I do not own Code Geass. I only own any original characters created by me.

~ ~ ~ AVE IMPERATOR ~ ~ ~

~ Chapter 3: New pieces on the board ~

[Pendragon (Camelot Facility) – 18th August 2018 a.t.b.]

It was with a loud groan that Ash slowly opened his eyes, closing them immediately because of too much light in the room. After a few seconds, he tried again to open them and this time he managed to get used to the brightness, noting how the ceiling, the walls, the curtains on the windows were completely white as fresh snow.

"Where am I...?"

He tried to move his head and felt a strange feeling of discomfort at the base of the neck, as if his muscles were so rigid that he could not move at will. Slowly, he managed to sit up and only at that moment he noticed the various needles embedded in his right forearm, all connected to several IV drip hanging next to his bed.

"Am I in a hospital? Why...? The last thing I remember is..." Ash suddenly stopped in mid-sentence when the memories of three days before resurfaced in his mind.

XXX

Lelouch was in front of him, wearing his white and golden Emperor's clothes, and at his side was his wife. Ash was wearing only a pair of boxers, thus showing his lean physique and ruined by some scars but still athletic and with a hint of muscle.

"You still have a chance to change your mind, Ash. If you decide to continue, your life will be in danger and there is no certainty that the surgery will be successful." said Lelouch with a calm but firm voice, staring at the albino who merely nodded once.

"I wish to continue, Your Majesty. You have given me the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities, and now you are offering me a way to become a worthy knight of Britannia. If I decided to pull back now, I could never look at myself in the mirror without feeling disgusted."

Lelouch nodded back "Very well. The captain of my royal guard is a cyborg, and has been modified by a secret scientific department created by my father." Ash looked at him with surprised eyes. He had simply thought that Jeremiah had a particular interest in masks like the one that covered his left eye, but he would never have imagined that Lelouch's faithful knight was half machine.

"A lot of research and ideas from that department were lost when the Black Knights attacked one of their main bases." here he ignored the giggle from C.C. "However, we managed to recover some projects related to what was done to Jeremiah Gottwald, also thanks to a series of tests and analyzes on his body we were able to understand the enhancements his body underwent."

"But they were terribly trivial and boring, so I decided to make some small changes!" said Lloyd, suddenly appearing behind Ash with his assistant, both wearing medical gowns.

"Lloyd, remember not to overdo it. This is not about Knightmares or airships." Lelouch warned him with a stern look but the scientist didn't seem fazed by said words.

"Worry not, Your Majesty." the Earl of Pudding looked back at Ash with a smile "I can't waste such a perfect device so I'll be extra careful!"

Lelouch sighed in exasperation but finally decided to go back to the possible candidate for the Rounds "Are you ready?"

Ash straightened his back before bringing his hand to his heart and bowing "Yes, Your Majesty. I'm ready for the surgery."

"Excellent! Then, follow me please!" Lloyd didn't wait for an answer and walked along the corridor, along with Ash and Cécile. After a few seconds, they entered a large operating room where there were other doctors and various machines that Ash had never seen in his life. The albino lay down on the operating table in the center of the room and immediately after, an oxygen mask was placed on his face.

"Ash, we will now inject you with sedatives so you will fall asleep in a short time." said Cécile appearing in his visual field. The boy nodded and felt a sensation of discomfort in his right arm, where they had punctured him with the needle. As his vision slowly faded, he saw for a moment Lloyd open a small metal box and take out a glass cylinder filled with something bright and above all pink.

'Sakuradite...?'

The sight of that precious mineral was the last thing he saw before sinking into darkness.

"If I'm here...does that mean the surgery was successful?"

His attention was then drawn to the door as it was opened by Cécile, who noticed the boy with a surprised look "Ash! You're awake!" she quickly approached some screens next to her bed and began to read the various vital signs "It seems that you are well, all values are normal."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is that you were anesthetizing me before the surgery." asked the albino, still feeling relieved that there were no apparent problems.

Cécile looked at him with a small smile "The surgery was a success. It lasted over twelve hours and then you were asleep until today, three days have passed if you want to know." she then picked up a small cell phone "But perhaps it is better to call Lloyd here, he will explain everything to you."

It took hardly two minutes but in the end the genius scientist entered the room almost breaking the door, immediately receiving a slap on the head from his assistant for his behavior.

"Oooooh so you're finally awake!" Lloyd began to scrutinize Ash carefully "From what I see there were no side effects, but I imagine we will be sure after some tests. Are you curious to know what you are capable of now?" the albino could only nod hesitantly (for some reason the scientist made him uncomfortable) "Splendid! Cécile, be a dear and go get my personal laptop!"

With a sigh, the woman went to retrieve what was requested and a few minutes later, the laptop rested on Ash's legs. Lloyd typed some things and several images of a human body appeared on the screen, from the skeleton to the muscles and even the internal organs.

"Let's start with the most consistent changes." with a simple click, the images changed and now, the left arm had been replaced by a completely black mechanical prosthesis with small pink neon lights scattered over it. Ash observed those images for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to his left arm and only then did he realize that, all the scars caused by a car accident when he was younger, had disappeared.

"You've probably already figured it out, but now, from the shoulder to the fingertips, your left arm is completely mechanized. From the tests we conducted before the surgery, it turned out that the humerus, the radius and the ulna were full of micro-fractures, so we decided to replace the entire limb." explained Lloyd with a small smile "We have connected the nerves of your body with the latest generation receptors and, since you are moving your arm without any difficulty, I would say that everything went well."

Ash lightly touched his new arm with his right hand and was surprised to find that, upon contact, it looked like a normal arm and, despite being mechanized, it didn't feel so heavy.

"The skin we used to coat your new arm is made of silicone and other materials used mainly in biology. Appearance is simple skin, but much more resistant. However, if you wanted to, we could remove it." added Cécile standing on the other side of the bed "Furthermore you will not see any scars due to surgery thanks to a serum that improves the regeneration capacity of the skin."

"The second, great improvement is this." Lloyd showed Ash a photo of his own back after the surgery and the albino widened his eyes in shock when he saw a black spine-armor, black as his new arm "I apologize for the crude appearance and the fact that this enhancement is currently 'out' of your body, but we couldn't replace your entire spine, so we simply installed an electromagnetic pulse accelerator."

"A what...?"

"Electromagnetic pulse accelerator, also called E.P.A. if you wish." Cécile tapped her head with a finger "When you want to perform an action, an impulse starts from the brain and travels along your body until it reaches the receptors used for that action. With the E.P.A. these impulses travel faster, allowing you slightly faster reaction times. It was originally created for seventh-generation Knightmare Frames but eventually the project was discarded and reconverted for use on people. Moreover, in case of damage to your spine, this device will help you move."

"It also has a little secret but you will find out in due course." added Lloyd with a dark chuckle before being slapped again by Cécile.

"The third improvement concerns your belly." she tapped something on the laptop and some images of what looked like bulletproof vests appeared on the screen, although Ash immediately noticed that they were different from the classic military equipment "To put it simply, we added a layer of this material under your skin in the belly area. While the chest is protected from bumps by the rib cage, internal organs such as small intestine and large intestine are exposed to many types of trauma. With this 'cover', any damage caused by shocks will be reduced by at least seventy percent, and it will also protect you from small arms. I know it's not much, but we couldn't go further for fear of damaging your body irremediably."

Ash waved both hands in front of her "No no, you have already done a great deal for me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be a simple guy with an extremely weak body."

"Speaking of that..." Lloyd pointed again at the screen "For the final improvement! Now your heart and lungs won't give you any more problems!" an image of a small black device with a pink light in the center appeared on the screen "This little gem is connected to your lungs and your heart, as well as your left arm and your Electromagnetic pulse accelerator. It allows a better functioning of your internal organs, thus guaranteeing a longer duration when piloting a Knightmare. Its source of energy is Sakuradite, the same thing for Jeremiah's upgrades, but fortunately it only needs to be recharged once a month. The only small flaw is that, to install it inside you, we had to remove a part of your stomach."

Ash was stunned by the explanation and tried to take deep breaths, marveling that he had no difficulty breathing. He was almost ready to cry, but he shook his head and bowed to Lloyd "Thank you, for everything. I owe you and your assistant for helping me."

"Ah don't think about it." Lloyd waved him off "After all, you're going to help with something else. Please follow me."

Ash seemed confused by his words but, after removing the needles from his arm with Cécile's help, he followed the scientist out of the room. The three walked for a few minutes until they reached a large hangar full of workers, mechanics, scientists and many other people.

'So this is not a hospital.' thought Ash looking around 'No wonder Lloyd came so fast when I woke up.'

"Here we are." the voice of the bespectacled scientist brought him back to reality and saw him point to his left with a huge smile. Looking in that direction, Ash stiffened completely and, despite the new device inside his body, he had the impression that his heart had just skipped a beat.

"Although it is not complete, this is the MGR-273 Raiden." Lloyd's smile was pure and sincere, yet Ash couldn't hold back a shudder as he heard his next words.

"Please, say hello to your new body."

[Pendragon (Royal Palace) – 18th August 2018 a.t.b.]

"Are you nervous, Your Highness?" asked Oldrin Zevon, faithful knight of princess Marrybell mel Britannia, as they walked the corridors of the huge palace in the center of the capital.

The princess turned to her with a nervous smile "You can say that, Oz. Although several days have passed since Lelouch returned, I still don't know how to talk to him."

"Can't say I don't understand you. Your little brother returned from the grave, saying he had killed your father and then took over the throne. Not exactly something to laugh at...maybe." said a calm male voice to her left.

Oldrin stared at older boy with a light glare "Be careful what you say, Casval."

The aforementioned boy, though taller than her, raised his arms in surrender, keeping the serene smile on his face "Easy there, I didn't want to offend anyone, let alone our leader."

Oldrin's green eyes remained fixed on Casval's blue ones for several seconds, but in the end the girl sighed, shaking her head "Why are you even here?"

"Because princess Marrybell said so." he chuckled for a moment before looking ahead, running a hand through his messy blond hair "Besides, I'm curious to meet this new Emperor. The fact that he is your age puts me almost in embarrassment, as if I were not worthy to talk to him."

"Don't worry, even if Lelouch seems changed, I don't think he will judge you." Marrybell reassured him with a small smile "Now behave yourself, we have arrived."

Ahead of them was a large wooden double door, flanked by two soldiers armed with halberds, but something seemed strange and it was Casval who gave voice to his doubts "This is not the throne room..."

"I know." Marrybell took a few steps forward and, after greeting her, the guards opened the doors, announcing her arrival "Lelouch invited us to lunch."

Oldrin and Casval looked at each other for a moment before following her inside the room, which was actually a dining room with a rectangular table and several chairs in the center. The table was already laid and there were several dishes ready to eat, but the real protagonist of that room was the Emperor himself, who was walking towards Marrybell with a smile on his lips.

"Marry! It's been so long!" said Lelouch before hugging his half-sister, much to her shock "I think the last time we talked was a few weeks before my exile."

"Yes I guess you're right, Your Majesty." she honestly didn't know how to respond to such behavior, certainly didn't expect much affection "I'm glad to see you're okay." and heck if he hadn't put on some muscle. From her distant memories, Lelouch had always been of slender build, almost as much as a girl, but thanks to that embrace she had been able to feel that, under those royal clothes, her half-brother had decided to get in shape.

"No 'Your Majesty' with me, especially in private. There are no cameras and things like that, so there is no need for formalities." said the Emperor with a smile before gesturing toward the table, where his wife was already sitting in front of a large steaming pizza. With a sigh, Lelouch looked at her "Cera, could you at least pretend to be interested in meeting my sister?"

"I've already met some of your sisters, so I'm fine. Now hurry up and sit down, I want to eat this pizza before it gets cold." C.C. waved him off without taking her eyes away from the pizza.

Lelouch sighed again, looking back at his half-sister "Sorry about her, she has a somewhat difficult character."

"O-Oh, no problem! I guess she has met too many people since becoming an Empress." said Marrybell before sitting at the table with her two followers, while Lelouch went to sit on the other side, beside C.C.

Oldrin, however, noticed an empty chair to her left, as well as to Lelouch's right "Um...Your Majesty? Are we waiting for someone else?"

Lelouch looked at her "You're Oldrin Zevon, right? My sister's trusted knight. If I remember correctly, you've always been by her side." much to her shock, the Emperor bowed his head slightly "Thank you for helping and supporting her over the years."

"P-Please, raise your head! What I did does not deserve such thanks!" Oldrin was slightly red with embarrassment as she waved her hands, showing her agitation.

The Emperor looked at her smiling "Not at all, I really appreciate a healthy and lasting friendship." he then added "To answer your question, we are waiting for another person. The chair on my right is usually occupied by Jeremiah Gottwald, the captain of my guard, but he is currently on a diplomatic mission. There are some nobles here in the motherland who have been somewhat 'vocal' in their disappointment with my work, so I asked my knight to take care of it."

"I imagine then that these nobles will be 'silenced', Your Majesty?" asked Casval with the lazy smile still on his face. When Lelouch's response was a simple smile, the male member of the Glinda Knights turned to his leader "I like the way our new Emperor thinks."

Among them, however, only C.C. noticed the strange light in his eyes as he spoke those words.

'Oh...so he's that kind of person huh?' she thought while biting a slice of pizza 'Very interesting.'

"You must be Casval Branstein. I read your file, apparently you're one of the best pilots of my sister's anti-terrorism unit." said Lelouch looking at the older boy "If what I read is true, your actions in Spain were really noteworthy."

"I only did what I do best, Your Majesty." Casval bowed his head "Eliminating terrorists equipped with old Glasgows is not something impressive. Except for the Black Knights there were no really harmful rebel groups."

Before Lelouch could talk, the double door of the room was opened from the outside and Ash made his entrance, now dressed in a Britannian military uniform. The albino bowed deeply with one hand on his chest "Greeting, Your Majesty. I came as soon as I heard I was invited to lunch. It is an honor to be here."

"Don't worry Ash, it was a sudden request after all." Lelouch then looked at him with a curious look "The fact that you are here gives me good hope for the outcome of the surgery."

Ash merely smiled before showing his left hand, now completely mechanical "Everything went perfectly, Your Majesty. I hope not to offend you in any way if I prefer to show the result of your generosity."

"You can do as you like, you won't hear any complaints from me." noticing his sister's confused look, Lelouch hastened to explain "Marry, this is Ash Collenor, the new addition to our army. He is a skilled pilot but he was able to prove it only with my help, since our father never wanted to waste even a second for those he didn't consider worthy."

Marrybell made a mental note to ask him about Ash later, before greeting the new arrival. After the ritual of greetings, the lunch finally began (excluding the fact that C.C. had already started eating at the second pizza) and so the small group of nobles and knights chatted serenely for an abundant hour, though Marrybell was about to ask Lelouch some personal questions, yet she refrained from doing so, in order to wait for a moment when they were alone.

The turning point came when Casval, after finishing his slice of cake, turned to Ash "So, you are a strong pilot?"

"I can't say for sure, having only done some simple tests in the simulator, but apparently my sync rate with the Lancelot is 100% and before lunch I was able to reconfirm this value." said Ash with a calm voice, surprising Marrybell and her two knights. After all, Oldrin also used a Knightmare Frame based on the Lancelot, yet her sync rate wasn't so high.

"In that case would you like to face me in a duel? Even in a simulator will be fine for me." asked the male older boy with a gleam in his eyes, which was met by the cold, yet fierce, look of Ash.

"I think it's a great idea." Lelouch clapped his hands before getting up "It will be a good way to pass the after meal, and I am also sure that Lloyd will be happy to be able to collect more data."

"A duel in a simulator? Of course you can!" the eccentric scientist looked at his assistant "Cécile, go immediately to prepare two Gloucester simulators!"

"Gloucester?" asked Ash with a raised eyebrow "Not Lancelot?"

Lloyd showed an apologetic smile "I'm sorry, but during my stay in Japan, many of the simulators were dismantled. So now we only have one active simulator for the Lancelot, but we are going to install others, especially for the Vincent and Gareth. Honestly, I don't know what the technicians thought when they decided to remove the other simulators."

Casval shrugged "After all it's just a simulator, even a Gloucester will be fine."

When the two simulators were ready, Lelouch and the others went to sit in a small room equipped with armchairs and large screens in order to observe the battle reconstructed virtually thanks to the aforementioned simulators. The battlefield was a simple rocky plain and, from nothing, two Gloucesters appeared, several meters from each other. On the cockpit of one of them there was written 'Ash', while on the other 'Casval'.

The two machines stood still for a few seconds, but then two MVS appeared at the sides of Ash's cockpit, while a rifle materialized in the hands of his Knightmare. On the other side, a Jousting Lance appeared in Casval's Gloucester's right hand, while an MVS appeared in the left one.

"Are you ready for this, kid?"

"I'm not that much younger than you, you know?" replied Ash with huff before adding "Yes, I'm ready."

"Then let's start!" and with that, Casval immediately moved his Knightmare forward, pushing his Landspinners to the maximum. Ash retreated accordingly, firing several bursts with his rifle, trying to aim at his opponent's legs, but Casval avoided all the bullets without any difficulty and in a few seconds managed to reach the albino's unit.

The older boy raised his left arm to hit Ash from above with his MVS, but the albino didn't get caught unprepared and, when the blade fell down for the slash, he quickly turned the entire Knightmare around using its Landspinners, managing to hit the flat side of the blade with the side of his cockpit. Casval was momentarily surprised by the move, but he immediately recovered and, when Ash came face to face with him again, he immediately raised his spear to protect himself from a new barrage of bullets.

While the two were fighting, Lloyd, Cécile and Oldrin were sitting in the front row inside the observation room, intently watching the fight. Lelouch, Cera and Marrybell, on the other hand, were sitting a few rows back to discuss more personal matters.

"Why did you kill our father, Lelouch?" asked Marrybell, staring at her half-brother.

"Because he was a monster, Marry." replied the new Emperor with a cold voice "A tyrant, a dictator, the furthest thing from a father that you can think of. He started wars for trivial reasons and now, through his fault, Britannia is seen by the rest of the world as an evil empire. He abandoned me and Nunnally and see how it ended..."

Marrybell winced at his change of voice. Despite being the most powerful man in the world, his voice exuded sadness and fatigue, as if he had lost everything "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked..."

"No...no...it's not your fault." Lelouch reassured her with a tired smile "Nunnally's death still haunts me, and even though our father is dead, I still feel resentment for him."

His half-sister nodded before asking "Regarding our siblings Schneizel and Cornelia...what about them?" after a brief pause, she added "You labeled them as traitors, I need to know why since it's my job."

"Schneizel authorized the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead...and I was in the front row when that damn bomb exploded, wiping out most of Tokyo..." Lelouch looked back at her "He has the original plans for that weapon...a weapon that can kill millions of people instantly, Marry. If he were to build more, how many innocents will have to die before he decides to stop?"

The princess felt a shiver run down her spine. The image Lelouch was painting was not the most optimistic, especially since she knew their brother Schneizel and someone like him would not hesitate to use that weapon again if it means a victory for him. Most likely, Cornelia and the former Knights of the Round had decided to join him also because Schneizel, when Charles was still alive, was a prince and Prime Minister of Britannia, while Lelouch had lost his right to the throne and had been exiled years ago.

"I understand perfectly. Lelouch, as leader of the Glinda Knights, my body and my soul are at the service of Britannia and its Emperor." she bowed her head "My knights and I will be by your side until the end."

A sincere smile appeared on Lelouch's face "Thank you, Marry. I really appreciate it. Now more than ever I need faithful and skillful commanders."

Marrybell raised her head, smiling back at him, before taking on a serious expression "Since we're on the subject, I have to talk to you about something I only recently learned while I was coming to Pendragon." when he motioned for her to continue, she asked "What do you know about Pluto?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow "If I remember correctly, it is a secret organization similar to OSI but with the task of doing the 'dirty work' for the Empire. Two of his previous leaders were Olivia and Oiaguro Zevon, who, if I am not mistaken, were the mother and uncle of your knight, Oldrin."

"That's correct." Marrybell looked for a moment at her friend as she was captured by the fight between Ash and Casval "However, when Oiaguro left the organization, Pluto remained on the sidelines for a long time. It is only now that I learned that many of its members as well as most of the Knightmare Frames have disappeared."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes "How many?"

"We are talking about at least a thousand Knightmare..." replied Marrybell with a grim expression before adding "Mostly Gloucesters and Vincents, but also Sutherlands and Portmans."

'Damn it, I should have worried about that too, but the time was too little...now I find myself with at least a thousand rebels with Knightmares and military experience who know the Britannian system well.'

"My informants tried to find out where they went, but all they discovered was that all those Knightmares were boarded on old merchant ships that then left for the Old World." Marrybell sighed "There the tracks have gone cold and now we have no idea where they can be."

"Don't blame yourself, it was also my mistake. Anything else?"

"Yes, we discovered the secret base of the Wings of Talleyrand, the terrorist group that attacked Pendragon months ago." the princess showed a small smile "I was planning to go and eliminate them once and for all once finished here."

"You have my blessing for this mission, sister. Indeed, even better..." Lelouch stood up, turning to the screens just in time to see Ash's Knightmare as he tried to pierce Casval's cockpit, now with only one arm and his spear "Lloyd, stop the simulation. There are more important problems to solve."

Despite his disappointment, the scientist did as required and within seconds the two pilots were in the room with them.

"Marrybell just told me that the Glinda Knights have found the secret base of a terrorist group here in the motherland. Lloyd, I want my machine ready to go with them, as well as the one for Cera and Ash." ordered Lelouch, surprising the albino.

"At once, Your Majesty!" said Lloyd with a sloppy military salute "However, Ash's personal unit is not yet complete."

"Then a Vincent Commander Model will do for now." Lelouch was then interrupted by the arrival of Sebas.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but Lord Jeremiah has just returned from his mission."

A cold grin found its place on Lelouch's face "Even better. Tell him to join me in the throne room. Lloyd, I want those machines ready within an hour. Marry, can I expect the same from you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty!" she stood up with firm eyes "My knights will be ready."

"Excellent. Tell your parents to get ready and then join me in the throne room with the two knights you brought here with you." ordered Lelouch, much to her confusion. However, the princess immediately recovered and approached a terminal to contact the Grandberry, the Glinda Knights flagship, while Lelouch left the room with Sebas, Cera and Ash behind him.

In a matter of twenty minutes, they were all again gathered inside the throne room, where Jeremiah had just finished his report concerning the positive outcome of the mission.

"Reliable as always, Jeremiah." nodded Lelouch with a smile "Now please, at my side."

The cyborg nodded sharply before moving to Lelouch's right side, while Sebas was to the left of Cera. The young Emperor observed the four people in front of him and, after a few seconds, he decided to start in a direct and brutal way.

"In this world there are things that ordinary people would not even be able to imagine, things that seem to come from a fantasy book. Among these things is the Geass." he immediately noticed that, while the three knights had a confused expression on their faces, Marrybell was instead surprised. Wanting to finish that meeting as soon as possible, he took off his contact lenses, showing his permanent Geass in both eyes, much to their shock "This is a Geass, also known as the Power of Kings. This power changes from person to person, and is capable of incredible things. But I guess you already know all this. Am I right, Marry?"

Oldrin and Casval quickly looked at their leader with confused eyes, but their confusion soon turned into surprise and shock when they saw a Geass appearing in her left eye. The princess looked at him with a small smile "I should have imagined that you were aware of this power."

"You signed a contract with V.V., didn't you?" asked Cera, with an amused smile "My dear Lelouch, on the other hand, has a contract with me."

Marrybell looked at her with surprised eyes "You are like that V.V.?"

"I don't like being compared to that goblin, but yes, I can also bestow the Geass to people like you."

"Wait wait wait...what's going on?" asked Casval, looking at all of them "I lost myself when the Emperor showed us his strange eyes."

Lelouch sighed before looking at him in the eyes "Clap your hands ten times."

"Huh? Why should I-?!" Casval stopped mid sentence before showing an almost manic smile "At once, Your Majesty!" and with that, he clapped his hands ten times. After a brief moment, he looked around with confusion all written on his face "W-What happened?"

"Jeremiah, if you could..."

"Of course, Your Majesty." said Jeremiah before showing his left, cybernetic eye. A blue light seemed to engulf the entire room for a moment and Casval's eyes widened in surprise when the 'memories' of what had just happened came back to him.

"Do you understand now?" asked Lelouch looking at him "That was my Geass, the power of Absolute Obedience. I just need to look at any of you and then order you anything. You'll follow my order to letter, no matter what kind of order. The only immune to this power are my wife Cera, who is immune to all the Geass, and my knight Jeremiah, whose artificial eye hides a Geass Canceler with which he can nullify and cancel the effects of the Geass." he then shifted his gaze to his half-sister "What about yours?"

"Absolute Submission." replied Marrybell "From what I understand it works like yours, but I can only turn other people into my slaves. Those under the influence of my Geass lose their personality and become puppets without conscience...it is such an ignoble power that I preferred to use it only on one occasion."

"Marry..."

Said princess looked at the horrified face of her friend and showed her a small sad smile "I'm sorry I never told you anything, Oz, but I preferred to keep the secret to avoid unpleasant surprises."

"I...I...do you swear you used it only once?" asked Oldrin looking at her friend, straight in the eyes.

Marrybell nodded without hesitation "Yes, I swear. Like I said, my power is simply ignoble...I can understand having orders executed...but depriving a person of their personality is something that goes beyond my preferences."

Oldrin remained silent for several seconds, but then she nodded with a slight smile. Even if what she had just discovered had particularly upset her, she decided that she would continue to trust her friend and leader. Behind her, even Casval nodded.

"Your Majesty...?" everyone looked at Ash, who had remained silent up to that point "Why did you decide to talk to us about this power? It seems to me one of those information that people would kill for."

"It's very simple, boy." said Cera rising from the throne with an evil smile on her face "You should know that there have been several Geass users before Lelouch and Marrybell. To name a few, the former Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, the former Knight of One, Bismarck Waldstein, and also Marianne vi Britannia, Lelouch's mother, had a Geass." that information also surprised Marrybell, who was unaware of other Geass users "It is clear that, sooner or later, a new conflict will break out and Lelouch wants to be ready for everything, so we have decided to give the most worthy and faithful soldiers an advantage."

"In the whole Empire only Marrybell and I have a Geass, while our enemies have at least one with Bismarck and who knows how many others." continued Lelouch from his throne "Ash, in spite of what my father has done, you have remained faithful to Britannia, and now that you have a suitable body to fight, I want to hope that your loyalty will not waver as you are a possible candidate for the new Knights of the Round."

Ash looked at him with wide eyes before kneeling "Your Majesty, my loyalty is only for you and the Empire. Whatever your order is, I will complete it without hesitation."

Lelouch nodded satisfied before looking at Oldrin and Casval "You two are among my sister's best pilots. Now that the army is being restructured, I need skilled commanders and soldiers who can carry out their tasks. I hope my trust is not badly placed with you."

"I serve Marrybell mel Britannia, but first of all my loyalty is to the Empire and to the Emperor. I will never betray your trust." said Oldrin after kneeling like Ash, with Casval following her lead.

"Britannia's enemies are still out there, I would be a fool to betray the Empire right now. As long as there are enemies, I will fight until my death."

Lelouch looked at the three of them before nodding toward C.C. who smiled again "Good, now that we're all clear..."

She stopped in front of the three knights, staring at them with her golden and hunting eyes.

"Would you like to form a contract?"

[Toromo Agency's Base (Argentine) – 18th August 2018 a.t.b.]

A young soldier with long dark blue hair walked through the corridors of the secret base, looking for a specific door. His brown eyes finally stopped on one in particular and, without hesitation, he entered the room, finding a boy of his age, with short blond hair, lying on the bed reading a book.

"Schnee, get up and come with me."

The blond's blue eyes moved over him "What's wrong, Ledo? I'm on break."

"Sir Suzaku is fighting against her...again." explained Ledo with a calm voice, not at all bothered by the groan of Schnee, who got up reluctantly.

"Why the hell does he continue to face that woman? Has he not yet understood that she is stronger than him?" asked the blond with another groan while wearing his jacket "How many defeats?"

"The last time I checked, he had lost for the twenty-sixth time, while Sir Gino lost eight times already, Lady Dorothea was defeated five times and finally Lady Nonette lost only once, although it must be said that the two dueled only on one occasion." Ledo walked out of the room with his comrade at his side "As far as I know, Sir Suzaku has lost in any form of duel."

"Tch...I still don't believe our Lord is so stubborn..."

The two walked in silence until they reached one of the many simulator rooms for Knightmare Frames and, as soon as the door opened, they saw Suzaku emerge from one of them, dripping with sweat and visibly tired. Gino was immediately at his side to help him, while from the other simulator came out an attractive woman with long black hair and eyes of the same color, protected by frameless glasses.

She looked at Suzaku with an air of superiority, adjusting her glasses "I hope this umpteenth defeat puts an end to your idiocy, Knight of Seven. I still don't understand why Lord Schneizel has decided to welcome you among us, but know that you will not earn my trust by continuing to challenge me. I was the Knight of Two for a reason and with these actions you only show me that you are not worthy of your title."

Without waiting for an answer, she left, forcing Schnee and Ledo to move quickly, even doing a military salute to avoid running into her anger. When she was gone, the two approached Suzaku who was now glaring at the ground.

"You know Suzu...she's right...you can't just challenge her again and again." said Gino with a sigh while Anya simply nodded.

Suzaku said nothing for a few seconds, but then finally looked at the Knight of Three "And what should I do then? She has no problem showing her hatred for me even though I have already proven to be on Prince Schneizel's side, and she continues to voice her doubts about my abilities. She simply appeared out of nowhere and started giving everyone orders." he looked down again "She also said that someone like Sir Luciano should have survived and that I should have died in his place."

"Just ignore her." Gino patted him on the back "When the time comes, she will understand your value and appreciate your commitment."

Schnee couldn't hold back an amused snort, receiving a glare from Gino and Ledo, but Suzaku seemed to ignore him before standing up "Maybe you're right...at least my mission area is different from her."

Walking outside the door, along with the rest of the group, he crossed the Knight of Twelve, Monica Krushevsky, and the Knight of Four, Dorothea Ernst, along the corridor, with the two of them who watched him for a few seconds, before Monica said "Another loss?"

Suzaku just nodded before walking past them, ignoring the fact that they were now walking with them. Within minutes, they were all inside a huge hangar used to assemble and repair the Knightmare Frames.

"It seems that everyone is ready for the big day." noted Gino with a smile, looking at his personal machine, the Tristan.

"That day is not too far...maybe a week?" wondered Monica after sparing a glance to her Knightmare Frame, the Florence, which had finally been completed after recovering the remains of an Alexander from a battlefield in Europia.

"Six days. Four days from now we will leave for our designated areas and then await the approval of His Highness." explained Dorothea after having looked at her future machine, the Palomides.

Schnee and Ledo remained silent as they watched their custom Vincent, as well as Anya, now accustomed to the sight of her Mordred. However Suzaku did not notice any of this, his eyes fixed on a white and golden machine that Schneizel technicians had assembled for him.

"Lancelot Albion..." a soft smile appeared on his face "Welcome back, partner."

[Grand Canyon (Grandberry) – 18th August 2018 a.t.b.]

Ash adjusted the collar of his pilot's uniform that had been provided to him by the Glinda Knights, while observing his temporary Knightmare, a Vincent Commander Model used by the royal guard of Lelouch, with the only difference that the head-piece had been dyed of red.

'To think that finally I can fight together with all the others...' he clenched his fist on the chest 'I will not disappoint the Emperor! Whatever it takes!'

"Are you ready for your first mission?" asked Oldrin walking toward him.

Ash turned to answer her, but the words died in his throat when he saw her pilot suit. While the upper part was not worthy of note, the lower one was too flashy. Long white boots covered her legs up to half of her thighs, but the rest of her legs and hips were completely uncovered, leaving a small part of her uniform covering her groin.

Hell, if you looked closely you could almost see her w...

He quickly looked up with a slight blush on his face.

"What is...that?"

Oldrin arched an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

He gestured toward her with one hand "Your pilot suit...isn't it...how can I say it...too shameful?"

This time it was the girl who blushed, but before Oldrin could answer him, someone put an arm around Ash's shoulder who, looking to his right, saw Casval with a straight face. However the seriousness lasted a few moments, because then the older boy showed him a smile and a thumb up.

"Glinda Knights are the best!"

A white boot found its place on his face, making him stagger backwards and, looking towards Oldrin, Ash saw her balanced on her right leg, while the left one was raised and completely naked.

'How did she get her boot off so quickly?!'

"Okay, everyone listen up!" shouted Marrybell walking in the hangar with a pilot suit identical to that of Oldrin "We are about to reach the LZ, so I want you ready and focused! The Emperor himself is here with us today and will participate in the battle! I don't want to see mistakes from you, is that clear?!"

"YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

A few seconds later, Lelouch and Cera made their entrance and the Emperor observed for a few seconds all the pilots gathered in front of him.

"These Wings of Talleyrand dared to attack the capital of our Empire, something that no one had ever done before. Your commitment to defending Pendragon was incredible, but some of these rats still hide here, in the Grand Canyon, in a maze of artificially created tunnels and caverns!" he waved his arm to the side in a wide arc "Today we will ensure that none of them can cause further damage to our homeland! Today the Wings of Talleyrand will cease to exist and the world will be one step closer to peace! All Hail Britannia!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

All the pilots ran towards their respective machines and, as he boarded his Vincent, Ash looked at the airship's bay for a last time. While most pilots used red and gold Vincents, Marrybell, Oldrin and even Cera used variants of the Lancelot. Casval, on the other hand, used a red, white and black Knightmare, at least two meters taller, with broad flared shoulders, two back-curving antennae on either side of its head and three strange white stakes in its left arm, while what appeared to be a stake driver was attached to the right arm.

"It's called Vortigern King." said Casval before entering his cockpit, opening a private channel with Ash "This bad boy has been my trusted companion for several months now."

"We are at the LZ! Ready to get off!" Marrybell's voice was fraught with tension and was perceptible even through the radio, but this didn't prevent her from being the first to jump out of the bay, closely followed by Oldrin, Casval and the rest of the Glinda Knights.

"My my, they seem to be eager to show off, Lelouch." said Cera with an amused smile inside her pink Lancelot Frontier.

"At least they are ready to take action." his voice was calm despite being his first battle since becoming Emperor, however when he came out of the bay Lelouch felt a strong sense of excitement in being able to return to the battlefield.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"If I may ask, what is that Knightmare?" asked the albino, looking at the black and golden machine of the Emperor. He didn't know why, but that Knightmare seemed almost exactly the same as Zero's famous Shinkirō.

"It's my personal machine." said Lelouch with an amused voice and Ash didn't understand why, even after hearing his next words "I called it: Mahoroba Type-0."

Seconds later, they landed at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where Marrybell was already giving orders to her pilots. Three of her best knights (Leonhardt, Sokkia and Tink) would have remained outside along with the Vincents equipped with Float Systems, while the rest would have continued inside the tunnels. Her orders, however, were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of several enemy units that came out of a large cave not far away. They all looked like jets as big as a Knightmare, but half of them transformed before landing, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape.

"Enemy Somersets spotted!" shouted Oldrin with the others already firing at the new enemy. Those that had not yet transformed, flew high in the sky but were chased by Leonhardt who, with his Bradford in Fortress Mode, eliminated them all in a few seconds.

After destroying with a MVS the last Somerset, which had come too close, Marrybell turned to the others "Let's go, the entrance is in front of us!"

The designated teams quickly entered the cave, and Lelouch, Cera, Ash and Casval were the only ones to have a flying Knightmare, while the others advanced using their Landspinners.

"Remember where we are, soldiers." said Lelouch on the open channel "Above us there are thousands of tons of rock, so avoid using too powerful attacks that could damage the integrity of these tunnels."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After a few minutes of advance, they found themselves inside a gigantic cave and Lelouch was surprised to see even some crystals on the domed vault, but his moment of charm was interrupted when explosive bullets hit his Knightmare. Marrybell and the others watched in horror the cloud of smoke caused by the explosions, but their concern vanished when they saw a series of energy hexes surround the Mahoroba, which remained completely unharmed.

"Ah, so they set up battle-stations in the cave walls. Smart on their part." commented Lelouch, looking at the various cannons installed in large holes in different points of the cave.

The Glinda Knights didn't wait for a second volley of shells and scattered around the area, shooting at all the enemy positions, while Ash and Casval flew up to take down the topmost cannons. Other Somersets seemed to come from a different tunnel than the one that had brought them there and in a few moments the cave turned into a hell of iron and flames. While Britannia's soldiers had more freedom of movement, they had no shelters available and couldn't use explosive ammunition since their enemies were too close to the walls; the terrorists didn't have these problems but the cannons couldn't move and their Somersets weren't able to take down the four flying machines, with C.C. and Lelouch who were eliminating as many enemies as possible.

"They are trying to keep us stuck here." said Ash in their private channel "These Somersets aren't even trying to focus on any of us, they seem to be aiming to waste our time."

"I wonder why..." replied Casval with a bored tone of voice while destroying another cannon with his plasma sword, whose handle was nothing but one of the previously visible stakes on the left arm of his machine.

"It's possible that their current commander is trying to prepare something...or he's just trying to escape." Lelouch looked at his sister's Knightmare "Marry, we need to move on. Can your soldiers stay here to take care of these rats?"

"They can." she nodded sharply "Oldrin, stay here with them and then regroup with us."

"Cera, stay here as well, give them support for those cannons." ordered the Emperor.

"Yes Your Highness! / Fine by me."

Lelouch quickly turned his machine into its Fortress Mode and Marrybell jumped on it to move faster, while Ash and Casval were right behind them to eliminate two Somersets who were trying to hit them from behind. The group of four Knightmare Frames advanced in the darkness for almost a full minute before arriving at what must have been the center of that underground base given all the tunnels that were visible in that huge cave, but with several prefabs, probably used as warehouses and housing.

"YOU!"

Lelouch looked up and was particularly surprised to see what must have been a Knight Giga Fortress, although very different from the one used by Jeremiah. This new model seemed much rougher and less technologically advanced, yet Marrybell immediately recognized that machine.

"A Sutherland Ikaros? I believed that the only existing one had been destroyed during the assault on Pendragon, along with its creator, Wilbur Millville."

"So you came here to finish what you started huh? It wasn't enough to kill my father!" shouted the female pilot of the Sutherland Ikaros "Where is that damn Leonhardt?! Is he hiding?! Or maybe he's in that black and golden Knightmare?!"

Lelouch could only be amused by the situation "Looks like she has a good reason to hate you and your knights, sister. I think it is better to eliminate her as soon as possible."

Inside her cockpit, Marrybell nodded "Casval, take care of those Somersets!"

"Aye aye, Your Highness..." he quickly threw himself against the enemy machines, destroying them easily, while Ash began shooting at the battle-tanks that were positioning themselves in the cave. Seriously, these terrorists had unique Knightmares and then they ended up using those old pieces of metal?

"DIE!" the two large wings of the Sutherland Ikaros split into three parts each, and from those six appendages it began to fire energy bullets thanks to some coil guns mounted inside them. Lelouch nimbly avoided all the blows while Marrybell tried to fire back with her rifle, yet a strange barrier was created in front of the enemy and all the bullets bounced against it.

"An Electromagnetic Armor, just like the other one." she noted with narrowed eyes "Lelouch, that armor is particularly effective against metal objects, we cannot get too close and all the bullets are practically useless."

"Someone called?!" shouted Casval coming from above with his huge plasma sword, ready to cut in half the enemy, but the pilot of the Sutherland Ikaros saw him and, upon tilting her machine toward the ceiling, she activated the Electromagnetic Armor, blocking his attack and forcing him to back down.

"Oh, it looks like the commander knows her stuff." he said with excitement in his voice while dodging two large slash-harkens fired by the enemy machine. At that moment Ash tried to attack with two MVS but the barrier was activated again and his attack was also repulsed.

"You can't defeat me! I'll kill you all!"

Countless rockets were fired from the compartment at the back of the Knight Giga Fortress but none of them hit a target due to the agility of the Britannian machines. Lelouch began to fly low so that Marrybell could land on the ground and try to hit their enemy from a blind spot, but more rockets continued to rain on them, forcing the two of them to stay in motion, even though the Mahoroba didn't have to worry about it thanks to his Absolute Defense System.

"Ash, Casval, please try to hold it in place." said Lelouch while transforming his Knightmare.

Ash was the first to react and immediately tried to engage the Sutherland Ikaros but was forced to avoid the blows of its coil guns, while Casval was 'busy' with the last Somersets. When even the last enemy machine was destroyed, he began to avoid the energy shots gracefully when then an idea occurred to him.

"I noticed that when she is forced to stop our attacks, she can't move..." he deactivated his large plasma blade before putting away the stake and taking out another one, from which he created another plasma blade, thinner and longer than the previous one "Hey Ash, try to hit her on the right! Do not try with a slash, but with a lunge!"

"Copy that." avoiding other energy blasts, Ash managed to get close enough to try to hit her with an MVS but the barrier prevented him from completing his attack. Instead of giving up, the albino tried to pierce that defense and to his help came Casval from the left who used his plasma blade in the same way, managing to pierce that barrier slightly. As expected by Casval, the Knight Giga Fortress couldn't move now and its pilot realized it when, in front of her, the Mahoroba appeared, with its right arm raised. The muzzle of what was supposed to be a weapon appeared from under its arm and, before she could react, she saw red energy charging into it.

"Thanks for following me and my sister so close to the ground, now I don't have to worry about hitting the ceiling or the cave walls." Lelouch said on the open channel in an amused voice before firing a sphere-shaped blast of energy that hit the barrier. Surprisingly the barrier managed to withstand the blast until it vanished, but it was now clear that the energy levels of the Sutherland Ikaros were nearing their end.

However, before Lelouch could fire again, a roar echoed in the cave and a large bullet hit one of the six appendages of the Knight Giga Fortress from behind, destroying it. The barrier faltered for a few seconds before turning off and, both Ash and Casval, pushed their Knightmares forward before piercing the enemy cockpit with their blades. Sparks and electricity sprang from the machine as the two of them moved away to escape the impending explosion.

"Fa...ther..."

The entire Sutherland Ikaros was engulfed into a sphere of flames and the explosion generated a strong shock wave that lasted a few seconds before the burning wreckage fell to the ground.

"Looks like we've won...but..." Lelouch looked in the direction from which the bullet had come, since he knew it hadn't been Marrybell, and on one of the big prefabs he saw a completely red Gloucester on its knees equipped with an Anti-Knightmare sniper rifle. He raised both eyebrows at the sight of that machine, thinking for a moment about another person who used completely red Knightmares, but then he saw the Gloucester aiming somewhere else and firing several bullets, destroying a small group of Somersets who had arrived from another tunnel.

Casval whistled impressed "That guy has a pretty good aim."

Lelouch silently nodded before flying to that machine along with Ash and Casval, while Marrybell followed them advancing on the ground. Now that he was closer, the Emperor was able to notice an inverted black cross painted on the chest of the Gloucester 'Does it belong to a religious group? I didn't think they still existed.'

"Could I know the name of the pilot who decided to help us?"

The Gloucester looked at his machine "You can call me Lucifer."

'A false name, no doubt about it.' thought Lelouch with a little grin before landing and opening his cockpit, stepping out with one foot resting on it "So can I talk to you face to face, Lucifer?"

"Your Majesty...?" the pilot's voice seemed surprised, yet Lelouch and the others couldn't help but also notice a note of boredom in it. After a few seconds, the Gloucester's cockpit opened and from it came out a young boy, probably the same age as Lelouch, with short, slightly spiked black hair with white streaks. His bored red eyes observed the Emperor of Britannia "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." replied Lelouch with an amused voice "This was a terrorist base, so it is the duty of the Empire to weeding out the weeds."

Lucifer merely shrugged "I heard about this base a few days ago, so I decided to eliminate these terrorists."

"You 'heard' about this base...?" asked Marrybell and the doubt was more than evident in her voice.

"There are many voices and information in the underworld, if you know where to look for them."

Now Lelouch was interested. This boy clearly had connections in the underworld, something that only the OSI had and in some cases the information weren't even that good. If this Lucifer had learned of a terrorist base, it means he had really good connections, besides it was clear that he was not part of the army. Perhaps that boy could be very useful to him.

"Lucifer..." said boy looked back at the Emperor, who was showing a sharp smile "I have a proposal for you..."

[Berlin – 18th August 2018 a.t.b.]

The sun was now setting on the capital (until the reconquest of Paris) of the E.U. or what remained of it. In many factories the noises of the machinery were still audible while ammunition and spare parts were produced for the Knightmares who would take part in the next war. Smilas had discussed a lot, but in the end he had managed to convince the various representatives of the E.U. to focus more on the production of the new Alexanders. Of course, the Panzer Hummels and the Panzer-Wespes were still an integral part of their army, but they couldn't hope to win using only those.

'Furthermore, our new mobile command center units based on the Britannian G-1 will provide us with some advantages in the long run.' thought Smilas while sipping a glass of wine before looking at the other occupant of the room "You seem quieter than usual, Wizard."

"I was just thinking." replied the masked man after having emptied his glass.

"About the new Britannia?"

Wizard made a sound with his throat that made it clear to the general that he had guessed right "I haven't been there for several years. To see it so different surprised me. It is one thing to see the news, but seeing the change in person is another story."

"When the war is over you can go back there. It is clear to me by now that you are of Britannian origin." said Smilas with a small grin "As long as you don't mind the future Emperor."

The masked man snorted "That Schneizel can even choke on his scarf, as far as I'm concerned. I went to that place just to recruit some manpower."

Smilas couldn't help but think back to the huge number of soldiers and Knightmares that Wizard had managed to bring to their side. About a thousand machines ready for use and pilots able to fight with them, although it was clear that all those soldiers were more loyal to Wizard than to anyone else. The general didn't know where he had found them, but it was clear that the masked man was already aware of their existence from before his temporary return to Britannia.

'And given the color scheme of those Knightmare Frames it is clear that they belonged to some form of organization.' thought Smilas before mentally shrugging 'No matter, it is clear that Wizard has nothing but hatred for Britannia. It will be easy to take one of those Vincents to reverse engineering it carefully. Despite our alliance, Schneizel didn't want to share the secrets of Britannian weapons with us.'

A sudden acoustic sound drew their attention to a large screen hanging on the wall. The general placed his glass on a table before pressing a button on a small keyboard and the screen lit up, showing the calm face of the White King.

"Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Sure it is..." grumbled Wizard with sarcasm more than evident in the voice but neither Schneizel nor Smilas paid much attention to it.

"Wizard, I must congratulate you on the success of your mission. All those soldiers will be very useful in the coming days." said Schneizel, smiling at the masked man "In fact, I was thinking of leaving you at the head of that group, removing the soldiers previously assigned under your command."

The man dressed in black and white narrowed his eyes behind the mask "Fine by me, they are certainly more useful and trained than those you gave me before."

"But I admit that you surprised me...being able to recruit the entire Pluto organization is no small thing." continued the former Prime Minister of Britannia "It looks like you knew what to do to get them to accept the proposal."

"A wizard never reveals his tricks." a grin appeared on his face "Besides, out there it's full of people who knew about Pluto. Britain's security system must have worsened considerably during Charles's reign."

"A fair point." nodded Schneizel, not at all bothered by the hidden insult addressed to his late father, before looking at Smilas "How are the preparations going?"

"Everything according to plan." replied the general with a calm nod. After tapping something on the keyboard, a map of the E.U. appeared on the screen, and Schneizel's face was placed in the upper right corner "As you can see, we have already prepared all the routes for the invasion. We also managed to complete the two Stratospheric Launchers and now we have three of them: one in Italy, one in Germany and the other in Ireland. I also personally assigned the best teams for the first wave. If your information is correct, we should be able to regain much of Europe within a day."

"But of course. Thanks to some informants, I managed to acquire the current number of troops in each city as well as in different military bases. It is likely that Lelouch will make changes, but he cannot change all the cards on the table so quickly." said Schneizel with a light chuckle "Especially when he is committed to eliminating the terrorists left in the motherland."

Smilas raised an eyebrow "Oh? This is something new for me." and a quick glace to Wizard made him understand that the masked man was already aware of the matter.

"A few months ago, a terrorist group attempted to bomb Pendragon, but they were stopped by my sister Marrybell mel Britannia and her Glinda Knights, but some of the terrorists managed to escape." explained the White King with a small smile "And by pure chance, while she was headed to the capital for a meeting with Lelouch, she found out about their secret base."

"And I imagine you have nothing to do with this fortuitous event, don't you?" asked Smilas with a knowing smile before adding "Your sister is also the Viceroy of Spain, with her departure and the absence of the Glinda Knights it will be easier to conquer Madrid."

"On our side, we should be able to achieve our goals in just one day, especially now that Lady Beatrice has joined us." said the blond Britannian with a cold smile.

"The Knight of the Lost Sword..." breathed Smilas, distinctly remembering that woman's ability on the battlefield, when he himself was a simple sergeant "I didn't think she'd be back in action after resigning as Knight of the Round."

"Let's just say that she was a fervent follower of my late father, and that she doesn't accept someone like Lelouch as Emperor." Schneizel looked at his side for a moment "I will send my attack routes in the next few hours, now I have an important meeting with some of my informants. Good night, gentlemen." and with that, his face faded from the screen.

After a few moments of silence, Wizard looked at Smilas "I don't like him."

"You don't say..." the general rolled his eyes "And here I thought you were one of his greatest supporters..."

"Spare me the sarcasm." Wizard got up from his armchair before walking to the door "I'll go check on the troops and my new soldiers."

When the door closed, Smilas sighed "Good grief, sometimes he behaves like a child."

"I HEARD YOU!"

Another sigh left his lips. Why was it so hard to find normal people?

[Pendragon (Royal Palace) – 19th August 2018 a.t.b.]

With each new day, new challenges came and Lelouch was experiencing those words on his skin as he looked at a political map of the world. His eyes moved slowly from the motherland to Europia and finally to the territories belonging to the U.F.N. and from an external point of view, he seemed to be looking for something.

"You seem troubled, Your Majesty." said Sebas at his side, offering him a cup of warm tea that Lelouch gladly accepted.

The young Emperor took a sip before sighing "I'm looking for the place where everything will start."

"Everything?" repeated Jeremiah, standing on the other side of the table "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Lelouch pointed at the map, tapping his finger over Paris "Although I have stopped all conflicts, it is clear that the remaining states of the E.U. are preparing for a new war and, if what Lucifer says is true, they are not alone."

The loyal cyborg glanced for a moment at Lucifer, who was sitting in a corner of the room while reading a book with a bored expression. The young pilot had followed them after the raid at the terrorist base and then, at Lelouch's request, told them what he knew about possible operations in Europia or even in the motherland. Despite his information, all they had discovered was that the E.U. was supplying its army with Knightmare Frames and that many troops were being moved to the borders with the Britannian territories.

"Is that why you asked Ash to talk to the various commanders in Europia?"

Lelouch nodded with a small smirk. After the little talk with his wife, Ash had obtained a Geass and, unlike those of Oldrin and Casval, his power was not at all suitable for battle. In fact, from the point of view of Cera, it was one of the most banal but at the same time most useful Geass that could happen under the command of Lelouch. On the side note, Lucifer also owned a Geass but he got it from V.V. a few years ago, when Lelouch's uncle still had the habit of granting Geass to complete strangers to avoid getting bored. When Lelouch came to know about this, he was pleasantly surprised, especially since he now had another Geass on his side.

"His Geass can also work through a screen, so it is the most suitable for the task." he looked down at the map "Moreover, when I'll understand how my enemies want to act, I will ask him to use it again on a large scale."

His two servants nodded when a faint sound caught Sebas's attention as he removed a small device from his pants pocket. After a quick glance at the screen, he leaned toward the Emperor "Your Majesty, one of the agents you requested arrived. One Angelique De Villepin is waiting to meet you."

"Excellent, accompany her here as soon as possible." nodded Lelouch while thinking about her last name. After a few seconds, it clicked in his mind that the De Villepin family had always been loyal to the crown, but Lelouch had used his Geass on them when he took possession of the throne. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to the door 'Let's hope that their youngest daughter doesn't have something to say about their behavior...it would be a nuisance having to use the Geass on her too.'

After a short time, someone knocked on the door and, after a calm 'Come in' from Lelouch, a young girl with loose, large curls that reached her shoulders, entered with a calm but firm step, immediately bowing before the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, it's an honor to finally meet you." in spite of her military uniform, Lelouch could see how that girl, who was only a year older than him, had a slender but definitely trained body, if the reports about her were reliable.

"Raise your head, Angelique." said Lelouch with authority in his voice "You have been summoned here to discuss about your missions in Europia."

She immediately raised her head, looking at him with her dark green eyes "Did I made some mistake? I have compiled a detailed report on my last mission in Italy as requested, and nothing unusual has been reported to me."

'Well, at least she is a person who cares about doing things right. I'm sure she and Jeremiah will get along.' thought Lelouch before shacking his head "No, it's not about that. I read the report and you carried out the mission to the best of your ability. I am more than satisfied with the results." those words seemed to reassure Angelique "What I wanted to know is about the man to whom did you report during your period in Europia. As you know, my brother Schneizel has been labeled a traitor, so I would like you to tell me what you know about him and any secret bases not shown on this map."

After gesturing toward the table, he slightly narrowed his eyes "The enemies of the Empire are out there and are preparing to fight a new war, so I don't want to leave anything to chance."

Angelique nodded, actually impressed by his words. From what she knew, the previous Emperor had always left this sort of threads to his son Schneizel and his generals, while Lelouch wanted to personally oversee the empire's situation. That was a big plus in her book.

Without hesitating, she stood up and approached the table, bringing a braid of her dark purple hair behind the right ear. She looked at the map for a few seconds, focusing on the military bases in Europia, and finally tapper her finger at a point in northern France "Here, Your Majesty. If this map is the most up-to-date at your disposal, then I have to tell you that a military base is not marked here."

Lelouch stared at the map "What kind of base?"

"A very small base actually. The hangar for the Knightmares could contain up to twelve, the last time I was there, and mostly there were accommodations for agents like me who also have to operate alone sometimes." said Angelique with a serious face "I've been there twice, and only once prince Schneizel was there in person."

"It almost seems like a safe-house rather than a military base." noted Sebas with a raised eyebrow.

"I know it could give that impression, but besides being hidden, it is also endowed with noteworthy perimeter defenses like automatic turrets and, even though they are now obsolete, there were also several Liverpools patrolling the area." Angelique explained after recalling her visits to that base.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. The Liverpools were Knightmare Frames of the Fifth generation, used mostly in the conflict between Euro Britannia and the E.U. Their only 'advantage' was that there were no pilots on board, but they were completely automated, even though the same concept had been applied to many Sutherlands during the end of the war. Why use those old models for a secret base?

"Do you remember anything particular about this base? Whatever may be important."

Angelique stood there for a moment "I don't know if it's useful as information, but the whole structure was built by an organization called Toromo Agency."

"Toromo Agency...?" repeated Lelouch "Where have I heard this name before...?"

"It's an organization created by Schneizel el Britannia. Even in the underworld there is little information about it, and it is not known in what exactly they operate, but it seems that they are specialized in many fields." said Lucifer from his armchair without taking his eyes off the book.

"Is that so...?" mumbled Lelouch looking at the map for a moment "Do you think you can find out the location of their bases?"

"I've already tried, and I had no luck."

"I see." shacking his head, Lelouch focused back on Angelique "Anything else?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I don't know anything else." said the young girl while bowing her head.

"You helped me discover that my brother has secret bases around the world and that an entire secret organization is at his service." Lelouch smiled at her "I'd like it if you could stay here at the palace for a few more days, consider it a personal thank you."

Angelique seemed surprised by the proposal but immediately recovered and bowed again "It would be an honor, Your Majesty."

The Emperor nodded satisfied before getting up "One of our maids will take you to the guest accommodations."

They then all left the room, and while Lucifer and Angelique were taken elsewhere by a young maid with long blond hair, Lelouch and his two trusted men went the other way. After a few minutes, Lelouch was sitting up in front of a screen and beside him was Ash, hidden in the shadows.

"Are you ready?" the albino nodded "Then open the connection to the Paris base."

The screen was turned on and Lelouch found himself looking at a vast array of soldiers at attention, all staring at him. From their point of view, his face had appeared on the huge screen mounted on the military base and they had been told that the Emperor had an important announcement for all of them.

While Lelouch began his speech, the first in a long series, none of those soldiers could see the Geass symbol shining in Ash's left eye.

While Lelouch was busy talking to his soldiers in Europia, a lone hooded figure approached the main gate of the royal castle, yet none of the guards seemed to mind, as if that person, so short as a child, did not exist.

The figure reached the door before looking up, revealing the Geass symbol in the left eye.

"Lelouch vi Britannia...let's see how much you really are worth."

~ Next Chapter: Where the war begins ~

A.N.: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this third chapter. A very long chapter came out and I wanted to write more, but I preferred to conclude here! The next one will be perhaps even longer!

From my point of view, not much has happened in this chapter, but I still hope you enjoyed it! Now there are some small notifications I prefer to make, to avoid problems and confusions later.

First of all: the OCs already appeared in these chapters (Ash, Casval, Lucifer and Angelique) are not appearing in order of future rank in the Knights. Most likely in the next chapter I will also show all the other OCs (at most it will take two more chapters to show them all).

Another thing: characters not from the canon show. As you may have noticed I have used many characters from the various Code Geass spin-offs, but also from the novels. Beatrice, the woman who defeated Suzaku, actually appears in the official wiki and was indeed the Knight of Two.

Lelouch's new Knightmare Frame, which is very similar to Shinkirō, is the one in the new Code Geass movie: Lelouch of the Re;surrection.

Another small thing: many of the future Knights of the Round will have very normal Knightmare Frames at the beginning (such as Lucifer's red Gloucester). The various customized KFs will arrive after entering the Rounds. Casval is an exception because the Glinda Knights use many prototypes and therefore already has a custom KF.

That said, I want to thank all of you for the tremendous support you are giving to this fic and I repeat: those who asked to participate, but did not have time to send an OC, can still send their character! If it's good, I'll think of something for them!

Hope to read a lot of reviews! Until next chapter!

That's all for now, may your day be perfect.