Chapter Fifty-Two: Ragnarok Come.
Arriving back to the city, Zero was greeted by the cheers of his soldiers. He exited his Knightmare and removed his helm, smiling out at the praise and glory that was bestowed upon him. In the back of his mind Lelouch recalled Ohgi's gift.
'Mimento Mori,' thought Lelouch as he descended from his place atop his machine.
Upon touching the ground the first thing he felt as a great pain to his face as a red blur filled his vision. He knew this was coming, it was unavoidable.
"You reckless bastard," Kallen cried out.
She then enveloped Lelouch in a hug, glad that he was alright. Lelouch smirked and returned the hug, not minding the lasting pain in his face. He admitted that it was his own fault for cutting off Kallen earlier. He could hardly blame her, after all she had a blazing passion that made her the woman he had made his bride.
"I'm sorry Kallen," said Lelouch. "But I had to take the gamble and I didn't want to risk more lives than were necessary."
"Everyone here would give their life for you," said Kallen.
"And I would give my life for any of theirs," said Lelouch. "That is the responsibility of a king, Kallen. That is the man I am."
"I know," said Kallen. "It's why I married you."
The Black King and the Red Queen walked together back to the Great Pyramid, their cheering followers joining them from behind.
"Our invasion force has been wiped out," said Bludbierd.
"I expected as much," said V.V.
"Everything else is ready though," said Bludbierd.
"Good," said V.V. "Then let the promise of the Gjallarhorn be fulfilled. Let Ragnarok come."
"To everyone, I'd like to thank you all for the courage displayed today," said Lelouch, speaking before his followers from atop his throne. "But the war is not over. This is but the first scene in the final act of V.V.'s plot to destroy our world."
"Dude, what's to worry about?" said Tamaki. "I mean did you see what you did man? You just brainwashed an entire army all at once. That was so freaking badass. All you gotta do is get that big beauty out again and this time take the whole of the Eden Elite and tell 'em to take V.V. out behind a barn and..."
"The experience was...draining," said Lelouch. "Besides...I have no intention of using the Jason's power like that again unless I absolutely have to. It's power is...frightening to contemplate. It's better not to rely on it too much."
"I agree," said Ohgi. "Not to mention it would be best if we didn't broadcast that Lelouch has such power at his disposal. We should keep this incident in house. Once things are settled we can tell...certain aspects of this incident in a way that won't come back to bite us."
"Indeed," said Lelouch. "As such, no one is allowed to speak of the exact details of our victory. At least for the time being. For now, we should make all necessary repairs to the ships and Knightmares. V.V. is bound to know about how his invasion force has fallen. I want all information on any unusual activity or reports of what might be Ancients. I have an idea of where they might be deployed but V.V. could very well launch anywhere to try and trip us up. As for the Jormungander system, we need a method to incapacitate them."
"Can't we just launch a bunch of missiles up at them?" asked Ashley Ashura.
"There are a lot of satellites up there and they're all connected," said Rivalz. "Too many for us to shoot down."
"Couldn't you just hack them?" asked Tamaki.
"That's too much for me to control," said Rivalz. "Not to mention out of my range."
"Well how is V.V. going to be able to control them?" asked Gino. "Hell how are they even getting power?"
"If those little darlings are any like the city then they'd have to be powered by the Collective," said Rakshata.
"But the Collective is made from the minds of humanity?" asked Leila. "Then how can the Collective power something meant to destroy humanity?"
"If I were to speculate the particular nature as to how it works," said Lloyd, "I'd guess that Geass, and the energy that powers the city, is a result of the ever churning nature of the Collective. Since it's the minds and souls of all humanity churning together like water through a hydrodynamic dam, the energy of Geass and for the city as well as the Ancients is the energy given off by their movement. A sort of cosmic friction one might say. The Collective can't control how the energy is made because it is that same energy which keeps them in motion. So then it's just a matter of tapping into C's World and channeling that energy into whatever suits your fancy, assuming you're aware of how it can be used."
"So V.V. plans to use the power of humanity's Collective will as a means to destroy humanity," said Tohdoh.
"You have to kind of admire the twisted irony of that," said Dalton.
"And more than anything that's why he was trying to secure the Thought Elevators," said Rai.
"They could even be used to channel energy to those satellites," said Orpheus.
"Yeah but channel them into what?" asked Cornelia. "Do we even know what those horrors can do?"
"In Norse myth, the Midgard Serpent wrapped around the Earth the tightening of its body is what caused earthquakes," said Leila.
"Myth and legend, not much to go on," said Xianglin. "Then again considering where we are I suppose we should keep an open mind as to what's possible."
"Indeed," said Lelouch.
He brought up a holographic display of all the data he had managed to compile in regards to the satellites. The display featured an odd style of video in which was demonstrated their power. From above the satellites could fire beams of energy into the Earth, thus causing tectonic disturbances.
"Holy shit," said Tamaki.
"Earthquakes, tsunami, and just about any other geological disaster you can think of," said Lelouch. "Combined with the other two Ancients which help serve the narrative of Ragnarok, bringing forth Ice and Fire, these weapons would make it relatively easy for V.V. to carry out his objective."
"He'd be using the very Earth itself as his weapon," said Tohdoh. "Monstrous."
"What the hell were those old bastards thinking when they made these things?" yelled Tamaki.
"Remember, the old Geass Civilization became arrogant and corrupt," said Ohgi. "They saw themselves as gods. And what other business do gods have than playing with the world as if it were clay to be shaped to their liking?"
"And when you live on a floating city, you don't have to worry too much about what happens on the ground below," said Rivalz. "But there's something else that's an issue."
"I assume you're thinking about how such a system is controlled in the first place Rivalz?" asked Lelouch.
"Pretty much," said Rivalz. "I mean controlling something like that through modern conventional means would be impossible. And if they're anything like the city and like a true Ancient like the Jason then that would mean they're controlled telepathically. But that's a problem too."
"Why?" asked Kallen.
"Because it's too big," said Rivalz. "Geass can be powerful but it's not all powerful. A human body still suffers a strain from excessive use of a Geass."
"Unless a human isn't using that Geass," said Lelouch. "Or even that it's specifically a Geass."
"What do you mean?" asked Cornelia.
"I talked with Suzaku about this earlier but...what if Lovecrest was clever enough to save the artificial Collective he had made with the minds of V.V.'s followers?"
"But we destroyed the entire lab," said Ryo.
"This is only a theory, but this is the only way I can imagine something as large as the Jormungander system being controlled," said Lelouch.
"I mean it's not impossible to consider and theoretically it could work out and be used to control something as big as this," said Rivalz.
"Then what would our best course of action be in that case?" asked Cornelia.
"If I were to guess uncle would be using the Thought Elevators he has in his possession as a means to transport the other two Ancients as well as use them as a relay of sorts for controlling the satellites," said Schneizel.
"The Ice and Fire Ancients can be fought and destroyed," said Tohdoh. "It'll be difficult but they can be fought and destroyed. But how are we supposed to get close to the artificial Collective?"
"Where on Earth are we supposed to even find it?" asked Chiba.
"Not on Earth," said Marianne. "If I were V.V. the best place to protect such a vital resource would be the only place that would be safe from all the destruction he's about to bring about. C's World."
Everyone stood silent as Marianne entered the room with Bismark in tow.
"Wait, can that even be possible?" asked Ohgi. "Having the artificial Collective and the actual Collective together?"
"Just about anything within the scope of human consciousness is possible in C's World," said Marianne.
"But wouldn't the Collective itself do something about a 'false God' in their own world?" asked Kaguya.
"The Collective...can be slow to act at times," said Marianne. "The ultimate form of politics. But if Vincent were to have anywhere where he'd be giving off a signal to the Jormungander system it would be from C's World using the Thought Elevators as relay points."
"So we knock out the Thought Elevators he has under his control and he can't get a signal to those satellites," said Lelouch. "That's at least half the plan. The other half...confronting V.V. himself and ending this war. And I intend to be the one who leads that mission."
Lelouch looked around the room and noticed the worried glances from those who were closest to him. As such he sought to move the conversation onward to the plan.
"Rivalz, if you were at a greater range to the satellite ring could you disable them?" asked Lelouch.
"If we're right about how V.V. plans to control that monstrous network, then so long as they're being controlled by an Artificial Collective then there's no way I could get control," said Rivalz.
"And if the connection were severed?" asked Lelouch.
"Then it's still a matter of how big the whole network is," said Rivalz. "Even for my abilities that's more than I could handle."
"Alone you mean," said Lelouch.
"What do you...hey that could work," said Rivalz.
"It's too early to speak in some secret genius language, just say it out loud people," yelled Tamaki, enjoying a soy sauce and garlic pancake breakfast Cecile had made.
"My Geass Coordinator," said Rivalz, pointing at the red horn on his head. "It can connect me to other Geass Users, effectively allowing me to channel their abilities. It helped me out when I fought Cysts's men during my uh...grand debut. It also activated when Akito and I fought Lovecrest. Even a lot of you guys could feel it here and I was miles away at the time, the connection boosted by Lovecrest's false Collective."
"Now imagine what Rivalz could do with the true Collective," said Lelouch.
"So essentially we're going to try and make a Deus Ex Machina as a means to take out V.V.'s biggest gun is that it?" asked Cornelia.
"I prefer to think of it as a miracle," said Lelouch. "Besides, there are other guns which can be dealt with in a more practical manner."
"The other two Ancients, the ones of ice and fire," said Suzaku. "You said they'd most likely be launched in the Britannian Homeland right?"
"That was a possibility," said Lelouch. "In the Homeland there is a Super Volcano that can be used well with the Surt and the Northern region of Britannia has ideal conditions for the Ymir. However, I've also taken into consideration alternate targets that V.V. might choose. The Surt could work quite well with Sakuradite and be deployed on a great enough mound and unleash more than enough devastation to satisfy the mythological conditions of its namesake. Taking into possibility that at this moment V.V. is most likely emotionally unstable, he'd choose his target accordingly to try and cripple us in the same manner."
"Meaning what exactly?" asked Leila.
"Meaning V.V would launch at areas which still meet the conditions for his Ancients to work effectively but also hold significance for us," said Xingke, following Lelouch's line of thought. "Meaning the Surt, if Lelouch's theory is correct, would be effectively launched in..."
"Japan," growled Tohdoh. "The Fuji mines, there's a wealth of Sakuradite there. He could destroy the entire country with its reserves."
"And it serves as a personal blow," said Schneizel. "Japan is where Zero first appeared, where he began to build the alliance we now have, and is the birthplace and home of his wife."
"But what about the other one?" asked Leila. "The ice one Ymir?"
"All that thing needs is a cool enough climate," said Akito. "And if V.V. wants to make personal attacks then he can have a great target in Euro Britannia."
"Makes sense," said Suzaku. "That was considered to be the first true victory anyone had against the Eden Elite and began to get international support."
"But are we sure that V.V. would allow such sentiments to dictate his actions?" asked Leila.
"Vincent is extremely vindictive," said Marianne. "He'd make sure that every attack was as personal as possible just so he can have the pleasure of causing further pain."
"So we have at least four likely points of attack for the two planetary Ancients," said Tohdoh. "But how is Prince Virtue to get to the satellites for that portion of the plan to work?"
"I can use Apollo's Chariot to get close with the Valiant Dragonslayer and if Lelouch is right and I can connect to him and the Collective in C's World I actually could trigger it so that their power can be used against them and destroy the whole ring," said Rivalz.
"But shouldn't we also be considering a full on invasion of the Britannian Homeland?" asked Chiba. "To stop these monsters before they're unleashed at all?"
"We don't know where in Britannia the Ancients are held," said Schneizel. "And thanks to the Thought Elevators my uncle could escape easily. Granted with the new sense of rebellion in the Homeland we could effectively take the territory but without V.V. it serves no point."
"So then the best we can do is wait and deploy once he makes his move," said Xingke. "It's not ideal but we can work with it if we can work fast enough."
"Then we should have all our ships and equipment refitted and repaired tonight," said Lelouch. "For tomorrow, Ragnarok Comes."
Lelouch had kept the monitoring systems of the city running to determine when the Ancients would be launched, especially if V.V. were to change target locations. No matter what he wanted to be sure where V.V. would be striking.
But these were thoughts for the morning. Tonight, his wedding night, all he wanted to focus on was his wife. Despite being somewhat drained from his time in battle Lelouch none the less had ample strength to wrestle with Kallen for dominance in the bed. Much to the annoyance of his mother, whom he just knew would find out at some point, Lelouch had taken measure to ensure Kallen would not be giving him an heir so soon. Not when V.V. was about to launch his final attack on humanity. He simply would not risk his vision coming true. When, and it was a matter of when, Kallen would bless him with a child, or multiple children as he knew his mother would have wanted, he wanted to ensure that the world Kallen gave birth in was one where the two of them could raise their children in peace. Or at least a world where they could be safe.
"Lelouch...you probably know what I'm going to say," said Kallen.
"I have to face him," said Lelouch, looking deep into Kallen's eyes from his position atop of her. "It is the moment my journey has been leading to ever since the day he stole my birthright. I have to be the one to face him."
"I know but..."
"I need you elsewhere," said Lelouch.
"Damn it could you at least let me finish my sentence," huffed Kallen. "Lelouch, I can't just let you go and face that...monster alone. I'm your wife now, my place is at your side."
"You're also the Empress of Japan, although...I suppose we can sort out the politics of it all later," said Lelouch. "The point is, you have responsibilities of your own aside from being my wife. Responsibilities that cannot be ignored."
Lelouch slumped down next to Kallen and she nuzzled against his body, allowing him to feel her warmth.
"I won't be alone," said Lelouch. "Mother will be going with me, as will Bismark."
"But yet I, your wife, on your most important battle, am going to be deployed elsewhere," said Kallen.
"Because I know that there is no other force that V.V. has at his disposal has any power that could match your passion," said Lelouch. "But V.V. himself is another story. Facing him...facing him is something only I can truly do. Even with mother and Bismark at my side I know...I've always known...that in the end it would come down to V.V. and I. I'm...I'm actually not afraid of having to face him. I've wanted this for so long now."
"But...you are afraid of something aren't you?" Kallen asked.
"I'm...afraid of what comes after," said Lelouch. "If..."
He could feel Kallen flinch at the mention of 'if'.
"If I do defeat V.V. then what? What happens to me, to us, afterwards?" asked Lelouch. "For so long while hiding from V.V. I could only think about the war I would wage to lead to his destruction. Now I'm just wondering what will happen afterwards. I know...that if we succeed, Zero will be seen as the hero who freed the world from a true Demon Lord."
"That's a good thing," said Kallen, nuzzling close to Lelouch's chest.
"And in doing so, they will grant me so much power by that," said Lelouch. "No other way does a tyrant more easily rise than when he is first raised up by the people as their hero."
"That sounds like Ohgi talking," said Kallen, venom in her voice.
"He's not wrong," said Lelouch. "Kallen...it's perfectly natural for him to be apprehensive. Especially given the boost in power granted to me by the Jason."
"That's still no excuse for the way he's been acting," said Kallen. "After all you've done, all you've risked, all you've...sacrificed, he still doesn't have faith in you."
Kallen had stroked Lelouch's left eye as she spoke. Or rather the scar over his left eye, hidden by the purple thunderbolt tattoo. A constant reminder of the injuries dealt to him by Shin Hyuga Shaing. To Kallen it was a constant reminder of how she had failed. How she had been captured, humiliated, and made rabid by Shin and V.V.'s henchman Bludbierd. And how it was Lelouch to suffer with his injury and following year long coma.
"Hard to have faith when you've seen the power and the cruelty of a ruler armed with Geass and a legion of followers," said Lelouch.
"You're nothing like that monster V.V.," said Kallen.
"But I am," said Lelouch. "Both V.V. and I, princes we were, force into destitution by the horrors of war caused by members of our own family craving power or vengeance. Blessed, or cursed, with the power of Geass and hellbent to return to our birth lands to destroy our enemies and claim the throne."
Kallen only growled in response to Lelouch's reasoning.
"In that other world I saw myself, I saw who I could have been, who my parents could have been in some other world," said Lelouch. "My father a tyrant, V.V. immortal as a youth, my mother standing by my father as he plotted to destroy the Collective and halt the march of time. How it all made me into...the Demon Emperor. A figure who rose from the ashes of Zero, betrayed by his knights for his lies and for his arrogance. Who forged a would be peace out of a lie by making himself into the most hated figure in the world, and by dying at the hands of a seemingly reborn Zero."
"Stop it," yelled Kallen, rising from the bed, the blanket around her breast. "I don't want to hear anymore of this world. It doesn't exist."
"From where you stand in this present reality it doesn't," said Lelouch. "But to me...it is quite real. It's why I can't truly fault Ohgi for his distrust. In many ways it's warranted, the power of Geass, is truly frightening. I think that's why he betrayed me in that other world."
"If he betrays you in this world...I'll kill him," said Kallen.
Lelouch knew she meant it, and it made him sad. Sad because he, in his mind, would be the one at fault for forcing Kallen to become enemies to one who had been her closest friend. All for her love for him. Her love for him which would make her into a Queen of Hell if only for the chance to continue loving him. He had no doubt that if it came down to it, she would burn her once beloved Japan if the people she once identified with sought his blood.
She was no longer Japanese now. Her nationality didn't matter to her, only her love, only their love.
"Kallen...what did you think when you saw me use my Geass with the Jason to destroy the Eden Elite forces?" asked Lelouch.
"You did what you had to do," said Kallen, turning back to her husband. "They were sent to kill us."
'And they dared to ruin our wedding,' she thought to herself.
"Kallen...I took control of an entire army with only a sentence and forced them to kill themselves," said Lelouch. "Doesn't that make me seem just a bit like a demon? I now have the power to rob the will of mass amounts of people and with but my slightest desire have them all take their own lives. It should make a person terrified at anyone with that great a power. And even those who would not be afraid and would rather, of their own will, worship such a person, are a frightening thing on its own. And the Geass Order now worships me. I appear to be the Black King of their prophecies and have brought the ancient capital of the once glorious Geass Civilization back from ruin. I am to them the one who will restore them to the status of gods they once held long ago, in a world which has long forgotten how to live with gods, but has had to suffer the demons for nearly a decade. Even if I destroy V.V., all of these things have such the makings of an age of chaos. I can't help but wonder if I have the courage or the wisdom to avoid such chaos. To be able to bring the world to a balanced existence between human ability and the power of Geass."
In his melancholy Lelouch reclined in his marriage bed. Kallen draped her warm body over her husband, gently kissing his tattooed eye.
"Lelouch...you said you and V.V. had a lot in common," said Kallen. "Well...you also have a lot in common with your father. And even if he made mistakes in his reign, he was still a great man who only wanted to save his nation from chaos and to help his people. Even if you're furious at V.V. and want vengeance, you're not some monster who's only focused on destroying his enemy. You're a good man Lelouch, you're not a demon like V.V. Please...just stop thinking you're such a thing. Stop thinking about some kind of horrible 'what if' and think about what you are. You and Ohgi, I don't get why both of you can't see that you're not the monster you both think you're going to become. And I don't want to hear about what V.V. has done or about what the Geass Order says. So please...please just stop bringing it up. I'm sick of hearing about it."
Lelouch could hear Kallen getting distraught with her last sentence. As such, and in accordance with the wishes of his wife, Lelouch said no more and continued to consummate the marriage.
As the royal pair of black and wed so intermingled, so to did a sapphire stallion gallop in the hay with his golden mare. Even with his new false skin covering his altered body, Rivalz proved that he was still partially machine.
"God...I need...I need a minute or...six," panted Milly.
"Are you alright?" asked Rivalz.
Though this was not the first time the two had made love, Rivalz wanted to do everything in his power to make sure this night was of special significance to his longtime crush, who was now his wife.
"Better than...God," gasped Milly.
Rivalz couldn't help but chuckle. The legendary and lecherous Millicent Ashford, now having come to the brink of exhaustion in bed. He plopped down next to her and she took the advantage to cuddle up to him. The feel of the synthetic flesh felt so real and so warm. She wondered if he could feel her flesh as well. If it made him feel more human. She could still feel that despite whatever brave face he put on, he was still anxious about his cyborg nature.
"So...you're going to space now," Milly sighed.
"Yeah," said Rivalz. "Crazy right?"
"This whole thing has been crazy," said Milly. "Nothing's been sane ever since you and Lelouch went off on one of your little gambling trips."
"Yeah, and the whole time you were..."
"Going to be sold to that slug, yeah," said Milly. "I just accepted that was my fate."
Rivalz put his arms around his wife and held her close. The memory of the day he rescued her from that fat whore Cyst still fresh in his mind. The day he debuted as the Blue Unicorn. The day which began his bond with Lelouch and Suzaku.
"It's going to be dangerous you know," said Milly, a sad expression on her face.
"I know," said Rivalz.
Milly thought back to how she felt when he and Akito crashed during the recent battle. It made her shutter to consider what could happen to him in space, alone and without aid. Rivalz caught onto that and held her close. She snuggled closer and thought back to how useless she felt. For so long ever since the day he rescued her from Cyst, Milly had been in the role of damsel for the dashing Prince Virtue to rescue. Not quite as glorious of the sexy fantasy so many would believe it to be. It frustrated her that she couldn't do more for herself so that Rivalz wouldn't always be force to go to such dangerous lengths to save her.
'I'll have to spend more time with Cornelia in the future,' thought Milly.
"I'll be careful," said Rivalz, regaining his wife's attention. "I'll come home Milly. I promise, no matter what happens, no matter what I have to go through, I will come home to you."
Milly hugged Rivalz tighter than before, burying her face in his synthetic flesh shoulder, tears pouring down on it. Though Rivalz could not feel any of it.
Euphemia and Suzaku, had little to say that had not already been said between them before. Suzaku was merely content to hold Euphemia close to him the final night before the deciding battle in the war. He thought of the alternate worlds he had seen when he had been in C's World. He thought of the idea of losing Euphie and it scared him. What scared him more though was what he might become in his grief. In that other world his grief, as well as his feelings of betrayal towards Lelouch, drove that world's Suzaku to become consumed by the corrupt system his doppelganger once wanted to change. But in the end he didn't change the system, the system changed him.
It was a different world than the one Suzaku knew. There was no point for him to ponder the what ifs of the multiverse. His only focus was to better this world. So that he and Euphemia could have a long life together.
"I have a feeling I'm going to have to wait for my grandchildren," sighed Marianne.
"You can't rush them," said Bismark. "Right now they're more focused on the battle ahead."
"And you Bismark?" asked Marianne.
The former Empress and Knight of One were close in their bed but their minds were on something other than flesh.
"After all this time...I will finally be given the chance to avenge my best friend," said Bismark. "And truly fulfill my duty as a Knight of the Round, to stand by my Emperor. If I had stood by Charles then, when he needed me most, I might have...I could have..."
"What happened is in the past," said Marianne. "We can't go back. No matter how much we want to."
"That's not entirely true," said Bismark.
"As far as we are concerned we can't," said Marianne. "All we can do is honor Charles's memory and to be there for Lelouch. To ensure he can rise as the Emperor. And dear Kallen as his Empress. Not to mention how I know you've had Suzaku Kururugi as the next Knight of One."
"I think at this point Lelouch is considering other alternatives," said Bismark. "Especially since Ohgi has voiced his concerns about what my happen if Lelouch became Emperor of Britannia."
"As if he has any place to decide what Lelouch's destiny should be," said Marianne.
"He does have a point, in that if Lelouch became Emperor of Britannia with the whole world now knowing about the Geass Order, it would bring him more trouble than even the throne is worth," said Bismark.
"Yes I suppose," said Marianne. "I guess Britannia is a little small for Lelouch. And dear Kallen has outgrown Japan. But of course the world will naturally see that as their savior Lelouch deserves to be their lord and master."
"There are those who would be find that troubling," said Bismark. "And Lelouch himself being one of them. He'd rather settle down with Kallen and give you those grandchildren you so desire."
"At least the ones from his side," said Marianne. "Nunnally will still need to contribute soon enough. Though...yes, I know Lelouch would rather live a peaceful life for himself and his family. Lord knows I've wanted that for so long. Ever since that bastard Vincent tore it all away from us. My poor boy, how I had hoped that he wouldn't be the one, the Black King of our prophecies. That he'd have the life of a savior, so many suffering at the hands of those whom they saved."
Marianne also thought back to her beloved Charles and how all his effort in saving Britannia from the bloody civil conflicts that made him and Vincent orphans in the first place. How all his effort had been ruined by his mad brother.
'No matter what, with this eternal life of mine I shall ensure my son's efforts are never left in ruin,' thought Marianne.
The morning light was crimson as throughout the world the Thought Elevators glowed brightly.
"He's made his move," said Lelouch.
The forces of the Atlas Fleet had awoken early and were ready for deployment. Bringing up the systems of the old capital the Black King looked and saw that indeed, V.V. had chosen the targets that would have personal meaning for Lelouch and his forces. Even though their locations were more strategically inconvenient for V.V.
"So...in the end it all comes down to spite," said Lelouch. "Nothing more than a final hateful push, eh uncle?"
Lelouch donned the mask of Zero and turned back to his gathered forces. The Color Guard of the Atlas Fleet, heads of the respective sects and their support crews. Chief among them was his beloved wife now in her full persona as Amaterasu, the Red Queen.
"This is the day we have been fighting towards ever since V.V. had dared to usurp the throne of Britannia," said Zero. "And every action he's undertaken since then has had a domino effect of misery and pain for countless people across the globe. And now, V.V. shows his ultimate goal, the destruction of all humanity. He claims it is because we humans are so evil, so sick, and savage that we do not deserve the world we have been given. That we no longer are worthy of existence and that our evolutionary potential has peaked. But in the years in which I have been forced to live in a world nearly ruled by V.V. I've seen the misery he's sewn. But I've also seen the goodness that has managed to grow in such a world. Righteous courage, unshakable virtue, and immeasurable kindness. It's because of this that I know, from the bottom of my heart, without any doubt, that V.V. is nothing less than a madman who could not, nay would not, see the same things in humanity that I have seen. As such, my brothers and sisters in arms of the Atlas Fleet, my allies of the United Federation of Nations, and followers of the Geass Order, I say this to you. This not the order of a king. But rather this is the wish of one who has enough faith in humanity to dare and topple a would be god: Survive this would be Apocalypse in the name of a peaceful future!"
Lelouch's Geass shot his will into the minds and souls of all those gathered. Those who had already been affected by his Geass were unchanged, but as they quickly looked around to the others they could see the faint glow of a command.
'Commanded to survive, I suppose that's the best kind of use of his Geass on our group,' thought Ohgi with a small smile.
The forces of the Fleet deployed to their various ships. The Sapphire Crusaders, alongside the Grey Dragoons, were to face the frozen Ymir in Euro-Britannia, as well as have Rivalz launched into space. The Black Knights and White Samurai would brave the fires of the Surt in Japan. The Emerald Tricksters, the Silver Angels, and the Golden Coven were thus left to secure the Britannian Homeland, for a long overdue excise of the cancer of the Eden Elite in their base of power.
'At long last uncle...we will settle this foul game,' thought Lelouch.
In C's World, V.V sat on a throne which above him a malformed mass of darkness pulsed in a large glass container. He sat below a greater mass in the sky, the true Collective Unconscious.
"Come nephew," hissed V.V. "Come...and I will end you."
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait but it took me some time to figure out how to figure this out as I wanted this to be the last prep before the final battles and to give some moments for a lot of the main characters here. I realize I didn't get to a lot of the other pairings I set up here but if anything I'll be sure to work that into the respective battles given how I divided up their forces.
Anyway, the final battles are upon us in the Ragnarok Arc. In which I will be opening with giving the Red Queen proving her glory and settling old grudges.
Next Turn: Kallen's Inferno.