Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Code: Geass or Naruto.
Naruto could say he had seen a lot of things in his life, both in his home world world and this one.
Massive beasts made of chakra.
Humanoid machines piloted by humans.
And supernatural abilities granted by an immortal who was now connected to him for life.
Naruto had seen enough of Geass in this world to know that while it was powerful in its own right against certain powers like the Mangekyo Sharingan and the Rinnegan it was like a Genin against a Kage. So when this being emitted a pulse that cancelled out Cera's chakra he knew this guy they were facing was trouble. The pulse was able to negate the chakra in Cera's attack, breaking it down and dissipating it, making it harmless.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, taking a step forward. "What do you want with us?"
"Want… Want to… Want to… Kill." The cloaked figure declared dash at them.
Naruto pulled out his kunai and as the stranger swiped at him, blocking his hand. His Rinnegan spotted the dark smoky energy travel through his kunai and quickly dropped it before it could touch his hand.
' Wise move, Naruto. You cannot allow him to touch you. He might be able to drain you of your chakra or disable your ability to use it altogether. ' Kurama pointed out in Naruto's mind.
'Guess we can't rely on the big flashy stuff then.' Naruto thought, stepping back as the stranger lunged at him.
Cera jumped in, slashing at her katana at the stranger and leaving a cut in his chest. "You may be able to disable our chakra but we can still-"
Cera stopped and saw the smoky energy travel down her sword, touching her hand. She suddenly felt weak and realized it was draining her chakra as it entered her body, becoming stronger as it spread. The stranger laughed as Cera's strength was being drained from her.
'Damn it!' Cera chastised herself for letting her guard down.
"You have the Code… Give it to me!" The stranger shouted, lunging at Cera.
However Naruto pulled Cera back before the stranger touched her and looked over her. 'It's like a parasite, leeching off her. How could something like this happen?'
' If it has existed in C's World it must represent a form of Geass we've never encountered before. ' Kurama mused. ' If it absorbs chakra like this, even from someone like Cera and us it's extremely dangerous. '
'So how do I stop it?' Naruto asked, watching as the substance traveled up Cera's arm while keeping the stranger in his sight.
Cera grunted, feeling slightly weak. "Anytime now, Naruto."
' There might be a way.' Gyuki offered.
'And that is?'
' If it is an evolved form of Geass it's possible that yours and Cera's ability to counter and even disable Geass can counter it. ' Gyuki explained.
'All right. Let's try it.' Naruto thought, placing his hand on Cera's arm, noting how the invading substance was starting to infect him. 'Here we go.'
The Geass symbol in his Rinnegan flared, sending a pulse that stop the substance from spreading further. Another pulse tore the substance apart, freeing Naruto and Cera from its effects.
"Looks like this thing can absorb and negate chakra but the fusion of your Code and my chakra can counter it." Naruto said as he and Cera stood up.
"It almost feels like whatever this thing is it was designed as a weapon against the Rinnegan." Cera noted, staring at the stranger with restrained anger.
It pained her to admit she underestimated the stranger and it angered her that she had led her guard down. If there is one thing she had gained from first meeting Naruto was aside from her powers she had gained a sort of pride from being able to now fully control her own destiny. Never again would she be captured and experimented on by anyone and she was fully capable of protecting herself. She had come a long way and admitted to herself but no one else that she felt human again.
And in one second this stranger had nearly defeated her with their strange powers and she nearly let them.
She had no intention of ever letting her guard down again, even if she believed that any opponent she face after this was a threat or not.
"So if we can't touch him how do we beat him?" Cera asked.
"We don't have to touch him." Naruto slammed his fists into the ground, creating a huge crack that opened up under the stranger and caused him to fall in.
Naruto then made a hand sign and the ground came back together, effectively trapping the stranger up to his neck.
"That should hold him." Naruto stood up, cracking his fingers.
Cera slowly walked up to the stranger, holding her katana in one hand. "Now let's see who you really are."
She reached down and pulled the hood off, careful not to directly touch him. When she saw who it was her eyes widened and she stepped back.
"It can't be… It can't be." Cera dropped her sword.
It was Mao.
The boy she had given a Geass to when he was a child.
The boy she had abandoned when he became a lunatic.
And the one she killed.
And yet here he was.
Alive.
"Impossible." Cera stepped back. "You are dead."
" Dead… " Mao repeated slowly, his voice sounding like a mix of a dozen people and his eyes flashing with a gold Geass symbol. " We are far from dead. "
His eyes flashed and suddenly Mao broke free of the earth, standing bacj up and summoned a large two handed long helix shaped sword.
" We are the Sword, created by the alteration of God. We exist to destroy God. But we need something. " Mao grinned evilly. " We must have the Code! The Code will allow us to slay God! Destroy God and eliminate all lies! "
"The Sword…" Cera's eyes widened. "You are the Sword of Akesha! That's impossible! The Sword doesn't have a will of its own!"
" Give us your Code! " Mao lunged at Cera who jumped back.
Naruto held out his hand at Mao. " Shinra Tensei! "
Mao was knocked by a repulsive force, sending him flying through several walls.
"That'll hold him down for a few seconds." Naruto said.
"Naruto, we have to move now." Cera said urgently, picking up her sword.
Though he was not one to run from a fight Naruto nodded when he saw the alarming look on Cera's face and grabbed onto her, disappearing in a yellow flash.
As soon as they were gone Mao emerged from the hole in the wall made by his crash. "… We will meet again. "
Cera sighed as she fell onto the floor of the room she and Naruto shared on board the Ikaruga . "The Sword of Akesha with a will of its own now. How is that possible?"
"You tell me. You helped create the damn thing." Naruto said, sitting down on the bed.
Cera shook her head. "The Sword of Akesha was created by Charles, Vincent and Marianne to destroy C's World, the Collective Will of Humanity, better known as God. They believed that with God destroyed, humanity would be forced together into one mind, eliminating the existence of secrets and lies and thus bringing about eternal peace."
Naruto snorted. "In other words another couple of power hungry maniacs. Eliminating the existence of secrets and lies. That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard."
"I didn't care for any of that. I was only interested in someone fulfilling my wish which led me to granting Marianne her Geass but shortly before I left Marianne was gunned down by Charles's older brother Vincent who was jealous how close Charles and Marianne had become. I left to find a new contractor but Charles didn't plan on letting me leave quietly and Marianne had taken refuge into the body of the girl we saw with Schneizel." Cera scowled. "The two of them staged the entire invasion of Japan, waiting for Lelouch to stage his rebellion to draw me out into the open."
"I can only imagine how Lelouch would feel if he found that out. His rebellion being nothing but loud noise." Naruto sighed. "So about this Sword…"
"It was the weapon Charles, Vincent, and Marianne created to destroy God but they never created it with any intelligence. It's impossible for whatever that thing was to be the Sword or even Mao or have all those powers. We even destroyed one of the Thought Elevators and buried Vincent down in the bottom of the ocean." Cera stated.
"Is there anyway something could have happened to the Sword after you left?" Naruto questioned.
"Even if they did try and make some modifications they couldn't have done something like giving the Sword the power to match the two of us." Cera responded.
Naruto frowned. "Or maybe it was something else."
"Something else?"
"We need to find another Thought Elevator and find out what the hell is going on." Naruto explained, thinking of someway to discover more about their new enemy.
Cera looked at Naruto, thinking for a moment. "Charles could use C's World to speak with the dead and monitor the world. If we find a Thought Elevator we can use it try and find out what happened to the sword."
Naruto grinned. "So, we have a plan. So do you know where we can find one?"
"Yes. The Geass Order." Cera stood up. "They have a Thought Elevator and then there's one under the Pendragon which Charles uses."
"Oh, so we can finally get the drop on them." Naruto remarked, now eager. "Well, first we need to get there."
"And how do you plan to get there?" Cera smirked, already seeing a plan forming in Naruto's head and not the kind of plan Lelouch would normally come up with.
It was the stupid, reckless, and outright insane kind of plan.
And it was just the kind of plan Cera liked.
"But first let's see what Lelouch is up to and how far he got without the two of us covering his back." Naruto changed the subject. "We are still his knights after all."
Cera shook her head. "Of course."
"And then we pay our old Britannian buddies a visit."
Lelouch folded his fingers as he sat down, watching as Kaguya and Euphemia comforted Tianzi. It pleased him to see that Infinity had brought the Empress onboard the Ikarugi but had disappeared before he could speak with her. While slightly annoying her presence was vital to the mission.
"Our nation, the United States of Japan should be thought of as just a giant union of states. Including the United States of China and for that we need you."
"India's southern province has already to support us. Mongolia and Burma will probably agree to move with them." Kaguya said.
"This union of united states will form an asset to oppose Britannia." Lelouch continued.
"But… Our nation's already a federation all systems-" Tianzi started.
"All systems are limited." Lelouch cut Tianzi off, making her looking down at the table. "That's why the High Eunuchs sold you to Britannia for their own ambition. That is unforgivable."
Tianzi looked down at Lelouch stood up. "Uh… It's hard to understand this but.."
"Your majesty." Kaguya cut in gently. "Is Xingke really the one you'd really like to be married to?"
Tianzi gasped in embarrassment. "Oh no! He just made a promise!"
"Really?" Euphie asked, the romantic in her becoming interested.
"As your fiancé?" Kaguya asked.
"W-Well, I told him I wanted to go outside six years ago." Tianzi explained as Lelouch walked away.
"That long ago?" Kaguya continued to question with a smile. "He must be destined for you!"
"Y-You think so?" Tianzi asked.
"That's great!" Kaguya exclaimed.
Euphie nodded in agreement. "He sounds like a great man."
Tianzi smiled softly. "He is…"
The moment Zero had escaped with the Empress Xingke and his fellow rebels had been placed in prison by the High Eunuchs.
"Judging from the look on your faces." Xingke muttered, the man's features grim as he sat in a confinement cell beneath the Eunuch's feet with his followers. "They've taken down our strike force."
"And how did you know that?" Xiao Ho demanded looking down at the disgraced general.
"If I were in their place," Xingke answered. "I'd hang back and stage an Ambush at the Shinchu ravine. Then I'd join up with my main force in Chao Pei."
"Xingke." Xiao Ho started with a grin. "We're willing to overlook your crimes, if you bring back our empress."
"We'll even give you a new weapon." The short Eunuch added, smirking as the man looked up at him in shock.
"That went more smoothly than I had hoped." Lelouch said, walking towards the elevator. "Perhaps I should thank Xingke for setting his own plan in motion. He's a talented strategist."
"How'd you know Xingke was planning a coup da tat at the ceremony?" Cera noted as she and Naruto followed Lelouch onto the elevator.
"I was working on the same thing." Lelouch answered as the doors closed.
"Including the ECM and the ambush?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. While we were setting our traps Xingke's troops had been setting theirs in the exact same place." Lelouch explained.
"And then you got them to tell you their plan." Cera caught on. "Did you have to use a truth serum?"
"Yes, it's called Geass." Lelouch answered dryly.
Cera smirked while Naruto chuckled. "And people say Zero has no sense of humor."
The elevator door opened and the three stepped onto the bridge, seeing Diethard and Ohgi already waiting for them.
"Is there news from Horai Island?" Lelouch asked.
"Reinforcements from India have already arrived." Ohgi answered. "We just have to return and rendezvous with them. How are things with the Empress-"
An alarm suddenly sounded, cutting Ohgi off in mid-sentence.
"An attack?" Ichijiku Hinata exclaimed, the Ikaruga's bespectacled Radar-Operator staring at her screen in shock. "Our forward Knightmare unit has been wiped out."
"Stop!" Ohgi commanded. "All units come to a halt!"
'Strange.' Lelouch thought. 'We should have had an hour before we encountered any enemy forces.'
The Ikaruga and its Knightmare escorts immediately came to a stop as the smoke cleared, revealing the attacker.
"A Knightmare?" Ayame Futaba gasped, a woman with purple hair who was the defensive systems operator magnified the image to better look at the frame.
Rakshata blinking, the scientist sitting up on her couch with a look of shock. Naruto's eyes narrowed when he saw the frame. It was the same Knightmare frame he had tested a year ago before he was given the Seizan.
'The Shen Yu. Here?' Naruto thought. 'What the hell is it doing here?'
"What is that thing?" Ohgi wondered, gazing at the blue and purple mech, with golden faceplate. "And why's it equipped with the same float unit we use?"
Down below Kallen spotted the enemy frame and rushed to the Guren.
"That's because it was made by the same person who made our Knightmares and the Guren." Cera answered, looking Rakshata. "Knightmare Frame Shen Hu."
"What?!"
"You know what that Knightmare is?" Cornelia asked, glancing back between her brother's knights and the screen showing the new Knightmare.
"Flight unit or not it's only one unit. Surround it!" Senba ordered.
Chiba however knew something was wrong. "No! Hold on!"
"Pull our forces back now!" Naruto said urgently.
"You people underestimate the Shen Hu at your own peril." The Shen Hu fired a Slash Harken from its wrist that took the form of a golden spear that pierced an Akatsuki and used it to smash the others down.
"How dare you!" Chiba moved to attack.
"Silence! You have no say here!" The Shen Hu used its Harkens as a propeller and knocked Chiba out of the air and smashed her Knightmare down into the ground.
'It's just as powerful as I remember.' Naruto thought with a note of nostalgia.
"Can you hear me… Zero?" The pilot of the Shen Hu called out, hovering towards the Ikaruga while the face of its appeared on the monitors, his features stern "Zero… you shall not pass!"
"Xingke? Why is he attacking us?" Naruto wondered. "I thought he was against the Empress being used as a pawn."
He deactivated the rotation of his Harken, the whip-like weapon receding back into his frame's arm "Now… return the Empress, and I shall spare your lives."
"XINGKE!" A familiar voice snarled, the crew of the Ikaruga looking on in shock as the Guren, launched into the air, the crimson frame clashing with the Shen Hu in an aerial battle.
"Kallen Kozuki!" Xingke growled, recognizing the Guren and the voice of its pilot. "Even so, the Shen Hu will crush you!"
"We got to move." Naruto said, turning to the elevator. "Kallen's not experienced enough to take on a frame like that."
"What do you know about it?" Lelouch asked.
"I piloted it once before." Naruto said, stepping into the elevator with Cera. "And it's not something you want to go up against unless you're a damn good pilot."
"Scatter shot!" Kallen yelled, deploying her GEFJUIN net spheres, only for Xingke to blaze through them "Not bad… But I'm a Black Knight Ace!"
"Show me Shen Hu!" Xingke demanded, pulling back on his control yoke, arming the firing system for the frame's main weapon "Show me your power!"
"Oh no! That's-" One of Rakshata's scientists stammered.
"Seizen said you designed it." Lelouch cut in.
"Of course we did." Rakshata replied, turning around to face Zero with a scowl. "We know because we built it. We developed it at the same time as the Guren, but it was to high spec to handle…" She gazed back at her abandoned child, her expression unreadable. "A one of a kind Knightmare that no pilot could master… until now."
"Why is it in the hands of the Chinese Federation?" Cornelia asked, unable to believe that India would give up such a powerful Knightmare.
If anything she'd have expected it to have been used by the Black Knights a year ago before the Black Rebellion alongside the Guren.
"Eat this!" Kallen shouted as she fired her Radiant Rave Surger.
"Take this!" Xingke said, firing his weapon.
Both Knightmares fired, the beams of deathly light colliding with each other and creating a powerful shockwave.
"My goodness!" Cecile cried upon seeing the two attacks collide.
Lloyd simply smiled. "My, my, Rakshata. You've been holding back on us haven't you?"
Xingke smirked. "The Heavenly Particle Cannon. It's just as powerful-"
"As the Radient Wave Surger." Kallen finished, looking on in shock.
"But how did our enemies gain obtain it?!" Lelouch banged the arm of his chair.
"It's possible that the Indian forces are split against us." Diethard observed.
"That crusty old Maharaja… he must have sold it off to the Chinese to line his own pockets." Rakshata said darkly.
"You let it be sold?" Cornelia questioned.
"Does it have a weakness?" Ohgi asked.
"It's based on a different design concept than the Guren. There's no Radient Wave System and the piloting takes skills that are almost beyond human." Rakshata explained. "Only Seizan was able to pilot it to near perfection but he turned it down in favor of his own Knightmare after we created Core Radiance."
"Well there's a human piloting it now isn't there?" Ohgi asked.
"Afraid so." Rakshata simply said.
"My, my, first Suzaku, then Seizan, and now this Xingke. So many suitable pilots and none of them around when I could have used them for the Lancelot." Lloyd remarked in amusement.
One of the Shen Hu's whip-like Slash Harkens managed to get under the Guren's flagging guard, the cable wrapping around the crimson Knightmare's left ankle and latching on tight.
"I have you!" Xingke declared, the Shen Hu yanking the Guren into the air, it's sword held at the ready to impale it's sibling frame as it descended, the general sending the command to fry the crimson Knightmare's systems. "Your fate is sealed!"
"That's right…" Kallen said with a smug grin, the Guren's left hand coning down to block the Shen Hu's attempts at freezing her system. "And so is yours!"
"What?!" Xingke exclaimed, not expecting a move like that.
"You can't get away from me now! This is where I take you apart!" Kallen readied her Radiant Wave Surger.
"Really?" Xingke replied. "Then I'm going to have to crush you."
He aimed the Shen Hu's cannon up just as the Guren was right above him but before either one could attack both grabbed and pulled away from each other.
"Huh?!" Both Xingke and Kallen exclaimed.
"Yeesh, you two are bunch of suicidal idiots!" A voice groaned over the speakers.
"Na-Seizan?!" Kallen looked to see to that it was Naruto's Knightmare that was holding the Guren. "What are you doing?!"
"Stopping the both of you from killing each other." Cera answered calmly as she pulled the Shen Hu back. "The two of you are bickering like little children in big toys."
Xingke looked behind to see Shinryoku holding the Shen Hu down. "I didn't even see her. This is one of Zero's knights, the one known as Shinryoku. And the blue one is Seizan."
Rakshata sighed in relief at her two youngest children saving the older ones. "That was a close one…"
"Chinese Federation forces inbound!"
"Come on, let's go." Naruto said as he released the Guren. "Fall back."
Kallen reluctantly nodded. "All right."
"Wait!" Xingke tried to break free and in response Cera kicked the Shen Hu, knocking it down to the surface.
"As much as it pains me to take down a Knightmare sibling of my own I can't afford to play now." Cera said and flew back to the Ikaruga with Naruto and Kallen. "We'll settle this another day."
"Come back here!" Xingke shouted, aiming his cannon at the retreating Black Knights.
Cera made a hand sign. " Wind Style: Great Wind Breakthrough! "
A blast of wind hit the ground, causing dust to cover the entire area around the Shen Yu.
"Damn it!" Xingke banged his console upon seeing he was blind.
The Black Knights had escaped with the Empress.