Code Geass: Lelouch of the Digidestined

by Demon of Zero

Digimon were created as an artificial life, their original purpose lost to humanity with the death of their creators. And so the world gave them a purpose, horrible though it may be. Those that emerged in the human world were captured and enslaved, used as soldiers and weapons. And despite these changes, still some things remain the same. Zero will rise and the world will change.

13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 and I still don't own Code Geass OR Digimon. What kind of bullshit is that? Unfair, I tell ya.

---

The ghettos that Britannia had left in disrepair after the invasion served as the final refuge for the Japanese who wanted to live their lives apart from the discrimination of those around them. No Britannian citizen made the effort to travel to the ghetto in order to get their jollies off bothering the Elevens, and why would they? There were perfectly good Honorary Britannians to harass in the settlement.

Of course, the ghetto was not a good place to live by any means. Run down buildings with hardly anywhere that had power, water and food were also difficult to come by without venturing into the settlement. Sickness was common, and many lived in ramshackle huts rather than risk the stone buildings that had once stood proud collapsing upon them in their sleep.

Awful though it may be, these living conditions were viewed by many to be better than the alternative of bowing their heads to the Britannians and becoming their slaves.

However, while the ghetto served as a refuge for the Japanese, it also held merit to other parties.

The ghettos were often where the shady underworld of Britannia resided, using the broken carcass of the nation as their own hideaway from the what few law enforcers would pursue them.

While some shady practices went on within the settlement itself, others were far too risky for such endeavors. Human trafficking was not legal; while the laws on the matter regarding Numbers was not entirely clear, the act of buying and selling human beings as property was not tolerated by the masses. The common Britannian would sooner rat out a facility of that sort than partake in it's services.

However, ironically enough, the nobility seemed to have little problem with such things. Most of the patrons of establishments like this were nobility of some sort, or otherwise wealthy enough to begin disregarding the lives of others. The kind of men and women who trampled others underfoot in their frenzied rush to the top of the pyramid, where they would then look down upon the broken bodies of those they'd crushed with glee.

Keeping this in mind, the settlement was not an ideal place for events of this sort. Such things could be leaked to the populace, and eventually reach an official who would be more than happy to snuff them out.

That was how the Golden Garden, which had previously held the place as the largest human trafficking ring in Area Eleven, was brought to the attention of one Jeremiah Gottwald.

Purist or no, he did not tolerate slavery. Jeremiah had held the unique position of being both high enough on the totem pole to act without consent and a good enough man to put a stop to it.

With his authority as the leader of the Purist Faction, Jeremiah Gottwald had brought the full force of their military might down upon the Golden Garden in a mass arrest and completely shut down the facility, the upper echelons executed on the spot.

The leaders of what had simply come to be known as the Underground were much more intelligent, as their auctions were never held in the same location twice in a row. Each specific facility prepared for the guests lie within a different ghetto, and their use rotated constantly. Without an invitation, one would never know where the Underground would make their next appearance.

Your only option if you intended to capture them would be to attempt an infiltration, or find one of the hideaways without their knowledge and wait until that one was chosen for their auction, with a force that could defeat their security.

Infiltration was difficult; potential members of this organization were scouted in depth before being presented the offer, an offer which was only presented if the higher ups were one hundred percent certain the one being offered would accept their business.

While possible, no one who actually desired to bring them down had the means to do so. And even if one managed to infiltrate this group, there was still the issue of bringing them down.

The security in question was not small by any means. On top of several Sutherland knightmare frames, the Underground also made use of regular infantry.

Their locations within the ghettos allowed such means to go mostly unnoticed.

Mostly being the key word. If one had their ears and eyes in the correct places, they could be simple to track down.

As far as infiltration went... well, it wasn't as though Lelouch was uninvited. One of the brokers he'd brought under his spell had been given an invitation of his own, one which the man had never bothered to use. While declining the offer outright was unacceptable for the Underground, as it risked their exposure, there was no way to tell for sure just who was making use of the establishment in the first place.

Much like a masquerade ball, not a single attendee showed their face. Hidden behind a variety of masks, ranging from simple to sublime, the attending buyers were entirely anonymous from one another as well as their hosts.

All the Underground leadership knew was who they had given invitations to; not who among the invited arrived. While their pool of faces to choose from was not so terribly expansive, as they picked their guests carefully, it was still large enough that they would be unable to pinpoint who was who without blatant tells coming into play.

As such, Lelouch was completely certain that he would be unhindered in his endeavors tonight, for a time at least.

"Everyone is in position, correct?" He whispered calmly into the radio, double checking his men's positions. A chorus of affirmatives brought a smile to his veiled lips. "Good. Maintain radio silence until I give the signal." Another positive response signaled the end of the conversation.

Putting away the radio, Lelouch looked himself over once more. The outfit was not so clearly linked to Zero that he would be found out, dark shades of crimson contrasting the blues of the masked vigilante's garb. The golden accenting was similar, but the pattern was less linear, more elaborate in design. Truthfully, it was different enough that no one would give a second glance. He only really noticed due to his familiarity with Zero's unique attire.

This outfit consisted of two parts; the main outfit, simply a long pair of black pants that extended into a snug fitting shirt sans sleeves, patterned in the more elaborate golden trim, and the overcoat that would likely draw the most attention with it's crimson coloring.

Black straps, accented with golden buttons, held the upper half of the coat closed. At waist level, it was left undone, the straps loosely hanging from the outfit to reveal the gold accented black beneath it.

A blonde wig sat atop his head, the hair reaching to his shoulders, disguising his natural appearance further. No one would be getting anything they could use to identify him tonight.

And finally, the mask. Rather than fully cover his face with a single mask, Lelouch had placed a dark crimson visor over the top half, while the lower half was covered by a face mask that extended from the rest of the main outfit to rest over his nose, which was uncovered by the particular design of the visor. Dark material, a gunmetal gray, circled his head in order to hold the visor firm. It's design consisted of two triangles darting down from the main body, covering the eyes and either side of the face from view. The cloth face mask simply completed the coverage, leaving no recognizable aspect of Lelouch Lamperouge visible.

The entire thing was flashy and over the top, but that was exactly what he needed for such an event.

Information was a wonderful thing, and Lelouch had it in spades due to his Geass. It was almost unfair just how easily he would be able to sweep through the underbelly of Area Eleven, and how quickly the insects dwelling in it would be crushed beneath his heel. But, then, why would such lowlifes deserve fairness in the first place? No, he would not participate in a clean fight with filth like this. That would do no more than put him at a disadvantage.

Along with the dangerous weapon of information, the masked man had another ace up his sleeve. At his back, hidden on the inside of the overcoat, was a single pocket.

Normally such a place was not the best for hiding concealed weaponry; it would take too long to actually draw your weapon for it to be useful if it was in such an awkward position.

This did not apply in the slightest when the weapon in question was actually a fully sentient creature.

Tsumemon rested silently within the wide pocket, ready to act at a moment's notice.

The plan was simple really. Perhaps that was the brilliance in it, though.

With his procured invitation, Zero would enter the Underground facility and scout the area, mingle with the parasites, and determine the best time to strike while preparing to rescue the captured Japanese who were meant to be tonight's merchandise.

Though if the hearsay was true, the Underground did not deal solely in Numbers as their wares. That was something that would likely set any Britannian on edge, but still their business remained strong. Either way it wouldn't matter, as anyone held by these people would be freed, regardless of their nationality.

After deciding to begin the strike, he would immediately merge with Keramon and move to secure the captives, which would signal the beginning of the assault.

In addition to the three digital monsters they had brought to this engagement, there were also six Sutherlands being deployed, one of which was piloted by the absolute menace known as Kallen, as well as two dozen infantry units. The infantry consisted of Yamato Izumi's best men, those who had been under him the longest.

They may as well have brought an army between the ace pilot, the five moderately experienced pilots, and the three digital monsters that would be their units for this battle. Including twenty four well armed resistance fighters, all of whom had seen live combat and lived to tell the tale, was overkill. But there was no kill quite like overkill.

Kuwagamon could easily tear down the building itself with pure, brute strength should the need arise. Black Growlmon, the newest addition to their side, would be more than capable of doing so as well.

Infermon was also capable of destroying this entire place in less than a minute if the need arose.

As such, between the three of them any KMF resistance they met would be less than useless. Infermon and Kuwagamon boasted defensive capability strong enough to mostly shrug off their typical ammunition, and Black Growlmon would be able to slice them from the air with little effort. In return, their weakest offensive ability would be more than enough to utterly demolish a Sutherland.

Whatever infantry units the Underground fielded for security would be worthless against the Black Knight's Sutherlands, allowing their own infantry to keep order with precision that KMF combat simply did not offer. Not a single one of these leeches would be leaving tonight.

The only real concern would be if the Underground possessed digimon of their own, which was a very real possibility Lelouch would admit. Digivice technology had advanced in the human world, to the point where Britannia was the leading, cutting edge on the study and capture of digital monsters for use in combat.

With that in mind, it wouldn't be hard to believe that a large underground operation like this could have gotten their hands on digivices of some sort, perhaps slightly outdated models if even that. The possibility of facing Champion level resistance was there, and it was high enough that Lelouch had the thought at the forefront of his mind as he made his way into position.

---

The location chosen for the auction on this night was an underground parking lot. From the outside, it was not clear in the slightest that this building was in use. No, truthfully, it appeared to be completely deserted, abandoned years ago by everyone.

Inside, however, was a different story.

Past a certain point, the dilapidated building came alive with color and grandeur. Bright tapestries hung upon the walls, luxurious rugs were spread about all across the floor. A grand wooden stage was sat at one end of the large room that had once been used for parking, behind which was a large curtain that would hide the merchandise from view until it was their turn to be sold.

Numerous comfortable chairs were scattered about, some surrounding tables and others left by their lonesome. Couches, as well, were placed around the large room.

One wall was dominated almost entirely by a bar counter, behind which sat a smirking man dressed as a typical bartender, the top half of his face covered by a Greek tragedy mask, cut just under the nose to reveal the lower half of his face to the patrons.

Yes, this place was most assuredly different on the inside. Rather than a desolate hole in the ground left for none but the downtrodden, this group of despicable human beings had turned it into a profitable business venue.

Had it not been for the nature of this business that would be admirable. The atmosphere was perfectly upbeat, other masked men and women going about their business, conversing with one another pleasantly. One with no knowledge of what type of merchandise was for sale would likely believe it to be a simple party. But to the informed, these masks covered the faces of monsters.

Lelouch himself was in conversation with one of the parasites in question, a smartly dressed man wearing a simple, round mask adorned with the design of an upside down face. "So, Sir Corvus, you've never come to one of these events before?" The man asked in a conversational tone, acting as one would at a party.

Replying with a fake smile, the outline of which was visible through his face mask, "Sir Corvus" seemed just as happy to be there. "Yes, I'd never attended before this evening. Schedule simply didn't allow for it, I'm afraid." He lamented.

"How unfortunate, though thankfully you were free tonight. I wouldn't miss these events for the world, myself." The man replied with a chuckle. "I've only purchased every once in a blue moon, but the atmosphere is what really draws me in." Indeed, the atmosphere was quite appealing. He would admit to that much at least. If he didn't know just what was going on tonight he could have compared it to one of Ashford's bizarre festivals.

A light shrug came from the so called Corvus, as he responded to the man once again. "Apologies, good Sir Irving, but I don't hold the event in such similar standing as yourself." He laughed briefly. "In truth, my only purpose tonight is a passing fancy; surely, the atmosphere is entrancing, but I've many other matters to attend on nights such as these." Such as putting down other criminal syndicates. The sooner this was over the sooner others would be brought to justice.

Irving, as the upside down faced man called himself, couldn't help but laugh at that. "Ah, ah, you say that now, my friend, but I can assure you Sir Corvus that tonight you will find something to your liking. The proprietor has assured quality on this night, you see." He seemed quite gleeful in this announcement, hardly able to control his giddiness. "Haaaah, I feel like a kid in a candystore on the day of a sale!" The man twirled around with a laugh, before returning to his previous stance with a sheepish chuckle.

Beneath his mask, Lelouch's eyes had narrowed. It angered him that this man could be so content with simply referring to another human being as "something", but there was nothing to do about it just yet. All of the buyers here tonight shared that view.

As such, he was also supposed to. "Really, now?" Corvus spoke, intrigued. "You've spoken with the proprietor of this fine event, then?"

"Yes, yes, the two of us are regularly in conversation; my purchases, while few, have always been quite eye catching. Man after my own heart, he is." A sigh slipped from his lips as he shrugged helplessly. "Unfortunately, the merchandise in question is quite fragile if you're careless with it. A single mistake could be enough to force a replacement... such as tonight." He chuckled impishly. "The Delver was quite sympathetic to my plight, and assured me of tonight's quality wares."

Frowning, Corvus replied. "I'm more the type to preserve my toys, Sir Irving." It took considerable will power to keep from throttling this bastard right there. Who knows how many had died in his clutches? He had no desire to learn how they passed, either. "It's something I'd taken from my childhood years, I admit. Coming from such a rowdy family did not do well to extend the life of one's playthings, but I tried my best." He ended with a good natured chuckle.

"Pfffft!" Irving held in his laughter. "Your point is good indeed Sir Corvus! I see merit in that, but I just can't help myself... the screams are absolutely delightful, you know. And the broken look in their eyes is positively sublime once you've achieved it." His head hung sadly. "Unfortunately, it is around that point that they begin to degrade."

These. People. Were. Sick.

Even if not everyone here shared such horrid views on the subject as this man, they still associated with someone who would openly admit such things with glee, considering Irving was something of a social butterfly. That was enough to tell Lelouch that there was something wrong with each and every man and woman behind these masks.

Himself included, but he liked to think it was for entirely different reasons.

Rather than allowing his thoughts to slip into speech, Corvus simply shook his head in exasperation. "Moderation, my dear Irving, is the key to these things." He spoke in an enlightening tone, playfully teasing. A finger waggled as he smiled a crooked smile. "Breaking your toys can be fun, but you can't play with broken toys anymore. There's no fun in that. So, then you go out and buy a new toy to play with... but you break that one too." He gave a knowing grin to the other man, who shied away playfully, acting like a scolded child. "Bad."

"But it's so fuuuuuuun~." Irving snickered back, raising from his scolded posture. "Ah, it's always quite amusing to speak with others about this little hobby of mine. There are many viewpoints one can run across in such a place, many connoisseurs to meet. Truly, it's one of the reasons I cannot resist this event."

Chuckling, Corvus replied. "Yes, I've had quite an interesting time speaking to you as well Sir Irving." This man was going to die. It was not a question of whether or not he would perish tonight, no, Lelouch was going to seek this one out and end his life. Just to be sure. The intent was to leave as many of these wretches trapped for the military to find as possible, with clear evidence pointing out what had occurred here today.

Not the police force, oh no. The military. The Purist Faction, to be precise. Their standing had dropped significantly due to Zero's debut, but still they had remained in active service. Such an organization would not simply fade away from a single failing.

Jeremiah Gottwald had taken an active role in the capture of criminals these days, seeking to restore his honor by bettering Britannia as a whole. If he was to come across Zero during this then all the better, but his focus was not solely on the masked man just yet.

Ironically enough, the man had chosen the perfect method for running across Zero. The two of them were both after the same groups, intending to take them down for the sake of their people. The only difference would be their methods, their effectiveness, and the people for whom the act was made.

Gottwald was not incompetent. As a matter of fact, the man was a very accomplished pilot and soldier, with a high aptitude for knightmare combat and good tactical ability. He was practically the perfect field commander, a man who had seen enough conflict and lived that he would never flinch in the face of death. A man who was smart enough to think of a plan, brave enough to go through with that plan, and good enough to survive to see the plan succeed.

Honestly, that was a man worthy of respect. Gottwald was the kind of man any leader would love to have under their command.

Unlike the insect standing before him right now. This man would be found dead among the other casualties tonight would doubtlessly bring.

"Sir" Irving was not worthy of the life he had been given. And so, Lelouch would take it from him.

But again, rather than announcing these thoughts, Lelouch simply allowed the man to waltz off elsewhere, mingling with the other attendees.

"Disgusting..." A voice mirrored his thoughts, causing the so called Corvus to turn his gaze upon the newcomer. An older man, it appeared, but clearly healthy if his stride was any indication.

Behind a full facial mask lie two grey eyes, revealing a wealth of knowledge and experience to any that gazed into them. At a single glance, one could tell that this man had experienced many, many things that had turned his views on the world more than once. This man was grizzled, an intimidating sight in a sea of aristocrats in disguise.

The mask itself was surprising in that it was clearly Japanese in origin, contrasting the clearly Britannian business suit he wore. A tengu mask wasn't the first thing one would expect to see in a gathering such as this, but it was certainly original compared to the numerous blank faces, Greek, Roman, traditional masquerade, or any other theme he'd caught sight of thus far.

Though the man in the clown mask with the rainbow wig and squeaking nose was a close second, Japan was something of a taboo in Area Eleven. So one wearing such a mask at this event was basically telling everyone else to shove off because they enjoyed their privacy and quiet, because absolutely no one was going to associate with someone wearing such a thing here of all places.

Red in coloration, the exaggerated eyebrows and beard of the mask were in the same white as the man's hair, the only other deviation being the golden eyes in which the eyeholes were located.

"I find myself in wholehearted agreement with you." Corvus replied simply.

Eyes twinkling behind the mask, the fairly large man replied. "Oho? And just what are we agreeing on?"

A nonchalant shrug replied to his query. "Sir Irving's treatment of his purchases, I would assume. Or would I be incorrect?" He was intentionally vague with his response. "I, myself, don't share quite the same view on such things as he."

Grunting gruffly, the man replied. "Close enough." He responded, looking the red-clad man up and down. "Interesting costume you've pulled together."

"Ah, this gaudy thing?" Corvus chuckled sheepishly, grabbing the end of his overcoat. "In truth, I feel rather silly. Had this specially tailored for this event, just to be certain no one could identify me... I've never attended before, you see, and so at the beginning I was quite paranoid. Though, your own attire for the evening is quite interesting itself."

An amused snort came in reply to his admission. "I used to live here before the invasion. Got interested in the culture... before too much could be removed, I took some knick-knacks for myself. Spent a couple years back home before coming back."

Nodding in interest, the visor wearing man turned his gaze to the far walls, where twelve custom painted Sutherlands adorned with ornate horns looked over the crowd. "A good thing, I suppose. Conquering is all well and good, but what history is there for one to glean from a burning pile of ash?"

"Heh." The old man chuckled. "You're alright, kid. Said this was your first rodeo, then?"

"Yes, indeed. I've never had the time to attend, but this night was free and so I took the opportunity to see what this was all about." Corvus said with a casual shrug. "Never expected to get the chance, decided I may as well take it tonight. Not entirely certain it's my taste, though." He admitted further.

"Not feeling it, huh?" The tengu-man laughed good naturedly. "I can see why, it isn't for everyone."

Sheepishly, Corvus rubbed the back of his head. "Thus far all of my... partners, if you will, have been willing. And in this day and age I suspect most buyers intend to utilize their purchases for the purpose of warming their bed, or sating their other desires..."

"And what were you planning to do with any of your own purchases tonight?" His conversation partner asked curiously.

The question gave Corvus pause as he honestly considered it. What would the character he had made for tonight do?

"I believe I would make use of them, and then allow them to leave my care." He replied at last with a nod, having taken a good thirty seconds to think on it. "For such a price as I'm certain this will be, I would like to get something out of the purchase. However, keeping them around would be more effort than it was worth for me. Reselling is an option, of course, but the time that could take is unattractive as well..." He rambled for a moment, before shaking his head. "At any rate, I've no intention of keeping any purchase I may have made tonight for longer than a week, if even that." A shrug punctuated this statement, before he added a final thought. "I certainly wouldn't break them, though. There would be nothing to gain at all from doing so, nor would I take satisfaction in the act. As I see it, doing so is pointless."

"Hm..." The tengu masked man replied with a thoughtful hum, before nodding and leaning forward to lower the chance of being overheard. "My advice to you, then, is to leave this place and never come back. Tonight is special, like that fool Irving said."

Questioningly, Corvus tilted his head. "Seems like you know more than I do. Care to share this wisdom with me?"

"Ever heard the name Chiba, boy?"

Beneath his mask, Lelouch's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Could that be who he thought it was? Intending to confirm, he put on a thoughtful look before finally replying. "Huh... it sounds vaguely familiar... a notable resistance member, perhaps?"

"Yes, that's right." The old man replied grimly. "Once I caught wind of that, I'd decided to make tracks myself... but your outfit caught my eye, and I caught the tail end of your discussion with Irving. Figured I'd have a short chat before I headed off myself. Don't wanna be around if someone that high profile got drug into this."

That changed nothing, really. It just meant that this was going to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions between the Purists, JLF, Black Knights, and the Underground.

The Black Knights were there to stamp out this criminal syndicate, and leave them for capture.

The Japan Liberation front, on the other hand, would be arriving to save one of their elites who had been captured. Whether or not they intended to deal with the root issue was up in the air.

The Purists would arrive to the party last, an anonymous tip was set to be sent out to them approximately fifteen minutes after the operation's start.

With so many variables in this entire ordeal, it would be a confusing mess of a battle.

But, at the very least, there was one thing he could do.

Throughout the exchange, Lelouch had become skeptical of the man before him. Just as he realized the man in question had not approached him simply because of his outfit.

Suspicions were being held by both of them towards the other's identity, vague though they may be. "I see... then thank you for that warning. I intend to stick around, though. With such security here," he nodded towards the Gargoyles, the custom Sutherland squad painted gunmetal grey with ornamental horns, before continuing his sentence, "I'm fairly certain the odds of a successful rescue are zero, if they even know where this auction is being held at all."

A twinkle came to the man's eyes again as he replied. "I'd call it a one in four chance, myself. If Tohdoh gets involved who knows what could happen?"

Smirking beneath his facemask, Corvus nodded. "It's been a pleasure speaking with you, sir."

"Same to you, kid." He replied, before walking off.

---

The auction was about to begin. It had become clear to Lelouch that the captives were all in one location, behind that curtain. None had been held in other areas, which was perfect for him.

Infermon would be able to barrel through whatever minor security they had back there, the act of doing so would be the signal for the Black Knights to mobilize. He simply needed to protect the targets long enough for the main force to arrive, at which point this entire battle would be over.

The dozen Sutherlands, the "Gargoyles" as they were referred to, the enemy possessed would be no threat. Kallen could probably tear apart five of them on her own, and the other two digimon coming to this party would doubtlessly destroy a few more of them immediately.

It all came to to the question; did the enemy have digimon? If the answer was no, this would be over in seconds. If yes, things could get difficult. Really, Lelouch just wasn't certain. There had been no sign of any digimon thus far, but that likely meant that they would be behind the curtain with the captives if there were any at all.

Depending on what digimon they ran across, if any, this could either be a simple matter or a complicated night. It would probably be the latter, knowing his typical luck on such matters.

Lelouch grinned as the auctioneer for the night walked out from behind the curtain, a jovial smile on the visible lower half of his face. Unlike the bartender, who bore the visage of tragedy, this man was hidden behind comedy.

He was willing to be the man wouldn't find much funny by the time he was done here tonight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to see your faces again!" He paused. "Or not. Masks and all that." The man shrugged helplessly. "Anyhow, we've got us one hell of a sale tonight. Lemme tell you, those girls back there are fiiiiiiiiine... and the guys too, I guess. I'm not an expert on that." He continued with laugh.

Snickers erupted from the crowd. Lelouch discretely palmed his digivice.

"Riiiiiiiiight..." The auctioneer drawled, drawing an extending cane from his sleeve and giving it an expert twirl. "Allow me to introduce you fine folks to our first piece of merchandise, a lovely young thing that couldn't be a day over sixteen." A malicious smile made it's way to his lips. "Untouched, I'd wager... we certainly didn't break any seals on these wares."

The attention this drew from the crowd made Lelouch's teeth grind as he heard it. The drug dealers would have been better than these people. Yes, they were awful people and deserved long stays in prison. Yes, they intentionally pushed harmful substance onto an already suffering people. And yes, they did exploit the Japanese for their own profit.

But the main difference was that the victims of Refrain, the primary addictive substance floating around Area Eleven at the time, made the choice themselves to give in. They were still victims in his eyes only for the fact that this drug had been pushed on them at their weakest moment, when anyone could have found themselves lacking in will and confidence enough to simply refuse the comfort of reliving their happiest memories as though they were reality. No matter how fleeting such a thing was, when one was so low already what did it matter if they sunk further into the depths?

Slave trade like this was completely and utterly wrong. Human beings, the same as any other man or woman, were being captured and sold against their will as mere property, toys meant to be used and thrown away once their use had run out.

It was one of the most awful things Lelouch could imagine anyone doing to another person, robbing them of any freedom they once had.

For that crime, these people would pay. Just as the curtain parted to allow the girl in question to be shoved onto the stage, he made his move.

The attention was all on the stage, hardly anyone noticed the shifting of the crimson coat. Those that did were unable to comment before a brilliant flash of light blinded them, the sudden flash blinding those who had noticed the newcomer's outfit begin to spasm.

Such a light show drew the attention of the Gargoyles, the pilots each recognizing a threat the moment the flash went off. Their weapons aimed at the target almost instantly, showing quick reaction time and level heads. This was not the first time these people had seen conflict.

"Hell's Grenade." A single strike destroyed one of the Gargoyles, the explosion creating another distraction. Using the moment this had bought him, Infermon fired another shot into the ceiling, easily bursting through and sending a blast of energy into the sky, where it detonated harmlessly.

Falling rubble crushed a few of the nearby masked buyers, but that was a price that he was more than willing to pay to let the Black Knights know that the battle had begun.

Immediately after the signal shot, Infermon rushed onto the stage. By that point, the Gargoyles had regrouped sans one and were now taking aim at the threat to their business.

Their bullets were practically worthless, striking Infermon's shell and bouncing off, leaving scratches at the absolute best. Ignoring the petty distractions the glorified security guards were firing at him, the digimon leaned down to the young girl and spoke. "Get back behind the curtains. It'll be safer there." He tried to keep his voice soothing, fully aware that a giant metal spider was not the most endearing creature and taking care not to scare her.

The girl, a brunette with terrified black eyes and dressed in little more than rags, shook her head frantically. "N-no, it's back there..." She whimpered.

It? That did not sound promising at all, Infermon noted as more bullets ricocheted off of him. "What is it?" He asked gently, his form covering the back area behind the curtains from the gunfire.

"Blue ogre..." She mumbled in terror, eyes widening as a hysterical laughter rang out. "I-it's coming out! Nooo!" Tears sprang to her eyes as she curled up into a fetal position, as though she could simply disappear if she curled tightly enough.

From the back, a creature jumped out with a mixture between a snarl and a laugh. The creature in question was quite similar to an Ogremon, but with a few major differences.

Unlike Ogremon, this creature had light blue skin. A leather loincloth served as it's only coverage, leaving it's muscular frame bare to the world. A pair of icy spikes jutted out from it's shoulders, and a cold aura practically radiated off of the creature.

As opposed to the club Ogremon carried, the blue skinned digimon had a shiv formed of ice. That was fairly dangerous in and of itself simply because it was an edged weapon, as opposed to the blunt force Ogremon had.

Infermon had a few notable weak points on his body; most notably where his head extended, exposing just a bit of the comparably soft mass of cables residing within, as well as the openings for his limbs to extend. If something sharp was thrust in with enough force, it could cause serious injury.

"Throwing Ice!" The creature, a Hyogamon as Keramon's memories explained, lobbed it's frozen weapon directly at Infermon.

Rather than destroy it and potentially harm the young girl cowering beneath him with the shrapnel, Infermon moved to take the hit on his body to protect her. This opened her up to the danger of the firing squad at the other end of the room for the briefest of moments, before that ceased to be an issue.

The ice shattered upon contact with Infermon, leaving not a scratch on his armored body. At that very moment, another Gargoyle was destroyed.

"Exhaust Flame!" A horrible stream of flame annihilated one of the eleven remaining knightmares, melting it down to scrap and roasting the pilot alive.

Panic began to set in as Black Growlmon arrived with all the fury one would expect of a dragon, crushing his way through the walls of the rundown establishment. Attention turned to him as all the remaining Gargoyles realized that they couldn't simply leave a threat like that alone in their midst.

With that in mind, they began to open fire on the dark dragon digimon as he activated his Plasma Blade attack to deflect their bullets.

Infermon had not simply sat by and watched the events pass on. Immediately after the shattering of the icy weapon upon his hide, he had shifted onto the offensive.

His opponent had not sacrificed his only weapon; Hyogamon simply generated another of the icy shivs in his hand, brandishing it threateningly as Infermon rushed him.

The battle would have to be fought on his terms, Infermon realized. The sooner this digimon was dealt with the sooner the captives could be freed, their jailers having run off at the first sign of a digimon other than their own pet. Cowards, but they weren't foolish enough to be caught up in this battle.

As such, he rushed in and quickly began to weave his Hell's Grenade attack with vicious melee strikes from his center legs, the golden claws flashing through the air quickly as he struck time and time again, attempting to force his foe further from the imprisoned Japanese.

The masked attendees had taken some casualties during this assault. Many lie dead in pools of their own blood due to the collapsing ceiling, or the ricochet from the firing squad's bullets.

Others were attempting to escape, only to find the exits blocked by black clad soldiers and Sutherlands painted in black and silver.

A single glance at the foot soldiers told the crowd all they needed to know. "The Black Knights!?" Someone shouted, terrified as they just put two and two together. "What are they doing here?"

Rather than an answer to his question, the man received a threat to his life. "You're all going to stay put and wait for the authorities. Either they deal with you, or we deal with you." This threat came from none other than Ohgi Kaname, second in command of the Black Knights and former leader of the Kouzuki cell. Hidden behind the metal monster known as a Sutherland and toting a rifle capable of putting holes in a machine of that same calibur, his confidence was at an all time high.

Three of the six knightmares moved to engage the enemy frames, while the remaining three stood watch over the terrified crowd of criminals.

Among those three moving out to attack was Kallen, who's control over her own frame was on a level that the others simply couldn't compare to. This battle was as good as over.

Hyogamon took another swing at Infermon, which was dodged easily. The blue skinned humanoid was fairly quick, but not so much so that Infermon had trouble avoiding these strikes. Unlike Sealsdramon who could practically vanish from view with nothing but his speed, Hyogamon relied more on being just fast enough to hit things and more than strong enough to break them.

But he had to hit them first. That was his main problem tonight.

Another strike with the shiv, another miss. Infermon jumped backwards, landing several feet away and inspecting the climate of the battle once more.

The Gargoyles were pretty much taken care of. Only four of the original dozen modified Sutherlands remained, the rest having been scrapped in some fashion or another. The enemy infantry had also been cut through like a hot knife through butter, having been mowed down or set aflame.

On top of that, the footsoldiers he had brought to this battle were doing their job adamantly, keeping the filth from escaping. A few who had disregarded their threats and attempted to rush past them had learned the hard way that they did not have the speed to outrun bullets.

Perhaps it was cruel of him to take such satisfaction in that, Infermon pondered as he faced off with Hyogamon once more.

Snarling viciously, the digimon in question used his abilities to generate another of the shivs, wielding one in either hand now. Lunging forward, Hyogamon began a more frenzied assault, strikes coming one after another.

Infermon continued to dodge, taking greater care now than he had earlier but still having a fairly easy time of it. They had moved away from the captives, and the two Black Knight Sutherlands that had originally helped guard the exits were now moving to the stage in order to keep the prisoners safe from harm. It was no longer a game to see how far away he could push Hyogamon.

The center legs raised again, lashing out like a pair of whips. Each of the claws had been pressed together, rather than spread apart, to maximize the force they would strike with.

Hyogamon blocked the strike with his shivs, but was forced to back off from his assault lest he be injured by the flailing appendages. As he retreated, Infermon fired a Hell's Grenade directly at him.

Dodging, the blue skinned ogre found himself being rushed once more, a frenzy to match his own earlier attempt. Flashing claws swept past, searching for any opening as blasts of energy kept him moving at all times.

Leaping into the air above Infermon, Hyogamon made another attempt at his first attack. "Throwing Ice!" Crossing his arms, Hyogamon then uncrossed them quickly and sent the two ice shivs hurtling down at Infermon at high speeds.

The center legs quickly destroyed the shivs as they got in range, spearing through them due to the concentrated force of the strikes.

Hyogamon had attempted to take advantage of the temporary distraction by diving down at Infermon with two newly generated weapons, using his own strength and the force of gravity to strike a heavy blow.

It didn't work.

Pulling a trick he had used against Sealsdramon back in Saitama, the golden spikes on his back were launched upwards forcefully, attached to similar cables to his other limbs.

Having no time to dodge, Hyogamon attempted to block the attacks, only succeeding in lessening the damage. Two of the spikes had been blocked, but the third had slipped through and lodged itself in the creature's stomach, sending him flying back up towards the ceiling with the force of the strike.

Taking the opportunity presented by his opponents flight, Infermon fired a Hell's Grenade at Hyogamon.

Another attempt at blocking only lessened the damage Hyogamon took, but he'd gained some semblance of control now that he'd hit the ceiling itself. Launching off of the solid surface, he managed to make his way back to the ground with new information.

It was clear that Hyogamon would not be attempting another aerial attack.

Infermon once again fired a Hell's Grenade at Hyogamon, who began dodging once again. After the quantity of the attacks became greater, Hyogamon pulled another if his tricks out.

"Snow Barrier!" A wall of ice, at least six feet thick, spawned between the ogre and the mechanical insect. As the Hell's Grenade attacks struck it, the wall rumbled but did not shatter.

For the moment, Hyogamon had it's shelter.

In the lull of the battle, Infermon had to wonder just where Nina was. Kuwagamon could fly, so reasonably speaking they should have been the first ones to arrive out of the Black Knight's group.

Just what was keeping her?

---

"Power Guillotine!" A strong voice called out, a disturbing warble to it as though two people were speaking at once. Four giant arms struck out, sharp claws seeking purchase on soft flesh.

"Wind Wall!" Powerful winds kicked up, buying just enough time for the cause of the winds to avoid the powerful strike of the insect digimon before him.

Immediately following this disengagement, a figure much like the windmaker lashed out at the giant red insect with a solid white club made of bone.

"Another one of these things?" Kuwagamon growled, easily swatting the Ogremon away with a swing of it's hand. The green skinned digimon was about to fall into the rubble of a nearby building that had been destroyed earlier in the conflict, littered with shrapnel from the steel and concrete that had once been the building's frame.

He was saved by a cushion of wind, bouncing the Ogremon back to his feet.

Kuwagamon was not amused. "A green one and a red one. Tonight is just my night." And the JLF members she'd saved had yet to make a use for themselves beyond occupying the red one, who continuously protected himself with a barrier of wind whenever their focus was on him. The Ogremon was entirely unconcerned with the bullets, though, it's durability being much higher than that of any other fleshy digimon that Kuwagamon had run into.

GeoGreymon was less solidly built than this thing, which was positively ridiculous. The beetle digimon was just having such a hard time believing that this thing was an Ogremon like the one it had solidly smashed back during the Mass Breach.

The Ogremon rushed in headlong once more, ignoring the bullets rained upon it's form by the JLF knightmares. Burais, they were called. Modified Glasgows that performed marginally better than their predecessors.

Against other knightmare frames, they were a threat. Sutherlands, the primary unit of the Britannian KMF forces as of now, were not too terribly advanced when compared to a Burai. The gap was being closed by the resistance members in Japan, slowly though it may be.

Of course they were impossibly ineffective against this Ogremon, who was hardly even bruising from the assault. It was absurd, this wall of green skinned muscle was just absorbing fire from the Burais without a care in the world. They were wasting ammunition more than anything, and hadn't even succeeded in damaging it.

Defeating this Ogremon could take some time. Kuwagamon would need to get a perfect strike off to delete him in a single go. As such, it appeared this would be a battle of attrition until one of them made a mistake in battle.

Fugamon was handling the attention drawn to him the same way he had previously; walls of wind were being generated constantly, blocking bullets with the sheer force they possessed. It was a good thing that kind of force didn't seem to be harnessed in the red skinned ogre's attacking power, or the Burais would have been wiped out already.

There were about ten of them left as of now. Fifteen had been around when Nina and Dokunemon had first arrived. About ten more, it seemed, were alive before their arrival. Kuwagamon wasn't certain on how many had been able to eject.

Twenty five knightmares, and fifteen had been decimated without any damage to their enemy. There was no way the two of them were just going to leave the JLF to such horrifying odds.

Moreso, these were likely the digital monsters the Underground were rumored to control. Goburimon were a frequent Bio-Emerger, and so it wasn't too surprising that a few had made their way into the hands of shady people like them. The bigger surprise would be that they had both reached Champion level, which was actually somewhat unusual.

Rookie level digimon were actually fairly common as security of sorts for various smaller groups throughout the world. Digimon unable to reach Champion often found themselves useless in the Britannian military, and as such were left alone if they had no potential to digivolve. Exceptions did exist in certain cases, such as trained squads of Rookie level digimon being specialized in certain roles, but for the most part Rookie level digimon found themselves as bodyguards for those who could afford to get their hands on them.

With that in mind, seeing the two Champion level ogres smashing their way through a struggling group of JLF members, Kuwagamon had broken off from it's original goal and moved to aid them.

Which led to now, where the giant red beetle was locked in a stalemate with the unusually buff Ogremon, who was actually capable of pushing back against the force that Kuwagamon could generate with four arms pushing against his two.

Rather than continue that futile course of action, Kuwagamon decided upon a different tactic. The two of them were locked in a grappling match of sorts at the moment... but what happened when Ogremon's feet weren't on the ground? There was no force for him to generate that way.

Kuwagamon's wings began beating, a loud buzzing ringing out as they did so, before leaping from the ground with Ogremon in tow.

Locked as they were, with Ogremon's club wielding arm as well as his free limb occupied by Kuwagamon's own arms, there was no way for him to fight back in the air. So Kuwagamon flew higher and higher, ignoring the futile struggles of the captured digimon in it's grip.

Flying directly upward, the crimson beetle made a sudden movement, sending them spinning in the air and generating some extra force as it performed a few flips. As one final flip finished, Kuwagamon released the Ogremon from it's grip, sending the green digimon down to the ground below at high velocity.

It wasn't over yet, though. Just to be certain, Kuwagamon took off towards the ground as well.

A fall from that height would seriously damage the green skinned bruiser... but it might not end the battle altogether. So Kuwagamon was going to follow up immediately on this attack.

As Ogremon landed, forming a large crater from the impact and practically halting the ongoing battle between the Burais and the Fugamon, Kuwagamon also fell down upon it's prone form with the wrath of a whole swarm of angry wasps.

The crater deepened, and a burst of data signified the end of the battle.

Standing from it's previously prone position, Kuwagamon looked towards the suddenly nervous Fugamon. "You'll be a much easier battle..."

In his terror, the Fugamon didn't realize that there was an attack being launched at it. It wasn't until a moment later that realization hit, bringing with it a lot of pain.

One of the knightmares had taken the risk of moving into a closer range, which was dangerous considering Fugamon was a Champion level digimon who would be able to shatter the armor of a Burai with ease.

However, it paid off as the champion was ripped to shreds by a storm of hot led from directly behind him. That close up, without any wall of wind to protect him, Fugamon was no match.

That Ogremon had been an exception, not the rule. Kuwagamon still questioned just how such a thing was possible, for a digimon to seemingly mutate from it's previous state into something totally different... without digivolving, of course. That was clearly an Ogremon, but it must have been a variant species or something. What, then, had caused that species to crop up?

Was it something natural, or were those studying digital monsters suddenly making breakthroughs?

Either way, it didn't matter right now. Kuwagamon had halted the two Champions that the Underground was fielding, additionally aiding the JLF who had previously been getting demolished by a pair of ogres.

"I don't know who you are, but you have my thanks." A voice rang out from one of the Burais, the one that had struck the final blow against Fugamon. "Our plan was derailed tonight before it could even be put into action. The only reason we hadn't retreated yet was because those things could chase us down."

Yes, Ogremon and Fugamon were more than quick enough to keep up with a group of Burais, as well as cruel enough to continue the hunt long after the battle was one. If they had retreated they would still have been killed.

Kuwagamon nodded. "My own plans were diverted once I saw your battle."

Seeing no need for further formalities, the lead Burai turned to the remaining forces. "We've lost a lot of good men tonight. Let's make sure we get back the one we came here for in the first place!" With that shout, the frame turned and quickly began making it's way towards the location of the Underground's auction.

Startled by the sudden fervor of the JLF members, Kuwagamon could only watch bemusedly as they all began charging the area. "... that's not good." It seemed they had lost someone to the slavers. That was going to be fun to deal with, considering the notification of the Purist Faction was going to occur in about seven or eight minutes.

Releasing a tired sigh, Kuwagamon absorbed the lingering data of the deleted champions before it lifted off the ground once more and made it's way over to the building as well.

At least this was almost over.

---

Infermon had not simply continued firing useless projectiles at the wall Hyogamon had generated. No, instead he'd simply gone around... which had prompted the digimon to create another wall. And another. And another.

So now Hyogamon had boxed himself in with four solid walls of ice. Infermon was not sure what to think at this point. "... he neutralized himself?" If any of those walls dropped, that ogre was going to be set upon by something capable of damaging it.

The Gargoyles had been finished off; there were now five Sutherlands surrounding the barrier that Hyogamon had set up, while Ohgi's own frame remained to keep order among the assembled crowd of buyers. On top of that, Black Growlmon was nearby, currently snickering into his claw at the sight.

Hyogamon was not durable enough to survive the hail of bullets from a single Sutherland. It was only through sheer brute strength and moderate speed that a creature of simple flesh could defeat a knightmare frame. Bullets tended to hurt.

"... y'think he realizes what he's done to himself?" The dragon mumbled to Infermon.

Giving his best impression of a shrug, seeing as how Infermon lacked shoulders, he replied. "More likely than not his intended escape is through the roof. But since we can hear perfectly fine..." The sound of stone breaking punctuated this statement quite nicely. "We're not going to be unprepared."

Not for that possibility, at least. They were unprepared for the sudden arrival of a force consisting of ten Burais, JLF standard. Most of them, at least. Infermon had sort of expected it.

But only ten? That was surprising... he spotted some battle damage on a few of the frames. They fought before arriving? Then the enemy must have had more resources than he'd expected. But if the JLF were in battle beforehand, that did give a reasonable explanation as to where Nina and Dokunemon were.

It also hinted at the idea that there had been a few more JLF units earlier that night.

Either way it didn't matter, but his curiosity was peaked now. He would just have to ask Nina.

... Or Kuwagamon, who had just crashed through the ceiling and shattered the icy barriers in the process, angrily swinging the disoriented and thoroughly disabled Hyogamon around like a ragdoll as it ranted. "Yet ANOTHER of these things running around!? I've dealt with three of them tonight!" With that, Kuwagamon promptly slammed the Champion on the ground like a ragdoll, causing it to disperse in a blast of particles that were quickly absorbed by the beetle.

Yes. He could ask Kuwagamon. "Three..?" Good lord, the Underground were fielding three Champion level digimon? That was absurd. Had they honestly accumulated that much revenue from this or was there some benefactor for them in the military?

That second possibility actually somewhat unnerved him. If this group was being supported by the military, it stood to reason that the others may be as well. Meaning they may also have Digimon.

"Yes. Three. A red one, a green one, and now this one. I've had enough of these ugly creatures to last me a lifetime." The red beetle grit out in annoyance.

After nearly dying to one Ogremon, seeing three creatures with the same general build did not amuse the Nina part of Kuwagamon one bit.

The JLF had entered the building after the party was already over, arriving just in time to see the final champion of the night destroyed by their previous savior. Once again, the Burai that likely belonged to the leader of the group out there tonight moved forward to speak.

Infermon also stepped forth, gesturing for the remaining members of his group to hold back. "Well, well, this is a surprise. I suppose that little conversation earlier wasn't just unfounded suspicion."

A grunt of acknowledgement came from the speaker of the Burai. "Yes, Senba informed me of that little chat. Zero's Black Knights had a stake in this as well?" Stoic and serious, calm and collected. These were all words that could be used to describe the man speaking.

The Lelouch part of Infermon recognized that voice immediately. "The Black Knights announced our intent to aid all those who were suffering from the machinations of the strong." He replied, his civil tone almost ruined by the intimidating warble of two voices speaking at once. Such a quality was useful at times, but there were moments like this where it was simply a bother. "That is the only stake we had here tonight, Miracle Maker."

Snorting at the nickname he'd been given, Kyoshiro Tohdoh gave his own response. "Very well, then. While I have you here, I'll take this opportunity to apologize for Kusakabe's actions that night. He was acting on his own, against the will of the rest of us." Tohdoh did not need the approval or forgiveness of Zero and his men, but apology was necessary. These were the people who cleaned up the mess that idiot had made.

"Zero expected as much." Infermon chuckled. "He was quite certain that a man like you wouldn't have advised the events that took place that night, and further that your influence alone would have been enough to sway anyone who had agreed with his plan."

"Hmph. I don't know if I should be proud or worried that someone like Zero holds me in such high regard." Tohdoh replied with a chuckle, before becoming deadly serious. "Regardless, we came with a purpose tonight. One of my best was captured in a fluke of an ambush, and we're here to retrieve her. Will that be a problem?"

Infermon shook his head. "No, we have no reason to stop you from retrieving one of your soldiers... however, there is one thing I would like to ask of you."

If Tohdoh was intimidated by the strange creature, he didn't show it. Nor did he show any confusion as to why the digimon was acting as the speaker for the Black Knights. "And what would that be?" His response was firm and collected.

"Along with Nagisa Chiba, I would like you to guarantee the safe escape of the other captives tonight." Continuing before Tohdoh could voice his questions on that, Infermon explained. "Our original plan was to leave these wretches..." His head gestured sharply at the mask wearing crowd. "For the Purist Faction to locate and take in, as the police force was unreliable. With all of the deviations from that plan, they will be arriving any moment now... and we will be forced to hold them off, before making good on our escape. Simply destroying them would defeat the purpose of their inclusion in the first place, you see."

Tohdoh did see. That plan wasn't half bad, all things considered. Zero had three digimon under his command, which meant that they had very few competitors from a power standpoint. They would, however, be unable to efficiently capture the criminals who's party they had crashed. That was where the Purist Faction came in.

While the ideals of that group were unquestionably grating to him, he would willingly admit that Jeremiah Gottwald was a dangerous man with morals strong enough that he would descend upon the assembled criminals without mercy. He'd done it once before, after all.

With the military force of the Purists as well as the supervision of a man like Gottwald, the criminals assembled here today would be facing serious consequences. His position was not what it used to be, but his name still carried weight. With such serious accusations, from a man who had once been the acting consul, no one would be coming from this event unscathed.

Had it been the police force, a sufficient amount of money could have made these charges disappear. Such things would only anger a man as prideful as Gottwald.

And with the Black Knights leaving them for the proper authorities, the public would begin to see them as more than just rebels. That was something that no other group could currently claim.

To the masses, the JLF were not men and women fighting to take their country back from tyrants. They were terrorists, plain and simple. Any thought to the contrary was removed by the actions of Kusakabe the night he made his final mistake.

The Black Knights had used that very same event to mold themselves into something different, and Zero was smart enough to preserve that image.

"You want us to take the others with us, then?" Tohdoh confirmed.

A nod came from the digimon. "Indeed. Be aware, however, that this is not meant to be in exchange for Nagisa Chiba's freedom. We will allow you to take her even if you do not accept this request."

Tohdoh smirked, unseen by anyone, as he replied to the digimon. "Hah... your leader is quite the interesting man. Very well, my men and I will be taking care of all of the captives tonight. You just do your part and keep the Purists occupied." They needed the Purists to stumble upon this place, just not before the civilians were evacuated.

"Good. If my guess is correct, they should be arriving in approximately five minutes. Please be quick in your evacuation." And with that, the creature leaped into the air before flipping upside down and latching onto the ceiling, giving the JLF soldiers a start. "I will keep an eye out for the remaining guests this evening..." And then the digimon was gone, having slipped through one of the holes in the ceiling.

Once he was certain the speakers were off, Kyoshiro Tohdoh allowed himself a hearty laugh from the inside of his Burai. "Things have become far more interesting these days."

A private line opened, and he heard Senba's voice. "So, then, what do you think of these Black Knights colonel?"

Pondering the question for a moment, Tohdoh replied truthfully. "I want to meet this Zero in person now."

"I believe I already have... man has a penchant for those flashy outfits, I swear." Senba chuckled. "Looks like I wasn't the only one able to get their hands on an invitation to this little event." The JLF forces had begun the process of securing the prisoners. This was not a job for a KMF, and so the soldiers had departed from their frames, all but Tohdoh and his elites. They were within their machines just in case something went wrong.

Tohdoh replied curiously. "Oh? So that Corvus you mentioned, you suspect that he was Zero rather than a specialist?" It made sense, after all. A single man infiltrating an event of this sort in disguise was very little threat, but a man who had a Champion level digimon at his beck and call was incredibly dangerous.

Assuming the digimon in question would only follow the commands of their partner, there were very few other choices for such an infiltration. So if that were the case, the red and white digimon had likely hidden on his person during the event tonight.

Though the plan did have it's risks, the most obvious of which was simply being found out, it was still solid. In truth, it seemed very much like something Zero would do.

Senba snorted wryly. "Aye. More likely than not, Corvus was merely Zero's disguise for the night. Much as he tried to blend in, something about him stuck out to me." It wasn't anything that people could really pick up on, honestly. More of a gut feeling. Upon seeing the red coated man, he'd simply felt something in his mind telling him that he did not belong among the filth gathered in that building.

And so he'd gone over to speak with him, just to see if there was anything he could glean from it. While no real information had been exchanged, Senba had two key things of note as far as information regarding Zero went. "I doubt there would be anyone else brazen enough to waltz into something like this with such confidence, colonel." Senba allowed another chuckle. "From what I could guess of him, Zero has had some sort of combat training. I couldn't tell you how much, or even guess at what kind of training it was, but he has something." His stance was sure, and though he hid it well Senba could tell that "Corvus" was fully prepared to strike in some fashion up until a certain point in their conversation, when he had almost imperceptibly dropped out of that ready stance. "Actually, perhaps I do have one guess. His motions were incredibly subtle, and he really did blend well with the crowd... it's a bit of a stretch, but there may still be a Shinozaki roaming about."

That was an interesting possibility, Tohdoh would admit. While Britannia had hunted down the Shinozaki specifically due to their passing down the unique skill set they had been mastering for decades, it was that very same skill set that made their continued existence a distinct possibility.

After all, it wasn't difficult for a ninja to disappear.

If Zero had any training from a Shinozaki, he was even more dangerous than originally anticipated. "How certain are you on that, Senba?" Tohdoh had to ask.

Chuckling to himself, Senba replied. "Not very at all, which in and of itself makes him more suspicious." He wasn't trying to speak in riddles. The man he'd spoken to had held himself with the stance of one who belonged there. And yet, at the same time he didn't seem to fit in at all. Perhaps it was simply his imagination, or perhaps it was his gut telling him something was off.

Honestly, it really could go either way. Zero could just have some combat experience and be a skilled actor, but the possibility of him being affiliated with one of the most dangerous names in Japanese history was also there. And if that possibility existed, it was worth keeping in mind. After all, being such an open ended mystery was exactly how that group operated.

Shinozaki was a name that had cropped up time and time again in the midst of nearly any conflict fought on Japanese soil. Mysterious disappearances, intelligence leaks that had led to the defeat of entire armies, and outright assassination in broad daylight were all things that could be solidly traced to third party interference... but never actually pinned on that third party.

People knew what they had done. There was just no way to prove it. And anyone fool enough to try quickly wound up having their death speculated upon by others.

The Shinozaki were feared and revered as the boogeymen of the real world by those who knew of them, and for good reason.

Britannia had managed to locate their hidden stronghold and conquer it in a covert strike, one of the first major losses for Japan in the war even if the general populace never knew it. Whatever remaining Shinozaki existed were systematically hunted down throughout the following months, until the once proud bloodline had dwindled to the point where most assumed they were all gone.

But, of course, this would not be the first time their clan had disappeared from the annals of history.

"Feh..." Tohdoh had never really appreciated their line of work. He understood the importance of it, of course, but dealing with Shinozaki members had always left a bad taste in his mouth. "Either way, Zero is an enigma. For now I suppose all we can do is wait to see what he'll go on to become."

Senba chuckled. "I won't lie, I'm excited to see that." He was getting on in his years. Still healthy, yes, but steadily declining as age set in. That wasn't something that could be cured. So he found interest in the young ones with great potential ahead of them. "That actually brings me to another point, colonel."

Tohdoh hummed curiously. "And what would that be?"

"I've heard Zero's voice without the modulator tonight, if our suspicions about "Corvus" are correct." It was pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point, but assuming was never a safe business to get into. Even if the digimon had all but confirmed it, that could just as easily be a ruse. "If I had to guess, he'd be about the same age as your wayward student. Give or take a few years."

That caught Tohdoh's attention. "Really, now? Someone so young has made such a big splash?" He had assumed Zero was younger, the man's frame had hinted at mid twenties or so he'd suspected. But if they were aiming younger... well, it was certainly impressive. If Senba was correct, there was a teenager outdoing them as far as freeing their nation from Britannia.

Well, wasn't that just great? Here they were, a group comprised of the greatest military minds available to Japan, being outdone by some kid in a fancy costume. Tohdoh would have found it funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

As much as it pained him to admit it, Digimon were the straw that broke the camel's back. Against knightmare frames, he could still make plans and account for their effectiveness. They could be defeated by conventional weaponry, even.

Digimon were past that point. There was just not much one could do against those things without sending another one at them, a luxury that the JLF just did not have.

Conventional weaponry failed against practically all Champion level digimon. Tanks were easy pickings for them, no Champion he'd come across that was too slow to dodge a tank round was frail enough to be harmed by it. In flight, a Champion level digimon outclassed any aircraft in existence right now barring the Avalon, Prince Schneizel's personal battleship.

It didn't matter, in the end. All he could do was keep on moving forward. "Sir, prisoners have been secured." One of the remaining soldiers announced, moving into his Burai.

Tohdoh glanced around that area, spotting Chiba at the head of the crowd of freed Japanese. "Mission accomplished, then. Let's get going before we get drawn into an unnecessary battle."

And with that, it was time to leave. Zero would handle the rest tonight.

There had been sacrifices tonight. Good men that he would never see again, their lives stolen for the sake of exploiting other human beings like property.

That was what they had died fighting. At the very least, this would permanently shut down this group. No one was leaving this unscathed, and glancing to the fallen form of a smartly dressed corpse, upside down faced mask shattered to reveal dead brown eyes, Tohdoh could safely say that was a step in the right direction.

---

Jeremiah Gottwald was not a cruel man by nature.

True, he could be strict. Truer, he had put his morals aside for the sake of pursuing seemingly unreachable goals. And truest of all, he would do anything for those who held his loyalty.

No matter what the consequence of his action, should the lord he had chosen to follow command it then Jeremiah would obey.

Thus far, he had no lord. The Emperor was simply the leader of Britannia; he was no lord to Jeremiah. His late wife, Marianne vi Britannia, had held that title.

Anything she had asked, no matter what it may be, Jeremiah Gottwald would have done. That was simply the kind of man he was.

Lady Marianne was the perfect example of strength in his eyes. She had come from her birth as a commoner to eventually stand as the Knight of Two, one of the most respected positions in the entire empire.

Further, she had caught the eye of the emperor of the nation, and had gone on to become his obvious favorite.

Truly, her rise was an amazing series of events, worthy of a bestselling novel. It was a story that should have gone on to inspire Britannians for generations to come, the meteoric rise of the commoner who had become first a knight, and then bride of the man who stood in control of a third of the world.

But her story had been cut short by assailants that had gone unpunished.

Events like that had made Jeremiah seem like a cruel man, because he would do anything to prevent them from happening again.

After the assassination of Marianne vi Britannia, he had slipped into a depression just long enough to let Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally be sent off to foreign lands without a single familiar face.

Guilt still gnawed at him. As one of Lady Marianne's Royal Guard, he could have petitioned to be sent with them. He could have done something.

But he had been too busy wallowing in self pity.

That was why he refused to be so weak ever again. And so, he had begun to amass power. All for the sake of locating the children of the one who had held his loyalty.

Prince Lelouch was a bastion of willpower and intelligence even at the tender age of ten. Jeremiah firmly believed that someone like him would have survived in the midst of a warzone.

However, what truly worried him was the fate of Princess Nunnally. Blinded and crippled in the same attack that had taken the life of her mother, she could hardly be expected to live through such a thing. The only hope for her would have been Prince Lelouch himself.

It pained him to think about the young girl who had been so kind and energetic losing her ability to move freely. She had been such a sweet girl, always smiling and laughing, never hesitating to try and make someone's day just a little bit better. What had such a wonderful child done to deserve losing so much in a single night?

But what was done could not be undone. And so, all Jeremiah could do now is move forward. They were out there, he knew it. So he would gather his power back, regain his former position, and continue his search.

"Eyes sharp. Anonymous tips are excellent ways to set a trap..." The tip in question was simply too good to pass up. The location of the currently ongoing Underground slave auction had been presented to them anonymously via a payphone. Crashing that party and making a round of sweeping arrests would bolster their standing with both the public and the military.

Not to mention it would just make Jeremiah feel much better. Slavery was a hideous thing and anyone practicing it deserved death.

He was a prideful man, and not nearly foolish enough not to realize that about himself. With that in mind, one of the worst things anyone could do to him would be to steal away his freedom. He could choose what to do with every day of his life, move forward how he wanted to. Live his life as he desired, chase the goals he had chosen.

If that were to be taken from him, Jeremiah had no idea what he would do. It wouldn't be a pretty sight, however.

Slavery was simply a concept that he found abhorrent. The notion that doing such a thing to Numbers was perfectly acceptable angered him even more.

Rather than simply owning up to the fact that what they were doing was horrible, people like that had made an excuse. They had looked for a loophole in the laws that prevent one of the most horrifying human practices to find a way to perform said human practice without consequence.

That in and of itself should be worth a jail sentence.

"Feh. This whole thing is probably just a prank." Kewell spoke up with a sarcastic grunt. "Someone just trying to make you feel better." Ever since that night on the bridge, Kewell Soresi had lost all respect for their leader.

A retort to that came from Viletta, easily the soldier most loyal under Jeremiah. "Either way it wouldn't matter. Unless this was another one of your attempts to take power." That response shut Kewell up immediately, as he recalled exactly how that had gone down last time.

It may also have had something to do with how Jeremiah's Sutherland had turned to stare down his own.

Four on one, Jeremiah Gottwald had still been a difficult opponent. It had taken all of the coordination that came from years of serving together as well as a perfect ambush to put him in such dire straits in the first place.

And then the Lancelot of all things had shown up, with Viletta not a moment later. That had not been a good day for Kewell's plans. He growled out a low response. "Fine..." Even if he could fight evenly with Jeremiah, there were twenty other pilots with them, all of whom were more loyal to Jeremiah than they were to him. Even if they were dissatisfied with his leadership, Kewell knew that he was not a better alternative for any of them after his catastrophic failure to kill their leader.

"Oh, and what do we have here?" A disturbing mixture of two voices called out, the unnatural sound bringing a shiver to a few of the gathered pilots. "Still squabbling amongst yourselves, hm?"

Jeremiah was, as per the norm, the first to respond. "Be ready for combat." He said first to his men, before he began speaking to the hidden owner of the voice. "Come out where we can see you."

"Kekeke..." A short giggle erupted from the source of the voice, before movement from the shadows drew the attention of the Purist Faction soldiers to their newest foe. "Why so serious, Orange?"

A round of gasps came from the assembled pilots as they were made aware of just what they were dealing with.

Infermon's yellow-green eyes practically stared into their souls, glowing in the gloom of the night. "Come now... surely you mighty soldiers of Britannia aren't scared of little old me, right?" The digimon practically purred, staring down the gathered group of knightmares without an ounce of hesitation.

Twenty five Sutherlands would be easy pickings for Infermon. He was simply equipped with all the appropriate tools to deal with them.

Jeremiah Gottwald did not give a damn about that, however. Rather than any fear, he remained perfectly resolute before one of the most dangerous creatures he would ever encounter. "You're Zero's pet, then?"

Snorting wryly, Infermon replied. "More like partner than anything." His goal for the moment was to occupy the Purists for about ten minutes or so, before informing them of just where that anonymous tip had come from and pointing them back in the direction of the criminals.

Occupying them was not difficult, considering Jeremiah had already moved to engage.

Honestly, Infermon was impressed by that. He knew for a fact that Jeremiah had seen the events of Saitama, the biggest direct conflict the military had managed to see him in. Just watching that battle should have been enough to tell anyone that they stood no chance against a creature like him in a typical Sutherland.

But despite that, the leader of the Purists stormed towards him with a battle cry.

It quickly proved to be ineffective, as Infermon simply weaved around the gunfire from the machine with speed that the Sutherland just wasn't able to match. "Don't just stand there you lot! You'll never win if you try and fight me one on one!" Infermon taunted, dodging yet another burst of gunfire with ease.

The jab quickly brought the remaining soldiers to their senses, as they began circling the digimon with their rifles trained.

Gunfire rained upon the white and red creature, who simply avoided most of the fire by moving faster than the pilots could aim their weapons.

Eventually, the gunfire ceased. In a coordinated effort that was nothing short of impressive, the twenty five Sutherlands took to melee combat, using either their lances for lunging hit and run strikes, or swapping to the tonfa equipped to each frame in order to continue with prolonged battle up close. Despite the large number of units moving at once, there was no hesitation from these soldiers, nor was there any confusion in who needed to be where.

A valiant effort, but not something that would stop him. Infermon was now idly pondering how many of these frames he should disable.

Twenty five units were far more than necessary for the Purebloods to clean up that mess, but simply killing them to thin their numbers would defeat the entire purpose of this operation. The Black Knights were supposed to be helping, after all.

With that in mind, Infermon simply lashed out and removed a leg from one of the Sutherlands, causing the metal giant to tumble to the ground. "One down." He chuckled.

Minutes passed by before it was time to lead the Purists to their goal tonight. By the time this moment came, Infermon had disabled fifteen of the twenty five Sutherlands that had arrived there.

He'd been certain to avoid taking out the Sutherland containing Gottwald, who could be told apart from the others by the sheer ferocity in his attacks. He also believed that Villetta Nu had managed to make it through this entire battle without being disabled, despite him not actively attempting to prevent her from being neutralized.

Amusing, that. She was probably quite angry about the incident in Shinjuku. Losing her knightmare and having no memory of how it happened was certain to bother anyone, but the fact that it had also happened to Jeremiah would likely bring up questions from her...

'... should I kill her, just to be certain?' Infermon pondered. Upon thinking about it deeper, there was potential for Villetta Nu to piece things together. Lelouch's Geass had been tested in many aspects, but there was one that had been inconsistent.

His Geass always wiped the memory of those he had used it on clean. About five minutes worth of time simply vanished from their mind. However, that was where the inconsistency arrived.

Some people he had used it on seemed to have displayed memory of things that occurred around two to three minutes before it's usage. He doubted Villetta recalled his face, but there may be blurry details that the woman could use to locate Lelouch if given the time and motivation to do so.

But killing her tonight would be a major blow to the image the Black Knights were attempting to set up for themselves. Perhaps another day? Infermon sighed tiredly as he dodged yet another lance strike, leaping onto the side of a building.

"Heh... you're free to continue our little dance, but first I have something to tell you." No one interrupted him. The Purist knightmares held their battle stance, though it was clear that they had realized there was no chance for them to defeat him. "Your anonymous tip tonight is not a joke, a trap, or a false alarm. The Underground has already been shattered; all that is left now is the clean up, which is what we called you here for."

Jeremiah snarled. "So Zero is using us, then?" He asked angrily.

Infermon replied nonchalantly. "Yes, that is correct." Before anyone could move to begin further combat, Infermon fired a Hell's Grenade into the crowd of Sutherlands, forcing them to scatter. It was his first usage of that attack during the entire conflict with them, and it quelled any intention they had of fighting any further. "However... this benefits you as well, you realize? A hand in the dismantling of one of the most notorious criminal organizations in Britannia?" On the mainland of Britannia, slavery was completely nonexistent as far as the criminal syndicates went. There were simply too many people who would have no part in it, as well as a distinct shortage of non-Britannians to use as merchandise.

And at the same time, other Areas simply didn't have as much going on in them as Japan. So many people had arrived here, it was the leading producer of one of the largest industries in the world, and it was a well developed Area while still having many places to hide such illegalities.

So when he said that, he really did mean it. The Underground was notorious for being the largest human trafficking ring in Britannia, as it had been growing steadily for about five years now without any fear of retaliation.

With that in mind, the good publicity this would provide for the Purebloods was indisputable. Jeremiah was clearly weighing the options in his head, judging by the silence.

"Fine." The leader of the Purist Faction finally announced. "For tonight, we'll play your game." They really didn't have a choice, but he wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Lord Jeremiah!" Villetta gasped, shocked by the grudging acceptance. "You can't seriously mean we're going to go along with Zero's scheme?" It was around then that the gravity of the situation hit her.

They had lost fifteen of their men in less than five minutes of battle with this thing. They weren't going to be able to fight, and if they ran then they would be cowards... and they might still die if the creature felt like pursuing them. So they would then die as cowards.

Neither of those were attractive options, and so Jeremiah did what any good leader would and chose option C.

Kewell was more vocal. "You can't be serious, are you actually suggesting that we do this things bidding? I'd rather die than sully myself like that!"

That adamant outburst was met with a simple response.

The Sutherland being piloted by Kewell Soresi was now missing a leg and an arm, and promptly fell over from the lack of balance. It was quite clear that if a single blast had struck dead center, there would be no chance of survival.

Infermon snickered from his position on the wall. "I'd say you're sullied enough just for being a member of the Britannian military." He jibed, raising the hackles of the gathered pilots. "Back to the topic, we have an agreement then?"

Struggling with his words, the blue haired man forced out a strangled response through grit teeth. "Yes. For this night, we have an accord."

Jeremiah Gottwald hated feeling powerless, but before this creature there was no other word to describe him. All he could do was save himself and his men on this night.

All it took was a deal with the devil.

---

Tonight had gone well, Lelouch couldn't help but note as he finally managed to get back home.

The Underground had been dismantled; their leaders had been killed, and the participants had all either shared that fate or found themselves facing charges that no amount of money could save them from.

It was the first step towards cementing the Black Knights as knights of justice, gaining public support. For being that, it was clearly a large step.

The Purebloods would benefit from this as well. Not as much, no, as they served as little more than an unaffiliated cleanup crew, but enough that the public faith in them would rise from it's current level of nonexistence.

That was something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it could serve as a gesture of good faith if he ever attempted to recruit Jeremiah to his side. On the other, they would regain some of their lost standing, which could be problematic in future affairs.

Either way, it was unimportant. He'd finally made his way back home, slipping through the halls without a sound.

As per the norm when he was sneaking back in, Sayoko decided to have some fun at his expense. A kunai knife was lobbed at him, it's trajectory guaranteeing a nonlethal wound if he were careless enough to let it strike.

Knowing full well that the woman was not going to throw a damn knife in his hallway without a plan for when he inevitably dodged, Lelouch quickly moved to the side as the weapon flew past. Doing so made the thin metal wire it was attached to more apparent as it gleamed under the moonlight from the window.

Seeing that her little ruse had been found out, Sayoko simply gave a tug on the wire and the knife was pulled back to her. "Good evening, Master Lelouch." She greeted with a lovely smile and a slight bow, wearing her typical sleep attire of a pink yukata that came to just above her knees.

He sighed. "You know, I should be much more annoyed with you throwing knives at me." It had become normal. She would attempt to catch him off guard just about every time he had any reason to sneak back into their dwelling, using various methods ranging from violence to seduction.

Yes. Seduction. Sayoko was a tease sometimes and wore very loose bed clothes, and he could tell which nights she had been spending too much time reading those books Milly was so into. Those nights he usually ended up putting off his sleep long enough to take a cold shower.

"Ara, but I'm merely keeping Master Lelouch's instincts sharp." She giggled behind her hand, the kunai idly hanging from the metal wire gently clasped between her fingers.

The boy in question just shook his head in exasperation. "Fine, we'll go with that." She wasn't really wrong, he supposed. The Lelouch from a year or two ago would be on the ground with a knife buried in his arm right now. "So, Sayoko, do I have any uninvited visitors making use of my bed tonight?"

"Hm..." Sayoko took on a thinking gesture, finger at her chin. "Sumeragi-sama isn't here tonight. Miss C.C. is currently making use of your bed, but I believe that doesn't qualify as uninvited guests considering the two of you are intimate with one another."

Another sigh, this time one of relief. "That's good, I suppose. I'd like to just go to sleep. Kaguya would make the entire thing far more difficult than I'd appreciate tonight... though C.C. may do that as well. Perhaps I should make use of the guest room..." It was pretty bad that he even had this as an option to consider, since it was his damn bed in the first place. But he wasn't going to kick C.C. out of it, because he was too nice for that.

Sayoko giggled again, idly twirling the kunai knife by the ring at the end of it's handle. "If it pleases Master Lelouch, this humble servant would gladly offer you her bed for the night."

Lelouch sent a dull glance towards the woman. "You've been reading those books again tonight, haven't you?" He was actually quite certain she had just quoted a line from one of them word for word, replacing the protagonist's name with his own.

A light flush came to the maid's cheeks as she replied. "Perhaps..."

Eyes rolling, the boy chuckled. "Well, as much as I appreciate the offer I suppose I'll just hope C.C. lets me get my sleep uninterrupted."

"Good luck with that, Master Lelouch." Sayoko replied with a smile.

"I'll probably end up needing it..." He muttered with a wry smile, before shaking his head. "Good night, Sayoko."

"Good night, Master Lelouch. Sleep well." Another giggle. "Or at least remember not to be too loud. Lady Nunnally might be startled awake if you aren't careful."

Shinozaki Sayoko was a wonderful woman. She was loyal to a fault, cared for them like a loving older sister would, and had both the desire and ability to protect either of them from harm.

Shinozaki Sayoko was also a woman who had far too much fun teasing him, read steamy romance novels in her spare time and used appropriate moments to quote lines from said novels, and who threw knives at him for fun.

So all in all, she was perfectly normal as far as his life went. "Thank you, Sayoko. I'll keep that in mind."

"It is my duty and pleasure to do what I can for Master Lelouch." She bowed slightly, the mocking nature of her words and actions would likely be unclear to an outsider.

But Lelouch knew that she had, once again, quoted one of those novels but replaced the main character's name with his own. "You're something else, you know that?" He chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he entered his room.

Sayoko continued to smile at his retreating back.

Perhaps for others it was easy to forget at times that the boy she called her master had one of the greatest weights in the world on his shoulder, even for himself. But Sayoko could clearly see the weight of a third of the world pressing down on her master.

That made him all the more impressive for not being bothered by it.

---

So I'm posting this early in the morning and will not be able to look at it again until late afternoon. Enjoy and if you see any glaring errors, I'll probably fix them relatively quickly.

Relatively.

But yeah so this was kind of filler and kind of plot point and stuff is happening. I think there is some botched dialogue here and there but I want to get this out to the fine folks who read my works, so I'll revise this even further later.