Rise of the Monarch

Author: Tenno Hikari

Fandom: Code Geass R2 (Sort of crossover with the webtoon Solo Leveling and the Destiny video game).

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Synopsis: Like shattered pieces of a mosaic falling into place, Lelouch remembers his death during the Black Rebellion and the strange rebirth that followed after. Zero has revived his rebellion against Britannia; fighting on the front lines and armed with terrifying new powers in replacement of his lost Geass. If the strong must conquer the weak for the sake of peace… then so be it.

Chapter Two

[Hunter ability: Blade Dancer activated]

So… this is power?

He could feel it singing in his veins. He could feel his fatigue and whatever residual pains from previous wounds all disappear. He could feel the fear of his enemies upon the realization that they were no match.

Unlike the Arc bolt grenade that killed seven Dregs, Julius could feel the Arc energy encompass his entire being. Two short swords replaced the daggers in his hands; they were extremely light, like extensions of his own body. He could hear the hum of electricity and see the bright pale blue light reflected upon the horrified eyes of his enemies.

[Blade Dancer only has a 12-second duration. While active Mobility, Intelligence, Strength, Resilience, and Attack will temporarily be increased by 10. Fatigue will be reset to 0.]

'Only twelve seconds?'

No matter, it was more than enough time since seven of his targets were standing only a few feet away. A few started to turn to flee, but the hunter was already upon them before they took their first step. His blades cut through them with ease, as if flesh bone were nothing but paper. His increased mobility had allowed him to chain kills. Each attack that felled an enemy would strike the other and render them immobile.

When the deadly dance ends, all Dregs are reduced to nothing but ash. He even had two seconds left to kill another, if only one more had been present. However, it doesn't matter as he's pleased to see the progress he's made in such a short amount of time.

[XP bonus on a multi super-kill. You've leveled up!]

[Perception and awareness have increased.]

Julius was now level 4. However, the novice Hunter doubted he could take down the Dungeon's boss yet. He probably needed a couple more levels to do it. There were bound to be different and stronger enemies, and he could feel that it would be a while before Blade Dancer could be used anytime soon.

Looking down at the remains, he was surprised by two shimmering gems instead of weapons. One was bright blue and the other white. Why would these creatures carry these on them? Unless… the system was randomly rewarding him for experience gain.

Curiously he picked up the blue one.

[You received 100 Silver to spend at the store.]

"Store?" he wondered out loud.

A larger screen popped up to his right.

'How fascinating, this system apparently has its own store and currency."

His eyes quickly scanned over the contents. Everything was organized by several tabs ranging from weapons, armor, class items, equipment, consumables, vehicles, ghost shells…

'What are Ghost shells?'

Unfortunately, he could not view a majority of the store as most tabs were locked. The weapons and consumable tabs were accessible, and while their contents looked interesting… they were way, way, out of his price range. In fact, the cheapest weapon purchasable to his level had cost five thousand silver, was a low-grade hand "cannon". Whatever that was.

"Perhaps I'll find a similar weapon outside the store like these daggers." Julius decided to save whatever currency he discovered for something more worthwhile as he closed the Store menu.

Dagger in hand he ventured on through the dimly lit corridors with no particular destination. He soon discovered that his enemies were cautious bastards. Some corridors were covered in traps to kill intruders with laser trip-mines or concealed mines on the floor that would no doubt alert the rest of their kind of his presence.

At first, Steering clear of these traps didn't prove to be a challenge. Some pathways he was able to duck under the red death beams, others he could easily spot and avoid the landmines on the ground. It was when he came to a single path that was covered in numerous crisscrossing lasers from floor to ceiling, did he consider springing the trap.

It might kill him, but Julius had to progress and defeat this dungeon's boss that could very well be waiting on the other end of this hallway. The youth doubted even the enemy was immune to their own traps and would have to deactivate them in order to get to him. Though… there was a chance that he may not be facing dagger-wielding Dregs, but probably something stronger.

The hunter bent down and scooped up some debris off the ground with his free hand.

'I can't turn back. I can only move forward.'

With that thought in mind, he hurled the small rocks and…

BOOM!

The thunderous explosion sent him crashing to the ground.

As his head cracked against the concrete, the image of a young brunette male with livid green eyes glaring from behind a gun aimed at him.

BOOM!

The room shook, and Julius covered his head as more debris broke and fell free from the walls and ceiling.

BOOM!

Julius opened his mouth, to let out a strangled cry as pain lanced through his skull.

BOOM!

Another image, this time of a young female with long bright pink hair, mortally wounded, falling to the ground.

BOOM!

His ears were ringing over the loud chant of many voices calling out a number.

"ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!"

Then silence… or had he blacked out?

Julius opened his eyes as the world stopped shaking. He sat up slowly, holding his head. Much to his amazement, as quickly as the pain came, it immediately left. The images and the chanting remained, but no recognition came to him as he thought of the man who threatened to kill him or the woman who fell dead before his eyes.

'Who were they? What does it all mean?'

He struggled to remember while brushing off the dust and debris from his hair and clothes. The hunter quickly put those thoughts aside as he faced forward to stare at the now clear pathway. 'No doubt the enemy heard all that. I don't think I can fight in these close quarters. I'll need to keep going.'

Climbing to his feet, his eyes scanned the corridor to make sure all the traps had been destroyed. Julius proceeded cautiously despite the lack of deathtraps in the way, straining his hearing for the sound of footsteps. The silence was unnerving, especially after such a commotion.

'They know that someone is coming. There will most likely be more traps or enemies waiting to ambush me. Should I wait here until I can use the Blade Dancer again?'

He quickly decided against it, knowing that his cool down would have taken a while. In that time, the enemy would most likely seek him out… which was still a possibility either way. With his back to the wall, he leaned over to glance around the corner and spotted an entryway to an open room that looked completely dark from the outside.

Definitely a trap; the hunter didn't know how, but he could sense them… many of them in fact. Several pairs of eyes were most likely watching the door. Was it more Dregs? Or maybe something else?

Slowly, he leaned outside and froze at the sight of a white-skinned creature standing high up in the rafters. The ominous glow of a red dot was enough to make his blood run cold.

'A sniper..?! Move!' his brain commanded and his body slowly complied.

BANG!

Just in time to not catch a bullet between the eyes.

Julius collapsed onto the ground with a heavy 'thud', his dagger falling out of his hand and went skidding across the floor. Pain flared across his cheek where the bullet had grazed against before embedding itself into the wall behind, it was short-lived but it didn't stop the scent of blood hitting the air. The sound of footsteps rushing towards his direction indicated that the enemy knew he still lived and were about to rectify that.

Dregs suddenly crowded the doorway with murderous intent…

[Arc bolt Grenade Activated]

…And they were incinerated in mere seconds. In that time, Julius scrambled to his feet and lunged for his weapon. He could sense a few more out there; the sniper was no doubt waiting to attempt another headshot. Staring at the blade of his dagger he wondered how he was going to fell a ranged attacker with a melee weapon. It's not like he could throw his dagger at…

One of the flickering hallway light bulbs crackled to life above his head. Julius couldn't help but crack a small smile at the notion as he drew up the hood of his coat. After picking up one of the rocks from the floor, and hurled it upwards. The light panel above him immediately went out, sending tiny shards of broken glass cascading down.

It was now dark as it was outside and he could hear the creatures speak frantically to one another.

Maybe they can't completely see in the dark. But he could see them… or rather their presence and positions. With a firm grip on the hilt of his dagger, he crouched down and directed the blade past the door frame to see that the sniper remained in the same position. It was impossible to determine where the sniper was aiming if he was even in the marksman's crosshairs.

"Weapons."

So much for saving his spare dagger… he hoped this would work.

Rolling out of cover, The Hunter quickly rolled to his feet, with the flick of the wrist he sent the dagger with lowest durability sailing in the sniper's direction. A pained shriek followed on hit, and much to Julius dismay, the creature was still alive as it went crashing onto the ground. Immediately the Dregs move to attack in order to give their marksman time to recover.

There were a total of ten Dregs in the room. Four lunged in his direction, and Julius evaded their wide four-armed grasps and double daggers with minimal effort. Perhaps it was his eyes adjusting to the darkness, or more likely the increase of levels since his first encounter. All injuries sustained – shallow cuts, punches, kicks, bites - healed in little to no time. His body felt light as he was able to leap and dodged through their attacks with ease, maneuvering behind for the kill.

Ping!

[You've leveled up!]

[Dagger proficiency in melee combat and throwing accuracy has been increased.]

'Weapon proficiency? That's new. So my chances of hitting and causing lethal damage have gone up and I won't waste my weapon's durability.'

He could hear movement from the lone survivor and turned around – sidestepping another shot aimed towards his head. His vision had improved tremendously as his eyes followed the bullet's trajectory before it hit the wall. Julius turned his gaze upward, and despite the darkness and the distance between them, locked eyes with the creature, able to read its title for the first time.

[VANDAL]

"Too bad you're not going to live long enough to work on that aim."

He dodged another shot, rolling to the ground to pick up another discarded dagger in his free hand, before charging forward. He leaped upwards, startling his opponent as he landed on the rafters across from. The white-skinned monster attempted to take aim upon him again, but Julius was too fast as he hurled another Dreg's Hand, hitting its arm and forcing it to drop the weapon. With the remaining dagger, he buried the blade into his enemy's gut.

The Vandal howled in pain. Its second pair of arms grabbed hold of his shoulders to try and pry him off before a knee rammed into Julius' chest. He winced in the sharp pain at the audible sound of his ribs cracking, but a growl only escaped his lips as he looked up at the bulging glowing eyes of his target.

While holding the dagger's hilt with one hand, the fingers on his free one curled into a fist. The glow of Arc energy illuminated the darkness for just a few seconds, before Julius slammed his fist upwards, striking the underside of the Vandal's jaw.

He breathed in heavily, as he felt his experience rise as the sniper's corpse crumpled lifelessly to the ground. While he hadn't obtained another level, his eyes fixed on a couple of other prizes. The first was the Vandal's weapon which for some reason couldn't be equipped but instead, it unlocked something in the system.

[Sniper Rifle proficiency increased!]

Too bad he didn't have a sniper.

At least, the second reward was a familiar blue gem.

[You received 100 Silver.]

The last was a white gem, and he watched, transfixed as it glowed before materializing into a small drone the size of his fist. A blue glowing 'eye' stared at him as it floated before his astonished face.

"Greetings, my Guardian," a robotic female voice spoke to him, "I'm your Ghost."

"You're my… what now?"

"Your ghost," she explains patiently, "but not that kind of ghost."

He blinked at the robot drone, still not comprehending her explanation.

"You're going to have to…"

"Later!" she exclaimed, her light shining towards the way ahead as his senses immediately screamed danger. "Enemies are approaching! A group of ten Dregs is coming this way!"

"H-How do you know that?" The Hunter couldn't help but ask as he prepared his daggers. "Never mind, these bastards need to die first!"

Area Eleven: The Tokyo Settlement

December 2017 a.t.b

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The headmaster of Ashford Academy was shaking with rage as he and the remaining members of the Student Council were rounded up, cuffed and forced to kneel on the floor of his own office. His question fell upon the deaf ears of their assailants, who wore regal gray uniforms and declared themselves as agents of the Office of Secret Intelligence.

"You dare ask why, Ruben?" countered the deep voice that chilled every captive of that room to the bone.

Milly Ashford, the usually headstrong Student Council President, couldn't help but cower at the familiar sight of Charles zi Britannia, as he strode into the room. Both Rivalz and Shirley paled and looked down while Nina, squeaked, on the verge of passing out as she leaned against her. The Emperor of Britannia was of course accompanied by his own Knights of the Round. To the Emperor's right was the Knight of One, Bismark Waldstein, and to the left… was the newly appointed Knight of Seven.

It was the first time in months, since the Black Rebellion's aftermath, that Milly laid eyes on her former classmate: Suzaku Kururugi. His expression was cold, so alien from the smiling and earnest Eleven teenager the council had accepted with open arms. While he refused to meet her questioning stare, Milly turned her attention to her grandfather who bowed his shoulders in defeat.

"I did what I believed what Lady Marianne would have wanted," Ruben answered quietly, "to keep her children safe."

"Yet you failed," The Emperor sneered down at him. "You and your family are rather fortunate to still have your lives after failing to report to me of MY children's whereabouts."

Milly couldn't help but tremble, but somehow managed to procure some courage to speak.

"We don't know where they are now, Y-You're Majesty!" she all but blurted out at once. "They've been missing for months."

It wasn't even a lie.

Both of the Vi Britannia siblings had disappeared on the night of the Black Rebellion. Lelouch had left earlier that day with only a few phone calls to his sister and to them, urging that they stay inside and safe from the fighting that was going on in the Settlement. No matter how many times they had tried to reach him, his phone had been shut off and no calls were returned.

Nunnally, Lelouch's precious little sister, was both blind and wheelchair-bound. The Black Knights had evacuated the school grounds and she had been safe after they left. So how could she go missing? She couldn't just leave on her own.

Milly's only guess was that Lelouch no longer thought Ashford was safe and asked Sayako – her Eleven maid assigned to siblings, who had vanished that night – to leave with Nunnally. It made the most sense to her, as hurtful as it was that they couldn't even say goodbye.

"In any case, my children are irrelevant now," The Emperor spoke dismissively.

Milly clenched her teeth at the casual disregard of the two people who were like family to her… who should have meant something to their own father. It was no wonder Lelouch hated the man so much.

"Has this woman ever appeared before you?" Two officers of the OSI stepped forward and pulled out pictures of a young woman with golden eyes and long bright green hair, and she was wearing a… prisoner's uniform? Was she a wanted fugitive?

"No, I do not believe she is or ever was enrolled here," Ruben answered in confusion before glancing at his granddaughter, "Millicent?"

The blonde shook her head. "I don't recognize her."

The rest of the Student Council also mutely shook their heads when the agents met their gaze.

"Unfortunate," rumbled the ruler of Britannia and gestured for the agents to step aside.

Shirley, who had been shaking quietly throughout the encounter, could no longer hold herself back as she met the Knight of Seven's gaze.

"Suzaku!" she implored him with tears in her bright green eyes. "It isn't true, is it? You didn't really kill Zero, did you!?"

Zero?!

All the members of the Student Council stared at her in shock.

Why would she bring up that terrorist who invaded their school and start a war with Britannia?

"Miss Finette?!" The Headmaster managed to blurt out. "What are you going on about?!"

But Shirley, a model student who always followed the rules and greatly respected Milly's grandfather, ignored him. She struggled to rise despite her bound hands. Her face was now red and streaked with tears.

"Please, I'm begging you!" she cried out, "Answer me, Suzaku!"

The Knight of Seven flinched but still responded with cold silence, his eyes shifting elsewhere.

"Impudent commoner girl!" an agent snarled, raising his hand. "Know your place!"

Shirley tensed, ready to be struck to the ground… but it never came.

The OSI agent, grunted in pain as the Knight of Seven twisted his arm behind his back.

"I don't recall his Majesty, granting you permission to harm civilians."

The man, who ruled most of the world, merely smirked. "Indeed I did not. But that's enough, Sir Kururugi. Release him."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Suzaku immediately released the agent, watching as the man quickly composed himself and stepped back.

Shirley, much to everyone's relief, said nothing more. She simply sat back down, crying silently to herself. Milly wanted to move to console her, ignoring how Nina trembled with rage at the mention of Princess Euphiema's murderer. However, the Emperor had other plans.

"I shall spare your lives and allow you to live in peace under one condition," he began, which drew all the prisoners' attention to him once more. His eyes glowed an eerie red as he spoke, "You shall forget about Lelouch and Nunally, and the time they took refuge here. You shall forget Zero's true identity."

A deafening silence filled the room as Charles zi Britannia rewrote their memories, eliminating the presence of his children within them. As much as Suzaku detested the power of Geass – how it cruelly turned an innocent girl into a mass murderer – he couldn't help but think this was for the best. Especially when he looked at Shirley, who had suffered so much because of the boy she loved and his involvement with her father's death.

Still to erase the presence entirely, not just the student but the whole school…he couldn't help but remember his final words to Lelouch. That he was a mistake that needed to be erased, and now it had finally happened. How would Nunnally react if she were to ever return to discover that her second family had all but forgotten her? To lose not only her brother but her friends here at Ashford as well?

A heavy hand falls upon his shoulder, and Suzaku looks up at Bismark Waldstein who gestures to the door. Quietly, he nods in compliance and follows the Knight of One outside. They guard the door as the Emperor continues to rewrite the memories of his friends.

"Dame Villeta Nu will be taking charge of the OSI surveillance here at Ashford Academy," Bismark informs him. Suzaku doesn't care for working alongside a former Purist Organization that once set him up to die, but he would do so if ordered. "I want you to coordinate with her on a routine basis. She is to report immediately if C.C. ever shows herself."

Suzaku's eyes seething narrow in anger at the mention of that immortal witch who gave Lelouch that demonic power. If it hadn't been for that power, millions of Japanese would still be alive, his princess would still be alive.

"Her accomplice is dead," he coldly reminds his superior. "Do you truly think she'll come back here?"

Bismark stares at him with his single eye and sighs. "His Majesty believes she might. C.C. has many havens, and this school happens to be one of them. On the slim chance, she returns to either retrieve something left behind or perhaps find another contractor. The OSI will subdue her, and you shall bring her in. Do you understand, Knight of Seven?"

The very thought of that witch, spreading more curses around made Suzaku's blood boil. He would not allow that to happen. There was finally peace here in Tokyo Settlement with Zero and most of the Black Knights dead.

"Yes, my lord."

Ping!

[You've leveled up!]

"You fight rather well with daggers," his Ghost spoke proudly. "I'm pleased to report that your efficiency in using them has gone up. A pity that the Eliksni don't carry range weapons you can equip."

"The 'who' now..?"

"They Eliksni," his Ghost repeated while shining a light towards the pile of Dreg corpses. "Well, that's what they call themselves. The Dregs and Vandals are of the same race, you can also call them: 'The Fallen.'"

"Now that I think about it," he mused. "I don't remember seeing them outside the gate. Do these 'Fallen' only exist in this Dungeon?"

"Yes and no."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"While The Fallen do exist in this dungeon, they can also live in others, and the world outside as well."

Outside?

With all those people?

That would be a massacre.

He remembered walking the streets with his guide earlier, and none of those civilians carried weapons to defend themselves.

"We should get going," his Ghost suggested as she shined her light in his face. "I don't like it here, and the sooner you slay this dungeon's boss, the sooner we can leave.

"So…" Julius began as he took a moment to rest while eyeing his collection of silver and weapon drops, "other than being a glorified flashlight, what exactly does a Ghost do?"

The Drone, who had lit his path and followed him from fight to fight like a second shadow, circled around him.

"I exist to support you, my Guardian," she responds. His Ghost turns and nods towards the pile of Dreg Hand daggers he had collected, and he watches as they shimmer out of existence. "I can add all loot drops to your inventory. I can repair equipment, scan objects for information, record, and store data in my unlimited storage banks. I can resurrect you from the dead. I can keep track of your leveling progress and all objectives…"

"Wait, wait, wait," he implored her to stop while raising his hands. "What do you mean by 'resurrect me from the dead'?"

His Ghosts' singular blue eye looked up to meet his confused violet ones.

"My Guardian, are you not aware yet, that you're immortal?"

End Chapter Two

Author's Notes:

So Julius/Lelouch has a Ghost now. Any suggestions for names? I was thinking of Rook or Bishop, because of his fascination with chess.

Review Responses:

Ghostly: I do enjoy physically-fit-Lelouch stories, and let's just say that he's not going to enjoy some of the 'quests' he's going to receive along the way to leveling up. As for your question, I don't intend to write in the three Destiny Factions in this story. Monarch comes from the Webtoon I'm also crossing this story with Solo Leveling (or I alone Level Up). I definitely recommend reading it if you're into 'shonen' type manga.

Error404-J: Thank you. Not sure how I'm going to pull it off. While Destiny has monsters that fire guns and other things, the CG anime has Knightmares. But Lelouch will figure out a way that his new powers can benefit him in his Rebellion.

Ash The Aura Guardian: Video game powers are definitely a trade up from Geass IMHO. Unfortunately, I can't picture a preppy student like Lelouch ever playing a video game.

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