Lelouch's POV

As Sylvia and I heard this news...

"That means Julio will come here," I guessed with my arms crossed and expression of disdain for that Clovis-lookalike.

"Same thing I'm thinking," Sylvia is learning to think what I'm thinking.

"Angelise, it's a rescue! They're here to save us!"

We saw Momoka exclaiming this happily to Ange. What is her head filled with? Cabbage?

"Is she an idiot?" I gave my criticism for her thinking about that. "Has she forgot about what happened last time? I'm sure Julio is not interested to make peace with those Normas, especially his sister."

"And how can you tell?" Sylvia asked me, and I replied by pointing to the anti-airguns that are coming out. "You know what, Lelouch, you're right."

"Will you believe in this crappy news?" I gave her another quiz.

"No, I will not," she replied bravely.

"Good. Now you're learning to be independent, and I'm sure Ange will be proud of you."

We went back to my hideout as we come up with our next move in the briefing room. Suzaku, Jeremiah, and Sayoko are invited. Too bad Riza won't be joining because she is too busy tending to Julio. Good thing I'm getting some info from her for her people, the DRAGONs.

"Well, this is it, ladies and gentlemen," I started. "Julio is declaring war on those Normas. So much for his expectation to make this go in peace."

"And this is a good thing, right, Lelouch?" Jeremiah asked me with a smile on his face.

"Yes, it is, Jeremiah," I replied as I go over for my plan about this situation by the chessboard. "Let's see. Ange is with Momoka being led through the Ancient People's flagship known as the Aurora. I'm sure they would try to escape so that Ange could get to Julio himself. They would be surrounded with that Clovis-lookalike's troops, but they can take care of themselves, especially when Momoka is a ninja maid. Suzaku, you and Jeremiah will take down those troops from the inside."

"As in undercover?" Suzaku asked me.

"Yup," I replied. "Sayoko, retrieve Riza so I can hear some information she's going to tell her people."

"Will do that," she bowed.

"For me, I'll try to arrange an alliance will Jill. You know what they say, two heads are better than one."

"What about me, Lelouch?" Sylvia wanted to get into the action.

"You will help your sister from the sidelines, and when I said 'sidelines'..."

"Not actively participating."

"That's right. Just stay from the shadows until Ange is doing what I think she's doing," I added.

"Got it," she grabs a M16 rifle.

"That will be all, ladies and gentlemen."

The briefing ends and I took a sit from the chair. I'm hoping everything goes according to plan.

Ange's POV

I was forced to being escorted to somewhere I don't know while Salia pointed an assault rifle on my back. If that wasn't enough, Momoka is being carried by Jasmine to escort her with me.

"It's dangerous here, isn't it?" I asked Salia with disdain. "Is this really time to prepare an escape?"

"I told you, I have an important mission," she replied. "You and the Villkiss must escape unharmed. It's probably going to be... my last mission."

"And for that, you'd give up your friends' lives?"

"What else can I do?"

"You're just like that woman," I stopped walking as I faced Salia. There's no doubt she's no better than Jill. "Paranoid and drunk on fanciful ideas and a meaningless sense of duty. It must be awful to be someone who gets killed over you people."

She slapped me on my face after I said this.

"You don't understand anything, do you?" she snapped. "How important, privileged, and special you are!"

"I don't even want to understand," I turned away from her.

"Hold your breath, please, Angelise!"

I heard Momoka saying this as she throws two cans to make a smokescreen. If that wasn't enough, she touched Jasmine's pressure point to knock her out. Also, the same with the dog and Salia. At least it's temporary.

This goes to show not only she's my top maid, but also a ninja maid.

We went to the cafeteria and it looks dark. As soon as Momoka uses Mana for light, I saw dead bodies all over, and that makes me sick to my stomach. She runs off to get water. After I recovered from the shock, I hear gunshots and a slashing sound.

I went through where Momoka is as she killed a soldier that was coming after us. Even with that wound on her shoulder, she managed to be a good ninja. With those two soldiers cornering her, I shot one and wound the other.

"You did this?" I demand angrily. "Under Brother's orders?"

"You! Angelise!" he tried to shoot me, but I shot the gun off his hand. "Wait, please!"

Now he is begging for mercy.

"I was just following the captain and Julio's or..."

Too bad I won't have it as I shot him to death. Momoka hugged me to calm myself down.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm here. It's okay now."

I turned around as I prepare my next move.

"I have to go."

Sylvia's POV

I grabbed a M16 as I start shooting on those enemy soldiers that want, if I'm not mistaken, my sister and the Villkiss.

My sister...

She's been protecting and I let her down during that night.

This time, I'll be the one to protect her. As my atonement.

"Sylvia, what are you doing here?" Tusk asked as he saw me.

"Lelouch told me to protect Sister from the sidelines," I replied.

Just then, we noticed enemy soldiers are trying to carry Vivian away.

"Will you help me save her?" Tusk lends a hand.

"Yes, I will," I grabbed his hand in reply.

"I'll make the first move, then it's your turn."

What a plan he made as he placed an explosive on their aircraft. As soon as they went near, it exploded.

I'll make the second move as I gun down two soldiers and stabbed three of them with my army knife.

"I'm topside at Arzenal," Tusk said to the earpiece, and if I'm not mistaken, that's Jill whom he's talking to. "Where's Ange?"

Suddenly, we heard engine is running and we looked by the sky. Now we know where Angelise is.

"Jeez! That crazy woman..." he said.

"That's my sister," I added.

"Potato chips..." we heard Vivian saying this.

"Sylvia, will you help Ange?" Tusk instructed me while he is carrying Vivian.

"That's what I'll do," I said as I got into the Shinkiro and fly away.

I know what Angelise will do, but I will be the one to do that deed. As I watched her take down those unidentifiable machines, I managed to hit some of them. If that wasn't enough, she ended up arguing with Salia of what she's doing against Jill's orders.

I know Jill may not be a saint, but she's trying to do the right thing. I could say Lelouch is like that, too.

Anyway, my sister destroyed the two arms of Salia's Para-mail. After this, her Villkiss changed colors from white to red.

"There's no way!" I exclaimed from the distance while I saw what is happening.

Salia went falling to the ocean, and I continue to follow my sister. I can't believe how powerful she is with the Villkiss. Now's not the time to question her machine. If I'm not mistaken, she will try to kill our brother, the person who betrayed and tried to kill her. However, I'll be the one to do this deed instead.

This is my true atonement for my betrayal to her on that fateful night.

Angelise destroyed some ships, but I did the same.

To think she managed to reach the ship where our treacherous brother is. Next, I saw Riza leaving him behind, and Sayoko went to get her out of the ship. That must mean Lelouch sent her to retrieve her.

Sister revealed herself and shot Julio by his left leg, putting him down. I must stop her from doing what I think she's doing. She doesn't need to have this burden because I will take it instead. Look at Julio, he is a cowering mess now. Just as she is about to kill him with her sword raised on him, I blocked it the sword from the Shinkiro.

"Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, stop this right now!" I exclaimed. Here I go again saying her full name.

"Zero, what are you doing here?!" she demanded as she faced me.

"To stop you from becoming the monster everyone thinks you are! Although you're already a monster that everyone thinks you are..." I explained as I showed myself. I haven't forgotten about wearing my mask.

"Zero!" Julio turned to me. He is the one I should kill instead. "Get her! Kill Angelise! Do it now!"

"And do you think I will do what you say?" I shot him in the same spot where Angelise shot him. "Angelise, I'll take care of this!"

"Why should I let you kill him?" she asked with disbelief.

"Because I will make this burden mine!" I replied with finality. As she looks surprised on my reply, I managed to place a jetpack on the back of the Villkiss. With it, she'll be sent flying away, leaving me alone to handle this. "Farewell, Angelise..."

With the press of a button, the jetpack activates to send her flying away from me. I went out of the Shinkiro and confront Brother, who is the true monster, not Angelise.

"Zero, you're fight for justice, right, so why are you going after me?" Julio asked with fear.

"Because you're the real monster here, not her," I replied with the pistol pointed at him.

"W-Who are you?"

"Still haven't figured out yet? Fine, I'll tell you."

Before I kill this trash, I will let him know who's under this Zero mask I'm wearing.

"One week, no doubt, has changed me, Your Majesty. I suppose the face of a little girl with blonde hair and pigtails, the face of a traitor to her older sister for being a Norma, is not particularly memorable."

As I looked at Brother, he looks surprised when he realized who's under this mask.

"Sylvia?" he realized, and I took off the mask to confirm his answer. "Sylvia... Why are you doing this to me?"

"Why, Brother? Here's why," I point my gun at him as I planned to shoot him for every heinous crime he committed. First, in the right shoulder. "That's for turning me against Angelise!"

Then in the chest. "That's for killing Mother and Father!"

Finally, in the head. "That's for being born!"

With the final shot, he's dead.

I did it.

I realized that I took my anger on the wrong person that night. It's not Angelise, it's Julio. The third one I just said...

"Done," I whispered to myself as I looked relief. "If only he was never born, Mother, Father, and Sister I would all have been happy. Mother and Father would have never died."

Speaking of this...

I pointed the gun at my head. I'm going to use the last bullet on myself. I'm not going to cry on this as I will face death bravely. I closed my eyes.

"If only I never existed, Sister will never be heartbroken from my betrayal and suffer my wrath from those lashes I gave her. I'm sorry, Sister. Please forgive me."

Those will be my last words as I'm ready to pull the trigger to end my own life once and for all. I only hope Angelise will forgive me if she ever saw my dead body.

"So you're planning to kill yourself after you killed me," a voice is heard and I opened my eyes. I saw Julio and he sports a smirk on his face. What else is that all his injuries have disappeared including the one on his face where Sister threw a shuriken at. Looks like Lelouch is right about him being God; he is God in Jill's story. "Look at you. You betrayed your own sister and now you betrayed your own brother. I'm disappointed at you, Sylvia."

I pointed the gun at him.

"So Lelouch is right. You are God, after all."

"Lelouch, huh? He has betrayed humanity, and you did the same. You defend the Norma that was our sister, and since you did this, I will kill you."

With glee on his face, Julio went fast on me, and I tried shooting him in the head. Unfortunately, he dodged the shot, but I tried tackling him. It's not enough to put him down as he hits me on the back with his elbow and toss me to the wall of his ship. Even if I wore this armor, it still hurts. I reload my pistol to shoot him which he can dodge the shots and he pulls out a revolver to shoot me. I dodged his shots and try to grab him, but he grabbed me from behind and holds my arm down.

"Look at you. You have grown strong because of that Norma-sympathizing named Lelouch, huh? Why don't you call for our sister to rescue you?" Brother taunted me. "Oh wait, you can't. You won't be able to face her for your betrayal. How touching. I will kill you and send you to them to get my message. This is what happens to people like you who defend the Norma."

Even if Sister is not around...

"So what if I can't call Sister?" I went for my pocket and threw a small bomb to his face which it exploded. After this, I raised a fist. "She won't come for me, but I'm learning to be independent!"

I successfully land a punch to his face to send him falling to the ocean.

"At least that will throw him off for a while..." I went to retrieve my Zero mask and I put on the black half-mask on before the Zero mask. Good thing Sister didn't see through the mask.

If that wasn't enough, I heard singing and Julio is seen on the top of his mecha. As I realized what's going on, I went to the Shinkiro and fly away before I got caught in the blast which annihilates the ship. However, I went out barely as the Shinkiro got damaged, but Sister saved me from falling.

"Are you alright, Zero?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm okay," was all I could say.

"What are you, Julio?" she attempted to face our brother when gunshots are seen. We saw it was Tusk doing this, and he has Vivian on his back.

Sister went for Tusk and Vivian to save them. While this is happening, I saw her machine went from white to blue. As the blast happens, we were teleported away from the ocean.

I wonder where we are.