Chapter 6: Mountain Onslaught
At the crack of dawn back in Cephiro, a messenger appears on horseback heading towards the Castle of Cephiro. As the messenger shouted at the sentry to open up the gates, he went inside the Castle walls.
In the courtyard, a line of Knightmares were stationed all around the keep. After securing and rebuilding the Knightmares that they captured, they repainted it with bright red-orange, cerulean blue, and Emerald colors as they represent their loyalties to the Magic Knights. Thanks to the aid of Autozam's engineers Cephiro's customized Knightmares were mostly armed with jousting lances, huge tower shields, built-in crossbows, and powered-enhanced swords.
After a few minutes of standing around, the messenger was approached by Master Mage Clef, Lady Aska, Geo Metro, and Tarta with a battalion of Cephiro's guards, Autozam Marines, Chizetan Warriors, and Fahrenian Ninjas assemble in front of them as they came out from the guard towers. Before the commanders of the allied countries could say anything, the messenger pulled out a scroll from his saddle bag as he announced his report directly to them with holding the scroll with both of his hands.
"We received word that an army of Japanese rebels have arrived at port!" The messenger spoke out loud. "They're being lead by a masked man called Zero, the man of miracles who challenges the Holy Britannian Empire. He's requesting a private audience with you Master Mage."
"What about the Magic Knights and Zazu?!" Clef asked, showing concern for Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and the young mechanic. "Where are they?"
Before the messenger could answer Clef's question, Rayearth, Selece, and Windam appeared as they flew over the Castle Walls and landed behind the messenger. As for Zazu, he appeared riding on top of Rayearth's right hand. After putting Zazu down gently, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu disembarked from their Rune Gods.
"Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, how's everything back in your world?" Clef asked the three Knights.
"We met another group of people that wanted to help out too!" Hikaru told Clef as he heard rumbling coming from outside of the Castle Gates. "They called themselves the Black Knights!"
In an instant, two rows of Black Knights came marching as they entered the Castle Gate. Up front, they were lead by Zero, Ohgi, Kallen, and C.C. They stopped 50 feet away from Cephiro's unified army as they drew out their spears, swords, and SMGs before aiming them at the Black Knights. Not feeling discouraged by such a defensive gesture, Zero fearlessly approached Cephiro's soldiers unarmed. Before both armies could do anything, Zero makes his speech in front of the Cephirians and their allies.
"Greetings people and followers of Cephiro! Do not be alarmed. For I, Zero shall help liberate your beloved country the way I shall liberate Japan from the encroaching Empire!" Zero announced in a intense, metallic voice. "I've been told that you may need help in strengthening your forces with the use of Knightmare Technology, is that right?!"
"I am Master Mage Clef of Cephiro!" The Mage said as he introduced himself to Zero. "We may have been able to adapt to handling the Knightmare Frame technology, but we still need someone who can help us upgrade them. There is still some complications that even Autozam cannot deal with. But first, I do need to hone a private meeting with you and Hikaru before we can accept your allegiance in Cephiro."
As Zero was accompanied by Clef and Hikaru, the other leaders from the three countries were murmuring to themselves.
"So, that must be Zero and the Black Knights that Zazu was talking about, eh?!" Geo thought to himself.
"If you ask me, I thought they were only here just for impression and show," Lady Aska said as she snickered to herself. "Well, I can't wait to let loose a lot of fun with them along with my grand illusions! OH HO HO HO HO HO!"
"Try not to get any crazy ideas, Lady Aska," Sang Yung told his empress, trying to keep her excitement in check. "We don't know anything about the Black Knights or their leaders yet."
"Hey Umi, do you think we can trust those Black Knights to defend Cephiro?!" Tarta asked the Knight of Water.
"I'm kind of against it too because of two things: One, the Black Knights happened to be a paramilitary organization filled with terrorists and homeless Japanese people and Two, for some reason I might have a hard time trying to trust Zero, despite Hikaru's agreement to play along with their Japan Liberation in Area 11," Umi responded in a grim tone. "Well, I hope Zero and Hikaru are able to do the right thing and not to let anything hinder our campaign against Britannia."
"Say, I don't think we ever met before, ladies!" Kallen said as she noticed the princesses of Chizeta and Fahren dressed up in unique traditional fashions. "Who might you guys be?!"
"Kallen, this is Tarta and Tatra the twin Princesses of Chizeta!" Umi said as she introduced the princesses to the Black Knight Ace behind her.
"And this is Ms. Lady Aska of Fahren and her right hand advisor Sang Yung!" Fuu said introducing the Fahren nobles on her right. "I suppose you already know who the two from Autozam are."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you in Cephiro. I'm Kallen Kozuki, Captain of the Black Knights' Zero squad." Kallen said as she introduced herself to the leaders of the three countries.
"Are you an Eleven too, Kallen?" Tarta asked bluntly before she was met with a grab to the neck by Kallen's left hand.
"I'M JAPANESE, YOU ROYAL HALFWIT!" Kallen snapped as she attempted to strangle the daylights out of Tarta.
In just seconds, Tarta's guards started to dog pile over Kallen as they grabbed her and pulled her away from Tarta. As soon as Tarta took a breather and got up, with her guards helping her, Fuu stepped in to apologize to her for Kallen's sudden outburst.
"Sorry about that, Ms. Tarta!" Fuu apologized in embarrassment. "Ms. Kallen can be a bit offended when people like the Britannians look at her and address her the wrong way! So, please excuse her behavior."
"Urrgghh!" Tarta grunted as she tried to pull herself together. "Then it looks like we have a lot to learn from the Black Knights!"
Inside Hikaru's private chambers, Hikaru, Lantis, Clef, and Zero sat down at a nearby table to discuss the terms towards their allegiance. As they entered the chambers, they turned off the lights and lit a small candle to put in the middle of the table. After a few seconds of sitting down, Hikaru became the first to start their private meeting between Clef and Zero.
"So Zero, what do you know about the Holy Britannian Empire so far?" Hikaru asked the masked leader. "Who are you before then?"
"If you're not who we think you are, then what will be your reasons to lead the Black Knights into battle against the enemies of Hikaru's homeland?" Lantis asked further.
"Well folks, I'm actually Britannian too but I was exiled due to some political disputes with my family and my half-siblings." Zero said anxiously. "I used to be more than just a political hostage back then."
"You mean, you were from a noble family?" Clef asked, sensing Zero's inner thoughts.
"Ever since my mother died, I could not help but worry about what will ever become of my sister and the rest of my family in Britannia!" Zero responded in a serious tone.
"Then, you're still Lelouch vi Britannia right?!" Hikaru said as she accidentally spoke out Zero's true name, paralyzing Clef with silent shock. "You're not always Zero because I remember hearing at one time, during my detour that Zero was just a figure of hope for the Japanese. A charismatic character that wanted to find happiness as much as I wanted to find happiness, that's also what Lelouch is searching for in all of his life ever since he and Nunnally were both sent to Japan as political hostages. Now that I think about it, Zero and Lelouch are both still the same person, right?!"
Upon hearing what Hikaru said, Zero fell silent for a few minutes before taking off his mask. As he put his mask on the table, he revealed his face to be none other than Lelouch, much to Clef's shock and Hikaru's and Lantis' emotionless expression.
"So were you a Prince of Britannia back then?" Clef asked Lelouch.
"I was, Master Mage!" Lelouch responded in a sad tone. "Unfortunately, my father abandoned my mother and Nunnally. He doesn't really care about me or any of my brothers or sisters. Because of that, I did not want to rule over Britannia under such circumstances. Instead, I went to live amongst the Kururugi residence in Japan."
"I see! So you choose to lead the Black Knights because..." Hikaru said before Lelouch continued his speech.
"When I first met Kallen Kozuki fighting against the Britannians as a terrorist Eleven, I came up with a brilliant idea to make my dream come true," Lelouch smirked. "Since she proved her worth as a natural-born Knightmare pilot, I decided to use her and her friends to carry out my wish to change the world."
"Well, I'm still sensing another reason for your intentions to lead the Black Knights young man," Clef warned grimly. "You may have a power that might become your undoing if you don't handle it properly. I feel that its properties may show a series of curses that will affect not just to the Britannians but also to us as well."
"Since we have enemy activity in Cephiro, you might as well prove yourself by helping us deal with them before we can fully accept our allegiance with you and the Black Knights!" Lantis suggested towards Lelouch.
"Is that so? Well, I'll do my best not to let it get this far," Lelouch said with full confidence. "You can count on me, Sir Lantis!"
"As long as you're in Cephiro, we got our eye on you!" Clef warned as he glared at Lelouch with a stern look. "We don't like being ordered around when falling under any evil spells or under any evil curses. You better promise us not to curse us during our fight against Britannia or we'll have no choice but to disband our allegiance with the Black Knights. Is that clear?!"
"I understand, Clef. Well, I also wanted to ask how is it that Hikaru was able to use her Rune God and her supernatural powers at the age of 14?" Lelouch asked the Master Mage.
"When she was summoned along with Umi and Fuu to become Magic Knights of Cephiro, I taught her on how to use Magic. Unlike from my teachings, hers is very unique filled with powerful elemental properties." Clef explained. "As she gained her powers to don her Rune God to fight as a true Magic Knight, she also was able to uphold the strongest powers than anyone else did."
"How so?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"Ever since Princess Emeraude passed away, Cephiro was starting to crumble apart because without her the land cannot be stabilized. Only those with a strong heart have the will to control Cephiro as its leader, also known as the Pillar of Cephrio!" Clef said in a serious tone. "It turns out the Hikaru happens to be it!"
"Really?!" Lelouch said unaffected by Clef's story as he turned towards Hikaru with a small smirk on his face.
"Well, I got rid of the Pillar System for the sake of the people that I love," Hikaru said, feeling satisfied with herself.
"Even then, Hikaru still has very strong power flowing within her veins all the way until to this very moment," Clef continued before turning his attention towards Hikaru. "Hikaru, we still may need you as our governess to help lead Cephiro to victory against this new invasion. Are you up for it? Because as our Pillar, we'll still support you the way you supported us on the battlefield."
"Are you sure Clef?" Hikaru asked, feeling anxious to carry out her duties as the new Pillar of Cephiro.
"Since the Pillar System is no more, you will be able to handle this kind of duty more smoothly than ever along with Lantis," Clef said, giving Hikaru her confidence as a leader. "With that said your love over him will not affect Cephiro's stability like it did to Princess Emeraude."
"Okay then, if you insist," Hikaru said in a wary tone before turning her attention towards Lelouch. "Your secret will be safe with us, Lelouch, just as long as you don't cause any disaster along the way!"
"Then I guess we have an accord, Lady Hikaru!" Lelouch said as he smiled to himself before putting his Zero mask on. "When I first witness Hikaru fighting with Kallen, I was very astonished on how powerful one of the Lady Magic Knights really are."
"Well, they didn't call Hikaru the strongest of the Magic Knights for nothing," Clef said to Zero. "I always believed in Hikaru for a long time, anyway."
"I always believed in Hikaru, the moment I met her in person. Even though I will not see my brother again, I can't blame her for what happened to him because our land was always filled with tragedy, even before Hikaru and the Magic Knights risen from the darkness and brought forth our light!" Lantis explained.
"If that's true, then I may need her power and her aid to help obliterate Britannia, along with the Magic Knights and the rest of Cephiro's forces and their allies," Zero requested from Clef. "In return Rakshata will help your men improve their usage over their customized Knightmares."
"Sure, but what are you going to do once all of this is over?!" Clef asked out of concern.
"That may not be my place to say. Well, only time will tell," Zero replied as he was the first to leave Hikaru's private chambers.
Inside Cephiro's Armory, Rakshata and Diethard could not help but see all those Knightmares that Cephiro's army has captured from the Britannain Camps that they took over. There were various Sutherlands and Glassgows stationed next to the back walls of the Armory. They were repainted in Magic Knight colors. On their hump back cockpits, they marked it with the emblems of Selece, Windam, and Rayearth. After looking at all of this decorated Knightmares, Rakshata stumbled upon a tall Mecha that belonged to Autozam, which is stationed at the edge between the two rows of Knightmares. Before she could say anything, Geo Metro appeared behind Rakshata.
"So Rakshata, did you like what we done with those machines?" Geo asked while grinning at the Head Developer.
"Those Cephirians sure have quite an traditional, medieval taste if you ask me," Rakshata said amusingly. "So may I ask, why does the machine between the two rows of Knightmares a lot different from the rest?!"
"That would be my GTO!" Geo announced as he introduced his fighting Mecha. "Unlike the rest of the Knightmares, my mecha has a built-in shield, winged thrusters, and a right-shoulder mounted cannon used for combat. It doesn't run on land spinners or uses any slash harkens. My machine was developed for me back at Autozam."
"If I remember correctly, Lady Hikaru wanted us to provide technology to improve the Knightmares that were operated by Cephiro's forces. It that right?!" Rakshata asked the sub-commander.
"We still have yet to understand the strength of Britannia's armies and their commanding officers leading them and how to anticipate their combat tactics with what we have here," Geo added in. "If the Lancelot shows up during our counterattacks against Britannia or that they have a couple of unexpected surprises up their sleeves, we won't be able to stand a chance against them. We may have four countries fighting alongside in Cephiro right now, but I don't really know how much power does Britannia have."
"I'll see what I can do," Rakshata smiled as she smoked from her pipe before moving on ahead.
"I've been around Britannia for a long time, as a journalist. So, from what I learn over the past 7 years of domination, the Britannian Empire have 18 huge territories under their control." Diethard explained to the Autozamian Commander. "It's as if they had the entire world under their grip, despite the opposition coming from the Chinese Federation and the Japanese Liberation Front. Their army included massive legions of soldiers, marines, Knightmare pilots, and Honorary Britannians from all over the world outside of Area 11. With a fighting force that large, it may take more than just a rebellious country or a group of insurgents to oppose the Empire. Even I despised the Britannians."
"Say Diethard, where are you from?!" Geo asked curiously.
"I hate to say this, but I was from Britannia too," Diethard explained grimly, much to Geo's shock. "Well, don't get the wrong idea! I despised the Britannians as much as the Japanese do because their leaders have a bad history of pride and prejudice amongst them and the rest of the Elevens. When I first met Zero, I was so thrilled by his brilliant planning that I planned to document his greatest efforts of overthrowing the mightiest Force of all. He was a great inspiration to me!"
"It sounded like that you wanted to document our fights with Britannia as well!" Geo thought.
"You bet! After all, there is little tolerance to one country that is obsessed with greed and overwhelming stagnancy!" Diethard said with full confidence of himself.
"I'll be at the briefing room to discuss on how to deal with the Britannian Activity in Cephiro!" Geo said as he walked out of the Castle armory.
At the briefing room inside the Castle, Clef, Ferio, Lantis, Hikaru, Zero, and Kallen are standing across the table, looking at the geographical map that Geo is pulling out. After Geo told the Black Knights his surveying report over Cephiro's landscape, Zero made another brilliant idea to attack the Britannian Camps surrounding the mountain.
"So, you were saying that the Britannians made camp around Mt. Dakurd?" Zero asked, summarizing what Geo and Clef are going over.
"Yes, Zero!" Geo acknowledged in a calm voice. "Their G-1 Base is somewhere on top of the mountainside, which is being guarded by several enemy outposts surrounding the area. My men onboard the NSX are watching their activity from the sky while being cloaked."
"What about the armies of Fahren and Chizeta? What are they doing now?!" Zero asked Geo and Clef.
"We gave them orders to hold their positions 500 yards away from each camp, making sure that they do not engage until reinforcements arrive!" Geo announced to Zero. "Prince Clovis is with them, carrying out orders at Mt. Dakurd!"
"If you wish to prove yourself in battle, Zero now will be the time," Clef told the masked Black Knight leader.
"Very well, I'll also need the aid of your Magic Knights and Geo Metro as well!" Zero told Clef before he left the briefing room.
"HEY! What about us, Zero?!" Lady Aska shouted, trying to get his attention.
"How do you display your powers out on the battlefield?" Zero asked the princesses from Chizeta and Fahren.
"I have experience in casting great, powerful illusions that cause mortal damage to my enemies!" Lady Aska said in a prideful tone.
"Our guardian Djinn spirits are know to serve and protect us members of the Chizetian Royal Family!" Tarta announced towards Zero.
"You already know how my GTO functions right?!" Geo asked, reminding Zero of what he was capable of.
"Why of course, Geo!" Zero acknowledged. "Meet me at the forest south of Mt. Dakurd and we'll carry out our plan there."
As soon as Zero left the briefing room, C.C appeared on his right before going over on Zero's private meeting with Clef and Hikaru.
"So Zero, how did it go with Clef and Lady Hikaru?" C.C asked, clarifying Zero's offer towards the Master Mage and the Knight of Fire. "They don't know about your Geass did they?"
"Well, the Master Mage and Lady Umi have their eyes watching my every move." Zero replied in a cautious tone. "They might have known that my Geass can be my undoing. So, they were putting Hikaru in charge of watching over me, especially at school."
"I see. Remember our contract, Zero!" C.C informed the masked leader. "I'll do my best to make sure you'll help them live to fight another day."
Inside the G-1 Base on top of the mountainside of Dakurd, Prince Clovis sits in his throne as he observed the scene outside of his mobile fortress. In front of Clovis, he sees his engineers working on various computers while displaying the screens showing the three ships floating near the Castle of Cephiro. Shortly, after the two strange ships arrive in Cephiro's airspace, Clovis and Viletta fell back to their makeshift hideout in Mt. Dakurd. After Clovis went back inside his G-1 Base, he gave the order to send in some scouts to report who were the strange ships that entered Cephiro unchallenged by its inhabitants. In just several hours later, one of Clovis' spies entered the bridge to report to the Prince of his findings.
"Your highness! We discovered that the ships orbiting around the Castle of Cephiro are actually allies of this country!" The scout said announcing his report to Clovis.
"I never saw them before when I had that meeting with the leaders of Cephiro," Cloivs muttered. "Why would they be allies of Cephiro anyway?"
"They said that when they first entered Cephiro's airspace, they were challenged by the Magic Knights themselves three years ago," The scout informed. "Eventually, they yielded to the Magic Knights and all of Cephiro, bringing forth a new era of peace to all four countries at once."
"And just who are they from exactly?" Clovis asked, trying to get to the bottom of this unexpected event.
"They were described as the Battleship NSX from Autozam, the Dragon Dome of Fahren, and the Bravada of Chizeta!" The scout continued. "All the leaders of the three countries are now supporting Cephiro as part of its allegiance as we speak!"
"I guess that explains why those strange warriors and soldiers wouldn't stop ambushing my Britannian Marines in the forests surrounding our camps near Mt. Dakurd." Clovis thought to himself, referring to armies of the three neighboring countries around Cephiro. "We still have to wait until reinforcements from Cornelia arrive. Don't forget that our G-1 Base has a portable Sakuradite Gateway attached to its rear and that we have a mobile teleportation platform that we have inside our hangar."
"Is it just incase we need to fall back to Area 11?" One of the engineers asked out of concern.
"Why yes indeed! I'll do anything in my power to preserve all of Britannia's pride to the fullest," Prince Clovis announced to his subjects. "If we can't win, we'll fall back and live to fight another day! After all, whether we're up against an enemy alliance or another rebellion we will prevail, for the glory of the Holy Britannian Empire! Is Jeremiah on the frontline?"
"Yes your highness!" The Britannian general replied. "I'll get him on screen!"
As the screen pulled up, Jeremiah Gottwald was seen inside a Sutherland Knightmare. Upon seeing Prince Clovis from his screen inside his cockpit, Jeremiah could not help but wonder what does Prince Clovis want at the moment.
"Greeting your majesty!" Jeremiah said announcing his presence to the 3rd Britannian Prince. "What are your orders?"
"First of all, where are you right now?!" Clovis asked the Elite Knightmare pilot.
"I'm at base camp 01A! Directly South of the G-1 Base! Why?" Jeremiah responded before asking the Price on what is going on.
"I received intel that new enemy reinforcements arrived to secure the garrisons around the Castle of Cephiro!" Clovis said as he informed Jeremiah. "Be on your guard! They're from the countries of Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren. They're all allies of Cephiro!"
"Oh great! I didn't think they have their own little empire in this New World!" Jeremiah complained to himself. "But no matter, they do realize that they can't hope to defeat all of Britannia. They're still outnumbered from 3 to 18! We'll show them that Britannia is no push over!"
"Are you still hanging in there, Jeremiah?!" Viletta asked while inside her Sutherland.
"Yes I am, Viletta!" Jeremiah said as he snapped out of his thoughts.
"If those Magic Knights show up again, I'd like to see them try to dodge our chaos mines!" Viletta smirked as her Sutherland took out a chaos mine from its hip with its right hand.
Outside of G-1, there a special research division transport is seen at another base camp near Mt. Dakurd. It is where the Lancelot is being kept at for the time being. Around the transport, 6 Sutherlands, 8 battle tanks, and several squads of Britannian Marines are stationed around the base camp while being guard for any suspicious activity. Inside the transport, Lloyd and Cecil were prepping the Lancelot for the next battle that is yet to come. As for Suzaku, he's inside the cockpit checking all of its stats as he is standing by and awaiting for further orders.
Lloyd Asplund was seen wearing a green turtleneck shirt covered up by a white lab coat and black pants and shoes. He had lavender hair and grey, blue eyes with big glasses covering up his face. He happens to be described as an Earl for the Britannian Nobles in the Empire. It was he who gave Suzaku the Lancelot to help him deal with the terrorists in the Shinjuku Getto. For the first time using the Lancelot on the battlefield, Suzaku was able to eliminate all the terrorists with one go, even though the last one was able to escape and distracted it when Suzaku used the Knightmare to save a mother and child from falling to their deaths. Ever since on that day, Lloyd did his best to make sure all systems for the Lancelot are up and ready just incase Suzaku is goes into battle with the terrorits. As of right now, when Lloyd discovered that Suzaku has a met a unexpected challenge with a mysterious Knightmare belonging to one of the Magic Knights, the Earl could not help but feel a little shaken that the Honorary Britannian almost met his match.
Cecil Croomy happens to be Lloyd's assistant and conscience. She was seen wearing an orange Britannian Military Officer's uniform with black trimmings. Cecil also happens to have a indigo hair color and blue eyes. As Lloyd's conscience, she usually scolds and punishes Lloyd for his rude behavior.
As Suzaku was checking over the stats of his Lancelot, he could not help but wonder what has ever become from his first fight with one of the Magic Knight's Rune Gods while piloting his Knightmare. In his memories, Suzaku was questioning to himself on the voice that he heard from that Red Rune God back there. It sounded so familiar, that Suzaku is thinking that it may be from someone he knows back at the Ashford Academy. But who was it that he was fighting against earlier?
"That voice that came from that Red Rune God, it sounded like the voice of a young woman!" Suzaku muttered to himself as he leaned onto the control panel with his right elbow and hold his face with his right hand. "Why do I get the feeling that it was from someone I know for a long time?"
"Hey Suzaku, are you feeling okay in there?!" Cecil asked the Honorary Britannian out of concern while going over the Lancelot's stats from her control panel.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Suzaku said, nervously. "I still can't stop thinking about my previous fight in Cephiro."
"Is it about that Rune God that was shooting out flames and lighting bolts at you?!" Cecil asked the warrant officer, referring to Rayearth.
"I wish I could know more about that Rune God back there," Suzaku pondered to himself.
"Do you think it might be a rival that you met in the past?" Cecil asked out of curiosity.
"I used to have a friend and rival that was sparring with me when we were little. Her name was Hikaru Shidou and she's a former Japanese citizen that lives in the Tokyo Settlement," Suzaku said as he remembered his past memories with the red-haired girl.
"Maybe you should talk to her a little more, once you head back to the Ashford Academy," Cecil said, making a suggestion for Suzaku. "It's possible that Hikaru might knows something about the Magic Knights intercepting Clovis' soldiers from the other day."
Before Suzaku could say anymore, the Royal channel started to turn on.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi! This is Prince Clovis!" The 3rd heir of Britannia announced. "You are to patrol around our camps. If any of Cephiro's forces or their followers press their attack upon us, you will be our go-to guy! If we lose more than three of our camps, you are to have my men fall back to G-1 Base while we prepare to teleport back to Area 11. Is that understood?!"
"Yes, your highness!" Suzaku said acknowledging his orders to the 3rd Britannian Prince.
Upon hearing what Prince Clovis said, Cecil and Lloyd opened up the hatch behind the transport. As soon as they see the landscape surrounding their position, Suzaku departured with his Lancelot and headed out to patrol around their outpost in Mt. Dakurd.
"I hope I can get an answer on whose commandeering those Rune Gods!" Suzaku thought to himself as he steered his Lancelot to his right as it disappeared into the forest.
From a distance away from Mt. Dakurd, the Dome of Fahren appeared with a giant balloon kid with a idiotic smile on his face marching from underneath it. He was wearing the same clothes that Sang Yung was wearing while serving Lady Aska. It turns out to be none other that one of the grand illusions that Lady Aska casted from the Secret Spell of the Dragon Art Reincarnation, calling it Giant Sang Yung!
"Just you wait, Britannian filth. I, Aska of Fahren, shall commence my first move on Mt. Dakurd!" Lady Aska cackled as she held her chinese fan up to her face.
On Aska's right inside the throne of the Dome of Fahren, there is an elder name Chang Ang! He happens to be Aska's wisest elder who is addressed as Fahren's cabinet member that informs the princess with sagely advice during their invasion of Cephiro. Even though Aska gets on Chang's nerves for more than once, she finally did the right thing to reject becoming the pillar of Cephiro three years ago. Now that Fahren is an allied country of Cephiro and the Black Knights, Aska and Chang became the first to make their more against the Britannians hold up in Mt. Dakurd.
"GIANT SANG YUNG!" Lady Aska shouted at the top of lungs with her commanding voice. "Make that Mountain crumble underneath that mobile fortress!"
Upon hearing Aska's orders, the giant illusion appeared popped out of the forest, with its face above the trees, and aimed his huge blue lighting breath at the bottom of the mountain. As it struck the mountain from underneath, the mountain started collapsing into a huge avalanche, taking the G-1 Base down with it. For the Knightmares guarding the fortress, they were mostly swept away by the falling land mass as their pilots started screaming before they were buried underneath the rabble. From inside the bridge of the G-1 Base, red alarms started beeping violently as the floor shook, much to the horror of Prince Clovis and his engineers. As the area around them started vibrating, everyone was struggling to hang on to something.
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING?" Prince Clovis said while freaking out as he struggled to hang on to his throne.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!" The General said, shouting back at the prince with an answer. "Something is making the ground underneath our fortress slide off the mountain. WE'RE ON TOP OF AN AVALANCHE!"
"PRINCE CLOVIS!" One of the Engineers shouted after seeing their base moving straight into something unexpected. "Our mobile fortress is heading straight into Base Camp 02A! WE'RE GOING TO CRASH STRAIGHT INTO THEM!"
"Don't just stand there you fools! Contact the men at Base Camp 02A and have them evacuate the area immediately!" Prince Clovis ordered franatically.
"TOO LATE!" Another engineer screamed.
As Prince Clovis looked up to see the one of the monitors outside of the G-1 Base, it caught a glimpse of a radar tower at Base Camp 02A before it toppled over due to the mass of the mobile fortress itself. Before they knew it, the radar tower fell right on top of bridge in an instant. Upon impact, Prince Clovis got out of his seat and jump to his side as the wreckage missed him by an inch of his foot before he fell onto his back. As soon as he got up, Clovis saw most of his crewmen dead, except for his general that was trying to get him back on his feet.
"We have to get out of this place now!" The general told Clovis. "This fortress is done for; we need to request immediate backup and a pick up by one of our dropships!"
Upon seeing the G-1 Base crash into one of Britannia's Base Camps on screen inside the Dome of Fahren, Lady Aska can't help but smile as she makes the most wicked laugh while remembering part of the plan that Zero is carrying out.
"OH HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! Good work, Giant Sang Yung!" Aska laughed at the top of her lungs. "Now it will be the time for the rest of our forces to move in. Hey, Fuu!"
"Yes, Ms. Aska?" The Knight of Wind spoke as she appeared on Aska's left.
"Are you ready to give them hell for your homeland?!" Aska asked, excitedly.
"Absolutely!" Fuu replied in a courageous tone.
"Go get e'm, Fuu!" Aska said, showing the Knight of Wind some encouragement before the Wind Knight disappeared through the doorways behind her.
"Lady Aska! You are to help create an avalanche to make the ground underneath their G-1 Base collapse. It will make the fortress crash into one of their base camps unwillingly, causing chaos and confusion amongst the forces residing their." Zero said, while giving out orders to the Princess of Fahren. "When that's done, have Lady Fuu send in an attack force to wipe out any remaining stragglers nearby the G-1 Base and the camp that was decimated by the avalanche."
Outside of the Dome of Fahren, Windam appeared with a squad of Cephirian customized Knightmares moving in, below the Rune God of Wind. As Fuu looked up to see the collapsed wreckage of the G-1 Base and the wrecked radar tower, she sees a huge regiment of Britannian Sutherlands open fire immediately while defending what's left of their camp.
"EMERALD TYPHOON!" Fuu shouted as she casted a gust of wind with both of her hands.
As Fuu's spell struck several Britannian Knightmares, they were pushed into the wreckage behind them and collapsed on top of each other before they blew up. When one enemy Sutherland tried to open fire at Windam, the green Rune God drew out its sword and chopped the Knightmare in two before it disappeared into a two-sided explosion.
"What's happening out there?!" Suzaku gasped as he saw enemy movement on his radar map inside the cockpit of the Lancelot.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi, the enemy forces started attacking!" A voice spoke from one of Suzaku's channels. "We need backup fast at Base Camp 02-AUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"
Before Suzaku could hear what was going on, the channel ended with a loud static. However, Suzaku was able to understand the order that was given to him by one of the Britannian Military Officers residing at Base Camp 02A as he steered his Lancelot to their destination.
As the fight pressed on at Base Camp 02A, Fuu slammed the edge of her sword's grip into the face of an enemy Sutherland. Upon impact, the Sutherland fell onto its stomach after it collapsed. Behind Fuu, the Cephirian Knightmares followed her from behind as they fired their huge built-in crossbows at the Britannian Sutherlands. Every the Cephirans fired their crossbows, they let loose a huge ballista-like missile at the Britannian Sutherlands that explodes upon impact, followed by a jet of fire from the back of each missile. Those that weren't struck by Cephiro's Knightmares' Crossbows were met by thrusts from their huge lances. As Fuu summoned her huge bow and arrow from her magic glove, she aimed it at the cannon underneath the G-1's bridge. With just one "twang" from her blow, Fuu unleashed a huge arrow enchanted by a magical gale force. Upon impact, the G-1's cannon blew up in an instant. As Fuu pressed on, she gave the order to her attack force.
"Cephirian Forces surround their fallen fortress and neutralize any targets around it. Capture Prince Clovis!" Fuu shouted as she raised her sword and pointed it at the G-1 Base.
"YES MY LADY!" The Cephirian soldiers acknowledged while driving their Knightmares forward.
Behind Windam, there is a Knightmare appeared in white, green, and tan colors. It happens to be a Burai Kai moving in a zigzag next to the green Rune God. As the screen turns on, the pilot inside the Burai Kai happens to be none other than Prince Ferio. When Ferio's customized Knightmare approached Fuu in a screeching halt, he drew out a Revolving Blade Sword with his right hand.
"Ferio, how does it feel driving this Knightmare Frame?" Fuu asked her boyfriend.
"It's a little shaky, Fuu!" Ferio said in a serious tone. "But no matter, I'm still able to have it adapt to my combat abilities as a swordsman in Cephiro. Now then, shall we give them a taste of their medicine my dear?"
"Why certainly!" Fuu replied in a positive tone.
As Windam and Ferio's Burai Kai navigated through the battlefield, Ferio's Knightmare butchered up every enemy Sutherland with his Blade Sword, decapitating their arms and limbs before stabbing them in their torsos. For Fuu, she flew up into the air and launched several more spells at the enemy battle tanks and Sutherlands before spotting Clovis and his general making a run for it up the mountain slopes behind the wrecked G-1 Base.
In the forest, Umi, Ascot, and the Djinns of Chizeta launched their raids upon the other Britannian Encampments at the west of the G-1 Base. Upon seeing them, the Britannian soldiers were caught off guard when Ascot's beasts started charging through their outposts, destroying their vehicles and sending the Knightmares flying. Griffore and Insectoid punched through most of the enemy Knightmares with their fists, sending most of their pilots bailing out as they ejected their cockpits.
"Griffore, secured an entry way for Umi and the rest of her assault team!" Ascot ordered as he rode on his flying beast above the forest.
"I hate demons!" One of the Britannian Knightmare pilots snarled as he attempted to shoot down Ascot and his flying pet from the sky.
As Ascot charged up the orb from his glove, he gave his flying beast the order to fired a plasma beam at a score of Knightmares. Upon impact, the Knightmares blew up from within, giving Umi and Selece the opportunity to advance.
"Umi, after Fuu's team take down the defenses around that G-1 base, you move your team in and attack the base camps west of that mobile fortress!" Zero said as he instructed the Knight of Water. "Just buy Fuu and her team enough time by intercepting Britannia's forces there."
Just when Ascot's beast closed into the Sutherlands defending their western camps, the twin djinns jumped off from its back and made a duo kick onto a nearby enemy Knightmare Frame. Upon impact, the enemy Sutherland fell on its back. As for the Chizetian Djinn, they landed on both of their feet and summoned their arabic swords to do battle with the other Britannian Knightmares. Despite getting shot at by the Sutherlands' barrage of assault rifle fire, the Djinns were dancing around in graceful patterns, dodging every single bullet before cutting their guns in two and dissecting them as their upper torsos separate from their leggings.
For Umi, she was met by Viletta's and Jeremiah's Sutherlands as they both started hurling chaos mines at her. As the Chaos Mines were hurled in mid-air, they started shooting out sprays of deadly shrapnel at the Knight of Water. However, Umi jumped away from the shrapnel to perform one of her feats of magic at Jeremiah's Knightmare.
"WATER DRAGON!"
As Umi casted her spell, she raised her left hand up into the air as a serpentine water spell shot out at Jeremiah. Upon seeing it heading in his way, Jeremiah skidded to his right, evading Umi's Water Dragon by a few feet away from him.
"Is that the best you got, Magic Knight?!" Jeremiah roared. "I'll smash your machine to the ground. ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
After shouting at the top of his lungs, Jeremiah started to activate his Sutherland's stun tonfas from both of its elbows before charging at Umi's Rune God with all of his might. As soon as he closed into Umi's position, Jeremiah started lashing out at the Knight of Water with every jab coming from his tonfa. At the same time, Umi made several fast blocks against the Sutherland's tonfas thanks to her fencing skills. When Umi made an immediate chop with her rapier at Jeremiah's Sutherland, blocking it with both of his tonfas, she lifted them up in the air with her sword and did an uppercut punch to the Knightmare's face, sending him flying a few meters above ground.
"UGH!" Jeremiah grunted as he struggled to keep his Knightmare balance. "Man, that thing is fast!"
"Hang on, Lord Jeremiah! I'm coming!" Viletta shouted as she drove her Sutherland to engage the blue Rune God.
Unfortunately, by the time Viletta's Knightmare got closer to Selece, she was met with a huge, green triceratops-like beast ramming her in her left side, almost knocking her to the right. Luckily, Viletta was able to use her Slash Harkens on a nearby tree to pull her Knightmare back up on its legs. The moment she turned around, Viletta spotted Ascot riding on top of the triceratops beast.
"Nice try, Baroness!" Ascot sneered at Viletta's Knightmare as he drew out a lighting halberd from his side. "You'll have to deal with me first!"
"What the hell are you?" Viletta asked, feeling offender that a person is challenging a Knightmare Frame with a monstrous creature.
"I am the head summoner of Cephiro!" Ascot announced as he pointed his halberd at the Viletta's Sutherland. "And these creatures you see before you are all under my command!"
"There's still may strange things in Cephiro unknown to me!" Viletta shrieked to herself as she aimed her gun at Ascot's beast.
"Come baroness, let's dance!" Ascot hissed as he aimed his lighting halberd at Viletta.
As Clovis was being escorted by a group of Sutherlands and Marines, Windam landed right in front of them and casted another "Wings of Admonishment" on the bunch.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Clovis said, freaking out after seeing his men get lifted up in the air and bounded by Fuu's spell.
"Sorry I have to do this, Prince Clovis!" Fuu apologized erroneously. "But you have to come with us and...EEEEKKKKKKK!"
In the middle of Fuu's sentence, she was met with a strong kick in the back of her rune god by Lancelot!
"Hang on, Prince Clovis!" Suzaku shouted as he jumped away from Windam and landed on the Lancelot's two feet.
As for Fuu, her Rune God fell on its stomach before lifting itself up with two of his hands. Just when Fuu got up, she sees her binding spell wear off as the enemy Sutherlands and Marines were struggling to get up after they collapsed on the ground.
"It's about time you showed up!" Prince Clovis said in annoyance towards Suzaku and the Lancelot before making a run for it along with his remaining forces. "Destroy that Knight at once!"
"Yes, your highness!" Suzaku acknowledged as he fired the Lancelot's VARIS rifle at Windam.
As the rail beam shot out at Windam, Fuu responded by casting another spell from her magic orb.
"WINGS OF PROTECTION!"
At the top of her lungs, Fuu unleashed a huge green barrier to block the incoming beam that was being fired by the VARIS. After the beam wore off, leaving Windam undamaged, the Wind Rune God lifted its wings up and hoisted itself up into the air, dodging the Lancelot's dual Maser Swords at once. In mid-air, Fuu drew out her two-handed sword and struck at the Lancelot from above only for the white Knightmare to block it with both of his swords. As the Lancelot shoved his blades at Windam, the Rune God jumped backwards and aimed its left hand at the Knightmare's face, with its right hand holding the grip of Fuu's sword.
"EMERALD TYPHOON!"
As Suzaku sees Windam's spell heading directly towards him, he activated the Lancelot's Energy Shield and used it to block the magical gust, exploding upon impact, damaging nothing. The Lancelot charged forward and rammed Windam with its energy shield in a very fast pace. As Fuu felt the impact of the energy shield hitting her in the stomach, she grunted in pain and staggered backwards while trying to hold her ground against the white Knightmare. Unfortunately, before Fuu could recover, she was met by a kick to the stomach by the Lancelot.
"UUUGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOO!" Fuu screamed as she fell on her back while inside Windam.
"FUU!" Ferio shrieked as he drove his Burai Kai into the fray. "Hang on, I'm coming!"
As Ferio approached the Lancelot, he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes at the white Knightmare Frame in in anger.
Upon seeing Ferio's Burai Kai go all out on him, Suzaku steered his Lancelot backwards to avoid Ferio's attacks. As soon as the Lancelot was away from Ferio's Knightmare, Suzaku activated the Lancelot's four slash harkens and shot them straight at the Burai Kai. In less than 2 seconds, the Burai Kai whacked all four Harkens away from him while protecting Windam while trying to get up again.
"Fuu, are you okay?!" The Cephirian Prince asked out of concern for his girlfriend.
Before Fuu had a chance to respond, the Lancelot closed onto Ferio's Knightmare and struck with one of its Maser Swords. At the same time, Ferio's Burai blocked Lancelot's attack with his Revolving Blade being held close to its face.
On the east side of Mt. Dakurd, after the landslide occurred thanks to Giant Sang Yung's attack, Hikaru's team moved in along with Kallen and her Black Knight Squad. As Hikaru's Rune God moved forward, she was accompanied by a team of Cephirian customized Knightmares all armed to the teeth. Above Hikaru, Geo's GTO flew through the sky as it started firing its main cannon at several enemy Sutherlands at the enemy camps in the East. For Hikaru, she rammed one Sutherland with her broadsword, penetrating its torso with the blade coming out from its back. As the Sutherland collapsed on its knees, Hikaru kicked it in the stomach, sending her defeated enemy plummeting to the ground. After taking the enemy Knightmare down, Hikaru flew forward and unleashed several Flame Arrows at 5 more enemy Sutherlands.
"Hikaru, you attack the eastern camps at Mt. Dakurd first. Have Geo reign down fire from above and accompany Kallen while neutralizing all threats there." Zero instructed.
"Kallen, are you ready to show those Britannians what you're made of?" Hikaru smirked, seeing the Guren appear on her right.
"You bet, Hikaru!" Kallen grinned. "Let's go kick some butt!"
As Kallen made her first move, the Guren grabbed a nearby enemy Sutherland and unleashed her Radium Claw, making it bubble from the inside and explode in just a few seconds.
"Lantis! Lafarga! You'll help the Black Knights strike from the forests at the Britannian Tanks and the Marines in the eastern camps near Mt. Dakurd." Zero announced as he issued orders to both Cephirian Officers and the Black Knights.
"Captain Lafarga, let's go!" Lantis ordered the guard Captain as he rode on his black horse. "LIGHTING BALL, COME FORTH!"
As Lantis casted one of his spells at a nearby Battle Tank, it blew up the main gun turret with one go, setting it on fire. When the magic swordsman charged into the Britannian Marines, they had little time to react when Lantis swung his magic sword vertically as it hit the ground, unleashing a torrent of magic waves at them. As a result, the ground split open and the Marines fell into the chasm as they screamed in terror before plummeting to their deaths.
For Lafarga, he brought out his customized Knightmare into the battlefield. It happens to be a hijacked Gloucester painted in teal colors, armed with a Maser Vibration Sword and a pair of Stattel Waffen Missile Launchers. During the raid on one of the enemy outposts north of Cephiro's Castle before the Magic Knights returned with the Black Knights, Lafarga was able to launch a full-frontal assault with a battalion of 40 Autozam Anti-Tank Marines and Cephirian Calvary. After they secured the outpost, Lafarga and his men are able to uncover 10 Gloucesters from a Britannian Carrier. As of now, Lafarga's Gloucester unleashed a salvo of Stattel Waffen Missiles at several enemy Sutherlands, blowing up 5 of them before drawing out its Maser Sword and slashed at one, chopping the 6th Sutherland in two.
When the GTO appeared above Rayearth and the Guren, it hurled a chaos mine at several enemies if front of both of the machines. For Rayearth and the Guren, the red Rune God made a clean chop with Hikaru's Broadsword before it exploded in the dirt. Kallen steered her Guren to Rayearth's left and fired her two Slash Harkens at the two enemy gunships floating 50 feet above her. As a Sutherland started firing its Assault Rifle at Rayearth, Hikaru reacted by unleashing another Flame Arrow at the enemy Knightmare. As soon as Hikaru's spell made a direct hit on the Sutherland, it's face blew up in smithereens and fell to its right.
"Hikaru, Ferio and Fuu are engaging the Lancelot at Base Camp 02A! Go provide backup there!" Zero ordered while inside his Burai. "Kallen, go with Geo to help eliminate the threats near his position!"
"Understood!" Hikaru responded as she flew up to the sky before heading towards where Fuu and Ferio are.
"Roger that!" Kallen said, acknowledging Zero's orders as she followed the GTO on its left.
During the fight between Ferio's Burai Kai and Suzaku's Lancelot, the white Knightmare dodged Ferio's horizontal slash with the Burai's Revolving Blade and did a simultaneous double kick with its legs at the Burai's torso. Upon feeling the brunt of Lancelot's kicks, Ferio's Burai fell on its back, nearly crushing Windam from behind. Luckily, Fuu had enough time to roll over on her right, missing Ferio's Burai by a foot. As the Lancelot turned to face Windam, the green Rune God casted another spell at the white Knightmare.
"EMERALD CYCLONE!" Fuu shouted as she raised both her hands and aimed them at the Lancelot.
In an instant, Fuu unleashed a swarm of green crescent-like blades at the Lancelot.
Suzaku activated the Lancelot's landspinners and steered the Knightmare left and right to dodge Fuu's spell with a fast pace. Before Fuu had a chance to draw out her sword again, she was met with a bash to the face by the Lancelot's energy shield, much to her shock. Just like that, Fuu's mouth started bleeding as she fell on her back, unconscious.
Feeling victorious for one minute, the Lancelot was about to move on and help provide an escort for Prince Clovis. Unfortunately, Rayearth appeared in a flash teleportation right in front of the Lancelot, with its sword and shield drawn.
"Not that red Rune God again!" Suzaku muttered in annoyance as he had the Lancelot draw out its dual Maser Swords.
Upon seeing an unconscious Fuu and Ferio lying on the ground behind the Lancelot, Hikaru's anger started boiling from inside, thinking that she was too late to back them up. Feeling vengeful, Hikaru's sword powered up in a swirl of flames surrounding her blade before charging forwards at the Lancelot.
"How dare you hurt my friends!" Hikaru snarled as she swung her sword at the Lancelot.
Just like last time, Hikaru's sword unleashed a torrent of white flames at the white Knightmare only for it steer to its right, evading the attack. In retaliation, the Lancelot charged and immediately attacked the Rayearth with both of its Maser Swords, swinging them in a series of rapid strikes. Reacting quickly, Hikaru held her guard as she counteract every move from the Lancelot's swords with both her sword and shield. After making 7 more strikes on Rayearth, Lancelot slammed his Maser sword on the Rune God's shield and struggled to break down its guard. Before the Lancelot could attack anymore, Hikaru raised her hand up high and casted another spell from above.
"RED THUNDER!"
As Hikaru shouted at the top of her lungs and almost out of breath, red streaks of lighting came down from the sky and attempted to hit the Lancelot. However, Suzaku was able to steer back and forth to avoid the barrage of lightings bearing down on his position. After the lighting stopped, the Lancelot drew out its VARIS Rifle and made a Burst Fire at Rayearth. Upon seeing the green spherical beams close in on her, Hikaru clenched her fist as it gets engulfed in flames.
"FLAME ARROW! YAAAAAHHHHHH!"
As Hikaru unleashed her fire spell, it struck at the spherical beams, causing them to explode between both the Rune God and the Lancelot. In an instant, the two machines were sent flying backwards from the impeding explosion. Rayearth slammed its back into a tree while the Lancelot crashed into the wrecked G-1 Base. As soon as the white Knightmare attempted to get up, Suzaku noticed that the Lancelot is out of energy from the Yggdrasil Drive, rendering it to shut down. Upon seeing this, Rayearth got back on his feet and approached the Lancelot, drawing out its broadsword. However, before Hikaru could finish off the Lancelot, she was met with a barrage of Assault Rifle fire coming down from the Avalon.
"URRRGGHHH! What is this?!" Hikaru growled as she raised her shield up high to block enemy fire from above.
As the Avalon approached above the Lancelot, it hovered as several more Sutherlands and a squad of 5 Gloucesters landed in front of Rayearth. One of the Gloucesters had a regal cape on its "humpback" cockpit while carrying a Jousting Lance and an Assault Rifle. It belonged to Princess Cornelia, the Viceroy of Area 11.
"Soldiers, form a defensive line formation around the fallen G-1 base! We are to help evacuate all survivors and Prince Clovis off this battlefield!" Cornelia's voice spoke out from her Gloucester.
"YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!" The Sutherland and Gloucestor pilots replied, acknowledging Cornelia's orders.
As they moved out, the Britannian Knightmares opened fire at Rayearth, pinning Hikaru behind the trees inside the forest.
"Dammit! I bet its one of those Britannian Commanders leading this invasion!" Hikaru muttered to herself while hiding behind cover.
"Princess Cornelia, it's about time you came for me. My dear sister!" Prince Clovis said, feeling relieved as he approached Cornelia's Knightmare behind the formation.
"Sorry we're late, brother!" Cornelia apologized. "We'll resume our Campaign in Cephiro later. Now get on board the Avalon. Schneizel and I will help cover your retreat!"
"Thank you, sister!" Clovis replied as he went onboard the Avalon. "This is Prince Clovis. All soldiers under my wing, retreat to the Avalon!"
For the Lancelot, Suzaku steered it towards the lifting platform underneath the Avalon as he went onboard during the confusion.
During the fight between Viletta, Jeremiah, Umi, and Ascot, they saw the Avalon appear above the sky. Upon hearing Clovis' orders from their private channel, Jeremiah and Viletta both disengage their fight with the Knight of Water and the Head Summoner.
"Let's get out of here, Viletta!" Jeremiah said, ordering the baroness as he drove his Sutherland towards the Avalon's lifting platform.
As Viletta and Jeremiah escaped from the battlefield, Umi and Ascot see them disappear into their battleship, along with the Lancelot and the other surviving Britannian forces.
"Princess, everyone is onboard the Avalon now!" One of Cornelia's knights spoke through his channel.
"Good then. Everyone, retreat to north and teleport back to Area 11!" Cornelia ordered as she rallied her forces fled away from the battlefield. "I'll deal with you later, Magic Knight of Fire!"
While Hikaru saw Cornelia's Knightmare disappear along with the rest of her forces, she could not believe that another of the Britannia's Royal Family members would show up and help Prince Clovis escape capture.
"Princess Cornelia!" Hikaru thought to herself. "I hope we can find a way to go after them and bring them all to justice someday."
After seeing the Britannian forces escape through the rift and back to Area 11, Cephiro's forces and the Black Knights were able to regroup and recover. However, since Fuu and Ferio are still out cold, an Autozam shuttle appeared, escorted by the GTO. As soon as it landed, Geo's medical team brought the two injured warriors onboard before heading back to the Castle. For Geo, he landed his GTO next to Hikaru's Rune God, showing a bit of concern to the Knight of Fire.
"Hikaru, are you feeling okay?!" Geo asked through the communication channel.
"Uh, yeah! I'm fine." Hikaru said in a silent tone. "Let's secure the area, scavenge whatever weapons and Knightmare Frames we can find inside the G-1 Base, and head back to the Castle!"
"Yes, my lady!" The Cephirian soldiers responded through their customized Knightmares.
Inside the Avalon, Cornelia was the first to disembark from her Gloucester. She reveals herself to be an 27-year old woman with long purple hair and indigo eyes with natural pink tint lips. She may have been known for her ruthless combat prowness on the battlefield but she still treats her fellow soldiers, her knight Lord Guilford and her sister Princess Euphemia (Euphy) as part of her family in which she cares about. She's also trying to be a closer watch on her brother Prince Clovis since his attack upon the inhabitants of Cephiro. But the only person that happens to be her weakness was Princess Euphy. Due to how strong she made her battalion when commanding the Armies of Britannia and how her patriotism is deemed unrivaled, Cornelia was also hailed as the "Goddess of Victory." Ever since she heard the Zero is leading the Black Knights, Cornelia is obsessed in capturing the leader of the Black Knights and bringing him to justice before her father. As of now, she went to check up on Prince Clovis to see how he is doing despite his defeat by the Magic Knights and the armies of Cephiro.
"Clovis, are you okay?!" Cornelia asked out of concern. "Those rotten knights didn't hurt you, did they?!"
"If it hadn't been for Warrant Officer Kururugi, they would've captured me on the spot!" Clovis huffed as he tried to relieve himself of his fears in Cephiro.
"By the way, what happened to Kururugi?" Cornelia asked her brother.
"I'm afraid Euphy is trying to check up on him at the moment." Clovis responded, much to the dismay of Cornelia.
"I wonder why would that Euphy is so concerned with that eleven anyway?" Cornelia asked to herself. "He may have been able to buy us some time before I was able to drop in, but he still has a long way to go before having at that Magic Knight piloting that red Rune God."
"Well, it's not just those Rune Gods that we have to watch out for, sis!" Clovis added in. "Cephiro's allies were also throwing some strange but devastating tricks out of the blue."
"You mean the armies of Chizeta, Autozam, and Fahren?" Cornelia asked in a grim tone.
"Yes, we still have yet to discover what those three countries are known for when going out into battle!" Clovis said warningly. "They saw a glimpse of a giant shooting out a powerful beam of electricity underneath my G-1 base, two genies attacking our forces from the west side of out HQ, and another unidentified flying robot with a huge shoulder cannon."
"We'll deal with that later. Capturing Zero and the Magic Knights is our top priority," Cornelia announced. "Guilford!"
As Lord Gilber G.P Guilford emerged from one of the Gloucester next to the Viceroy's, he reveals himself to be a Britannian's personal Knight of Honor serving directly under Princess Cornelia herself. He was seen as a tall-slender, 27-year old man who has glasses, black hair, and light blue eyes. After helping Cornelia conquered Area 18, he went back to Area 11 with her in order to pursue Zero. However, when word spread out that the Magic Knights and their Rune Gods attacked Viletta's squad in Cephiro, he vowed to hunt down the mysterious knights and publicly execute them in Area 11. Unfortunately, after Clovis' defeat in Cephiro, Cornelia and Guilford have no choice but to regroup at Area 11 before continuing their campaign against Cephiro and the Black Knights.
"Yes, Princess?!" Cornelia's Knight acknowledged.
"Have the captain set a course back to the Tokyo Settlement!" Cornelia said, giving out orders to her knight.
"Understood, your highness!" Guilford replied.
