August 23rd. UFN. Mt. Fuji.

Kallen yawned as she looked at the control panel of her Guren, watching what cameras picked up outside. The official ace of Black Knights and secret Knight of Zero was currently doing nothing, merely waiting for her Lelouch to finish his meeting with Kaguya. The giant red machine of death and destruction was sitting duck outside the entrance of Mt Fuji, hiding from everyone. Lelouch proposed that it would be better if her Knightmare wasn't spotted. Even if staff were ordered or Geassed, the White Emperor didn't want to risk it. On the off chance that she was needed, Kallen would have an easier time responding to any attack and moving with her machine not being trapped inside with so much Sakuradite around.

'Fighting right next to a highly explosive substance? Screw that.' Kallen remembered how Lelouch relied on Knightmare fuel in the past and how destructive even the smallest amount of it was.

And so, the Knight of Zero leaned against her bike-like seat and patiently waited for her Emperor to emerge with the good news of convincing Kaguya to join his side, or at least agreeing to stay neutral during the future conflict. Kallen hoped that the Japanese princess would listen to Lelouch and make the right choice.

'Please Kaguya. The last thing I want to see is you as another enemy.' With the UFN chairwoman on their side, Lelouch will have an easier time dealing with the Federation and Black Knights. 'Everything depends on how convincing Lelouch is… which shouldn't be an issue.'

The Red Dragon knew that would take a lot of time, but Kallen was starting to get anxious, worried that a worst-case scenario might happen. She should have joined them and helped to convince Kaguya, even if the redhead knew she wasn't the best speaker.

"I hate waiting," Kallen whispered to herself, trying to think about positive outcomes if only to distract herself from her mind pondering the worst what-if questions. Still, at least it wasn't like they were under attack from the enemy-

*BOOM*

Suddenly the entire mountain rumbled as the powerful explosion was heard. Everything around the Guren twitched as the earthquake wave shook everything in the vicinity of the mountain. Without a second thought, Kallen quickly activated her Knightmare and flew upwards in the sky where she could get a good picture of the situation and react, mainly to find and secure Lelouch's position.

Scarlet Lotus's red energy wings opened as the Guren moved up with insane speed. Once she was in the sky, Kallen had to curse under her breath.

Mountain Fuji was activated as the mix of magma and liquid Sakuradite was coming out of its volcanic crater. Smoke arose from its centre and the deadly substance immediately covered a huge proportion of the mountain. It didn't reach the ground at the bottom yet, but already covered the spot that was meeting room was supposed to be-

"LELOUCH!"

Red circles appeared in Kallen's eyes as she gripped her controllers and moved forward. Mind and soul were in agreement as she flew towards the place where her K1 was meant to be. Without any doubt, she manipulated Gurren's right silver claw at the magma-covered mountain. However, the moment the claw made contact with the semi-liquid Guren's panels went into a frenzied state, and dozens of emergency notifications popped out. Kallen wanted to ignore them, but the claw's condition was already critical. Losing it meant losing her only chance to save Lelouch. She bit her lip and reluctantly took back the claw. The silver hand was already damaged from a single contact with a mix of magma and Sakuradite, but it was operational, if at least in working condition that was enough if needed.

Kallen cursed as she tried to contact Lelouch or Kaguya through their communicators, but all she was hearing was the static noise.

"Come on, come on, answer dammit!" Kallen screamed, unable to do anything in her current situation. Gurren was a fighting Knightmare, not a rescue one. Her shields won't be strong enough to protect Knightmare from the damage and it meant going inside herself was a suicidal idea, not to mention worthless if it meant she won't get Lelouch out of there safely.

However, while Kallen was thinking of ways to save the trapped people inside the mountain, she heard something on the closed channel.

"-len we are safe- I repeat, we are safe." The male voice on the other end tried to speak through an unstable connection.

Kallen gulped as she heard Lelouch's voice, a weight on her shoulders becoming easier, but only slightly.

"Lelouch! Can you hear me?"

There was static noise, followed by his voice. "-es. Kallen, make sure neither debris nor lava will reach the population-"

Kallen blinked. What?! She should be trying to rescue them, the collateral damage could be dealt with later. Lelouch and Kaguya's lives were more important to her, and Leila Malcal's as well.

"Lel-!"

"This is an order, Q1." The communication became more stable for a moment and she could easily hear his voice and a commanding tone in it. "We will get out of here, right now our lives aren't in danger, we are inside the safe room. I cannot allow this situation to get worse and let the people be killed as well. My forces will respond and come here to assist you. Secure the mountain before trying to dig us up, do you understand, Q1?"

"Yes… K1." Kallen didn't want to leave Lelouch and others there, but she wouldn't disobey him again.

"Excellent. I don't have a visual of the outside but if Mountain Fuji's Sakuradaite is leaking outside, you must cut off its access to the city-" Suddenly the communication was cut. Kallen tried to contact Lelouch again but was unable. She squeezed her controller before turning away and flying towers to the ground level. Q1 was going to obey her K1, even if she wasn't happy with it. However, if the Britannians would assist her then it would be easier to deal with the explosive outcome and save her Lelouch.

As long as nothing else distracted Kallen, Q1 will complete her mission.

Inside Mt. Fuji.

Communications went dark and all Lelouch could hear was static. The White Emperor grimaced before turning toward the two ladies trapped with him. The meeting room was in ruins as the fallen debris covered half of it and closed the way towards the giant window. Thankfully, the ceiling above them was sturdy enough and didn't fall, at least right now. The biggest issue will be the oxygen if they won't make it to the safe room in time. The unexpected explosion certainly activated the Sakuradite reserves that the mountain had in abundance.

'If this was done the way I would have done it, then it means that everything around the mountain is covered in flames.' Even without having access to the outside world, Lelouch could theorize how exactly it was going on outside. After all, this was one of his plans in the past as well. 'Nevermind, right now the top priority is survival and making sure both Leila and Kaguya are safe.'

Royal purple looked over the Japanese princess and European messiah who silently leaned against the half-collapsed wall. He noticed that Leila was holding up her elbow, red drenching the clothing.

"Something wrong, Leila?" Lelouch asked as he approached and pointed at her arm.

The blonde advisor gave him an awkward smile. "Sorry. When the explosion shocked the mountain one of the falling rubbles caught me. It is nothing serious, just a scratch."

"We don't have first aid with us. No matter how small your wound is, leaving it exposed is a bad idea." Last thing Lelouch wanted for his best PM candidate to bleed out, even if it was just a small scratch. Lelouch was anything if not careful and logical, plus paranoid.

The White Emperor silently took off his coat and tore off a small piece of it. Leila tried to protest when she noticed what he wanted to do but had to give up and allow Lelouch to bind her wounded elbow that was slowly bleeding. Kaguya silently watched the scene from the side.

"This should be good enough until we will get outside. Afterwards, professionals will assist you, Leila."

"I'm not so fragile, Lelouch. Don't forget who between us has actual military training, Your Majesty." Leila said with a pout. The last thing she wanted was to be treated like a frail flower.

Lelouch gave her an apologetic smile. "I know better than others to not underestimate the famous Messiah of Europe. Forgive me but I cannot leave my ally if they're hurt." He turned towards the UFN chairwoman who was sitting on the opposite side and staring at them. "That includes you as well, Kaguya."

The Japanese princess let out a short laugh. "But I'm not your ally, Lelouch. Even if I know what happened on that day, I cannot change my stance."

"Yet," Lelouch smirked. "But even then, it doesn't change the fact you were one of my most helpful confidants in the past. For that alone, I must treat you as any other ally or friend of mine."

"Friend, huh?" A melancholic smile formed on Kaguya's face.

"Something wrong?"

Kaguya smiled. "No, oni."

"Huh." For a moment Lelouch's memories returned to the old Kururugi shrine and his first meeting with a small black-haired girl who was a quite shy girl back then. How long ago it was… "Anyway, we must move. There should be a safe room where we can reorganize." Plus it should have everything for them to survive long enough until the rescue team will find them.

"What you said to Kallen earlier, about Britannians assisting her." Kaguya already came to terms with the fact that Kallen joined Lelouch, but she knew that the Red Lotus working with Britannians out of the blue wouldn't be the best look for either side at the moment. Not without proper preparation first.

"Yes. None of my subjects will dare to attack Kallen… although she might play around with poor Q1." Lelouch let out a tired sigh. Only Leila realized who he was talking about while Kaguya looked puzzled. "Nevermind, she of all people will understand that this isn't a proper time for that."

Leila adjusted her makeshift bandage as she spoke. "Do you think whoever is behind this knew about you coming here, Lelouch?"

"I'm not sure. OSI and I made sure none of my movements were tracked. While the mountain wasn't too heavily guarded, my agents made sure to check everything and placed some additional eyes where needed." Lelouch was confident that his side wouldn't allow any window for opportunity for the wannabe assassin to claim his life. His eyes turned towards Kaguya who understood what he meant.

"Black Knights had no plans nor intention to blow up Mr Fuji. This place is part of our culture, not to mention an important economic and strategic place. We don't know how bad it is outside, but the damage to the Sakuradite reserves was too severe." Kaguya bit her lip and clenched her fist, knowing fully well what the loss of the Sakuradite rich mountain would mean for the Japanese people in the Federation.

"It will lessen the value of Japan in the eyes of UFN," Leila concluded, not surprised at all. It was expected that the Federation would value the importance of Japan, especially after everything that happened with the island. Both Britannia and the EU in the past were no different. Superpowers always counted the pros and cons of any move in geopolitics. After the young chairwoman nodded, Leila snorted. "Typical."

"Sometimes the most obvious solution to a problem is the one with the least resistance. It might be some kind of convoluted assassination plot to take down both me and Kaguya… or it might be just a carefully planned but simple terrorist attack from the third side. I want to say it was my brother, but Schneizel wouldn't use something as crude as this. The man would value the importance of the mountain and its energy reserves if only to use it later." Lelouch didn't have time to overthink it right now. "Regardless, we should move towards the safe room. If we are lucky we might find OSI agents and complex staff on our way."

Two ladies nodded as they followed behind him out of the half-destroyed room.

Outside the mountain.

The red hardon energy ray annihilated everything in its way as both trees and ground were melted under its constant fire. Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.'s right claw didn't stop working as its primary weapon was firing towards the ground. Kallen's Guren was a war machine, not a rescue or constitution one, but as long as it could destroy anything in its way it would do its job. All the knight of zero had to do was stop the deadly liquid that was erupting from the top of Mt Fuji. It sounded hard and it was even harder to accomplish.

Kallen's best attempt to stop the moving magma was by creating holes deep enough to slow down to moving liquid and destroy any tree that might spread the fires. At best, she might slow it down enough for proper Knightmares to arrive. However, the Radiant Wave Technology on her Guren wasn't built for this kind of action. Her battery was quickly running out of Sakuradite. Ironically, there was enough liquid Sakuradite below her to sustain a battalion of Knightmares.

'I can't go on like this.' The entire mountain was covered in lava that was moving down with freighting speed. Kallen barely covered one side of Mt Fuji and was already down to only 49% of her battery. She needed to either recharge or an entire battalion of proper Knightmares! 'I would welcome any help right now!'

Her plea for assistance was heard. Not by God, but by another servant of the demon Q1 was serving.

Soon Kallen saw multiple Knightmare signals on her monitor. It must have been the forces Lelouch mentioned. She saw military Knightmares: Vincent Wards and Gareths, but also civil Knightmares meant to act as rescue machines and firefighters. Mainly retired military Sutherlands that were modified for civilian purposes. Without any acknowledgement of her Guren, the Britannian machines went right to work, doing their best to stop the moving lava. Although, some of the Vincent Wards flew up towards her. Kallen didn't have time for this when the life of her Lelouch was on the line!

"Listen here, brits! We don't have time to-!" Kallen was about to shout at them on the open channel when one of Vincent Wards pulled out a spare energy battery. No doubt for her. Kallen blinked, a little bit puzzled. "Huh-?"

"Huh? Is that all you have to say about your rude behaviour? My, what he saw in you…" A familiar voice spoke from above as Kallen raised her eyes upwards. A glare immediately formed on her face. "What? You don't even have the decency to say hello?"

"Cinder," Kallen said the name of the second knight of the round with venom. Q1 wanted to say that she didn't need nor want to see Q2 there, but both knew that wasn't the case. Lelouch needed both of them right now. Especially now, when Kallen's Guren wasn't the only one equipped with Energy Wings. "I see that someone got an update. Finally, you won't be a handicap in the air."

Cinder's Amber, the exact copy of Lancelot Albion, safe for colouring and shielding, was now using the energy wings. In contrast with a traitorous seventh knight, the energy wings on this model were different. Not green but dark orange wings.

"Why thank you for having working eyes and the ability to see the obvious! Although you did have a problem with that in the past." Cinder's own venom was easily noticed in her words. However, both queens knew their roles and that they would have time for a nice chat later. "I take it he is still inside the mountain."

"Yes." The hostility was gone from Kallen's voice as both Q1 and Q2 focused on the mission of saving their K1 for now. "I don't know what exactly happened, most likely a bomb but I'm not fully sure. Lelouch contacted me and said he, Leila and Kaguya are safe. He wanted me to stop the lava flow and I lost contact with him afterwards."

"This is troublesome." Cinder sent a file to Guren that Kallen immediately received. "This is the map of Mt. Fuji's inner complex. There are few safe rooms they can use to hide in, but if the inner rooms were damaged too then we cannot be sure. Worst case scenario, lava and Sakurdaite made their way inside as well. My shields might be able to withstand lava for long enough, but without knowing their exact position I might accidentally destroy whatever is left of the inner complex and cause a collapse."

"Fuck." Kallen bit her lip. Any wrong move might kill Lelouch and the others. "I lost contact with him, but there must be another way to find his location, right? Doesn't Lelouch have any transmitter on him? Hell, maybe even try to find him through his phone?"

Cinder stayed silent for a few moments as she contacted some of the Britannian pilots, but soon she gave a negative answer. "It seems the Sakuradite in the mountain disturbs any kind of signal. We cannot locate the position of His Majesty or any microchip on him or Leila Malcal."

Kallen cursed. "Then that means-"

"All we can do is stop the spread of lava and send rescue Knightamares after Lelouch and others once the mountain is cleared. Are you ready, Kallen?"

One of the Vincent Wards finished changing the battery on Guren as Kallen gave Cinder a confirmation. "I'm good."

"Then start blasting Mother Earth itself, Q1. Our Demon awaits."

Cinder didn't bother waiting for an answer, not that Kallen was intending to give one. Both Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. and Amber Tertiary flew at different sides, trying to cover as much land as possible. Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. started to use its Radiant Wave to cause havoc with hadron rays among nature, while Amber Tertiary pulled out two Super V.A.R.I.S Rifles. The rest of the Britannian forces made sure to stay out of their way in order to not become a casualty of the rescue mission. Among the military Knightmares, only Gareth variants were useful as they had enough firepower to blow up holes in the earth. Vincent Wards acted primarily as assistant units, flying around and helping others more suited to the job.

Rescue and Emergency Knightmares were the true heroes as they managed to stop the majority of the flames and had some success in stopping lava. Although they were limited by their dated technology. Who could blame the machines that were never intended to be used for something like this? No one expected Mt. Fuji to become activated, let alone erupt with a mixture of Sakuradite.

Getting tired of slow progress, Kallen decided to get more creative as she activated another function on her silver claw. With a press of a single button, the silver claw shot forward as it pierced the ground and dragged further, destroying the dirt with hadron energy. In some way, it was acting similar to a construction claw digging through the earth, only more deadly.

There was silence save for the sounds of the explosion caused by Gareth, but both female pilots remained quiet, focused only on their task. The lack of speech and the uneasiness of the situation were getting on Kallen's nerves, and something told her that the Second Knight of the Round was feeling the same. Deciding that as senior knight of Lelouch, Kallen was supposed to ease the situation she decided to chat a little bit.

"This reminds me of the Battle of Narita," Kallen recalled the first full-out battle Black Knights had with Britannia. It was the first time ever since Japan surrendered that the Japanese were able to fight on equal terms with Britannia. Not as mere rebels and terrorists, but as the force that the empire had to take seriously. That was their first victory. 'And now? Almost two years later, I'm helping Britannians, because of him, for him. You have a bad influence on me, Lelouch.'

And despite it, Kallen wouldn't dare to doubt her choices anymore, not the ones that led to her happiness.

Cinder thought for a moment. Her Amber didn't stop firing as its pilot recalled the memories of studying that battle back at the academy. "Yes, Narita. I remember it now. News tried their best to portray it as a barbaric act of numbers who were massacring civilians. Even then I didn't see it that way. When you are outnumbered and outgunned, using any advantage is crucial to a victory. Zero, no, Lelouch was a genius for doing what he did. Haha-" An amused predatory smile formed on the one-eyed she-devil face. "Collapse the entire mountain, that's exactly what Lelouch would do."

"And now the tables have turned and we are dealing with someone else's mess." Ever since joining Lelouch, Kallen has come to accept that now she will have moments like this. Protecting Britannia from Black Knights and other factions who like her past self only wanted independence for their homelands. Well, there is no turning back and no desire to do so, Kallen might as well do her best as a knight of the realm.

The Second Knight of the Round remembered another thing, something her emperor mentioned once. "This was supposed to be his backup plan…"

"What?" None would hear the private conversation between the two of them and there was little point in keeping secrets between two knights who were serving the same lord.

"Lelouch had ideas to use this mountain and blow it up in case Black Knights' situation got out of hand. His original idea was to lure their main battleship over the mountain and destroy it with the eruption caused by the explosion. However, the collateral damage to surrounding areas and population, plus certain obliteration of Sakuradite resources made such measures less desirable." Cinder told her one of the secret plans Lelouch had. "So, His Majesty decided to put away this strategy for now."

"Does that mean someone from Britannia did it?" Kallen asked as her Knightmare continued to do its current job.

"Impossible. That idea was known only to a few souls, myself included. At that moment it was only words and no concrete plan was drafted yet. It is most likely someone else had a similar idea and went with it. For what reason? I have a few theories, but it will be OSI's job to figure them out. Still, I wouldn't mind hearing what happened during his time as Zero from the perspective of his least useful asset."

And here was the familiar mischievous tone, it was actually welcoming for Kallen to hear it. Was she getting used to Cinder? Yuck!

"You will have to ask nicely if you want to get anything from me, newbie." Kallen could be bitchy too. "Compared to how many battles the two of you fought together? I have more experience and stories."

"Yes, yes. I would like to hear all about how you were captured in China and were nothing but a burden to Lelouch." She could easily Cinder's pleased smile, that bitch. "Don't get me wrong, Kallen. I genuinely want to know more about his past, from every angle. So, even someone as unreliable as you would be welcome. As for now-"

"Pardon me, my lady." Cinder was interrupted by one of her soldiers. Normally the knight had little patience for something like this, but the message had urgent news. "We are reading signals from the helicopter. It is a civilian one."

"What." Both Cinder and Kallen were dazed. What are the civs doing here?

"My lady, it appears it is a news helicopter."

Cinder's working eye turned towards the direction of the upcoming vehicle as she blinked. "Media? Here? It is too early for them to arrive, we aren't done yet. They will be a hindrance. Order them to turn back and fly away, tell them this is a dangerous area for civilians."

There was a short silence which was followed by a strange answer. "My lady, ehm, they are saying they were called here by us."

"Wait what? I never gave such an order." The confusion turned into suspicion as Amber stopped for a moment and turned towards the news helicopter. Kallen did the same and focused on the vehicle when she noticed something, no, someone. "What if they were called by whoever is behind this mess? Is that part of their plan? What the hell is going on?"

"Hold up… is that Milly?!"

Kallen's eyes went wide when she saw the familiar face of her former student council president who was reporting from a helicopter as it was flying over the danger zone. She couldn't hear what she was saying, but Guren's monitor shows that she was being filmed by a camera. Was it a live broadcast?!

'This is bad. The Black Knights will see it.' Kallen bit her lip. Them learning about her defection to Lelouch so early wasn't a part of his plan. This will complicate Lelouch's plans, or so Kallen thought. Meanwhile, Cinder was trying to understand who gave the order to call the news in the first place.

"Who ordered this?!" Cinder looked around as if trying to find anyone from OSI and asked what the hell was happening right now. News live feeding the Black Knight's ace and the Second Knight of the Round was bad enough, but if they get a glimpse of the Emperor of Britannia and the chairwoman of the Federation together it will get messy for everyone.

"Can't you tell them to go away? I don't want Milly here." Despite staying with Lelouch in Ashford, Kallen still didn't meet Milly. She knew it would be an awkward meeting, especially if it was on top of an activated volcano! "It is bad enough they filmed me, but Lelouch and Kaguya cannot be seen together!"

"I-I can't." For the first time, Kallen heard anxiety in Cinder's voice. "The order had come from someone higher than me."

"Wait, that's impossible. The only person who is above the Knights of the Round is-" Both Guren and Amber turned towards Mt. Fuji which was still covered in burning lava. "What is going on?!"

"M-my lady." The same unfortunate messenger had something else to tell. And he already knew it won't make the two queens' situation better or appease their minds. "We are receiving a signal from an incoming Knightmare approaching at high speed."

"I'm done." Kallen raised her silver claw and aimed at the direction from where the new Knightmare was meant to come from. "This must be a trap, all of this-"

Cinder was having so many questions she had no answer to. The Second Knight was about to agree with Kallen when the Vincent Ward that was delivering the news flew up and stood before the Guren itself.

"My l-lady, please, wait!...t-that's His Majesty's Shinkiro Imperium."

"..."

"..."

This was a confusing day for everyone, for all but one person who was on their way toward the mountain.

Back inside the mountain, Lelouch and his companions were trying to get to the safe room.

The key word was trying. The explosion collapsed a huge part of the inner structure. Sadly, it would appear they were the only survivors as everyone else was already dead. The corpses lay scattered on the ground, crashed under the fallen rubble. They could see a few flames, but not outright fire yet. At least it means they don't need to worry about suffocation, yet.

"Their deaths won't be forgotten." Leila turned to Lelouch who nodded. This entire accident was a complete mess. The one who was responsible for it will answer in blood. Those who died because of it will be honoured as they should be.

"I don't want to imagine that my people were behind it." Kaguya meekly whispered into his ear. Currently, the young chairwoman was being carried by the White Emperor piggyback style. The Japanese princess tripped some time ago and had a hard time navigating in the dark environment. Remembering how Lelouch had to carry his sisters in the same manner as a child, he offered Kaguya a ride. Her flustered expression told him that she more than wanted it.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet, Kaguya. We know little about what is going on outside. Let's worry about the reason and the culprit after we get out of this death trap."

Kaguya silently agreed with him, but she couldn't help but think about everything that happened today.

"First I learned about some kind Anti-Geass machine and that I never was under your mind controlling power. Then I'm tricked into coming here and meeting you. All these shenanigans about learning about your past and your proposition of joining you, Lelouch. And now I am involved in some kind of terrorist act, being carried by the leader of an enemy nation." Kaguya couldn't call it anything else but pure madness. "This one day will cause me to get wrinkles."

"My life was always pure chaos, I wouldn't want it any other way. However, you must admit I know how to make life exciting." His gaze turned towards Leila. "Isn't that right my former enemy and now close confidant?"

The former European general snickered. "Sometimes I'm thinking about our first meeting in Prague. There are many things I might have changed, but meeting you won't be one of them, Your Majesty. If anything, you make life more interesting to live if only to see the climax of this story."

"You think you will get what you want, Lelouch?" Kaguya asked with a somewhat glum tone.

"Where is this coming from?"

"Think about it. Even if it was just a mere coincidence and not a planned assassination attempt on your or my life, little will change outside. The Order of Black Knights will continue to see you as an enemy while you will plan on how to deal with them because they might prevent your plan. Today's event will only make everything more complicated if word of our two meetings gets out."

Lelouch could see where she was coming from. "Are you worried they will try to kill you for this?"

"I doubt they will outright execute me, but I most likely will lose their trust."

"Don't know if the trust of people who can easily believe someone like Schneizel over their leader is worth too much," Leila commented.

Kaguya had to agree with that. "Even if true, they are still Japanese, my countrymen who wanted only to see their home free. I have the same dream and now I don't know if I can continue to achieve the way it was before. Even if it wasn't your plan, the explosion might leave me with no choice but to join you."

"I never wanted to force you into any kind of situation that might threaten your life, Kaguya… you're one of few people from my childhood who are still alive and you hold importance to me beyond being a genius in your own right. You were the only one beside Suzaku who didn't look down on me or Nunnally for being Britannian."

Kaguya smiled sadly. "Kirihara always liked you, even more than his own relatives. I think Tohdoh never treated you or Nunnally any differently for being foreigners, he isn't that type of person."

"That may be so, but Kirihara is dead while Tohdoh will never accept my vision for the future. However, you're a different matter entirely. You know what is best for the people of this nation, Kaguya."

"Being under the hill of the Britannian Empire, even if it is yours now? Tell me, Lelouch, after everything that happened, do you think you, me and everyone else who committed terrible things for the sake of our goals will get our happy ending? Do you even deserve it?"

Kaguya wasn't a naive girl. She was responsible for the death of many people as one of the leaders of Black Knights, even if not direct, and as Chairwoman of the Federation. She was a politician for crying out! Of course, she did terrible acts to get what she wanted and didn't bite an eye. To her, the end justifies the means, and Kaguya knew Lelouch was the same. Maybe that is one of the many reasons she fell in love with Zero. It was hard to tell, and Kaguya didn't really care about the reason anymore. She wasn't delusional about being innocent when her countrymen went to die and kill for the sake of her homeland while she sat behind safe walls and manipulated the political battlefield to benefit their shared course.

But now? When she knew the perspective of Lelouch, the Zero she loved and followed, Kaguya knew she cannot look at Black Knights with the same pride she had. If her fellow countrymen were ready to betray and kill their leader and saviour for the sake of empty promises, then the Japanese weren't any better than the Britannians as they liked to think.

"If every person got what they deserved, humanity as a whole would have been more miserable. Everyone loves to shift the responsibility for their actions to others. Soldiers will blame their officers for orders to kill unarmed captives when they already carried them out without a second thought. No one likes to think that they are wrong or a bad person. We think like this because we don't want to burden ourselves with the knowledge we aren't the holy person who has never done anything bad. Kaguya, I have done terrible deeds and tried to ignore them until I couldn't anymore. Am I a good person for understanding my wrongdoings or am I a monster for committing them in the first place?"

Zero wasn't a saint no matter how much people wanted to disagree. Lelouch better than anyone understood how much blood of innocent it cost to even start the Black Rebellion, especially when the price was Euphy's life and dream. Zero was another mask Lelouch wore that now was living its own life as a symbol. In that case, why can't the face of White Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia become a symbol as well? If Zero was meant to be a symbol of justice, then Emperor Lelouch will become a symbol of order and world peace, no matter the price. Whatever it will cost. Lelouch must achieve his goal.

"Frankly, it doesn't matter to me. There are things I want to avoid, but if left with no other choice I will commit them. Let me clarify this, my old friend, this isn't me hiding from my actions under the mask of my 'altruism'. No, I won't do that again. This is me doing what is best for everyone because I know it is the best option I and humanity as a whole have right now. I will kill and die for this goal and none will stop, I won't allow it."

"I wonder how much people would continue to support and love the White Emperor if they heard this." Kaguya wondered while Lelouch merely laughed.

"I bet the majority would still support me. Few among the Japanese people resisted me as I took control over all of them. People love the idea of democracy, the tyranny of the majority. However, no one can guarantee absolute peace, absolute safety, or absolute equality among nations. You have a good position as Chairwoman, Kaguya, but you cannot guarantee that you will be able to achieve the liberation of Japan and its future prosperity at your current position."

Kaguya gave him a knowing look, even if he could see it. "I bet that has to do something with a certain handsome demon emperor sitting on the Britannian throne and doing his best to make a life for everyone complicated."

"Handsome you say?"

"Oh hush you, tyrant."

"I will take that as a compliment, my dear princess." Lelouch proudly smiled. "After all, tyrants are those who will change the world according to their will and won't allow anything to stand in their way. Fitting for me."

"The man who wants to take over the world and without any shame to admit he is a tyrant. You are unbearable, Lelouch."

Lelouch smirked. "Perhaps one of the reasons you wanted to be my wife?"

Kaguya thought about it as she pressed herself closer to him and squeezed her hands around his shoulders. "Who knows…"

"My, aren't you a good couple," Leila said half sarcastically, making the Japanese princess's face take on a pink shade that wasn't very well seen in the dark. "Maybe you should have offered the position of Prime Minister to her instead of me, Lelouch. I'm sure Lady Sumeragi would have made sure his tyrannical majesty didn't get too obsessed with his world domination goals."

What was supposed to be a simple joke by the blonde advisor was instead taken seriously by both leaders.

"Huh, that actually sounds pretty promising." Lelouch could see the merit of this idea. He never thought of Kaguya as his PM simply because he was sure Leila would agree sooner or later.

"If I was the empire's Prime Minister, many among the Japanese population would see it as a quiet achievement and it would lessen ethnic tension. Not to mention, as PM I would have enough resources and political power to improve Japan."

Leila blinked, not sure what just happened. Did she just create a completion for herself? In the field where she was pretty much the only competitor and was granted to win?!

"H-hey now, I was only joking-"

The two leaders of their respective factions were already discussing what it might be like if Kaguya was Lelouch's PM. Leila wanted to remind them all about the difficulties and their current standings on opposite sides of armies that might fight in the future but stopped herself. With the open closer look and hearing their ramblings about made-up scenarios, Leila realized something.

"They're just playing around." The blonde salvation of the EU whispered to herself.

The two were just distracting themselves from the current situation, talking about things as if every issue between them was already solved. No Black Knights or Lelouch's traitorous siblings. Was it an attempt to pass time and wait for the rescue team or their way to bond over missing time? Leila didn't know but felt like she didn't need to. Both of them were enjoying their time, and in this crazy world that was more than enough sometimes.

However, everything good comes to the end and judging from the experience of everyone in this room, the good was ruined by a terrible discovery. Soon the trio come to a dead end, literally. The furthest way through the corridor was blocked by collapsed walls and debris, making it impossible to progress further. None of them had any tools to dig up their way out.

"So should we start panicking now or what?" Kaguya joked, half serious. They didn't encounter any fire on their way there, but the bigger issue was the oxygen that would ultimately end in these collapsed ruins.

"My people should be digging in by now." Lelouch knew that neither of his queens would allow him to die inside the collapsed Mt. Fuji. Such an anti-climatic end for him would be a terrible climax for his story. "We just have to wait."

"Waiting, sometimes I feel I spend all my life waiting for someone else to come and save me," Kaguya commented. Thinking about it more carefully, it was the case with Zero and now Lelouch. "I already lost all the past love I had for this place."

"If it makes you feel better, I will make sure the inner complex will be properly rebuilt. Not sure how I can fix the entire mountain though." The worst-case scenario it will become even more industrial, somewhat fitting for changes in the future of this nation.

At this point, three of them decided to stay silent if only to save some oxygen. Lelouch had to admit that getting stuck inside the deadly mountain with Kaguya and Leila wasn't the worst way to meet his end. Not that either of his ladies would allow this. And he was right.

Several minutes later after complete silence, the walls around them started to shake as all three heard the noise of something coming closer. Soon the nearby wall was crushed, but none of the fallen rubble hurt anyone. The first source of light they saw was the red shield of the Absolute Defense System. Such a system was carried by a few Knightamres and one of them was very familiar to all three captives.

It was Lelouch's Shinkiro, but if the pilot was outside then who was piloting the Knightmare?

Outside Mt. Fuji, the news helicopter was filming everything that happened. Its crew didn't know how their channel managed to get info about the eruption or even direct access to the place when it was filled with Britannian Knightmares, and one from the Federation.

"As all of our viewers can see, the rescue operation continues." The familiar and already widely popular young reporter Milly Ashford commented while the camera crew was filming the Knightmares fighting against the inferno. "Our sources are still unable to get information about the exact number of workers that are stuck inside the complex. However, according to some reports, the number of people crosses over three dozen men. As you can see, even the famous Second Knight of the Round, Lady Cinder Fall herself arrived to assist in the rescue operation… as well as the ace pilot of the Black Knights, Red Lotus."

Milly thought if she should even report the last part given it would be obvious to anyone with eyes. Guren of the Black Knights was there, helping Brtitannians in their mission. She knew who was piloting the Red Knightmare and knew that Kallen would have a hard time explaining it to her people among the Order. One question that Milly was afraid to learn the answer to was if Lelouch was inside the mountain. Right now millions were watching the news since it was in the middle of Japan, probably the most critical nation in the current geopolitical climate for both the Federation and the Empire. Without a doubt, every member of the Order was watching in horror at what was happening to one of their national centres of the past.

Exactly what a certain person wanted.

"A few moments ago an unrecognized Knightmare made its way inside Mt. Fuji. We don't have a visual of that machine yet but are inclined to believe that whatever model of Knightmare went inside was built for such a situation." Milly froze for a moment when she received word of something apparently coming out of the mountain. "Hold on! We are getting the visual on the unknown Knightmare and it is-!"

Before Milly could finish, the black and gold Knightmare flew out of the mountain through the same hole it created. Surrounded by a red energy shield it flew upwards, distant enough from the danger of Mt. Fuji before it finally stopped in the middle of the air. Once the shield disappeared, the entire world could take a good look at and see the famous Knightmare piloted by the White Emperor, Shinkiro Imperium.

However, more than likely every viewer was paying attention to three people who were currently in the arms of Knightmare. Seeing none other than Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, Advisor Leila Malcal and Chairwoman Kaguya Sumeragi was definitely a shock for everyone on either side, but it wasn't the only surprise.

The cockpit of Shinkiro opened and another widely known figure and believed to be among the dead stepped out of it, proudly standing over the Knightmare.

"What?!"

"That's impossible, isn't he dead-?"

While Milly's coworkers didn't bother to hide their utter shock upon seeing him, Milly could only whisper to herself.

"What game are you playing now, Lelouch?"

Ikaruga.

"What?!"

Oghi's eyes were so wide they might pop out of their eye sockets any second. The same could be said for everyone on the command bridge.

Even the ever-stoic Tohdoh could do little to hide his surprise as he stared at the screen with an open mouth. Li Xingke was trying his best to analyze the situation but was failing badly. There was little information and no way to make any concrete sense of what was going on anymore. Among the other members, Chiba was practically having an aneurysm. The same wasn't shared by the rest of the Black Knights who felt like a miracle happened before them. Of course, they would think so, after all, the Man of Miracles himself was standing on top of his old Knightmare.

"He is back!"

Tamaki didn't understand what the hell was going on like everyone else, but it wouldn't stop the loud idiot from celebrating.

"The boss is back!"

Cloud in his regular cloak and by now legendary mask. The dark figure raised its arms to the side and the whole world trembled, not knowing how to react.

Some cheered, some wept. The citizens of Britannia were having deja vu as their worst boogeyman came back from the dead, while the people of Federation felt hyped up as their national hero returned to fight another battle.

There, on top of the black and gold Knightmare, every member of the original Order of Black Knights could see the mask. His mask.

Those who knew the truth, the real identity of the person behind the mask couldn't comprehend how it was possible for him to be in two places at once. And worse, what did the Demon and Man of Miracles plan?

The mask belonged to the only person who dared to challenge Britannia and could achieve victory after victory.

The same person who breathed in a new spirit of revolution to every number in every colony that suffered under the tyranny of the empire.

The revolutionary who already returned from the dead twice was now standing proudly in front of the entire world.

"Hear me, world!"

His voice, the same voice that announced his crusade against injustice and evil years ago was now speaking again.

"I have returned once again! To bring justice to those who deserve it and protect those who need it!"

The Emperor of Britannia, the General of the former EU and the Chairwoman of UFN were literally at his hands. None of the Britannian Knightmares knew how to react, what to do. Save their Emperor? Slay their worst enemy? All they could do was stay still and silently watch as the masked revolutionary announced his return, this time the final one.

"I'm back, world!"

Zero was back.

#

#

#

#

And we're back! :3 The summer was hectic for me, with a lot of life-changing events taking place during it, but now I'm back to writing and I have some big plans for the remaining part of 2022 that include this story.

When compared to the next 3 chapters, this feels the calmest one among them in my opinion. Kaguya and Lelouch have a nice chat with Leila watching over them with a smile. Kallen and Cinder work together, fighting nature. I had some plans for this chapter, like from 2016-2017 where I had the idea of Lelouch being taken hostage by a certain charming criminal from the same story as Cinder comes from, if only to see Lelouch and Roman interactions. But decided against introducing a new 'crossover' character this late in the story. Same as here, Cinder and Kallen were meant to cooperate to save him. The final part was an idea I come up with after Kingpin Lunamaria suggested some fun ideas including 'his' 'return' :3

Also, one thing I'm worried about is the rumour Fanfiction. net might be going down after some time. I knew this site had some issues and barely ever gets updates, but it dying out right worries me. I was advised on posting my stories on other sites like Ao3, but I never enjoyed that site because it barely has CG stories and pretty much all good ones are on Fanfiction. net. I'm not sure what to do, should I post His Britannia and my other stories there as well?

Anyway, thanks to our editor Kingpin Lunamaria, have a good day everyone.