"I hereby renounce my claim to the throne!" – Regular speaking
'How dare the Emperor abandon Nunnally!' – Regular thinking; Italics not in singular quotations are used for emphasis
"Q-1, strike the left flank now!" – Speaking as heard over radios and other communication devices
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, DIE!" Speech influenced by using Geass
Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.
Hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 10: The Devil of War
I… underestimated Cornelia.
That much became clear when I entered the battlefield in Saitama. I never expected her to be so quick to end the lives of anyone in a Knightmare that could have very well been her own soldiers. She was far more ruthless than I anticipated.
Regardless, I managed to force a draw with the Witch of Britannia the first time I faced her mind on the battlefield. That's more than many leaders can say, especially with the lack of resources I had in comparison to those who have faced Cornelia in the past.
Victory is defined by the accomplishment of objectives, not by casualties lost or number of enemies slain.
I had four objectives going into Saitama. The evacuation of the civilians to build my reputation and to gain more followers, gather information about how Cornelia planned to wage war against me, obtain the loyalty of the Yamato Alliance members, and the deaths of high-ranking Britannian officials.
With my limited resources, I could not achieve all of those objectives, I only succeeded in some areas where in others I failed.
It is only thanks to my Shadow that I succeeded in forcing the draw. I cannot rely on such luck in the future.
I did gain one unexpected ally however. My White Witch, to complement the Grey Witch who has allowed me to come this far, revealed herself to me in the shadows beneath Saitama.
I believe she will be a very useful ally in the coming War.
Still, it has become clear that I alone don't have the resources to accomplish my goals. Despite the new allies I have gained. They are simply not enough.
Perhaps it is time I contact my Goddess.
~Chronicles of Zero: First Post-Saitama Entry of Zero's Journal
Compiled by Ried; 1st Chair of Historical Records
(Saitama Ghetto, Area Eleven – Yamato Alliance Hideout – 6:07 pm – September 27 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Inside the Yamato Alliance hideout, there was panic. Ohgi and his allies had tried to direct them but a large number of the Alliance refused to submit to "Zero's bitches" as they were called by one rather vulgar Alliance member.
Sayoko couldn't allow that insult to her young master to stand. Without anyone being the wiser, she appeared behind the man and held a knife to his throat. "Who are you to insult Lord Zero?" The Shadow of Zero threatened, causing everyone who was panicking to pay attention as she held one of the unit leaders at knifepoint. She pulled the blade away, tucking it back into her disguise and stepped back as the leader of the unit turned around to face her.
He was sweating in fear, she noted. Good, that meant he would be paying attention to what she said next. She wanted to ensure that she had the attention of the assembled members.
"My Lord Zero did not need to come here, but he has decided to test the Yamato Alliance to see if they are worthy of joining him in his war against Britannia." She spoke, captivating her audience, including the members of the Kozuki group that were helping direct the Alliance's efforts.
"Will you falter in the face of adversity?" She held her open hand over her heart. "Or will you prove yourselves worthy to fight for the sake of a free Japan?!" Cheering was Sayoko's answer and the servant smiled beneath her mask.
Her young master wasn't the only charismatic individual she had known, she had practiced her oratory skills many times in the past for the sake of missions before she was hired by Lord Ruben. She had been taught by some of the best to be able to break someone down with her words or make them feel invincible.
Her unique range of skills and versatility were arguably her greatest assets.
"Milady." A man with a headband spoke to her, Ohgi she recalled. The man her young master had asked her to track down. "Are you sure Zero doesn't want us to fight?" The rough looking man looked uncomfortable, being the only one authorized to speak to her directly on behalf of his group.
Her young master wanted him to get used to a leadership position as he was the current face of his fledgling Order.
"Yes, Kaname." Sayoko replied, her voice modulator distorting the sound of her words. Her uniform was a dark armor that covered her upper torso, thighs, and upper arms, leaving the rest of her body vulnerable except for the thick, bulletproof material that served as underclothing, with heeled steel toed boots. A cloak covered her form, with a hood to cover her hair and a mask to disguise her face and voice. She had her knives hidden all around her uniform, not that anyone could tell.
"Lord Zero does not wish for the Kozuki group to risk themselves in the Battle of Saitama. He has far greater plans for you, plans all of you must be alive for." A good majority of the group was actually slated for leadership positions, based on what she could tell. But Zero couldn't send out one without risking the rest as they would follow, so those who he didn't necessarily want as subordinate leaders were allowed to remain off the frontlines for now.
"Still, to not even share the Knightmares we still have from Shinjuku." Ohgi started before Zero's Shadow raised her hand.
"I understand your concern," Sayoko responded softly. "You wish to aid this group with the resources you have on hand, but Zero doesn't need them for this battle." She patted him on the shoulder. "Trust in Zero, he will supply the Yamato Alliance for this battle on his own. The resources you have will be kept in reserve for a future operation." That was the goal, and what she had been told to tell Ohgi in the event he asked something like this.
"Members of the Yamato Alliance, this is Zero." The voice of her young master carried over from each radio she had Ohgi deliver to the Yamato Alliance before her arrival. "Cornelia has begun to raze the Saitama Ghetto to the ground in search for you, if you truly wish to fight the tyranny of Britannia and save your people, place your trust in me." There was a beat as he waited for any sign of discontent.
There was none.
"If you place your trust in me, we will save your people and deal a blow to the forces of Britannia, are you prepared to fight?!" A loud cheer, louder than even the one Sayoko had gotten, rang out from the crowd. "Good." Sayoko's personal radio went off as Zero cut his feed from the others.
"S-01, do you have the gifts for Cornelia for when the battle is over?" Zero asked her, at her confirmation he began having her divide up the Yamato Alliance and direct them where to go to begin the fighting and recover the Knightmares he had acquired for them.
Sayoko was amazed, as she gave Zero's orders to the Alliance, just how quickly her young master had managed to get these people to follow him so easily. Still, they needed to pass the test and survive the battlefield before they could truly follow her Lord Zero.
She would never entrust her young master to those incapable of serving in his army.
(Saitama Ghetto, Area Eleven – Rooftop – 6:11 pm – September 27 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Nunnally gulped in slight fear as she stood atop a building in the Saitama Ghetto in Nemo's body. 'This is it. My first true battle.' Nunnally thought nervously, looking down at some of the Knightmares her brother had commandeered as they began searching for the Britannian forces. Shinjuku had been a fluke, she was lucky that no Knightmares other than the three she had seen showed up. The highway was her fighting off only a few Knightmares for a short time. This would be the first time she would truly enter the war against Britannia.
The war her brother had sparked a few weeks ago.
She had witnessed him kill every enemy pilot after stealing their Knightmare Frames. Rather she had watched as his Geass compelled them to kill themselves in compliance with his orders. It truly was a terrifying power to behold.
"We can do this Nunnally." Nemo said from inside her mind, surrounded by the shadows that enveloped her inner world. Ever since she lost her sight, Nunnally's mind had been shrouded in the dark. Nemo could sense this and it brought about a sense of great pity for her Princess.
Nunnally suppressed her fear as best she could. "Right!" She summoned up all of her courage, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She held her arms before her, hands hanging limply. She slashed her arms out wide, preparing to embrace the true realities of war for the first time. "Mark Nemo!" She cried out for her power, and a dark light shined around her, invisible to all those without active Geass or Code.
Reality warped around her, crafting the Knightmare Frame that would carry her into battle. She shifted slightly, jumping off the roof as it crumbled under the Mark Nemo's weight. "Let's go." Her voice held a ferocity unlike any who knew Nunnally would have thought her capable of producing. "Let's go help Onii-sama."
After landing on the ground, it had taken her a while before she found the first of the Britannian forces. She charged, her Frame running as fast as she willed it, and drew her blade. She split the Knightmare before her in two, before the pilot could eject.
When it exploded, Nunnally realized she had just killed for the first time. Inside her Knightmare, she began to shake, almost failing to dodge the retaliation by the second Sutherland, but her instincts kicked in as she jumped back to avoid the Slash Harkens.
"You terrorist scum!" The pilot of the second Knightmare screamed as he raised his Frame's weapon, prepared to shoot the strange unit in front of him. "Die!" But before he could fire, a pair of anti-tank rockets launched from the alley to his right, enveloping his Frame in an explosion and killing him before the automatic ejection switch could activate to save his life.
Nunnally was shivering inside her Knightmare, feeling almost sick to her stomach. "Oh God." She whimpered before Nemo shouted at her. "Nunnally! We must remain calm." Her tone was sympathetic from the back of Nunnally's mind. "Death is a natural part of war, it would be unrealistic to believe we could fight by Onii-sama's side without killing our enemies." The former Doll's tone hardened, trying to encourage her twin. "Don't falter just because you used your power to take a life, do not fear the blood you will shed in the future."
"Right." Nunnally took a deep breath, to try and settle her stomach. It was still doing backflips, but at least she didn't feel like she was going to hurl now. "I've killed for Onii-sama, and I will kill again." She gulped, uncomfortable with that thought. "But… if it's for Onii-sama, there's nothing I won't do." She clenched her fists inside the blue pilot seat that allowed her unparalleled control over her Knightmare. "I will stain my soul with blood for his sake." She declared to herself with conviction.
"Hey, are you with Zero?" A voice asked from her right. "He didn't tell us a Knightmare like yours would be backing us up." Nunnally directed her Frame to look out at one of the soldiers her brother had recruited.
"Yes, I'm with Zero-sama." She declared in fluent Japanese through the Mark Nemo's loudspeakers. She needed to remain consistent and ensure her thicker accent mixed with this Frame's speaker system could disguise her voice enough to protect her identity. "I helped him in Shinjuku and I held off the Purists to help him escape with Kururugi." The soldier pulled out a communicator and spoke into it for a few minutes, trying to confirm her story.
"Tell me what the Frame looks like." She heard Zero's voice order. When the man began describing her Frame, she knew that Zero recognized it almost immediately.
"Yes, that Frame is with me." Zero announced, "I trust the pilot to handle their duties separately from the main forces." There was a bit of a pause. "I plan to meet with them later, but for now they will be the serving as backup if needed for units that are undermanned or trapped by the Britannian forces."
Nunnally could take the hint. "Zero-sama is correct, I will be on my way now." She knew that Zero expected her to be able to hear what he was saying. Those orders the soldier had been told? Lies, but now that she was aware of them, they became her orders all the same.
She would not fail. Her Mark Nemo would support Zero in this battle and help him defeat their dear sister.
She would not fail her King.
(Saitama Ghetto, Area Eleven – Rooftop – 6:14 pm – September 27 – 2017 a.t.b.)
The battle had started nearly fifteen minutes ago, and Zero sat from his position waiting for the other shoe to drop. When he had been contacted about a strange Knightmare that took out an enemy in no time flat, he suspected it had been his strange guardian angel again.
When it was described as having a set of six strange golden threads waving around its form, he knew it was the same Frame that had backed him up when he was rescuing Suzaku.
'I hope they can take the hint.' He hoped. His little lie to that soldier had been a way to try and communicate he wished to meet with the pilot, whoever they were, later on. If they could somehow end up where he needed them without fail, then he suspected they could find him after the battle no problem.
It was a little unnerving, but it was that unit that was helping him absolutely crush the forces of Britannia right now. His commands to the Yamato Alliance would have allowed them to take out the enemy Knightmares with minimal casualties, but with this Knightmare on his side, things were going far smoother than he expected at this point.
"Blow the bridge now." He ordered, continuing to direct his soldiers while he considered the potential surprises Cornelia had in store for him. This was far too similar to Shinjuku.
He knew Cornelia wasn't nearly as clueless as Clovis, her position in the Britannian military as its Commander-General, a position that placed her in charge of the military in its entirety if it ever needed to be fully mobilized, was well earned. It had been a path paved with the blood and bodies of Britannia's enemies. She was only outranked militarily by the Emperor, with Schneizel being her political equal.
The bridge trap had been a fit of genius in his opinion. He had been planning to do it, but it was thanks to Sayoko's brilliance he had explosives to spare. The bridge collapsed under its own weight and had taken out the forces stationed there in case he tried to use it to escape. If he didn't have her expertise in demolition on his side, he would have had to use probably double the explosives to get the same result.
Those extra resources allowed him to set up a plan of last resort if he failed to achieve outright victory in this battle.
'Perhaps she'll use that Lancelot Frame.' He considered, thinking that, since it had proven itself his match in Shinjuku, she would likely use it once she believed he was in operating under a false sense of security.
"Order all troops to fall back." Zero reacted with disbelief at Cornelia's order over the radio in his stolen Sutherland. "Further casualties serve no purpose here." Perhaps he could use this he thought, before he paused.
She was acting far too cautiously. She wasn't known as the Witch of Britannia or Britannia's Goddess of Victory without reason, she was renowned for her ruthless tactics on the battlefield. "We need to reassess our forces before we prepare another line of attack." Why was she taking a cautious approach now? What was her end game?
'I can blend in with the retreating units, but I may need a decoy.' Zero considered his options. He slowly directed his Knightmare to merge with a retreating unit. He ignored all attempts to hail him and used the Factsphere face to pulse out a small message, signaling his internal communications were damaged with the flashing lights.
It was standard procedure to let the nearest ally know when you were unable to communicate internally with a flash of a few lights in code, that way it wouldn't be possible for enemy forces to eavesdrop on communications over external speakers. They were far louder than the internal ones after all.
Still, it was a procedure known only within the Britannian military. No terrorist he knew of would have spent time memorizing the signals that were used among allies within the Britannian military like he had, especially as it was both illegal and difficult to acquire the Britannian military handbook without being enlisted in the first place. He should be safe within this unit for now.
"Understood soldier." The voice sounded from the unit's leader. "We'll escort you back so you can get your communications systems repaired." That was the last they said before shutting off communications entirely.
It took about ten minutes of steady travel to arrive at the perimeter, in part because of the uneven terrain and the need to move around collapsed buildings. All the while Zero was directing his forces to get into positions where they could react to whatever plans Cornelia had in mind.
Some were high to observe and report, some were below to prepare an ambush, others were set up to guard a full-frontal assault on the surface. The remaining people had either all been evacuated thanks to the Kozuki group's efforts or killed by Cornelia's forces. There wouldn't be any pesky civilian interference in the battle to pull at the hearts of his soldiers if the Britannian forces tried to use them as hostages or his soldiers witnessed a slaughter.
A no-holds barred battle was about to begin. A mad grin split Zero's face as he relaxed deep in enemy territory. 'This is… exciting.' He thought to himself as he felt the rush of facing an opponent who was near his equal.
Zero directed a number of the Alliance to retreat in order to spare the resources he had acquired, he prioritized the groups who had been most receptive to his commands throughout the battle. The ones who had either been hesitant or unwilling to follow at least a few times were the ones he directed to remain behind.
If they survived he would accept them into his army, if they died he only lost some of the more insubordinate members. Either way his army grew stronger by the end of this battle. It was a risk that could potentially cost him this battle, but it was a calculated risk he chose to take in order to prepare for the future, even at the potential expense of the present.
Cornelia sent out her Royal Guard along with another group of Knightmares that Zero didn't recognize. 'Strange.' He hummed in thought. It was a good thing he had prepared to face the unexpected.
(Saitama Ghetto, Area Eleven – Battlefield – 6:36 pm – September 27 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Lucretia sighed quietly from within her cockpit as she and the rest of the Irregulars were sent out alongside Cornelia's Royal Guardsmen after the rest of the army was called back. She hated it when she had to go to battle.
"You okay Scanner?" Dalque asked over their private line of communication. The GX-01 Knightmare Frames that were used by the Irregulars were Seventh Generations, similar to the Lancelot though Earl Asplund would maintain to hell and back that his unit was superior, and were able to communicate separately from the rest of the military.
When facing off against Zero, who had shown a tendency to steal the Knightmares of the Britannian military somehow, a secure line of communication the likes of which were included in the Irregulars' customized Knightmares was an invaluable military resource. And that was why the Glaston Knights, in their Gloucesters, sent out as well.
Dalque's face looked solemn as she stared at Lucretia, worried about her friend. Lucretia smiled sadly at her friend, not bothered by the nickname when Dalque used it to try to cheer her up. "Yeah, just the normal jitters." Dalque was her opposite when it came to battle, but also easily understood her hesitancy.
Dalque loved the thrill of combat, to her killing was something that sometimes happened and sometimes didn't. She didn't usually care if she killed her enemies, as long as she got a good fight out of it. But she would make an effort to take the weight off of Lucretia's shoulders and allow her the peace of mind that her friend would take the burden of ending their enemies' lives.
"Just relax Scanner, it'll be over soon." Dalque said with a small smile, the feed cutting out leaving Lucretia alone in her Knightmare. Another feed replaced it, the face of Captain Sancia appearing. She looked serious.
"Lucretia," she began. "Remember Cornelia's obstacle course?" Her Captain smiled. "Just use The Land like you did during that little demonstration, relax and let your Geass flow through you." Lucretia responded with a shaky smile and a nod, not feeling up to responding verbally.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as they all stopped, awaiting her report. Her forehead shined as she tapped into her cursed power granted to her by the cells of a witch. "The Land!" She cried out alone within her cockpit, feeling the information of the terrain enter her mind and flood the display in her Knightmare. "Transmitting to Captain Sancia." She transferred the information to their leader. She leaned back, her part was done for now.
"Transmission received." Sancia announced quietly, flaring her own cursed power. "The Order!" Information on enemy forces revealed itself to her and she used an overlay to place their approximate positions on the terrain display before her. "Transmitting to Alice and Dalque." She started before switching some things around to adjust the display to account for the lack of three-dimensional screens in the Royal Guards' Gloucester Frames.
"Reformatting, transferring information to Sir Guilford and the Glaston Knights." Normally Sir Darlton would be the one leading his sons into battle, but Cornelia felt having the more physically powerful Darlton would be a better deterrent to Zero should he manage to break into the Command Center.
"Transmissions received." Each of the remaining members of the groups declared, receiving the information that had been hidden by the disabled IFF signals on the Sutherlands used by the terrorists.
Alice and Dalque sighed in their cockpits. Dalque flicked a switch and opened up the secure channel to speak with the rest of the Irregulars for a few moments before the battle began. Cornelia would give her orders once she had digested the information and then they would be diving into battle full throttle. An excited grin flickered across her face before her friends' faces appeared on her display screens.
"Good thing that worked huh?" Dalque joked, causing the rest of them to sigh. Though the others did smile.
"Yeah, I was concerned that the virus would have messed with the ability of our Knightmares to make use of the information our Geass provides." Her Captain admitted. This was the first time they had been deployed with these units, so what they had just done was untested except for Cornelia's obstacle course the previous week.
She had been genuinely surprised to see how easily Lucretia and Sancia had been able to pin point the locations of those she had hidden for the sake of the test. And her soldiers had been completely overwhelmed by Alice's The Speed and Dalque's The Power.
She hadn't allowed the use of Knightmares during the test, not wanting to damage her resources for the sake of a test, but it might have made it fairer for the soldiers who had gotten their asses kicked by four girls who could find them no matter where they hid and had more strength and speed than they could handle.
The Viceroy had been very impressed and immediately announced they would be involved in this operation. She felt it would give her an invaluable resource since Zero had managed to commandeer a number of Sutherlands and disable the IFF signals in Shinjuku, making it all but impossible to track down the terrorists using the Factsphere.
Her prediction had proved true as he had done the same thing in Saitama. Suddenly, the Factsphere revealed a Knightmare showing itself using its IFF signal matching where Lucretia's The Land had predicted they would be. They were likely acting as Zero's decoy since everyone doubted he was that careless.
"Kill them." Cornelia's orders went through the communication system, revealing she had developed her strategy based on the information the Irregulars had provided.
Dalque allowed her excited grin to spread across her face, as she charged forward with her Knightmare. "The Power!" She declared, her forehead flashing as her Geass flooded her with strength that was transferred to her Knightmare Frame.
The GX-01 series of Seventh Generation Knightmare Frames were specially designed to take advantage of the Irregulars' Geass powers. Lucretia's transmitted the data she received on the terrain into a visual three-dimensional display, while Sancia's did the same only with enemy forces instead of terrain. Dalque's transferred the increased physical strength she got to her Knightmare while Alice's Knightmare obtained a heavy speed boost.
With her enhanced strength feeding into her Frame, Dalque shot forward and punched straight through the cockpit of the enemy Sutherland. She pulled back, ignoring the explosion as she quickly moved towards a building that held a group of Knightmares on the roof observing the battle, no doubt reporting to Zero about everything they saw.
They couldn't have that.
Dalque skidded as she came to a stop in front of what her friend's Geass had identified as one of a few load bearing pillars. She used her The Power to destroy it and the rest, before realizing her folly. "Ah shit, Speedy a little help here!" She yelled as she rushed towards the exit. There was a flash and a second Knightmare was beside her, helping knock away debris so the pair could escape without issue.
There were a couple dents in both Frames, but aside from that superficial damage both were still in top shape. Dalque panted slightly, having gotten too caught up as she tried to get rid of Zero's scouts. "Thanks, Speedy." Her trembling voice thanked her friend.
"No problem D." Alice responded, using the nickname Dalque had been trying to get them to use for ages. Her The Speed made it easier for her to rush in and out of a crumbling building because, from her perspective, everything was moving much slower.
Not as though time was stopped, but slow enough she could keep track of what was going on around her and help her friend find a quick path to escape before she got crushed.
The Royal Guard had targeted another group of terrorists, leaving the Irregulars with only a single unit in the area not around them that was not engaged.
Alice and Dalque shared a look through their screens. "Ready to end this battle?" The white-haired girl asked her friend.
"Yes, lets." Alice responded and they both charged towards the area they could see the single unit. Sancia and Lucretia hung back, ready to direct the Royal Guard if necessary so they could handle the hidden forces should more reveal themselves within the range of their Geass powers.
This Frame was the only one they could see in the area for the moment, the rest of Zero's allies having either surrendered, getting killed by Cornelia's Royal Guard for their impudence, or fled like cowards. When they arrived, Dalque gasped.
"Careful Speedy! That's the Knightmare that took out the three of us in Shinjuku!" She hadn't expected to see this Frame here, rather she thought Cornelia would have sent them out to face it when it entered the battlefield. They would have been sent out much sooner if that had been the case.
Clearly Cornelia didn't realize just how dangerous this Frame was. If it could take out three Irregulars in less than ten seconds, the Sutherlands of the ordinary military had no chance against this thing.
"Really?" Alice reacted with skepticism, noting its strange appearance. It almost looked like it had hair. "This thing beat you guys in less than a minute?"
Dalque sweat slightly as she realized that had been the official report. "Actually, it was more like ten seconds." They had fudged the truth a little to make it seem less humiliating than it was. She couldn't let Alice go in and underestimate this damn thing.
Suddenly, the Knightmare's eyes flashed and the pair of Irregulars charged it.
Nunnally hadn't had to do much to back up Zero's forces, but her presence had seemed to provide a boost to their morale. A number of soldiers had expressed their fear at being led by someone who was an unknown like Zero from the distance when they thought she couldn't hear. Her presence provided tangible proof that Zero truly was supporting their effort to fight back against Britannia.
There were still some deserters, but Nunnally felt a visceral satisfaction as she watched Cornelia's forces kill those who would betray her brother.
She didn't know if she could do the same, but she still took satisfaction in their deaths.
Her bloodthirst was a part of her she didn't know she had before this battle had begun, but she found herself enjoying the thrill of battle. She had lost count of the number of enemy Knightmares she had taken out and the pilots she killed, but each time it got a little easier for her to use her blade to end their lives. Each time, she cared a little less about her enemies and a little more about fighting for her Onii-sama.
So long as she focused on the fact she was doing this for Zero, her beloved brother, she could handle anything. Even drowning herself in the blood of their enemies.
She was taking a break after Cornelia had ordered the retreat, catching her breath as she brought herself down from her combat high. "That was… fun." She admitted to herself and Nemo, her grin still not fading away. Nunnally had turned her speakers off after her announcement she was with Zero whenever she arrived to back up a new group, so her comments would be kept between herself and, depending on the perspective, herself.
Nemo had once said she was like an "alternate" version of Nunnally after all.
A giggle escaped her lips, unable to contain her bloodthirsty enjoyment of her first true taste of war. "Calm down Nunnally." Nemo declared from within her subconscious. "We need to stay focused, Cornelia won't be done yet." Nunnally flared her Geass in response, catching some of the potential lines of the future and taking a deep breath. In and out.
"You're right Nemo, sorry." Nunnally said, her tone becoming calm. Her Geass faded as she no longer needed it. It would still be a few more minutes before the building to her right would be brought down. She motioned her Knightmare away, lying to the soldiers around her saying she was going to do some scouting.
Once she moved to an area that wouldn't be impacted much by the debris she had seen, Nunnally settled in to wait. She didn't know how those strange looking Knightmares would be able to find Zero's Sutherlands, but her Geass had never led her astray before so she wasn't going to take a chance and remain in an area that would be rubble in a minute or so.
She heard the sounds of combat and witnessed the building tumble down soon after that thought.
The sound of tires squealing on the concrete tipped her off to the Landspinners heading her way and she turned to face the direction she had heard them. Nunnally turned just in time to take into account the strange appearance of this new Knightmare series. It looked different from any other Knightmare she had seen, it almost looked like it had exposed muscles.
If a Knightmare was designed with the goal of making it appear similar to a synthetic human, this Knightmare series would probably be the end result.
Nunnally finished analyzing them, noting a distinct lack of Knightmare sized assault weapons. One had no weapons at all while the other seemed to have two blades drawn, both ready for combat.
Then suddenly, the Knightmare wielding the two blades vanished. "What?!" Nunnally reacted with shock. "Geass, use it now!" Nemo shouted in a panic. Her left eye flared just in time for her to raise the Mark Nemo's blade and spin to catch block the twin blades at the center of the cross slash. Another line revealed itself to her and she heard the sound of the Landspinners. 'The other Knightmare!' She realized, her Geass almost screaming at her to get out of the way.
When the strange Knightmare before the two Irregulars jumped, Alice and Dalque reacted with shock. "They outmaneuvered The Speed and The Power?!" Alice looked to the screen displaying Dalque's face reflecting the same surprise she was sure she had on her own.
"That's impossible, isn't it?!" Dalque murmured, not expecting a response.
"No, not if the other pilot has a Geass of their own." The voice of Colonel Madd sounded seriously through their communication lines. "It's likely a psychic related one, something that allows them to glimpse the future or read minds." He deduced quickly. "Try thinking of a strategy you plan to use, but do something else." The Colonel directed, testing out one of his theories.
"High low reverse?" Alice asked, and Dalque smirked. She just charged, not letting the thought get complete in her mind in case they were dealing with someone who could read minds.
Dalque charged around, ducking under a slash and sliding around behind the enemy Knightmare. She pulled back her Knightmare's fist and cried out. "The Power!" She invoked her curse and punched forward as fast as she could. She didn't like to use her Geass more than once in a battle, but double the strength would instantly knock out one of the enemy Frame's joints if it landed.
While Dalque charged, Alice entered a stance with her blades raised high, jumping into the air. She didn't need to invoke her The Speed any further, if she did she risked damaging her Knightmare and that was too much a risk in battle with an unknown.
Nunnally read the lines and jumped forward after her enemy dodged her forward slash. The Mark Nemo leapt just far enough out of the extension range of the other Frame's fist behind her to avoid the punch attempting to take out one of her knees and swung her blade upwards to deflect one of the dual blades used by the other Knightmare into the other, sliding to the left as the Knightmare's own swords collided.
Finishing the counterattack, she jumped back and plunged the Blonde Knives into the ground. They burrowed fast as her enemies recovered from their attacks, one standing up and one landing from their earlier jump.
"Well, I guess they can't read minds." Dalque guessed. High low reverse was a tactic when Alice struck low from behind and Dalque attacked from high in front. What they had just done was a typical high low, not its opposite. "That leaves seeing the future." Alice concurred.
"Alice, prepare to use your Geass once more." Colonel Madd ordered from his separate command center. To protect both the identities and the unique nature of the Irregulars, Colonel Madd had been given a separate area from which he could observe the battle and command his units. Only Cornelia had the authority to override his commands for the operation. "If necessary we will use the Geass Conductor to boost your power for two minutes, is that understood?"
"Yes Colonel." Alice declared, a feeling of trepidation at the thought. The Geass Conductor unlocked the full potential of the witch's cells in her body, boosting the power of her Geass many times over at the cost of her lifespan being decreased.
However, just as she was about to invoke her power once again, two golden threads pierced through her unit's legs with a third targeting her cockpit. She immediately shot back as far as she could into her seat and screamed "The Speed!" As the world slowed around her, yanked the ejection switch harder than she ever had before. The tip of the blade on the golden thread was a foot from her glowing forehead, slowly inching towards her panic-stricken face.
The ejection mechanism fired and she slowly, from her perspective, began flying back away from the knife shaped blade that nearly pierced her skull. She bounced slightly around her cockpit as she tumbled back on the uneven surface of the battlefield. Her Knightmare collapsed as its knees were taken out from underneath it. Thankfully it didn't explode, the attack not piercing the power core that held the Energy Filler.
The Colonel would have had her head if she had lost her Knightmare after its first deployment.
"Dalque! Are you okay?!" Alice almost screamed as she noticed another three threads had pierced her friend's Knightmare.
"Yeah, I'm alive." Dalque grunted as she held the golden thread that was twitching, trying to inch forward further to stab her through the heart. She had needed to invoke her The Power a third time, the strain of holding the weapon to prevent it from killing her was mixing with the strain of handling three boosts from her Geass. "Shit this thing is strong." She groaned as it flexed, trying to yank itself back out of her hands. She let it fly back to its owner.
Nunnally frowned as she recalled the Blonde Knives. She hadn't managed to kill them, strange. No other Knightmare had managed to defend against that combo, even if she'd needed to split her six Blonde Knives into sets of three to prevent it from moving before she could stab through the cockpit to target two Knightmares.
"Nunnally, we need to leave soon if we want to meet up with Onii-sama on time." Nemo brought up, bringing Nunnally back to the main reason why she in Saitama aside from backing up Zero's forces. Her Geass shifted its focus from combat to searching in accordance with her wishes and she knew where she needed to go if she wanted to catch Zero before he fled the Ghetto.
Nunnally directed the Mark Nemo to rush towards a gaping hole in the road structure, taking her underground before she directed it to vanish after she ran through the tunnels far enough away from the battlefield. She landed easily after her Knightmare disappeared, walking slowly through the darkness in the directions her Geass had revealed to her. This darkness had nothing on her blindness when she wasn't merged with Nemo.
'Those, two are…' Nunnally though to herself, considering the Knightmares that had given her such a challenge.
'That Knightmare is…' Alice and Dalque thought from their exhausted positions in their cockpit and crippled Knightmare respectively, glad that the Knightmare had chosen to abandon the battle rather than continue with its assault.
'different from anything I've faced before.' The three of them finished together unknowingly.
Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the area.
Nunnally looked around her surroundings, watching for any sign that they would cave in. When she saw none despite the shaking, she kept moving forward, deeming it unimportant after it stopped without collapsing.
Alice and Dalque's communication lines were flooded from calls from not only the Colonel's command center, but Cornelia's Royal Guard and the rest of the Irregulars as well.
Three signals jammed together but one message rang out clearer than all others.
"Viceroy Cornelia's mobile Command Center has just been destroyed!" Captain Sancia's voice shouted over the din. "Explosives were planted in the fuel chambers and blew it to kingdom come!" Alice and Dalque reacted with shock.
"What happened to the Viceroy?!" The pair shouted back, silencing the voices. As they all waited for the one who was closest, Colonel Madd, to respond.
The Colonel remained silent for a few moments as he stared over at the smoke coming from the Command Center. He breathed a sigh of relief as he witnessed the sight of both Cornelia and Darlton's Gloucester Frames through the smoke amidst the Sutherlands.
There were only a few Gloucesters involved in this operation and the only two that weren't out hunting the terrorists had been kept in the hangar until Cornelia authorized their deployment and she would only do that if she was the one inside.
"The Viceroy and her remaining Knight of Honor are alive." He said, sighs of relief mixing with cheers from Sir Guilford, the Glaston Knights and the Irregulars. "However, I am ordering a retreat, we don't know if there are any more surprises out there." He could authorize the use of Sancia's The Order, but they would be unable to distinguish explosives from enemy Knightmare Frames right now, the display wasn't that sophisticated yet.
The rising sound of panic over the radio he had for general communications from the pilots and soldiers who were staring at the sight the destroyed Command Center was irritating to the Colonel. He went outside to try and escape the noise. As he saw a number of pilots leaving their Sutherlands, he snarled, but he stopped as he stared in shock. Any words he may have wanted to say to get the soldiers to calm down and await orders from Cornelia froze in his throat though as he and the rest of the soldiers beheld the sight of Zero standing atop a platform that had once been part of a building.
The more veteran pilots pulled up their weapons and fired at Zero, but the masked man just fell backwards into the underground paths beneath Saitama, avoiding the bullets with a silent grace.
His appearance, out in the open like this after the Command Center had been demolished so thoroughly, sent a message far more effectively than any speech he could have given at that moment.
The silent message of "No matter who you are, I can reach you. And I can kill you." was heard loud and clear by the assembled soldiers as they stared where they had seen the masked revolutionary and looked back to the remains of the Command Center.
(Saitama Ghetto, Area Eleven – Underground Tunnels – 6:43 pm – September 27 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Zero cursed at himself in his mind. He had underestimated Cornelia's resources and ruthlessness. She ordered the death of a suspicious Knightmare without hesitation, rendering his attempt to craft a decoy utterly useless. His ambushes and scouts were all uncovered far faster than he had anticipated even if their IFF signals were disabled.
'How could they find out their positions without the IFF signals?' It was one of many questions flying through his mind as he followed the footsteps of the one dressed in his armor through the tunnels beneath Saitama. He ignored the sound of water flowing through the underground, focusing solely on the sound of his armor's boots hitting the concrete and echoing around him.
He had a feeling C.C. was punishing him by forcing him to chase after her instead of just leading him deeper into the tunnels. She likely hadn't appreciated him finally seeing through her mask earlier in the day.
He thought back over his plans, ignoring the pain in his sides as he chased after C.C.
When he was trapped, surrounded by the entirety of the Britannian forces that remained in Saitama, he had thought he would be safe to direct his forces from within the perimeter they had set up. He managed to separate himself from the Knightmares that had escorted him so that he wouldn't have his unit examined for its supposed internal communication problems. Once he was just one unit among hundreds if not thousands, he had felt comfortable using a decoy.
He didn't expect Cornelia to order its destruction almost without delay and to then systematically eliminate his scout teams. She also managed to somehow utterly annihilate his ambushes as the more insubordinate members he had selected all gave up. If she hadn't killed them he would have, such blatant cowardice had no part in the army he was trying to create.
The biggest problem had occurred when Cornelia had left her Command Center with another Gloucester following her alongside a large contingent of Sutherlands she had kept in reserve and began ordering pilots out of their Knightmare Frames. He hadn't expected anything like that and had been forced to use his plan of last resort as a distraction.
When they had gotten near him, about ten or so Sutherlands away from his unit, he ordered Sayoko to blow the explosives he had ordered her to plant in the Command Center.
In the confusion, covered by the smoke from the explosion, he slipped out of his unit and broke for the underground tunnel entrance nearby. Then 'Zero' had appeared after the explosion, drawing the attention of every single individual in the area. He hadn't been expecting that, but it let him slip into the underground tunnels entirely unnoticed.
He slowly came to a stop, watching as C.C. stood in the shadows before his panting form. Once he caught his breath he growled. "What's the big idea C.C.?" He questioned her, because there was no one else who could have gotten access to his armor and would have actually fit inside of it.
Well, aside from Sayoko, but she had left ahead of him to prep the Yamato Alliance and assist the Kozuki group with the distribution of the resources he had acquired for them. So it couldn't have been her in his armor, leaving only C.C. available to take his place.
'Now there's a thought.' Zero considered before dismissing it for now. C.C. had an explanation to give as to why she was using his uniform without telling him.
"I told you already." C.C.'s voice sounded from behind his helmet. She removed it and tossed her hair back. "I can't have you dying on me." She smirked at his enraged expression.
"I wasn't going to die." He snarled. "I forced a draw–" He was cut off suddenly and his cheek throbbed in pain as a crack echoed out around them. "What was that for?!" He glared at C.C.
"A draw isn't good enough if you want to succeed." C.C. declared imperiously as she turned her back to Lelouch, tossing his helmet up and down. "If you were better you should be able to set up the conditions the way you want to achieve victory." Her old friends would never forgive her if she didn't nurture the potential military genius in this boy's mind. C.C. knew that Lelouch could be something special, he just needed a little push.
Lelouch snapped back at the venom in C.C.'s first statement. She was right, when had he decided settling for a draw was an acceptable outcome? He never thought that way about anything he wanted to achieve before, he had never settled for a tie or second place. "I'll do that then." He declared with conviction.
C.C. caught his helmet and turned around at the sound of his voice. "Do what exactly?" She taunted, seeing a shadowy figure slowly walk up behind Lelouch. She smirked at Nemo's form, wondering just what the young girl was going to do to announce her existence.
"I'll set up conditions so that my victory will be assured, no matter the outcome." He announced, his voice echoing with faith in himself. "I'll raise a Kingdom from within this Area and topple Britannia's regime. I will raise a nation!" C.C. moved towards him, his helmet clutched between her arm and her waist. He remained where he was, searching her eyes for her intentions.
"I must say, I like this passionate side of you." She sauntered up to him and looked directly into his rage-filled eyes. "I want to see it more often, he's got some fire in him." She leaned in and whispered to his ear. "I like that." C.C. stepped back and gave Lelouch a look, satisfied she had returned the favor from earlier. Breaking his own mask of calmness and bringing out the roiling emotions inside of him was proper recompense in her mind. "I don't appreciate you ruining my fun, but I won't hide behind a mask anymore." She declared, having ultimately decided that it was no longer worth it trying to pretend to be someone she wasn't with this perceptive young man.
"Well said, both of you." A voice sounded from behind Lelouch, causing him to turn around in shock at the unexpected presence behind him. He felt a jarring sense of horror for a moment before calming down. 'No, this isn't Nunnally.' His mind filled with relief. 'She looks similar, but there are a few differences.' Still, if he didn't know any better he would've said the dark girl before him was Nunnally's twin.
"So, you finally decide to speak." C.C. looked at the girl wondering who was in charge of that body. "What do we call you?" She asked curiously, ignoring Lelouch's question.
"Wait, you knew she was here?" Lelouch hissed at the emerald-haired witch next to him, clicking his teeth in annoyance as she ignored him.
Nunnally gulped as she stood before her Onii-sama, knowing she had to be careful with how she phrased things to avoid lying to her beloved brother. Still, his passionate declaration sent a thrill through her and she couldn't hold back anymore, especially after C.C.'s little speech. She didn't want to miss this chance. She couldn't afford to miss this chance.
At C.C.'s question, Nunnally internally sighed in relief. That was the perfect question to introduce herself. "You may call me Nemo the White Witch, King Zero." By saying that she avoided being bound to give her own name, something that made it so she didn't have to reveal her identity this soon.
Lelouch watched as Nemo kneeled, her right knee on the ground with her left raised, she placed her open hand over her heart. Her left hand was placed before her, fist in the ground, and her head was bowed as she presented herself to him in a manner that held an ancient meaning in Britannia.
"I wish to pledge myself to you forever, My King." This dark girl, in accordance with this type of position and vow, was pledging her heart and soul to Lelouch for all eternity. Effectively it was until death, but the meaning behind this type of oath was one of eternal loyalty. An oath sworn by only a few Knights throughout history, an oath even Knights of the Round seldom made to the Emperor they served.
The last time more than a half dozen individuals had sworn themselves to one individual had been during the reign of the greatest King to ever rule Britannia during the time they lived on the Isles of Albion. They had been renamed to the British Isles after Britannia was forced to flee to the New World by Napoleon's forces, but centuries before, under a legendary King, the Kingdom of Britannia very nearly conquered all of the western continent before it collapsed from within.
The Battle of Camlann was still considered one of the bloodiest battles in all of the Empire's history, even if most considered it a myth. The legend of the Black Tyrant, one of many titles, was just that to most, a legend, but after having obtained Geass and met C.C. Lelouch didn't find the tale of a young immortal King leading his nation to greatness only to fall to betrayal as implausible as it once seemed.
"You seek to swear to me in the same manner as the Knights of the Round once swore to the Black Dragon of Britannia, King Arthur." Lelouch began, looking at the dark girl before him, fully taking in her form for the first time. She was wearing a skin-tight body suit that had a slight opening beneath her breasts revealing her midsection and a slight opening on the inside of her thighs, but aside from that she was completely covered. She wore no shoes and had long blonde hair with crimson eyes that stared at him with hope and caution.
"Do you understand what you are doing?" He asked, preparing to ask a few more questions. He suspected this was the pilot of the strange Knightmare that helped him force a draw here today, but before he accepted the oath he had to ensure that this girl knew what she was offering.
"Yes, My King." Nunnally answered, feeling her heart being frantically beneath her breast. This was what she was waiting for, the chance to swear herself into her Onii-sama's service forever. "I fully understand and accept the ramifications of this oath. No matter what you command, I will follow all of your orders faithfully." Not a single word was a lie. Nunnally would truly do anything her brother asked of her.
"You would not even need to use the Geass granted to you by the Grey Witch by your side to force me to obey, for I would do anything you asked." She closed her eyes after seeing her brother's face turn blank at that final statement, not wanting to tempt him into using it on her after that sentence.
"What did you tell her C.C.?" Lelouch didn't look at the amber eyed woman, somewhat intrigued by the title the girl before him had called her by, but more horrified that she somehow knew of his Geass.
C.C. had to resist the urge to laugh. So, the girl was trying to do this without revealing her identity for now. This could be interesting. "I told her nothing, what you are looking at is a Doll made from my cells using a process I am unfamiliar with." She shrugged, ignoring how the cloak flared when she did so. "It was trapped within the sphere you freed me from and it is connected to me in a way I do not quite understand. Nemo was trapped within that sphere until it was set free by you and your friend."
Truly, it was almost like Clovis had been attempting to craft an artificial Code with this creation, similar to how he created the artificial Geass. C.C. had been trapped in that sphere many times with that Doll, and almost every time she was inside that damn thing she attempted to use the powers of her Code to set herself free.
The Doll was thus bathed in the power that granted her power far beyond that of humanity as well as the power that granted her the immortality she so loathed. That Doll's creation, mixed with her unintentional interference, had created something that C.C. had never seen before. She genuinely did not know what kind of potential Nemo had, especially now that it had a contract with Nunnally.
"The Grey Witch speaks the truth." Nemo spoke, drawing Lelouch's attention back to her. Lelouch recalled the golden light that had burst forth, and remembered he had dismissed it in favor of rescuing C.C. at the time.
Nunnally held her position, waiting for her brother to make up his mind. 'It's a good thing C.C. seems to be on our side.' Nunnally had been told by Nemo as they were walking through the underground paths about C.C. knowing who they truly were and how she had promised to conceal the truth from her brother. The Princess was glad to see that the woman kept her promise.
"Yes, it's a good thing she's willing to not expose us." Nemo replied with relief. The former Doll's name for C.C. had come from the occasional glimpses she got from the emerald-haired woman's memories when they were both trapped by those running Code R. It had been one of many titles she held, but it was one that she had a fond attachment to.
Lelouch considered the nickname she had given C.C. before ignoring it. It was unimportant for now. What was important was that he decide what to do with this girl before him. "What reasons do I have to accept your oath to serve me?" He asked, wondering what this Nemo could offer him.
"Aside from my unswerving loyalty that I shall pledge to you, I have already assisted you in three different battles." Nemo declared, remaining in her position before him. "I first revealed myself in Shinjuku, removing a serious threat to your life from the battlefield. Then, on the day you saved Kururugi, I held off the Purists so that you could escape. And finally, I served you once more today, assisting your forces with fighting back against Britannia." She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Second, I will use my Geass of Absolute Intuition to serve you." Her tilted her head up, eyes closed before she opened her left, flashing the crimson power as it flared brightly. "The power to see the lines of the future will forever be at your service should you command me to use it for your sake." Nemo allowed the power to fade before returning her head to its bowed position. "Finally, I can also reveal to you the Knightmare I can use in battle if you wish right now."
Lelouch was getting tired of all these surprises happening around him. "Geass huh, did C.C. make a contract with you as well then?" If C.C. had done that then perhaps he could accept the oath of the girl before him.
"Not intentionally." C.C. responded to his question. "It was more of an indirect contract. The Doll was bathed in my power for a long time after all." Once again her words had saved Nunnally from being forced to answer in a way that would have exposed her identity. The Grey Witch was curious at how long the girl before her could maintain this charade without lying to her brother.
This whole twisting words to avoid lying thing was far more fun than C.C. had thought. She wondered why she hadn't tried it before. She had flat out lied so many times in her life, but this was an interesting little mental exercise.
"I see." Lelouch responded, eyeing C.C. out of the corner of his eye at her response. "And this Knightmare you wish to show me? I want to see it." He was curious, but the last thing he expected was a dark obsidian light to flare around the petite girl before him and the Knightmare that had saved him, Kallen, and Suzaku to appear right in front of him and then disappear into fragments of light just as quickly.
"That Knightmare is called the Mark Nemo." Nemo responded, enjoying the look of open mouthed shock on Lelouch's face. "My powers allow me to summon it around me and dismiss it at will." She wasn't exactly sure how or why, but it didn't matter to her. So long as it gave her the ability to fight for her brother, she didn't care.
"What exactly can your Code do C.C.?" Lelouch breathed, feeling awe at the energy he had sensed when the Knightmare formed and disappeared. Geass clearly was not the only power C.C. had experience with if a Doll that held only a fraction of her being could do such a thing.
"Many, many things." C.C. responded vaguely. "The Code is a power that represents not only the pinnacle of humanity, but also grants its Bearers the ability to wield powers that are beyond humanity's imagination." She shrugged, deciding that answer served as enough of a description for Lelouch.
Lelouch took a deep breath and remained silent for a few moments, trying to internalize all of the information that he had just had thrown at him all in the space of a few minutes. He had been expecting nothing like this when he met with the pilot of the strange Knightmare that had assisted him in his battles before.
"Okay." He breathed calmly. He opened his eyes, noting Nemo had returned to her kneeling position, still waiting for him to accept her offer. "Okay," he repeated more firmly. "Let's begin." This kind of opportunity, he'd never get something like this again.
Lelouch stepped close to the young girl who held such amazing gifts, who was willing to swear her eternal loyalty to him. He didn't have a sword to do the ceremony so he would improvise. He knelt before the girl who reminded him so much of his beloved little sister and cupped her chin, lifting her face so his violet eyes could stare into her own crimson. Traditionally, a blade would be placed upon the shoulder of the one being sworn so that, should they show any hesitation or refuse, they would lose their head, but without a blade Lelouch had to improvise.
His Geass would serve as his blade, though he would not activate it unless she reacted negatively.
"Nemo, the White Witch, do you swear to represent your King faithfully for all time?" He began formally, though with more modern English instead of the more ancient style.
Nunnally smiled, knowing exactly how she was supposed to respond. "Yes, My King."
"Will you swear to obey my orders in all things, faithfully executing the will of your King for as long as you shall live?" Here was the test that would determine whether the one offering the oath would accept the consequences that came as a result of this oath.
'Without hesitation.' Nunnally thought to herself. "Yes, My King."
"Will you strike down all those your King deems his enemies and defend your King from all threats?" This was one area of the oath that was atypical, used only in a time of war or conflict where it was necessary to have at least one person capable of defending the one accepting the oath whose loyalty was considered absolute.
'I will always protect you, Onii-sama.' "Yes, My King." Nunnally continued the pattern, knowing that there was nothing he could ask that she would not give.
"Do you foreswear your loyalty to all others, in the past, or in the future, to serve as my Knight for all eternity?" It was this final line that completed the fact that this oath was different from all other oaths regarding Britannian Knighthood.
It was a personal oath swearing loyalty to a single individual. Not to a nation, not to a family line, not to an organization, but a single individual. The person who swore by this oath would be honor bound to follow the person they swore themselves to regardless if that person betrayed everyone around them. It was essentially a voluntary form of eternal servitude. Not even the person who accepted the oath could release the person, unlike the other oaths. Resigning was absolutely out of the question, no Knight who had sworn this oath resigned. They had all died first.
The single exceptions to that was the Knights of the Round who betrayed King Arthur and joined with the traitor Mordred, leading to the single greatest mass exodus of Knights of the Round in Britannian history. As well as Lancelot's abandonment of King Arthur. Those exceptions were, according to the legend, why there were only twelve positions in the Knights of the Round.
This oath represented eternal loyalty to a single person, that was why so few had been willing to offer this vow throughout history.
'For you, Onii-sama? Always.' Nunnally thought, feeling tears of happiness begin to form in her eyes. "Yes, My King. I shall gladly serve you for all eternity." With this, she could finally be of use to her brother. With this, she finally had a purpose other than just being Lelouch's weak sister.
Lelouch smiled softly, taking in the genuine joy on Nemo's face. "Then rise My White Witch." He stood up and cast his right arm out to the side. "I accept your oath as both King Zero and Lelouch vi Britannia, I accept you, Nemo, as My eternal Knight." He noted the lack of reaction to his true name and assumed she must have seen it in the future at this point or another.
"Thank you, My King." Nunnally bowed her head once more before standing before her brother, happier than she had been in a long time.
Her happiness had always been tied to her Onii-sama from her perspective and now she finally had the chance to follow him forever. Nunnally, as Nemo, finally felt like she had a purpose serving her brother and she couldn't remember a time she was as happy as she was now.
I get the feeling that some may be confused by some stuff in this chapter, but I'll try to preempt any questions.
Yes, Cornelia knows about the Irregulars powers, but no, she does not know about the more traditional Geass. Colonel Madd isn't eager to share that information since all he mentioned to Cornelia was that they were gifted with a special power and that's why they were put together in one unit. All she knows about Geass is that, according to Madd, a group of four girls were brought together in the Irregulars' unit because they each shared a unique power he called Geass.
Also, she is the only one, outside of the Irregulars themselves, who knows about their abilities being supernatural. C.C. knows they exist but she doesn't know what their identities are. The soldiers in the test just think they got their asses kicked by girls who are ridiculously gifted in location of the enemy and combat.
I know that I didn't detail everything that went on in this battle. I did the same thing with Shinjuku, only writing out the parts that were different/relevant because I didn't want to rehash the entire battle in text like I have seen many other stories do. Basically, unless I specify otherwise, assume things went the same for the most part.
For the little bit of history about King Arthur, I know it's not "accurate" in the sense it follows the legend of our world, but it's not supposed to. Britannia would have a different King Arthur as a result of its alternate history. I'm basing this version of King Arthur on Saber Alter from Fate/Stay Night somewhat because I feel a darker Arturia would suit the Holy Empire of Britannia.
The scene with the oath was something I had planned for some time, I think it came out rather well. I know it seems a little heavy in how it's phrased but the lines I used are intended as formal ways to signify just how different this type of oath is. It's an oath that signified loyalty even after death, a rather serious proposition, and I feel this kind of thing would be taken insanely seriously in Britannian culture. It doesn't have any special meaning in and of itself beyond the formal nature of the questions and responses (even the last bit after the final "My King" response to the final question is considered the formal way to end the oath, despite it potentially seeming like Nunnally improvised).
Nunnally has not revealed herself as Nunnally yet. I want to make that clear. She said "You may call me" not "My name is" which are two entirely different responses to "What do we call you". One allows you to say an alias the other you are giving your name, and in both you aren't lying either way. As far as Lelouch is concerned currently, despite the disturbing similarity to Nunnally, Nemo is a separate identity (which, while technically true, is not how I mean it) entirely and, aside from what she offered him, he also felt comfortable accepting her because C.C. somewhat vouched for her.
He trusts her judgment on matters relating to Geass or her experimentations, if she says Nemo is a former Doll he's going to take her word for it. To wrap up my preemptory explanations, yes, the capitalization of certain words is deliberate and made for the sake of emphasizing the importance of the phrase (My King or My White Witch, for example). Think how royalty have the "Royal We" and my capitalization for certain phrases will make much more sense.
And finally, I have found a really good image of the Zero Armor I have in this story. It's virtually identical to how I imagine it every time I mention it. Here's the link, if it doesn't work let me know and I'll include a different one in my next chapter.
www. manga here .co / manga / code_geass_nightmare_of_nunnally / v02 / c009 / 29 . html
Just remove the spaces when you put it in your search bar and you'll be able to see what I visualize the Zero Armor to look like for the most part.
Review if you enjoyed the chapter. Please, tell me what you liked and ask questions if you want to know something.
King Draconias Over and Out.
