Stage 2 - The White Knight Awakens (Part 2)
Returning to the "battlefield", the Shinjuku Ghetto is shown succumbing to fire, mayhem and slaughter under the might of Britannia's advance. Their path of the destruction was clearly smeared on the ground as Lelouch strolls through the streets full of blown corpses, all of which clearly identifiable as civilians who simply got butchered without as much as an thought of resistance. It got to the point that he can't even distinguish the bumps caught under his Sutherland, for they could be anything from from debris of the buildings around, or worse, the crushed remains of some poor dead soul under his mechanical wheels.
Truly, such scenery would perturb even the most hardened of men among the Jury, but the living Demon on scene didn't have the luxury to recoil in disgust now. No, Lelouch kept his face still, completely unaffected by all the carnage while working to turn his phone on again for a single specific call…
"Shirley." He read on, remembering what had almost cost his life a few minutes ago… it can't be denied that she had quite timing back there, a deadly one indeed despite her whole innocence in it, "Hey, it's me…" But, recognizing that, he nonetheless addressed his friend with a tone of serenity, simply choosing to focus on what's important. Judging by the time, Shirley must be about to go do her club activities in the swimming pool, maybe even going to dress her suit just now.
"Lulu? What in the world have you been doing? Where are you now!?" The girl spoke, alarmed and nervous.
"I'm just out here, doing some good work." Lelouch lied nonchalantly, easing things up before spotting something ahead in his local radar.
"Well If you keep cutting class like this, you'll get held back-"
"Are you near a TV?" He cut her shut, tone completely serious, "Sorry, but this is important." And yes it was since he just stumbled into his target of choice, right where local britannian forces were meeting actual resistance from the terrorists.
For safety, he had to keep himself focused and hidden from both sides.
"Hmph!" Too bad Shirley couldn't understand that though, nor he could ever explain it, "Hang on… Hey, can I change the channel there just for a second?"
"Huh? To what?"
"The news, is there anything about Shinjuku?" He directed her, pursuing his own information on the briefling logs of the Knightmare in the meantime. By the looks of it, the mission given to the soldiers was quite misleading, "(In the name of Prince Clovis, Third Heir to the Throne: Eliminate every terrorist on sight with extreme prejudice; Consider every civilian a potential threat, and be warned, the enemy had released undetectable poison gas weaponry on the field. Proceed with caution...)" In other words, only lies and half-truths in here. The soldiers were just sent to continue with the clean up.
That however doesn't quite explain much beyond what he already suspected. Lelouch needed more to know what else his despicable brother was intending.
"Uhh, let's see… There's nothing on the news actually, only… Traffic restrictions?" Shirley affirmed with a bit of doubt. She didn't know what to look for.
"Why is it restricted?" He wondered about that in a question.
"I don't know. They're not saying."
Thinking it briefly, the Demon Prince quickly noted that his first deduction was confirmed, "(I see. Once they finish everything off, brother will release whatever story they want that favors the military, washing his hands from blood.)" Then again, this theory doesn't require much of stretch to think off. It is as clear as day. Presumably speaking, by the end of it, all Clovis will gain in this victory is an terrorist group dealt with alongside whatever secrets of that dead girl carried...
And the cost? Some minimal losses in both the army and the numerous slave population? Hmph, that's just nothing to him. Nothing at all. Lelouch can only sympathize with the woes of the japanese for having their last ransacked homes crumpled and torn apart once again…
"Lelouch? Lelouch!? Why aren't you answer- Ooh, i see, you're gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley spoke up on his ear, disturbing his thoughts there, "I told you before how dangerous that is!"
"..." Faced with her worries, and surrounded by all the waste left by his own people, Lelouch smiled sadly there, "Yep, you caught me..." He choose to play along, latching on somber feelings to make it real just as he happened to spot an abandoned set of chess amidst the ruins of an nearby park. It appears that even some among the Japanese did enjoy the usual western chess despite all the oppression. It's either that or they use the pieces to play shogi anyway...
"Hmph! One of these days you'll get in too much trouble to be worth it." His friend berated in a warning, leaving him in silence, "So, when you're getting back?" Shirley asked next in a rushed tone.
"I won't. Tell my little sister that I'm gonna be late home tonight, okay? Thank you." Lelouch concluded, ending the call abruptly to turn his device off again. Can't afford another lethal mistake…
"..." That said, none can deny that his rudeness would drive the girl into another hysteria somehow.
"Oooh, why does he always hang up on me like that?!" She would say, surrounded by her giggling teammates. Now, this should have make him feel bad somehow but there's nothing he could do. His next steps from here would require the uttermost attention and planning on his part so he couldn't bother thinking about innocent things. On the contrary, with the battlefield laid before him, his focus now was to disturb and defeat the disgusting scoundrels that are his countrymen...
And to that end, switching his screen to reveal "friendlies" on map, Lelouch went on to work, "(As long as they continue suppressing all information on the battle, it'll be hard for them to call in reinforcements. So they'll have to make do with the pieces they have on the board. Even so, surrounded and outnumbered like this, it'll be difficult to break them through by myself. Alternatively, I could just try abandon everything and try seek refuge, but that alone carries its own risks too...)" He summarized the circumstances.
Thus, bidding for an solution, the Demon quickly thought up one idea, one that will most certainly require the use of his new powers alongside those who put him in this mess in the first place to make it work. And given the sight of an nearby explosion going off from a blown helicopter, he knew exactly where to start, "(I want payback for being dragged into your fight.)"
But of course, the fact that he would have to leave his cockpit for him to do so wasn't exactly unnoticed but the Jury...
"Payback huh? Well It's not our fault if you decided to butt in on your own, asshole." Tamaki shouted out loud, barking from his corner with the usual disdain. At this point, while Lelouch did deliver the catharsis of slaying the Britannians before, some personal grudges still got in the way of making him sour.
"Tamaki." In fact, this even made Ohgi to address him directly, glaring to such extent that it made the hothead look away in a mix of an scoff and shame.
Apparently they had an talk about yesterday's assault on that Rivalz teenager, going on about now that it was him who failed the plan back in that time and how he had no right to be angry anyone. As a result, the mere murmur or thought of who had died on that Skirmish was more than enough to silence any discussion. If anything, Nagata's fate still weights on Tamaki's shoulders…
"Ouch. Such cold manners..." Kaguya reacted, cringing slightly, "Can't say he didn't earned it there but that's quite harsh, Prime Minister. Not as harsh as Lelouch here but still, cold."
Blinking to that, the old freedom fighter leader got confused, "What? What do you mean?"
The teen politician then looked thoughtful, "Eh, nothing much, just trying to compare. I mean, for all the good act he can put on, I didn't expect Lelouch to be THAT blunt with his lies..." She worded it, having an certain distaste to bear after witnessing the Prince treat the one girl called Shirley with his aloof yet masked tone.
"..." And against that affirmation, everyone waited to see what her point was since no one had a word to share. This was quite the shift in topic.
"...and?" Chiba spoke up, breaking the silence, "This is Demon you're talking about."
"Well, I know. I'm just saying that I don't quite like how inconsiderate he's being. Lelouch just comes as a natural when comes to lying like this." She explained her complaints, casting yet another of awkward confusion in the crowd, "He could have at least offered something in return for that girl's troubles. One shouldn't just shake a woman's heart like that or else someone will end up hurt."
"(You got that right…)" Kallen mentally agreed.
"Okay… And why is that important, again?" Xianglin interjected, beating Chiba on it.
"It is my opinion. I'm trying to a get a read on Lelouch's friends and how he behaves with them. It adds to the fun figuring his behavior." The young politician answered, adding even more fire to her deadpanning peers with her seemly irrelevant comment.
"..." Or rather, not as much as irrelevant and more like too obvious that everyone took it for granted...
"Oh really?" That said, there was but one soul who flared in an sudden cheer from this, "Sweet! You could always come and ask us directly if that's what you want. I have many fun things to share~" Smelling opportunity, the former president of Ashford's student council just latched on the chance to earn the attention and possible friendship of such high profile individual.
"Uuu~ Is that so? Tell me more about it~" Kaguya retorted, intrigued, "You're that reporter, Milly Ashford, right?" She ought to confirm, just for measure.
"The one and only… It's may not be as fancy of a job compared to your First Chairwoman of the U.F.N. Supreme Council at the age of 15 (I mean, Holy Emperor girl, you got far…) but it does pays my bills." Milly flattered after getting this friendly reading from her target, "Either way, I DO have the gossips about Lelouch that you want~" She sent the teasing hook.
"Oh don't worry, despite my title and job I'm just a curious young teenager like the rest of you, and I do love gossips~" The other party downplayed in humility, her tone betraying the clear interest of getting known more... closely, so to say.
To which the reporter beamed in a grin, "(Hook, line and sinker…) Hehe, then I presume we are fairly alike, you and I~" She proposed, strangely sensing some kindred bond with the young politician, like meeting an fellow schemer on the field.
"Indeed, girl, indeed~" That feeling was mutual.
Thus, already planning how they would destroy the world together, Milly couldn't be happier, "It's a date then-"
"Oh enough stalling!"
"...!"
"...!"
However, getting too distracted by all the teasing and pruning, an nearby Cornelia couldn't help but to get increasingly angry there, "You two can go flirt with each other later once you wake up! The rest of us have better things to see here."
"Oh…"
"Y-yes ma'am, sorry!" The two (or more like, just Milly) excused themselves before the stunned Jury and went back pay attention to what matters.
Better move forward than lay on with this awkward feeling...
Such wish was then fittingly delivered, for in the next second there death was blatantly flared in the Jury's eyes again, invoking nothing but feelings of anger, disgust and even fear from the more innocent among the crowd.
Another couple of desperate japanese were just mercilessly gunned down by an britannian traditional battle tank, with the mighty vehicle just pushing ahead unopposed until the very grounds in front it suddenly shattered under the force of an well known red slash harken. In the next second then, a Glasgow surfaced through from a tunnel below, piercing the tank's main cannon in one vicious hit with that same harken, crippling the thing down on the spot.
"Those damn Britannians!" Kallen, seeing how she arrived too late to save the lost lives, was very distressed by all the destruction around her. She scowled in anguish, grinding her teeth all while the panicking enemy immediately retreated at her machine's imposing presence, something that takes a great effort of willpower from her to not just pursue and slaughter them back in retribution.
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move!?" Came the desperate voice of her leader over the strapped radio in her seat. He too seems to be under pressure out there.
"Don't worry Ohgi, it's all right! I'll play decoy on them!" She offered, "Get the people out of here. We have to make sure the only ones caught are us in the resistance!"
"I know but we're trapped. They've got us completely surrounded!" The man countered, cornered under some ruins just when another squadron of helicopters is about to deliver death from above on his way. In fact, Ohgi even saw the tip of a machine gun pointed on his away for a second right before an nearby Yoshitaka managed to shoot a rocket launcher and blast the thing out the air, saving their lives at that merest moment but also drawing every possible attention to their location.
"Damnit! I'm on my way!" As such, determined to help them, the red ace didn't spare a second. She immediately ran her Glasgow out there to draw and buy as much time as she could to save her teammates. In one fell swoop, her single slash harken is more than enough to wipe out these outdated vehicles, shattering through their whole frames in fiery explosions that paints the skies with smoke trails wherever she went, all to free her comrades from the meat grinder, "Go, now!"
"T-thanks, Kallen..."
However, her powerful defiance could only hold for so long in her state. After minutes that seemed to go on for hours, the entire quarter around her Glasgow ended up being filled with nothing but the wrecked remains of burning combat vehicles. And while this does pictures her dealing an great toll on the britannian forces at first glance she knew this was but the smallest portion of an scouting party sent ahead to locate and distract the terrorists before the knightmares could close in to get the job done.
"...!" Thus, soon enough, Kallen could only gasp as a team of two Sutherlands rolled their way in from behind, their guns primed at her direction sharply on arrival…
"Oh, if isn't our Glasgow friend..." The familiar voice of Jeremiah hailed out, prompting the red ace to run in a nervous reaction. Bullets then sprayed, piercing the rock of buildings around Kallen, nearly striking her cockpit with a lethal round before she manage to slip into a corner and run down into the road.
That was it for her, Kallen had practically no chance to defeat them in her damaged state. Alone she could try kick the ass of that one imperial guy again but the presence of his partner there really makes things difficult. Moreover, her energy filler… It was nearing its end.
"Only 30 minutes left!" So she could only cry in a bit of panic knowing that there's just no fighting them.
Her machine can't handle anymore stress. Any fancy move from her part and her Glasgow would just power down on the spot. The stronger the movements, the stronger the energy consumption, so her only option was to flee was far was she could from there and hopefully eject in some safe location after her friends managed to escape. But then again where's safe in this surrounded ghetto besieged into ruins? The cursed the brits are everywhere! Where she could run into?
"The west entrance!" Someone answered, much to her surprising confusion. She doesn't know anyone with that voice on the resistance, "Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."
Blinking stunned, Kallen quickly recovered from it, "Who is this!? How do you know this code!?" She demanded sharply. The last thing she wanted now was to deal with the unknown, specially with her radio being possibly compromised.
"That doesn't matter. If you wanna win, you're just gonna have to trust me." The stranger retorted in a suggestion.
"Win?" Safe to say it, the red ace had no quick rebuttal in response. Given how bad things are going, with both her friends and people dying in groves around her, winning felt like nothing but a dream right now. Kallen didn't even bother to thinking on it, being too focused on trying to survive the current mayhem one piece at time.
And now, faced with deadly pursuers on tail, this guy just shows up and he wants her to trust him?
"..." Kallen doesn't like this, she really doesn't, but buried hope still won over after a second and third guess thinking in it. Right now, there's practically no time for an proper interrogation on this newcomer, nor she had any other choice to salvage the situation really so she had to take the risk...
"(Ah to hell with it!)" Looking at her map, Kallen eventually made a turn to go and jump on top of an bridge, letting the compass on screen lead her into the right direction the voice wanted, "Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" She asked, sweating bullets from her position.
Behind her, the two britannians gave chase, reeling on the same train track together with her but not bothering to shoot on her back with their machine guns for some reason, even though she's practically sitting duck with no cover to escape...
"You pathetic Eleven." Her enemy hailed, "If you simply run away, this hunt hasn't much to offer in the way of sport." The Jeremiah declared, simply answering her unsaid question there.
The fact that they treated this as a hunt did annoy the red ace though. She is being made into a fool, "Tch..." Still, Kallen did hold her tongue though, acting smart enough to wait for some sort of signal. The newcomer must have something planned right? Or was it all for naught and she had been deceived? Such thoughts scared her as the gamble rolled on.
But alas, with the screeching sound of an train halting in its tracks ahead, something finally came up on her behalf, "Since you trusted me, you're gonna win." The stranger affirmed with confidence, "Jump onto the train!"
"Gotcha!" Not even thinking twice, Kallen then pulled her Glasgow forth and made her way on top of the now smashed cabins with quite the eagerness to flee, leaving the imperials behind to deliberately try push freight vehicle with their own Sutherlands.
Seeing this, Jeremiah smirked, "You think you can get through that way, hmm? If that's you plan, then…" All he needed to do is order his subordinate to do the deed,
"You, go after that Glasgow." He voiced forth, willing to merely contemplate how his prey will respond against the struggle.
"Yes, My Lord!" Such wishes however were quickly dismissed when that very same subordinate, who was about to land on the train's cabins, had his Knightmare hit square through his whole chassis under the twin edges of slash harkens, "Argh!"
"What?!" Gasping, Jeremiah could only stare as the wire cables retracted, sending his fallen servant broken and blind on the ground, with the factsphere head smashed and his chest piece collapsed upon the frame. And looking for the culprit, all he that could see is an single knightmare crouching inside of a building's hole on the top floor, an allied Sutherland of all things, "Shot by friendly fire?" This brought much confusion and anger from the imperial, leaving slightly dumbfounded as he tried to imagine the only possibility of what happened here. It appears someone had the gall to earn his nerves, "You, what's your name and your unit?!" He demanded outright, thinking of any court marshal he could unleash on whatever soul that was unfortunate enough for this abysmal mistake.
"..." What Jeremiah received though was just silence.
"Answer me! How can't you miss an enemy that's right there!?" He bellowed further, only to be shot by that same culprit as a response, something that caused dread to rise upon the imperial's stomach, "Wha- No! It can't be… An Terrorist!?" Now, that's unprecedented! The enemy managed to steal their tech!? Or is it a traitor? Jeremiah has seconds only to ponder on this before his survival instinct kicked in to react.
He first tried to retreat but the hail of gunfire struck right into one of his landspinners, blowing the whole leg limb off and making his Sutherland kneel in the loss of balance. This cut down his mobility, trapping him under constant fire that threatened to kill him if he didn't do something fast, "You… You son of a-!"
Froth with anger, Jeremiah raised his own gun against the assailer, ready to leash his fury only to flinch when the yelling charge of the red Glasgow he had just ignored neared on his way, with Kallen lunging in full speed to crash on him, "Haaaa!"
"Tch!" He had no choice then. Caught in an unexpected ambush of no exit, his last quick option was to surrender this fight, pulling the levers of ejection to just blast his entire cockpit off in the distance and escape with his life intact.
From this, the red ace could only see his enemy fly off hundreds of miles away, practically exiting the city in the horizon before emergency parachutes set off to cushion his descent. And of the remaining carcass of his abandoned Sutherland? It just fell over at her feet, harmless and defeated.
Indeed, in a way this definitely brought some satisfaction to bear for resistance girl since her gamble of trust had paid off…
"You saved me." She first thanked the stranger, happy and relieved to be alive before pondering onwards, "But how did you get ahold of a Suther...land...?" Yet, her voice was cut short when her savior disappeared from his spot, leaving the red ace in the dark, "(What? Where did he go?)"
Such wonder, lingering in the heart, would keep the girl in a trance there, her heart being left in the thrill of just surviving a fatal encounter...
"Kallen!"
Whoever that voice is, the answer would have to wait, for her remaining friends from the resistance resurfaced, with all of them running in her direction as they approached the area on foot. And safe to say it, seeing them fine and dandy there did good to ease the stress, "Guys..."
Ohgi, rightly cautious, directed his group to survey their surroundings and keep eye on any surprises while he figures out what just happened, "Kallen, what the hell was that radio message earlier?" He asked forth, feeling a bit on edge.
"I-I don't know. Some guy just made a call with our code and directed me here. Saved me from this thing." She pointed at the fallen Sutherland, "Do you know him?"
"Not a clue. All I know is that after you brought us time, our enemies got popped on spot all of sudden. It got us really confused before we received a our call." The battered leader explained.
"Wait, so he did contact you too?" Kallen prodded, surprised to learn she wasn't the only one.
"He sure did. Both us and Yoshida's group too. Told us to group in here… (But didn't explain why...)" He mentally added, fearing a possible mistake in trusting the unknown.
The others had his same concern but didn't fault him for following through with it. You just doesn't trust an random voice out of nowhere when it comes to your battles but it can't be denied that Ohgi was on his wit's end after their whole plan derailed to such extent to get innocent people slaughtered. The brutality of Britannia had truly shaken him, so none could judge their leader for grasping to any help he could get, even if it was clearly suspicious to do so...
"The area is clear, Ohgi… Aside the wrecks and ruins, we're only found more bodies of locals and britannians alike. Other than that, we alone here." Yoshitaka affirmed, unnerved by the sudden silence around the quarter, "The bulk of the army is occupied elsewhere but will close in soon. We should move."
"Right…" The tension of an ambush was plain on their heads at this strange notion of being the only ones around...
"Hello." Alas, fortunately for them, that was when the radio seemed to spazz the static of contact once more, coincidently just as when the group got together, "Man on the brown jacket. Are you in charge?" The voice revealed itself, blatantly asking forth a confirmation.
"...Yeah?"
"Then I present to you the cargo in that train over there. They're the tools for your victory. If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders." The stranger offered in indication.
Ohgi then felt a sweat crawl on his face. Given how he was addressed so directly, it clear that they were being watched from some place, caught right under the aim of someone… Thinking quickly, he pondered on the voice itself, roughly judging it's relatively young tone of a male nature before nodding a signal to his compatriots to act, directing them to the train. He did of course have Kallen to go in the front with her Glasgow first though, just in case this goes south while opening the cabins themselves.
"...!" However, what they did find next shocked their minds whole in sequence.
Sutherlands. Dozens of them. All crouched and packed with their weapons, energy fillers and ammunition stashes being freely present through the entire extent of this treasure trove of an train gift.
This got them out of guard. There's too many things to process… First, there was hesitation, the incredulity of what they're dealing with being too clear and obvious. But then, as they opened the cargo cabins one by one and turned on the machines, their feelings changed with quite the vigor, the fears of treachery from the stranger being washed away as the hope of victory becomes increasingly certain. They now had functional weapons of their enemies, complete with supplies, keys, passwords and everything else to make them run active...
"There's more in here!"
"Here too!"
"This is amazing! Maybe we should give this guy a chance!" Clearly, it didn't take tong before the resistance members cheered with renewed morale...
And why wouldn't they? Knowing how it's insanely rare to get an piece of Britannia's modern military technology intact, receiving this amount of Knightmares in one go is just unthinkable! Maybe only the JLF could have gotten these to be set up for use, but even then they wouldn't just deploy with this many relics to a bunch of militia fighters from some minor resistance group in the capital city, specially when they are on the verge of defeat against an monstrously superior foe no one had expected or planned to fight against.
"(Even so, all of this… How?)" Kallen mentally reflected on this, eyes wide through the discovery. Just what kind of guy this stranger is to have pulled this off? Could he be one of them? Some old hero from Japan that came in recently perhaps? But if so, why not just reveal himself before? Her mind wandered deeply on this.
"Woman in the Glasgow."
"Y-yes!?" That said, Kallen bounced straight into attention when suddenly called.
"Stay where you are. Your unit is going to run decoy on the enemy, you got that?" The voice ordered with authority, prompting a rather sharp affirmation on her part, "How's your energy filler?"
"About 15 minutes worth."
"Then recharge it. In 10 minutes, I'll contact you with your next instructions."
"Understood."
"..." And though her mouth did answer, her thoughts were left in daze, with the shoulders only resting when the radio went silent. Indeed, Kallen suddenly found herself wrapped in this strange sense assurance or merit for some reason… She can't quite explain it. Is it because she can see this resulting in some actual difference? That victory may actually happen under the stranger's words? Maybe. Maybe not. All that Kallen knows is that she feels quite comfortable in getting her orders done. It's just brings this smirk to her face that lets her move on.
"..." Alas, the same can't be felt on Lelouch's side. Although it was comforting to see her happily go from his hidden spot, the man-with-the-plan felt the opposite in the scale of stress, "(This is kind of nerve-wracking…)" In fact, sighing under the pressure, he could only lean back on his seat to get a grip with what's to come, "(Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed. After all, I'm betting my life in this game…)" That's what he judged, clearly picturing the high stakes.
Much like the black king piece that now twirls in his fingers at the risk of falling, so does his fate hangs on the balance here, for this is not just an battle of survival for him no, this is a test for the future he will convey once he finally decides to wage war against his countrymen.
In other words, It's time to put all the knowledge of leadership and tactics he acquired into use...
Witnessing this, the Jury had it's mild yet expectant reactions there, curious to how Lelouch is placing his newly recruited pieces on the table. They would just continue watching the session with unified consent when one soul spoke with far too much emotion to freeze the illusion instead.
"...Frankly, how quaint." Surprisingly enough however, it was Schneizel who did it, shaking his head at some perceived absurdity on scene, "In the end, Lelouch achievements amount to just that, a mixture of gambles, luck and certified manipulation… There is no merit to it, no actual conquest."
Quite, the fallen Prince could already see the outcome of Clovis's demise, not to mention how Lelouch would grow from here. Though he had expected geass to have played a greater hand on it, Schneizel at hoped for more complexity in brother's accomplishments, something in the lines of his massive intellect at play, not this disappointing handover of coincident conveniences.
"Hmph, at least on that we do agree." Cornelia nodded with slight reluctance, "Then again, only fools engages in fair battles. You would expect at least this much from him with that cursed power in hand..." She concludes with a scowl. The memories of Lelouch as a Emperor quickly comes into mind there, showing just how easy it is for one to acquire both resources and followers. The japanese had no chance of winning, nor did her brother Clovis for that matter… After all, against geass, charisma serves only as a toy for playful and the arrogant, a feature Lelouch had in abundance.
"Well, fair or not I do have to say that the girl was rather careless of just heeding the Demon's words." Guilford comments, re-inspecting the session, "If Orange wasn't as keen as to play with his victims there, chances are that the she would have been killed long before she reunited with her friends, leaving the Black Knights with one less ace pilot in their hand."
And murmuring in mutual agreement, the crowd contemplated, with even Jeremiah himself nodding sporadically, feeling a bit ashamed at his past petulance. Perhaps this goes to show how pride can be a double edge sword in some ways...
"No." Alas, repeating that same defiance she's practically known for, Kallen let her voice to be heard, "Lelouch wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't just let me die just like that, not if he sought our help." She affirmed with confidence, "While it's possible that he may have manipulated us right then and there, having us all alive would serve him better in uniting the japanese. That, and he also needed every single one of us to fight against that big army."
Now of course, It would take some leap of faith for her friends to follow through Lelouch's crazy plans later on yes, but Kallen's conviction stood strong despite the doubt of how things may be revealed ahead of here. In a way, the red ace still wanted to latch on her battered trust of her dead love, if only to prove everyone wrong somehow.
"...oh please." But, as she had expected it, Schneizel stood unconvinced, "You have inflated sense of self importance, child, so much so that you expect too much from my little brother's benevolence when in fact he just sought to use you. After all, up to that point, Lelouch didn't even know who you are and he probably wouldn't have cared one bit if you hadn't followed his instructions so blindly and perished instead. If anything, he would just lament your uselessness on the spot and move ahead with dominating your petty terrorist friends to work his schemes."
"No! That's-"
"Nevertheless, that's not the point I'd like to bother wasting my breath discussing… Lelouch would have dealt with Clovis in one way or another, probably by abusing what he already gained: An easy path to victory through geass. And that's my problem..." Schneizel concluded solemnly, casting much silence to the crowd.
"..." It appeared that everyone had understood what he was bitter about despite the sheer coldness of his argument.
Even Kallen, who surely felt offended by this, had to contend with his logic. Between the sheer utility that geass can provide and the lifelong trust of an skilled companion (to not say possible lover) you have yet to meet... Which choice would Lelouch take?
The answer to that is as cruel as it is obvious...
And speaking about cruelty, the throne of Prince Clovis is once more imposingly shown to the Jury, with its bearer expressing quite the impatience with the lack of results. It has been a while since they lost contact with the Royal Guard and no one could reach them through any channel, leaving High Command to assume the worst.
"Well? I want a report. Why is this taking so long, General?" Clovis demanded to know.
"The terrorists are mixed alongside the general population and mounting a bit of an resistance against us, but they pose little threat against our vastly superior army." Bartley affirmed, trying impart some good news.
"Yes yes of course, moving on."
"...The gas capsules will be-"
"-what the public thinks, like I said, get to point!"
"Y-yes sir, we're still looking for her, just as you've ordered…" The General fumbles, getting slightly nervous, "New scouts are encroaching on the area where we lost her. It won't take long now."
"..." In other words, there's no new progress as of yet, which is disappointing. Clovis could only hold himself to not pressure his men too much in vain, lest they become even more incompetent, "...Fine, so long we get this done with. I want her captured dead or alive." He pronounced, holding his sinuses to fight a headache.
"Understood."
With this, setting his pieces in motion, Ohgi's group also makes their final preparations for the inevitable battle ahead, having many of his resistance fighters getting acquainted with their new Sutherland toys. And given what they had learned playing the old Glasgow training simulations, it didn't take long for them to get the screens ready and functioning.
"Hey, are you sure about this?" Tamaki inquired his boss in a bit of doubt, "They all had their IFFs removed for some reason. What if this is a trap?"
Out of everyone so far, the hothead was the only one who remained a bit unsure of the stranger's abundant gifts, something that Ohgi didn't bother much. Sure, not being able to see friends on your radar is a bit weird technically speaking, but not so much of a big deal really. After all, "The other side has total advantage in this war. They don't need to set any traps." He argued forth, testing the machine's voice hailer for a second. It worked just fine with the loud noise, "Just get ready and go to your assigned points oka-"
"-P1, can you move?"
"...!" Alas, caught off-guard by a sudden contact, Ohgi straightened himself. The voice's call came sooner than he thought, "Yes I can. Why?"
"Just checking through to ready yourself. The manual shouldn't be any different from what you're used to with the Glasgow." The stranger spoke, leaving the resistance leader blinking.
"Well, I got worked out already so don't worry."
"Hm."
"Anyway, can't you tell us who you are? At least your name." Ohgi probed into his ally just a bit, "Calling you a voice all the time isn't going to work, you know." He brought up the excuse.
"I can't do that. What if these signals are being intercepted?" The voice retorted sharply.
"Oh, right…"
"Can't take that risk really, and more importantly, you must get up to your feet quickly. If Q1 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands will reach you in about 23 seconds, probably two of them." The stranger affirmed with such foreboding ominousness, "Shoot them through the wall."
"..."
And at such suggestion, Tamaki snorted, "Hmph, he's out of his mind."
Indeed, it's kinda hard to believe that one man can be so accurate in his assumptions, specially in a matter of life and death such as this battle. However, if the man was truly an strategist, if he was one who could steal from Britannians themselves to lead them, a bunch of desperate fighters, to victory… Ohgi had to believe he had a plan for it, "Everyone, double check your weapons." He demanded over radio.
"What!? Are you serious?"
As incredulous as this could be, between handling themselves alone and following a possible war veteran who came in their aid, everyone but Tamaki fell in line. They have gained much so far, so a bit of trust was welcomed. Besides, judging themselves, Kallen was already on her position bravely playing the decoy role again, much like how she did before to save their asses earlier so they couldn't just back off without at least paying their debts. The Britannians were coming and if the voice was correct, blood would flow once again…
"In position!"
Thus, the dreaded skirmish resumed. Under the clear view of a helicopter squadron, a red Glasgow made her appearance out of a tunnel exit down into the open, making the Britannians pinpoint their location to react accordingly.
"Enemy spotted at point F31." Came the radio confirmation, updating the map radar on Clovis headquarters with a red dot. And from the looks of, the thing isn't moving or doing anything, not even trying to attack the vulnerable scouts like it had done aggressively before...
"A feint eh? How primitive." The Prince commented, seeing the obvious.
"Tell Laslo's squad to go straight in with Eugen and Valerie striking from the rear." Bartley shouted his orders to get it done.
This set the men in motion, with two Sutherland units heading straight through a narrow corridor between buildings to corner their target unopposed… which only served to put them exactly where Ohgi and his crew were waiting, "3...2...1.., FIRE!" Following the voice's orders, they unleashed an hail machine gun fire once the countdown ended, penetrating the entire ruined surface in front of them in a fully automatic weapon discharge.
"Wh-What!?" This resulted in the two Britannians being shredded apart in a shocking gasp, their machines simply dismantling in seconds from the sudden, unprecedented assault through the walls. All that's heard on radio then is the pilots' death screams as their radar pings suddenly marked LOST on the map.
"Sir Eugen and Sir Valerie are both lost!" An operator sharply reported, "No ejections detected."
"Hmm? An ambush?" Clovis expresses mild surprise at this. How come his soldiers fell to such simple trick? A fluke perhaps? Hmm... The Prince had his deductions but didn't bother to voice them outright. Bartley had this covered, already sending another team to pressure the enemy. However, what came to happen next would certainly haunt the Prince quite deadly...
"(Hehehe, an I.D signal can be a double-headed sword.)" The Demon chuckled in amusement, seeing how his newly recruited pawns were essentially invisible to the enemy. Quite, with IFF Transponders removed from the terrorists' knightmares, Lelouch has essentially a recurring element of surprise that he can exploit, one fed purely by the sheer confusion of the Britannians seeing their own "allies" turning against them time and time again on a moment's notice. And given how he can see their movements from his own stolen radar, he can practically set any amount of ambushes that he wants, without them being able to react in any amount of time.
Such is the trump card that he, the Demon Warlock, will have in hand constantly working in his favor unless the enemy chooses to abandon the comfort of a tactical display for something more convencional…
"(...but of course, considering how my brother is, that's not going to happen so soon. Rather, it's the other way around. Clovis is going to be so caught on trying to see the invisible that so long the terrorists follow all of my commands, then I virtually have guaranteed my victory.)" This is what Lelouch concluded, smiling maliciously as he moved his pieces, "P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meter to the right and fire your slash harkens toward 3 o'clock." He relayed, much to the cheer of the terrorists.
"All right people! Let's do what the voice says!" Came the bright response from the one called Ohgi, moving out with his troupe. By now, he and his entire resistance group seemed adequately convinced by Lelouch's proven merit.
Or at least that's how it appeared to him from most of them, "Damn, what else does he want us to do?" He heard one annoying voice complaining.
"Why aren't you moving yet, P5?" Lelouch prodded thoroughly, identifying the pebble in his shoe.
What he received back was a grunt, "Yeah yeah I'm going, just quit calling me that!"
"Hmph… (My my, quite the troublesome this one.)" The Demon figures with a arched eyebrow. Aside some minor adjustments in the plans, the battle would scale gravely for the Britannians anyway, with the terrorists slowly but surely holding their ground to a degree that it would definitely shock his dear brother out of his throne...
And yes, without a miss, that's exactly what happened. One by one across the battlefield, every squad, team or unit of knights, infantry or armored elements sent to scout and scour the terrorists were precisely picked off and eliminated by some ambush. There was mayhem in the communication channels; tales of friendly-fire being deliberately open; slash harkens coming out of nowhere as well as machine guns and rockets fired from seemly impossible corners; the enemy seemed to come and go intercepting them at an impossible range of timed attacks, to the point that it was more than obvious that the terrorists were practically predicting their every move from the moment of their advance, casting nothing but a shadow of dread in the shoulders of High Command leading the charge.
"...I have a confirmation, Sir! They're are using the same-Argh!"
"Sir Edward is lost! Updating his findings now!" ; "Got the news here! Confirmed reports from the western corner!" ; "General! Enemies sighted moving towards G28!"
"Send Laslo's Squad- I mean Glaube's Squad after them!"
Bartley was at a loss. Seeing the buffoon and his entire operation derail to such extent paralyzed Prince Clovis on his chair. He couldn't believe it. The enemy was actually mounting a challenging resistance against them. Hell, the radio reports, the sightings on field… they pictured something that shouldn't even be possible! "The terrorists… They have our military weaponry!?" Clovis whispered to himself, visibly gaping, "(How!?)"
How indeed. Those were were fears coming true after so many consecutive losses...
"Sir Glaube is lost! His frame has ejected successfully!" A operator flared, just reporting how he was ambushed by an unarmed red Glasgow in an intersection...
"Tch! Change our codes! They're intercepting our transmissions!"
"We already have sir, four times!"
"Do it again!" Truly, Bartley could only below out loud, going back and forth with his operators in a futile waste of time trying to get things back in control. Nothing was working on their side and he just refused to believe his enemies had the means to combat his forces like this, a mistake that just painted him as nothing but a sweating pig of a man, completely unfit for his title of General.
And only now Clovis seemed to realize this...
"This failure is unacceptable!" He immediately boasted in indignation, suddenly rising from his throne out of patience, "Is this all that my army can possibly do!?"
His voice made everyone cower in fear, specially the General who couldn't see any alternative this growing mess, "F-Forgive me, Your Highness-" He would plead, desperately hoping to save his own neck when a video transmission forcefully interjected in their communications lines to occupy the map screen, revealing the face of none other than the meddling scientist himself, the Earl Lloyd Asplund from the "voluntarily-attached" Engineering Corps.
"Good Afternoon~" The man casually addresses them, completely blind to the room's dreadful mood.
"..."
"..."
Looking back and forth between the blinking Prince and him, Bartley eventually took the initiative to speak, "What is it!? We're middle of a operation!" He demanded bravely, cleaning his tone from previous nervous streaks with this unprecedented opportunity.
"Well, I just happened to hear that the enemy has acquired knightmares somehow, so I was hoping to know if it's time for us to deploy the ASSEC's special weapon~" Lloyd stated, making his intentions clear.
"..."
Now, under normal circumstances both the General and his Prince would be willing to accept such free aid in this time of need, specially with the kind of trinket this renowned scientist has in hand. However, knowing exactly from where the ASSEC (the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps) comes from, and from whom it truly belongs to in sponsorship, there's quite the political attention implied here, the kind of attention attention that Clovis himself is seeking to avoid at all costs…
"No, it's not your time yet! Get out of my sight!" The royal retorted, shutting Lloyd down.
This was his only option really, if only to keep prying ears from listening out of his own court. Bartley of knew this and used the opportunity keep his mouth shut, using the free time he got to think of some excuse while the Earl had the Prince's anger distracted away. Truly, the General was even relieved at the scientist's sudden interruption here since he could now appease the Prince directly and salvage his situation with a more sound advice.
That much was Bartley's hope at the very least...
But regardless, the General had much to do indeed as the one-sided massacre continued weight gravely against the Britannians forces on the front. Lelouch's battlefield deductions proved to be continuously flawless in their guidance, placing the terrorists in the right place at the right time with a razor sharp precision to execute one deadly move at time.
"P1, autocannon." He ordered ahead, destroying a tank, "R2, fire anchor." He pointed next, crashing a helicopter, "B7, use UN ordnance." He sentenced again, taking out an entire APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier), "N-group, continue your advance…"
And so it goes. With every order done, Lelouch conquered his enemies with impunity, inspiring the Japanese to charge the Britannians in righteous fervor, going guns blazing while shouting war cries on their hailers. Never before they felt so invincible in this one momentum.
"You bloody elevens!" Their enemy cursed, seconds before being obliterated in a failed retreat...
"We lost Laslo's squad!"
"That's it then, send in Quincey's unit!" Shouted Prince Clovis forth, seeing in his eyes what he believed to be an opportunity.
General Bartley however knew that his liege missed something, "Your Highness, if we do that, we'll break the ghetto's encirclement." He warned, once again getting worried for his life.
At this point, the casualties were amounting quite considerably on them, getting dangerously unfeasible to cover as the terrorists reach the city's outer borders. They now risk a possible breach in their frontlines, leaving both their supply chains and support elements vulnerable to flanking assaults from every conceivable direction, which alone would prove to be devastating to the operation as a whole!
And that's if they even attempt to do it in first place. After all, with a open gap in the lines, chances are the terrorists could just choose to escape from the battlefield, fleeing away in hidden tunnels that no one could possibly pursue in this maze of a ruined city. Should that happen, they would essentially flee with Prince's biggest secret in their cursed deadly hands, creating the worst possible scenario imaginable!
Or so the General deduced, thinking in the very same lines as Lelouch did, who now smiled to himself judging what reactions his brother has left on the table to deal with this predicament, "(Now then, the enemy has five options…)" The Demon mentally states, eagerly awaiting with his king piece twirling around the thumb like the regent he is. Time is ticking in the Britannian's side and it shouldn't take long before a check is made.
In the meantime however, cast away under the shadow of defeat, the Jury's sight is thrown across the battlefield, not in the Clovis cruiser as they have expected, but rather a few block away where a dirt smeared Jeremiah had finally come through into the open.
It seems the Imperial had walked quite the long time working his way out of his crashed cockpit to finally meet with friendly forces, and after what felt like half a hour or so, what he sees on arrival is the mobilization of tanks, APCs, helicopters and Sutherlands combining together all around him to march down into the city in unison. This is definitely far more units than their forces originally had ready in reserves, a knowledge that Jeremiah knew for a fact following what little communication his headset could pick up in air.
"We're breaking formation?" The man wonders, with a fairly accurate assumption on the events.
The veracity of this move could only mean one of two things: That either victory was most certainly asserted by now, leading up to a final clean up order; Or the worst, that this was an aggressive push up to assault the enemy in their "fixed" position, an reality that was far from ideal given the elusive and yet masterful resistance that the terrorists have presented…
This cast some eerie dread over Jeremiah's spine as he speculated this move. Who gave this stupid order to push against a effective guerrilla force? The Prince? No, His Highness wouldn't be so naive, nor would he choose to intervene in the matters of military operation so directly going by his known persona… No, It had to be that useless Bartley. Only someone as incompetent as him could have suggested this mistake. After all, that girth of his is proof of his inability to his title.
At any rate, Jeremiah grimaced as he ran. While he could not confirm any blatant suspicion coming out of his opinions, his real focus now was to find someone from his subordinate faction to work on an contingency. He prayed that Villeta had her duty accomplished on her end otherwise who knows what will happen once this next tactic fails spectacularly. Prince Clovis may consider the rough actions of war distasteful and brutish in a way but he's sure lacks of any kind of mercy at face of failure...
Sadly though, to his soon-to-be-confirmed worries, it was already too late. The liege had long settled his mind in this move.
"...Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me. We know for certain that enemy has its forces on this one point, so this shouldn't be a issue. Send in Burts and the others to concentrate our forces and just surround them!" The Prince declared, excited in his plans.
Faced with this, the order was eventually given, causing waves of motion in the entire Britannian army. And the moment Lelouch saw this on his radar, he was honestly surprised, "(Well now, they made an even stupider move than I expected…)" He judged forth, not really complaining at the opportunity. Rather, If brother wishes to hand him the victory, who is he to reject it? "Q1, is your area map accurate?"
"Yes, but only for the old town. It has no updated landmarks."
"It will serve…" Prompting his most useful piece to move, the Demon had her ready with a plan in case he needed some boobytraps ready, "Mission Number 3." The grand reception had to be prepared...
Many details would follow from there, with Lelouch carefully guiding the terrorists in specially designed locations at the word of Kallen's directing hand on the possible paths of the enemy's concentrating advance. This would require quite the trust on their part as there's only so much he, the strategist, could do trying to organize the tactical aspect of it all.
Indeed, without a ounce of hesitation, Ohgi's group had no qualms on following their youngster's lead, which came as quite the surprise for the Demon. The girl was steadfast in getting things done quickly and more and more Lelouch started to appreciate the willingness and bravery of Q1's deeds as she didn't even question the risks of what may happen should they do as instructed. Though this whole skirmish would be just a one-time thing for him, Lelouch enjoyed to have servants this obedient at his disposal, a trait he didn't expect to still have after so many years acting practically alone...
Perhaps his royal blood is surfacing through again, dabbling on the glamour of loyal subjects, or maybe it just feels good to finally rely on someone else to do the hard work, vague as the feeling may appear in these circumstances. Of course, Lelouch knows this barely fits the description of what he felt, but he didn't want to delve into the proper meaning behind it… Right now, everything is just working too smoothly, so he just laid low and appreciated the show.
"They're coming now. Is everyone ready?" Lelouch radioed in.
"Hai!"
"Hmph, do it then." He gave his order, gripping his king piece tight.
Thus, led by the nose of Kallen being so fittingly spotted from the skies one more time, Clovis' major forces followed right behind her, having several Sutherland squads moving to encroach that one red spot marked in practically the center of the terrorists' held territory. Yet, the fact that they invaded there without meeting any proper resistance did disturb some of the more cautious soldiers as they voiced their suspicions over comms. The enemy is not reacting to their advance for some reason. Are they really there?
"Yes, the enemy's main force in centered ahead!" The Prince assured them, feeling so vainly driven, "Finish every one of them off!"
His order was absolute though, so they didn't question it… until reality proved certain that the impossible had occurred…
"No contact in the area, Sir! The highways are clean. Corners and ruins too!'"
"What!? The enemy's is not there!?"
...to which Lelouch just simply smiled, right before placing his wrapped king upon his arm chair, treating it like a chess table, "(With this, I call check.)" He amusingly declared in a petty gesture, signaling the disaster cast upon his enemies...
And it all happened so quickly! The very streets themselves began to crack and crumble under the feet of many Britannian troops who were unaware of the threat right below them. Ohgi and his entire resistance group did everything exactly as planned, shattering the very foundations of city's structure to make it collapse upon the foes in a cascade.
This had devastating consequences for the battlefield. The High Command, they just found themselves blatantly stunned as the ghetto fell under a mini-earthquake. The radios just echoed screams in the feedback, all while the tactical map screen pictured the shockwave disturbances in the display, with that wave domino killing every single soldier they've sent down into certain damnation…
"Ahahahahaha! It worked, didn't it!?" Lelouch cracked in laughter seeing the dozens of LOSTs pinging in his screen. He already can imagine it, the look of shock and surprise, followed soon by fear in his brother's despairing face… This is just like the old times when they fought in chess, but even better! "I can do it! I can defeat Britannia!" The Demon cheered, drowning in the triumph he so long dreamed off turning real. No longer he would have to worry about his and Nunnally's future after their graduation anymore! Nay, with his new power in hand, his true rebellion is pretty much guaranteed. It's only a matter of when he should make it happen.
Preferably, it's better to wait a couple of years in preparation before making any move, just in case...
This is what the Demon has sought, already thinking ahead in his next distant goals for the future while his brother Clovis collapses under the prospect of certified defeat at the hands of some unknown monster.
"(Who… Who the hell am I up against?)" The Prince dreaded, slowly stepping away from his tactical screen. Truly, knowing the very history about the near invincible might of Britannia's military, only one soul came into mind that could topple them to such extent in the lands once called Japan... and even then, the records themselves couldn't compare to the mess he is dealing with here, "(...What… What if he's better than Todoh!?)"
Recoiling on his feet, Clovis could only gulp down his growing anxiety at silence, sweating heavily at the thought of uncovering a new grand national threat. Hell, the fact that his foe could organize what barely amounted into a single section of troops through stolen supplies to best and defeat an fully supplied, fully armed, battle company under the will of a royal noble... This just seemed inconceivable. These cannot be mere terrorists. This had to be an organized ploy from the JLF lurking around for a opportunity to make a move on him.
Yes! This must be it! The assault of his secret base; the whole masquerade of a terrorist chase; the movement of an entire ghetto against him... Indeed, all of it made sense now. He had been caught into a trap from the very beginning! And now, with naught but the bare minimum troops left to maintain the blockade, his enemies will have infinite chances of escaping with that cursed immortal girl, putting his future into complete jeopardy! Clovis couldn't left that happen here, he could not!
"Y-your Highness, perhaps we should call reinfor-"
"Lloyd!" The Prince suddenly shouted, dismissive of his useless peers. With them he wouldn't gain anything under these circumstances, so instead...
"Yes, Your Highness?~"
...Clovis had to resort to desperate measures, calling his one auxiliary asset with a restrained reluctance to do what his personal forces could not: Defeat the enemy at all costs, "Your toy. Can it win? Will it beat them?" The royal confronted him, already knowing that the Earl had been waiting for a opportunity like this.
"Please Your Highness, call it Lancelot." The man boldly corrected him, not answering the question.
Quite, the scowl Clovis would make in response to that told everything that Jury could feel about the Prince's frustrations. Not that couldn't, albeit barely, sympathize with...
And yet, from their privileged spot, they have seen it all and some more, gazing with awe as Lelouch accomplished what he wanted in his schemes, delivering the much wanted comeuppance to Clovis' unrelenting slaughter…
The way he did this shocked everyone, including the one Schneizel in the middle of things. Indeed, after the gallant had spoken his words way earlier, the whole Jury expected him to be correct as usual since his intellect seldom failed. However, not only Lelouch didn't use his geass powers on anyone else on the battlefield but also his inactivity could be confirmed, as discovered by an often silent maid that had once come to serve him in life…
"See!? He didn't use geass to cheat his way to victory, he did that on his own merit with amarras brains!" Kallen shouted with renewed confidence. She really really wanted to smack that smug out of Schneizel's face. In fact, she might do it literally should everything fail.
"Hmph! Can you really be that sure, young lady? What about the shifts in focus? Or the change of scenes, hm? My brother wasn't on center of the stage all the time during this whole display." The gallant challenged, "It doesn't take much of a effort for him to act off-screen and work his spell without us knowing. You can even confirm that fact yourself if you want. The tools are in our hands…" He affirmed, mentally rewinding the whole illusion in her face to make a point.
This left the red ace gritting her teeth in cold rage. Once again the bastard had the argument on a strong fort. It seemed her petty praises to Lelouch couldn't hold any water in this sinking quicksand. Thus, everyone, from her friends in the student council to the acquaintances in the Black Knights, all they could is share a sad glance at her...
...
Or that is, until, "No, not all tools I'm afraid…" A voice cut through the brief silence.
Yes, following its serene female tone, all eyes fell upon a calm-faced Sayoko standing gracefully as usual in her subservient pose beside Jeremiah's side. Such spotlight on her did only last seconds before the whole Jury gasped at presence of Lelouch's ghost beside her, a second one in fact, being the splitting image of the same academy student in his black clothing sitting is his cockpit from the Sutherland he had just stolen there.
This was a rewinded image from the current session, a clone from a earlier scene, spliced in a way that it divided the very surroundings behind Sayoko in a display of a second scenery apart from the current frozen one.
"I've discovered something that it may be of use." The good maid explained, "After Prince Schneizel expressed his disappointments, I had been wondering if there's a more precise way to monitor the events shown to us at our own will. It did take some mental experimentation at first, but it did work to some extent."
And truth to her word, reality did exactly as she willed it on the dream. It replayed all the events they had already seen in this one session with a unique twist on it, this time carrying a focus solely locked on Lelouch's footsteps, from the moment he geassed Villeta to the moment he orchestrated his strategy on the Shinjuku Ghetto. There were some oddities for sure, like the actual lack of sound in the replays were he wasn't the central focus, but it did reveal everything that Lelouch did (or didn't do) whenever the session diverted the Jury's attention elsewhere.
It showed for example the Demon walking on foot in middle of the battlefield to geass infantry soldiers one by one so that he may get access to a direct supply line. It also revealed how he got that cargo train prepared to gift Ohgi's group by stealing the soldiers' knightmares and using them as workforce, right before executing them outright and setting his first contact in motion. From there, it all seemed to be a clean conclusion… Lelouch didn't leave his Sutherland at all after contacting Kallen. He never did an effort to geass the terrorists themselves in any moment, proving his remaining actions to be a work of intellect and strategy after the initial contact with the red ace.
"Interesting… Very interesting indeed." Schneizel admitted first, "So everything was deliberate. The coordination; the planning. He really wanted to test his skills in the hard way… (Although granted, Clovis isn't remotely a worth challenge for a gauge)."
"Well it makes every sense here. Lelouch always planned to lead a rebellion in some form." Xingke added in his own wisdom, "Considering that he might find himself ordering men into battle he had start to somewhere. And why not take advantage of the situation here to setup an playfield?"
"I see. He would rather test his mettle now than just run away… Heh." Todoh felt strangely amused by that notion.
Prime Minister Ohgi however felt the exact opposite, "Urgh, I still find this dirty though… Being used as pawns while we're fighting for our lives…You just can't do that to anyone." He commented with a hardened tone. Indeed, while there was a small relief one could lean on in not getting mindfucked, the strings of the Demon still felt disgusting to witness. Hell, desperation or not, Ohgi is even ashamed that he eagerly followed the "voice's" plans directly instead of coming with some of his own...
"Oh knock it off will you!" Kaguya sprouts on his face, pouting at him, "Look on the bright side! You fought for Japanese with a free mind by the end of it. Yes Lelouch did ease things up on your end but it was you all who made it work with your own effort. That has to count for something, right?"
"I… I guess so." The man reluctantly agrees.
Meanwhile, seeing all this reaction, an pair of blue eyes blinked in quite the surprise from below the blond hair, "Huh, there you go Kallen, you got exactly what you wanted! Love was good boy, wasn't he?~" Milly teased forth, riding the wave of the now chatting Jury.
"What!? No! I didn't- I-I mean yes, he did right (I think?), at least in helping us back there but he's not my love or anything, okay!?" The red ace flustered in a mix of confusing tones and feelings.
"Uhum, sure girl, sure~" It seems she's still shy of holding her feelings with pride, a fact that left Milly slightly sad to see...
"Hmm… I wonder how Old Man is going to deal with Suzaku." Gino wonders, shifting the topic elsewhere, "I mean, Kallen is driving a ramshackle scrap that's barely armed to deal with a single Sutherland and they're are about to deal with Lancelot right now. Unless someone else can to put up a fight I don't see this ending well."
"Erm, didn't Lelouch just wipe out Clovis's whole army off the map?" Rivalz responds in a wide-eyed suggestion, "Yeah… I don't know about Knightmares or battles really but one guy can't make that much of a difference on the board, right?"
"Ha! That's where you're wrong, kid."
"...?"
Before Gino would answer him however, another much bolder one stepped in, his face smiling with grand expectations. It was the mad scientist himself, Lloyd, ready with a explanation on the tip on the mouth, "The right weapon can make all the difference in the hands of an expert." He declared, "His Majesty is talented, there's no denial on that, but so is his new competition…"
And adding to his presence, Cecile also expressed her option, "...We all know the outcome of this battle. Let us not forget whose life will be lost in here." She ominously affirms, tension and fear clearly exposed for all to see.
"..." Truly, such bold statement did mute the others briefly, knowing exactly the meaning behind it…
"According to what I recall in my time in the army, the launching of Lancelot was the vital key in defeating the terrorists in the Shinjuku Incident…" Nina affirmed with a unnerving seriousness, "And yet, Prince Clovis was murdered under strange circumstances after a declaration of complete ceasefire… Knowing what we know, I think we have good guess on how that happened…" And she didn't like it one bit. Indeed, for as much as the Prince had deserved it, the eerie means from what she (along with the rest of her friends) imagine it happened… It revolts her stomach all the same.
"Oh Big Brother…" Nunnally muttered among them, half-lamenting, half-comprehending the end goal of this mess. Nina's words already solve the puzzles for them, so they just have see it done properly.
That said, this didn't prevent Milly from voicing her discomfort in exasperated sigh, "Good god we live in a world where magic exists! How crazy is that!?" She shouts in dismay, slightly freaking out at all moments Lulu could have possibly abused them with that eye thingy of his. Her playful mind could think wonders of both nightmares and unending laughter on her behalf, with some even delving into the kinky lewd side of things on the recesses of her thoughts. Then again, what can one expect with bloody mind control on someone's hand?
Thus, with such wild opinions flowing freely among the Jury, experimentation was loose. Sayoko's discovery opened avenues of opportunities in meddling with the "memorial evidence" that they have access to. Unfortunately, this new lensing asset of theirs wasn't was cooperative as everyone thought. There are certain moments, both in present sessions and in previous ones, that cannot be accessed or altered in the way the maid had done it. In fact, even repeating what Sayoko did just previously didn't seem to work half the time. It is as if there's some catch that no one managed to figure out to make it consistent.
Either this is a actual half-locked mechanic of the dream or just a convenient device left at the mercy of the Judge, there was much speculation to this limitation. In fact, trying to figure out what Lelouch has spoken with Genbu in his childhood or spying on C.C's brief appearances in the old sessions resulted in nothing but wasted efforts. In other words, It appears that certain secrets couldn't be reached in any way, shape or form...
"Aw bummer." Anya mildly complained, adding her discontent in chorus of many others in the Jury.
Not even the former Knight of Round could prod her way back to past of Lady Marianne's death memory in the very first session of the King's Court… The petite girl tried her best, but the image wouldn't mold under her will. Quite, nothing, not a single nook or cranny, on that particular night could be re-focused or re-watched under a different perspective to reveal anything new. Jeremiah tried, but it failed, and so did Cornelia's attempt.
Anya would have to contend herself with what she has for a memory, wondering when it might play a hand one day…
"A shame. Perhaps I've been too careless in exposing this tool…" Sayoko commented, thinking poorly of herself.
Jeremiah however disagrees, "No, this is a wonderful gift you have granted us. It gave me one more way to look in Lady Marianne's fate, as well as that of her murderer. Chances are that if His Majesty still holds the will to uncover the truth, then it will be revealed us. This is but another obstacle we must tackle." So declared the Orange Knight, fists shaking in his hard grip.
"Hmm…" Heeding this, the Anya tilts her head in thought, curiosity branding her face, "Is the mere pawn of the true murderer really that important?" She innocently asks.
"Of course he is!" Jeremiah inadvertently yells, making the girl flinch. So loud was he there that it even drawn the Jury's unwanted attention in a awkward way.
"..."
"..." The following silence is then drawn painstakingly long before all parties diverted their eyes believing it's just Orange going in a small bout of frustration…
Certain lurking glances did remain but Anya didn't bother them anyway, merely settling to face an ashamed Jeremiah with a slightly hurt stare. There was words she wanted to say yet none she could formulate. If anything, her savior's obsession in serving Lelouch alongside that mother of his itched the former knight in the wrong way, so she decided to get some little distance from him, going join Gino and Nunnally for a while.
This way, with the speculations and the nerves settling down, the Jury has its silent consensus to continue with what they believe to be the final act of this skirmish. Curiosity and apprehension seemed to flow steadily with their expectations, specially with the execution of Clovis's foregone conclusion.
How will it happen? That's the question...
…
…
...
To be Continued…
Author Notes: Small correction, turns out I stated that Lloyd is a Duke in previous chapters when he's actually a Earl. Minor mistake really.