AN: Greetings faithful, once again I hope this chapter finds you all well and happy. It's been fun but we still have a long way to go. I appreciate your continued support in my freshman fic, I'm pleased by the feedback I've been getting so thank you all very much. As long as you keep reviewing I'll keep writing ;) Without further delay I bring you the next piece to the story. As most of my chapters do, this title has a dual meaning. One meaning should be quite obvious, the second.. well you'll just have to wait and see 8D
Landslide
The crisp, clean mountain air was a welcomed change for the Black Knights. The recent battles in the Tokyo settlement had created a smog effect from all the debris and crumbling buildings. Of course, this perfect clean air would also soon be dirtied by war. Ohgi was the first to awake, having always had a strong sense of punctuality. The rest of the Knights soon filed in, all save Tamaki. He was still passed out in the entrance of his tent, his legs crossed over the threshold. Ohgi chuckled as he shook his head, as worthless as the man proved in combat he was a necessity. Tamaki took the edge off of war, without him it was quite likely that the lot of them would go crazy from all the seriousness.
Ohgi was unsure if it was within his boundaries to go check on Zero's tent. Certainly he wouldn't be allowed inside for secrecy reasons, still he could attempt to rouse the leader. Leaving the other Black Knights to get breakfast ready, he walked over to Zero's marked tent. "Master Zero? Are you awake?" He waited for a moment but didn't hear a reply. He decided to speak up a bit, perhaps the man was a heavy sleeper. "Zero? Are you in there?" Still nothing, could it be possible that he woke up earlier and went off somewhere on his own? That didn't seem like the wisest of ideas given the risk.
Inside Kallen's tent Lelouch heard Ohgi yelling. How had time crept up on him? He looked over at Kallen who was stirring awake. He hadn't intended to stay in her tent all night. "Kallen, I'm going to go out there, just follow my lead."
Kallen looked up at him in his Zero attire with half open eyes. She blinked repeatedly to let her eyes adjust to the light shining through the tent. "What?" Kallen asked instinctively, after a moment of thought, his words made sense. "Yeah sure okay."
"You remember what we talked about last night right?" He asked putting his helmet on.
Her face quickly turned determined and serious. "Yes."
"Good." Zero nodded as he opened the tent to see Ohgi still staring at his tent across the camp.
Ohgi shrugged, Zero didn't have to be present this very moment anyway, perhaps he would show himself soon enough. Walking back to the rest of the group he spotted their leader emerging from a different tent, Kallen's tent if he remembered correctly. "Zero?" He managed with disbelief written across his face.
"Yes?" The leader responded as if he saw no abnormality in his actions.
"You were in Kallen's tent?" Ohgi asked, this drew the attention of the rest of the Black Knights as they turned to face him. They were mostly grown men but this was some juicy gossip to get in on from the sounds of it.
"Correct, as you know she's my second in command. I see nothing wrong with going over strategy privately." Zero said, joining the circle of Black Knights.
"Strategy eh? Is that what you call it?" A Knight smirked as he elbowed his buddy standing next to him.
"If you're insinuating that something unprofessional happened between me and Kozuki you are mistaken. I did indeed sleep in my own tent. We simply have the dedication to wake up before the rest of you and go over specific parts of the battle in case one of us becomes incapacitated." The lie came out smooth and convincing, the rest of the Knights sighed in disappointment. Once convinced, they sat back down to enjoy the meals they packed.
Kallen made her way out of the tent soon after, dressed and prepared for battle. "Morning Ohgi." She nodded to him as he smiled in response. He would have to talk to her later about Zero.
"Is everyone present now?" Zero asked, looking around his army. It wasn't much at the moment, still under twenty people. But as soon as he could start accepting people into the Black Knights that would all change. The tides were quickly turning in his favor and soon they would have the force needed to truly battle the Empire. Besides, a skilled tactician such as he should be able to overcome the odds before him, despite the number disadvantage. This was merely another opportunity to prove his genius further and demonstrate his unrivaled ability to cheat death itself. He made his crown out of the impossibilities he conquered.
"Everyone's here, except for Tamaki.. Not that it matters." A member laughed with a mouthful of food.
Zero brought his attention to the man laughing. "If any man here is expendable, it's the one who doesn't value his comrades. A single missing brick will topple the strongest of walls." The comment shut the laughing man up and humbly returned to his meal. While he meant what he said, that didn't mean he couldn't make an example of the drunk. He opened the man's tent and pulled in a deep breath. "TAMAKI WERE UNDER ATTACK!" His voice boomed in the small space.
"Ahhh!" Tamaki screeched like teenage girl, scrambling into his tent. Tamaki's heart raced in his chest as he cowered in the back of his tent. His entire body was tense and frozen with terror. That fear slowly faded away as he heard the overwhelming laughter from the rest of the Knights outside. "You're a real jerk you know that?" Tamaki yelled to the front of the tent.
"I would appreciate it if you weren't tardy from now on." Zero said, suppressing his laughter. He left the tent and returned to the group awaiting Tamaki to discuss their plan for the attack on Narita. They would have to get the excavators going soon if they wanted to remain undetected.
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Cornelia was alone in her chambers, still making adjustments to the arrangement of her forces. Judging by the terrain it was most likely that the JLF would be defending the south side since it would be the most difficult to climb. She could pincer from the sides with her main force and pull their main defenses apart, then she and her personal guard could charge divided forces and ensure victory. Her forces numbers alone already promised a favorable outcome, that didn't mean she could get sloppy though. "Still... That leaves Zero." Cornelia would not allow him to disgrace her again, with the force she brought to this battle she was going to cripple him either way. If he did show up she would redirect the majority of her forces to confront him and bring the Lancelot in from behind. "You cannot win Zero." Her voice was truculent and confident. His best chance was to steer clear of the battlefield, even in doing so his support from the Elevens would crumble. She had successfully backed him into a corner. With her forces nearly in place, all she had to do was deliver the final blow to the JLF and the legend of Zero.
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Shirley sat in her usual Math class, her chin resting in her palm in a bored expression. Math wasn't a favored subject of hers and the fact that it was her first class of the day only made it all the more frustrating.
Milly walked in and took an open seat next to Shirley. "Morning Shirley." She beamed with a cheerful smile.
"Yes it is." Shirley sighed, she was going to object to Milly sitting in the seat next to hers which was usually Lulu's but it seemed he was absent, she hadn't heard anything from him. His absence was starting to bother her, mostly because it seemed he was always gone the same day as Kallen. Even though she'd come to terms with them dating, she still didn't like to have it thrown in her face. Lelouch was supposed to be hers...
"Bummed that your Lulu is gone yet again?" Milly asked with some concern.
Shirley didn't want to talk about it, so instead she responded with a question of her own. "Milly, I have to ask. How does it feel to be in an underclassmen math class?" Shirley hoped it would have enough of a bite to it to give Milly the message to leave it alone.
Milly smiled sincerely. "I think I know what you're saying. In a way we are both struggling to keep prove our worth. For me it's academics, for you it's love." She reached a hand out to Shirley to pat her on the shoulder.
Shirley nearly blew up but before she could respond the door smashed open. The man standing before the class wasn't the Math teacher though. "Greetings students." The words seethed from his mouth like a hiss from a snake.
"Oh god." Shirley muttered into her fist.
"I am Professor Reisdorph. I'll be your substitute for today." The fat umpa lumpa sized man said with an anxious grin on his face. He was eager to test the mettle of the fresh meat before him.
"What happened to Mr. Marchetti?" Milly asked, she was particularly fond of the teacher. He was young and he seemed to pay special attention to her.
"Mr. Marchetti, in his infinite wisdom, discovered the revenue to be earned counting cards. If successful his return is unlikely. If not, then he doesn't have much credibility then does he?" Reisdorph laughed to himself as he pulled the clipboard from behind his back. "Today we are starting our unit on... Algebra." The Professor tapped his finger on his jaw for a moment, thinking of how to implement the lesson into his passion. "Alright so we'll start with this equation. If we take the population of the world and divide it into three and then cut that number by, let's say twenty-seven percent. Take that number and divide it again by five and that should be the number of soldiers our glorious Britannia can place into Knightmare frames." The rest of the class looked up at him with shocked faces, considering their usual assignments constituted of problems more in the form of: x + 26 = 15. After all, they were only just beginning Algebra. "No calculators, and I want to see all of your work long hand. Now begin!" His overzealous voice rang out through the otherwise silent classroom.
Shirley dropped her face into her desk with a loud thud. "I can only hope that Lulu is having as much fun as I am..."
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"All units move out!" Cornelia bellowed from the royal channel as she sat in her Knightmare. "Stick to your formation and advance until I give the command."
"Yes your highness!" The numerous force split into two large groups and chraged up the mountian side. Only Cornelia and her guard remained at the summit, giving the main force adequate time to advance and draw the fire of the JLF.
Within minutes gunshots could be heard with occasional explosions drowning them out. The two squads hit the trenched in JLF defenses like a tidal wave. The Empire brought an incredible force for such a small base, Cornelia was leaving nothing to chance this time.
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"The Britannians are on the move. They are splitting into two main forces, attacking both flanks." Ohgi said from the cockpit of his custom Burai.
"Everyone get ready to move. Q-1, how's the Guren responding?" Zero asked over the secure Black Knight channel.
"Everything's good. All systems are normal, radiant wave surger ready and waiting." Kallen said checking over all of her instruments and dials. It had taken her a minute to get used to the build of the Guren Mk II but she loved it. It fit her like a glove with its close range fighting style and effortless counter movements. The burning element in its claw was symbolic to the fiery heart that she wore on her sleeve as Kallen Kozuki.
"Perfect all units prepare to advance up the summit on my signal." Zero said over the comm unit. He lowered his head with a cocky smirk. *What a foolish move to leave yourself so unprotected Cornelia. I thought you were better than this.*
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The JLF commander looked in awe at the number of units marching up the mountain side. This was impossible, even with their terrain advantage they couldn't out for long. "How long until Tohdoh arrives?"
"He's on his way sir but I don't think he'll make it in time at this rate, I'd say he's probably thirty minutes away."
The commander smashed his fist into the metal console. "All units switch formation, guard the flanks. Give them everything you've got, unload your clips! We have to hold out for Tohdoh!"
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"Your highness, they are changing formation. They are bolstering their flanks." Dalton said with a smirk. Everything was going exactly according to plan.
"Understood. Keep pushing we're on our way." Cornelia responded on the Britannian channel. "Guilford how is your flank holding up?"
"We're fine Princess, although I still wish you'd let me accompany you." Her Knight responded.
"Don't shelter me Guilford, you know I hate that." She smirked in response. This strategy was a false opening for Zero. If he made a move, the flanks would close in on him and the Lancelot would charge from behind. He wouldn't stand a chance.
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Zero studied the Britannian formation for a moment. When the time to strike came his orders were quick and precise. "Q-1 penetrating electrodes three and four. P-group form our front line. B-group cover them with artilery against decending units. R-group once the landslides have begun extend to the edges, I don't want anyone getting past us. N-group your with me and Q-1 until we have visual of Cornelia." The Black Knights moved in unison like a well oiled machine, the time put into the plan was evident.
Kallen activated the third electrode with her radiant wave surger. The heat from the glove boiled the water deep beneath the ground, causing the ground to rupture and start a massive landslide down the mountain side. Quickly Kallen activated the fourth electrode creating another landslide of similar proportions. The two massed flanks that Cornelia had created suffered heavy casualties and the forces that did survive were pinned outside, unable to cross the destroyed terrain. Cornelia was isolated in a matter of moments. Only herself, her small detachment of units and the Black Knights were on the inside of the fork Zero had created.
Cornelia couldn't believe what she was seeing, the radar showed a loss of over 70% of her units just from the landslides. How could this be happening? "Send the Lancelot, it's Zero! He's come." Cornelia quickly regained her composure. Zero must have been going all in on this strategy, without reinforcements she would eventually face defeat, but with the Lancelot on her side. It was still an even match.
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Lloyd looked over the screen with shock, and yet he had a hint of admiration in his eyes. "What kind of force do you think could cause such destruction?"
Suzaku made a quick search around the Britannian flagship with Euphemia on board. As were his instructions to ensure her safety before assisting Cornelia. If he left her alone to be attacked by Zero... "Does it really matter where it came from?" Suzaku asked after he was satisfied with the scouting results.
"What was that?" Lloyd asked with a heartbroken tone. That was the most important aspect of science to him. It was how he rationalized all of his devices, every one of his creations had his own flair to them. Right away he could tell this wasn't the work of anything he'd ever made, which most likely left... "Rakshata. She's the only one I know who is capable of making such a weapon."
"If she isn't on this battlefield she isn't my concern right now. Lancelot launching." Suzaku opened up the throttle and raced up the mountain with any luck he would be able to save Princess Cornelia, perhaps even get the chance to battle Zero.
He'd spent time researching the masked man in what little off-time he was awarded. While his goals seemed noble the cost of his actions were far to great for Suzaku to support. Zero would kill 50 million people to stop a war that may only claim 10 million throughout the duration. Peace was necessary but death wasn't, he would stop Zero to save the lives of all he would endanger. By killing his native nation's hero he would redeem himself for the murder of his father. Of course the Japanese people would never know of all the lives he might have saved, but that wasn't important. He didn't want to be a hero for the title or the recognition, he did it for himself. In being such a selfless martyr he was actually quite selfish. While helping others was a great benefit the main reason behind his actions was to rinse his soul of his father's blood.
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"Princess what are your orders? We cannot cross the gap in time to support you." Guilford said desperately. He hated being separated from Cornelia, he often felt more helpless than she did when things turned sour. Without her, he was nothing.
"Keep pushing up the mountain, we need to pressure the JLF so they don't feel confident enough to push as well. Send what units you don't need to try and give us some cover fire over the gap. Snipers on the east side if you have them. Dalton, if you have artillery, bring them down the west side. Tell them to remain hidden until I give the order, after the snipers push them back we'll bombard them with explosives."
"Understood Milady." They responded loyally. Even in the face of disastrous odds she held firm command over her units.
The P-group made contact with Cornelia's unit first stopping them from descending further down the mountain. Zero watched on his screen, he himself was rather removed from the battle to ensure his victory. Lelouch had followed the landslide down the mountain, no one thought to look at the end of its wake. Surprisingly enough the landslide proved much more potent than he had assumed, it continued down the mountain and into the city nearby. He could only hope that the Britannians had evacuated the city before besieging the mountain. If they didn't, all those lives were on his hands now...
"P-group use the trees to your advantage bring them in close while R-group circles around and fires from behind. B-group keep their eyes on you and off of R-group by any means necessary. Q-1 crush every unit you can. When you're given the opportunity to strike the heart, take it." Zero commanded, keeping a close eye on all unit movements to call out a counter if possible.
"Understood master Zero." Several voices responded over the channel.
Cornelia with her superior combat skills was easily able to push through the defensive P-group with her lance and torso mounted machine guns. The B-group opened fire on her but she used the tight formation of the P-group against them, causing lots of friendly fire.
Kallen was able thinning the enemy ranks faster than Cornelia could simply because of unit performance. The Guren truly was a masterpiece, with the limited space given the enemy units were dropping like flies to the radiant wave surger and precise dagger strikes. She was in a frenzy trying to cause as much collateral damage as she could while trying to pinpoint Cornelia. The Black Knights now only had a dozen units remaining, nearly all of P-group was wiped out, Cornelia's force however was nearly depleted. Still they couldn't hold the position for long, as they were starting to take sniper fire from the east side of the mountain. Kallen took a moment to judge unit performance. "B-group, R-group destroy the remaining units and fall back to the west side, we'll break the line of sight with those snipers." The R-group charged seemingly out of nowhere and collapsed the last remaining line of Cornelia's unit.
Lelouch kept an eye on the local radar, something was moving towards Kallen and the others, fast. "Q-1 the Lancelot is about to arrive, take your shot now!"
B-group had fallen back to the west side as did R-group. The only units in the immediate were the Guren and Cornelia. Kallen flipped her comm unit over to limited range open channel. "Cornelia, this is the Red Lotus. I know you are after Zero, believe me, the only way you will get to him is if you follow my orders." Kallen's right eye shone brightly with geass.
"Very well, what must I do?" Cornelia responded on the local channel.
"Call off that sniper unit. If they kill me, Zero will escape. Head towards the base of the mountain along the east landslide trail. There you will find Zero alone, waiting for you." Kallen looked down to check her radar. The Lancelot would be there in a matter of moments. "Go, now!"
Cornelia switched back to her normal comm frequency. "Sniper unit return to Guilford's squad for support. I'm returning to the base of the mountain to protect Euphemia, the Lancelot is on its way to take my place."
"As you wish Princess." Guilford responded. His unit was pushing the JLF farther and farther back, they were running out of ground to fall back to. The sniper unit pulled back to meet up with Guilford and finish the job.
"Viceroy we have a shot on the enemies, do we have permission to fire?" The artillery unit asked from the west side.
"Destroy all targets except for the newer model, I want that unit taken alive." Cornelia responded as she continued down the mountain.
"Understood. Commence short range fire, make sure the newer model isn't harmed. Her highness wants the unit alive." In a single blast multiple explosives were fired into the air.
Ohgi recognized that sound as he looked into the air with artillery shells immanent, his eyes locked with fear. "All units eject!" The Black Knights responded as quickly as they could, their ejection seats taking most of them to safety, some were less fortunate.
Kallen wanted to ensure the safety of her comrades but a familiar white Knightmare had just arrived. It launched it harkens as it closed range. Kallen severed one of the harkens with her blade but intentionally let the other skim across her right shoulder, she didn't want to show him her trump card yet.
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Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords arrived at Narita, the mountain was haloed by a thick cloud of smoke. "All units prepare the custom Burai, we need to get to the General as quickly as possible!" Tohdoh attached the auto pilot device onto the steering wheel and applied cruise control. The vehicles would be lost but there was no time to worry about transportation. If the JLF were defeated here, they would have no fighting force to stand against Britannia. "Our first priority is to ensure the safety of the JLF head base, once that is complete we start moving against the Britannians. Stick together, we can't afford to get separated."
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Lelouch watched as Cornelia's unit drew closer and closer to his position. He checked the aim on his sniper rifle one more time and exited the cockpit as she drew came into view. Lowering himself to the ground via the cable he looked up at his sister's Knightmare. "Cornelia, I'm so glad you could make it. Shall we settle this right here and now?"
Cornelia raised her Knightmare rifle to Zero's profile. "Yes. Here and now I shall claim my revenge."
"Not with that you won't. You've seen how effective your bullets are on me. Why don't we handle this without Knightmares?" Lelouch stepped out onto the ground in front of Cornelia.
She didn't lower her rifle. "And if I don't?"
"If you wish to show such dishonor then I will be forced to do the same. He unveiled a remote in his hand to her. "With the push of this button my Burai will fire upon the command ship Euphemia is aboard. While it is by no means certain, it is possible that she will die, is that a risk you're willing to take?"
Cornelia laughed as she opened the hatch of her Knightmare. "I knew you weren't immortal." She lowered herself to the ground and reached for her firearm.
"Yes you are both a wise tactician and a fierce warrior. That is why, you will obey me."
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The Lancelot moved into closer range, not having much effect with the harkens. She would eventually destroy them all if she was given so much time to react. "This unit is as fast as the Lancelot?" Suzaku was baffled, where did the Black Knights get such a weapon?
"The Guren is an even match for your Knightmare. Only question is are you evenly matched against me?" Kallen's voice rose to a crescendo as she swiped out with her dagger, aiming for his mid section. He reeled back but closed quickly, drawing his sabres for close combat. Kallen lunged again with her small but lethal blade, the Lancelot dodged by flipping and twisting over her. She reacted by turning and firing her harken at him in mid air. In an impressive counter, he cut the the harken in half with his sabre leading down with both blades towards Kallen's chest. "And now, you're mine!" She quickly grabbed the both sabres in her claw and activated the radiant wave surger. The more power that Suzaku tried to put behind the blades the more they gave way under the heat and pressure. Before he could fully realize what was happening the swords fell in melted fragments on the ground.
"Suzaku get out of there, you don't have the weaponry to combat that thing!" Lloyd shouted over the comm link.
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"I have created this frequency that only me and you will be able to listen to for the time being. If you need to contact me about anything you may call my cell phone, only give information to me, do not leave messages. Understood." Zero asked his newly acquired ally.
"I'm not a fool Zero. I won't be caught." Cornelia bit back. Even under his control she was still a viper.
"Good then apart from information I would ask that you release Jeremiah Gottwald into my custody. I believe I can make use of him as well." Zero continued. "In the mean time call off this attack. No further bloodshed is necessary."
"All units return to base immediately, we no longer have the forces to prevail. We must regroup." Cornelia demanded over the Britannian channel. Her units responded and pulled back in formation to ensure they didn't receive any more losses.
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Todoh and the Four Holy Swords arrived at the base towards the peak just in time to see the enemy units retreating.
"Should we give chase sir?" Asahina asked.
Todoh watched as they retreated still in perfect formation. "No, pursuit would only lead to damage we can't afford. For now we must tend to the wounded." He looked down the mountain and saw the incredible destruction of the land, scraps of Knightmare remains littered the ground like aluminum cans. Zero must have been responsible for this. Perhaps he really was an ally worth seeking out...
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Without a plausible means to combat the Guren, Suzaku turned to retreat as well. He had a step on her but with the ability to extend her clawed arm she was able to grab him by the cockpit. "I'm sorry, but I can't afford the luxury of fighting fair..." She flipped the activation lever of the radiant wave surger as the cockpit began to bulge and bubble. He couldn't eject because of the location she had grabbed and the fact that the Lancelot wasn't equipped with an ejection seat.
"Suzaku!" Euphemia screeched over the channel seeing the cameras distort.
In a last ditch effort the Lancelot launched both of its arms in the Guren's direction. The explosive impact at such a close range blew them apart and crippled both, the Guren's claw and its other arm. Kallen sighed with a mix of anger and respect, she had gotten too cocky and instead of a win she was forced to withdraw in a stalemate. Still she inflicted some serious damage on the White Knightmare, it was completely immobile now, its joints melted into place. Given the circumstances the pilot shouldn't have been able to survive such intensive heat at such proximity. He really was a fighter..
Kallen gathered the Black Knights she could find and began to retreat to meet up with Lelouch. From the sounds of it, their plan had been a success. With the Viceroy as their puppet, things were sure to get easier for the Black Knights. With the three of them together her and Zero could cripple Britannia. At this point it seemed nothing could stop them.
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A passenger train pulled in to the Tokyo settlement. As the doors opened numerous people filed out, emptying the train. As the doors were beginning to shut a man stepped out with a futuristic looking visor to shield his eyes and large headphones over his ears. He casually walked away from the platform with a wide grin on his face. "You can't hide from me Zero. No one can."
AN: Alrighty then, one more chapter down. This chapter was a big one as intended, perhaps not in length but definitely in story. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did, I found this chapter to be a blast XD Let me know what you think by taking a moment to review. I can honestly say that I'm addicted to it, so feed the addiction!