At the area surrounding Mt. Fuji, a stadium is seen from a mile away. It is considered to be a huge football field that is surrounded by huge levels of bleachers. It is also where the Ceremony of the Equality for all Japanese and Cephirians will start at. At first, there was silence all around the stadium. But in the next minute, as the scene unfolds, there is screams and gunfire echoing throughout the area.
In the middle of the immediate bloodshed, a Japanese woman started fleeing into the hallways leading to the exit from the bleachers.
"NOOOOOO! PLEASE STOP!" The woman shrieked as she looked back while making a run for it. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Unfortunately, before the scared woman could get any close to the exit, she was silenced by an Assault Rifle that was fired by a nearby Britannian Gloucester, who came from behind before moving on.
As the woman felt bullets piercing her skin, she fell flat on her stomach while blood came gushing out of her fresh wounds. In just seconds, the woman dies from her injuries while other Japanese people continued to scream and run away from the shootout taking place inside the stadium.
In the midst of the chaos, Hikaru's brothers were trying to hide behind cover in one of the bleachers while making their way to the exit leading outside of the stadium, along with Mr. and Mrs. Shidou. During their escape, they did their best to avoid tripping over the dead bodies of their fellow Japanese people.
"Come on guys!" Masaru told his elder brothers. "We can't stay here any longer! We all have to run!"
"But our sister Hikaru is still out there!" Kakeru said in a panicked tone.
"We already know how much she's grown right now!" Satoru told the two Shidou brothers. "She can take care of herself!"
"But she's still our baby sister!" Kakeru shrieked, showing concern over Hikaru.
"Not anymore! She already proved herself otherwise!" Mr. Shidou said, denying Kakeru's exclamation. "Now let's get out here before they find us!"
As the Shidou family makes there way to the exit, an enemy Gloucester appeared before them, much to their horror.
"Prepare to die, ELEVENS!" The pilot of the Gloucester bellowed as he aimed his Assault Rifle at them.
"NO! P-Please!" The Shidous begged for mercy in unison, even though it will be the end for them all.
However, before the Gloucester could open fire upon the Shidous, an angry female voice has been heard out loud from within the stadium.
"GET AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!"
In an instant, Rayearth Alpha appeared while flying right above the Shidous and rammed his shield straight into the Gloucester's chest, making the Knightmare lose his aim as the Assault Rifle fired up to the ceiling. As Rayearth flung its shield to its right, the Gloucester staggered backwards before he was met with a clean chop from the neck down to his waist. When Rayearth pulled its sword out of the Gloucester, the Britannian Knightmare fell backwards cut in two and exploded into a fiery mess.
The moment Rayearth turned around, the Shidou Family looked up before feeling relieved that they have been spared from getting killed.
"Hikaru?" Kakeru muttered in a frightened tone.
"You can thank me later, guys!" Hikaru's voice spoke out from inside Rayearth. "Just get out while you still can!"
"Hikaru, dearie!" Mrs. Shidou pleaded as tears came out of her eyes. "Please be careful!"
"You know I will, mom!" Hikaru replied as she turned towards the hallways leading to the stadium. "For now, just run and don't look back!"
As the Shidou brothers made their way to the exit first, Mr. Shidou followed them from behind. Mrs. Shidou gave one last look at her daughter who is still inside the Rune God Knightmare before she made a small smile with tears coming out of her eyes out of happiness.
"I'm so proud of you, Hikaru!" Mrs. Shidou muttered as she ran towards the exit while catching up with her three sons and husband.
As Rayearth went to the stadium, Hikaru couldn't help but stare at the entire gruesome scene unfolding before her very eyes. All around the stadium's bleachers and onto the field, there is hundreds of bloodied corpses lying everywhere, children crying, survivors making a run for it, and Britannian soldiers and Knightmares shooting down innocent civilians left and right without hesitation or remorse. In addition, Hikaru sees wrecked chairs, bloodstained walls, huge bullets holes, and torn up Japanese Flags all around her.
After surveying the entire scene for a few seconds, Hikaru felt tears coming down from her eyes.
"Why Euphy? Why are you doing this?! I thought we were friends. You promised to unify all of our people live as equals!"
Inside her heart, something snapped as Hikaru shook her head, forcing herself to change the subject while remembering what Clef is telling her to do before this bloodbath occurred not to long ago.
"No! I have to find and capture Princess Euphemia before things get more worse!"
"Hold up, everyone!" Primera shouted as she reached her hand out from outside of the screen, the moment it stop. "For those who don't know about me, my name is Primera. The little fairy from Cephiro."
As Primera appeared on the screen, she makes her announcement towards the audience getting straight to the point.
"But my introduction isn't important right now!" The little fairy continued as she waved her hands in a "No-No" gesture. "First of all, I'm sure you're wondering why all of this bloodshed is occurring at the stadium and, more importantly, why is Lady Hikaru fighting the Britannians again just to help her family escape with their lives. It all began 12 hours ago, right after Euphy made her announcement at the School Festival in Ashford Academy..."
12 Hours Earlier...
After heeding Euphy's public announcement over the New Broadcast at the School Festival, the Magic Knights went back to their hideout to meet up with Clef and the rest of the Cephirian representatives later afternoon. In the meeting room, the Magic Knights and their friends are all sitting by a table as they go over everything that happened at the School Festival. As Clef listened closely to what the Magic Knights just said about Princess Euphemia, his eyes widened with surprise for not imagining such an unexpected turn of events.
"Are you girls saying that Princess Euphemia is actually giving us a second chance to have Britannia sign in the Peace Treaty with Cephiro?" Clef asked, trying to summarize what the Eleven Knights elaborated.
"Well, that seems quite surprising!" Lafarga muttered.
"She wishes to have us build a future where all three countries will live side-by-side as equals, along with the aid of Zero!" Hikaru exclaimed. "We might as well join her at the ceremony tomorrow!"
"But what of our campaign in Area 11?" Umi asked, feeling hesitant in accepting Euphy's decree. "It may affect our allegiance with the Black Knights after coming this far to save both Cephiro and Japan from Britannia!"
"She did say that they'll release all of the prisoners once we accept those terms at the Special Administrative Zone of Japan!" Fuu told Umi. "I bet if we join up with Euphy in this Zone, we might finish our campaign the easy way than rather the hard way! Furthermore, we may be able to see all of our parents again if we cooperate with the Britannians under Ms. Euphy's authority!"
"That means we need to hand over Prince Clovis to them in return!" Geo added in. "It may be our way of yielding to Euphy's equality in Area 11."
"We're going to decide right now on who's going to the ceremony first!" Clef suggested to the whole group. "Just to make sure it is safe before the rest of the us representatives move in. We'll be expecting any calls immediately if anything happens at the ceremony!"
"I'll go!" Hikaru said with determination, making everyone except Clef gasp after hearing such a hasty decision.
"Hikaru, you can't be serious!" Umi gasped in shock. "Not after you were abducted by Shirley and when you got stranded on that island with Euphy and Zero back there!"
"Umi, Euphy wanted to understand us too the way she understood Suzaku!" Hikaru said, supporting her reason to join the ceremony. "I owe her this much after she helped me live to see another day and that she promised us not to tell Cornelia what we both been through together! Besides, as the Pillar of Cephiro, it is my responsibility to accept the peaceful terms that Euphy is offering to us."
"Well, we may need you to go with someone else as an escort to the ceremony!" Clef suggested to Hikaru. "I would've like to accompany you there, but I still have some paperwork that needs to be done with the rest of our collaborators!"
"I'll go too!" Lafarga said, announcing his decision as he stood up and went next to Hikaru.
"Are you sure, Lafarga?" Caldina asked, showing concern over the man she loves.
"I'll be alright, Caldina!" The Guard Captain explained in a confident tone. "After all, I do need to make amends with General Darlton at the Ceremony!"
"I'd rather go too!" Topaz added in. "Me and Lafarga will both be witnesses at the ceremony."
"Why you, Topaz?" Hikaru asked the Cephirian Commander.
"I want to meet up with your people at the Zone so that we will see how it plays out with Euphy in person!" Topaz explained. "Besides we want to make sure that what you say about Euphy is true. If so, we'll let the leaders of the New World attend the ceremony. But if you're wrong, we will have to capture Princess Eupemia immediately. Is that clear?!"
"I understand, Commander!" Hikaru replied.
"As for the rest of us and the leaders of our allied countries, we'll all be watching the ceremony from afar in our ships, while the Cephirian soldiers will be stationed nearby in their designated hiding spots," Geo explained.
"I do need to contact Lord Kirihara on where he wants to meet me at!" Hikaru said as she make her call from her cellphone.
As the reporter makes her latest news broadcast all over Area 11, some of the Black Knights, the Kyoto Group, and about more than 20,000 Japanese people insisted on attending the Special Administrative Zone of Japan in hopes of bringing an end to the cruelty of Britannia with equality. However, in Britannia's side, they are considering in using Euphy's decree to help stabilize Area 11 by having all of the terrorists stand down from their foolish rebellion. Darlton decides to accompany Princess Euphemia and Major Kururugi to the ceremony at the Special Zone, which is taking place at the stadium in Sector F-208.
For Princess Cornelia, she reported her sister's declaration to her elder brother Prince Schneizel. At the Government Bureau, Cornelia opens up a channel to make contact with the 2nd Prince of Britannia.
"I can't imagine how amazing Euphy really is!" Schneizel thought, referring to his younger half-sister. "By doing so, the Black Knight rebellion will soon fall apart and order will soon be restored. In other words, the groups supporting the Black Knights will disband."
"Don't forget that the Magic Knights of Cephiro and Cephiro's Alliance are still supporting them as an allied confederacy from the New World!" Cornelia said, reminding Schneizel about what she's been through with them. "Because of this, I personally oppose Euphy's decree in this Special Zone. I do wonder if Hikaru did something to Euphy that made my sister make such unbelievable decisions as this?"
"You might as well stand down from your fight with that Lady Spitfire." Schneizel suggested to his sister. "I do want to speak with her myself at the ceremony first!"
"I don't know about that!" Cornelia said, grimly. "She's already became another spark that ignited a whole new revolution in the New World! I also heard rumors from the New World that Hikaru is actually hailed as the Knight Pillar of Cephiro, one of the most powerful leaders ever to exist there!"
"It may be our only chance to convince her and her friends to join forces with the Empire to bring forth a new era of peace!" Schneizel said with determination. "If she accepts us, we'll spare all of the Elevens and the Cephirians from getting butchered or enslaved!"
"I'll be sending in Darlton to make amends with her before we accept their terms," Cornelia said, making her decisions loud and clear.
"Will you approve Euphy's decisions as Viceroy of Area 11 or as her elder sister?" Schneizel asked.
Meanwhile at the Kyoto Industries, Kirihara responded to Hikaru's phone call on where would they rendezvous. In response, the Leader of the Kyoto House suggested the Knight of Fire to meet up with him at main entrance of the Government Bureau. As Kirihara makes his appearance in Darlton's Office, General Darlton makes his conversation with him. Darlton suggested Kirihara to hand over all of the mining industries after the ceremony as well as dismissing his support to the Black Knights.
Soon afterwards, Darlton goes over his paperwork in his office until one of his guards came in for a report.
"General, we finally found her!" One of the Royal Guards said, informing Darlton. "Along with two of Cephiro's Commanding Officers!"
"Bring them in!" Darlton ordered his men.
As the doors to his office opened, the guards escorted Hikaru, Lafarga, and Topaz up to the front desk. After taking a good look at the three, Darlton smirked before ordering the guards to leave his office as he makes his private conversation towards the warriors of Cephiro.
Hikaru is now seeing wearing a red, sleeveless Cephirian noble dress with red thin straps over her bare shoulders and a long red skirt reaching down to her ankles, a white lace wrapped around her waist, a pair of long, white dress gloves stretching from her hands to her elbows, and pink dress shoes. Though, she still kept her magic glove on top of her right dress glove just incase she needs to defend herself.
As for Lafarga and Topaz, they're both still wearing their turquoise and orange combat armor to display their recognition as warriors fighting for Cephiro. When Darlton approached Hikaru in a fearless manner, he makes his speech in front of the Lady Knight of Cephiro.
"So Lady Hikaru, have you made your decision to surrender to the Britannian Empire?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Hikaru retorted as she stared sternly at the Britannian General. "I've made up my mind to attend the ceremony along with these escorts of mine to ensure that we'll end our war in Area 11."
"Who might that Cephirian warrior be next to Captain Lafarga?" Darlton asked.
"That will be Commander Rolando Topaz of Cephiro's Elite Guard!" Lafarga announced sternly.
"I may be a General of Cornelia's regiment, but I'm also the Head Advisor serving under her will!" Darlton informed. "I'll assure you all that if you yield to the Empire after the ceremony, we will forgive you for all the Britanian soldiers that were killed by your hands. So tell me, Hikaru, is Prince Clovis with you?"
"He is!" Hikaru answered immediately. "But we still need to make sure you won't lay another hand on my parents or any of my people first before we release Clovis from our custody! He's onboard the Autozamian Battleship NSX!"
"I see. Will the other allied forces of Cephiro show up at the ceremony too?" Darlton asked further.
"They will!" Lafarga glared in a serious tone. "However, we still want to make sure you won't put any of their leaders at risk when attending the ceremony in Area 11, the same goes for ours! Otherwise, we'll have to end Princess Euphemia's ceasefire at once! You already know what will happen next after that!"
"Tell me Lafarga, did you really think you'd owe this little lowly Eleven woman that much after she saved your cursed ass?!" Darlton sneered at the Cephirian Guard Captain.
"First of all, I don't really care if Hikaru is a lowly Eleven or whatever her ethic background she falls under!" Lafarga said in a self-confident tone. "Those who were closest to Princess Emeraude knew the story of the Legendary Magic Knights destined to save our beloved land from destruction! Also, the other countries of Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren displayed their honors by protecting our people too and Caldina was no exception!"
"What do you know about Zero for starters?" Darlton asked Hikaru.
"All I can say is, he wanted to do what I'm able to do when I defended Cephiro from its enemies!" Hikaru summarized, not wanting to expose Zero's true identity as a former prince of Britannia. "Even though Princess Emeraude passed away, we still have our will to do the right thing regardless of what power we all possess. So Darlton, have you ever figured out what will be the right thing to do as a Commanding Officer of Britannia?"
"As Cornelia's Advisor, it's my duty to ensure the public safety around Area 11 and to ensure the protection of Princess Euphemia by all means!" Darlton explained. "In my experience, I do believed in Kururugi despite his Eleven status. We usually follow orders from Princess Cornelia most of the time."
"What are you really after in Cephiro?" Hikaru asked Darlton sternly.
"Well, I don't really know how to answer that!" Dartlon responded calmly. "Do you two really find any honor in supporting those terrorists in Area 11?"
"We may have, because they're all Japanese too just like I am!" Hikaru said in a fearless tone. "We all wanted to fight for independence in the New World. In fact, I was trying to understand Britannia without thinking too much about the past, hoping that one day I'll see my parents again. But judging from the situation that your people caused in the New World recently, I have waited long enough."
"Is that why you fought for Cephiro's Alliance up until now?!" Darlton asked. "As one of those Magic Knight Elevens?!"
"You heard me! Besides, I always thought of the Cephirians as if they're part of Japan too!" Hikaru added in.
"I really like how your determination makes you well-inspired by the natives of the New World!" Darlton chuckled. "You do remind me a lot like Suzaku Kururugi. Tell you what, if you let us do our job in understanding what was it like living in the New World and of its cultures, I can promise you that we won't rob Cephiro of its natural resources and instead trade it in with some of our excess Sakuradite!"
"What about the nobles who are still obsessed in keeping their power to themselves?" Hikaru asked further.
"Then, I'll have them follow a new guideline to limit their authority during their visit in the New World at Prince Schneizel's approval!" Darlton replied, with a small grin on his face. "Come to think of it, you ran into Euphy earlier did you, right after she got off the plane from the other day?!"
"At first, I thought Euphy was just going to get in my way. However, when I ran into her again at Kaminejima Island, I know now that I couldn't bear myself to treat her as an enemy, she's just as kind as Eagle was, despite him being the Commander of Autozam way before Geo took his place."
"You really are the most unbelievable opponent I ever face in battle!" Darlton laughed at Hikaru. "If you really treated Euphy with the respect she deserved, then I guess we'll call it a real truce."
"You mean, you wish to end our war here in Area 11?" Lafarga asked, feeling a bit relieved.
"As long as we can maintain our peace offerings between Cephiro and Britannia, everything will be fine from here on out. Though, we still need Euphy's approval first when she makes her decisions with Zero," Darlton added in.
"We all have an accord!" Hikaru confirmed as she shook hands with Darlton.
Next morning, the NSX, the Bravada, and the Dome of Fahren appeared in the skies right above Mt. Fuji as the leaders of the New World watched the ceremony unfold from their main screens inside their ships. From outside of Area 11, the representatives from Europia Union and the Chinese Federation are watching the ceremony from their TV screens as it is being broadcasted throughout the entire world. The reporter makes her announcement as she started wondering if Zero will show up at the Special Administrative Zone of Japan.
In the stadium, all of the bleachers and the entire football field is jam-packed with Japanese People. In front of the G-1 base, the Representatives of Britannia, including Princess Euphy and Suzaku Kururugi, make their appearance at the main stage in front of the citizens of Japan. Various Britannian Marines, Gloucesters, and Sutherlands are stationed at every corner around the field and in between the Representatives and the Japanese.
Deep within the bleachers, there is Masaru, Kakeru, and Satoru seen next to the exit with their parents sitting in front of them. When Euphy and Suzaku attended the ceremony, they had Mr. and Mrs. Shidou accompany them to the stadium, letting the couple sit at the bleachers with their sons. As they waited for their daughter to show up, Mrs. Shidou felt nervous on what kind of warrior Hikaru has become, apart from the Black Knights. About more than 200,000 Japanese citizens are sitting down, waiting for Princess Euphemia to make her speech during the ceremony.
Unfortunately, those who were able to enter the stadium and find any seatings are left waiting outside of the ceremony. Within that crowd, there was the Ryuuzaki couple and Kuu Houoji, Umi's parents and Fuu's elder sister, standing by. Ever since they saw the recent news headlines revolving around the New World, they had a big question mark on their heads on who might the strange warriors fighting against Britannia really are. Ever since they lost their Japanese Rights and their freedom, both Umi's parents and Fuu's parents were forced to give up half of their wealth to the Britannian Nobles before being brought into forced labor in exchange to have their daughters attend their private schools, just like Hikaru's parents. Ultimately, ever since Euphy is upholding the ceremony where she is going to give back the Japanese their former rights, Umi's parents and Kuu couldn't help but felt a bit relieved that they'll be free from Britannia's control for good.
In just several minutes later, General Darlton appeared on the stage behind Euphy, with Hikaru, Lafarga, Topaz, and Kirihara accompanying him. As the reporter makes her announcement live on TV, she was able to show a full glimpse on the true identity of one of the Magic Knights. Upon seeing Hikaru in public view, many of the Japanese people were surprised to she her with her Red Knightmare, who appeared on the stage behind Kirihara, along with Lafarga's and Topaz's Knightmares. As for the Shidou's, they spotted Hikaru from where they were sitting at and smiled and waved at her. When Hikaru looked up, she finally sees her parents and her brothers, feeling relieved that the Knight of Fire was able to see them again after being separated for so long.
Back in Ashford, however, the Student Council had their mouths wide open in shock after realizing that one of the students is actually one of the Eleven Knights protecting the New World from Britannia while seeing Hikaru through their laptop.
"I don't believe it!" Milly gasped. "Why would Hikaru...?"
"Oh man!" Rivalz said in disappointment. "I could've sworn that we already checked her background before she gained admission in this school!"
As for Shirley, she felt a bit nonchalant after seeing Hikaru at the broadcasting ceremony.
"Well, we might as well pray that Hikaru won't do what those JLF terrorists did during the Hotel Jacking!" Nina said, in a soft tone. "If anything happens to Euphy again because of her, however, we do need to expel her from this school along with her Eleven-Transfer friends, Umi and Fuu!"
"You mean, she might accept Princess Euphemia's equality, despite her being a knight from the other world?" Rivalz guessed.
"There's only one way to find out, guys!" Shirley told everyone as she sat next to Rivalz before watching the broadcast on their laptop.
Back at the hideout, Clef is watching the ceremony from a magic screen that he has casted inside the warehouse at a dark, secured room.
For Geo and Zazu, they ordered the crew to upload the broadcast into the main screen onboard the NSX at the command bridge.
Inside the Bravada, the twin sisters sat down as Tarta clapped her hands to bring up the screen before watching the ceremony near Mt. Fuji.
Lady Aska and Sang Yung went back onboard the Dome of Fahren and head down to the throne room before activating the spherical screen. After it screen lit up, it revealed the stadium where the Ceremony is taking place in.
As all three leaders are prepared to see what will Euphy discuss during her methods of equality, they all sat down anxiously hoping that the 3rd Princess of the Britannian Empire will grant a new era of peace to all countries from the New World and all of Area 11.
Earlier before they setup their broadcasting stations, Lady Aska ordered Giant Sang Yung to hide in the forest along with a platoon of Cephirian Knightmares armed with anti-Knightmare spears, Maser Vibration Sabers, and hand-mounted energy crossbows. Next to Aska's illusionary giant, the Djinns are standing above the trees. In front of the platoon, Ferio's, Presea's, Caldina's, and Lantis' Knightmares at hiding behind the bushes as they see the stadium from afar, hoping that nothing bad will happen to the Japanese during the ceremony that Euphy is going to uphold.
On the other side of Mt. Fuji, the Black Knights and the Four Holy Swords are stationed in another forest, making sure that, just like the forces of Cephiro's Alliance, their fellow Japanese citizens are not going to fall into any death traps during Euphy's ceremony, as well as waiting for the Empire's true intentions.
Back at the stadium, when Hikaru sat down in one of the tall orange chairs between Euphy and Darlton, she noticed that Euphy was smiling at her, telling her that everything is going to be fine here. Before Hikaru had a chance to say anything to Euphy, the crowd started exclaiming after seeing the Gawain appear from the sky above them. On top of the Gawain's shoulders, Zero makes his appearance before both Japanese and Britannians.
"Zero!" Hikaru and Suzaku exclaimed in unison upon seeing the masked figure appear before them onboard the Gawain.
"So, you've finally admit defeat, Zero?" Darlton smirked.
As for Kirihara, he figured that Zero's secret identity is at stake here. The Leader of the Kyoto Houses feared that if the people discovered the Zero is a Britannian Prince, the entire order of the Black Knights will fall apart into nothingness and their allegiance with Cephiro's Armies and the Magic Knights will shatter. The Britannian Commaders reminded all of the troops that their target will be Zero. Furthermore, if the soldiers will be ordered to kill Zero if he tries anything suspicious.
"Zero, welcome to the Special Administrative Zone of Japan!" Euphy said as she stood up from her seat and greeted the Leader of the Black Knights.
"Greetings, Euphemia Li Britannia!" Zero said as he greeting the 3rd Princess up front. "I wish to speak with you in private before we begin the ceremony!"
"Just with me?!" Euphy asked Zero.
"Yes, you alone!" Zero answered as he and the Gawain make their landing behind the stadium and near the G-1 Base.
"I'm strongly against Zero's request!" Suzaku told Euphy in a cautious tone.
"It'll be alright, Suzaku!" Hikaru told the Honorary Knight of Britannia. "There is actually something more interesting between those two, something that may help resolve our rivalry on the battlefield! You just have to trust Euphy for once."
"What do you mean by that?" Suzaku asked, sternly.
"It's not my place to say!" Hikaru replied, not wanting to let Suzaku dig too deep in her own brain. "Just pray for their peaceful diplomacy!"
After scanning Zero with a metal detector, the security guard finds no hidden weapons within Zero's cloak. Without further a due, Euphy leads Zero into the empty command bridge of the G-1 Base, leaving Suzaku and the security guards standing around.
While Clef brought in some snacks to munch on, he felt a bit of grim premonition following through his brain. As the Master Mage looked up to the sky and gasped, he started muttering in pure terror.
"What the?! No way! T-That can't be right! This is bad! I have to contact Hikaru through my magic telepathy!"
"Master Mage, are you sensing what I'm sensing?!" Lantis said as his voice filled up Clef's head.
"Yes, I am!" Clef answered. "I think Princess Euphemia is going to be in danger from herself! I have to warn Hikaru and Lafarga!"
"My thoughts exactly!" Lantis confirmed. "Something bad is going to happen between Euphy and Zero, I could feel it!"
Back at the place where Cephiro's followers are stationed at, Lantis started sweating from inside the cockpit of his Black Crusader.
"Hey Lantis, are you feeling okay in there?!" Ferio's voice spoke out from the Green Ranger.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Lantis replied in an anxious tone. "I still can't help but feel that something isn't right! I'm still worried about Hikaru attending the ceremony with Lafarga and Topaz."
"We still need to wait until Captain Lafarga can confirm Euphy's true intentions!" Presea said, trying to keep to the schedule.
As for Umi and Fuu, they both walked forward past the Cephirian Knightmares, while inside their Rune God Knightmares, and looked towards the stadium and the area surrounding Mt. Fuji.
"If only we're able to come in as Hikaru's escorts!" Umi muttered out of concern. "I hope Euphy knows what she is doing!"
"Let's not worry too much, Ms. Umi!" Fuu said with sympathy. "If Hikaru can reason with Euphy, so can we!"
"Well, let's hope nothing bad happens to our family again at the ceremony," Umi said.
While sitting down next to Kirihara, he turns towards Hikaru to go over what happened so far in the New World and in Area 11.
"So Hikaru, how's Lantis and the others doing?"
"They're doing fine, sir!" Hikaru replied anxiously.
"Are those two warriors from Cephiro too?" Kirirhara asked, referring to the escorting guards from the New World.
"Yes, this is Captain Lafarga and Commander Topaz of the Cephirian Royal Guard!" Hikaru said, as she introduced them both to Lord Kirihara.
"I see!" The Kyoto House leader acknowledged.
"It's been a please to meet you, my lord!" Lafarga said as he walked next to Kirihara. "You must be one of the leaders of the Kyoto House."
While trading conversations between the Warriors of the New World, General Darlton, and Kirihara on the stage, Zero and Euphy make their agreements inside the command bridge of the G-1 Base, shutting off the power so that no one will see them from outside. As Zero took off his mask, revealing himself as Lelouch again, he pulled out a needle gun, which cannot be detected from a metal scanner due to its ceramic and bamboo materials, he explains that in this world there can only be one Messiah. When Lelouch makes a request for Euphy to shoot him, he also asks what will happen if she does it. Euphy replies that Zero will become a martyr amongst the Japanese and rioting will break out, shattering the Princess' popularity for good. Just when Lelouch explains further about this twisted turn of events, he collapses on his knees while holding onto the eye that contained his Geass.
When Euphy tried to figure out what is happening to Lelouch, he snaps at her and threaten to stain her hands with blood, addressing the Princess with her full name, "Euphemia li Britannia."
"That isn't my name! I renounced it!" Euphy said in a stern voice, feeling taken back by Zero's anger.
Upon hearing Euphy's response, Lelouch gasped after realizing that Euphy really did want to revive his happy life with the rest of his siblings and Nunnally.
"It may be a formal announcement back at the homeland, but I have no intention of taking the Britannian Throne!"
"What?! But why?" Lelouch asked, feeling a bit shocked from where Euphy is getting at.
"If I did, Hikaru and her fellow Japanese people will never live a happy life, whether or not Britannia claimed their country as part of their jurisdiction! There's always a price to pay for making such selfish decisions as Emperor or Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire."
"I suppose you did this for me and Nunnally," Lelouch concluded.
"I'm also doing this for Lady Hikaru too," Euphy added in. "I felt bad for her too seven years ago. She may be just as strong as Suzaku, but I know that deep down in her eyes, she never seemed happy living in Area 11 during Britannia's occupation did she? And that she finally fought back after learning that Britannia attempted to conquer the New World of Cephiro, her beloved paradise! Well, I'll help Hikaru find happiness in her homeland, the way she did in the New World. In fact, when Nunnally told me that she wanted to find happiness with her own brother and nothing more than that, its just the same as when Hikaru was able to be with Lantis after they both found happiness in the New World. So, there won't be anything to worry about! I won't tell anyone about how I met you and Hikaru!"
"Euphy, you are most amazing fool I ever known." Lelouch chuckled. "Now that I finally see you more better than Cornelia or Clovis, I don't imagine you as the Sub-Viceroy or a Britannian Princess; just as plain little Euphy you once were."
"So as plain little Euphy, will you join me and Hikaru to bring peace to all of Britannia, Japan, and Cephiro?" Euphy asked as she lend out her hand towards Lelouch.
"You are the worst opponent I ever faced! Thank you!" Lelouch smiled as he shook hands with Euphy. "You win. I'll amend my plans to help out with your special zone but not as your subordinate, alright?!"
"Okay!" Euphy smiled.
After their conversation between Lafarga and Kirihara, the Leader of the Kyoto House couldn't stop laughing out of such positive outcomes that the Cephirian Guard Captain went through with the Magic Knights of Cephiro.
"I hope we can all see the world that you and Topaz came from someday!" Kirihara grinned.
"Well, it's always been my will and my honor to serve and protect my fellow Cephirians from any danger!" Lafarga smiled. "Especially when I first met Caldina during my guard duties around Cephiro."
"As a matter of fact, we went to Area 11 with the Magic Knights not because to put an end to the fighting that occurred back in our homeland, but also to learn and understand how the Magic Knights live their life as, before they came to our world and changed everything in a good way!" Topaz added in.
"I never thought you Cephirians are that curious to see outside of your homeland!" Darlton acknowledged.
"There's always the first time for everything, Darlton!" Lafarga replied. "After all, we all owe the Magic Knights this much!"
As Hikaru continue to hear Darlton and Lafarga get along, she couldn't help but smile into believing that our fight with Britannia will actually end there. However, just before she can join in the conversation, Hikaru started hearing Clef's telepathic voice inside her head.
"Hikaru! Something bad is happening to Princess Euphemia! You have to capture immediately before its too late!"
"What? What do you mean 'Capture Euphemia?' What are you talking about?" Hikaru replied from inside her head.
Before Clef could say anymore to Hikaru with his telepathy, the crowd started murmuring upon seeing the Sub-Viceroy appear before them, not noticing that she is carrying the needle gun that Zero had. As Euphy ran up to the stage, not paying attention to Hikaru or Kirihara, she makes her announcement in front of the mike.
"Hey look! It's the sub-viceroy!" One of the Elevens spoke from the bleachers.
"Sub-Viceroy, where's Zero?!" Darlton asked Euphy as he stood up, ending his conversation with Lafarga and Kirihara.
"No! It has begun!" Clef gasped in horror.
"Those of you who call yourselves Japanese, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you all die please?!"
