Lelouch of the Wings of Rebellion

by MagusZero

In an alternate world without Geass, Lelouch awakens to another power from the Collective Unconscious - Persona. Leading a band of phantom thieves through the Metaverse, he seeks to topple the Britannian regime, stealing one corrupt heart at a time. Featuring the cast and setting of Code Geass, put into Persona 5's overarching scenario.

67. The Raid

Kallen stirred, a blaring noise interrupting her rest. Tossing over on her bunk, she tried to bury her head in her pillow so that she could block out the noise. She hadn't slept so well in weeks; if she could just get five more minutes...

But the noise was insistent, in spite of Kallen's best efforts to muffle it, and as her brain began making sense of what was happening, she realized that it was an alert, and that Marrybell was making an announcement.

"All hands, man your battle stations! All Knights, prepare for launch!"

It was that time already?! Suddenly alert, Kallen leapt out of her bed and hastily dressed herself in her Glinda Knight pilot suit. She could feel her heart pounding. Before long, they would be face-to-face with the enemy, but no matter what they found at the cult's facility, she wouldn't let Lelouch or her friends down.

It seemed that Arthur had already quietly departed some time ago to join the Irregulars as they infiltrated the facility via the Metaverse. She had wanted to see him and the others off, but Arthur must have seen how soundly she was sleeping and decided not to wake her up. Still, she appreciated the gesture, though she felt a bit guilty about wanting to sleep in now, even if the alert had prevented her from doing so.

Hopefully, they had been able to disable some of the facility's defenses. Sokkia and Toto, the Glinda Knights' navigators, had been assigned to take turns entering the Metaverse and making telepathic contact with Land, so that they could relay updates on their allies' progress to Marrybell. But until the princess briefed the rest of them, Kallen had no way of knowing if Arthur and the Irregulars had been successful.

As Alice had said earlier, sneaking into the facility was in many ways like infiltrating a Palace, and that was something they all were experienced in. Yes, any number of things could go wrong during an infiltration, but after a few moments, Kallen put aside her worries; they would be fine. Even if Arthur and the Irregulars had gotten themselves into a tight spot, the arrival of the Glinda Knights and their squadron of Knightmares was sure to draw the enemy's attention away from them.

There was no time for Kallen to grab a proper breakfast before reporting to her Knightmare Frame, but thankfully she had grabbed a ration bar on her way back from the wardroom last night. Quickly unwrapping it, she put it in her mouth, left her cabin, and began a brisk run while trying to chew.. The ration bar's taste was not particularly appealing, but it would do the job of providing nourishment well enough for her.

"It looks like someone wanted to sleep in," Oldrin teased as she came up alongside Kallen in the corridor.

Kallen's reply was unintelligible with the bar still in her mouth.

"Well, as the saying goes, break a leg," Oldrin said.

Kallen swallowed before replying. "You first."

Marrybell was already in the Knightmare bay, along with Sokkia and Toto, all of whom where in their pilot suits, a fact that Oldrin couldn't help but notice.

"You're going into battle?" Oldrin asked.

"Of course," Marrybell replied. "We all are, but I'll be in the fray along with the rest of you."

"Your Highness-" Oldrin started.

"Oz, I appreciate your concern, but if I remain to direct the battle from the Grandberry, then either Sokkia or Toto has to remain with me so that I can keep in contact with the Irregulars. That would mean that we're down two Knightmares. Plus, given what we've learned from the Irregulars' reports, maintaining radio contact with our Knightmares from the ship may be iffy at best, so I need to be there to give commands in person. Besides, we've already come so far; I want to at last grasp the truth with my own hands. And then there's what he said while we were having our recent chess matches."

"If the king does not lead... who will follow?" Oldrin asked.

"Exactly. I will follow his example. I may have lost some of those matches to him, but I won't lose when it comes to this."

Oldrin sighed. "There's no convincing you otherwise when you set your mind to something, but no matter what happens, I'll keep you safe, Your Highness."

"I know you will," Marrybell smiled.

The other Glinda Knights arrived shortly thereafter, and they boarded their Knightmares. Kallen noticed that each of them had been equipped with Sand Panels, which made sense, given the desert terrain. But curiously, Marrybell directed them to head toward the aft cargo hatch of the Grandberry rather than its launch catapult. She didn't say why, just that time was short, and that she would give them a proper briefing once they were in their Knightmares.

Kallen's comms were already tuned to the Glinda Knights' frequency, and it wasn't long until Marrybell's voice came in over the channel, just as she had promised.

"This is it, everyone," Marrybell said. "I have a quick mission update for all of you. I'm transferring a preliminary scan of the surrounding area to each of your Knightmares now."

A three-dimensional map of the area, presented as a wireframe, appeared on Kallen's heads-up display. There was a rugged mountainous formation rising from the nearly featureless dunes of the surrounding desert, but once Kallen saw the scale provided on the side of the display, she realized that the 'mountain' was more of a rocky hill, shaped like a knob.

The scan revealed a number of other points of interest. There were half-collapsed columns flanking a series of steps that led up to a entranceway hewn into the hillside, as well as what appeared to be trees snaking along a ridge that went about halfway up, a most unusual sight in the otherwise barren desert. Kallen had to admit, it was very different from what she had expected a Cognitive Psience research facility to look like.

"This is our target," Marrybell continued. "But it is only the tip of the iceberg. The Irregulars have confirmed that there is a significant population of researchers and their supporting staff underground, and that the facility is far larger than we had initially predicted. Given the presence of vegetation on the surface, and the number of people living below, they must also have an underground water source, which may have once carved out the cavern that they now occupy. Moreover, the bedrock serving as the roof of the cavern both conceals the facility, and effectively protects it against attack from above."

"That's why communication is going to be more difficult, isn't it?" Kallen interrupted. "The rock will interfere with signals from the ship."

"Yes," Marrybell admitted. "However, we do have a way to mitigate that problem, and open another route into the enemy base, rather than just going in the front door." A point began flashing on their maps, near the base of the hill. "The Irregulars were able to determine that the rock is relatively thin in here. If we can deliver shaped charges to that point, we should be able to break through to the cavern below. Depending on where we are underground, we may still have some issues getting a signal from the Grandberry, but it will be a lot clearer than if we didn't open up a path for it."

"Simple enough," Kallen said.

"There is a complication though," Marrybell added. "The Irregulars encountered more resistance than anticipated within the facility, and eventually, one of the guards managed to raise the alarm. They're alright, but the tightened security means they haven't been able to disable all of the outer defenses, and our ship has almost certainly been picked up on the enemy's radar by now. That's why you all had to scramble on such short notice."

"Um... Your Highness?" Marika said, pausing as if to choose her words carefully. "If I may ask, why are we deploying from the aft hatch?"

"As long as their guns are online, we can't safely land the Grandberry to deploy your Knightmares. That means any launch would have to be from the air, but you'd experience too much turbulence if you did so from the catapult, and likely get knocked badly off-course, to say nothing of the speed at which you'd be touching down. Then there's the fact that we'd have to temporarily lower the Blaze Luminous at bow of the ship if you were to go out through the catapult, and that would leave us exposed to enemy fire."

"Blaze Luminous?" Kallen thought. She had never heard the term before. Was it another technology that the Glinda Knights had obtained from Earl Asplund?

"If we could somehow miniaturize Float Systems to fit on Knightmares, an aerial launch wouldn't be a problem," Marrybell sighed, "and we could do it out of range of enemy fire, but as it is, you need to have a low-speed, low-altitude drop if you're to have controlled descents. Thus, you'll be making use of the parachutes built into your Cockpit Ejection Systems. Our technicians have been working overtime to add extra parachutes, so that they can support the entire weight of each of your Knightmares. But needless to say, you'll have to override your Ejection Systems so that they only deploy your parachutes, rather than actually ejecting your cockpits when activated."

"But that means... if we need to eject later..." Sokkia began anxiously.

"You won't be able to do so safely" Oldrin replied. "But once we're underground, if you have to eject, you'll almost certainly be captured and killed anyway, since wherever you land, you'll be surrounded by the enemy."

"Right..." Sokkia said. "Well... I guess that's how it has to be."

"This is my first real Knightmare battle too," Oldrin said. "It's natural to be afraid."

"Yes," Marrybell said, "but we can teach this cult to fear us instead."

"Could we... slip into the Metaverse when we drop?" Sokkia asked. "That way, the enemy wouldn't be able to fire on us as we approach."

"That's true," Marrybell admitted. "But you'd have to return the real world to take out the guns, and I don't think any of us has ever tested using the Navigator at that speed. It may not be safe. Besides, we don't want to reveal that trick too soon, do we? But no matter what you do, be sure to show the enemy our swift justice!"

"Yes, Your Highness," the Glinda Knights chorused. Kallen simply said, "Yes," but the others didn't have the opportunity to make an issue of it as they made the necessary overrides. Then, another voice came in over their radios, belonging to one of the Grandberry's bridge operators.

"Ready to drop in thirty seconds."

Moments later, the sound of anti-aircraft fire could suddenly be heard erupting around the Grandberry.

"Activate electronic countermeasures, and take evasive action!" Marrybell ordered. "Hang tight, everyone!"

The Grandberry wove back and forth, flying low over the dunes at breakneck speed, evading enemy fire while returning its own, launching missiles at the guns closest to the drop zone and firing the light cannons along its top side.

"Twenty seconds until drop"

The Grandberry began slowing down as it neared the drop zone.

"We're taking heavy fire," another of the operators said quickly. "Blaze Luminous at 80% and falling!"

"Divert power to Blaze Luminous along our bow and keel!" Marrybell ordered.

"At once, Your Highness," the operator replied.

"Ten seconds until drop."

"The Blaze Luminous should hold. Pull out of firing range once we've dropped," Marrybell said quickly.

"Five seconds until drop."

Kallen heard the doors at the cargo hatch opening.

"Drop!"

Each of them rolled out of the back of the Grandberry and into the air, with Kallen following right behind Oldrin and Marrybell.

Kallen momentarily felt weightless as she fell through the air, toward the sands below. On her Knightmare's rear display, she saw the Grandberry above her, interlocking glowing green hexagons appearing in the air around it to intercept incoming enemy fire. They were translucent, and flickered slightly each time they were struck, but left the ship itself unharmed.

What?! Was that the Blaze Luminous Marrybell had been talking about? It was some kind of energy shield! Britannia had that technology? It seemed like something out of science fiction. Though then again, once Knightmares and flying battleships would have been just science fiction too, but Kallen knew them to be a very real part of her world.

But Kallen didn't have time to dwell on that as she landed on the dunes below and purged her parachutes so that they wouldn't impede her movement. There was little cover between them and the hillside, and while the Grandberry's electronic countermeasures were able to confuse the enemy's automated defenses, making it far more difficult for them to track small targets, such as Knightmare Frames, they could still get lucky. Then there was the matter that many of the guns were still targeting the Grandberry, which was such a large target that the enemy could hardly miss it. If the dimming glow of the Grandberry's Blaze Luminous was any indication, the ship wouldn't remain protected for much longer. As the Grandberry was built for speed and range, its armor couldn't be very thick, and once its Blaze Luminous was gone, the Grandberry would be shredded unless they could take out some of the guns.

Marrybell and Oldrin's Knightmares were slower than hers, as they were more heavily armored, so Kallen knew it was up to her to take point. Zipping across the sand, she rapidly pulled ahead of the Glinda Knights. Climbing a dune near the base of the hill with her Knightmare's Sand Panels, she used it as a ramp to launch herself into the air. She tossed a Chaos Mine to take out one of the anti-aircraft batteries that was targeting the Grandberry, and then quickly followed up by firing her slash harkens at another battery, destroying it as well. Landing, she powered up her Maser Vibration Knives, and slashed through a third gun.

"Thanks!" Kallen heard one of the Grandberry's operators saying to her. "That's a big help! We're starting to pull back now."

"Someone's showing off," Oldrin said over her radio. "But I'll do my best to keep up with you. Twin Slash!" she suddenly shouted as she cut through another gun lower on the hillside with her Maser Vibration Swords.

"You were doing that in the simulation too, Oz," Kallen said, smiling with a touch of amusement. "You don't need to call out your attacks like you're a pilot from an old anime."

"Hey, it gets me pumped for the battle," Oldrin replied. "Don't tell me you've never done the same, Queen, or that some part of you didn't want to be like those pilots since you were a kid."

"Focus," Marrybell cut in, moving in a loose formation with the other Glinda Knights escorting her, dodging the occasional shots that strayed too close. "As much as I'm enjoying the banter between you two, we can't afford distractions right now. Secure the target area!"

"Yes, My Lady," Oz replied dutifully.

Dropping down, Kallen and Oldrin destroyed a pair of automated machine gun nests hidden among the rocks, obviously intended to neutralize invading ground forces. Fortunately, the enemy hadn't managed to mobilize their Knightmares on the surface yet, so it seemed that the Glinda Knights still held the advantage for now, in spite of being detected on their approach.

'Target area secured!" Oldrin announced.

"Excellent work, my Knight, and good job, Queen," Marrybell replied. "I'm almost there."

Arriving at the target area, Marrybell raised the lance she had been holding. At a glance, it looked like a standard EM Jousting Lance, but it had been modified with a number of shaped charges strapped to its sides and directed to converge at the point. Thrusting it point-first into the sand, lights on the charges started flashing a moment later as Marrybell remotely armed them.

"Begin slow count! Get back, everyone!' she ordered.

The Glinda Knights did so, while the lights on the charges began flashing faster and faster.

"3... 2... 1..." Marrybell counted down.

There was a flash, and the charges on the lance detonated. As seen from the surface, the explosion was not particularly large, but a moment later, a gaping hole opened up, nearly twenty meters across, though Kallen couldn't clearly see what was below through the cloud of pulverized rock.

"That's our entrance!" Marrybell said, grabbing another lance that was strapped to the back of her Knightmare, a normal EM Jousting Lance this time. "It seems to be fairly deep, so be ready to use your Slash Harkens!"

Marrybell leapt into the hole, firing her Knightmare's Slash Harkens into the still-intact ceiling around the edge to slow her Knightmare's descent to a safe speed. Kallen and the Glinda Knights did so as well, eventually settling on solid ground. There were still clouds of debris that obscured her sensors' vision, but when it cleared, showing Kallen her surroundings, she couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"No way!"

The Irregulars had reported that the facility was much larger than anticipated, but that was utterly inadequate as a description.

They were on the outskirts of a small city, situated inside a cavern so vast that there was no way that it could be entirely natural. Blocky, densely packed concrete buildings, many of them between ten and twenty stories tall, filled the floor of the cavern, paved streets lined with street lamps crisscrossing between them. There were even buildings, just as taller or taller, extending from the ceiling of the cavern like stalactites. There was an enormous structure in the center of the city, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, which gave off a gentle light that illuminated the cavern as a whole. But it also gave the place an eerie purple glow.

Pausing to take in her immediate surroundings, the 'ground' that she and the others had landed on was actually the rooftops of a shorter cluster of buildings, about four to six stories tall. It almost seemed to serve as a tiny suburb to the larger urban center. Glancing into the streets below, Kallen saw a pile of rubble from the hole that Marrybell had blasted into the cavern, which had heavily damaged several nearby buildings. A number of mangled bodies could also be seen, dressed in what appeared to be lab coats, trapped under the rubble. Most of them appeared to have been killed instantly by the falling debris, but there were a few who were clinging to life, their movements spasmodic, and their breathing labored.

Enemies as they were, it gave Kallen no pleasure to see the researchers suffering like that. But people were always going to die during the raid, and it wasn't time to start wasting tears on the guilty. Her heart was a nuclear inferno, one that had given birth to a hellish Persona like Guren Jigoku, but she would shield it with numbing ice if need be, inimical as it was to her.

Shots rang out. The dying researchers jerked violently as the bullets ripped into them, and then stopped moving.

"My Lady!" Oldrin gasped.

"They weren't going to survive," Marrybell replied. "Considering the sort of work the cult does, I did them a far greater kindness than they deserved by putting an end to their suffering quickly. You understand that, don't you, Oz?"

"Yes..." Oldrin sighed heavily. "But My Lady, remember... She who fights monsters..."

"My Persona is the Wicked Witch of the West," Marrybell said wryly. "I'm already a monster, Oz. But... you make me less of a monster... so I'll keep your advice in mind."

"Thank you, My Lady. That's all I ask."

Seeming satisfied, Marrybell said, "Knights, status reports!"

Each Glinda Knight confirmed that their Knightmare was still in good operational condition. Sokkia's anxiety, however, seemed more pronounced than before, but when pressed, she said, "I'm fine. I won't let myself be a burden."

Marrybell then requested a status report from the Irregulars. Toto briefly entered the Metaverse to reach out to Land, while Sokkia used the enhanced communication equipment built into her Sutherland to contact Sancia, in the event that the Irregulars were in the real world at the moment. It turned out to be the latter, as Sancia's voice came in on their Knightmares' radios.

"All of us are still in good shape, including Arthur," Sancia said. "But ever since we got caught by that guard, security has been tight. He must have been a Persona-user, since we ran into him in the Metaverse. We pursued him, but he managed to get away, and when we returned to the real world, the enemy was aware of our presence."

"We expected that we might have to face enemy Persona-users," Marrybell replied. "But knowing that for certain makes it a crucial piece of intelligence."

"But that's not all," Sancia continued. "Right after we encountered him, a group of Shadows appeared. We lost him while we were fighting them."

"Shadows?" Toto asked, letting out a small gasp. "But... that's impossible! There isn't a Palace here!"

"We're not sure why they're here either," Sancia replied, "but the fact of the matter is that they're here. Still, if you can draw the enemy's attention, we should have enough breathing room to disable the rest of the guns, so that the Grandberry can land."

"We shall," Marrybell said.

"Something was really strange about that guy though," Dalque' voice interrupted. "He looked a bit like Oz... same shade of blond hair and all."

"That doesn't mean anything," Alice replied irritably. "Lots of people have hair like that. Besides, it's not like we could tell much else about him with that mask of his, so let's not waste any more time on this."

"I agree," Sancia said. "But while we were in the Metaverse, Land was able to pinpoint what we think is the compound's mainframe," Sancia continued. "She's also identified likely locations where the enemy may be keeping their captives. They're both near the center of the city. I'm transmitting their coordinates to you now."

"Thank you, Order," Marrybell replied. "Let us know if you run into that Persona-user again."

"Affirmative. Order, out."

Several flashing dots appeared on Kallen's display as they were relayed to her Knightmare from Marrybell's.

"Scarecrow, continually sweep the area with your Kightmare's sensors," Marrybell instructed. "We can use them to construct a more detailed map of the city and cavern as a whole."

"Yes, Your Highness," Sokkia replied.

"Though... I suppose this is more of a geofront," Marrybell mused as Sokkia carried out the scan. "There's clearly been extensive excavation to expand the cavern for urban development. I didn't think they had passed the conceptual stage yet... But that doesn't matter," she said, chiding herself as the scan's results came in. "It appears we can follow the main boulevards to our destination," she announced after a moment. "Our path is clear! Commence the attack!"

"Right!" Kallen and Oldrin agreed in unison.

Revving their Knightmares' Landspinners, Kallen and the Glinda Knights moved in formation toward the city proper.

They hadn't gone far when Sokkia's voice came in, saying, "I'm picking up multiple enemies a-approaching!"

"Well, we weren't going to remain hidden after that entrance," Oldrin said. "Steel yourself, Scarecrow! We'll get through this together!"

A squadron of enemy Knightmares appeared, emerging from behind buildings further down the boulevard. They were a mix of Sutherlands and Gloucesters, but unlike the Empire's standard Knightmares, they were painted almost entirely black, with purple highlights on their shoulders and over their Factspheres. Doubtlessly, it was an elite unit, given the custom paint job and the importance of the base to Britannia.

"Traitors!" a male voice from one of the enemy Knightmares barked over an open channel. "Not only do you transgress upon this holy place, you strike against his Majesty! We have you outnumbered! Surrender at once, and you will be given the chance to repent for your sins!"

"You're one to talk about sins, defending a place like this," Kallen shot back. "And a chance to repent our sins my ass! I know how Britannia works, so you can take your false offer and shove it! Don't underestimate us!"

Kallen charged forward in her Knightmare. The enemy Knightmares did as well, opening fire, but Kallen was ready, and dodged with grace, barely slowing her Knightmare down. Oldrin followed closely behind her, though the Glinda Knight's heavier machine meant that she couldn't match Kallen's speed.

"Let's try this!" Kallen said to herself. Pressing a button on her phone, which she had duct-taped to her Knightmare's control console, Kallen's Gloucester entered the Metaverse. To the enemy Knightmares, it would seem that she had disappeared into thin air.

Kallen only travelled through the Metaverse for a few seconds before returning to the real world, emerging behind the enemy squadron.

"What?!" she heard one of them shout. "How dare-"

One of Kallen's Maser Vibration Knives slashed through the offending enemy Knightmare, even as she launched herself into a kick that knocked the next enemy off-balance as the knife in her Knightmare's other hand followed right behind it. A third enemy Knightmare, a Gloucester, tried to turn around, but she had launched her Slash Harkens, which at such close range struck it in the neck with enough force to decapitate it. That wasn't enough to destroy the enemy Gloucester, as its cockpit block was built into the torso, but it did render her enemy all but blind without their Factsphere Sensor. The pilot of the black Gloucester flailingly tried to bring up their EM Jousting Lance to block Kallen's incoming strikes, but he was doomed already.

"Too slow," Kallen said, cutting through the shaft of the lance and then the arm that held it, while her other Maser Vibration Knife swung in a deadly arc from below, slashing into the enemy Gloucester's cockpit block.

The doomed pilot let out a terrified scream, but it was quickly cut off. Another moment later, the first two black Knightmares that she had attacked exploded, but Kallen's own Knightmare remained untouched by the flying debris. Turning to face the remaining Knightmares in the enemy squadron, she brandished her Maser Vibration Knives in a battle-ready stance, as if challenging them to take her on.

"That bitch just killed three of our men like it was nothing!" one of them shouted.

"How can she appear and disappear like that? Is that Knightmare equipped to enter the Metaverse?"

"We are Knights of Pluton," another man in black Gloucester said to the others. "Do you not remember your oaths? Nothing else matters but seeing His Majesty's will done! Kill her, and All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!" the pilots of the other black Knightmares shouted.

"So you're called Pluton, after the God of the Underworld," Kallen said disdainfully. "Then I just have to send you scum to your very own room in Tartarus first!"

They would be expecting her to slip into the Metaverse again, but Kallen hardly needed to resort to such gimmicks to have the upper hand. They didn't stand a chance against her at close range. Her martial arts-inspired fighting style went against years of conventional Knightmare combat theory. Britannian pilots trained in the use of Stun Tonfas, commonly equipped to Sutherlands, but they were only intended as a secondary weapon, with most relying on strafing targets with their Knightmare Assault Rifles instead. Moreover, the speed and complexity of her maneuvers were practically unthinkable coming from a 5th generation Knightmare and so most Britannian pilots would never be trained to defend against anything like them, to say nothing of her Maser Vibration Knives, weaponry from a 7th generation prototype.

The entire enemy squadron had been wiped out no more than thirty seconds later. Oldrin managed to eliminate several enemies with her Maser Vibration Swords, and Marrybell also got one, but Kallen had killed well more than half of them.

"W-we've got... two more enemy squa-squadrons! Coming in... on the sides!" Sokkia said, sounding on the verge of panic, even as she desperately tried to keep herself together.

Indeed, red dots indicating enemy units appeared on the 3-D maps that Sokkia's Knightmare was relaying to each of the Glinda Knights' Frames. A short time later, more black Pluton Knightmares arrived, flanking the Glinda Knights, though Sokkia's warning had given them enough time to assume defensive positions.

The Pluton Knightmares opened fire.

"I-I'm hit!" Sokkia cried.

"Calm down, Sokkia! It's just a glancing hit; your Knightmare's still in one piece!" Leonhardt said over the Glinda Knights' channel. However, it did not seem to reassure her at all; Sokkia was still hyperventilating.

"Hang tight," Tink said, positioning his Knightmare in front of Sokkia's. It had thicker armor than the other Sutherlands, and it would prevent the enemy from having a clear shot at her.

Kallen had at first wondered why Marrybell had entrusted such important equipment to someone known for wrecking whatever machines she rode in. Without Sokkia's Knightmare mapping the geofront for them, and boosting their signals so that they could at least maintain some contact with the Grandberry, they would be in trouble. Supposedly, Sokkia's analytical skills made her the best suited to using the complex instruments and interpreting the constant stream of data that they provided. But now they were faced with another problem. Sokkia was clearly suffering from a combat stress reaction, and her analytical abilities would be no good if she couldn't think straight. It would make Sokkia an active liability to the team.

But there was still a battle to win, and with Tink protecting Sokkia, Kallen could focus on her own job. She made short work of one of the enemy squadrons with Oldrin at her side, relieving pressure on the other Glinda Knights, who would no longer have to worry about being surrounded.

Meanwhile, Marika and Leonhardt had engaged the enemy coming from the other side, while Marrybell and Toto provided covering fire. Marika showed a surprising degree of skill, and she destroyed her opponent's Knightmare with cold precision. It reminded Kallen that in spite of her young age, Marika was definitely a trained soldier. But it was more than just training. Marika wasn't quite at Oldrin's level yet, but watching her fight, it was clear that Marika was a Knightmare prodigy, and more skilled than her fiancé, though Leonhardt was hardly a slouch as a Devicer. Perhaps there was more to that despicable Vampire's attempted recruitment of Marika into the Valkyrie Squadron than just his own sick pleasure; a Knight of the Round couldn't go into combat with escorts that would just get in their way.

Still, for Marika to become a solider, and then a killer at such a young age... It was something that Kallen understood all too well. Britannia had stolen much of her childhood from her, and committed countless acts of violence against the Japanese people, leading her to join the resistance and engage in terrorist activities. She hadn't hesitated to take the lives of the Pluton pilots, and she certainly wouldn't shed any tears for faceless Britannians who had been actively assisting a cult engaged in unethical research and a plan to bring about the end of the world. But killing still took its toll. Violence inevitably led to further violence and hatred, yet once one's hands were stained in blood, it was ever more difficult to stop, lest everything one had sacrificed along the way be in vain.

Clearly, both of them were good at killing on the battlefield. But in the kinder and gentler world that Lelouch wished to create, they wouldn't have to, save as a last resort to keep the peace. Countless others would be able to have happy childhoods, and grow up in a world without discrimination, where they would be free to be themselves. To echo Marika's words earlier, it wasn't a Japanese or Britannian thing... everyone deserved that chance... but they'd never have it if Ragnarok came to pass.

Kallen and Oldrin helped their allies mop up the remaining enemy squadron, leaving the ruined husks of enemy Knightmares in their wake. For the moment, it appeared that they were safe, but there was no telling how many more reinforcements the enemy might have.

"Scarecrow, are you okay?" Oldrin called out.

"I... I messed up, huh?" Sokkia said sheepishly, her voice trembling. "I... did fine earlier... in the simulator. Even when I was... fighting... in the Metaverse... we were fighting for our lives there... and those battles... weren't any less real... than this one. But I... so why?"

"Fighting in the Metaverse is very different from Knightmare combat in the real world," Leonhardt said softly. "In the Metaverse, you have supernatural powers. Your physical abilities are greatly increased, your Persona can protect you from harm, and even serious injuries can be almost instantly healed by magic. Here, it's just you, your Knightmare, and your wits, without any second chances. You never were part of the military until you joined West, Scarecrow, and you skipped a lot of the requisite training, so there was always the possibility that this could happen, no matter your skill as a pilot."

"If you can overcome this, you'll be fine," Tink said. "If you can't, you'll have to give up being a Knight. It's only going to get tougher from here. That goes in the Metaverse as well."

Tink's words may have seemed harsh, but Kallen sensed a genuine, underlying concern for Sokkia within them. Perhaps Tink simply wasn't sure of how to express that in any other way. She certainly couldn't argue with the truth of what he had said.

"This was... your first time in... a real Knightmare battle too... wasn't it, Queen?" Sokkia asked. "You... were amazing... like it didn't even faze you... How do you do it?"

"Technically, that wasn't my first life-or-death battle in a Knightmare," Kallen replied, thinking back to her early scuffles with the Knightpolice, back when she was just a resistance fighter, and hadn't yet been introduced to the Metaverse. "But I've never been in such a large battle before, outside of the simulator. As for how I do it... I'd say it's because I know exactly what I'm fighting for, and how much it means to me, so I'll endure anything if it brings me closer to that goal."

"I completely agree," Oldrin said. "This is a battlefield, and we are Knights. We must be prepared to shed our own blood... and sometimes, to spill the blood of others, to protect what we cherish most."

"Indeed," Marrybell said, "That is what it means to clad one's self in crimson."

"But you've got all of us here, Scarecrow," Oldrin continued gently. "We can't turn back now, but we'll be with you every step of the way, no matter what you choose in the end. But first, we have to get through this mission together. You don't have to be fighting on the front lines. You just need to be our navigator. Can you do that, Scarecrow?"

"I... won't be a... burden?" Sokkia asked.

"You won't be, as long as you can keep yourself calm," Oldrin replied.

Sokkia took several deep breaths.

"I'll try."

"You will," Marrybell corrected. "I did not entrust you with the responsibility of being one of my Knights lightly. I have every faith that you will see this through to the end."

At that moment, a transmission came through from the Irregulars.

"This is Order," Sancia said. "We've just finished disabling the rest of the automated defenses. The Grandberry should be able to land now."

"Excellent," Marrybell replied.

"Since we're already so deep in the facility, we'll move to free the captives and escort them back to the ship, while you can secure the mainframe."

"I concur. Good thinking."

"There is something else you should know though... when we were in the Metaverse a moment ago, Land picked up a number of strange readings near your position. We think enemy Persona-users may be sneaking up on you."

"Thank you for the warning," Marrybell said. "We will investigate that at once. Glinda Knights! Enter the Metaverse!"

Kallen and the others complied. The world momentarily twisted around them as they moved into the Metaverse, noticeably more than it should have outside of a Palace, where Distorions would be practically imperceptible. But once they were there, they saw that Land had been correct. There were five figures that hadn't been there before, furtively making their way toward them. Yet something was odd; there didn't seem to be any adults among the group. They were three boys and two girls, the oldest among them barely a teenager, if even that, each carrying small packs with them. Were the children before them really enemy Persona-users, or were they captives, as the Irregulars had once been, trying to find their way to freedom?

Even Marrybell appeared to falter for a moment, as if wary of breaking her word to the Irregulars. But when she spoke again, there was steel in her voice.

"Halt!" Marrybell called out over her Knightmare's external loudspeakers. "I have no wish to harm children if it can be avoided, and if you are seeking sanctuary, I can provide it, but I do not have the luxury of waiting long for an answer. Turn around slowly, keeping your hands away from your faces, and identify yourselves, or face the consequences!"

Freezing in their tracks, the children turned to face Marrybell. Each of them was masked, marking them as Persona-users, but strangely their masks were nearly identical to each other, stark white and crisscrossed with blood-red lines, forming geometric patterns that vaguely resembled a sun with orbiting planets.

"Who are you?" a boy with neatly-cut black hair, who appeared to be the group's leader, asked. "Father said we shouldn't talk to strangers."

"It's okay," Toto said reassuringly. "You can trust her. She may seem scary, but she's really a nice lady."

To Kallen, that came off as a obvious lie. The more she knew about Marrybell, the scarier she became. A 'nice lady' was only the image that Marrybell projected to the public, and as they were on a mission, Kallen had seen little of it lately. Still, she could understand why Toto was telling it. As Marrybell had said, none of them wanted to harm these children if it could be avoided, and just maybe they could learn more about the facility...

"You must be the invaders," the boy said, and Kallen felt her hopes quickly falling. "What do you want here anyway?"

"Your Father sounds like a very important man," Marrybell said sweetly. "Perhaps you could bring us to see him. That's all we're really here for," she lied.

The boy nodded, but then Kallen realized it was more to his companions than to Marrybell. "Then it's clear..." the boy said. With sudden speed, he ripped away his mask, and the other children did the same.

"Persona!" five voices shouted in unison.

"No!" Toto cried desperately, "Please, you don't-"

The children's Personas rushed toward them, but before Kallen could even think of summoning her own, there was the sound of gunfire, from the anti-personnel machine gun mounted to the underside of Marrybell's Gloucester. It missed the boy's Persona, but struck him in the chest... and suddenly, there was a series of massive pink explosions, consuming all five children in an instant, leveling nearby structures, and hurling debris at the Glinda Knights. The children's Personas vanished as well, dissipating like Shadows did when defeated, extinguished by the deaths of their users.

Kallen simply stared for a moment, still shocked by and trying to make sense of what she had just seen. Sokkia screamed in fright, almost sounding as if she was about to have a heart attack. But as the light faded, Sokkia murmured, "We're alive," and let out a deep sigh of relief, though she continued to breathe heavily afterward.

"So... they were bombers..." Kallen finally said, frowning. "They were probably planning to drop their payloads near us in the real world, and then escape to the Metaverse... You reacted so quickly, West. Did you expect them to pull something like that?"

"I did," she replied grimly. "Assuming that this wretched cult was behind the assassination of my mother and sister, it wouldn't be the first time that they've used children as bombers. It was simply too convenient for them to be near our position otherwise, and those packs could have easily held conventional explosives... or, as we saw, liquid sakuradite. While expensive, it makes for easily concealed bombs with vastly outsized explosive yields relative to their size. If we had been closer when the sakuradite detonated, we probably would have been killed by the blast too."

Toto could be heard sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Oldrin turned toward Marrybell's Knightmare, and asked, "Was there really no other way? They were children, West!"

"Believe me when I say that I took no pleasure in it, Oz, but they had become hostiles. Their 'Father' was using them as suicide bombers; I doubt he expected them to survive their mission, and I acted to protect us all. Besides, did you not say that sometimes a Knight must spill the blood of others?"

"I did, but-" Oldrin started, struggling to find the right words.

"They were likely raised from a young age to be fanatically loyal to the cult's goals," Marrybell said. "It's a standard practice in terrorist groups. You'd never see such young children as suicide bombers otherwise. As such, there was nothing that any of us could have said that would have changed the outcome. Focus your anger against those who made them like that, Oz. Then you... no, we can see justice done for this tragedy."

"I won't forget what happened here," Oldrin said, taking several deep breaths herself now. "But there are still those that we may be able to save... that's what's important now."

"And I will let the Irregulars know to be on guard against such a tactic. We all knew that the enemy might attempt sabotage once the Grandberry lands, but in the right place, bombs like those could kill everyone on the ship."

xXx

There was a heavy silence as the Glinda Knights returned to the real world, but their work was not done. It seemed that most of the enemy's military strength had been exhausted by the destruction of the three Pluton Knightmare squadrons earlier, but every so often they encountered small clusters of enemy units as they made their way toward the center of the city.

"You won't get away with this, traitors!" one of the surviving enemy pilots snarled. "You probably think those infiltrators of yours can steal the Director's prototype while we're busy dealing with you, but they'll never get the chance! It's too well guarded!"

"You talk too much," Kallen said, ending the pilot's life with her blades.

"Though that was an interesting detail he let slip," Marrybell said. Raising the Irregular's frequency, she asked, "You haven't encountered any mysterious prototypes, have you? The guards here seem to think you're trying to steal one."

"No," Sancia replied. "We have not. We can keep an eye out for it if you'd like, but our priority remains rescuing the captives."

"Naturally. I wouldn't ask anything else of you."

As they continued to near their objective, they saw that many the city's inhabitants had taken to the street, trying to flee to safety. However, there did not appear to be any organized effort to evacuate the population, as they were running every which way in a panic, some trying to carry their notes with them, others trying to help their companions escape, while many seemed focused soley on their own survival.

The majority of the city's population appeared to be either researchers, or civilians who kept their facilities running smoothly, with very few soldiers among them, save for those that Kallen and the others had already killed.

For her part, Kallen didn't go out of her way to target the Cognitive Psience researchers and civilian personnel, instead focusing on military targets. A small part of her remembered that Shirley's father had been such a scientist for Code-R, and the effects that his death had on his only daughter, yet sentiment could only go so far. Given the crimes everyone working in the city was complicit with, if they got caught in the fray, that was their problem, not hers.

Of course, Oldrin would never intentionally target noncombatants, in accordance with the Code of Chivalry. Marrybell was far less discriminating, firing on those foolish enough to obstruct her path, whether they were soldiers or researchers. However, she stopped short of ordering her Knights to massacre the city's civilian population.

Kallen suspected that it was more of pragmatic consideration on Marrybell's part than anything else. Marrybell would have needed at least forty or fifty Knightmares to slowly encircle the city and block off any escape if she was to exterminate the cultists, and doing so would have been a waste of time. It would give the enemy more time to purge whatever data they had or execute their captives, to say nothing of the fact that they only had so much operational time to begin with before their energy fillers ran out. There also had to be the knowledge that Oldrin would categorically refuse any such order, which could dangerously strain, if not irreparably damage, their relationship, especially after the incident with the children earlier.

Strangely, a part of Kallen couldn't help but envy Oldrin, in the event that either of them was faced with such a terrible decision. Oldrin could choose between her principles and her personal loyalty to Marrybell. But if Lelouch was here, and gave the order to kill every last cultist... No... even if it was a truly abhorrent order, one that might result in the deaths of countless innocents... Kallen knew that there would be no choice for her. Or rather, she had made her choice already. She would carry out the order to the best of her ability, regardless of the cost to herself, as long as he still loved her and it advanced their shared goals. More than that, she would do it again and again if necessary, no matter what sort of person that made her beneath her mask. But she had long since come to accept that as part of herself.

As for Sokkia, she had managed to prevent herself from falling apart again, and provided steady updates on the battlefield situation, but it was clear that she was still badly shaken. Sokkia had chosen 'fight' over 'flight' for now, but it was clear that she would be utterly drained once they were out of danger. Kallen doubted that Sokkia would be able to sleep well that night. But then again, they all might have trouble sleeping, given what they had already seen... and might yet see...

They reached the building at the center of the city, where the mainframe was supposedly located. Not bothering with subtlety, they blasted a hole in one of its walls, and drove on in, seeking the most direct route to their objective. Still more researchers fled in terror as they burst through one laboratory after another, posing no further resistance.

Before long, they had arrived at the mainframe itself. The equipment was all state-of-the-art, but there were also a number of screens in the room, glowing with red letters spelling "D.O.M. Hostia", and a symbol much like the one that Euphemia had described seeing at the Kaminejima Ruins.

For some reason, the screens gave Kallen the creeps. It felt like they were being watched. As for the words themselves, 'Hostia' looked like it was Latin. If she had been with them, Leila would have probably known what it meant, but Kallen didn't know for sure. It reminded her of 'host' or 'hostile', but she had a feeling that it was neither of those, and she had no clue as to what 'D.O.M.' meant.

"Tear out whatever you can," Marrybell said. "We can analyze the contents later." She then accessed the Irregulars' frequency again. "We've reached our objective. Have you located the captives yet?"

"We have," Sancia replied, though she didn't sound happy at all. "We have several dozen children here, most of them very young. Many of them are even younger than Speed and Power were when Code-R took them."

"They were being subjected to the same sorts of experiments too, and isolated from others, so they could be brainwashed into joining the cult!" Alice angrily cut in.

"So it's just as I thought," Marrybell said darkly.

"But that's not all," Arthur hissed. "We found out where all those Shadows were coming from! They take the captives who are too old to indoctrinate... and they turn them into Shadows!"

"What?!" Kallen gasped. "How is that even possible?"

"Well, maybe it's more accurate to say that they were extracting people's Shadows," Arthur grumbled. "No, more like ripping them from their bodies!"

"Wouldn't that cause a mental shutdown in the victim?" Marrybell asked softly, though it was clear that she was holding herself in check.

"It may be worse than that," Lucretia said sadly. "While horrific, the suffering of the victim of a mental shutdown is usually short; they do not survive for long. But a mental shutdown is normally triggered when someone's Shadow is destroyed. These people's Shadows are still intact, and free to roam the Metaverse, but they can only act on instinct, and are reduced to monstrous forms. Meanwhile... the people themselves... without that fundamental part of their psyches, they just slowly waste away, unable to care for themselves... or about anything. From what notes we were able to find in the laboratory, the researchers called the condition caused by removing someone's Shadow 'Apathy Syndrome', and their victims as 'The Lost'. But that's not the cruelest part..."

"It was a dirty trick that they played on us!" Dalque fumed.

"We found a number among The Lost who appeared to have died very recently," Sancia said. She paused. "We probably killed them without realizing we were doing so when we destroyed their Shadows in the Metaverse."

"I don't get it..." Alice said. "Madd was a twisted bastard, but at least that lunatic's brand of madness made at least some sense. If he could have controlled us, we would have become Persona-using super soldiers for Britannia, and he would have been praised for it. But this... what's the point of this?!"

"It's nothing less than the butchery of the human mind." Oldrin added.

"And sacrilege against human life itself!" Marrybell snarled.

"There's another thing," Sancia said. "When we got here, the laboratory was quite thoroughly ransacked. I can't tell though if it's because the researchers were frantically trying to grab what they could on their way out, or if someone else was here, searching for something."

"Be on your guard," Marrybell replied. "If there is someone else here, we don't know if they're friend or foe... and that blond Persona-user you encountered earlier is still unaccounted for."

"We will. Order out."

"Who else could know about this place?" Toto asked.

"Maybe some disgruntled researcher wanted to take back their work, and took advantage of the confusion to make an escape?" Leonhardt suggested.

"Not likely," Tink said "Even if they could make it to the nearest oasis town, they'd still have to cross the rest of the desert."

"I think that's the least of our worries right now," Marika said. "I thought the Knight of Ten was sick.. but the desires of whoever's running this facility are so distorted that there definitely should be a Palace here. Yet we haven't seen any signs of one when we've entered the Metaverse. Something's not right."

"But if they don't have a Palace, they must-" Marrybell began.

Before she could finish, the screens in the room suddenly flickered, changing to display the image of a man who was at least in his sixties. He had long, silvery hair, held away from his face by a pair of black clips trimmed in gold, which made him look even older, but also slightly effeminate. His eyes were a dark pinkish purple, filled with malicious intelligence, and he had a face that looked strangely familiar to Kallen, but not in a good way. Like Lelouch did in the Metaverse, the man had a cravat, though his was black and over a white tunic. A black cloak, which was violet on the inside, draped the man's shoulders, and spread into a wide collar.

"So, you're the ones who so brazenly invaded this research facility" the man said, though his voice maintained an air of false pleasantness. "I watched you make your way here. All of you are Persona-users. The Glinda Knights, I presume? And the others would be the Irregulars. I did not expect you to so effectively take advantage of the chaos unleashed by the Black Knights. Suffice to say, you have exceeded my every expectation."

"And you must be the one those children called 'Father'," Marrybell replied. "Are you the leader of this cult? Did you oversee those experiments?!"

"The children call me their 'Father', yes, though to others working for me, I am known as the Director. But I object to your characterization of my organization as a mere 'cult'. I am a psientist first and foremost... but it is nonetheless useful to structure ourselves as a religious order."

"You can dress it up all you like, but it's still a cult," Marrybell spat. "One that conducts the most unholy research imaginable while ruling Britannia from the shadows. Nothing can excuse what you've done!"

"You have learned much, but you still understand little, I see," the Director replied. "Humans have filled this world with lies, and in doing so, they have turned it into a void. They have allowed themselves to be enslaved, shackled to their own lies and ignorant of the true nature of this world. Yet we work in the shadows, to bring about a new world where mankind will be free of despair and the tyranny of the Gods that they cling to. If that is not salvation, then what is?"

"Don't give us that crap!" Kallen shouted. "Do you have any idea how much suffering and despair you've caused already? And you expect us to believe that your 'Ragnarok' is somehow salvation? Not only that, like a coward, you refuse to face us! Show yourself!"

"Unfortunately, it seems that you cannot comprehend the magnificent potential of Ragnarok," the Director said, shaking his head. "You are but a child, yet have already wrapped yourself in lies. So allow me then to show you a glimpse of the truth..."

"He- he's going to try something!" Sokkia called out.

The atmosphere around them shifted slightly. Then, Kallen felt a dreadful, alien sensation, as if something was forcibly pulling her from her Knightmare. The space around her twisted again, and she found herself roughly thrown onto a cold, hard floor. Glancing around, she saw that the same had happened to the other Glinda Knights. Tapping the floor with her fingers, she saw a slight pink splash from it, which splattered like blood. Their Knightmares were nowhere to be seen.

Somehow, the Director had dragged them into the Metaverse.

Looking up, Kallen saw a dais, upon which there was a throne. The Director was seated there, smirking, as his eyes went to each of them in turn.

"I thought that was you, 88th Princess Marrybell mel Britannia..." He turned to her side. "And her loyal Knight... Oldrin Zevon... plus the other traitors you managed to pick up along the way. You've been quite the annoyance to me, and for that, I shall have to discipline you personally. But while we're speaking of traitors and discipline..."

The Director's gaze fixed itself on Toto. "Don't tell me that you led the Princess here, Toto... or shall I say, 'Agent Gremory'. You would betray your Father like that?"

"What are you saying?!" Oldrin demanded.

"Oh... you didn't know?" the Director asked, laughing. "Why don't you tell them, Agent Gremory?"

Toto seemed like she was rooted to the spot, and didn't say a word.

"I see you've grown disobedient, child," the Director said. "If you will not tell them the truth, then I will." He stood from his throne. "You see, the girl you know as 'Toto Thompson' was raised in this facility, and I acted as her Father, as I did for the other children here. Of course, 'Toto Thompson' isn't her 'real' name; like my other agents, she doesn't have one, merely the codename of 'Gremory', and the alias of 'Toto'. But I suppose I can use that alias for her, if it makes it easier for you to understand." He smirked, as if taking pleasure in twisting a knife. "I sent 'Toto' to the Zevon family to serve as one of their maids, with instructions to befriend their young heiress and become like a sister to her, all while keeping an eye on her and the 88th Princess for me."

"You... were a spy?" Oldrin asked Toto.

"Yes," Toto sighed, not making eye contact with Oldrin. "When I first arrived at your home.. I was just my Father's heartless servant... I had never had a friend before, nor seen the outside world... You welcomed me with open arms... even though I never deserved such kindness from you."

"But that's not even the least of your treachery," the Director sneered. "Toto here has been a Persona-user for far longer than any of you have. Though she lacked much in the way of experience in the Metaverse, her Persona is special... You see, it can partially manifest in the real world... as can my own."

"That's impossible!" Marrybell snapped.

"You think so?" the Director asked. "The 'real' world and the Cognitive world are not so different as you would believe. You probably know that her Persona can induce forgetfulness... but it goes far beyond that. Lethe can erase memories altogether. Toto was ordered to do so if you ever began looking into certain things that you shouldn't. She tampered with your memories, and those of your Knight, several times over the years." The Director scowled. "But she should have erased your memories as soon as any of you found out the location of this facility, let alone about Ragnarok."

Toto stood up herself. "I followed your orders too well, Father. No matter what sins I committed against them in the past... they are my family now. And I... I am no longer your subservient puppet! I will protect them from you... and the rest of the Order, if I have to!"

"Yes, I miscalculated," the Director replied, sounding bored. "But you were always a stupid girl, Toto, and you yet again prove your foolishness irredeemable." He laughed. "Very well, Toto. I will permit you to join your friends... in their eternal punishment!"

Dark phantasmal flames swirled around the Director. A white mask appeared, covering his whole face, save for his eyes and lips, its mouth spread into a psychotic smile, while an elaborate black headdress, with yellow triangles on the sides, crowned him.

"No way!" Sokkia cried. "This guy's power is insane! We are so screwed!"

"Come, Nyarlathotep!" the Director shouted, grasping his mask.

An inky black figure appeared above the Director, looking vaguely like some some sort of misshapen squid, but one with three legs, ending in scaly, vivid green hooves, and a pair of arms that terminated in a writhing mass of black tentacles around green hands. Another mass of tentacles took the shape of a long beard. Lines of blue and white suckers covered its body. Or were they eyes?

Regardless, everything about it seemed wrong, a violation of nature, and simply looking at it was unsettling. Kallen felt as if her mind was straining to make sense of something that was incomprehensible, and the abomination before her was the closest thing that she could come up with. She could tell that the others were similarly affected.

"Stand firm!" Marrybell ordered, stepping forward. "I know that you're all afraid. But we can't fail here! Face your fear and don't give into it! That's what courage is! Fight, my valiant Glinda Knights!"

The Director laughed. "Fight all you like, there's no escape!"

Thrusting its limbs forward, Nyarlathotep opened its mouths, one of them where it should be, and the other two hidden within its arms, lined with sharp teeth, and fired off a powerful curse spell, Maeigaon. Toto was the primary target of Nyarlathotep's first volley, but Oldrin dove in, her momentum carrying both of them out of harm's way.

"You'd save me?" Toto asked, looking up at Oldrin. "Even after everything I've done?"

"There's a time for that later!" Oldrin said. "Besides, you said it yourself! No matter what you did in the past, we're family now!"

"Someone who betrayed you is your family?" the Director sneered. "There could be no worse form of betrayal! And you, Toto... how does it feel to know that the one whose trust you betrayed time and again is willing to throw her life away for someone as worthless as you, all because her code as a Knight demands it? She says that you're family, but she must hate you for what you've done."

"I-" Toto began.

"You're wrong," Oldrin said over her, glaring at the Director. "But you'd never understand."

Before the Director could attack Oldrin and Toto again, Kallen called out, "Guren Jigoku!" Her Persona flew to engage Nyarlathotep in battle, seizing the Director's Persona and blasting it with nuclear energy at point blank range.

"Got you!" she shouted.

"Have you?" the Director smirked.

"Huh?!"

Her attack had undeniably caused significant damage to Nyarlathotep, but already the horror's wounds were closing up as eldritch flesh regenerated itself at an alarming speed.

"What the hell?!"

"Now I've got you," the Director said.

Nyarlathotep's tentacles shot outward to restrain her Persona.

Not again! She had been careless!

"Dorothy!" Oldrin shouted. "Garudyne!"

It was a bizarre sight, a small girl in a blue dress with silver shoes, standing against the Director's nightmarish Persona. But then a mighty gale swirled around the Director and Nyarlathotep, battering both of them. The Director staggered and fell to his knees, causing his Persona to dematerialize for a moment, which was all the opportunity that Guren Jigoku needed to escape to a safe distance.

"Thanks!" Kallen said.

"I was just returning the favor," Oldrin replied.

"Lethe!" Toto shouted, removing her mask, attempting to cast her memory-erasing magic on the Director while his guard was down. But he only laughed in amusement.

"Did you honestly think such a cheap trick would actually work against me?" he asked as he rose to his feet. "You're even stupider than I thought, Toto."

"We'll have to coordinate our attacks!" Marrybell called out. "We have to do enough damage in a short enough time to overwhelm his Persona's regeneration ability!"

"No matter what you do, it's useless." The Director laughed maniacally as he prepared to summon his Persona again. "Nyarlathotep!"

xXx

Meanwhile, the Irregulars were making their way out of the laboratory, leading the captives with them to safety. Lucretia had been periodically ducking in and out of the Metaverse to monitor the positions of Shadows and enemy Persona-users, while being protected by one of the others on a rotating basis, but when she returned to reality, her face had gone pale.

"The Glinda Knights... they're in trouble!" she cried. "They're all in the Metaverse, and fighting an enemy Persona-user, or some monstrously powerful Shadow... I honestly couldn't tell which... But they need help right away!"

Sancia grimaced. "We can only at most spare two of us."

"I'll go," Arthur said. "Queen's my teammate."

"And I'll go with Tama," Alice said. "I'm the fastest out of any of us, especially in the Metaverse, so if he goes with me, we'll have the best chance of making it to them in time."

"You'll need more than just two Persona-users if your friends are fighting who I think they are," a voice said.

"Who's there?!" Sancia demanded, pointing her gun in the direction that the voice had come from. "Show yourself!"

A figure dressed in a spec ops uniform stepped out from their hiding place, holding up their hands in a gesture of surrender. Between the thick protective padding that covered their torso, and the helmet that concealed their features, it was impossible to determine if they were a man or a woman.

"Don't shoot," the newcomer said. "I mean you no harm. We may even be on the same side."

"You're a Britannian soldier," Sancia said coldly.

"I just took the uniform of one," the newcomer replied, "and you're dressed as soldiers too. But that's not what's important right now. I'm a former prisoner of this place. I was subjected to their experiments, but I managed to escape, and now I've returned for payback. I know my way around here better than any of you... and I have something that can help your friends escape."

There was a Knightmare's activation key dangling from one of their fingers.

"They probably could really use some extra firepower right now," the newcomer said. "And there's a prototype Knightmare nearby that should provide exactly that. But there isn't time for me to explain everything; you'll either have to trust me, or you'll have to save your friends on your own. So what will it be?"

Sancia knew that if what the newcomer was saying was true, then it meant they had a sort of kinship with each other, as fellow escapees of Cognitive Psience research projects. Yet meeting a friendly Persona-user here almost seemed too convenient; it could be a trap. But could they really afford to refuse the newcomer's offer of help right now, when their allies were in trouble?

At last, Sancia reached her decision.

She hoped that it was the right one.

xXx

The Glinda Knights' battle against the Director and his Persona continued at a feverish pitch. Nyarlathotep's attacks were relentless. It tried to cast Mamudoon on the Glinda Knights, a curse capable of causing instant death to all within its effective radius, but Marrybell had anticipated the attack, summoning Norn to cast Tetraja, which shielded them from its effects. But while Nyarlathotep seemed to favor curse spells, it was hardly limited to them. The Director's Persona had a range of elements at its disposal, as well as sleep, fear, and brainwashing-inducing spells, against which they constantly had to be on guard.

Oldrin and Marrybell could interrupt Nyarlathotep's spells by casting Garudyne, as the Director would recoil whenever they struck his Persona's elemental weakness, breaking his concentration. That in turn gave the Glinda Knights openings, during which Leonhardt and Marika would attack in perfect tandem, while Kallen would cast Freidyne at range, careful not to let herself get caught again. Tink would join in with heavy physical attacks, while Sokkia would try to weaken Nyarlathotep's defenses and Toto would simultaneously increase the Glinda Knights' offensive power, so they could inflict as much damage as possible while the enemy was vulnerable.

Yet it felt like they were making very little progress. As soon as Nyarlathotep was able to go on the attack again, it would begin to recover whatever damage they had dealt to it. They were slowly wearing it down, but the Director's Persona was wearing them down faster.

"You know," the Director said conversationally, even as his Persona continued to attack them, "in a way you've actually saved me a good deal of trouble. The research necessary to initiate Ragnarok is already complete. There were other projects we were working on, yes, but they were hardly critical, and sooner or later it's best to tie up loose ends."

"What are you talking about?" Toto asked fearfully.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he replied with a smile. "That which is no longer necessary should be discarded."

"You're going to murder everyone in the city!" Oldrin shouted.

"I think the charges I have set into the ceiling of the cavern should do it," the Director said. "I'll activate them after I finish you off here. Once enough people witness the collapse and realize their impending doom, that shared Cognition should be enough to trigger the collapse of the cavern in the Metaverse as well. It's an elegant solution, if I do say so myself. Once I eliminate you, it will catch those Irregulars and the experimental subjects that they're trying to steal from me no matter which world they're in. I can't have any of them talking about what they saw here, after all. But what is it that you children say these days?" He smirked. "I think it goes, 'Rocks fall, everyone dies'. Does that sound about right?"

"You won't escape either if you do that!" Oldrin said.

"That's where you're sorely mistaken," the Director replied. "Your uncle has been working on another project for me, a Knightmare Frame with vastly more firepower than the toy that Camelot can't find a proper test pilot for, and its own Float System too. I'll admit that it's not fully operational yet, but I had to requisition it right away for final construction here, after the Second Prince thought he would go poking around with its brain earlier this summer. I'll strafe your ship with its cannons on my way out, just to be sure that there are no survivors."

"How dare-" Oldrin began.

"Sorry we're late!" Arthur's voice called out, interrupting her.

Glancing behind her, Kallen saw that Arthur had arrived in the throne room, carried by Alice. She had her phone out, and had pulled a pair of the Glinda Knights' frames into the Metaverse with her, both of them armed with MVS weaponry. Kallen knew that it was her own Knightmare, along with Oldrin's.

"Tama!" Kallen cried out, feeling both happy and relieved to see him. But beyond that, or the firepower that Alice had brought in the form of their Knightmares, both Arthur and Alice's Personas could could cast wind magic. Paired with Oldrin and Marrybell, that was four of them who could target the weakness of the Director's Persona. If they timed their attacks properly, they could keep the Director and his Persona almost constantly staggered, allowing the rest of them to continuously attack while Nyarlathotep was unable to heal itself. Kallen didn't know if the Irregulars had planned it that way, or it it was just a stroke of luck, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Marrybell must have realized that too, and quickly directed Arthur and Alice to attack Nyarlathotep with wind magic, giving Kallen and Oldrin a chance to dart over to their Knightmares. But it seemed that the Director also realized that the odds were rapidly turning against him.

"To think you'd... push me this far..." he said, glaring hatefully at Marrybell. "I guess... you leave me no choice..."

"Do you think you can just surrender?" Marrybell asked.

"No," the Director said, shaking his head. He grasped his mask tightly. "Nyarlathotep! Show them your true form!"

The ground shook, and black tentacles erupted from the ground, as if through a portal around the Director. A massive figure that was much more humanoid in shape emerged behind him, visible from the waist up, but it was still in no way human. The white dots in the centers of what Kallen had originally assumed to be suckers or eyes had grown in size, revealing white mask-like faces, all with fearful or agonized expressions. It had no other discernable features to speak of, save for green bands running horizontally across its waist, arms, and, tentacles.

"Do you like it?" the Director asked, laughing manically. "Die, and be devoured by the Crawling Chaos!"

Nyarlathotep renewed its attack. Quickly, to their dismay, the Glinda Knights realized that the dark Persona's new form was no longer weak to wind magic. However, Maser Vibration Swords still worked just fine. Nyarlathotep could conjure new tentacles at an incredible pace, but between Kallen and Oldrin's blades, they slowly began beating the horror back. The only reason why they weren't able to immediately end the fight by cutting the Director in two was that whenever they tried, the tentacles would form a thick cocoon around him, thick enough to slow their blades. He would then sink into the portal that Nyarlathotep's tentacles emerged from, and reappear in another part of the room, ready to try to tear them or their teammates apart.

But their attacks were taking their toll on the Director. He was now visibly bloodied, and breathing raggedly.

"Now... it's really time... for me to... stop playing around," the Director wheezed.

"His Persona is building up a massive amount of energy!" Toto warned. "We have to finish things now!"

There was a sudden blast, and part of the wall on the far side of the throne room gave way, opening it to the outside. Beyond the hole, there was an unusually tall black Knightmare, with yellow trim, fins on the backs of its shoulders, and horns, floating in the air.

Was that the prototype she had heard about?

"Just focus on getting out of here," a voice said from the unknown Knightmare's speakers. "I'll cover your retreat."

Kallen couldn't tell if it was a male or female voice, though if forced to choose, she would have said it sounded more on the masculine side.

"You made it!" Alice exclaimed. "I almost thought you weren't really going to come!"

Evidently Alice had been expecting the newcomer, but hadn't seen fit to tell the rest of them about it. Either there simply hadn't been time, or Alice had purposefully refrained from doing so, to avoiding tipping their hand to the Director.

"Remember me, Director?" the voice asked. "I've now taken your precious Gawain."

"Impossible!" the Director gasped, seeming to recognize the voice. "You're supposed to be d-"

"Everyone, follow me and take cover!" Alice called out. Her voice was urgent enough that even Marrybell knew to follow her lead.

Panels opened up on each of the black Knightmare's shoulders, revealing crackling red energy gathering at the tip of each. "Firing Hadron Cannons!" the newcomer said after several seconds.

Bolts of highly-energized plasma shot forth scattering over the area below as if it was from a shotgun, albeit one that was continuously firing. Most of the bolts missed their targets, leaving small craters in the floor and leveling the Director's throne, but a number of them ripped into Nyarlathotep, blasting off chunks of tentacles and leaving glowing cauterized stumps behind. The Director let out an agonized cry, burns appearing all over his body, though it seemed that his Persona had taken the brunt of the damage for him.

"Curse you," the Director seethed. "Don't think that this over..."

Kallen only glimpsed it for a moment as she made he retreat alongside the Glinda Knights, but she saw Nyarlathotep wrap its tentacles around the Director one more time, pulling him down into the portal. Then both of them were gone.

Quickly finding their way back to the room with the mainframe, which was not far from the throne room, they returned to reality. The rest of their Knightmare frames were waiting for them there, as were the screens, which once again read "D.O.M. Hostia".

Then, the screens switched to displaying a countdown.

"You brats won't get away," the Director's voice said over a set of speakers. "At least I can take pleasure in knowing that."

Kallen swore. "That creep managed to activate the base's self-destruct!"

"Everyone! Back into your Knightmares!" Marrybell ordered. "We won't make it on foot! Leave the mainframe!"

"My Lady-" Oldrin began.

"I know, Oz," Marrybell grimaced. "But it will slow us down too much if we try to take it with us. It's not worth our lives right now."

Oldrin nodded, "I agree. Let's get out of here, West."

xXx

They pushed their Knightmares to their limit as they raced to the outskirts of the doomed underground city. The main entrance was too far away, but if they could reach the tunnel that the Irregulars had used to infiltrate the city, they might be able to survive.

But there were still thousands who would not.

There was an explosion above them, and chunks of rock rained down, as cracks began to form in the ceiling of the cavern.

"Those were the first charges!" Marrybell said. "We don't have much time!"

Charges continued to detonate along the cavern's ceiling in sequence. Kallen supposed that the only reason the ceiling hadn't collapsed on them already was that the rock was much thicker there than where they had broken in. It would take a lot of explosives to bring the entire ceiling down. But the cracks were widening, and more debris continued to fall, forcing them to weave back and forth to avoid it and costing them precious seconds.

"We are so going to die!" Sokkia cried.

A large chunk of rock began falling in front of them, threatening to obstruct their path... But suddenly it was blasted apart in mid-air as red plasma bolts slammed into it, reducing most of it into harmless fragments, while the rest was vaporized outright.

"You're almost there," the newcomer's voice said over an open channel from the Gawain. "I'll continue to cover you."

"I appreciate the assistance," Marrybell replied, "but if you're going to make your own escape, you need to do so now. There should be an opening to the outside at these coordinates, but it won't be long until it caves in. Rendezvous with our ship, if you can." She paused. "I'm... very interested in speaking with you."

"As am I..." the newcomer said. "I'll see you there."

The Gawain broke off, making a beeline for the hole that the Glinda Knights had opened at the start of the raid.

"And Terry..." Marrybell said sweetly. "I think Oz and I are going to have a nice little chat with you too when we get back to the ship."

"I will submit myself to whatever punishment you choose for me, Your Highness," Toto replied. "I betrayed both of you, so I deserve nothing less."

Marrybell laughed, even as she continued to dodge falling rocks. "It's nothing that sinister! As long as you cooperate with us..."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will."

The last of the Glinda Knights managed to enter the tunnel just before falling rocks blocked off its entrance. The tunnel itself was shaking violently, but there was a still-intact monorail train waiting for them there, with several cars attached to it, suitable for transporting a squadron Knightmares. They must have been used to bring in Pluton's Knightmares to the city earlier, but there no time to waste thinking on that further. Commandeering the monorail, and setting it to its maximum speed, the Glinda Knights, Kallen, Arthur, and Alice zoomed away to safety through the darkness of the tunnel.

xXx

From the bridge of the Grandberry, Sancia looked back as the rocky hillside marking the cult's city grew small below her. Plumes of smoke rose from it now, and the city's final destruction could only be moments away. They had managed to evacuate all those captives that they could, but there had been no choice but to leave The Lost behind. Nothing could have been done for them, and there had been too many of them, whom they would have needed to carry out, taking time they didn't have. It was the terrible burden of leadership to make such decisions, but Sancia knew there had been no viable alternatives, and that was a role that she had taken on for herself following the breakout from the lab at Narita.

The Gawain followed them in the air. Its pilot was still a mystery to her, but there was no denying that they had helped them. And if the pilot truly had been a former prisoner of the cult, as they claimed, did that not mean they had a certain kind of kinship with her and the other Irregulars?

There was a loud rumbling noise from below, and parts of the desert suddenly gave way, falling into what appeared to be a massive sinkhole, and burying the cult's city in countless tons of rock and sand. How many thousands had just perished? The researchers had committed unforgivable crimes, but she had never witnessed such a wanton act of mass murder before.

Sancia sighed. She was certain that at least Alice had managed to escape with the others. But she would feel much better once she could see that for herself.

xXx

They regrouped on the outskirts of the oasis town where the tunnel emerged from. Everyone on their team had made it there in one piece, and the Gawain had landed next to the Grandberry. Marrybell couldn't help but feel a certain trepidation. The Gawain's pilot had helped them against the Director. That didn't necessarily mean that they were a friend, just that they had a common enemy for now. But if they knew anything about the cult's activities that could help them, she had to take that chance. Toto might be able to shed some light there as well, but there was no evidence that Toto had been to the cult's city in years until their raid, so her knowledge of its activities would likely be outdated.

That betrayal still hurt. Oldrin had always been closer to Toto, but the young maid and double agent had been a constant presence in Marrybell's life ever since she was sent to live with the Zevons. Toto had even known of her relationship with Oldrin before anyone else, but had kept quiet about that. Or had she? But somewhere along the way, Toto had turned against her original master, the Director. Toto's actions were proof of that, but knowing what she did now, doubt gnawed at Marrybell, and fresh seeds of paranoia planted themselves in her mind.

What had Toto made Oldrin and herself forget? That was perhaps the most important question of all. Until it could be answered, how could she really trust anyone... even herself?

The Gawain's pilot dismounted, and removed their helmet.

Marrybell felt herself freeze in place.

Was fate mocking her?

The Gawain's pilot not a man, but a woman... a woman with unkempt and frizzled rosy pink hair, and blue-violet eyes... Though perhaps calling her a 'woman' wasn't quite right; she was at least a year or two younger than Marrybell, though the way she carried herself made her seem like she had been forced to grow up too fast.

"I was called Eurydice when I was with the Order," the Gawain's pilot said, now in a distinctly feminine voice, much different than the one she had used while threatening the Director. "But I go by 'Lyra' in the Metaverse. I'm pleased to meet you all."

Eurydice noticed that Marrybell was staring at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Do I... know you? " She paused. "I suppose... we do have some resemblance to each other. That doesn't happen every day."

"What have I been doing all these years?" Marrybell whispered to herself.

Eurydice, Lyra, whatever she was called... Her mannerisms weren't quite the same, yet for a moment, Marrybell couldn't help but see traces of her younger sister Julia in Eurydice.

No, Julia mel Britannia was dead, killed in the same bombing that had claimed her mother's life. She had seen that with her own eyes, hadn't she?

But... how much of her life was actually real? And how much of it was a lie? She now knew that her memories had been tampered with...

Marrybell didn't know what to believe.

xXx

"You have returned to Pendragon far earlier than you planned, Victor, and you come in such a state," a deep voice said. "Tell me what has happened."

"The Glinda Knights, aided by the Irregulars, have attacked and destroyed our research facility in the Taklamakan Desert, massacring the entire population," the heavily-bandaged Director said. "I was the only survivor. The 88th Princess led the assault, armed with state-of-the-art military technology. They stole the Gawain, and they even know about Ragnarok! There were a pair of Black Knights there too, so that means both of Marianne's children know as well! We must act immediately before they can further jeopardize the plan!"

"Short of changing my heart, there is nothing that can stop Ragnarok now," the Emperor replied. "They are but children, throwing tantrums in their ignorance, yet they may still prove useful to us. Persona-users of their potential are more valuable to us than any armies, and cannot simply be created in a lab. Their power is to be cultivated, and harnessed for our purposes, not destroyed recklessly. In any case, they will come to understand the necessity of Ragnarok in time."

"And what of the Holy Grail, Charles?" the Director pressed.

"The Grail cannot hide within Mementos forever. Soon, it shall be within our grasp. My prodigal son and daughters still have roles to play there. Then we shall use the Sword to destroy it when we open Heaven's Door. Is that not the promise that we made together, all those years ago... big brother?"

The Director chuckled. "Indeed, Charles. The most splendid relationship in the world is that of loyal siblings."

"This may be a world of lies, but we shall never lie to each other," the Emperor recited.

"And we shall destroy this world together, to create a new world without lies," the Director replied.

"Indeed, big brother," the Emperor nodded.

"You will soon hold the power of Mementos, and with it the ability to create the new world," the Director said. "In its creation, I shall guide you, as I always have. That is what a big brother is for... though sometimes I wish that I could have borne that burden in your stead."

"Do not apologize for that, big brother," the Emperor replied. "I have learned much in my time as Emperor. All people are liars, hiding behind masks of deceit, and the vast nation that we call Britannia will never change on its own. It has only strengthened my resolve to do what I must for the sake of the new world."

The Director paused. "Speaking of the precious relationship between loyal siblings earlier made me think of something. Is that why you have always been so fond of Lelouch and Nunnally, Charles, because they have that sort of bond with each other? Perhaps you even admire how Marrybell goes to such lengths for her deceased younger sister? It is truly touching to think of it like that, in spite of whatever frustrations and injuries they have caused us. To suffer tragedies like they have so young... it makes them like us, does it not?"

The Emperor was silent.

"I'll admit," the Director continued. "I am also actually quite fond of Lelouch myself. He reminds me of you, Charles. That is why I shall defer to your judgment in this matter. I shall make sure that he remains under observation, but no harm shall come to him or his sister."

"Is that a promise, big brother?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes... it is," the Director replied, allowing himself only a slight, devious smile.

A/N:

At long last, the raid is complete!

The cult's underground city is much better-guarded than its canonical counterpart in the anime, which did not have significant defenses. This was primarily to allow for more action in the chapter, but from a pragmatic standpoint, one would have thought that Britannia should have protected such a major research base better than they did. Moreover, Oz the Reflection eventually establishes that Pluton, a Britannian Black Ops organization that serves the Emperor, came to be overseen by the Director, and they canonically carried out certain missions on behalf of the Order. Therefore, I deemed it was reasonable to have Pluton Knightmares guarding the base in this story.

As an aside, I spent quite a bit of time listening to FFX's "Assault" music when writing the start of the raid with the Grandberry, followed by "Guren" from Code Geass R2, so if you want some music to accompany that part of the chapter, those are my suggestions.

Marrybell and Lelouch always had similar capacities for brutality in their canonical versions. However, this story's Lelouch has several Morality Chains, strengthened by the bonds that he has fostered thus far. In contrast, Marrybell has only one strong Morality Chain at the moment, Oldrin, and she hasn't yet developed her bonds with the other Glinda Knights to the same extent that Lelouch has done for his fellow Black Knights/members of the Student Council. Most of them were Lelouch's friends before they became his subordinates in the Black Knights, while the opposite is true for Marrybell and most of the Glinda Knights. Thus, I have chosen to portray Marrybell as being significantly more ruthless relative to Lelouch following his character development.

Sokkia's breakdown parallels her canonical reaction to her first real battle in Oz the Reflection. Unlike the canonical Sokkia, she was able to at least pull herself together enough to continue fighting here, though she'll still have to deal with the trauma of the battle afterward.

The kids who the Glinda Knights encountered in the Metaverse are intended to be the same five children who where shown in the canonical invasion of the city, one of whom used their Geass against the invading Black Knights. As for the liquid sakuradite, I took inspiration from the bomb that canon Lelouch used in the last episode of the first season of the show.

"D.O.M. Hostia" appears in facilities run by the Geass Order's Nightmare of Nunnally incarnation, a touch I decided to include to connect to other aspects of worldbuilding that I have borrowed from that manga. Plus, it gives them a bit of an extra SEELE monolith vibe...

Now, those familiar with the broader Persona series will notice a number of interesting developments in this chapter. Firstly, "The Lost" are from Persona 3, and some of the Director's dialogue draws from Ikutsuki, also from P3, though I will not elaborate on their significance to this story as of yet. Far more significantly, Persona fans may recognize the name of "Nyarlathotep." I would like to clarify right now that while Nyarlathotep's appearance is drawn from Persona 2 here, Nyarlathotep's role is intended to be much more similar to that in Persona 1.

Now, as for why Nyarlathotep is the Director's Persona, since using such a recognizable figure in the series should not be done lightly... For starters, as the end of the chapter makes clear, "the Director" is actually Victor zi Britannia, better known in canon as the immortal "V.V.", though he is mortal here without a Code. V.V.'s personality is slightly different in this story, as he actually was able to age normally instead of eternally being stuck in the body of a ten-year old, though I tried to retain some of his childish mannerisms. Victor zi Britannia is still a sadist, thinks of himself as a manipulator, grants others power for his own nefarious purposes, and is one of the leaders of the plan to usher in the end of the world as the characters know it... traits that Nyarlathotep shares.

Nyarlathotep's first form in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, is weak to wind, so that was reflected in this story. His second form lacks such weaknesses, as also seen here.

The Director's/V.V.'s Metaverse outfit is loosely based (but not identical to) that of Joker from Persona 2: Innocent Sin, who also wielded Nyarlathotep as a Persona (albeit in a different form). P2: IS Joker's outfit also fairly neatly matched the color scheme of V.V.'s canonical outfit.

Though not specifically detailed in the TV series, Oz of the Reflection establishes the Gawain to have been privately developed by the Zevon family, whose current head is a member of Pluton. Given that Pluton is aligned with the cult/Order, it seemed reasonable that the Director/Victor/V.V. would have been able to get his hands on it.

As for Toto's backstory, finding information online for her is rather difficult, given that Oz the Reflection has not been fully translated into English. However, I was able to find a full French translation of the first half of Oz online, and by typing relevant scenes into Google Translate, I was able to get enough of it into English to fill in the details of her backstory. Referring to V.V. as her "Father", or herself as his "his heartless servant" are details taken directly from that translation. Canonically, I do not believe Toto is ever given a formal codename within the Order, so at the suggestion of my primary beta, I chose "Gremory" for her, following the Ars Goetia theme previously seen in "Agent Nebiros".

As for Eurydice/Lyra, and the blond guard whom the Irregulars saw earlier... I'm not going to comment further on them for now, but all will be revealed in due time...

Next time, we will be back to Lelouch. Thanks for reading!