecstatic to see their old friend leading reinforcements to their aid. "You're here"
"Sorry for the late arrival, General" the elder member of the swords smirked in response. "We had to take a slight detour on Horai Island to make it here"
"We thought we'd never see you again" Asahina beamed. "I thought you stayed back in Japan"
"Take it easy old man" Urabe joked waving his Akatsuki around to strike another opponent with his blade. "Why don't you let us handle this fight and you can go back and sip tea?"
"And let you youngsters have all the fun? I don't think so. Come on. Let's see how much you two have improved since we last met. And don't think that you guys can win just because you had a head start"
"Heh… same old Senba"
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"HAAAAAAA!" Kallen charged in her Guren F.E.V. firing her RWS towards another column of enemy Knightmares, wiping them off like they were stain on a car's paint job. It was an easy battle seeing that they were in disarray. With no capable commander leading them, the units were stuck together immobile and inefficient. But despite the easy fight, the Devil's Right Hand still can't get used to the fact that her back was being covered by the White Death. "That makes my kill total up to thirty… how many have you downed so far… Suzaku?"
"It's only people like you that turn battles like these into sport" the boy bit back refusing to answer such a ridiculous and inhumane question.
"Oh don't be a baby. You and I still have a score to settle" but then another voice in the com link caught her attention.
"Major!" it was Chiba, her second in command who rushed in to her position. "Are you alright?"
"Chiba? Am I glad to see you. What's the situation?"
"Our allies are concentrating on hitting them hard on both flanks. General Tohdoh and the others have taken the center. Jeremiah and the other special units are focusing on their air support"
"Looks like we'll have to race who has the most kills in this battle" the red head smirked looking over the battlefield which was now in tatters, only to turn her head back to the White Knight in mockery. "Sorry Suzaku. Looks like we'll have to part ways here. I have a more trusted friend watching my back. But… one of these days… I will get back at you for what you did…"
"Geh…" Suzaku bit his lip. A part of him wanting to spill out Zero's true identity but quickly remembered that he had no evidence in that matter.
"Come on Chiba. We're leaving. (Roger!)"
(Ikaruga)
Ohgi and Minami remained in their stations looking over the main screen as the dots continued to fire over each other. It looked like a cheap 2D video game that could be bought in a pawn shop next door but in truth those dots meant a lot more than a loss of points and pieces. These were people's lives. With each dot that vanished from the screen it meant that someone or something has taken the life of another.
"Sugiyama's unit has taken the firing point over the hill"
"Tamaki's group is providing support. Enemy forces at the Southern area have surrendered"
"Their aerial power is also depleting"
"Orders from Commander Zero: Deploy remaining reserves to surround the enemy but do not fire on the mobile fortress"
(Avalon)
"The High Eunuch's forces have been lessened to a quarter of their original number" Kanon analyzed to his highness. "However… it seems that Zero has ordered that we do not fire on the Ziggurat directly"
"Oh?" the prince seemed rather interested to know why. "Did he happen to say why?"
"No your highness. He merely… 'requests' us to engage the units around the fortress"
"Is he planning to use the High Eunuchs as pawns? Surely that sort of plan is beneath him" Schneizel though puzzlingly raising one hand to his mouth, only to break his pose when he noticed a surrender flare shooting out from the Ziggurat. "Hmm? A call for surrender? So soon?"
"Sir. We're receiving an open channel from the High Eunuchs. Should I patch it through?"
"Yes, please do"
But then Prince Schneizel became quite stunned when the broadcast came in. On the screen, everyone could see the High Eunuchs clearly but the members of the crew were more focused on the men in black that were pointing guns behind their heads.
"This is my command of all rebel forces of the High Eunuchs" Yoshida, who spoke appeared on screen with the microphone in his hand. "The High Eunuchs on board the Ziggurat has complied with the terms of surrender. All units are hereby ordered to stand down. I repeat: this is a direct order from high command. All units, stand down!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Is that…. Yoshida?" Inoue noticed her comrade on screen and immediately recognize him.
"It is! It's Yoshida!" Sugiyama beamed with joy as well, staring at the screen in disbelief. "But how the heck did you get there!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Stand down!
That single phrase alone was more than enough to bring the remaining fighting force to its knees. With the sight of their leaders at the mercy of the Black Knights and the command given by one of their own staff officers, the soldiers in the front were given little choice. They surrendered and those who were in Knightmares exited from their cockpits, their hands raised. In a mere instant, the fight was over before the world even knew it.
"We have confirmation. The High Eunuch's troops are surrendering" Kanon motioned to the radar screen.
"Very well then" Schneizel sighed disappointingly. Though he was a man who despised war above all else, he had to admit that it was quite fun to be fighting alongside the great and powerful Zero. "The final curtain call has been given and the ending scene is now being played by the actors. Those who are unimportant to the play then exits the stage in silent bow…"
"Sir?"
"Nothing… just merely thinking out loud. (chuckle) Signal our forces to withdraw. We're done for today"
"Shouldn't we at least contact the Black Knights?"
"No… let them have their moment. We have no right to be a part of their victory. We will quietly make our escape to Area 7 and report back to the homeland"
"Yes… my lord"
(Battlefield)
But while the rounding up of prisoners were being handled by the Black Knights, Gino quickly decided to approach the Constantine to clarify something that has been bugging his mind since the battle began. "Monica…"
"Gino…" the Geassed Knight of the Round turned her giant frame to meet the floating Tristian. The Constantine was fearsome and frightful even from a distance but was even more dangerous up close. It towered over Gino's frame like a Goliath looking down on Jason. If it were any bigger you could probably say that it was the miniature version of Gundam.
The two former allies starred at one another through the eyes of their frame but Gino could not tell what was running through the mind of her friend. "Tell me Monica… why? Why are fighting against Britannia?"
"Fighting against Britannia? Surely you can't be that blind Gino" an invisible smirk appeared on Monica's lips as cooed back to him teasingly. "We both fight for the cause of our homeland. Just like Jeremiah and Elie… I serve Britannia through another"
"But Zero is the enemy of Britannia!"
"Are you certain about that? (Huh?) Hehehe… you never were one to use your head Gino. Let's just say that you and I… serve different masters"
"Keh…" Gino's face was wrinkled with a small hint of annoyance. A half-answer like that was impossible to satisfy him. Even as the withdrawal signal was beeping from his com systems he couldn't bring himself to leave without knowing why. Why would a soldier… a knight… an Elite Knight like Monica turncoat against her own nation. The answers she gave seemed like pieces of a bigger puzzle that was given to solve without any clues. Eventually, the man complied with the retreat order and flew back to the Avalon with a heavy heart.
(Geass Order research base)
When the High Eunuch's defeat became apparent to the world, V2 and his advisors established an emergency meeting to conclude their next course of action. With the Federation now dissolved, their supply of research materials and test subjects will become limited. Not only that but they will also have difficulty avoiding the internal fight between the independent nations that are now scattered.
"So it has come to this…" the immortal sorcerer muttered in disappointment. "I never expected Zero to win such a tough battle. It almost makes me feel sorry for the High Eunuchs and little Schneizel"
"Master V2. Without supplies from the mainland our research will grind to a complete halt. Should we move our research to a new location?"
"I've already thought of heading to Siberia and destroying all evidence of our presence here. But with the battle still going on… we should probably lay low for awhile until things calm down"
The advisors whispered amongst themselves but found no point to argue with the master. "Very well my lord. We will begin creating a backup drive for all of our research data. We'll notify you once everything has been prepared"
But just when the meeting was about to be adjourned, another member of the Geass Order entered the research room, his face filled with worry and panic. "M… Master V2! We have a situation! It's terrible! (What?) It's Morgan! Morgan Le Fay has just lifted off on its own! We were having a standard checkup on the machine when suddenly the computer systems acted on its own!"
A grin appeared on V2's place. "Ah… then it seems that our sleeper agent has finally awoken" he sounded calm and collected, clearly unaffected by the report. "Morgan was simply a side project for us. A prototype. We can simply build another once we move to the new base"
"But… Master V2, are you sure we should go on with this? I mean we haven't even received word from the OSI. It would be rash if we acted without the emperor's consent"
"I don't to involve Charles in such matters. He's already too busy dealing with the Sword of Akasha already. He barely has enough time to handle his own family"
(Ikaruga)(3 Hours later)
Lady Kaguya and the empress waited anxiously on top of the Ikaruga that morning gazing at the transport ship that was docking at the carrier's port. Inside, Xingke, Xianglin, Hong Gu and the a few rebel soldiers exited to meet up with their new found supposed-ally, Zero, who was waiting for them inside the giant ship. The High Eunuchs who were arrested earlier were taken back to Luoyang to stand in trial when a new government is formed. It was supposedly a fair trial since they were the real traitors after all who were planning to sell their country for power in Britannia.
"Xingke!" the empress rushed over to the center to meet her beloved as he knelt down to meet her height. "You're ok! You really are ok!"
The young general of the defunct Federation nodded, smiling happily for the first time in days to finally meet the empress without worries. "Yes. But… is this alright for you, your highness?" they both extended their hands to one another, showing their pinky that symbolized the promise they made years ago. "I know this wasn't exactly how I pictured our promise…"
"Well…" she interrupted. "I was finally able to leave the Forbidden City with you by my side. So… I guess that this is… the end…"
Xingke's smile widened a bit, his eyes showing a hint of a tear drop. "Of course not your highness" he lowered his head in a respectable bow. "Even now and in the future… I shall serve you to the best of my abilities. Until the end of both our times"
The empress could no longer hold her tears back. With overwhelming joy, the dam that held her happiness burst open, marking her face with endless stream of water. "I… I can't believe that I'm crying over this. It's just hard to believe that you and I could (sniff) keep our promise. (sniff) Even after so long we… (sniff) still remember…"
"What you feel is joy, your highness. It's nothing to be ashamed of"
"You're right" Tianzi lowered her face slightly, hiding her eyes under her bangs. "I am happy… but… I'm also sad. (Huh?) I wish I could really see the whole world with you Xingke… but… it seems that I already used up my last wish to save you"
"You highness?" Xingke looked back at her slightly puzzled. "What are you saying? There's still so much for you to see"
But a dark voice suddenly entered the conversation, putting the touching reunion to an end. "Hehehehe… don't you understand, Xingke?" all eyes turned to the elevator shaft where Zero made his appearance from the darkened walkway along with his accomplice, C2. "It is because the empress is mine now… (What!) Her soul, her mind and her heart belongs entirely to me"
"Zero!" Xingke drew out his sword ready to cut the man to ribbons with his own hand only to pull up short when the empress blocked his path. "What have you done! Tell me! What have you done to the empress! Tell me now or I will…"
"You are the one at fault here, Xingke" the masked vigilante interrupted. "The empress and I… simply made a deal. I was to grant her, her wish most dire… and in return… she would give me… everything that she owns" the girl in question looked away in shame which only seems to anger Xingke even more. "As I said before: I grant the wishes of people. But like all wishes, it usually comes with a price. As for the empress. She wished your life to be spared so in return… I asked for her life. A fair trade… is it not?"
"Geh!" Xingke was about halfway to drawing his blade. He wanted to kill the guy so badly right now that not even the empress would be able to stop him. But then he quickly had to rethink of the situation since he was on board the Black Knight Combat carrier. If he killed Zero, there was no doubt that his subordinates would come to return the favor. He buried his hatred deep down and decided to negotiate instead. "If that's the case Zero… then take my life instead. (Hmm?) Whatever her majesty has promised you in your contact, I shall give it. I will be your subordinate, as long as you free her from your deal"
Kaguya, who just happens to be there with the empress quickly turned red at the given offer. Already her mind began to simulate several possible scenarios of BL, more than half of those thoughts concerned bed scenes of bathroom scenes and places that even I dare not say. "Kyaaa…" she squealed in delight of those ideas.
"Heh" Zero humored his case. "I'm afraid I will have to refuse your offer Xingke. (Huh?) When two wishes of equal power intertwines, I will serve only that which comes first. Your opinion on how I do things is irrelevant. Lady Kaguya. If you please"
"Yes of course Master Zero" the young prime minister nodded and quickly grab her friend by the arm. "Come with me your highness. Let's leave the adults to talk about adult stuff. There are so many things that I want to show you!" and so the two girls departed, leaving Zero and Xingke to discuss the terms of their new found alliance.
(1 Hour later) (Zero's Room)
"Was that really the best solution?" Zero turned to face C2 who asked. "Using his only weakness to get him to come to your side?" She hugged her Mr. Cheese tightly as they both arrive at the private sanctuary deep within the Ikaruga.
"It's to ensure that he doesn't betray me in the long run" he explained. "So long as the empress stays by my side, his loyalty is assured. I had no intentions of using the empress for anything else"
"Oh?" a sly smirk appeared on the immortal witch's face as if suggesting a mature comment. "And here I thought you were a pedophile who went after younger girls like Kaguya"
"Please. You should know me better than that"
"It would make a good scandal to read on the papers" she added teasingly. "But back to the matters at hand. Now that you've destroyed the Chinese Federation and dissolved its member nations into warring factions, what will you do now? I doubt Britannia will simply sit quietly while you reap the rewards of your victory"
"I expect that when the federation is finished, Britannia will undoubtedly try to take some part of the newly independent nations. Luckily however, we have the edge over this conflict. With the support of Xingke and his faction along with the empress, the people will rally to our side. The broken military groups that do not agree with us will simply be cast out as rebels. I've already assembled Tohdoh's men to begin conquering the other areas as well. However… (Hmm?) This also serves as a stepping stone to my other objective"
"You mean the Geass Order secret lab?"
"Yes. The same order that the emperor is using to create warriors with the powers of Geass" Zero nodded before removing his mask and placing it on the hold. "If I can get them… and their research data to my side, then I can surpass Charles in terms of Geass. Also… if what you said is true, then I can also get a hold of that weapon they've been developing. The one you call God's Geass"
"But there base has long been hidden from the sight of humans. Even that boy, Rolo doesn't even know where it is"
"But you're certain that it's in the Chinese Federation"
"Yes, according to V2, the one who replaced me as their leader. But even so… using the power of an entire nation will also prove difficult to find them"
"Then all I have to do is wait until I notice something amiss" Lelouch smirked playfully as he tucked his clothes in the closet. Even a masked vigilante who plans to unite the world under a single banner needed a sense of fashion once in awhile. "In either case, I can't remain here for long. I've just received word that Milly is preparing a festival back home and apparently I'm required to attend it. Sayoko's roll as a stand in won't make much effect there"
"You would postpone your conquest for a single festival?" C2 teased playfully as she shamelessly remove her clothes right down to her undershirt and lay down on the couch without a care of who may be watching. "You're a strange man indeed" Lelouch only responded with a soft chuckle. "By the way… I must say that I was kind of impressed on how you sneaked your soldiers into the Ziggurat"
"Yes… I think by now, Ohgi and the others are probably overjoyed to see their 'dead' comrade"
(Ikaruga) (Bridge)
"Yoshida!" the original members, except for Kallen, literally jumped themselves around the man who had recently just came back from the afterlife. Inoue literally leaped towards the guy squeezing the breath out of his lungs. "I thought you were dead back in the Forbidden City!"
"Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily" the middle aged pilot grinned triumphantly flexing his muscles for all of his friends to see. "It'll take more than a few Knightmares to put me down for good"
"But how did you escape from the High Eunuchs?" Ohgi asked which everyone else seemed to be curious as well. For all they know, the whole compound was covered by the Chinese Federation forces and to escape that place unscathed was nothing short of a miracle, even more so when they managed to sneak into the Ziggurat undetected.
"Well… it's a long story…"
(Flashback)
"Down with Britannia! Long live Zero!" Yoshida tossed the rack of grenades out of the window and took cover as it drowned the entire section of the palace in a sea of flames, killing at least four of their pursuers. He and three others were the last remaining on the line and with their escape route cut it was only a matter of time before they see the boatman leading them across the river Styx. Some of them began to pray while the Yoshida himself sat down to make peace with himself.
But just when they thought that all hope was lost, a hidden door that appeared to be disguised as a section of the hallway suddenly opened up revealing a well dressed waiter on the other side. Though it was mostly due to the smoke coming from the building, but Yoshida swore he could see red rings surrounding the waiter's eyes.
"Quickly, this way" the manservant gestured them to enter to which they followed quickly. The room they were shown to was a locker room of some sort or maybe an armory for the guards.
"W… who are you?" Yoshida asked clutching his wounded shoulder from a stray bullet that was lucky enough to hit him.
"No questions" the Geassed servant shushed them, making sure that the hidden door was barricaded. After making sure that the guards would not find them, he made his way to one of the lockers and procured several soldier uniforms. "Here, change into these. Master Zero instructed me to bring you to the Ziggurat. After you board the ship, you're on your own"
Yoshida and the others looked puzzled and confused. How can they not be? For a minute there they thought they were going to be pumped full of lead but now they were being prepped for another mission under Zero's orders. With the waiter's words alone, Yoshida had to wonder just how far Zero had planned this operation.
(End of flashback)
"The next thing we knew we were sneaking left and right inside the Ziggurat and looking for an opportunity to strike"
"So it was all just part of Zero's plan?" Sugiyama let out a sigh of relief. "Man… for a few hours there, I actually thought you were dead"
"Yeah you should've seen him Yoshi. Sugiyama was like in tears when you broke contact!"
"I was not!"
"Already everyone, that's enough" Minami calmed the group down before they accidentally start hitting each other. "We still have a lot of work to do and we're scheduled to make a public appearance on a nationwide television with Diethard any minute now"
(Hanger bay)
Tohdoh and his Holy Swords were waiting patiently in the hanger as they waited for the late member of the group to reappear. Kallen and Chiba were docking their Knightmares into the service shop to fix up all the electrical wires and armor chinks that may have been damaged during the battle. It only proves that even experienced fighters, no matter how good they may be, can never truly leave a fight without a scratch or two.
By the time Senba arrived, Tohdoh was the first to shake his hand. "It's good to see you again, General" the old man spoke up followed with a salute and a pat at the back by his younger companions.
"Same with you Senba" the General smiled just barely appearing on his lips. "I'm glad to see that a month apart hasn't softened your touch"
"Retirement life wasn't so bad" the round ogre replied. "But to be honest, I'd rather be here on the frontlines fighting with you than drinking tea back home, General"
"Well don't push it too hard, old man" Asahina joked, his arms waving around the back of his partner. "It'll be a shame if you broke your back in a fight"
"I may be old but that doesn't mean I can't teach you a lesson or two about discipline" they all burst out a small fit of a laugh which seemed to lighten up the mood. But while the Holy Swords were having a beautiful reunion, a certain lieutenant felt a little left out of the loop watching them from afar.
Kallen noticed her second in command twisting and sighing and knew immediately that she wanted to join in as well. With a small smile and a hint of kindness, she pushed the older girl forward. "If you really miss the old group you should go to them. They are your comrades after all. (But I…) Go. I'll be heading back to the bridge to meet up with Ohgi. You should enjoy the peace and tranquility while it still lasts"
Chiba seemed hesitant at first looking like a teenage student who was too shy to turn in a love letter to the person she wanted to receive. With her red cheeks, her twiddling thumbs and her awkward movement she really looked the part. If someone would give her a school dress then she'd be set to go. But in the end, she submitted to her commander's orders and walked up to join the group.
But Chiba was not the only one who found peace and love this day. Kallen too had also the same feeling. Ever since she was captured, there wasn't a single doubt in her mind that the man behind the mask was indeed the real Zero. She wanted to believe it back then but her heart and mind were too clouded to see the truth. When Zero told her not to give up that moment all her insecurities were but a thing of the past.