Not going to be saying a lot here this time. Really, with how I left you hanging last time, there's not much I want to say that you won't be finding out on your own in a minute or two (or now, should you choose to ignore author comments at the beginning). But I can say I was absolutely ecstatic to start writing this. Let's just hope the cliffhanger I gave you last time doesn't disappoint.

In response to Lord Edric, that factor played no part whatsoever in the reasoning for Zero inheriting that nickname. Keep in mind that Cao Cao was (in my mind) at his best prior to becoming one of the Chinese superpowers of the era. And a lot of his history reminded me of Lelouch in one way or another (taking over the Emperor, his methodical ways of conquering, etc.)

The night was a restless one for Lelouch. He lay in his bed, pondering, trying to decide how best to deal with the piling issues in front of him. Time remained to be an issue with every day that passed as things continued to get worse for India, but that wasn't the first problem in his mind. It was what he had decided to do, and the impact it would have on the world. Would the Black Knights accept this decision? Could they accept it? Lelouch groaned, pulling the white satin sheets up to his neck again.

No, the world's reception to Zero's identity was not something he could predict.

Nunnally lay just a room away. How would she take the news? Would she be able to understand her brother's reasons for being Zero? Would she be able to accept it? Countless questions piled up in Lelouch's mind, all banding together for the unified purpose of causing him the insatiable unrest he now suffered from. But what stuck out in his mind most; more than all the worries and insecurities, was one simple statement.

Nunnally wouldn't be safe if he revealed his identity. They'd try to take her from him as they did his mother, and they would use her to destroy the Black Knights leader. If he were to reveal Zero's identity as the Black Prince of the Britannian empire, he needed to be ready to keep Nunnally safe from harm. And there was only one way to do that. 'Britannia can't be trusted… but the only other way to keep her safe would be…'

Lelouch's eyes finally drifted to a close, a single tear coursing it's way down his cheek. He had made a decision.

o--o

Goodbye, Ashford…

o--o

The air in China was thicker.

The looks people in Zhanjiang gave him were dirtier.

People dared not make a sound in Zero's presence.

It was not unreasonable, Lelouch thought, to think the world was out to get him at that particular moment. Or perhaps the looks and the silence came from the way he carried himself. His feet were not silent against the paved ground beneath him, instead trudging along lifelessly. He did not raise himself to regard the world with the superiority and the arrogance befitting of Zero. Rather than the unbearable fear Zero struck in the common man, he instead received pity. His movements were heavy, burdened with the inadvisable decision he had made.

Zero was to become a memory so soon. The masked revolutionary had become a nightmare for those on the Britannian homeland. They spoke of Zero as some kind of unimaginable monster. Spoke of him as a monster that would sweep children from their beds and away from their families, never to be seen again. To Lelouch, he was nothing more than an escape into the realm of lies he'd been weaving. A carefully created persona of a man who would change the world, while the world he changed would know nothing of who he was.

But to many, Zero was a person in and of himself. The mask was a face of it's own, and the cloak was as his skin. The masked revolutionary was not an alter ego to Lelouch Vi Britannia, or Lelouch Lamperouge. He was a symbol of hope and of resistance, in the hearts of the oppressed and the weak. He was an irreplaceable treasure to the world.

He was something to the people that Lelouch Vi Britannia could never be. He was an icon.

Suzaku and Karen flanked him as usual, seeming almost giddy by comparison to the slouch to their leader's step. Todo fell into step with them as they neared the shipyard where their G-1 bases were once again being hidden, and Nagisa and Senba joined the party as they got closer as well. Ten others stood on guard at the waterfront, rifles in hand, garbed in the black uniforms unique to the Order of the Black Knights. They stepped to the side, casting a wary eyebrow to their disheartened leader as he passed by them and onto the center fleet.

"Nagisa, Senba, keep a watch," Todo ordered, following Lelouch as he continued on toward his personal quarters. Soft thuds had been replaced with metallic clanks against the metal floor beneath them, but Lelouch seemed to have paid them no mind whatsoever. He slid open the door to his quarters, slipping in and staring half-heartedly at the other Zero, C.C., who took the hint and moved toward their bathroom to change out.

Lelouch lifted his own mask over his head, collapsing onto the bed in the far right corner with a thud. He rolled over onto his back, ignoring his small audience as he suddenly decided that the ceiling was far more interesting. Like the walls it was a pale blue in color, but unlike the walls it included golden lines painting out squares in a 20x20 - he had counted twice - grid.

Nobody said anything, taken aback by Lelouch's carefree attitude. C.C. returned from the bathroom, having replaced the mask and outfit people knew to be Zero with her far more simple black one piece outfit that made use of only black strips of clothing to cover her legs, with the Order of the Black Knights symbol over her chest. She looked at Todo and his group then over at Lelouch and then back again, raising an eyebrow before making her way toward Lelouch, glaring indignantly, "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," Lelouch replied. He lifted his head long enough to remove one arm from it's folded position and reached toward his pocket, pulling out an activation key. The key itself had a small chain attached to it, and at the end of the chain was the symbol of the Order of the Black Knights, swinging to and fro. He tossed it toward C.C., "Here," without looking away from the ceiling.

"This is…" C.C. looked down at the activation key in her hand for a moment before looking back at Lelouch, raising an eyebrow.

"The key to the Hakumei," Lelouch replied simply, looking at C.C. through the corner of one eye. "It's your's."

"I'm not an ace, Lelouch," she shot back, glowering.

"I'm sure you'll find the Guren's sister Frame to be perfect for you. I made some last minute requests on it's design with you in mind," Lelouch replied, sitting up. "It's our best means of defeating that blue Frame. Besides, there are flaws in the Hakumei that make you it's only suitable pilot."

C.C. chose not to comment on that, although she had a quickly building bad feeling regarding what he meant. "Why not give it to Todo?" she asked incredulously.

"It would be wasted on him. Todo's piloting style doesn't suit long range Frames like the Hakumei," Lelouch replied immediately, rising to a stand. "Feel free to take it for a test ride. If my predictions are correct, you'll be making good use of it soon."

Not waiting for a response, Lelouch pulled out his cell phone. Pressing a few buttons, he held it to his ear. As soon as the sound of the phone on the other end being answered was heard, he said quietly, "Diethard, what's the status?"

o--o

The room was dark, lit only by the light coming from the table in it's center, a layout of the palace grounds and interior displayed in 3D over it. Kaguya sat at it's head with Diethard on one side of the table. Across from Diethard stood Hong Gu, dressed in his military uniform with the crest of the Chinese Federation over his heart. Across from Kaguya stood Zhou Xianglin who's attention was focused solely on the 3D display in front of her.

"We have found the targets. Executing Phase One as we speak," Diethard took his phone away from his ear and hung up, placing it back in his pocket before grasping the table with both hands. "How many men do we have to do this?" he asked, looking over at Hong Gu.

"We have, aside from the guards you two brought, a force of less than one hundred. Finding those who are willing to risk their lives to restore the Tianzi is hard to do," he replied grimly, shaking his head.

"But that should be enough," Xianglin continued, eyes not leaving the table. "If we seal off all the main exits, the rest should be more than enough to get in and get the job done. We've already arranged for the removal of many of the guards, so tonight is our best shot."

"But what about the Eunuchs?" Kaguya asked, standing up.

Xianglin frowned, shaking her head. "The Eunuchs are known cowards. Once the guards are out of the way, they'll more than likely turn tail and run. This will essentially divide the country between the forces in favour of the Eunuchs, and those in favour of the Tianzi. I trust Zero has given his promise of aid, seeing as how you two are aiding us?"

"We were sent here with the mission to seek you two out and bring your coup to fruition. In a manner beneficial to ourselves, of course," Diethard explained, smirking.

"What is it Zero wants, exactly?" Xianglin asked sceptically, furrowing her brows.

"We'll speak about that once we have got the Tianzi to safety," Diethard replied immediately. "Now…"

o--o

"It's them! The Chinese Federation is laying siege to the city!"

Lelouch looked up immediately as someone burst into his quarters. Feeling the pressure of being in Zero's presence, the man immediately took a step back, saying, "Sorry, Zero. But that blue Frame is leading them!"

Lelouch stood up immediately, looking toward C.C., "Go ahead and launch. I'll take command from the command center," Lelouch walked toward the doorway, ignoring the black uniformed man as he stepped to the side and saluted to Zero's passing figure. 'He must have been from the Liberation Front,' Lelouch thought, shaking his head. "Tell Todo to launch. I'll take care of everything."

The man hastened to obey, dashing off in the opposite direction as Lelouch began making his way toward the command center. As soon as he arrived, half of the people present saluted, and once again he shook his head, "What's the status?" he asked the nearest person hastily.

"Over one hundred Gun-Ru are outside the city, and that blue Frame is flying above them!" the man reported, clearly shaken. Lelouch paused for a moment, allowing that news to settle. 'Flying? So the Hakumei isn't the only one…' Lelouch chuckled to himself, drawing a raised eyebrow from the man in front of him. "It's nothing. Make sure the new Frame has no problems launching. That is our top priority."

Lelouch made toward the table at the center, taking a moment to read everything it was showing. Sure enough, the amount of signals reported just outside the city walls were tremendous. Had Lelouch not made a priority out of maximizing defences in the city, it would be very likely that the city would already be no more than rubble now. Comparatively, the Black Knights only had five signals, among which was the Guren. More were on their way out, but it was nothing compared to the numbers they were facing.

"Zero, your orders?" Lelouch turned to his left where a man was seated in front of a comm system, a headset draped over his head.

"Have all available men prepared for launch. Keeping the enemy out of the city until the Hakumei arrives is imperative. Have the preparations for Phase 2 been completed?"

"Yes, Zero. The flammables have been carefully hidden outside the city. It seems the enemy doesn't know they're there," the man replied before turning back to his job, repeating his orders through the headset. Elsewhere, his voice would be projecting Zero's orders to the entire base.

"If this commander is nearly as good as he seems to be, he'll know we won't charge forward blindly. Have the Guren move into place and initiate Phase 2 before they catch wind of our plan," nods or brief acknowledgments were given in response, and everyone set to work once again. Satisfied, Lelouch grabbed the headset that rested on the side of the table in front of him, "Todo."

"Yes, Zero?" Todo replied distantly. He seemed to be preoccupied with something.

"How much longer will it take for you and C.C. to launch?"

"C.C. is launching as we speak. It took longer than anticipated to get everything prepared. Just what is in that Frame?" Todo replied, agitation evident in his voice.

"You will be pleasantly surprised shortly. For now, launch and take control of our troops out there. Karen is moving to initiate Phase 2."

"Phase 2? I thought you said…"

"It is a risky manoeuvre indeed, but only if the enemy catches wind of it before we initiate it. Make sure our forces are prepared to act accordingly once she is in place," Lelouch shot back quickly. He removed the headset before Todo could question him further, and turned toward Rakshata, who was looking very amused as she lounged on a loveseat off to the side, twirling her pipe between her fore and middle fingers. "The Hakumei: It has been tested, hasn't it?" he asked, glowering at the Indian scientist.

"Much of it's capabilities are in the testing stage, yes, but they are operational," she replied with a shrug, not looking at Lelouch.

Lelouch reluctantly nodded, turning to face the front once again. "Send word to Asahina and Sugiyama. They are to have all available pilots in their bases ready for launch as well. We are not going to underestimate the enemy again."

o--o

"Zero won't be fighting unprepared. We need to do the same," Xingke ordered, lowering toward the ground. He launched a slash harken forward, watching with great interest as it managed to dig itself into the large metallic wall barricading the city. It proceeded to spin in place, furthering the damage to the wall before retreating back to the Frame. "The Shenhu really is a powerful weapon," he remarked to himself almost gleefully, pleasantly shocked by the extent of the damage it had done.

The masses of Gun-Ru beneath him poured forward, taking shots at the wall as fast as their artillery would allow. Which wasn't frighteningly fast, given the agonizingly slow reload speed of the Gun-Ru, but with masses like their's it was okay to be slow. Despite all the fire the wall remained strong, however, and took very little damage, if any at all. The firepower of the Gun-Ru, though satisfactory as a whole, was not enough to do nearly the kind of damage the Shenhu was capable of inflicting.

Not that a wall would hold back the mighty Shenhu.

"Sir! The Black Knights have launched!" a voice reported through the comm system integrated into the Shenhu.

Xingke merely nodded, "Do not fear Zero! Keep up the attack!" he ordered loudly. He pulled back from the wall, charging up the Baryon cannon. By the time it had finished charging, all the Gun-Ru beneath him had managed to get in two more shots - to little effect, but it was adding up - and had managed to pull back well out of the projectile range of the cannon's fire. As it fired, however, there was not a mass of dust covering the area, and there were certainly no flying pieces of metal. Instead, there was just a lot of smoke.

"That's…" Xingke looked on in shock as the smoke cleared, revealing what seemed to be the Guren Nishiki, simply sporting a new paint job. It was nearly completely black, with the only divergences being in the swirls of dark blue and the metallic look of the cockpit itself. It's right arm was not claw-like in the least, and in it's left arm, attached to the side of it's arm, was a long cannon. The primary difference, however, were the four black wings jutting out from it's back.

o--o

"Long range assault Frame, Hakumei," Rakshata announced proudly, grinning. "Superior to the Guren in both artillery and defences, it is a combination of India's finest technology and the stolen Lancelot technology," she explained. Lelouch was grinning so widely it hurt, but he dared not wipe it from his face out of fear that he would lose this feeling of accomplishment.

"C.C., take out that blue Frame! Karen, now!"

The man working at the comm system repeated Zero's orders without a second thought. Even he was smiling widely as he did so, unable to fight it off. After all, they hadn't been victorious just yet. But they were close.

Lelouch continued to watch with interest as the ground began to rumble beneath them. And then, explosions came in terrifying numbers.

o--o

Xingke, who had previously convinced himself he could eliminate the Black Knights, was now scowling as he shook almost fearfully. He was a courageous man to be sure, but there were limits to what one's stomach could take in and how far a man could be pushed before he began to fear his foe. Zero's latest tactic had broken both barriers at once.

Beneath him, cries both of horror and of agony were heard as explosions occurred all along the exterior of the city's defensive wall. In the wake of the explosions was no more than a junk heap of what used to be an army's worth of Gun-Ru. All taken out in the blink of an eye. No warning was given save for the second-and-a-half of rumbling as the attack began, but as soon as they had caught wind of what was happening, it was too late. Over one hundred men were killed in an instant.

He wasn't given much time to take in the horrific sight, however, as he narrowly dodged a long stream of red. Looking toward the source, he saw the Hakumei seated high in the sky, long-barrelled cannon held near where it's left eye should have been. He reflexively charged toward it, only to be surprised at the speed of the wave that was shot from the cannon. He didn't have enough time to move, instead being blasted back toward the ground as the wave of Fukushahado tore through him. The exceptional defences of the Shenhu denied it any extensive damage, but in the wake of the blast the Frame was left without one of it's legs.

"Second division, charge!" he ordered, surging toward the Hakumei once more. This time when it fired he managed to navigate around the blast, instead growling as he got a face full of a slash harken. His flight was impeded ever so slightly but he didn't relent, taking the moment of inaction to charge forward. By the time the Hakumei was ready to fire or launch another slash harken he was right in it's face, his own slash harken in hand, swinging in front of him.

But the Hakumei surprised him yet again, utilising almost inhuman speed to escape the swinging appendage. Xingke's skilled eyes followed it's every movement, and when it finally stopped moving he pounced on it once again.

Yet again, only to be met with a slash harken to the face.

Down below, shots were heard, signalling the arrival of his reserve forces. But the fight wasn't going well for them, with the ground now nothing more than a mass of deep pits in the wake of the explosions that had taken place. The sheer mass of the Gun-Ru made them easy victims as they tried to navigate this issue, and lost signals appeared in alarming rates as they were picked off with ease by the superior Frames boasted by the Black Knights.

Zero's victory was complete. It was immaculate. It was devastating.

It was exactly what Xingke had expected from the man.

o--o

"Y-y-you!" Gao Hai stuttered, backing away in sheer terror.

"How dare you!" Zhao Hao cried in rage, despite the fact that he too was backing away - along with the six other Eunuchs, all displaying similar expressions of terror.

Diethard was walking toward them, a smirk plastered on his face. To his left and right were Xianglin and Hong Gu respectively, and behind them were many other men, all armed with a rifle in hand and a sword sheathed at their side. The few guards on duty were bound and being pulled by the last of the group of assailants, dumped in a corner off to the side where they were helpless to do anything.

"You have abused the will of heaven for far too long," Xianglin spat out, hatred clear in her voice. "In the name of Lord Li Xingke, the Tianzi shall be restored to power," and with that, she let a single round fire from the pistol in her hand, taking out Gao Hai with a well aimed shot to the head. The other Eunuchs stared on in horror as she aimed again, this time at Tong Lun.

"W-wait!" Tong Lun tried, lowering to his knees and bowing. "We… we surrender! So please, d-don't!"

"The world will not change if we allow the corrupt to remain," Diethard spat, aiming his own gun at Tong Lun. "This is retribution, for the ants you've stepped on."

The bullet struck without a moment's hesitation. Tong Lun slumped to the ground, blood pouring freely from the bullet wound in the center of his head. Diethard smiled at the sight; a smile far wider than it feasibly should have been. From there, his actions were a blur. Be it the desire to render good service to the Order of the Black Knights or the more self-motivated desire to see such corrupt people fall in a pool of their own blood, Diethard showed no restraint as he bestowed the same bloody fate upon each of the other Eunuchs. The Tianzi was left in a corner, shaking in terror and looking at Diethard as though he were the devil himself.

o--o

"Good work, Diethard. This will certainly further our plans a great deal. See to it that she is kept safe," to say Lelouch was pleased at that moment would be an understatement. C.C. stared in bewilderment at the gleeful smirk on his face, and at the way his eyes narrowed as his mind wracked over what to do next. Put simply, he looked like an evil villain who's latest plot had come to fruition. And in his own right, many considered that to be the case.

"Thank you very much, Zero," Diethard responded happily, hanging up. As soon as he heard the dial tone Lelouch hung up as well, turning toward C.C., "We'll be done here soon. India's war will be finished, and we can finally reclaim Area 11."

Lelouch stalked toward the briefcase he had securely locked and hidden beneath his bed, pulling a key from his pocket and unlocking it. He pulled his mask and clothes from the briefcase before closing it again, beginning to replace his own clothing with that of Zero's. "This commander seems to be loyal to the Tianzi. Once it is made public knowledge that the rebel faction and the Black Knights have the Tianzi, he will likely rebel as well."

"You're going to throw an entire country into chaos. The military will be divided between those who support the Tianzi, and those who support the Eunuchs. India will no longer be a factor. That's what you want, isn't it?" C.C. was all too amused by this development, and she shot a smirk at her partner.

"India will be satisfied with their independence, and I'll be able to further my influence into their research and development groups. The Order of the Black Knights will nearly double in strength, and when all is said and done we'll have the strength we need to attack Britannia," Lelouch replied nonchalantly, buttoning up the rest of his purple undershirt before reaching for the black cloak that was to go over it. "Charles will have the advantage in power and artillery, but my Geass gives us the final edge we need."

"Is one Geass enough? You don't know the extent of Charles' influence into that area. His contractor, V.V., is the head of the Geass Directorate," C.C. replied, eyeing Lelouch curiously.

"The sanctuary for those like you, correct?" Lelouch replied, now pulling his mask over his head and tightening it's hold on the back of his neck.

"More or less," C.C. shrugged, pulling her knees toward her chest.

"Than I will need to take control of this directorate," Lelouch returned to the table in the center of the room, eyes running briefly along the screen of the laptop rested there before he closed it. "Do you know where it is?"

C.C. didn't answer. After a moment of impatient waiting Lelouch turned back, only to find her fast asleep, laying on her right side facing the wall. He scowled, walking toward her, "You still think I'm another Mao. Think that I'll be another one to fail you, don't you?"

Her trust would be far harder to earn than anyone else's had been.

o--o

The door to the base's infirmary opened with no more than a light hiss, but nobody turned to greet the newcomer. They knew who it would be. Lelouch strode toward the bed where Jeremiah lay, both legs raised and in casts, and one arm bandaged almost entirely. Bandages covered the better part of his chest, as well as covering his left eye. He was bandaged almost beyond all recognition.

"Any change?" Lelouch asked, his voice showing only the faintest of emotions. The doctors tending to the Britannian simply shrugged.

"None. His breathing has returned to normal, but he's shown no signs of waking."

"And the damage to his body?"

"Temporary. No irreparable damage has been done, but the damage to his shoulder may hinder his piloting ability. Provided that he even step on a battlefield again in the near future. I would advise against it," the doctor replied, eyes downcast.

"Keep me informed," with that, Lelouch turned on his heel, exiting the infirmary. Karen was waiting outside the infirmary for him, and she fell into step with him as he made for the command center.

"Zero…" she started, almost timidly.

"Lelouch," he corrected quietly, frowning beneath the mask that hid his features. "What is it?"

"…No, it's nothing," Karen looked away, afraid to allow Lelouch to see her face at that moment. Lelouch frowned, but didn't bother commenting on it. The two continued on in silence until they entered the command center, where Karen took a seat at one of the many stations while Lelouch proceeded to the center, where Todo was engaged in some conversation with Nagisa and Senba. "Todo."

"Ah, Zero," Todo turned toward Lelouch, nodding in greeting. "Are we ready?"

"Diethard has completed his part, so we shall do our part. They're hiding out along the Xun River, correct?"

"That is correct. Shall we get going then?"

"Yes," was Lelouch's one word reply as he moved closer to the table, looking down at it. "So far, this war has been fought using outdated battle tactics. But they've proven effective. The enemy has their back to the Xun River. If we attack now, we can overpower the scattered remnants of their forces."

A farewell party consisting of the vast majority of the citizens of Zhanjiang awaited the Black Knights at the walls of the city, waving frantically. Those within the command center were a little put off by the fact that Zero made no outward reaction to the sight. However, unbeknownst to them, Lelouch himself held a small smile on his face beneath the mask. The people there had suffered greatly, and seeing them in good spirits was a welcome contrast to how the poverty-stricken people under the rule of the High Eunuchs looked.

o--o

"Th-the... It's the Black Knights! Zero is attacking!"

"It's as I expected," Xingke replied cooly, not worried in the least. "Our forces are few, but we can delay them. Our forces have nearly captured Fort Shigatse, and it's only a matter of time before India's lines crumble. We will be victorious if the Black Knights cannot reach India in time. Send out every Frame we have! Zero will not outdo us again!"

"The black Guren is leading them!" Xingke's cool exterior faltered slightly with this information, but nobody seemed to take notice of it. "Will the Shenhu be launching?"

"We can't afford to let Zero have the upper hand. I'll go out," Xingke turned and made for the hangar, ignoring further question from those within the command center. They'd be able to get back to him once he was on the battlefield, after all.

He reached the hangar within a matter a seconds, finding the Shenhu already prepared for launch. Nodding to the people within the hangar he made for the lift cable, riding it up to the Shenhu's cockpit and climbing in. He went through the basic startup procedures of putting in his activation key and running through diagnostics, and was out on the field – or rather, in the air – almost instantly.

High above the many Sutherland, Burai, and Gloucesters was the Hakumei, having already noticed him and charging toward him. He fired a slash harken at it as he swerved toward it's left, firing the second slash harken. This one struck the Hakumei in the side sending it spinning off course, but it picked itself up quickly and charged at Xingke again. By this time he'd charged the Baryon Cannon, but C.C. easily dodged around that as she closed in on the Shenhu.

The next ten minutes were sheer chaos. For the Black Knights and Chinese Federation forces below, it was a one-sided massacre of the bulky Gun-Ru Frames, unable to make a decent stand against the overwhelming power of the Black Knights' artillery. Casualties were few, but the Chinese Federation forces were met with devastating results at every attempt to fight off the mass of black Frames charging at them.

For the Hakumei and Shenhu, it was a back-and-forth attempt to take out eachother without either getting close to winning. Xingke's superior piloting proved to be capable of making him a match for C.C.'s superior Frame. On numerious occasions the firepower of the Baryon Cannon had been contested by the firepower of the Fukushahado cannon, but neither were able to overpower the other in terms of sheer overwhelming strength.

It was only when a certain voice rang through the air that either side stopped fighting, "Chinese Federation forces, if you are loyal to your Tianzi, lay down your arms! The Order of the Black Knights have liberated this country!"

All Frames slowly turned to gaze up at the sky, and many – Chinese Federation and Black Knights alike – were surprised by what they saw. The Lancelot flew overhead, an attatchable float system on it's back. What was more surprising, however, were the other things on it. In it's left hand was a young girl of fifteen with brown hair flowing over the sides of her face. Nunnally Vi Britannia. And on the shoulder of the Lancelot, standing with one hand against the Frame's head, was Zero.

Without his mask covering his face.

--

And that's the end of this chapter. The end seemed a bit rushed, but it wasn't intended as a full scale battle anyway.

The ending leaves as much to be explained as it does open up several interesting scenes – one of which, I assure you, will involve the Student Council. But aside from that little bit I have nothing else to say – I have nothing I completely and totally hate about this chapter, after all – so I'll leave things there.