Author's Notes: From now on, I'll list the specific text formats at the start of the chapter. This i mainly so I don't forget what one thing it, and end up mixing them up, followed by the review section ripping me apart.

"Lelouch"-Speech

'What'-Thoughts

"{Live}"-Geass Command

"Stop"-Loudspeaker

"Report"-Radio

Now, back to the story.

Battle for Narita

September 8th, Narita Mountains, 9:42 A.M.

Tank Gunner

A Britannian tank gunner was shaking his head, trying to clear his senses after the earthquake. He was with his squad on the western side of the mountain when the entire place started shaking.

'How did that happen? Actually, what just happened?'

"This is Corinth Squad. Enemy Knightmares approaching down the mountain. Based on their trajectory, they may be heading towards Prince Pollux. They appear to be~" The rest was cut off and was replaced with static.

"Alright, men!" His squad leader exclaimed, "Corinth Squad was just ahead of us. Get into position, and prepare to engage the enemy."

The tank driver took a defensive position behind three Sutherlands. Down the treeline, they saw a Knightmare approaching fast. It was silver, with a flowing blue cape, and the model seemed like it was a Gloucester.

"Fire on my mark. Three~" The lead Sutherland loudspeakers shut off.

'What the?'

"Somethi~ng here."

"I c~st systems."

"O~fire!"

The Britannians opened fire on the Gloucester, but it effortlessly dodged them. It pulled out two giant curved swords, holding one of them in a reverse grip. He fired a tank shell, and the Gloucester sliced the round in two. It then proceeded to butcher the remaining forces, before just as quickly leaving them behind, with his tank being the only one left.

"I only need one good shot."

He began turning the turret around, unaware of the thirteen black Sutherlands following closely behind. Now would he be aware of them raising their rifles at him until it was too late.

Celaeno

Celaeno stormed down the mountainside, carving her way through enemy Knightmares. Zero's plan not only involved dropping the mountain on the Britannians, it also had Celaeno lead a smaller group to attack the western side, before sweeping down towards the southern side at a rapid pace. By doing this, it would look like two massive groups were assaulting them, thus, they would have to divide their numbers to counter.

"Celaeno to Zero, initial strike has been successful. Proceeding to Point Three."

"Excellent work. Reports indicate that the Britannian battle groups north of the mountain have split off, and are moving to our position. Be warned: An unknown Knightmare is with them, heading to the western side. You may encounter it. Suwa and I will continue on our current course, but we'll have to deal with some over eager Purebloods first."

"Acknowledged." Celaeno replied before kicking the Gorgon into high gear. At that exact moment, she saw a towering black and gold Knightmare barrel towards her.

'HOLY!' She jumped back, just barely avoiding being bisected by a giant axe. The enemy Knightmare was bigger than any she'd ever seen.

"Ah" Nonette's replied from the Knightmares speakers, "I see what you've done with Lord Guilford's Gloucester. I believe he'll be wanting it back. Whether it's returned in one piece or in several pieces," the Knightmare's shoulder mounted guns aimed at her, while Nonette readied her axe, "Will be dependent on your next move."

"Lady Nonette Enneagram." Celaeno readied her katanas for battle, "I'll have to decline your request."

Dalton

Dalton launched his slash harkens up the cliff face, trying to get his radio to work. He was caught in the avalanche, but was able to use his slash harkens to prevent being buried or carried off. Luckily, he was able to get a signal to the G1.

"What are our losses?"

"I've only got signals from twenty percent of our forces."

"Only twenty percent? Our command structure can't sustain this."

"General Dalton!" Suzaku's voice called from above. Dalton looked, and saw the Lancelot covered in dirt, but otherwise not looking worse for wear. He began retracting his harkens, pulling himself up.

"Damage report, Warrant Officer?"

"Superficial," Suzaku replied, grabbing the Gloucester's arm and hoisting him up, "However, Lord Asplund appears to be very angry."

"Good. We should rendezvous with the Viceroy and~"

"This is Margrave Jeremiah to General Dalton!"

'What now?' "Go ahead, Margrave."

"Unknown contacts coming from the south. E.T.A. two minutes until they reach us. I'm ordering Villetta and her men to disengage and regroup with us."

'Why were some of his men separated from the main group?'

"This is Praetor Squad. JLF Knightmares launching counterattack from the southern side of the mountain."

'Damnit, if the western foes circle down to the south, then Prince Pollux will be completely surrounded.' "Prince Pollux."

"Dalton?" Guilford's voice replied, "Glad to hear you're still alive."

"Situation report, General." Prince Pollux exclaimed.

"You have enemy forces converging on your position."

"Yes, I figured that when the JLF launched their counterattack alongside the Black Knights."

"You don't understand. The Purebloods are engaging enemy forces south of your position. If the western battle groups fall, you'll be boxed in."

"That's why I'm ordering all forces to break formation and reposition at the southern side. We need to regroup and counterattack. Otherwise, they'll pick us off one by one."

"Very well, your Highness. Suzaku, regroup with Prince Castor and our western forces. I'll continue my way towards the Viceroy."

"Yes, General!" The Lancelot then bolted off, though the terrain did slow his progress.

'These Black Knights really are brilliant.'

Jeremiah

Jeremiah's Purebloods were gathered in a defensive position, waiting for the approaching enemy units when two Pureblood Sutherlands rejoined them.

"Villetta, where are the others?"

"Kewell's Knightmare was destroyed. He might've ejected, but it happened too fast to tell. The Black Knights continued to attack us, so Garvey stayed behind to cover us. However, he got killed shortly afterward."

'Damnit. That imbecile. Though, it's my fault. If I didn't paint a false target on him, he wouldn't have tried to prove his loyalty.' "It's regrettable. However, grieve later, we have~"

"Incoming!"

In an instant, five Knightmares descended on their position. They resembled Burais, but they had two antennae, and the lead one was painted white, unlike the gray of the others.

"Open fire!" The Purebloods began to fire at the Burais, but they quickly dodged them. The coordination of the five was unprecedented.

'The coordination...It's as if they know each other more than they know themselves.'

Jeremiah knew this because the maneuvers they were pulling off were done too fast for orders to be sent. This means that they naturally knew what strategy to pull, and were able to do it without saying a word. One by one, the Purebloods were being ripped apart. His Purebloods were being ripped apart. Jeremiah saw the white Burais impale Villetta's Knightmare before seeing the cockpit eject.

'I've got him,' Jeremiah raised his rifle to fire into his back, 'Nowhere to run now.' His sensor then warned him of a Knightmare dangerously close to his rear. Everything seemed to slow down for him.

'They flanked me. Not a single word was said, and they knew exactly how the others were thinking. I don't have time to dodge, and that sword is aiming right for my cockpit. DAMNIT!'

Jeremiah had no choice but to pull the ejection switch, sending him flying away from the battle.

Celaeno

"Oh," Nonette exclaimed, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you're Celaeno. Well, this should be interesting."

Boss!" A Knightmare behind Celaeno exclaimed. Celaeno turned her Knightmare slightly, keeping the behemoth in sight, and saw her entourage. "Woah. That's a big Knightmare."

'Our men can't handle a Knight of the Round' "Continue the mission! Take secondary route B to the objective."

"We can't just leave you alone with that monster."

"Well, I'm hurt you'd refer to me as such."

"You'd just get in the way." Celaeno retorted softly. It was true. Her Gorgon was the only Knightmare there that could possibly contend with whatever beast Nonette was piloting The others would only get themselves killed.

"...Yes, Sir." The pilots reluctantly exclaimed before turning around and beginning to leave. The shoulder mounted guns on the Knightmare turned towards them.

"Oh, no you don't!" Celaeno quickly activated the KDS, turning the red eyes green, and charged at Nonette. She was ready for her, however, and quickly swerved the guns at her. Celaeno dodged right, keeping distance from the axe. Didn't matter, though, as Nonette did a backspin and brought the axe down on her. It took both her katanas to block the attack. However, the impact did send her flying back a few meters. It seemed to KDS didn't have much effect, if any, on that beast.

"Squire," Nonette exclaimed, "Please refrain from using the VARISs. As much as I want to defeat her, I wish to do it as a warrior."

'What?'

"As you command, Lady Nonette." Another voice from inside the Knightmare replied.

'That thing has two pilots?!' "Well, that's a cheap trick for such an illustrious Knight."

"Oh, and dropping a mounting is~" Nonette was interrupted when Celaeno launched the Gorgon at her, forcing her to block with her axe. Celaeno countered by punching the Knightmare in the head., then slashing at its side when it recoiled.

"Lady Nonette, that last hit just took out our radio!"

"Well, it seems you might be more of a challenge than I gave you credit for."

And thus the Gorgon continued it's deadly ballet with the Knightmare. For several minutes, the Gorgon danced around the titan, but couldn't land solid blows on it.

'Real David and Goliath here.'

Celaeno did a feint, aiming for her left side, when one of the VARIS rifles aimed itself at her. She instinctively pulled back, but that was a mistake. Nonette gripped the axe with both hands and did a backspin, aiming right for her. Pulling her katanas into an X, the Gorgon was sent flying, crashing through a tree, and then a second one, before finally landing on its feet.

"Warning," The onboard systems stated, "Structual damage has to the rear of this unit."

'Really? I hadn't noticed!'

Nonette

"I must say," Nonette exclaimed to Rai, "This woman is very interesting. If I was in my Club, I'd say this would've been difficult."

Rai, however, was currently attempting to fix the radio. "Aaaaaannd...Got it!"

"~eagram, do you read me?!" Guilford's panicking voice came up.

"Gilbert, what's wrong?"

"Prince Pollux is about to be caught in a trap!"

"Wait, WHAT?!"

(Several Minutes Earlier)

Zero

Having dealt with the four Purebloods, Zero's group continued down the mountain, advancing towards Pollux's position.

"Kallen, disengage and continue your assigned objective."

"Right!" Kallen replied, peeling off from the main group.

'When Pollux gets boxed in, he'll attempt to regroup. He'll have four choices to make. Only one of them involves repositioning, and there're only two logical places he could go to. So, little brother, make your move.'

"Enemy forces approaching at 2 O'clock!"

Down the mountain, around twenty Knightmares, accompanied by a few Gloucesters, were moving to intercept.

'But, first, we have the rest of the eastern forces to deal with.' Zero exclaimed as he maneuvered the Morgana behind some dirt hills.

Kyoshiro Tohdoh

Having dealt with the rearguard, Colonel Tohdoh of the Japan Liberation Front was currently leading his squad, the Four Holy Swords, towards Viceroy Pollux's position.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh to General Katase, do you read men?"

"Tohdoh! Thank Kami you've arrived."

"What's the situation, General?"

"An hour ago, the Black Knights contacted us, warning of this attack. We're currently still evacuating, but Zero's forces have diverted most of their attention off us."

"Status of our forces?"

"We're currently down to ten~make that nine Burais."

"Alright. I recommend consolidating our forces near the southern side. We can turn this battle around, General, but we need to act now."

"Right." The transmission cut off.

'If Zero's the man I think he is, then his plan mirrors my own.'

Zero may be the leader of the Black Knights, but it was Celaeno that interested him.

'If I remember correctly, that's the name of a Greek harpy. Could it be~'

"Colonel," Urabe, one of his subordinates, exclaimed, "We're coming up on the Prince's position."

"Right. Listen carefully. If this landslide was man made, then it will allow us to attack Pollux from behind. Capture Pollux now. Take revenge for what happened seven years ago."

"Yes, sir. For the honor of the Four Holy Swords."

Tohdoh launched his Burai Kai above the treeline, descending upon the unsuspecting Britannian.

Pollux

"Incoming!"

A white Burai with antennas jumped over the treeline, impaling a Sutherland guarding his rear. Due to the Margrave's warning, Pollux repositioned his Fountain Guards into two firing lines.

"First rank, FIRE!" The front line fired its volley. Not half a second later, the second ranks opened fire. And this repeated for several seconds. However, no matter how many volleys they fired, the enemy Burais dodged each one.

'Those aren't Burais! They're much too fast. Wait, five Knightmares...Dammit, it's Tohdoh the Miracle Worker!'

Tohdoh's forces clashed with the Fountain Guard, blocking their path to him, but he could see his men would need support.

"Royal Guard, engage the enemy, Fountain Guard, pull back and provide covering fire!"

"Yes, your Highness!"

"Guilford, once you deal with them, meet me and the Sub-Viceroy at Point Nine."

Gilbert Guilford

"Point Nine? I understand." Guilford then began charging at the Burais.

"GAH!" Prince Pollux screamed out.

'What?' Guilford turned and saw the back engulfed in smoke. On the mountain, several turrets were trained on their position, and one got a lucky shot on the Viceroy.

"NO! Fountain Guards, take out those turrets!" Even before he gave the order, several of them that had already disengaged the Burais already turned around and began opening fire, destroying several turrets. "Your Highness?!"

"Minimal damage. However, my radio doesn't seem to be working."

"I understand. Richard, escort the Viceroy."

"Roger that." The Aquarius and a Fountain Guard then left the battlefield.

Inoue

Inoue squad was positioned on the outskirts of the battlezones, looking for any stray Knightmares. They needed to test these guns without the help of Knightmares, or the twins might think the Knightmares did most of the work. That being said, Sugiyama was standing by, ready to assist if things went wrong.

"Britannians about to cross our path." A soldier said. They all went prone and looked down the hill. Around 400 meters a squad of three Knightmares, a tank, and two APCs, were currently heading to where Zero and the main force were engaging the Britannians.

"Firing line," Inoue barked out, even though they were already prone and had their rifles out, "Take out the APCs and tank first. Ready, aim, FIRE!"

The squad opened fire on the Britannians. Confusion spread amongst their ranks, as they tried to find the direction they were being hit by. It was after the second APC blew up that the tank must've spotted them, for it fired at their position. A moment later, it blew up as well. The three Sutherlands began making a beeline for their position.

"Sugiyama, get ready to support."

"Copy."

"Focus fire on one Sutherland! Aim for the legs!"

The first one lost a leg and tumbled forward. The other two began moving from side to side, trying to dodge incoming fire, while they opened fire themselves.

300 meters.

"Tokiyami's down!"

"Keep firing!" Inoue barked out.

200 meters.

The second Sutherland took too much damage to the head unit, and the auto eject launched him away.

100 meters.

"Sugi," Inoue screamed out, "Backup! NOW!"

A black Sutherland bolted out of the treeline, surprising the Britannian, who was now right on top of Inoue's squad. Sugiyama fired his rifle at it, destroying its right arm, and causing it to drop its own rifle. The squad continued the barrage, and ended up causing the cockpit to explode.

After a couple moments of silence, one of her squad mates finally spoke.

"Holy hell, these things are AMAZING!"

"We can now take on Knightmares with our own!"

"HOHO, those Brits are in trouble now!"

However, that didn't matter to her.

"Casualties!" The squad immediately went to check on their wounded. Three injured, and one dead.

'I hope this was worth it.' "Quickly pack up and move to the extraction point."

Guilford

Guilford deflected a sword coming at a Fountain Guard, as the battlefield became more chaotic. More JLF Burais appeared from the mountain, causing the battlefield to become a frenzy.

'This isn't good!'

"Guilford."

"General Dalton, forgive me, but I'm kinda busy."

"I understand. I'm sending you some tactical data. This is Zero's projected course."

One of Guilford's screens changed, showing a tactical overlay, indicating Zero's battlegroup.

"Wait, that position. Prince Pollux was laying a trap for Tohdoh. Now there's a Knightmare waiting for him! Richard, this is Guilford, stop the Viceroy now! You're heading into a trap!"

"..."

"Richard, come in!"

"..."

"RICHARD!"

Kallen

Kallen removed her claw from the destroyed Gloucester and stared down at Viceroy Pollux's Aquarius.

'Now we've got you, you bastard!'

Nonette

"Zero is about to trap Prince Pollux," Guilford exclaimed, "I can't reach his escort, and Prince Castor isn't responding."

"I'm a little busy at the moment! I can't exactly leave without Celaeno blasting me in the back!"

"Lady Nonette!" Suzaku's voice called out. She saw the Lancelot barrel into the area, putting himself between Celaeno and Nonette. "I've come to assist."

"Suzaku? I thought you were assigned to Dalton."

"I was. He ordered me to regroup with Prince Castor. However, he changed my order, telling me to assist you first."

"That idiot boy. Well, since you're here, deal with Celaeno. I've got a couple of Princes to save."

"Yes, Lady Nonette!" The Lancelot readied its MVS blades.

"Good luck." The Gawain charged off, leaving the two Knightmares to duke it out.

'He's gonna need it.'

Celaeno

"Zero, this is Celaeno, Nonette is advancing towards your position. She is using a new Knightmare, much larger than the Lancelot, but possibly just as fast."

"Copy, we've got the Viceroy cornered. Deal with whatever issue you're having and regroup."

"Copy." Celaeno turned off the radio. "So, we meet again, white knight."

"Celaeno."

"Still hoping that you can change the world with bloodless methods."

"It's the only way to make things better!" Suzaku charged at her. Once more, Celaeno activated the KDS, however, much like Nonette's Knightmare, it didn't seem to have an effect. The Lancelot was too fast for her.

'Time to go into overdrive.' She pulled the overhanging lever down further, turning the Gorgon's eyes from green to purple. There was a noticeable drop in the Lancelot's speed. With the Gloucester, the KDS doesn't drain the energy fillers, but putting it into Overdrive mode does.

"What the~?"

"Don't make me laugh," Celaeno retorted, blocking the attack, "Maybe if the world never discovered violence. However, with absolute monarchies like Britannia, the only way it can change is if Charles either changes his ways, or someone else assumes the throne, and I doubt the Emperor is capable of change! Which means the only way to truly change Britannia is to remove him, and I doubt that can be done bloodlessly!"

"Even if you're right, your methods are wrong!" Suzaku circled around the Gorgon, but Celaeno flipped a sword around just in time to block the attack.

'Hmm, let's see how he handles this then.' "Then I guess I should call off our relief supplies."

"What?"

"All across Japan, in all the ghettos, supply trucks carrying relief supplies are being delivered to support the Japanese living there. Clean food and water, specialized tents to keep out the weather, medical supplies. In less than a month, we've done more to help the Japanese living in the ghettos than Britannia has done in seven years!"

"..."

Because of Celaeno's statement, Suzaku had a lag in his reaction timing.

'Time to press the advantage.' Against all logical sense, she charged at the Lancelot. Suzaku blocked the attack, but his left blade was disarmed, and sent flying away. Suzaku backed up, launching his slash harkens while he pulled out the VARIS. The Gorgon dodged the harkens, and then slashed at the cords, effectively destroying them. The Lancelot gripped the VARIS rifle with his left hand and fired, but the Gorgon dodged it.

'This could be a problem. Suzaku's got the more advanced Knightmare.' Celaeno then gave a devil smirk. 'But I'm the better soldier.'

Zero

'Just as I expected, little brother.'

Zero's squad had rallied with Kallen, leaving the main force to continue their mission. When the Widow Squad arrived, they saw the Guren squaring off against the Aquarius, having just destroyed one of Pollux's Fountain Guards. The Aquarius hadn't bothered to turn around and look at Zero, which was smart, as the Guren was far more dangerous.

"I believe this is checkmate, Viceroy," Zero exclaimed over the speaker, "I'd like to ask you some questions. And, just so you know, your reinfor~"

Out of nowhere, one of the artillery cannons flipped backwards and fired at Zero's position. It only hit the hill side, but his Widow Guards instantly moved the Morgana behind them, as the Guren charged at the Aquarius.

"Suwa, take him down!"

"Right." The Guren charged at the Aquarius, but the second cannon opened fire. She used the RWS to create an energy 'shield' and block the attack, though the resulting explosion did obscure her view. The Aquarius pulled out two Knightmare Assault Rifles, and opened fire. Kallen simply heard the guns fire, and began dodging, taking minimal damage. Once again, the first cannon fired at Zero's position, forcing the group to keep down. Daigoro got a lucky break, though, and shot one of the Aquarius's arms off.

The Guren once again charged at the Aquarius, and seeing no time to dodge, Pollux did something that, honestly, surprised Zero: He flipped the first cannon back forward, jumped, and fired both straight down! Kallen barely had enough time to dodge the resulting explosion, as the Aquarius flew over the Guren, and landed several meters behind her.

'Interesting. Just because Pollux specializes in long range combat does not mean he isn't adept at close range.' Zero then noticed that the mechanisms responsible for aiming the cannons were sparking. 'Though, it seems that trick may have cost him dearly.' "Suwa, you alright."

"Yeah. Cocky bastard just threw me for a loop."

"Good, co~"

"Contact!" Yagi exclaimed.

'WHAT?!'

Bursting from the treeline on the opposite side of the ravine, a red Gloucester, the Volanus, came charging, and placed itself between the Guren and the Aquarius.

"Well," Castor exclaimed as he leveled his spears at the Guren, "Seems I'm just in time. Sorry to interrupt your dance."

"Sub-Viceroy," Pollux retorted, "You were supposed to stay with your forces!"

"And you weren't supposed to get caught in a trap. Yet, here we are. I must commend you Zero. Never before has someone forced us to be together on the battlefield, let alone fight side by side. You will still be punished, of course, but maybe we can make it quick and clean."

'Damnit. With both of them here, there's no way we can capture them before reinforcements arrive. Which means~' "Suwa, change of plans. Eliminate those two, permanently!"

"Right!" The Widow Squad opened fire, forcing the twins to split up. The Aquarius opened fire on Widow Squad, while the Volanus engaged the Guren.

Suzaku

The battle between the Gorgon and the Lancelot had been moved to near a cliff face, and still seemed almost evenly matched. Suzaku's systems were still lagging, and he couldn't find out why.

'How can she possibly be this good?"

The Lancelot aimed the VARIS at the Gorgon and fired, but it dodged, causing the round to impact the ground. The Gorgon moved in close, gripped the arm holding the VARIS, and sliced it off.

"MY LANCELOT!" Lloyd screamed out.

However, Celaeno's act may have proved fatal. Time seemed to slow for him, but he saw a strange spherical device on the rear of the Gorgon. Something not on any ordinary Gloucesters.

'That's it!' Suzaku, using his free arm, stabbed his remaining MVS into it.

Celaeno

"NOO!" Celaeno shrieked as she moved back, but the damage was already done. He had just destroyed the KDS. The purple lights turned back to red.

"You're tricks end here!" The Lancelot, now free from the KDS, sped towards her. She fired her knightmare rifle, but he simply dodged it. When he came behind her, she swung both katanas down, but only impacted the ground, as he already moved. Then, he sliced off one of the Gorgon's legs, causing it to fall forward.

The Lancelot stopped itself near the edge of the cliff.

Suzaku

"Give up!" Suzaku exclaimed to Celaeno, "You can't possibly win!"

However, the Knightmare simply stabbed its katanas into the ground, and began lifting itself up.

'Is she insane?' "Stop! You've lost a leg, you can't fight me!"

"Wrong," Celaeno retorted, "I've simply traded sure footing for a killing stroke." She then pushed the katanas deeping into the earth, and dragged the blades into an X.

Then the entire cliffside cracked, and began to descend, but Celaeno's section stayed still. The battle between the two knightmares had damaged the cliff face, and Celaeno's final 'attack' was the last straw. The Lancelot began to fall down with the cliffside.

"Activating slash ha~" Then he remembered: Celaeno had destroyed his slash harkens earlier.

'Did she plan this from the beginning?' "NO!" The Lancelot tumbled down the cliffside, causing Suzaku to hit his head against the side of the cockpit hard. Before he lost consciousness, he could hear Miss Cecile screaming his name.

Celaeno

'I can't believe that worked.' Celaeno was taking deep breaths, exhausted over the ordeal. However, her ordeal may not be over yet. In the distance, she spotted Knightmares approaching. She pulled out her AMS Rifle, and aimed it in their direction.

Zero

'This is getting annoying.' "Suwa," he called out to Kallen over the radio, "Switch targets, now!"

"Right!" Kallen immediately abandoned Castor, and instantly engaged Pollux. Pollux wasn't expecting the attack, having focused on Zero and Widow Squad. Because of this, Kallen got a grip on one of the cannons. The cannon was engulfed in red and black lightning, and began bubbling up. Pollux quickly detached the cannon, however, the resulting explosion also destroyed the arm below it.

"BROTHER!" Castor immediately raised a spear, and was about ready to thrust in Zero's direction. Blue electricity formed around it.

'What the~' "MOVE!" It was too late, as the Volanus thrusted forward, blue lightning shot out of the spear. Mizuka instantly put himself between Zero and took the full force.

"YAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mizuka screamed as the Sutherland was encased in lightning.

"Mizu," Yagi screamed, "Eject! EJECT!"

Just as the Sutherland exploded, a cockpit came flying out of the smoke, slamming head on into a tree.

"Hey, jackass!" Kallen roared as she charged at the Volanus. After dodging an attack, it jumped over Kallen.

"NOW!" Zero and the remaining Widows opened fire while it was still midair. This resulted in the right leg being blown off, and the Knightmare crashing into the ground next to the Aquarius.

"Damnit!" Castor pouted.

"And, with that, Rui Britannians, I win. It seems we may capture you after all."

"Incoming!"

'What NOW!?'

A giant black and gold Knightmare jumped above the treeline, and aimed two shoulder mounted guns at them.

"Evasive actions!" Zero orders as green bolts of energy at them. Naly's Sutherland's lost an arm, but the others were able to successfully dodge. The new Knightmare placed itself between the Princes and Kallen.

'I'm sensing a pattern here. Is Suzaku about to swoop in once we deal with this one!'

"You boys alright?" Nonette's voice came from the Knightmare.

"Ah," Zero said over the speaker, "The Knight of Nine. I'm very curious what a battle between two Seventh Generations looks like."

"Zero, this is Ohgi."

"Go ahead."

"Large number of Britannian forces are converging on the mountain. E.T.A. five minutes."

Zero was now faced with a dilemma: Either abandon the mission, saving the majority of his forces, or continue the assault, and risk the reinforcement. He sighed.

"Kallen, cover our retreat."

"Zero?"

"This is Zero to all forces. Enemy reinforcements are approaching. Move to designated evac points." He then turned his speaker back on. "It seems, Nonette, that this dance will have to be postponed."

"Running away?"

"Unlike the Royal Family, I know when I've bitten off more than I can handle." Yagi moved to Mizuka's cockpit, and picked it up, while the rest of Widow Squad began falling back, with the Guren shortly behind them.

"Why ain't she following us?" Daigoro inquired, "She too scared to face us?"

"No. Both the Rui Britannians are unable to fight back. If she pursued us, she'd be putting them at risk."

"I'm sorry, Zero," Kallen exclaimed, "Sorry I couldn't accomplish the mission."

"Don't feel bad. I doubted we~"

"This is Celaeno to any available units. I need support."

'WHAT!' "Location!"

"South western side of the mountain. Sending coordinates. I think every Britannian on the western side is converging on my position, and I am unable to move."

'South western?' Zero's heart skipped a beat when he saw the coordinates. The only way to get to her was by going through General Dalton's forces, who have regrouped all the southern and eastern forces. Which means~

"Celaeno, we can't reach you! Enemy forces are too thick."

"...I understand." Celaeno solemnly replied with a hint of finality, which Zero did not like, "Continue to evacuate our forces."

"What are you saying!"

"You can't reach me without sacrificing our army. The Black Knights will continue even if I'm gone."

'Nononono, stop it stop it stop it!' "Don't say that. I'll find a way, just hold o~"

"Take care of our sisters, little brother." Then the radio went silent. Zero's face was one of utter devastation.

'This can't be happening. I can't let it HAPPEN!' He tried to contact her again, but only got silence. Her Knightmare signal was still up, so she simply turned off her radio. 'This can't be happening!'

"Zero!" Kallen's voice roared over the radio, "It's not over yet. You're a miracle worker, so think!" Kallen's words seemed to put him out of his mental spiral.

'She's right. Okay, list details: First, there's a massive Britannian force between us and Cornelia; Second, Nonette's Knightmare is north of that force, and, Third, enemy reinforcements will be approaching from the south of that force. We could break through the middle, but it would cost many of my forces. Going around south of them would take too long. Going around north would be faster, but Nonette would no doubt intercept us. If only Kallen went, she'd make it, but they wouldn't be able to reach the evac points before enemy reinforcements arrived, and both Kallen and Cornelia would be captured. Damnit, either I lose Cornelia, or I lose my army. I can't keep both! My men can be replaced, though. My sister cannot!'

"All forces, prepare to~"

"Zero, this is N4," Minami's voice exclaimed, "JLF forces have been successfully evacuated. The only JLF force still here are the Four Holy Swords."

'The JLF! Tohdoh! His men are on the opposite side of the main force, close to Cornelia. He could make it!' "Minami, you still got the JLF frequency?!"

"Yes, Zero!"

"Patch me through!"

"Give me a sec….okay, got it!"

"This is Zero to Kyoshiro Tohdoh. Do you read me?"

"Zero? I don't know how you got this frequency, but you have my thanks. Because of you~"

"We can thank each other later, right now I need your help. Are you located on the western side of the mountain."

"Yes, we're currently falling back tow~"

"My sister is pinned down near your position. My forces have no way of reaching her before enemy reinforcements arrive. Can you reach her?"

"..."

'Please.'

"...Send me the coordinates."

"Thank you, Tohdoh. I'm sending my best pilot to rendezvous with you. We'll be even after this." Zero cut off the frequency, and returned to the BK radios. "All forces, continue your assigned evac strategies. Kallen!"

"Yes, Zero!"

"I need you to circle south of the main enemy force and reach Celaeno's position. You'll meet up with Tohdoh. Save my sister and escort them to Evac Point Storm."

"Yes, Zero!" With that, the Guren flew off like a bat out of hell, heading south.

'Hurry.'

Celaeno

Another tank exploded after being impacted by the Gorgon's sniper rifle. However, every Britannian she shot down, it seemed another was ready to take its place.

'Not the death I imagined.'

Some might call her pessimistic. She was being realistic. With Britnnian reinforcements arriving soon, there would be no way for Lelouch to reach her, not without losing almost all their forces. But, more importantly, it would risk him being captured. She wouldn't allow that. If she somehow got out of this, she could already hear both Lelouch and Euphie scolding her, saying that her death would've done far more damage.

Bullets passed behind her, and she saw a Britannian squad approaching from behind. After blowing up the last Sutherland in front of her, she wiped her rifle around and fired, taking one of them out. However, the rest opened fire, destroying the Gorgon's right arm, and sending the rifle flying away.

'This is it!'

Suddenly, five Burais with antennae bursted out of the treeline, and caught the Britannians by surprise, destroying them in mere seconds.

'What the?'

The leader, a white Burai, moved towards her.

"Are you Celaeno?"

'That voice. Is that Tohdoh?' "Yes. Can I assume that you're Kyoshiro Tohdoh?"

"Correct. Zero requested that we support you." A Burai hoisted the Gorgon up, using the only remaining arm as support, while another grabbed the missing leg and arm, and a third grabbed her rifle and the VARIS rifle

'Of course he would.' "Then it seems I'm in your debt."

"As Zero told me, saving you would make us even."

'Ah, he must be referring to us saving the JLF.' "Before we go, there's a sword north east of our position. It would be very beneficial if we acquired it before leaving."

"Copied. Holy Swords, move out."

Shortly afterwards, as they neared the location, the Guren joined up with them, holding the MVS blade.

"Celaeno," Kallen said, "I picked this up while heading to you guys. I take it the Lancelot's~"

"It's damaged but not destroyed."

"Ah. Zero's ordered me to lead you guys to the rendezvous point."

"Very well then."

Zero

Zero was currently pacing back and forth in the cave. The Black Knights had regrouped at the evac points, and, even though Ohgi had the casualty report, almost none of them could even bother to speak. Most of the Black Knights were deeper in the cave system, loading trucks and preparing to return to the Nest. When Zero gave the evac order, all forces went radio silent, so as to not be tracked back. This, however, meant that Kallen wouldn't be able to report if she got there in time.

'Please, please, please be alright.' Naly then approached him. "How's he doing?"

"Mizuka just got hit by a lightning bolt. But, he's alive, so I consider that a win. He's awake, but I doubt he's coherent."

"Agreed. I'll keep him off Widow Squad until he's ready for combat again."

"Contact!" One of the Sutherlands guarding the entrance exclaimed. Instantly, three other Sutherlands aimed at the entrance, while Inoue's squad ducked behind some rocks and aimed their Arcadons.

"It's Kallen...with Celaeno!"

The Black Knights cheered, while Zero himself was about ready to pass out, but kept his composure for the men.

'THANK GOD!'

The Guren, holding a large sword, entered first, followed by a dark gray Burai holding a severely damaged Gorgon. Three other Burai, and a fourth white Burai followed closely behind them. One of them was holding a blue rifle

'Are those the VARIS gun and MVS blade? The twins are gonna flip.' "Suwa," Zero called out as the Gorgon exchanged a Burai carrier for a Sutherland, "Load them onto the trucks."

"Yes, sir." Kallen replied before moving the Guren deeper into the cave. He noticed the Burai holding the VARIS was hesitant to give it to one of the Sutherlands, and looked towards the white Burai.

'That must be Tohdoh's Knightmare. Makes sense why they're hesitant to give it to us. Tech like that could change the battlefield. However, they saved Cornelia. I won't ask for it, but I won't refuse if they give it to us.' Sure enough, the gray Burai handed the VARIS to the Sutherland, and it proceeded deeper into the cave.

"Ohgi, do we have any spare maps of the cave system?"

"Yes, Zero." Ohgi ran up to him and handed him a rolled up map.

"Kyoshiro Tohdoh!" Zero exclaimed, catching the white Burais attention, "You payment. This map contains a detailed outline of this cave system. We'll be following our own route out through it, but you'll be able to make your own escape with it."

The cockpit opened, revealing a man in his late thirties, with gray eyes and black hair. The man used the Burai's Knightmare harness to lower himself down, and approached him.

"There is no need for payment, Zero," he retorted, "You ensured the JLF will fight another day. That alone is payment."

"Heh, then consider it a gift. One rebel to another." He held out the map to Tohdoh. He moved his arm to grab it, but then extended his arm to grip Zero's wrist.

'?'

"Is it you?" Tohdoh inquired, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes showed determination, like he knew exactly who Zero was under the mask.

'Heh, you were there when Cornelia made her promise. Makes sense that you'd figure out how Celaeno connected to it.' "I did make a vow." He replied, his voice whispering. Tohdoh smirked, releasing his grip on Zero's wrist, and taking the map.

"Then I look forward to fighting alongside you in the future, Zero."

"And you as well, Miracle Worker." He then motioned to his men. "Alright, I want our forces ready to move in five!"

Unknown

On the outskirts of the town near the Narita Mountains, a semi-truck was leaving.

"That was way too close!" One man said.

"Agreed, though this will cause some setbacks. One of the facilities got buried in rubble."

"Mr. Fenette got lucky. Before the battle began, he got a call saying his daughter was in an accident, so he left."

"Yeah, lucky. The timing was too precise. It seemed like he knew~"

"Watch it!" The driver slammed on the brakes, stopping just short of hitting a man with light brown hair. He appeared to be bleeding from the side of his head, as was balancing himself with a pole.

"I must prove my loyalty," The man mumbled, in some form of a daze, "I'm no traitor. I will destroy Zero. I will show my loyalty"

"I will destroy you, Zero"

Author's Notes: Military Knightmares (After Battle): Britannia (39); Black Knights (37); JLF (5)

Before anyone start saying 'There's no way a Gloucester could beat the Lancelot', I'd like to clear things up. You are correct. In this fight, the Lancelot beat the Gorgon. However, Cornelia beat Suzaku. She's far more strategic than Suzaku, and knew that, despite the KDS helping her, she couldn't beat the Lancelot head on. So she put herself in a situation where the terrain worked in her advantage.

Secondly, I've read some reviews, and I've received some PMs of people comparing my story to SeerKing's 'The Prepared Rebellion'. While I am flattered by this, I would highly recommend you read his story, as he is much better at this than I am.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review, and I will see you next time.