Special Thanks to JameyoftheMegacosmos for editing and beta-ing this chapter.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I will offer no excuses to the delay in this chapter's posting, but I have already begun work on the next one since part of my New Year Resolution is to update some of my past stories and I do want to try and get more consistent updates for this one out much more often.
So without delay on with the chapter.
Chapter 26
Fire at Yokosuka
What seemed like minutes happened in mere seconds. Hawkins realized the danger too late as did other TSAB Mages who had made their way deep into the ship. They were instantly incinerated without warning by the resulting blast.
As the tanker began to lift into the air, the Mages outside the interior of the ship were nearly forced to the ground as there was extreme shaking on board the vessel.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" An officer shouted as bright pink flash blinded the group.
The other Mages around got early warning of the explosion and readied protection spells to defend. Unfortunately, some did not finish their barriers, and those that did already had their barriers shattered before being engulfed. Following them were the Royal Marines and their Knightmares that fired their Slash Harkens onto the ship a few seconds ago. Most of them didn't even have a chance to realize what happened before the spherical blast devoured them.
In seconds, the temporal field spell collapsed due to the demise of the ones who cast it, allowing everyone to witness the explosion from a distance. Although suppressed of its power, the destructive shockwave radiated through the port, shattering windows and inflicting damage on anything not sturdy enough. The sphere of destruction grew significantly bigger with heavy gusts and high ripples in the water. A few nearby ships were lifted off the ground by the waves and flew at least hundred feet inland before they came crashing down, smashing and barreling into several warehouses before bursting into flames. Similarly, many of the Knightmares were blown back, especially the main force led by Dalton and Guilford, who had the warehouse doors closed to keep their Gloucesters from being thrown out. Euphemia and her guards outside could feel the shockwave, and she tried to continue observing the now fluctuating camera points.
"Dear Kaisers..." a bridge officer spoke as the crew on the Arthra observed the disaster from the same footage. Lindy even cringed by the stunning devastation of the colossal bomb that took out both the TSAB team and the Britannians.
"No…way..." Nanoha could only say as the destruction caused by powerful weapon rivaling her signature spell wiped out the rumored countrymen along with her TSAB comrades and the Britannians.
Hayate already scrambled to contact Fate and her group, fully aware they were near that explosion.
"Ginga-chan! Fate-chan!" Hayate's face appeared on the screen. "Vita-chan, can you hear me!" Her fears confirmed when she spotted that everyone is upside down inside the car. Fate even has an airbag protecting her face.
"Hayate…" Vita groaned in pain. "What the hell just happened?" She cursed whoever caused that massive shockwave.
"Massive sakuradite explosion at Yokosuka," Shari replied.
A screen appeared before the injured occupants of Fate's car. Shari herself looked disturbed. "Look!" Everyone in the car gasped when the screen shows a mini pink sphere because it was contained by the barrier created by the TSAB officers assigned to capture Zero at the shipping point.
"Survivors?" Nanoha asked, which Fate and the others overheard. She has an idea what the answer is but at the very least just this once-
"I'm afraid that's not possible…" Shari reluctantly answered.
"Fate-chan!" Nanoha looked at her; determination marred her face.
"Do we know who caused the explosion?" Fate asked.
"We don't know," Shari replied. "It's complete chaos right now."
Nearby, Ohgi, Diethard, and Sette had just witnessed the tanker explode before the temporal barrier that had contained it fell, releasing a destructive shockwave that inflicted damage to the surrounding structures. Ohgi was in horrifying awe as the TSAB Mages were erased from existence by the blast.
No wonder why Zero wanted to call them off, Ohgi thought. Clearly, this was not good for the TSAB's eyes on the Black Knights as they drew first blood on the interdimensional police force. He was no politician or strategist, but with an incident on this scale, it could lead to all-out war, something neither he nor Zero desired.
"Looks like we couldn't stop it in time," Zero said through the radio.
Lelouch slammed on the console in his Burai. He didn't know how it happened, but these men triggered a trap specifically meant for Britannia and possibly the Mandarin's forces. Apparently, it was an indication that the TSAB is becoming more involved in the case. At least none of his former friends were in there, but the TSAB will no longer turn a blind eye to them.
Even so, Lelouch ordered Quattro to move the hydrofoil via remote control as planned. They went towards the blast area before taking a sharp turn to the left, aiming at a dock that housed Sutherlands and was close to the positions of Cornelia's inner circle guards.
In the meantime, his Abyss Soul signaled something around them. Though he anticipated this as soon as the Mages arrived, in this situation, it means he didn't get all of them. It was likely those Mages who charged in probably had a reserve team nearby. Either that or it could be Fate, Nanoha, or Hayate coming to intervene. Lelouch didn't have enough information to know for sure, but he knew things would become more problematic.
It only meant Lelouch needed to hurry up and finish so they can escape before more Mages and Britannian reinforcements can arrive.
"Zero," Ohgi contacted through the radio. "Something's happening around the sky!"
"We noticed. There means there are still Mages around, and the TSAB restricted all public view and communications in the area. We'll only be able to communicate as far as Yokosuka."
"So what do we do now? We just killed a bunch of TSAB Mages!"
"Don't panic," Lelouch ordered as Zero. "They just limited our communications and activity to this area. We're proceeding as planned, but with a change of plans. All forces will head towards Dalton and Guilford's location head-on but focus on the Britannians only. Quattro and I will handle whoever's left. Refrain from engaging the TSAB. Again, do not try to fight the TSAB! It's time we salvaged this situation and get results!"
"Right!" Kallen confirmed as she gripped tightly in the Guren's seat. Though Zero gave the order not to engage, she couldn't help but worry about this new fight that was happening ahead of her. At any rate, her personal engagement with the TSAB may come, sooner rather than later.
The hydrofoil gained speed as it made a beeline for the shore.
As the smoke and dust finally settled after the explosion that, from what Suzaku could summarize, had wiped out most of their forces, the Lancelot and its pilot assessed the damage. The initial shockwave sent the Lancelot flying, but when an attempt to anchor the machine to the ground failed it sent the white machine flying into a warehouse where it collapsed upon it. Suzaku used the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous shields to protect itself from the collapsing warehouse, but debris is what saved his life, providing a level of protection from the explosion itself. The worse damage Suzaku's machine received was scorch marks along with the limbs of his machine. The Portman team was vaporized in the blast while the Sutherlands close to the shoreline got wrecked by the explosion. Those further away were thrown into the air, akin to pebbles in a hurricane, and smashed against buildings or the wall of the temporal barrier before it collapsed.
The Lancelot was further shielded from the worst of the explosion due to the cargo containers thrown into its path, and a combination of being extremely lucky. If neither of his protections had been in effect, the Lancelot would surely be destroyed.
There's no way liquid Sakuradite could cause this kind of explosion.
As part of the Kururugi family and from his military training, he had limited knowledge of the Sakuradite his homeland mined. The most important part he knew was that it was extremely volatile, a side effect of making it an efficient power source. However, this kind of blast was too much for a single tanker of Sakuradite alone. There must be some modification at least.
But the other strange thing is why the JLF would resort to this, mainly if General Katase was on the ship.
Why did the General kill himself? It doesn't make any sense.
An explosion came from another dock, near Dalton and Guilford's post. Suzaku noticed that many of the Knightmares disappeared from the shock of the blast. Most of the remaining Knightmares were out trying to recover as they got hit by a sudden attack.
The main force! Suzaku exclaimed in his head.
It was confirmed as he saw a hydrofoil appear from the resulting waves, aimed at whatever remained of the main army.
They used the tanker as a decoy! And…Euphy!
He knew in his mind that the JLF wouldn't be involved this. The only other group would be the Black Knights, which meant Zero was behind the operation. Despite having more anger against him for this ploy, that didn't matter.
Euphy is in danger, he thought as he gunned towards his superiors' location. I got to protect her, no matter what!
"An enemy attack!? EEAAAGGH-" A Knightmare pilot was taken out before the giant hydrofoil crashed into it. A missile barrage followed, efficiently destroying all surviving Britannian forces occupying the dock.
Radio chatter was in chaos as the Britannian forces got severely disorganized from the blast and the following occurrences. Though some noticed the strange communication interference from the Temporal Field, they put it aside as they ordered whoever they could reach to form defenses.
"Mount up now and form a defense line! On the double!" Dalton gave orders as he got into his Gloucester left in a hangar near the tower Euphemia occupied and it wouldn't take him long to join Guilford on the battlefield.
The tower, thanks to its distance, had endured minor damage, which was helped by the container cranes and other warehouses in the way. Guilford survived the blast thankfully, due to a combination of luck and being in one of the safest places he could be during the explosion. He was already giving orders to safeguard the commanding officers.
Though distant from the battlefield, Euphemia could still see all of the destruction through a computer screen. Seeing the men they were supposed to capture choosing death instead caused tremendous pain in her heart. Adding to the pain was all the other soldiers caught in their exaggerated suicide. So much destruction and nothing she could do about it, even when she permitted the operation as Viceroy.
"Princess Euphemia," Guilford contacted her. "We advise you to retreat to safety. We cannot let them get you, just as they did with Cornelia!"
"I know, but-" she was interrupted as a boat made landfall in proximity to their current location. It had to house more terrorist forces than they scouted. "But how did they know?"
"Your Highness, it's-" Guilford was cut off, turning around as they found who it was.
A few minutes earlier, Ginga smashed the backseat door open with her hand. Being a combat cyborg, something like this is easy for her.
"Captain Vita, hurry!" She lent her hand to the commanding officer, eager to reach the bay as soon as possible.
Her blonde friend got out on her own, understanding that they now have to activate their Devices. Her car flipped over like Momoko's pancakes, and they have no other means to reach the site unless they take to the sky. After leaving their wrecked car, they donned their Barrier Jackets before taking to the air.
Once they flew over the warehouses, the three TSAB officials could watch as they saw the damage before them. They had missed the explosion that consumed them, but Shari had provided a clip of the blast including what happened after the temporal barrier fell. The explosion itself was reminiscent of a Starlight Breaker, but instead of a pink beam, it was a small sphere of destruction that annihilated everything in its volume.
"Damn it!" The Hammer Knight shouted, cursing at both the JLF and the TSAB Mages caught in the blast.
"The JLF blew up the liquid Sakuradite?" Fate said to herself, still struggling against the wind.
Even Ginga was angered by the apparent idiocy coming from their suspects, choosing to kill themselves and take the whole Mage team with them. But even that gave suspicions.
This force is too strong for liquid Sakuradite alone, thought the cyborg, grading how high the wind was pushing against her. There must be something else.
And those suspicions were confirmed when she got a glimpse of something. It was a longboat, specifically a hydrofoil traveling towards the blast and then taking a turn towards the Britannian forces.
There's only one person I can think now who would try this.
Vita thought the same thing as she got a glimpse of the boat. Knowing the sudden surprises he was able to pull off, the Knight guessed well ahead of the others who were responsible.
"Fate-chan," Nanoha reported over an open communication channel. "Zero has arrived! He and the Black Knights are attacking the Britannians!"
"DAMMIT!" Vita's eyes turned into slits. Right now the battle was reminding her of the slaughter of Nanoha's students back in Mid-Childa. "That guy is no different than the Mandarin! I'll make him pay," she said as she fought the wind, now dying down. Changing her Graf Eisen into Raketenform before cruising towards the boat with accelerating speed. "I'll make him pay!"
"Vita!" Fate exclaimed as she and Ginga were still struggling against the always strong force despite the calm. By the time they could be in mid-air; usually, Vita was already far ahead of them. Seeing how this may turn out in the current situation, Fate and Ginga worked together in casting a new Temporal Field around Yokosuka.
Emerging from the ruins of a warehouse were Sein and Nova, who cautiously surveyed their surroundings. When the Temporal Field went up, the two cyborgs had taken shelter inside, hiding in a basement with an old freezer that stored frozen foods.
The two cyborgs took cover inside, which ensured their survival as the explosion proved to be far more destructive than they fought to bring the entire building down.
Sein's ability allowed them to escape the ruins of the collapsed building, and upon surfacing, they saw what looked like a war breaking out.
"Cinque made a good call," Sein commented surveying the destruction around them.
"Maybe they added a little something extra to that tanker," Nove added.
"Sein and Nova," Cinque called trying to establish communications with them, "You two better pull back."
As if on cue, a damaged Sutherland was suddenly gunned down by a Burai that hurried out of the crashed hydrofoil. The Black Knights led by the Guren charged the Britannians with the intent on wiping them out.
"You don't need to tell us twice, this is getting way too hairy for us to hang around," Sein commented as she and Nova made a hasty retreat.
The Guren seized hold of a Sutherland before using its primary weapon to destroy it. With the Britannians recovering from the aftermath of the explosion the Black Knights had an early advantage, so they aggressively pushed to eliminate the enemy before they could regroup.
The Britannian Forces furthest away from the shore managed to assemble a defense line, but as Lelouch proceeded towards Dalton and Guilford, he caught a signal from Abyss Soul. It was a TSAB Mage coming towards him.
"ZERO!" Even in his Burai, Lelouch could hear Vita screaming towards him. Knowing the history of the Hammer Knight and her behavior up close, it was apparent she'd know where he was, and of the three he detected, she'd come after him first.
I guess this was expected. However...
"My team spread out now!" Zero ordered as he, Kallen and the cyborg twins dispersed. "Sette, I need you to back up the twins."
"Yes sir," Sette replied as she began moving from her hiding spot.
As the others noticed the Hammer Knight bearing down on them, they were able to get enough distance before impact. When her hammer smashed into the ground, it shook the team and caused the cyborgs to lose balance. While regaining his, Zero went on to think how the Knight was going to make her next move soon.
"So, that's one of them?" Kallen said through the radio, getting a visual on the Knight. She was surprised by the sight that like the others, this was merely a young girl with small hammer...that did this much damage. It was almost to the point it made Kallen jealous.
I bet that girl could create something just as big as what happened at Narita. That is if she was at Narita.
When she got a good look at her face, Kallen noticed something familiar about her, as if she met her recently.
Vita? She thought, only catching her once or twice as one of Lelouch's friends who showed. She shook her head as she was too short to be the same girl. It can't be, but these people have magic. If that's the case…
"Exactly," Zero cut Kallen's train of thought. "It seems this confrontation was inevitable."
"Do you know anything about this girl?"
"She is the Hammer Knight of the Wolkenritter, one of four powerful Mages who work along aside one of the Bureau's top three Aces. Though not the most powerful, she's still not someone to take head-on."
As a demonstration, Vita summoned metal sphere to begin her attack in a rage.
"Schwalbefliegen Claymore," her Device spoke as she hurled the balls with her hammer. Fortunately, Zero was far away enough to move to the side, evading the balls as they smashed through one of the storage facilities behind him. The destructive power was shown by that single attack that even made Kallen unnerved, but also sparked a desire to test herself against Vita.
"Can you tell us how to fight her?"
"She focuses on strength and endurance. She can take a beating and easily smash regular Knightmares, but she's slow and predictable. Quattro will help you track her movements. Use your mobility and the nearby buildings to your advantage. Don't stop until she is fully knocked out!"
"On it!"
Vita began her attack by swinging her hammer at Lelouch's Burai. Kallen attacked with the Guren, using hit-and-run tactics. After kicking or swiping with the Guren's fork knife, she pulled back to avoid a counterattack, which demanded a usual jump or flip into the air to evade. Sette arrived on the battlefield using her Boomerang Blades, as they split into four boomerang-shaped blades upon being thrown.
Kallen's attacks served as a distraction from the impending danger, which Vita barely realized at the last minute before raising a Panzerschild. Instead of stopping the boomerangs, Vita watched them tear through her shield like tissue paper, forcing her to dodge the projectiles. They narrowly missed with the sleeves and some parts of her Barrier Jacket's dress cut by the moving blades.
Unfortunately, Vita lost her hat as it tore on the edges, only enraging her further.
"You," Vita began before screaming a battle cry before charging at Sette, who retrieved her boomerangs and used them to skillfully parry Vita's attack.
With Sette's involvement in the fight, things became complicated for the hammer-wielding Mage. In a moment of anger, Vita began enlarging Graf Eisen into its Gigantschlag form to hit both Sette and the Guren, but Kallen interrupted the transformation by seizing the hammer. Once it had grown large enough, Kallen didn't waste a moment to grab the hammer.
"Hands off Graf Eisen," Vita snapped as she struggled against Kallen and Guren, intending to overpower the taller red machine.
Shockingly, both the Guren and Vita seemed equal in strength. Moments later, however, the Guren Mk-II was starting to push back. Kallen activated the Radiant Wave Surger I hopes of damaging Vita's weapon, but the Guren continued to push back slowly. But Vita had forgotten about Sette, along with another cyborg in the fray.
Otto lurked near a pile of damaged shipping containers. Using the cyborg's new upgrade of optical camouflage combined with her Stealth Jacket, she was invisible to most sensors and tracking magic. The cloaked cyborg had a clear shot at Vita, and the Guren left her back wide open.
Otto exploited the opportunity by unleashing her Inherent Skill: Ray Storm.
A quick volley of green beams of energy shot forth from Otto's right hand before hitting Vita in the back, inflicting damage while stunning her. Kallen took advantage of it by lifting Vita off the ground with the hammer she unconsciously refused to let go before hurling the Hammer Knight into the air. Vita crashed into a pile of damaged shipping containers that were thrown about during the explosion. Lelouch wasn't too concerned because he knew it would take a lot more than that to kill her.
Damn, Ginga cursed internally, this one is something else.
Ginga was engaged in a battle against Deed, finding herself pressed back by the sword-wielding cyborg. Like her other sisters, Peter augmented her body and upgraded her cybernetics similar to Quattro. Because Deed and Sette were more combat-oriented compared to Quattro, their upgrades and augmentations were explicitly tailored to not only significantly enhance their combat prowess but also grant them more beneficial advantages. It was especially necessary since, unlike Quattro and even Otto to some extent, Deed and Sette had a much higher augmentation rate than them.
Deed, for instance, was heavily augmented through a combination of nanomachines to modify Deed's genetic code to ensure her body would be more accepting of the changes. Deed's remaining organic skeletal structure was reinforced by grafting a carbide ceramic to increase their durability to the point of being almost unbreakable to support her new cybernetics. Her limbs, which featured integrated cybernetics to improve her agility were upgraded with a carbon nanotube muscle-fibers interlaced with her muscles to enhance her speed as well as her strength. Her organic muscles, as a precaution, were coated with specialized proteins to prevent them from being torn apart and increase her endurance, allowing her to push herself longer and decreasing exertion. Her internal organs, including cardiovascular and respiratory systems, were greatly biologically and biomechanically improved, including accelerated healing and immensely boosted immune system.
Deed's bodysuit, similar to Quattro's, was more specialized for close quarters combat. It was designed to be blast-resistant, bulletproof, and withstand tears and slashes from ordinary blades. Yet, it was intended to be flexible and easy to move in to prevent a compromise in agility. The suit applied pressure upon her internal organs at specific points to maximize their performance with the back unit containing not only holders for her blades, but also a med-kit to tend to wounds that are beyond the ability of the nanomachines to repair. Her gloves included exceptional magnets similar to the ones in the hilts of her blades, so if she lost them during a fight, she could use them to draw her swords back into her hands, creating a more advanced method of retrieving her blades, akin to what some swordsmen had used with ordinary wire.
Deed's twin blades were more than energy blades; the center structure was a miniaturized version of the Lancelot's Maser Vibration Swords. The twin blades still employed energy that could be seen along the edges, which worked together with the swords to enhance cutting power and assist in cutting through magical barriers. However, electricity could be discharged through the swords if the enemy attempted to grab the swords or as a means to incapacitating a target for capture.
"Are you a combat cyborg?" Ginga asked.
"I am sorry," Deed said politely. "Although Zero instructed me to avoid killing you, I must ask that you surrender since that may be difficult for me."
Lelouch led the rest of the Black Knights against the Britannians as most of their scattered forces were picked off. Although Lelouch had no interest in capturing Euphemia, he wanted the battlefield cleared of any potentially disruptive elements because Lelouch suspected the Mandarin had likely dispatched reinforcements to this area. It was merely a question when they would arrive, but it was just another reason Lelouch wanted anyone who could interfere eliminated.
Even though my plan has fallen apart, I can still salvage this. If only I can confirm that Gray is dead.
Lelouch's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar visage of the Lancelot unit. His eyes narrowed behind his mask, fully aware his Burai didn't stand a chance against it.
Otto, I need you to disable the Lancelot, Lelouch reached out telepathically.
Understood, Otto replied as Quattro had already requested her to deal with it.
Zero's Burai hung back as the other Black Knights continued dealing with the Britannians. He planned to use them as shields when the Mandarin's reinforcements arrive, hopefully enabling him to wipe them out along with Britannia's most capable soldiers.
Suzaku cut down an a Burai, prompting the pilot to eject, before closing the distance between him and Zero. The rebel leader responded by opening fire on the Lancelot, but the white machine deployed its Blaze Luminous shield to deflect the shots before drawing an MVS.
However, Lelouch noticed the shield starting to flicker.
I guess it drained most of its power to withstand that explosion, Lelouch wondered internally.
Suzaku rushed in, but Lelouch moved to the side to dodge. Unfortunately, Lelouch couldn't escape the swing of the Lancelot's sword. Lelouch opened the hatch to his Knightmare Frame and conjured his Seraph Wings to fly out of the Burai's cockpit. Just as the Lancelot cleaved off the inferior machine's legs off, the stunned Suzaku witnessed the rebel leader with wings. The awe distracted him from Otto, who hid behind the wreckage of some Sutherlands to hit the Lancelot with another Ray Storm.
Lelouch attacked from the front after summoning Abyss Soul, converted into its Shooting Mode. He intended to keep Suzaku occupied, allowing Otto the chance to disable it.
Unfortunately, Fate intervened and cast a Round Shield to deflect Otto's attack as she landed behind the Lancelot, assuming that Zero was planning to destroy the machine and kill its pilot.
Suzaku realized the danger when the sensors in the Lancelot detected the explosion resulting from Otto's attack hitting Fate's barrier. The Lancelot looked over its shoulder to see his mysterious protector.
Is that Fate? Suzaku thought although he couldn't be sure it was her. He didn't know very many people with her hairstyle. It was possible, but he couldn't tell for sure.
Shortly after, the Lancelot powered down as a result of deflecting Lelouch's attack. Suzaku had already diverted power from unnecessary systems to continue combat after recovering from the explosion from the tanker, but it didn't last very long.
I guess the Lancelot will be unable to continue combat without a new Energy Filler, Lelouch thought, feeling satisfied with the issue of the Lancelot.
Now he just had to deal with Fate.
"Zero," Fate declared leveling Bardiche Assault at Zero after transforming it into its Zanber mode. "You are under arrest for the mass slaughter of TSAB's special force Mages and the JLF."
"You mean accidental mass slaughter. Nobody told us your forces would barge in here."
"Even so-"
"For the record, that tanker was empty, and there was nobody onboard."
"Nobody on bo-" There was only one possibility Fate can think of at the moment. It's a longshot, but it makes sense. "So General Katase really is dead."
"So you figured it out. The JLF came to us after Narita, and he died shortly in our care."
"And building this trap to lure in his killer." Zero's light nod cause Fate to tighten her grip on her Device. "Disgusting. Have you no shame?"
"Sometimes, winning a war or even gaining an advantage calls for the use of unsavory tactics," Lelouch said as he was about to attack. However, their Devices alerted them to incoming enemies from the water.
A Wyvern Drone erupted from the water landing on the damaged dock near the two ages.
Lelouch quickly retreated while Fate withdrew to avoid a potential attack from the drone, but three more emerged from the water. Any Britannians that had survived the explosion within their Knightmare Frames, although highly unlikely, were being brutally targeted by the drones. It was excessive, but perhaps the enemy didn't want to take any chances.
The two Mages weren't concerned with the details at the moment because the drones were not their only problem. Transport vehicles brought in two squads of Yoshimitsu Troopers to assist with the cleanup, likely to confirm the death of their high priority targets.
One of them was likely Euphemia li Britannia, whose command area was under assault.
Guilford cruised through the warehouses with several Gloucesters and Sutherlands he managed to rally to his side. He was cut off from Dalton's men, who was busy repelling the sudden attackers. At this rate, neither Euphy nor Dalton's unit will last long against the enemy force.
Shortly before the Black Knights attacked, Guilford was left groaning as he searched for his glasses. Although Dalton was secure in the warehouse, allowing his forces to recover faster, Guilford was not as lucky. Instead, his Gloucester was thrown into the air and hit face first onto the ground. If he were very unlucky, he would've already been crushed by the falling debris from the ceiling. It was only thanks to the nearby crates and other Knightmares thrown overboard that he was kept alive. After retrieving what looked like his glasses, his next step was getting his Knightmare upright again so that he was no longer hanging by the seat's safety straps. He pushed his Gloucester upward to avoid a falling beam before grabbing his lance.
That was when the Black Knights came in with their large hydrofoil. Many contacts encircled their position, far more than they expected, almost like at Narita. Did the Black Knight have that kind of military strength? Or was it something else that giving those signatures? Guilford's thoughts were leaning towards the latter since the signatures were way too quick for Knightmares. Even the Special Corps' Lancelot wasn't fast enough, let alone the fact he couldn't contact it. He'll have to figure it out once he rescued Euphemia, even if that was the last thing he ever did.
Unfortunately, the most direct route was cut off by the collapsing structure, and there was no sturdy object for him to climb with his Slash Harkens. The debris of the warehouse became like a tank trap for Knightmares, which brought him here, taking a very long way back to Euphemia's position.
They made a turn, hoping to find a detour back to Euphy's position, but no avail. Even this turn was blocked off a yacht that was upside down when it crashed onto the port. Guilford slammed his fist beside the controls. At this rate, they'll never reach Dalton or Euphy in time.
Then an explosion came in front of his unit, or rather something powerful busted through the door of a shipping container to the other side of the alley. The warped structure of the plate, which had a massive hole in the center, indicated that something flew inside before popping the container open. His unit already prepared their lances and rifles for an incoming force; the sensors were already spotting a massive unknown signal in the area.
What came out something Guilford never expected, a little redhead girl with an unusually large hammer. As Guilford zoomed in on the monitor, she almost looked like someone from Europa, if not precisely Britannia, considering her Germanic Lolita outfit.
"You there," Guilford called to the girl through the speakers. "What's a young girl doing in the middle of a war zone?"
Guilford wanted to choose his thoughts carefully. He could see glares in her eyes when she put her tattered hat back on. Not only did he assume this was one of their unusual contacts, but he also judged as someone not to take threats lightly.
Unfortunately, his comrades didn't think otherwise.
"Freeze!" One of the Sutherlands aimed at the little girl. "This is a restricted area! Identify yourself immediately!"
"No, stand down!" Guilford ordered, but it was already too late. The moment they threatened the young child, both sides already acted.
As the Knightmares fired their rifles, Vita reacted with the Panzerchild defending her torn Knight Armor. As the bullets were deflected off the shield, Vita transformed Graf Eisen back into Raketenform, spinning it around before flying towards a Sutherland. The royal knight was startled over the sudden phenomenon as it cleaved apart the Knightmare's arm that barely missed.
"What madness has consumed this battlefield," Guilford said while thinking out loud.
One thing was clear, Guilford and his men, those who were still alive at least, were way in over their head.
"All forces who can hear me on this channel, begin a tactical withdrawal and recover the wounded if you can," Guilford commanded.
It stung his pride, but his instincts and experience as a soldier screamed for immediate withdrawal.
Regrettably, it was painfully clear they had no means of winning this fight, especially with so many dead and caught between two clashing enemy forces.
Lelouch retreated to direct his forces against the attacking drones. Even though their intended trap didn't work as planned, he was prepared for it.
"Rifle Teams, take aim," Lelouch instructed over a secure channel.
As Lelouch gave the order, a Wyvern Drone approached him seconds before it was promptly gunned down, most of the shots from a great distance. The first few rounds shredded its head before tearing through its chest. The teams then turned their sights to their next target.
Lelouch smirked at how effective his new weapons were, but he was alerted to a dangerous threat approaching him, who announced her arrival with a battle cry.
"ZERO!"
Vita cruised in Graf Eisen's Raketenform to hit Lelouch with her hammer. He was worried at first until Deed arrived and deflected the attack.
"I apologize, but you cannot harm our commander," Deed said politely while blocking Vita's hammer with her twin swords.
I thought Ginga was dealing with her, Vita thought while gathering strength to push back Deed. Even eventually stopped her charge and focused on her attacker.
Ginga, at that moment, was fending off a Wyvern Drone alongside Fate. Initially, she was fighting Deed, but when the Wyvern Drone attacked them, the cyborg had managed to break away, leaving Ginga to face the enemy machine alone. The Black Knights could've shot down the enemy machine, but as per Quattro's order, they left it for the TSAB Mages when Fate intervened.
"All Black Knights, complete mop-up of the enemy and begin withdrawal," Lelouch ordered, unwilling to linger once they dealt with the stragglers.
Unfortunately, retreating wouldn't be easy when a familiar battle cry erupted through the air after the sound of someone rising out of the water.
Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise as Abyss Soul provided a close-up image of the one who had emerged from the water.
"How the hell is he alive?!" Quattro snapped upon seeing the bloody and battered form of Gray.
Despite the odds, Gray had narrowly escaped death by making his way to the bottom of the harbor and casting many defensive spells as he can. He narrowly escaped death thanks to his quick thinking and reaction speed, but Gray didn't avoid injury. Judging from the blood oozing from his ears, it seems his eardrums ruptured.
"I can't do anything about this ringing noise in my ears, but I'll start killing the first bastard I see," Gray roared upon activating his sword. "That will make me a lot better!"
Thankfully for Lelouch, the furious former knight spotted Fate and Ginga. Hoping to take advantage of their clash against a Wyvern Drone, he attempted to strike from behind.
"Rifle Teams take down that drone so that the TSAB Mages can deal with our target," Lelouch commanded quickly.
The Rifle Teams did as instructed, aiming for the head and chest of the enemy machine to disable it. The round blew past Fate and Ginga as they destroyed the drone, allowing to quickly realize Gray's presence and defend against his surprise attack.
Now I have to do something about Vita, Lelouch thought while deciding to help Deed against the angry hammer-wielding Wolkenritter.
Vita was locked in a stalemate with Deed. Despite the former having a more significant weapon capable of great devastation with every swing, the cyborg was holding her own. Furthermore, Deed's speed and agility coupled with her two enhanced swords granted her more options for offense and defense. And that did not account for the hidden weapons within her forearms.
Sette and Otto defended the Black Knights from the Yoshimitsu Troopers while the other Black Knights attacked the last two Wyverns. Kallen used the Radiant Wave Surger to blast apart a drone's head, rendering it inoperable. The remaining Black Knights manage to take the final drone down. Unlike the drones, however, the enemy cyborg troopers were more agile and harder to hit for some of their snipers. Only Dieci was effortlessly scoring kill after kill with her railgun rifle.
"Ugh!"
Vita let out a cry after Deed delivered a kick to Vita's face upon creating an opening.
Lelouch kept his distance before materializing his attack drones to aid Deed while preparing to create some illusions to throw off Vita in the hopes of ending the battle quickly.
Angrier than a hornet, Vita retaliated by swinging her hammer before slamming it into the ground, but Deed performed a graceful backflip to evade. The furious Wolkenritter was already ready to strike, but Lelouch's attack drones began shooting the young woman with energy blasts. However, Vita wasn't going to give Deed a chance to recover and proceeded to rush the cyborg, using her hammer embedded into the ground after a missed swing. She attempted to smash one of Lelouch's attack drones before using its momentum from the impact to launch herself with Graf Eisen back in Raketenform.
Using the sudden boost of speed, Vita landed a blow on Deed square in the chest, causing her to lose her blades and sending her flying back. Deed recovered in midair and performed an impressive aerobatic feat that allowed her to land on both feet against a charging Vita. Calmly facing down the furious Wolkenritter, Deed activated the spare blades within her forearm armor while enabling the hidden blades in her boots to counterattack.
Vita had to pull back to defend herself from her quicker foe, but after disrupting Vita's charge Deed activated the special devices in her gloves which began drawing her blades back to her hands. The blades had almost cut the red-haired Wolkenritter while she defended herself from Deed's renewed assault.
Ducking to avoid Sette's boomerangs from taking off her arms, although the latter wasn't aiming at her, Vita found herself under attack by the other two combat cyborgs. They already finished off the last of the enemy troopers and were dispatched to assist their sister. Otto released energy beams upon Vita, forcing her onto the defensive, which was worsened by Sette attacking in conjunction with Deed.
At that moment, Lelouch found the opening needed. Vita saw an illusion of Sette about to attack, forcing her to counter. Before realizing the mistake she made, Deed attacked slashed her across her shoulder before kicking her in the face, allowing a shot from behind. Deed reacted quickly by using a binding spell, which strangely took the form of red shibari ties, to restrain the Wolkenritter. The Hammer Knight then noticed a bright purple glow in the air, she realized Zero was charging up to hit her with a powerful attack, the same method used by someone she knew pretty well.
Lelouch wasn't looking forward to striking down Vita.
I rather not do this in a way I should thank you, but…
"TWILIGHT BREAKER!"
Vita cried out before she was hit by Lelouch's Twilight Breaker, which resulted in an explosion that shook the entire dock. When the smoke cleared, Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief that Vita had been knocked out.
"Consider us even now," Lelouch muttered under his breath.
Without Deed fighting Vita on his behalf, winning that fight might've not been possible. Lelouch was thankful that none of the other Wolkenritter were involved in the battle, but that could change at any time.
"We need to withdraw now," Lelouch said with urgency in his voice.
The longer they linger, the more dangerous it would be for them. Fortunately for them, the Black Knights had finished off the enemy cyborgs with the only ones left fighting the Britannians protecting Euphemia as she was trying to flee. It seemed the Britannians had it under control thanks to the Black Knights picking off most of the enemy forces, giving the Britannians a fighting chance to ensure their escape. Lelouch didn't want to leave Euphemia behind, but he had little choice. At the very least, he hoped Euphy would escape unharmed from this incident.
That leaves one problem to confront.
The only one left was Gray, but he was busy fighting both Fate and Ginga.
Even though it was two against one, and Gray was severely injured, the former Knight of the Saint Church was holding his own against both of them. Fate was forced to switch to Sonic Form, which was risky since it sacrificed defense for increased speed. The advantage still allowed her to hold her own against the murderous former knight.
The battle had been a stalemate so far with Ginga using her Wing Road and other magic to perform hit-and-run attacks on Gray while Fate kept him occupied. Initially, it did little to slow him down gradually, but their efforts were wearing the former knight down on top of all of his injuries.
We have the advantage, but we just need to…
Fate's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a new Wyvern Drone. Instead of bursting out, its back and head were sticking out of the water before releasing a barrage of missiles. The sensor eye on Gray's weapon began glowing, but due to his poor hearing, the angry former Knight didn't notice it until he found himself within a new spell.
"Forced Dimensional Transfer?" Ginga asked.
"Yes," Fate confirmed before noticing the Wyvern Drone. The missiles came nowhere near them, but they couldn't risk ignoring them either. "Either his weapon did it, or someone else remotely caused it."
"And Zero?" Ginga searched around the area, but the Black Knights were gone. However, Ginga did find Vita lying unconscious in a small crater left by Zero's Twilight Breaker. "Vita!"
"Ugh…" Vita groaned.
Ginga hurried alongside Fate, who was just opposite of her when they approached the injured Hammer Knight.
"She'll be fine, but we should search for any survivors. Then we'll report what happened," Fate said while trying to mask her frustration at how the situation ended. To her, it would be remarkable if they ever did find any survivors.
Around the same time, quickly withdrawing from the area, Lelouch was inside a new Burai. Quattro followed right behind him in her Glasgow as the Black Knights promptly made their escape.
"Well, that was a disaster," Quattro noted.
"Don't remind me," Lelouch answered. "We'll escape on the submarine and lay low for a bit just to be safe."
"You know, the old man is going to be mad with you."
"I just said, don't remind me…"
The scene aboard the Athra was chaotic. Despite the near impossibility, Fate and Ginga managed to find some survivors who were barely alive despite the odds. Something like that would happen just like in those old Earth movies about their previous wars.
The entire medical facility inside the Athra packed with the injured. Living through the explosion is one thing, but surviving the effects is another problem altogether.
"Bring this man to the emergency pronto!" The doctor ordered the nurses to bring the patient to the emergency ward. "Where is Dr. Shamal!" he shouted the name of his colleague. His shoes were stained with red blood, almost slipping several times after he entered the wardroom.
"We can't!" A nurse answered, her uniform also covered in blood. "There's no room left!" The emergency ward was crowded with injured Mages from the Yokosuka incident. "And Dr. Shamal is too busy with more patients!" She heard someone vomiting behind her. "Melissa! Not in here! Outside! Outside!" Even a trained nurse can take so much sight of blood before she finally succumbs from the gruesome images.
"Of all the-Damn!" He slammed his hands onto his head out of frustration. The Athra did not have enough equipment to cater to all the injured. The place reeks of blood and death that would make even the worst criminal caught by TSAB look away in fear.
"Bandages! I need bandages!" Someone shouted among the sea of screams.
"Forget me..." A dying man begged the nurse. " My bro...how is he?" Coughing up blood, he asked the woman in charge of him.
The explosion that decimated nearly all of the TSAB Mages stationed at Yokosuka filled the already packed emergency ward inside the TSAB cruiser. Moving the injured via teleportation has already claimed a number of their lives as their bodies cannot cope with the sudden movement.
Anyone who walked inside would be greeted with screams of pain and blood all over the floor as surviving Mages from the contained gigantic explosion. If the damage didn't destroy their Barrier Jackets and Protection Spells, the explosion would have damaged their bodies or irradiated that the doctors couldn't figure in such a short time.
"Dr. Shamal!" The male doctor called out.
Shamal herself was in a tight spot. Every second, her name was called out to treat a patient, but she couldn't be at all places at once and, almost all of them died before she could save their lives. She nearly slipped from the blood on the floor as she walks her way through the emergency wards.
Without a doubt, the Bureau suffered a heavy blow to their numbers, and they had only arrived on the Unadministrated World in less than a day before they were deployed to intervene with what seemed to be rendezvous point from the Mandarin. Shamal may not be a strategist, but even she suspected that there was something wrong with the sudden information as if the masked criminal wanted everyone to be there.
Reclining in the command chair was Hayate while Nanoha had brought her a drink of water.
"I feel sorry for Lindy," Hayate commented before taking a slip.
"It's not her fault," Nanoha pointed out as Zarfia arrived on the bridge.
"I know, but delivering bad news is never pleasant."
At the moment, Lindy was in her cabin reporting a full list of the casualties to headquarters so their families could be informed.
"Uh, commander," a bridge crewman began.
"What is it?" Hayate asked.
"We're receiving a transmission."
"Put it on the screen…its probably from Mid-Childa," Hayate said, but she didn't know the transmission was from someone else.
"Greetings."
And with that, the entire TSAB crew upon the bridge was alarmed by the sudden appearance of Zero in their transmission. Zero's image appeared on all screens aboard the ship, including the more private channels. Having the masked man broadcasting himself was not a good sign.
"Zero," Nanoha's eyes widened.
"Can you trace back the signal!" Without further ado, Hayate commanded the communication officers to trace back the caller. Unfortunately, they are not able to pinpoint his location because someone else outside their base is preventing them from doing anything.
"That would be a waste of time, Commander Yagami," Zero answered back; his lack of face made it difficult for the viewers to guess whether he's enjoying watching their squirm or not. "I'm going to make this short and quick." The commanding tone made everybody on edge; especially Hayate who glared at him. "Do not interfere with the local affairs any longer. I've already mentioned this to Takamichi, but I'll repeat myself. This war is not your own. Leave before any more of your people get caught in the crossfire."
"I'm afraid we can't do that, Zero," Hayate argued back. "We have enough intel to prove that the Mandarin operates on Earth."
"And the Mandarin made enemies with the people of Earth. We'll deal with him ourselves. You're in our way."
"The Mandarin has a lot to answer for us. We won't let you take him."
"And risk another casualty like Zafira?"
Hayate winced at that. "So you really did cause that landslide." She clenched her fist, feeling the rage inside her to transform and cast Ragnarok spell on the masked man.
"The first strike must always leave an impression. It was crude but effective," Zero commented on his strategy back in Narita.
"And caused civilian casualties."
"It's the reality. There will always be civilian casualties in war. This world is not under your jurisdiction. Why do you care?"
"Why do I care? You put people's lives on the line. This is not a game, Zero!"
"And you think I don't know that? I've been fighting this war longer than all three of you, Yagami. I learned the hard way life is cruel and unforgiving. Either way, we're diverting from our main topic. Stay away from our war. I can't guarantee how many of you will die."
"Zero, we'll gladly place our lives on the lines if it means capturing the Mandarin and end this once and for all. I'll even reserve an additional cell just for you after we're done."
"Adorable, but if my sources are correct, Mages from Administrated Worlds rarely see combat since the Belkan era. Can you stomach what you are about to see here on Earth?" Zero challenged. "We're nothing like you aliens from Mid-Childa. Most of us don't have non-lethal magic or Barrier Jackets to protect ourselves. The economy strives on the production of mass weapons. If you ask me, commander, you're out of their element."
"We won't bow before your threats, Zero."
"A threat? I'm merely stating facts. Earth is not a place for your subordinates," Zeros' speech was interrupted by a growl made from Zafira. "So you're back in top shape. I heard what happened to you. You have my deepest apologies for that," Again, the lack of face on Zero's part made it impossible for anyone to determine whether he was genuine or being sarcastic.
Ending the transmission, Lelouch took off his mask and reclined in his chair within the confines of his private cabin aboard their submarine.
I am sorry if I was a bit rough on you Hayate, but I can't show anything that could lead to you exposing me.
Using one hand to massage one of his temples, Lelouch wasn't looking forward to returning to Ashford Academy, but what it was all done.
It was merely a question of what would happen next and how they would deal with it going forward.
A/N: well a LOT of blood was spilled this chapter, although accidently but nevertheless this is something the TSAB won't forget easily.
And expect Lelouch to get an earful next chapter for his actions while everyone else will react to what has happened and how they will respond going forward.