"What the f-"
"WHAT IS-"
A woman screams before her home is smashed through. Another family home is blown apart by oncoming fire. The knightmare leaps high into the air, launching several missiles from a missile attachment along the back. The red Gloucester lands as the Shinjuku Ghetto lights up in flames. The pilot of the knightmare smiles.
General Valden cues his mic. "Everyone, now."
Elsewhere, a harbor bustles with everyday business as everyone looks to the distance, seeing various warships. The people, knowing full well of the attacks on Japan, have only a few seconds before long range fire starts to bombard the city.
Another city experiences similar attacks as ships rise from under the large river beside it. Knightmares land and raid as they flood onto the mainland.
A voice calls over the radio. "Sir, are you sure you should be out there on your own?"
Valden smirks. "I'll be fine. Soldiers, good luck on your mission. I have my own to accomplish." He then switched his radio to all frequencies. "Greetings Japan. The Dawn have risen to your islands. Stay calm and just enjoy the show. Zero, you'll need your armies to face mine, but I hereby challenge your greatest knight here at Shinjuku Ghetto. If none shows to face me. . ." His smile widens. "This Ghetto will burn once more."
(Scene Change)
"I'll kill that bastard!" Kallen exclaims as she activates the Guren. "Is the Shinkiro mobilized, too?" She looks to the screen, finding Schneizel.
"No, not yet. You will answer their champion. I will answer their main force. Todoh will head to their southern attack. Ohgi is organizing the traditional military to defend the northern attack. We're keeping the Shinkiro back to back up any location that needs the extra help."
She couldn't argue the logic. Her thoughts are cut off by Zero, erm, Susaku. "Win this, Q-1. It would be embarrassing to lose to a Gloucester."
She almost made a come back, but she decided against it. She thought to herself. 'Why do I have a bad feeling? This guy couldn't possibly think he stands a chance against me.' She launched the Guren out and headed for the Ghetto.
(Scene Change)
A knightmare lance pierces another building and collapses it as Valden rampages through the ghetto laughing like a madman. "Come on! Where's my fight!" He ruins half the Ghetto before his sensors go off. He smirks while speaking in his knightly voice. "It's about time you came to defend your people. I was about to question your honor!"
His Gloucester uses its lance barely in time to block a kick as his whole knightmare is launched into a building by the Guren. The Guren lands with Kallen speaking back. "Honor my ass! You attacked civilians while having the gaw to tell them to be calm."
Valden stands back up. "Heh. You caught me. Though, we were planning on scrapping this place anyway. Any place marred by Britannian cruelty would simply be wiped from existence." He took his combat stance. "Are you ready?"
Kallen chuckled. "You REALLY intend on fighting a seventh generation Knightmare, the Guren no less, with that pathetic piece of junk?" Valden lunged forward with his Gloucester lance, only for the Guren to catch the lance with its claw arm. "See what I mean?" She repeats as the lance metal starts to crush inward.
Valden laughed. "Do you?" Kallen activated the radiation blast from the claw as her sensors light up.
"Radiation spike? From the-" The lance lights red just like Guren's attack as a large explosion results between the knightmares, launching them apart and destroying a block in the ghetto. Large amounts of dust and debris cloud the area. The Guren gets up as Kallen shakes off the damage. "Only a small amount of damage, but what the hell was. . ." She looked to the debris as the lance speared through towards her. She dodges to the right as she raises the claw arm, charging another shot. Valden appears in the debris as she fires.
"Go Blaze Luminous Armor!" Kallen's eyes widen. Gloucesters don't have Blaze Luminous systems. Valden powers through Kallen's shot, barreling into her and pinning her to the wall of a building. Having not taken the full hit, the armor still remained partially intact. "The Blaze Luminous shielding for this knightmare lies between the true armor and the outer shell."
"What? What are you talking about?" Kallen questioned as the armor on the Gloucester started to glow a bit from the inside.
"The outer shell of armor is lined with heat reliant explosive while the Blaze Luminous heats it up and protects the true Knightmare underneath." He laughed as the armoring for the false Gloucester started to explode. "This is no Gloucester, my friend." BOOM!
The explosion forces the Guren through the building it was pinned on. Kallen rolls it to its feet, examining the damage. "Nothing too bad. That wasn't as much boom as I feared." She released a breath. She looked over to the lance in the ground as it split apart, revealing a large one sided sword.(Think the giant ass sword used by the Strike in Gundam Seed.) The energy blade lit red as a knightmare sped through, grabbing the blade and slashing at the Guren. Kallen jumps into the sky and hovers in flight while looking at the new knightmare. Slender build. Smooth look. Red with black accenting. The left arm was bulkier than the rest slightly, with a brace-like device on the fore arm. It held the sword with its right arm while a blood red Blaze Luminous shield lit all around it. It truly was an armor, the shield encasing the whole Knightmare hovering mere inches over the armor of the knightmare.
Kallen was too busy taking it the look, she almost didn't hear the sensors. "Whoa. That sword uses the same radiant tech the Guren uses." She then noticed the blaze luminous armor did NOT cover any portion of the knightmare's left bulked arm.
"Admiring some of our work?" Valden's voice snapped her out of her stupor. "You didn't think we were that stupid to fight you without having something to back up our bark?"
Kallen was forced to think back, remembering Lelouch talking about how he was sure they had their own toys for us. "Great. He's right. . . again." She glared daggers at her view screen. "Big deal! You have one seventh gen in your fleet. You think Japan's going to fall to you even if you defeat me?" The Guren took a combat stance. "That's if you can!"
Valden smirked in his knightmare. "Our objective isn't to win." Kallen didn't seem fazed as he continued. "One thing we learned as we studied the old Britannia's fall was how strong the Black Knights became. Inadvertently, you all became our biggest threat. As such, we need you all gone."
Kallen smirked. "You're doing a bang up job. We're on the winning end here."
Valden laughed, causing her to scowl. "You are ignorant, aren't you? There's seven fleets we control! The Black Knights make up about a third of your side's fighting strength. You've been struggling against a SEVENTH of ours! We aren't here to win. We're here to weaken you so the next fleet can destroy you!"
"WHAT?!" Kallen went a little white with that revelation.
"You're playing into us! The fleet with me is sacrificial. As long as we weaken you by only a ship or so, it'll be fine." He then pointed his knightmare's sword at the Guren. "The second objective. . . is you."
Kallen snapped her focus back to him when he said that. "What do you mean?"
"As far as we can tell, there are three knightmare pilots that are true threats amongst your men. The Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Six, Anya Alstreim, and you, Zero's personal knight who faced the best of the Knights of the Round, Susaku, one on one." He smiled. "YOU are the second objective. You are the one I'm here to kill."
Kallen's glare deepens as she prepares herself. "You're here to kill me?" She thought back to Lelouch. He just came back, and she had more planned for them. "I'm gonna kill you just for threatening what I protect." The claw of the Guren glows. "DIE!" She blasts him with her Radiant blast as he stands and takes the hit. The shot stops as Valden still stands there with the Luminous Armor on.
"You didn't even let me explain why I can beat you." He smiled more. "This knightmare's armor isn't on the same level as that 'Absolute Defense' Zero is so proud of, but it can survive a hit from your knightmare." His knightmare lifts off the ground, hovering into the air next to the Guren. "This knightmare uses your technology, and perfectly displays your barbaric ways of fighting. It purely represents the 'night' the Dawn seeks to eradicate. With it's coloration, it gains the perfect name, being red as the Harvest Moon." He slashes at the Guren, which dodges and moves back as it charges after her, giving multiple slash attacks for the Guren to parry away with its MVS knife.
The Guren knocks a slash away, speeding within reach and grabbing Valden's sword arm with its claw. The claw arm's attack begins to clash against the Luminous armor as the shield begins to fade. "Guess you can't take a point blank hit!" Kallen boasts.
"You fool." The bulked arm of the Harvest Moon punches right into the Guren's side, releasing a large spark as the Knightmares are blasted away from each other.
"What the-" Kallen snapped to just in time to dodge away from a slash. The sword gashes at the Guren's chest, but otherwise no fatal damage. She blasts Valden again, the blast halting him as she gains distance. She looks at his knightmare arm as the armor plate like device on the left arm deactivates and stops sparking. Her knightmare sensors go again as she looks at them. "70% power left?! HOW-" She stopped, remembering how the troops were each informed the enemies strengths. . .
"Whenever hit, our knightmares started to lose power. . ."
"Some kind of EMP shot? Something in that sort."
Kallen took a defensive stance, using her MVS knife to parry the sword as it slashed away, nicking away at the MVS blade. It wouldn't last forever. "If I attack at a range, I won't have the power to take him out through that damned armor. If I get past the sword, he'll use that arm to take away my power." She thinks for a second. "Guess that's why that arm isn't protected by the Luminous. The EMP would sap away at the Knightmare's own power-" Her eyes widened. Her faced burned with determination. "I won't let you beat me so easily!"
The Guren halted as the Harvest Moon charged. The distance closed as Valden went for impalement, missing by mere inches when the Guren ducked the sword, going in to grab. Valden smiled as his left arm went to strike the Guren. Then his eyes widened.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The Guren's claw clashed and gripped around the EMP arms punch.
Kallen glances to her power. 60%.. "COME ON!" She powers the arm as the Radiant Surger activates, destroying the EMP arm causing a large explosion between both Knightmares and disabling both flight gears to launch them both toward the ground.
Valden's cockpit flicked to life and death over and over as Kallen's did the same. "Good move." He has to admit with a smile. "I under estimated you."
Both knightmare smacked into the ground, sparking a moment, being they each came back up. Valden looked to his status. "30% power. My own device packs a punch, but didn't take it all." He looked to the Guren.
In there, Kallen sweated a bit. "5% power and dropping." Not enough for another claw attack. She drew the MVS knife out again as Valden's knightmare's Luminous Armor flickered.
"Hm, some of the systems were wiped by the EMP. Not enough to activate the full armor. He looks to the Guren. "Fine." The armor activates fully around the chest to protect the cockpit as the rest fades away entirely. He raises his sword one handed. "Come at me." He smiled, knowing his position was much better than hers.
They stared down for what felt like an eternity, then charged. Kallen went to strike as Valden clashed his sword into his MVS knife, halting her attack. She took her claw arm and rammed it into Valden's head, starting to crush into it. She looked to the left as her knife started to get cut through. "Damn it. . .come on." The claw started to lose power and is no longer able to crush into Valden's knightmare. She looks to the MVS knife as it's cut through. The Radiant energy from the sword starts to slowly cut into the Guren. Valden's voice chuckled through the radio.
"I win." Valden states just as a beep catches his attention. The Harvest Moon is knocked away into a building as the Guren falls down, powerless. Kallen exits the cockpit to look up at her savior, a dark violet Vincent with blue accents and blue cape attached to the back. The main weapon is a polearm MVS naginata, the offhand holding a new tech rifle.
"Only THREE pilots you needed to worry about?" A royal voice sounded. "The Goddess of Victory is offended."
Kallen stares in awe. "Cornelia?"
"Q-1. Thank you for the effort. This man defeated you with trickery, nothing more. Allow me to end him for his dishonor against you." Kallen smiles.
"I have no complaints." The Vincent takes its combat stance as Valden climbs from the building rubble.
"Cornelia. We didn't expect to have to deal with you within Japan." Valden smirked. "This changes things." He glances at both the Vincent and the downed Guren. "We'll have to do this another time. We can make it a double date."
Cornelia scowls. "I'd rather deal with you and be done with it." She began to attack as Valden rams his sword into the ground and flies off. She halts as the sword lights and explodes in a flare, blinding everyone. "COWARD!"
The light clears as Cornelia's Vincent stands alone with the Guren. Kallen slumps, disappointed. "Great. . ." The Vincent cockpit opens as Cornelia steps from it.
"Q-1, I'll need you back in your knightmare. I'll carry you back to base."
Kallen nods. "Call me Kallen, okay? Nice to finally meet you." Probably since I'll need to eventually if Lelouch is back. . .
(scene change)
Kallen sat bandaged and sitting on Zero's bed. "The guy was good, okay? How the hell could I know about his crap." Lelouch chuckled.
"Well, at least Cornelia got there in time." Euphemia said to calm Kallen.
Kallen looked to Lelouch. "So, genius boy. What happened with the other battles?"
"Suzaku took the Shinkuro out to take care of the southern raid with Todoh. Schneizel handled the middle battle well enough. I gave instructions as Zero to help the northern battle." Lelouch spoke calmly.
"So Zero helped personally with two battles?" Kallen spoke, a little afraid of people noticing something.
"Zero's done more surprising things. Besides, can't have Suzaku ruin the method Zero does things." He spoke calmly once more.
Suzaku was not pleased as he entered the room in Zero's garb. "Yeah, I noticed your stunt." He sighed as he took his helmet off. "Wouldn't be as hard if we didn't have to keep you hidden."
Lelouch smirked. "Give it a couple weeks. Now, we need to plan for the next confrontation." Everyone looked at him. "I want Valden dead, but he's going to come with the next general they have, which means two Geass users to deal with, and I'm going to assume each general in the Dawn is also a Knightmare pilot."
They all looked down. "What do we do until they attack?" Euphemia asked.
Lelouch smiled. "Live for once."
(scene change)
Kallen slumped her shoulders. Lelouch was busy setting up ways for her and Euphie to live in the city. Suzaku would also be put in their situation, since he's legally dead too. Lelouch does plan on switching with him. She walked back into Ashford. "All the while, I have nothing to do." She sits in class next to Rivalz.
"HEY, did you hear?"
"What?" Probably a new event of the week Rivalz seems to be into.
"There's a new student. Apparently, everyone loves him." Kallen smirked and waved it off.
In her mind, she was reeling. 'please tell me Lelouch isn't coming here.' The door opened as the teacher walked in.
"Class, we have a new student here today. Allow me to introduce-" The new student walked in before the que.
He had red orangish hair, a build similar to Suzaku's, and dark blue eyes. The hair was parted to the side to keep his eye length hair out of his vision. He very light, almost invisible freckles as he looked to the class. "Yeah, I don't care much for general introductions. Yo, my names Axel Nolan. I was told this academy had just what I needed, so here I am." He sat there as everyone eye'd him. He tilted his head, staring back. "Okay then?" He smiled to the teacher apologetically. "Where do I sit?" (His voice is like Kenshin)
"Just pick somewhere." Axel nodded and walked up the steps to pick a spot. He eyed each person in the room, presumably checking out who looked the friendliest, but went he looked at Kallen, he looked just a little too long. Just before he took a seat, they met eyes. That's when she started to panic inside. His right eye had a dull, nonexistent orange glow around the blue color as she, for a moment, swore she saw an orange Geass symbol obscured by the blue. It was only there a moment as he smiled warmly and sat down. She turned to pay attention to the lecture like nothing happened, though. . .
'WHAT THE HELL IS A GEASS USER DOING HERE?!' she screamed inside her head. 'I think I saw it, but I can't be one hundred percent sure.'
Behind her, he also seemed to be having an inner monologue, but his face contained nothing but amusement. 'So she's the one to lead me to him. . .'