"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.
I hope you enjoy the new chapter. And the first chapter of the Knights of War arc.
Chapter 12: The Eyes of History
Zero's Grand Proclamation… That is how the media has chosen to frame my speech at Kawaguchi. I like it.
Even the Britannian media, notorious for spinning its coverage to be almost overtly favorable to Britannia, are calling it this. Even they are loath to denigrate the ideals that I declared that night for fear of losing credibility.
And since they cannot target my ideals, they try to claim that I am a hypocrite. That the ideals I espoused do not reflect what I truly believe.
And perhaps some of that is true, but that does not matter. I have found the spark of light within my blackened heart that will carry me towards the future.
What matters is that I have lit the flame of revolution inside the hearts of every person who heard my declaration to the world. The media and governments of the world can try to frame my words however they please, but the more my message is shared the greater the Black King's influence becomes.
My power will only continue to grow stronger until even the JLF is weak compared to my Knights. Perhaps I shall soon have even my Mentor by my side once again.
It's almost sad. The world cries out for a savior, and I am the one who answered the world. A Devil of Darkness cloaked in the veil of a Messiah. It's… pitiful.
Regardless, my damnation has long since been assured, so it is only right that this Black Devil continues to walk this broken path.
I invite the world to try and take this Black Devil's life if it dares, for that will be the only way to stop my revolution.
I have declared my War to the World. It is far too late to turn back.
I will never stop striving for the dream held by my Angel.
~Chronicles of Zero: First Post-Kawaguchi Entry of Zero's Journal
Compiled by Ried; First Chair of Historical Records
(JLF Base, Area Eleven – Private Room – 6:17 pm – October 1 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Tohdoh pounded his fist against the wooden floor. "That idiot!" He growled, referring to Kusakabe. He had always been more hotheaded than most, but the leader of the Four Holy Swords hadn't thought the fool would do something like this. All this was going to do was bring down the ire of the rest of the world on the JLF, there wasn't any way they didn't come out looking like the villains in this scenario.
"What are your orders, Colonel?" One of his Holy Swords, Urabe, asked. Tohdoh knew that, at his word, the four behind him would follow him to Hell and back. Or, in this scenario, dragging as many of the fools who followed Kusakabe on this stunt back alive as possible. Unfortunately, with Cornelia's forces surrounding the hotel they were more likely to get shot on site than they were to be able to rescue any of the men and women who followed that hothead.
"There is nothing we can do." Tohdoh growled, ignoring the pangs at the thought of losing more of his countrymen in this foolish stunt. "We just need to pay attention and see how this plays out. We don't have the resources to interfere." He wasn't going to risk his Holy Swords on a suicide mission to rescue Kusakabe.
The fool had made his bed and now he had to lie in it.
(Lake Kawaguchi, Area Eleven – Kawaguchi Hotel Storage Room – 7:07 pm – October 1 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Leila Malcal was not amused as she remained as quiet as she could to avoid drawing attention to herself. They had already taken a few hostages out of the room and she doubted they were still alive, especially as they had been taking them out every half hour. The fourth had been taken out kicking and screaming, his voice pleading as he was dragged off by the soldiers.
Leila wished she had never taken this assignment to guard the E.U. diplomat who would be negotiating with the Britannian Empire during these Accords. Not only did it turn out to be one of the most boring assignments she could remember, but then the JLF decided it would be a good decision to threaten the international stability of the world by taking over the hotel. If they killed any individual of significant importance, Leila couldn't see the group lasting the year. Either Cornelia would hunt the group down herself, or, if the JLF killed someone important to Europia or the Chinese Federation, the resistance group would have to contend with Britannia's resources backed by either or both of the other superpowers.
This mission could only end in disaster, but perhaps she could prevent things from disintegrating any further if she could escape and get a message to her superiors. Her sharp eyes analyzed the guard positions and tried to craft a plan that would let her take some of them by surprise, and perhaps allowing her the chance to break free.
"Don't bother, Commander." The man next to her spoke, having picked up on her scanning of the guards. "You'd be shot before you could escape and things would just deteriorate further." Akito's whispering nearly drew the attention of a nearby guard, but when the two put their heads back down the guard dismissed them as unimportant.
The Japanese pilot frowned as he tried to discern just what the JLF was trying to accomplish with this stunt. Like many who were displaced by the invasion and living in Europia, he wanted to be able to return to his homeland. He had thought that this mission would at least let him see the state of his homeland, free of any propaganda filters, but to see what he had once believed to be the best chance for his homeland to regain its freedom do something so reckless was irritating.
Another man, with dark hair about as long as Leila's, was fiddling with a loop on his belt that used to contain his blade before it was confiscated by the JLF grunts who had dragged him into the room. "Your friend is right." He spoke quietly. "As much as I find it detestable, we must rely on those on the outside to solve this crisis." Xingke was remaining calm, though the Federation diplomat he was guarding was damn near having a panic attack. The man the High Eunuchs had selected to negotiate in these Accords was currently cowering behind him, desperately hoping that no one would see him.
"You're part of the representatives from the Chinese Federation, am I right?" Leila asked, feeling a sense of familiarity as she looked at the man's face. She felt like she had seen it before, in a profile of highly influential individuals in the Federation, but she just couldn't place his name. "You control your accent well." His French was pretty fluent for someone who likely had never been to Paris or any of Europia before. Her own Chinese was not nearly as coherent, but at least there was someone here who would understand her and Akito if they got desperate and needed an escape plan.
Xingke felt his lip twitch as he swallowed a biting comment in response to her comment about his accent. "Yes, well you've certainly maintained your composure well." Returning the slight insult in kind, insulting her gender rather than nationality however, before he scanned the room, trying to see if they had been stupid enough to keep his blade in the room or if they had taken it elsewhere. Unfortunately for him, it appeared their guards weren't as stupid as he'd hoped. "Your E.U. is certainly not going to be happy about this." He offered an olive branch to try and ensure their conversation didn't devolve into an insult competition.
Leila ignored his comment regarding her "composure" and accepted the chance to change the subject. "No, they most certainly are not." She sighed, shifting slightly to try and keep her legs from falling asleep. "Your Empress, will she be worried?" It was well established that the current leader of the Chinese Federation was a young girl, Leila couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for the poor thing having to handle something like this at her age. At least Leila only had to guard the true diplomat, the young Empress would actually have to make the decisions for her nation.
That was a lot more responsibility than Leila wished upon the poor girl.
"My Empress is strong." Xingke replied, his belief in the young woman he helped raise shining through. "Regardless of what happens tonight I know she will be able to handle it." He had faith in his Tianzi to succeed even if he should die here. Still, he would rather be around to ensure her protection rather than whoever the Eunuchs would send to replace him.
The guards had begun to move once again and the three fell silent, pretending to have been cowed by the guards around the storage room.
Apparently there was a development on the outside, a number of guards were going around and informing one another about something. Eventually, the content of the message being shared became clear. Zero had arrived and was being allowed into the building by Cornelia's forces. Whether it was because she was using him as a distraction or he had managed to convince her to allow him to negotiate on her behalf or something else, it had sparked a sense of unease amongst both the hostages and the hostage takers.
Zero represented an unknown factor and there was a chance he could accidentally cause the situation to take a turn for the worse.
A little before the JLF soldiers guarding the hostage room were notified of Zero's arrival, on the outside of the hotel, the Irregulars and Camelot were both gearing up in anticipation of their next orders from the Viceroy. Suzaku was relaxing in the Lancelot's shadow, drinking from a water bottle in order to try and calm his nerves. Alice was sitting nearby dressed in her new uniform, staring out across the lake at the hotel in the distance.
Cornelia had mandated a change in the Irregulars' uniforms. Rather than the dress uniforms they wore the day they first met the Viceroy, the Irregulars' uniforms now consisted of a material similar to that of Suzaku's uniform, offering them far greater protection with its reflexive internal padding system. The design was simple, a deep purple coloring for the top half and white for the lower half, with upper arm guards shaded the same as the top half. The underwear of the uniform could be seen slightly if Alice wasn't careful, but it was a uniform that would offer the maneuverability she needed when she was in her Knightmare.
It was unfortunate, but her Knightmare, and the other Irregulars as well, needed far more maneuverability compared to the average pilot if they wanted to utilize their Knightmares full capabilities, which meant that their suit could only offer so much protection without being stifling. For this operation she would also be wearing crimson upper body armor for extra protection since she wouldn't be able to use the full agility of her Knightmare as her mobility would be limited by the terrain anyway.
Alice had moved to spend a little time with Suzaku before they went in, just in case the worst should happen. She knew the realities of battle well, as even the Irregulars had lost members before. So she wanted to make sure that, if she or Suzaku didn't make it, they at least had a good memory to go out on.
Their two units were stationed outside the maintenance tunnel that would allow them to move through underneath the hotel. Their mission was to clear the path so that the rescue teams could get in and extract Princess Euphemia while the demolition team would move in and prepare to bring down the entire hotel, JLF and hostages alike.
"Is this really the right thing to do?" Suzaku asked from his position on a crate underneath his Knightmare. Alice turned her head from her sitting position a little ways away. "I mean, the tourists and the dignitaries from the other nations here for the Sakuradite Accords, shouldn't we try to save them as well?" He didn't want to be forced to leave his friends on the Student Council to die, but since he wasn't part of the rescue team he had no say in the matter.
Alice turned her head back to stare out across the lake, incredibly happy to have been able to avoid being taken hostage like the other members of the Student Council. "It's not our job to worry about them." Still, Alice was troubled since she would prefer to save them if she had the chance. Nunnally would be sad if Milly and the others were killed. And Alice didn't want to be even tangentially related to something that would cause Nunnally pain. But she didn't have much of a choice. "The mission is to save Princess Euphemia before the JLF find out that they have the Viceroy's sister amongst their hostages."
Apparently, the Princess had wanted to anonymously observe the Sakuradite Accords in order to learn more about how international diplomacy worked so that she could do her job as Sub-Viceroy better, and even fill in for her elder sister if there were need for her to do so. And, as a result, she was taken captive with the rest of the ambassadors and tourists. Thankfully she had been listed under an alias so her identity was safe for now, but it could change at any moment. Which was why their top priority was to get rid of the weapon the JLF had underneath the only underground entrance into the hotel in order to get the extraction team inside.
After that, whatever happened wasn't their concern.
"But our friends are trapped in there too!" Suzaku responded vehemently. "We can't just leave them to die!" He swore, he wouldn't abandon his friends, no matter the orders he got from the Viceroy. He would find some way to save them. They had welcomed him in like family, he couldn't allow them to die when they had shown him kindness like that. Kindness he hadn't experienced in quite some time.
The Britannian military was not exactly a place to build familial bonds, especially as an Honorary Britannian.
Alice slowly walked over to Suzaku and took his water bottle from his hands so that she could take a swig. She sighed, the cool water helping her relax a little. "I agree." She whispered, seeing Lloyd's assistant walking over to give them their orders. "I'll try and take the lead if I get the chance to free you up to break into the hotel from above ground." Alice smacked the Eleven's shoulder. "Come on, let's do this!" She yelled to try and deflect any suspicion and prevent Suzaku from verbally expressing any surprise.
Suzaku's eyes widened in surprise at Alice's plan, before he narrowed them in determination. "Right." He agreed with her last statement. "We've got a job to do." He just hoped he could save them before things got any worse.
"Zero has just been let into the hotel to buy us a little more time before they drop the next hostage." Cécile spoke quickly, as Lloyd rushed up from behind followed by a small truck carrying a large weapon on it. "We need to get the Lancelot outfitted with the VARIS rifle so that we can move soon. Our time table has been moved up significantly." She took a couple deep breaths to catch her breath after spitting out everything Suzaku and Alice would need to know as quickly as she could.
"I've gotta get over to my unit." Alice took off running over to where the rest of the Irregulars were stationed, away from Lloyd to avoid any unfortunate confrontations between the scientist and the Colonel. "Later Newbie!" Alice used the nickname Dalque had come up with a while back to try and lessen the tension she knew Suzaku would be feeling after hearing about Zero's appearance.
The revolutionary had been a subject of conversation when they had participated in the joint training session ordered by Cornelia during the last week. The joint training session was an effort to get their two units to be able to work well together despite their heads not being on good terms with one another. Alice knew that Suzaku had issues with Zero's methods and believed that the masked man would only be making things worse in the long run.
So, while she didn't necessarily understand why Suzaku disliked Zero so much, she could at least try and make it so he felt less stressed whenever the masked man came up in situations like this by trying to break the tension.
Suzaku appreciated Alice's levity, but it wasn't the time. "When do we move out?" He asked, crushing his empty water bottle and tossing it into one of the empty boxes lying around.
"Ten minutes." Lloyd said as he finally arrived, followed by the truck that would be giving his prized project its newest weapon. "I'll be giving you a crash course in the capabilities of the VARIS, but we don't have nearly as much time as I would like." His face was far more serious than it usually was. "If you damage the Lancelot I will never forgive you, so be careful Warrant Officer Kururugi." The scientist's tone was menacing and his eyes burned with madness before he was cuffed on the back of his head by his assistant.
"Now is not the time Lloyd." Cécile spoke, her irritation coloring her tone. "Just get Suzaku up to speed and we'll move on from there." She sighed as her boss dragged Suzaku off to the side and began gesticulating excitedly as he described the magnificent features of the VARIS rifle. She just hoped that the Lancelot's speed and the Irregulars' special Knightmares would be enough to get them all through this.
She was quite fond of the Captain of the Irregulars and it would be a shame for girls as young as those in the Irregulars to perish in battle tonight.
Eventually, their time was up and the three members of Camelot made their way over to the drop point. Lloyd felt his irritation rising as he watched Colonel Madd begin giving his final orders to his unit.
"Alice will be taking point." Madd wrapped up his orders to the Irregulars. "The information has already been catalogued by Captain Sancia and Lucretia, it is currently being transferred to the Lancelot and Alice's GX-01. Dalque will be providing emergency support." As this was a mission that required speed, the Colonel had changed their typical tactics for going after a single target. Normally they would have Dalque take point to utilize her overwhelming power to strike with Alice providing backup thanks to her speed, but they'd have to reverse their normal patterns. "You have your orders, now move out!" The Colonel tossed his arm out to the side dramatically, and his subordinates did as he commanded.
Alice made her way over to her Knightmare, which was being set up with the same straps as the Lancelot in order to lower them into the tunnel together. "I'll follow behind and provide a distraction as soon as I can, okay Suzaku?" Alice shared her plan with her friend as they prepared to descend.
"Sounds good." Suzaku said from his position in the Lancelot's cockpit, waiting until he got the order to move out to lock it in. "If I give the word though you'll need to clear out quickly." The VARIS' capabilities, from what Lloyd had told Suzaku, were not meant for allies to be in the vicinity. Especially if it was going to be destroying whatever weapon the JLF had down there that could take out three Sutherlands in no time flat.
"Suzaku, it's almost time." Cécile announced, and Alice made her way to climb into her own cockpit. "We'll be sending you in soon, a few minutes at most." Suzaku nodded and shifted to prepare for mobilization.
'Hang on guys, I'm going to save you all.' Suzaku mentally promised. As soon as he had the chance, he was going to save everyone.
'Who is that girl?' Kallen thought to herself as she sat up front and away from the girl who had been introduced by Zero as "Nemo". She wasn't the same woman who had helped Ohgi direct the Yamato Alliance back in Saitama, but apparently Zero had a secret roster of allies outside of their own group and the others who had joined them after Zero's appearance. Kallen wasn't sure how she felt about that.
On one hand, it was nice to know that Zero had other allies they could rely on, but on the other she kind of wished that Zero only had to rely on her. Group! She meant group. Kallen felt her face flush slightly and her heart was beating faster than usual, and it wasn't just nerves. Ever since she had fought for Zero, Hell ever since she had seen him in person on that subway line, it had been difficult to get him off her mind.
Regardless, she wanted to be someone important to Zero, not just another one of his soldiers. Her talents as a pilot should have been enough to guarantee that, but without knowing the capabilities of his other allies she was having a bit of an identity crisis as she didn't know where she stood with her leader. She wanted to know her place in Zero's structure, she didn't like being confused like this.
Thankfully the darkness of the media van they had commandeered for the purpose of getting into the hotel hid her internal crisis and blush, but her nerves would be skyrocketing as soon as they would be beginning their true mission.
The plan was to have Zero distract the leader of the JLF's mission while they moved to find and free the hostages. And after that, they would blow the hotel down and escape on a luxury cruise liner that Zero had said would be provided by his ally in Kyoto, which Kallen had thought was just a rumor. Though, after tonight, she supposed she could take their existence as being fact rather than wishful thinking. Regardless, in the intervening time between the destruction of the hotel and their escape, Zero would be announcing the presence of their group on the world stage. She still wasn't sure what she thought of the name, though the sigil he had shown them and that was present on the collars of their uniforms looked pretty cool. Though she wasn't too fond of the skirts for the female version of the uniform.
They were almost as short as the one she had to wear at Ashford.
"Why didn't we just take that kickass base?" Someone in the back whined slightly.
"Oh sure, and why don't we provide the Britannians our home address while we're at it." Tamaki shot back, deriding whoever spoke. A couple of grunts sounded from the back as people shifted around to try and get more comfortable.
"Just calm down." Nemo spoke calmly, her voice sounding harshly from the back. "Zero will give the order soon and you can stretch your legs then." There was a hint of impatience in her tone, but everyone fell silent when the vehicle pulled to a stop.
Atop the media van that the fledgling revolutionaries had stolen, Zero stood tall as he faced down three Gloucester Knightmares and a number of other Sutherlands without a hint of fear. Zero raised his hand to the side of his helmet and pressed a small button on the side a few times. When the small bar in one of the lower corners of his HUD rose to signify the external volume increase, he returned his hand to his side beneath his cloak. He couldn't negotiate with Cornelia if she couldn't hear his words after all.
The lead Knightmare's cockpit opened and Cornelia rose from its confines with the grace earned through extensive experience. Before he responded to her words, Lelouch took a moment to observe his elder sister's appearance, heedless of the gun blade pointed at his body. It had been too long since he had seen her in person and he wanted to savor this rare chance to see Cornelia directly.
Mentally shaking himself from his reverie, Zero prepared to respond to Cornelia's vow. "Tell me Cornelia." He began mockingly, refusing to use her titles. "Which would you prefer, to avenge Clovis who is dead?" He leaned forward slightly. "Or to save Euphemia, who remains alive?" As he saw Cornelia freeze with indecision, he chose to twist the knife further. "Do you truly wish to lose another loved one to this land? I can save her, if you let me through." Her response after a few moments, venomous as it was, made him smirk behind his mask.
"Very well." Cornelia swung down her weapon to her side, but her vicious tone belied her wish to kill him for bringing up the others she had lost. "You may pass, but I swear, if you don't save my sister I will end you myself." She turned to give her orders to her Knights and other subordinates, ignoring the slight sting in her eyes at the memory of Lelouch and Nunnally's deaths that sparked the invasion of Japan.
'You haven't changed sister. Still doting on little old Euphie.' This thought was tinged with a slight bitterness, as it reminded him of simpler times. Still. He couldn't afford to reminisce. "Don't you know, Princess Cornelia?" Zero murmured, the volume being just loud enough to reach Cornelia's ears and no other. "A Devil always keeps his word." The van passed out of her earshot and he lowered the volume once again by pressing the button on the side of his helmet. Perhaps he shouldn't have said that, but he had a feeling that this would buy him a little extra time before Cornelia just decided to blow the building to Hell and break in herself.
Once they were in the hotel, he and his subordinates left the vehicle. He turned his mask to face Sugiyama, Inoue, and Yoshida as he gave his first command of the operation. "P-1, P-2, P-3, you take the camera equipment to the back. The ship should be there by now and be sure to set them up according to the direction of S-01." Sayoko would know how to set up the cameras for the optimum dramatic affect. The ship would have normally been blown away, but with a little insurance, namely claiming it was supplies from Kyoto, they had been allowed to bring the ship in behind the hotel.
Sayoko had the standing order to kill any JLF soldier who went to take the nonexistent supplies, but the ruse wasn't likely to be discovered in time. At least, if things went according to plan.
Speaking of, Zero turned to Minami, Tamaki, Ohgi, and Kallen. "P-4, P-5, B-1, Q-1, you take the explosives and begin planting them around the designated points. Don't forget the maps." He stressed, knowing that even a single mistake could spell their deaths. "I have the detonator. Make sure you meet up with the others at the checkpoint to free the hostages and escape because I will be using it in ten minutes." He hoped that the seriousness of this order made it through, he really didn't want to accidentally blow up one of his subordinates. Perhaps that deadline was a bit of a stretch, but he wanted to ensure he overestimated Cornelia's preparedness rather than the opposite.
Better his soldiers be paranoid about the time limit and alive rather than lax and dead.
He turned to his White Witch, who was looking out of place with her short stature amongst the rest of the group. Nemo was also the only one without the uniform he had crafted with a little help from Sayoko, dressed as she always was. Her Geass flashed in response to his unspoken order, and when she gave no signal that his orders would have a negative effect on the future, he finished up his commands. "Nemo will be coming with me to speak with the leader of this little stunt and I will meet up with you at the rendezvous point before the show begins. Good luck everyone." And with that, they spread out to fulfill his orders with no questions asked. He had impressed upon them that the JLF had to believe that he and Nemo were the only ones who came otherwise they might see through his deceptions and uncover his objectives.
If he wanted to save the hostages, the JLF needed to believe that he came alone, but since he would have needed someone to drive they would need to see one more individual. That was why he was bringing Nemo with him to the commander's room while they carried out their mission.
And, as expected, about thirty seconds after his soldiers had dispersed, two men working for the JLF came down the elevator. "Zero, come with us." One of the men ordered. "Lieutenant-Colonel Kusakabe awaits you." Revealing the name of the leader of this little stunt wasn't the man's smartest decision, but it certainly wasn't his dumbest considering where he was at the moment.
"Very well, take me to the Lieutenant-Colonel." Zero responded crisply, bemoaning the fact both men had sunglasses on. 'Well, there goes my plan of having some sleeper agents.' It looked like he'd have to rely on his charisma and diplomatic skill in order to avoid conflict.
He hoped things would go according to plan, but worst case scenario he knew he could rely on his armor.
Things were not going according to plan. That much was clear according to Euphemia's eyes. She had heard a quick discussion nearby in French, and she was suddenly thankful that her sister had made her take classes in both French and Chinese in preparation for dealing with Europia and the Chinese Federation, though she couldn't pinpoint their location. And their words had been too muffled for her to pick up on them, though it could also be her unfamiliarity with that language was making it difficult for her to decipher what they said in this situation. Still, that conversation had died down right around the time the hostage takers learned of Zero's presence in the hotel.
That was something Euphemia was quite interested in, she wanted to meet with the man who had stolen her beloved brother from her. To see just what kind of man he was.
Something near the front of the group drew her attention away from her musings about Zero, as one of the guards began shouting with a small group of schoolgirls. When things began to escalate to the point the guard tried to drag the girl with glasses off to "teach her a real lesson", Euphemia had seen enough. She prepared to rise and reveal her identity, but her handler grabbed her wrist. "Princess, don't." She whispered harshly, but Euphemia's glare silenced any further pleadings.
"I will not standby and let this man rape her." The Princess hissed venomously, rising with purpose and declaring, "I order you, stop assaulting that young woman at once!" When the man and other guards pointed their weapons at her, she stood firm. "You are addressing the Third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Euphemia li Britannia." She announced, slashing her hand to the side dramatically. "Now, take me to your leader at once! I will negotiate with him on behalf of my sister." She really hoped that Cornelia didn't end up hating her for this. Euphemia knew just how much her elder sister despised showing weakness to terrorists.
"I agree." Another young woman stood up, her uniform bearing the crest of the E.U. over her breast. "I would like to speak with the man leading this group of people willing to replicate the monstrous actions of Nanking on Japanese soil." Another young man stood next to her, his uniform identical to hers, though his features revealed his heritage.
"You disgust me." His voice was soft, but it was poignant. "You dare call yourselves Japanese?" The man made a harsh sound through his gritted teeth. "You're pathetic." Akito almost spat at the nearest soldier, but knew provoking them any further would be a bad idea.
Beside the pair, another man rose in solidarity. "My Empress would hold me personally responsible if I didn't ensure the protection of a young maiden." The second man announced, his features and uniform revealing him to be part of the Federation's delegation. "I would also like to meet with your leader. I want to know how he deals with brutes like you." Xingke knew that there was no way he would be able to stand by and allow this man to act and still be able to call himself honorable. The diplomat would just have to avoid drawing attention to himself while he met with their leader.
Euphemia was surprised to see three others choose to rise and stand with her, but as the soldiers deliberated she turned her attention to the young woman they had protected. "Are you alright, young lady?" The Third Princess' soft voice echoing across the room.
Nina was in shock, tears still flowing from her eyes as she tried to regain control over herself after being saved by a Princess of all people. The others who stood with her, she noticed as well, appreciation and gratitude flowing through her body as she held tightly to Milly and Shirley who put their bodies in front of hers to defend her. Before she could respond to the Princess' question, the four who rose to protect her were ushered out of the room, leaving the room a little less bright without the Princess' beauty to brighten it up.
Meanwhile, within the room Kusakabe and his guards had holed themselves up in, Zero mentally considered his options.
Almost as soon as the guards had opened the door to allow him and Nemo to enter, they had taken guard positions on the outside of the room, leaving them out of his range of influence. And there were a number of guards, armed to the teeth and some aiming their weapons at him. His hand twitched slightly and Nemo shifted to a little bit further behind him, meaning in order to protect her all he would have to do is turn quickly and test just how indestructible his armor truly was.
However, that was just a worst-case scenario. Negotiations were only just about to begin and things may not turn out that badly.
"So, you're the infamous Zero." Kusakabe began, snorting in derision. "I expected something more than a single man and a little girl." Said girl didn't react, but Zero's shoulders shook as a chuckle slipped through the mask. It was quite menacing, mildly impressing the Lieutenant-Colonel.
Zero found the man before him amusing in a rather pathetic sort of way. "Underestimate either of us at your peril." He hoped that wasn't a sign of the conversation to come. "Tell me, are you willing to follow a new King?" He asked, curiosity shining through his modulator. "Will you swear to follow me and help me in my revolution?" He was curious about how this man would respond, it was the first time he had truly referred to himself as a King when speaking with someone other than his closest allies.
It felt… right. With the Power of the King at his command and his growing number of followers it felt only right to refer to himself as such.
"You fancy yourself a monarch then?" Kusakabe spat, feeling a spike of revulsion shoot through his being. "You don't seek to liberate Japan, you just want to rule it!" He laughed as he believed he uncovered the true motives of the mysterious Zero. "You should know that we transitioned to a democracy to avoid having to deal with tyrants like you or the Emperor." He tilted his head back stared at the ceiling in a contemplative manner that didn't suit his personality. "You're no different than that bastard who reigns in Pendragon." He taunted the masked man before him.
"How dare you compare me to that man!" Lelouch growled behind his mask before he felt Nemo tug slightly at his cloak in warning. He shifted his eyes without turning his head, taking the sight of her Geass flashing red, likely as a warning that he was about to make a mistake by killing Kusakabe for that slight or perhaps it was a warning against continuing along that line of conversation. He took a short breath before speaking again. "So, you truly don't wish to join me then?" He brought himself back under control, though he could feel his madness lurking beneath the surface, enraged at the comparison the JLF commander had made.
Kusakabe chuckled. "Will you remove your mask?" He retorted sarcastically, grabbing the handle of his blade in anticipation. "My men and I cannot follow a man such as you, who refuses to show his face." He smirked, leaning back to stare at the wannabe King pompously. "By that metric even that little girl behind you holds more courage in her heart."
"Don't you dare insult My King." Nemo spoke for the first time during this meeting, her young voice sounding more menacing than it had any right to be. "He is more courageous than all of the men in this room put together." Zero silenced her with a gesture, moving his hand to the side for a moment.
'I can't let this get out of hand.' This conversation was going nowhere. "Tell me, what exactly did you plan to accomplish with this stunt of yours." He asked, buying himself a little more to decide whether or not this man and his subordinates were worth salvaging.
Kusakabe leaned forward, seeing a chance to perhaps sway Zero to his side. "To remind the world that the Japanese are still alive." He growled, feeling pride in his mission. "The JLF needs to show that it's still here! That we're still fighting Britannia. The Japanese aren't dead yet!" He was doing this to show the Japanese were still on the map.
"How pathetic, you're obsolete." Zero laughed as he discovered just how useless this entire charade had been. "You're surrounded on all sides, there's no way you or your men will be getting out of this alive. You've boxed yourself in and for what?" He threw his arms out, flaring his cloak and tossing his hands into the air, making himself a tempting target. "For a nation that is dead and gone, never to return from the dustbin of history." His laugh was tinged with barely repressed madness as he twisted the knife deeper. "Absolutely pathetic!" Kusakabe reacted exactly as he expected.
"How dare you insult us, you bastard!" Kusakabe shouted as he drew his blade and charged the masked madman before him. "Die!" Before he could plunge his blade into Zero's heart, the man dodged.
Zero reacted to the threat, immediately ceasing his laughter and pushing Nemo further behind him as he turned and let his cloak flare like a bull fighter's cape. Zero tapped another area of his helmet, synching his armor with his mind as he gave it a command. 'Zero Armor, Strength Boost! Target: Right Arm, Output Increase: 10 percent.' Beneath his cloak, the glow of Sakuradite spreading from his back to his right arm was concealed.
Before Kusakabe could react, Zero grabbed the middle of the blade as it passed through the place his body was only moments ago with his left hand. He shifted and punched the Lieutenant-Colonel's elbow, forcing him to lose his grip. The enhanced punch broke the man's arm with a satisfying crack, but more importantly the weapon changed hands and Zero quickly let go of the blade so he could grab the handle. With a smooth motion, he pulled his right arm back and jammed the butt of the handle into the back of Kusakabe's skull as his charge was completed. The man was knocked out almost immediately due to the enhanced strength boosting the force behind Zero's strike.
Zero switched the sword to his other hand as he grabbed the back of the man's uniform before he could hit the ground. With a grunt of effort, he pulled him up so that his unconscious body would serve as a human shield, Zero's arm was locked under Kusakabe's chin and pressing against his windpipe. The sword was pointing at the JLF soldiers that had been guarding the fool.
The tension in the room was palpable as the JLF soldiers stood, stunned at just how quickly their leader was defeated.
The entire exchange had taken only a dozen seconds at most
"You're all fools." He breathed heavily for a moment before he sucked in a deep breath and let it out. Fighting physically was not one of his strengths, even with the enhancements of his armor. "None of you will be leaving this building alive, unless you choose to obey me. What is your decision?" His offer was clear, he just needed to hear their response. 'That was a close one.' He thought, waiting for the JLF soldiers to speak.
The boost from his armor hadn't lasted beyond the strike that knocked Kusakabe out, and his right arm was trembling after the sudden increase abandoned him. 'It looks like there are side-effects to boosting my strength.' Zero mused silently. 'Once it wears off my body suffers from some nasty aftereffects.' He could feel his arm trembling under Kusakabe's chin, just waiting to collapse to his side. He forced his muscles to lock into place, slowing the trembling for a few more moments.
When the soldiers began to point their weapons at him, he growled in frustration. "You're all just a bunch of fools!" He shouted, flexing his jaw and flaring his power. "Die!" He ordered, his mask unlatching from the left side for a moment. Just long enough to transmit his order.
With that, he allowed his right arm to drop to his side, grunting as he could feel it tingle as though it had fallen asleep. Zero ignored Kusakabe's body hitting the ground as he tried and barely managed to twitch his fingers. He ignored his arm for the moment, stabbing the blade into the floor as he turned to Nemo, ignoring the sound of gunshots from behind him as the soldiers obeyed his command.
"Did you know he would react that way?" He asked, as he had barely needed to push Nemo further behind him when Kusakabe charged. His hand had only barely brushed her chest as she was already jumping back, so he had his suspicions that her Geass had warned her.
"The conversation could have gone better." Nunnally admitted, ignoring the grisly scene before her and walking to stand beside her beloved brother. She stared down at the man who dared strike against her Onii-sama, wanting to pick up the sword and plunge it into his back for his impudence. "The lines began to narrow very quickly, and eventually the fool became set on his course." The desire to murder this man who had almost stolen her brother from her, it was much stronger than the feeling she got when she was killing back in Saitama.
She closed her eyes, focusing on controlling her bloodlust. A deep breath escaped her lips as she calmed her mind. Once Nunnally had her emotions back under control, she turned to give a serious look to her King. "Some people are simply too stubborn to persuade, I had seen a possibility where he would join us, but there were only a few lines where that possibility became reality." Clearly, this was not one of them.
"Then the entire conversation was just a waste of time." Zero grumbled, staring down and kicking the unconscious man in the ribs. He clenched his fist as he slowly regained some functionality in his right arm. "I would appreciate you making me aware when one of my decisions has a higher than average chance of being fruitless, I don't like wasting my time. Do you understand this, My Knight?" His tone was cold, expressing his disappointment she had not mentioned there was so little chance to sway Kusakabe.
"My most sincere apologies, Your Majesty." Nunnally placed her open hand over her heart as she bowed forward slightly, speaking more formally to convey her seriousness. She hung her head, allowing her hair to cover her closed eyes. "I had believed that he could be swayed, but I see now that I was mistaken and should have alerted you to this man's limited usefulness." She was feeling bitter at having disappointed her Onii-sama, and swore to herself she wouldn't make the same mistake in the future.
Suddenly, the door opened, drawing the pair's attention and revealing the two guards who had been defending the door as well as two other JLF soldiers. They were escorting four other individuals, two men and two women.
Before the guards could even process the scene in front of them as they entered the room, the two men struck hard and fast. The man with the long black hair spun and jabbed the two rear guards in the throat with both his hands, the tips of his fingers digging into their windpipes, before ripping a pistol from one of the soldiers. Before they could react to his assault, he shot them both in the throat at close range.
The man with the long ponytail reacted similarly, reaching up to one of the front guards and snapping his neck almost immediately before chopping the other guard in the side of the neck. He then grabbed the choking soldier's head and brought it down as he rose his knee to break his nose. The soldier screamed before another gunshot rang out, silencing his scream.
"You could have shot me you ass." The man with the ponytail reacted to the man with long black hair who had shot the man whose nose he broke. "And you stole my kill." His eyes flashed for a moment before he calmed down. "Still, thanks." Akito was a little pissed, but at least they had managed to take out the damn guards.
"Akito, you've got blood on you again." Leila groaned exasperatedly. When her lieutenant licked his cheek, she dragged her hand over her face with a groan.
"Tastes like coward." Akito grinned sadistically, playing with Leila's aversion to his bloodlust.
"Zero. It's really you." Euphemia's voice brought everyone back to focus on the masked man who was standing in the center of the room, watching the odd spectacle. She appreciated the efforts of the two diplomatic guards as they struck down the terrorists, but her attention was engulfed almost completely once she saw Zero's cloaked form in the light of the nearly full moon. The white light flaring through the partially opened curtains framed the masked man, giving him an almost ethereal appearance.
Seeing the white light glance off of the dark armor, it was a beautiful contrast that captivated Euphemia and the others.
"Euphemia." 'And others. This is unexpected.' Zero noticed, placing his foot on Kusakabe's back as the man groaned before stomping on his spine. Surprisingly, the man remained unconscious, though Zero noticed a bloody patch appearing on the back of the man's head. 'I may have hit harder than I expected.' The boost he had used had knocked down his power source to eighty percent capacity in almost an instant according to his HUD. Maybe he had overdone it. Regardless, there were more important things to consider at this time.
"I take it something unexpected happened with the hostages." He deduced before turning his attention to the three he didn't recognize. "What happened and who are you three?" The only one he recognized was his sister, the others were unknowns to him, though they were clearly against the JLF considering their actions.
"One of the guards was about to assault a young woman, so I did what I needed to do to protect her." Euphemia responded, hoping that she would be able to speak with Zero alone at some point. "I revealed myself and demanded to be taken to their leader." In fact, one of the guards that had been killed by the two men was the one who had threatened the young lady. She had refused to leave him in that room and demanded he be one of the ones to escort her to their leader. "I was joined by the these three for similar reasons." She turned to her temporary allies and went silent to allow them the chance to introduce themselves.
"My name is Leila, and this is Akito." Leila introduced herself and her lieutenant. "We are guards for the delegation from Europia." That was all she was comfortable revealing to the masked man, not trusting him with anything further.
"And I am Xingke." The man with the long black hair responded. "I am the guard for the Chinese Federation's delegation." He was similarly succinct in his response.
Zero analyzed them all for a moment, before responding. "The individual by my side is Nemo and you clearly know who I am." He gestured to the man on the ground before him with his left hand, his right arm still feeling weak. "Kusakabe refused to see reason so I was forced to dispatch him, he remains alive but his men committed suicide once they saw there was no way out." He was prevented from continuing the conversation as an explosion rang out from a short distance away from the hotel. 'What?!' The five thought in synchronicity as the floor began to destabilize, though only Zero and Nemo were able to see beyond the window through the opening in the curtains.
Zero turned fully and stared down the Knightmare that was almost floating in the sky. 'The Lancelot again?' He thought, a flash of irritation going through him as he pulled out the detonator from behind him and pushed the trigger. 'Damn that pilot.' They had forced him to blow the explosives sooner than he planned. He hoped his soldiers had managed to free the hostages by now.
As the force from both the Lancelot's attack and his explosives rocked the building, Zero spoke. "It looks like Britannia has begun their own rescue mission, the hotel won't remain standing for much longer." His words were made reality as they were all forced to rebalance themselves once again before the foundations of the building began crumbling from underneath them. "If you want to live I suggest you all follow me." He turned his attention to the body of Kusakabe that had slid down and crashed into a wall. "And I would appreciate if one of you could take him for me, I've taken him prisoner and I planned to deliver him to Cornelia so that she may decide what to do with him." Xingke responded to his request, heaving the body of the fool who had caused this mess over his shoulders.
"Lead the way." Xingke grunted as he prepared to carry Zero's prisoner, eager as the others to escape from the hotel before it collapsed into the lake. He could tell that the foundations weren't going to last much longer as they were leaning rather heavily towards one side.
"My other subordinates should have freed the hostages by now and will be making their way to our escape route." Zero made his way towards the door, followed closely by Nemo and the others. "We'll reconvene with them there and I will allow you to join the others we have freed." A small chuckle escaped his lips as he led his little party down the crooked hallway. "I do hope you enjoy the show." He finished cryptically, leading them the rest of the way in silence.
At the same time Zero was meeting with Kusakabe, Suzaku and Alice prepared to launch their Knightmares into the underground supply tunnel to begin the operation. "Data transmission complete." Alice announced as the data on the number and position of the enemy revealed by the Geass' of Sancia and Lucretia was uploaded. "Remember, I'll be following behind, so don't blast off right out of the gates." The hope was that two targets capable of maneuvering out of the JLF's weapon would force them to choose one and stick with it.
Essentially, either Alice or Suzaku would end up becoming bait. The plan was to have Alice be taken as bait to free up Suzaku to be able to fire the VARIS rifle, but if the alternative became true then they would be sending in Dalque to back Alice up in order to destroy the weapon. The first was preferable, but it wasn't like it would fail if it didn't work out.
It was risky, but as they only had a limited time before Euphemia was discovered, they didn't have much choice. They were operating on a much more limited clock than they had expected so things weren't as fleshed out as they could've been. They needed to take advantage of the distraction provided by Zero to try and complete their own rescue mission.
They knew that Cornelia would not want to be indebted to a terrorist.
"Understood Alice." Suzaku replied easily, switching his attention back to the private channel that allowed him to communicate with Lloyd and Cécile in Camelot's transport. "I've received the data, are we cleared yet?" As soon as their units were to be lowered, he and Alice would be off and there would be no time to communicate beyond the absolute necessities.
To do otherwise would put both himself and Alice at undue risk.
"A minute or two before launch." Cécile responded softly over the screen, concerned for Suzaku's safety. She wasn't too fond of how the Viceroy was using him and Alice as bait. "Why are you so calm about this?" Her question elicited a curious look from Suzaku, forcing her to clarify. "You and Alice are essentially being used as a decoy, why haven't you complained even once about this mission?" Even a normal soldier would gripe every now and again, but Suzaku never complained. He took every mission, even suicide missions like this one, with the same professional acceptance without complaint.
"I prefer the logic of systems to individualist emotions." Suzaku answered as he turned his attention back to his cockpit for a final system check. "Missions are handed down from a superior and it is the job of the ones being ordered to complete the mission, that's all there is to it." Leaning back after ensuring there wasn't anything wrong, not that he expected anything, the son of Japan's last Prime Minister finished up his answer to Cécile's question. "Any complaining I do would hinder me and prevent me from doing my best and I can't afford to do anything less." A smile graced his face as he looked to the screen before the transmission was cut. "Don't worry Miss Cécile, I'll save everyone." Before he could see her response, the Lancelot's operational systems were green lit and he was directed to input the activation key.
Taking a deep breath, Suzaku carefully placed the key in the designated slot, still amazed that a Knightmare could be turned on just by turning a key, and activated it. 'Milly, Shirley, Nina… Euphie.' The names of everyone he wanted to save went through his mind, accompanied by the memories they had shared in the time he had known them. 'I'm coming to save you.' The Knightmare shook slightly as it was picked up by the crane and lowered into the tunnel, but Suzaku's only reaction was to grasp the controls as tight as possible.
"Relax, you're too tense." Alice's voice rang out from the communication line, her face flashing on a screen before him. "Focus, but don't tense up. It'll hinder your reaction time." The advice was given with a slight smile, drawing one from Suzaku before they both turned serious as they hit the pavement of the tunnel. "Let's go." With that, her face disappeared from the screen, revealing the darkened area that they had descended to.
"Lancelot, launch!" Suzaku shouted to himself as he forced the Lancelot to speed ahead into the darkness. Alice's Knightmare, one whose design he had never seen and whose name he did not know, followed behind him at a pace only just slower than his own. Using him as a shield as planned.
The mind-numbing repetitiveness of the flashing red lights of the maintenance tunnel were almost hypnotic, but it wasn't long before they encountered the enemy. Suzaku gripped the handles of the Lancelot tight as he increased the speed and started to maneuver quickly in order to throw off their targeting systems for as long as possible, Alice's Frame taking similar action as it moved next to him. With this, the JLF was presented with two fast moving targets speeding towards them with the full intent of annihilating their defenses.
Regardless of whichever target the JLF chose they would seal their fate, but that decision would ultimately decide which plan Suzaku and Alice would be forced to use.
When the large weapon mounted on the scraps of a Knightmare directed its attention towards the Lancelot, Suzaku cursed. "Shit, get behind me!" He ordered as he activated his Knightmare's Blaze Luminous. "These'll deflect the shots, but I don't know where they'll go!" Alice's Knightmare quickly sped behind him, taking position to protect itself and its pilot from the shrapnel that would soon be flying through the air.
The scattershot exploded and the Luminous shields held up, but damage had been done to the Landspinners of the Knightmare behind it as the shrapnel ended up shredding one of the wheels after it was further deflected off the walls.
"Shit!" Alice's voice rang out in her cockpit as her Knightmare's left Landspinner was sent flying away, causing her to skid out before coming to a halt. She forcibly detached the second one before activating her power. "The Speed!" Her voice echoed with power and the symbol of her curse upon her forehead burned brightly. With the boost from her Geass, Alice forced the Knightmare to run, though its mobility was severely weakened with the loss of its Landspinner, turning would be difficult.
"I'm going to use the VARIS!" Suzaku declared over the open channel, drowning out whatever Alice said on her end before she shot forward to catch up. With that increase in speed of hers, despite the loss of her Landspinners, a plan came together in his mind. "After it destroys their next attack, you can take out anyone who's left over!" With Alice coming up behind him quickly, he shifted the VARIS from its inactive position to its firing position and began charging. Seeing no other option, he charged the JLF force head on as they fired another round, both lining up his shot and serving as a shield for Alice.
'Please, whatever kami hears this prayer, let this work. If not for my sake, then for the sake of my friends.' Suzaku prayed as he depressed the trigger, firing the VARIS' ammunition. Only a few meters away, the VARIS' shot met with the scattered shrapnel fired from the mounted cannon and detonated. The explosion ripped a hole in the roof of the maintenance tunnel and, knowing that Alice would be able to reach the JLF force before they could fire again, Suzaku forced the Lancelot to leap into the air through the hole.
Almost immediately after the Lancelot jumped through the opening, Alice's Knightmare burst through the smoke and struck hard and fast, taking out the JLF's mounted cannon and the soldiers manning it almost in an instant. Speeding away quickly as the machine sparked before exploding, Alice observed the infantry firing their weapons at her Knightmare before returning fire. Once she was certain that the enemy forces were taken care of, she spoke over the communication lines to alert the Viceroy of her success.
"I have disabled the enemy forces, the search team and demolition team can all move in." Alice transmitted confidently. However, before she could receive a reply, the tunnel began to shake. Her eyes widened as she saw the roof begin to collapse ahead of her and Alice quickly turned tail and began to rush back the way she came. "Abort, abort!" She shouted over the line. "The tunnel's collapsing!" Her power flared once more as she rushed as fast as she could to escape the destruction of the tunnel, only just managing to burst out where she and the Lancelot had been loaded in.
As she caught her breath, Alice turned her Frame around and caught sight of the Kawaguchi hotel leaning far too heavily to one side. It looked like it would collapse at any moment. "No." A cold sensation spread throughout her body as she realized that her friends were most likely dead. Sweat coated her form as she tried to register the fact that they had failed.
Meanwhile, as Alice charged the JLF soldiers, Suzaku felt his focus tighten as he continued to rise in the sky before he lined up his shots and fired at the base of the building to weaken it for the demolition team.
However, after his attack and while he was coming down from the apex of his jump, Suzaku saw Zero staring him down through a window with partially drawn curtains. The camera of his Knightmare zoomed in and Suzaku narrowed his eyes as he thought he caught sight of another individual in Zero's shadow before the building's foundations began to collapse in an explosive fashion.
He quickly began to descend, his heart dropping almost as fast as the Lancelot.
"No!" Suzaku shouted, his landing rough as he hit the ground running, forcing the Lancelot forward as he watched the hotel begin to collapse. "My friends!" Coming to a stop once he hit a wall of rubble, Suzaku felt his eyes begin to burn with tears. "Damn it!" He cursed, pounding his fist on his control panel. "I couldn't save them…" The dark realization drew a raw scream ripped its way out of his throat as he felt his tears drip onto his gloved hands. "Damn it!" He roared one final time, feeling the stinging sensation of being powerless to change fate once again.
Suzaku remained in that position for some time, curled forward slightly in sorrow until a voice rang out over the internal speakers of his Knightmare.
"Do not worry Viceroy, your sister and the other hostages remain unharmed." The voice of Zero rang out within the cockpit of the Lancelot, drawing Suzaku from his despair.
As the final preparations were being made for his announcement, Zero found himself alone in a room with Princess Euphemia at her request. She had wanted to speak with him alone before joining her guard in the lifeboats. Nemo had continued to lead the others and their prisoner to the lifeboats, so that they could be alone for a few moments.
Zero directed Euphemia to an empty bedroom on the ship and almost as soon as they entered her first questions flew from her lips.
"Why did you kill my brother, Zero?" Euphemia asked him, sitting alone on the bed while he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his armored chest. "I want to hear it straight from you. Why did you do it?" Her tone was almost desperate in her pleading for an answer.
Zero considered how to respond, before deciding to let loose some of his hatred. "Because of the blood that was running in his veins." He answered darkly, laughing menacingly. "He was a child of a Monster who had become one himself, ordering the massacre of Shinjuku to cover up his own incompetence." He moved from his position on the wall and made his way towards the bed his sister was sitting on. "That reminds me, you're his child as well, aren't you?" A mad chuckle escaped his lips at Euphemia's reaction. He was more amused than enraged, but he was no less terrifying to the pink-haired girl who had fallen backwards in response to him leaning in so close to her face.
Zero leaned away from the Princess, granting her some breathing room. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you tonight. I gave my word to your sister I would save you. And a Devil always keeps his word." He walked back over to the door, knowing his time to perform would be soon.
"He wasn't always like that, you know?" Euphemia spoke softly after he gave his answer, causing him to freeze moments before he opened the door. Her soft voice pulled at his hardened heart, but Zero forced himself to ignore the urge to hold his dear sister close as he used to when he was a child.
He couldn't afford to be swayed by her, no matter how much love he still held for Euphemia.
"Saving the hostages was very noble of you, Euphemia." He spoke against his better judgment. "You haven't changed." Zero murmured, his fondness accidentally leaking through his voice modulator. He clicked his mouth shut behind his mask when he realized that he may have said too much.
"If there were more people like you ruling the world, there would be no need for Devils like me to play the part of the Messiah." He finished stonily, opening the door and waving his arm. "I'll be delivering you to your sister now, I hope you enjoy your front row seat as you witness history." The Third Princess left as he directed, Zero following her close behind as he led her to the lifeboats.
Meanwhile, Nunnally found her nerves were reacting to having finally been able to see Euphie again. She had grown up so much, Nunnally almost needed Nemo to take over as she felt her eyes begin to burn with emotion. The exiled Princess didn't know how her brother had managed to conceal his feelings so well, but she envied that capability of his. But a question from one of the three people guarding their prisoner drew her out of her trance.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Nemo responded to Leila's question, while Akito and Xingke worked to ensure that Kusakabe was properly restrained in the lifeboat so he wouldn't capsize them once they hit the water if he woke up.
Nunnally was thankful they were willing to deliver the prisoner to Cornelia on Zero's behalf. And she hoped Cornelia accepted their gift and the implicit agreement to let them go in exchange for the fool who had created all the chaos tonight.
"I asked why you were following him." Leila repeated, shifting herself to keep one eye on their prisoner and one eye on the young girl before her. "You can't be more than thirteen, why are you following Zero?" She felt concerned that the girl would be throwing her life away by making this decision.
"For your information, I'm nearly fifteen." Nunnally felt her lip curl slightly. "Which means I'm eligible to join the Britannian military if I so wished." She flicked her long hair back slightly, giving the blonde woman a slight glare. "If I'm old enough to fight for them, I am certainly old enough to fight against them by My King's side." She knew she was short at five foot two, but she still didn't like it when people mistook her height as a sign of her being a younger age than she was.
It was a minor pet peeve, but still a pet peeve.
Leila blinked as she realized she inadvertently insulted the teenager in front of her. 'Woops.' In her defense, Nemo's appearance really belied her age. Leila picked up on something though, something that tugged deeply at her curiosity. This was a golden opportunity to learn about the man who was turning the world upside down. She couldn't afford to squander it. "Why do you refer to Zero as your King?" Leila asked, not having picked up anything that would drive someone to refer to him as such during that short interaction with the masked man.
He held himself with confidence yes, but she didn't think that signified he believed himself to be a monarch in the making.
Nunnally giggled before answering. "The reason I refer to Zero as My King is because I believe that he will be the one to lead this world to a new age. I truly believe that we will be witnessing the birth of the King of this World tonight." The conviction in voice stunned the three guards, not having expected that answer nor her clearly passionate faith in the masked man's potential. "My King is the future of this world, that is my truth." The boat was lowered alongside the rest, ending their conversation.
"Nemo." Zero's voice sounded from behind her. Nunnally turned around and bowed slightly, a smile still apparent on her face. "I need you to do something for me." And with that, he ordered her to head to a certain room on the ship. "I need you to guard the occupant and ensure you both escape in the event Cornelia tries to seize the ship. Don't open the door unless you need to escape, their identity cannot be compromised." Nunnally rose and stared directly into the mask of her King.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Nemo responded to his orders as eagerly as always, heading to the direction he had pointed her towards. Watching as his White Witch obeyed his order without question, the dark revolutionary tried to suppress a migraine. Zero still couldn't believe she was here tonight. There was so much that could go wrong if her identity were discovered, the Six Houses would fall apart, and with it his revolution. So, rather than risk something going wrong and her being captured, he had sent one of the few he trusted most. Sayoko was busy and C.C. was feeling lazy tonight, Ruben wasn't anywhere suited to this kind of thing, so naturally the job of guarding her naturally fell to Nemo. He just hoped that Kaguya didn't open the door and invite her in.
Sometimes that girl was too impulsive for her own good.
Nunnally could feel both her excitement and her brother's flowing through her body through their link, as they headed their separate ways, each to fulfill their role this night. 'Onii-sama, show the world just how great you are, My beloved King.' She thought to herself, eagerly waiting to see just what would happen after tonight as she made her way to her post.
Zero stood atop the deck of the ship, his subordinates slightly behind him. "Are you ready?" He asked, turning to them before giving the signal to Sayoko with a sharp nod. At that signal, the cameras began rolling and he began to speak.
"Do not worry Viceroy, your sister and the other hostages remain unharmed." He announced, the cameras shifting to show the lifeboats quickly, allowing Sayoko the chance to direct the others working the other equipment behind the scenes to follow their roles.
The bright lights flashed before him, illuminating his form and his followers in the dark of night. He stood with his arms crossed beneath his cloak and allowed himself to be almost entirely concealed by it while his followers bowed forward slightly towards him, their right hands open over their hearts. Visors covered their upper faces and a zipped-up jacket with the same sigil on the collar finished their formal uniform.
"People of the world! Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit. We are the Black Knights!" He began his speech and a black flag with his chosen sigil colored in silver unveiled behind him. The symbol was one that bore a striking resemblance to his Geass with a blade piercing its center.
"We of the Black Knights stand with all those who have no weapons to wield, regardless of nationality. The Japan Liberation Front cowardly took innocent people hostage, and then mercilessly executed them this night." He took a silent breath to calm his racing heart as he continued, inflecting as much disgust as he could in his voice. "It was a wanton and meaningless act, and therefore they have been punished, just as former Viceroy Clovis was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless unarmed Japanese that day in Shinjuku." This parallel would serve to show that, no matter who it was, anyone committing atrocities like Kusakabe or Clovis was his enemy.
"We cannot and will not standby and allow such cruelty to be carried out without retribution!" His declaration was met with a broad sweep of his left arm, causing his cloak to flare out dramatically behind him. "And so we made them pay for their barbaric actions." He brought his arm back down, but allowed his cloak to remain open on that side before continuing, raising his left arm to gesture before him, his hand cupping the air. "I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate, a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong!"
He allowed his left arm to return to his side as he placed his right hand gingerly over his heart, his fingertips brushing his armor as they lay splayed open, before continuing, his conviction shining through. "The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed!" Indeed, if one was not prepared to die then they should not be willing to take a life, no matter the cause they believed in. He threw out his right arm dramatically, though careful to not aggravate it any further.
"Wherever oppressors abuse their power to attack those who are powerless, we shall appear again, no matter how mighty, how formidable our foe may be! For we are no mere terrorist group and neither are we a part of a simple rebellion." His cloak flared again before coming to a rest behind him, exposing his armor for all to see before he brought his arms back to his sides, allowing his cloak to cover his front once more. "This is a revolution!" He shot his left arm forward, palm face down and fingers spread, his cloak flaring once more at this statement.
He slashed his arm out to his left side with his palm still open. "We are the revolutionaries who will change this world, so the corruption that festers in its roots will be ripped out from its core, and exposed for all to see! We will protect the weak from those who abuse their power, we will create a future of justice for this world." Images flashed in his mind as he brought his arms back in, cloaking himself as he held his hands at opposite shoulders. Nunnally, being scanned by the hospital when she was a child after the assassination of his mother. Their Father sitting imperiously on his throne as he looked down on the world. The palace doors wide open, allowing light to flow through, as he left his past behind him to move towards a future that Nunnally could cherish.
He still remembered the wish she told him when she first began making her paper cranes, sharing the tradition Sayoko had imparted upon her regarding the significance of crafting the origami crane one thousand times. It was something that would drive him forward even if he found himself lost in his own despair, Nunnally's wish was something he would stop at nothing to achieve. The words she had spoken were engraved upon his heart for all eternity.
"I wish the world were a gentler place, so that you, me, and all those we love could be together in happiness."
His Angel's dream was a beautiful one. And this was the first step to making that dream a true reality.
As he began to wrap up his speech, he cast both his arms out wide, inviting the world to stand with him or stand against him at its peril, his cloak flaring dramatically for the last time.
"People of the world, hear my proclamation! Those of you who abuse your power, fear us! Those of you without power to defend yourselves, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world! THIS… IS… ZERO'S REVOLUTION!" His declaration echoed throughout the world as the cameras carried his message of revolution far and wide, reaching every nation on the face of this Earth.
The cameras cut out after that, and Zero began to direct his subordinates to take the flag and other equipment down before moving the ship to the opposite shore. After giving out his orders, Zero made his way to a private room so that he could rest and prepare for his next move. He had stood before the eyes of the world and announced the birth of a new era. And, from this point forward, only one thing was certain.
Zero's Revolution had begun.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I also hope I managed to do the Kawaguchi speech justice. It's one of the most important in the entire show after all. And I hope you also enjoyed the Journal Entry.
I thought it would be interesting to include some characters from Europia and the Federation a little early to try and bring more into the loop somewhat. I hope that everyone enjoyed their inclusion, as it was a tough decision on my part. Only a few more remain outside the main plot, I will be dragging them in soon enough.
I know it was quite a wait for this chapter to come out, but I didn't exactly have much choice in the matter. It shouldn't take me as long to produce the next chapter, but it's going to be a long one so it should be worth the wait.
Tentative date for the next chapter should be a little before June or early June.
Also, I'm contemplating the Mao situation I find myself in. I have some ideas, but I would like the perspective of my readers. While a character named Mao will not show up until post-Narita, I would like to see what my readers think about how I should handle the two, if it should even be two.
That's about all I need to say.
King Draconias Over and Out.
