Sorry for the long delay. For that I wrote a big chapter for you guys. I am afraid I didn't have time to have my beta to take a good look at it as I'll be busy for these few days so mind the mistakes. I hope you'll enjoy it.

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Suzaku let the green haired woman drop a block of sugar into his tea.

"So you're here for information about Geass?" C.C. asked, putting the kettle back.

"I could hardly say I came here for a cup of tea." The masked knight said as he took a sip.

"True." The witch agreed. "That mask is heavy isn't it?" She returned to her seat.

Suzaku grunted an affirmative which made the immortal grin.

"Lelouch mentioned that he led the Black knights to wipe out the Geass Directorate."

C.C. nodded. "Yes. He did."

Suzaku looked into her eyes. He could find no trace of the immortal's thoughts.

"So who is he?"

The green haired woman sighed. "The Red Knight, huh? Honestly, I'm not sure. There have been a lot of Red Knights in the Arthurian Legends. But one thing in common in all of them is that: they're all unpredictable."

Zero hissed impatiently. "Tell me something I don't know! I don't have much time so I'll make it blunt. Is that Lelouch?!"

C.C. did not respond but stared at him. Suzaku realising his behaviour, stopped and calmed himself down.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

The immortal shook her head.

"The mask is heavy." She commented in a while, pouring more tea for him.

Suzaku did not reply, still trying to calm himself down.

"That knight...he looks exactly like Lelouch...he talks like him...acts like him...the battles...New England...Richmond..."

The Japanese knight rubbed his face.

C.C. sighed. "I'm sorry but I can't really help in this case. And to answer your real question, Lelouch had indeed intended to die."

"Great..." Suzaku murmured. "That complicates things. I should have known better."

The green haired woman sat closer to him. "I have been observing him too. You're not entirely wrong. And since I'm the only one you could talk about Lelouch, tell me what you uncovered."

So he did. C.C listened quietly not commenting as the new Zero told his tale.

Suzaku lean his head against the chair once he was done.

"I can't begin to think who this man is..."

C.C. cleared the table of the cups and rejoined him.

"From what I'm hearing, it's almost as if Lelouch had been born and raised as a knight rather than a prince."

"That's hard to imagine considering it is Lelouch we're talking about, but yes. That sounds right."

The two considered their conclusions quietly. Suzaku remembered how they both looked identically alike and how cynical they are towards the Empire and the world and deep their hatred was for their enemies.

The determination.

"But there's no other way to tell is there?"

C.C. shook her head. "DNA check can be faked. There are ways to do it. And if not I doubt he's foolish enough to allow anyone to get near him. Unless, there's something uniquely about Lelouch that you know..."

Suzaku narrow his eyes.

Rebel Command Base

"Zero has taken Ohio." The Earl of Pembroke snarled as the Purist leaders gather around the map.

"The Stuarts are all dead." Another added. "So are the Cambrians. Most of our armies are being pushed back to the north."

"Lord Wilde has reported that Cornelia's forces have taken the South. Public support has literally died out there! And now she's moving up the bulk of the Imperials up."

"The Round Table has diverted their forces to the East and if they win at Manassas, they'll have enough strength to push up!"

"Where are our armies? We control 70% of the Britannian military! How could we be losing?"

"With the energy wing system we should be able to improve our frontline forces."

Pembroke shook his head. "We can't mass produce the damn thing. We only managed to get it from that Earl of Pudding when we raided his estate!"

Another noble slammed the table. "So we have the most powerful army in the world and we're still losing!?"

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice silenced the room. The Archduke of Oxbridge entered the room. His face was crimson with anger.

"This senseless banter is not going to solve anything!" He downed the offered wine. "Let us do this calmly and as gentlemen. What is the situation on the eastern front?"

"New York reported that most of Virginia has fallen to the Imperial cause and half the Round table has moved their forces up."

Oxbridge nodded. "It'll be fine. New York still has enough forces to hold. What about Iowa?"

A young officer activated the map. "Lord Lambert's forces are already engaging Imperial forces in Kansas. The main force has been pushed back but we've got a huge contingent of troops pass the enemy lines ready to flank them."

Oxbridge looked distracted. "Kansas?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Get me Lord Lambert. Tell him to contact me in my quarters. For now. Try to fight a defensive action on all the other fronts. Cornelia's forces are likely to arrive in a week's time. We'll need to be ready."

With that the nobleman turned back from the war room and back to his room.

"We've lost contact with our Kansas cells." A voice spoke. A cloaked figure appeared from the side.

"How did that happen?" Oxbridge sneered quietly. "You told me that you've got the entire operation covered! You even bribed the Imperial troops around it!"

The cultist shrugged. "There were many unforeseen circumstances."

The huge nobleman took of his sword belt and threw it across the room in frustration.

"The war is turning against us and now this!" He took a wine bottle and drank it directly from it. "So now what are you planning to do? If the Imperials find out about that place...this...this entire rebellion is going to die in a matter of days!"

The cultist shook his head. "They won't find out. We've directed all our forces in the area. No one will ever know what was there."

Oxbridge rubbed his eyebrows. "Are there any settlements in the area?"

"There's a large town, Fallon where we drew most of our recruits."

The nobleman drained another mouthful of wine.

"Wipe it off the map."

Kallen opened her eyes and saw Lelouch's concerned face studying her.

She tried to move but pain tore through her side.

"Careful." The white haired Lelouch said. "You got a nasty cut."

Kallen saw the bandage around her torso and got up carefully.

"Where are we?"

"At the town." He explained. "After we got out of the elevator, we got ambushed by Dante's men but the townspeople saved us. Got the entire platoon's Knightmares in the process too."

The red haired woman dared to touch her wound. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?"

Arthur gave her a Lelouch smirk and shrugged. Only then Kallen realised that his red and white jacket had been torn and that her bandages had been made from it.

Her realisation must have been obvious as Arthur's face turned crimson and began to stand up.

"Now that you're up, we've got something else to attend to." He nodded to a man in a dark blue and white uniform.

The man acknowledged and walked off.

He helped her up and the two went out.

Fallon, a town they may call was almost as large as a city. Of course not as much but still she figured that there must be at least been over twenty thousand souls in this settlement.

Or rather had been.

Once it might have been thriving with life but now, the town looked almost as miserable as the ghettos of Area 11.

Kallen saw some women peering at them from the windows. It was hard to imagine Britannians looking so pathetic but the young Black knight could not feel anything but pity for them.

The two arrived near a large silver building that resembled slightly to the castle like figure of Area 11 Government bureau.

Valois met them at the foot of the building, her wounds bandaged and flanked by two men in white and blue police gear.

"Good to see you're up." The policewoman said. "Now that we know what's been happening, we're going to need to let the Baron know."

"You don't sound confident." Arthur commented.

Valois grimaced. "Let's just say he and I don't usually see eye to eye."

The group entered the building which was might have once been filled with activity now the officers and government workers sat idly at their posts. Kallen realised how bleak they all look.

Near the elevator, a man in a blue suit and tie came down with two others dressed in black.

"Valois!" He gave a whispered shout. "This is all your doing! They're going to kill us all now. I've been fighting to keep them from coming here! This is my town!"

"And I'm in charge of the town's security, Baron!" Valois replied equally. "You think I'm going to do nothing and let our people disappear each day."

The Baron glanced at Arthur and Kallen. "And who are these two?"

"We're the Empress' Emissaries." Kallen answered.

The man snorted. "So you're here to claim Fallon for the Empire?" He gave a bitter laugh. "Well, you're too late."

The man turned to the elevator as Kallen, Arthur and Valois exchanged confused glances.

The elevator turned to the mayor's office and as they exited the two bodyguards stayed behind.

"Lord Lambert's personal scouts had arrived last night." The Baron announced as they entered the office to see half a dozen men in combat armour.

Their leader an officer in the light blue uniform of Dante's regiment jumped in alarm at seeing Arthur and Kallen.

The two sides quickly reached for their weapons and the Baron realising what would erupt, turned away from the office.

"Oh, god." He turned to the phone and shouted. "GUARDS! GUARDS! Get up here!"

The rebel officer then kicked the desk at them for a make shift barricade as the other soldiers open up with their weapons.

Valois fired her revolver and took a soldier in the head.

Kallen and Arthur jumped to different sides.

Kallen belatedly realised that she didn't have any more clips for her pistol. At the same time, one of the rebel soldiers began advancing towards her firing as he came.

Another soldier however cocked his assault rifle ready to spray the entire room but one of Valois' men shot him in the shoulder armour knocking him back.

The white haired Lelouch seemed to realised Kallen's plight and slide his black and gold pistol towards her.

His timing couldn't have been better as the rebel soldier had just appeared in her sight as she turned the pistol in his face.

Arthur then grabbed his cover, a tea table and flung it at the nearest soldier and lunged forward with his sabre.

The swing knocked the soldier side and he leapt at the second one slicing his throat. Kallen came up and fired at the soldiers aiming for Arthur as he moved in close quarters.

She heard Valois' revolver fire and taking down another.

The rebel lieutenant fired his pistol that struck one of the police officers. He turned to aim at Kallen but before he could Arthur's sabre swung and sliced off his hand.

As the man screamed, Arthur smashed the sword guard into his nose. The final shot announced the death of the last soldier.

"Guards!" The Baron's voice sounded and soon men in Knight Police armour stormed with assault rifles and visored helmets.

They aimed their weapons at the five left in the bloodied room. A huge man in black and blue uniform came in with a raised revolver.

"Valois, what's going on?" He demanded.

"It's over, Chief." Valois announced.

Arthur turned to the assembled men. "The rebels are preparing to assault this town." Kallen noticed he flexed his left hand as if it had been electrocuted.

"This man will confirm it." The rebel officer seemed shock at the statement even over the pain of his lost hand.

The Baron became furious and pointed at Kallen and Arthur. "This is entirely your fault! Because of your presence here, now the rebels are going to level this town and kill everyone with it! Dante promised that they wouldn't touch this if we don't go against them."

"Wait! You knew!?" Valois turned to the nobleman. "You knew about Dante being a rebel?"

The Baron brushed it aside. "Of course I knew! They came in force months ago. They threatened to kill us all if we don't allow them here."

That explains Dante's actions. Kallen thought.

"But our people!" Valois said angrily. "All those disappearances, all those deaths...Do you know that the rebels are using our people for military experiments!?"

The guards startled and lowered their weapons and now facing the town leader. The Baron paled.

"I knew that they were up to no good but it was either that or the entire population. I chose the greater good!"

Many of the guards gasped in shock. Fury gripped Valois who lunged at the nobleman and slammed him against the wall.

"You bastard!" She drew a thick bladed dagger. "You sold our own children to them like some human sacrifice!?" Tears dwelled in the other woman's eyes. Kallen could scarcely imagine how much she had lost.

Knowing this would go out of hand, Arthur stepped forward.

"Right now," Lelouch's twin announced. "There's little time for this. The rebel army is coming and they're going to raze this place to the ground."

He said it loud and clear so that everyone in the room would hear it.

The police chief turned and asked. "What will we do?"

Arthur turned to Kallen instead who suddenly realised that everyone in the room was looking at her.

The Knight of Two and Black Knight commander closed her eyes and spoke.

This is going to be another Shinjuku...

"We prepare for battle."

Imperial Palace

Suzaku wore his Zero mask as he landed the Lancelot Rei down in the hanger. The royal guards saluted him as he headed to meet Nunnally.

He found the red-coated Guilford and Dalton at the main chamber amongst the maroon and blue uniforms of the Imperial Guard on one side and the green and black uniforms of the Black Knight commanders on the other.

"Lord Zero," Guilford saluted. "Her Majesty has asked for your presence at her quarters."

Nodding, Suzaku headed right there.

He found Nunnally alone in the room in a loose violet dress.

"Your Majesty," Suzaku entered.

"Suzaku," She replied. "Am I doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean?" The Japanese knight asked, confused.

Nunnally turned to face him. "I'm fighting this terrible war to end the cycle of hatred that Lelouch gave his life for. But from what I see, the fighting increases and many still want to fight. To them I am the oppressor."

"Nunnally..."

"All I want is to return peace back to this world. Everything that Lelouch died for. Will fighting this war bring that?"

Suzaku knelt beside her. "I can't answer that, but letting the rebels win is definitely not good for this world."

The Britannian Empress looked at him with tears in her eyes then brought her arms around him and sobbed.

Startled by the move, Suzaku almost fell but slowly he allowed his own arms to wrap around her.

Fallon, Kansas

"Alright, open up." Kallen told the policeman who swapped a card on the computerized lock that opened up the old room.

The room was ancient and they could smell metal rusting as the automatic door opened slowly.

Kallen and the chief of police who introduced himself as Waltfeld, a one eyed veteran against crime followed him down.

Kallen was in awe of the amount of weapons inside. They were ancient: Pacific War and the weapons from the initial Britannian invasion of Europe! Infantry weapons that had been long abandoned and knightmarized. Swords, explosives, C4s. There were even knightmare parts.

"This is enough to equip a small army." Kallen said it with a smile.

"So these new plating will stop even assault rifles?" Valois asked, puzzled.

Arthur nodded as he knelt near the oversize riot shield. He touched the new armoured plating made from the minerals they melted from the mines.

"Unfortunately, it can't be done for the human size shields. But that won't do much good in a fire fight anyway. But this will give you an edge to your Knight Police Glasgow over their military grades. Besides you don't need to attack them."

The police officers nodded and mumbled amongst themselves.

Kallen joined the group, covered in sweat and oil and wearing her sleeveless shirt. She had been helping out with the setting up of mines and gun turrets. Good for them, they even found automated defences and drones and sentry guns even if most was for infantry.

Arthur saw her and took him a moment or so not to look below her face.

Feeling her own cheeks heating up, Kallen asked.

"Did you get anything out of that guy?"

The white haired Lelouch nodded. "Took me a while but we've got two regiments with full air and artillery support."

The knowledge shocked most of the police officers and even Kallen was unsettled.

"That many? That's at least a hundred knightmares..."

"Not only that," Arthur continued. "There's also a unit from one of the Knight Orders there. The Knights of St. Darwin."

A police officer swallowed audibly. "Knights?"

"They're going to be a problem." Arthur agreed. "So we're going to have to make sure that we won't be forced to engage them head on."

A runner came and the officers turned to him about moving the civilians and left Kallen and Arthur alone.

"We're badly outnumbered and outgunned." Kallen whispered to Arthur.

The red knight grimaced. "With less than fifty knightmares: eight Gloucesters and twenty over Knight Police Glasglows and Sutherlands? That's hardly an army. So what is your plan?"

Kallen stared at him.

Arthur coughed. "I mean, you are the commanding officer. As a Knight of the Round and being the most experienced, that makes you in charge. And you have fought the Britannian armies in your resistance day with likely less weapons and equipments. "

The red haired woman smirked. "Well, I would stay and fight too if that's what you're trying to imply."

Arthur scoffed in reply.

"But like you said, I am just a knight. I'm better off fighting on the frontlines."

Arthur looked confused so Kallen made it clear for him.

"I would be more comfortable if you took command."

The red knight looked surprised. "Me?"

When Kallen nodded, Arthur lost all his composure.

"Why would you have me in charge? I'm not even part of the Imperial army." He paused, knowing that Kallen was already thinking of his past victories. "Whatever you heard is likely exaggerated. And after I said about the Black..."

"I know. I would still prefer if you took over." Kallen cut him off before you could continue. "It's strange. But I feel that I could trust you. How...I don't know but I just feel it. I'm confident that even at this point if you lead us, we'll be victorious." She bore her deep blue eyes into his azure orbs.

I just know it's you, Lelouch...

Arthur was lost for words and he stared back, with his face losing all of his masks. It was just like it had been, when she declared her dedication to follow him as a Black knight.

Feeling her cheeks heating up, Kallen turned away. "Well, we've got a lot of rebels and so little time. I'm going to help out with the knightmare adjustments."

But as she turned away, Kallen heard Lelouch's voice barely a whisper and teeming with emotion.

"Thank you...Kallen." She was glad she had turned as the Knight of Two's face was now matching the colour of her hair.

Tokyo, United States of Japan

"Xingke!" Xianglin barged into his office as the leader of the Black Knights was taking his afternoon tea.

"Xianglin, what's wrong?" He had never seen Xianglin so pale since the war.

"You have to look at this." She showed his a datapad of troop movements.

"Black Knights 8th Division in Jakarta?" The Chinese commander frowned. "Military exercise."

"There's more." His aide told him switching to another unit.

"305th Division in Manila?" He switched to another. "Military exercise. 7th Battle Group in Hong Kong? Military exercise."

There was more and more of them in different corners of Asia.

"That's over 2 million men in training." Xianglin gave him the figure as Xingke mentally calculated the numbers. "And they're all sanctioned by their respective Senators."

The dark haired soldier got up from his seat. "Send this to Chairman Kaguya. We've got to stop this troop build up before the Britannians hear about it."

Later that night, Imperial Palace

Ogami Kojima scaled the wall and slipped his black armoured form over the parapet onto the roof of the kitchen block. The most recent sensor sweep of the area had picked something up. Or rather, it hadn't.

Ogami Kojima had been on his way to search the quarter of Bedford's head knight used while they were out when the security post had flagged the anomaly. The sensor sweep had revealed a vague blank on the roof of the kitchen block, a dead spot that the sensors seemed unable to read or probe. The adepts manning the security post had dismissed it as an imaging artefact, but Ogami had not been so quick to judge. In his opinion, the reading suggested someone or something well-veiled, a presence announced by its very absence.

Ogami Kojima was a wary man. He had been a soldier longer than he had been an adult. Born to the family of a former Samurai Warlord, Ogami Kojima had been trained as a warrior since birth.

At the age of sixteen he served with the Japanese Defence Force as Prime Minister Kururugi ordered the last stand against the Britannian forces. His unit was mainly made up of child soldiers hastily formed militia units. The troop leader had been killed in the first week by Britannian air strikes. Perhaps seeing something only children could see, the troop turned to Ogami for leadership. Barely an adult, Ogami had taken command. By the time the Britannian forces had overrun most of the country he had killed sixteen men in open combat, and was a hardened, emotionally extinct veteran of that hopeless guerrilla operation against occupational troops.

Then the Knights of the Empire had arrived in giant robotic forms. His unit was wiped out in hours. The brutalised child soldiers were gradually rounded up during the subsequent cleansing campaign, and the fiercest of them paraded before the Britannian lords for their amusement.

Then Colonel Todoh, a fellow samurai and then Commander Ryoma defeated that very unit at Itsukushima and he was taken in by the heroic leaders.

The army officers had always said that there had been something in Ogami's face that had marked him out from the other pugnacious, filthy war-urchins. Ogami Kojima wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he had been placed in the ward of an officer, to be raised as his surrogate son.

Aged eighteen, Ogami Kojima had joined the JLF. Six years later, he served as a commander of JLF's ground operation and later the Black Knights, and was one of the most decorated and respected warriors in the regiment.

Later he was transferred to the Spec Ops unit the infamous Shinobi Squad under the late Diethard Reid and Ryoma when he became senator to aid in assassinating the false hero Zero himself who reveal to be a prince of their mortal enemy using supernatural power.

Ogami Kojima crouched low, drawing his short, curved sword of Japanese steel. The palace sensors were feeding directly into his visor, conjuring subtle green tactical displays in front of his eyes. There was the blank, the absence. Twenty metres left, at the rim of the roof.

He coiled like a cat, and pounced. The rim of the roof was vacant. There was no one there. Nothing.

No, not nothing. On the low parapet, there was a scrap of paper, held down by a small white stone. The scrap read: Better luck next time.

Fallon

Night had fallen over the town though its defenders had not stopped their preparation for the upcoming genocide. The bulk of them remained the town's Knight Police but soon every able bodied member of the settlement had joined in, numbering over at least two thousand now.

Trenches, barricades, improvised bunkers had been made along with arming the police APC with heavy machine guns and anti-armour weapons. Fortunately, for the defenders the desert had been a famous hideout for crime and anti-Imperial rebels in Britannian history and the law enforcement had been able to gain possession of much of their weapons.

While a night attack seems advantageous for the rebel army, according to the information from the captive officer the units that would comprise of the task force would take at least a single day to gather their full strength.

"The rebels are likely to take position here, here and here." Arthur explained to the group leaders in their make shift headquarters at the town hall building.

"Some of you have probably served in the military," He commented, receiving some nods of acknowledgements. "This is not a mere Search and Destroy mission or rescuing a hostage. Their mission," He pointed at the mass of rebel enemies on the map, indicating clearly how the gathering points have cut off and surrounded the town.

"Is genocide." The red knight let the notion sink in. "They are going to kill every man, woman and children in this town. Expect no quarters. No mercy from them. They're led by the Knights of St. Darwin, zealots fanatically loyal to Charles zi Britannia's policies."

Arthur waited for any of the officers to ask questions but received none.

"You have your orders. Let your men know what their defending."

With that the meeting was dismissed and Arthur walked down to the knightmare armoury to find Kallen who was waiting for him.

"How was it?" She asked.

"They understood what they need to do. Nothing more needed to be said."

They walked together observing the military grade knightmare frames being painted police colours so that they would stand out from the rebel army.

The lieutenants and military veterans would pilot the Gloucesters as squad leaders while the rest take on the Sutherlands and the Knight Police Frames.

"So where do you want me?" Kallen asked.

Arthur looked rather embarrassed at her.

"You're the best pilot here." He said slowly which made Kallen's cheeks redden slightly which only served to embarrass Arthur even further.

"So I would have you fill in the gap whenever the rebels make a breakthrough."

"Like you would use the Queen in chess?" Kallen couldn't help but to ask that.

Arthur smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, exactly." The Black knight couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What's so funny?"

Kallen stopped and smiled at him. "That's exactly what Lelouch have me do."

If anything was different from the new Arthur and Lelouch, it had to be that he was easier to catch off guard.

"I...I am flattered to be compared as such." He said, diplomatically though he seemed unsettled. "About your knightmare..."

Kallen looked at him puzzled.

"I would normally pass you a Gloucester, being the highest tech but..."

Kallen's heart jumped. "It doesn't suit my style?"

Arthur's eyes widened at her answer.

"Lelouch told me that when we first met." If you can call talking to an unseen voice meeting.

Arthur coughed uncomfortably. "Well, so instead I had your Knight Police frame's joints replaced with parts from a Gloucester's for better performance."

"Thank you." Kallen told him. "You did colour it red right?"

Arthur smiled and nodded.

Milly was helping out in pulling all those unable to fight to the underground bunkers including elderly and children with Rivalz ferrying them on one of the trucks.

"There's just enough room." Milly told them as she led the last batch to Rivalz's truck.

Valois nodded. "Hopefully, even if we all die in the fighting, they'll survive."

"Hopefully, the Britannian army will be here before that happens." Rivalz corrected as he entered the room.

"He's right." Arthur agreed with a chuckle. "But it'll take them a while. The main rebel force had resumed its assault on the capital."

Kallen nodded, miserably. "They won't have troops to spare until its repelled."

"So we're on our own?" Waltfeld asked.

"Seems like it."

The police chief sighed.

"What about the Black Knights?" A young police officer asked. "They're supposed to be the Knights of Justice right? Can't they help us?"

"I've sent a message to headquarters. They're sending troops though they're going to take much longer to reach here."

The Baron of Fallon heard their conversation and threw his hands in the air.

"Great! By the time those 'Knights' reach us, we'll all be dead and dying."

Valois glared at the man but Waltfeld had a hand gripped on her arm.

"The battle has not even started yet, baron." The veteran told him.

The nobleman glared at him. "Don't give me that crap. I've seen battles before serving in the Areas. This is going to be a massacre like in those Number uprisings!"

"Well, those uprisings barely have any weapons or training." Kallen said, remembering her own experiences. "The police at least are closer to the military."

The baron spat. "Please, policemen against Knights? We have no Knights!"

"I'm a knight." Arthur commented.

"And so am I." Kallen added surprising herself. She was accepting that she was one of the warrior elite of Britannia? Whatever it was, it earned her a look of acceptance from Arthur and that was enough.

"And besides," Arthur continued loudly so that all the defenders would hear him. "What is the difference between a knight and a common soldier? A suit of armour? A knightmare frame? Then, what is the difference between a knight and that of a mere killer? Both are trained to kill. Some of you I can see agree with that. But there is a difference."

By now, he had hundreds looking at him and more listening from far.

"A Knight, as King Arthur dedicated: 'is sworn to valour. His heart knows only virtue. His blade defends the hapless. His might must uphold the weak. And that His wrath undoes the wicked.' And I see here. Men and women who chose to stay here to protect those who cannot despite the inevitable death that is coming for us all. You could have easily left the town on your own but you did not. You're all here, choosing to fight and die so that these people would live."

Arthur let his words hang. "And that is more knightly than those who march against us now. You are Knights. More knightly than those anointed pansies over there."

The defenders quivered with pride.

"So now as knights, fulfil your oaths and do your duty! For your families! For your love ones! FOR FALLON!"

The defenders raised their fists and roared. "FOR FALLON! FOR FALLON! FOR FALLON!"

Kallen found herself joining in the chant and saw that Milly and even Rivalz joined in.

Whatever Lambert and Dante had in stored for them, they will not be prepared for what Arthur had just unleashed.

Lelouch...if it is truly you...I will follow you to hell and back...

Ogami Kojima had long mastered his ability to manage his anger. He fuelled it into his work and it had not betrayed him. But he was intent on scouring the palace for the author of the insolent, provocative note.

This man made a fool out of him and the FSS officer was forced to kill a guard to escape. But it did not matter. For the note, the man had a fatal mistake that only men of great confidence and wisdom made.

He returned to the security post to review all the feeds from the palace's sensors. In the mean time however, the Japanese captain had received a coded message from one of his patron's spies.

Signalling his lieutenants, Ogami headed to the dark knightmares in the armoury.

The FSS were the best soldiers, officers, warriors, assassins amongst the Black knights and chosen for their utmost dedication for the preservation of the United Federation of Nations.

The Britannian, Lieutenant Reeds was an ally...but pompous like most Britannians. Many members of the UFN still greatly dislike and distrust the Britannians even those who are loyal to the Empress.

However, Ogami knew that the Guard officer was willing to work with the Black Knights so long as they eliminate their common enemy.

The Japanese officer reached their transport at the hanger where their pilots were already boarding their knightmares. The Imperial Guardsman was waiting for him with a squad of his own men.

"Where to?" Reeds asked.

Ogami passed him the address.

"To the Peregrine Estate."

The Britannian officer frowned. "Never heard of it."

"Neither did anyone living now." Ogami answered.

The next morning on the Outskirts of Fallon

Colonel Dante stood in the G-1 Mobile Base with the other officers and the St. Darwin knights.

Sir Guillemain, leader of the knights stepped forward.

"It is time."

Lord Lambert nodded to Dante and the rebel colonel announced.

"Commence operation. Eliminate the vermin."

A line of Britannian heavy tanks and mobile artillery advanced forward with their massive cannons along with Sutherlands armed with cannons.

"Open fire." And as one the thunderous barrage began.

The shells struck the town indiscriminately: churches, schools and orphanages were razed to the ground.

"INCOMING!" A police officer shouted as a shell exploded near a fire hydrant causing it to spray water around the street.

More shells struck the area. Collapsing building parts bombarded the defenders with rabbles.

An unfortunate woman avoided an explosion only to be crushed to death by debris to the head.

"Stay inside!" Arthur shouted as a second wave of shells struck them.

Shells racked the buildings, scattering limbs and tearing everything apart.

A young man lost his entire right leg to a shell screamed in pain as the cannonade raged around the city.

Some of the blasts were napalm rounds creating inferno amongst the town.

One fell inside a building and cooked the defenders inside alive. Men streamed out of the windows covered in flame.

A squad of troopers brave the barrage to give the burning men a merciful death.

It lasted for at least twenty minutes but fortunately the cannonade was hit only the outskirts of the city and the centre was untouched.

The rebel commanders seemed to have noticed too for once the barrage ceased, the skies were swarming with knightmares.

"Strike!"

Rebel gunships, Vincent Wards, Sutherlands and Gloucesters with Float Systems dove into the town unloading their payload of missiles, bullets and cannon fire.

Despite the heavy damage they were inflicting, the invaders did not receive any form of resistance other than defiant infantrymen with occasional rifle fire.

But they were crushed regardless. By the time they had returned for a second shaft, there was almost no sound from the enemy.

However, Lambert was no fool. For a town of this size, no mere artillery or air strike was going to wipe out its inhabitants and there was no way for them to go out either as the rebel army had completely surrounded Fallon.

Lines of Knightmares and infantrymen in APCs were being readied to clear what remained.

"Get them inside!"

Milly helped an armless soldier into the building even as they pulled out the barricades that they had hidden from cannonade and barrage.

Rivalz joined her to help her set the unfortunate man against the wall.

Waltfeld was nearby and asked them. "This must be hell, coming from the Areas?" He had an insane grin.

Rivalz shook his head. "This is nothing compared to school!"

The police chief gave a bark of laugh.

"You screwed up that bad?" Milly asked.

"You don't want to know." Rivalz replied.

"Alright! Hurry! Get those barricades ready! This is the main point!"

"What good are these barricades going to do to Knightmares!?" Rivalz shouted.

Milly glared at him. "You didn't listen to the plan at all did you?"

A flight of Sutherland and Vincent Ward Air flew after the retreating Glasgow and found groups of men milling about around the town centre.

"Lord Lambert, enemy foot mobiles encountered at the town centre. They're behind a barricade."

"No knightmares?"

"No, my lord."

They attacked in three divisions. The first was made up of a mix force of knightmares and APCs attacked from the north under a lieutenant colonel. The second and third was the bulk of the main attack with all of them being knightmares attacked from the north-east and south-west in a pincer move. They were led by a former army major and the Knights of St. Darwin respectively while Colonel Dante coordinate the forces from the air in his Vincent Commander Model.

The Knightmares moved in smashing into buildings and clearing the rooms with grenades and gun fire.

Sutherlands smashed through the walls and sprayed their rifles into various rooms. Their officers in Gloucesters led the assault, occasionally tossing chaos mines into thicker and larger buildings.

"Clear!"

The APCs drove in formation then spread out to different parts of the town and unloaded their cargo of heavily armed and armoured troopers to those that Knightmares cannot access.

The squads fanned out entering and blasting into rooms.

"Breaching." A sergeant announced as he kicked the door down and sprayed his machine gun inside.

Others followed his example through other doors or sometimes just simply tossing a grenade in.

"Clear in this floor, sir!"

Two Sutherlands entered the top of a building and scanned the area.

"This sector is clear."

"Breached. Grenade!" An explosion sounded in the room. "Clear!"

"All clear here, sir!"

Meanwhile, the Knights of St. Darwin too found nothing.

"Sir Guillemain, we've got nothing here!"

"The vermin are hiding..." The knight muttered.

The Knights were in customised Wards and Gloucesters, the knight officer himself was in a Vincent Commander Model though he kept the Gloucester's helm, gauntlets and lance. The machines were coloured white, gold trims with green cloaks and many of them wielding the longsword over the double bladed lance.

The purple Sutherlands and army knightmares broke through the buildings and blasting the rest of them.

One knight broke to the root and began to spray his surroundings with rifle fire. The white and gold knightmare then leapt to the nearest building, breaking his way with his lance.

"Clear!"

More knights entered the buildings but they too gain the same results.

"Lord Lambert, everything is clear in the south."

"Clear?" Lambert stared at the IFF screen. "What do you mean 'Clear'?"

"They're not here!" Dante reported.

"There's no one here!" An officer shouted.

"They're like rats. Hiding in corners." Sir Guillemain commented.

The squads of confused troopers and knightmare frames moved on to the centre of the town, unsure of what they were to expect.

"Move cautiously, men." A sergeant told his men. "There might be traps."

Dante doubted it. Such mines and others would have likely been destroyed from the barrage and the ground was concrete with no way to plant mines and there were no sign of wires either and even if there were those traps would have been destroyed in the barrage.

The soldiers activated their HUDs to spot any hidden traps. Thermal was however unfortunately out of the question due to the intense heat of the desert.

A Sutherland moved ahead of the squad moving rather carefully across them and taking point, its factsphere activated.

"Nothing's on the reading, sir."

"Keep moving. They're likely to have fallen back to the main base." The knightmare pilot replied.

A second Sutherland leapt forward with his slash harkens to one the higher buildings when a pair of slash harkens struck it mid-air, sending it crashing down.

"Contact!" The harkens returned to the owner into the windows of the building in question.

"Enemy knightmare in sector C4."

A red Glasgow broke out of the floor and leapt into another building.

"After it!" Lambert shouted.

The rebel forces mobilized after it but the crimson machine suddenly turned and fired a barrage of sabot rounds at the chasing knightmares, taking out two then fired a grenade into the infantrymen.

The Glasgow then headed deeper into the town.

"Enemy knightmare heading back. All forces make your way to the centre of the town. The hostiles likely to have taken refuge. Prepare of anti-knightmare combat."

"After them!" Lambert snarled. "All forces move in and attack. Finish them off!"

"With all due respect, my lord," Colonel Dante said. "We have no idea what they've got in that town!"

The nobleman snarled, in anger. "They're bloody peasants for goodness sake! You're knights aren't you?" He turned to Sir Guillemain and his pilots. "Get in there and butcher them like the sheep they are!"

"With pleasure, my lord!"

Lambert ignored the knight commander's glee and directed his forces in.

"His lordship's orders! Move in!"

The infantrymen ran and jumped through the buildings as their knightmare support followed.

"Sergeant, move your squad into the..." The Sutherland leapt forward, breaking the electrical cable that was in the way between...And the ground exploded around the knightmare, blasting its entire side.

"Mines!" The infantry sergeant shouted only to be struck by one as well. The blasts continued around the town, spreading like wild fire, striking every position that the rebel forces were in.

"What..." Lambert gasped. Every unit in from the east and south were hit and on the map he saw the blast formed a complete circle on the town.

Sir Guillemain and his knights managed to avoid most of the explosions and took full advantage of it to move to the centre only to realise that the blast was not meant for them.

"In the name of..." The knight captain gasped as the building near them suddenly rocked and began to fall right on top of them. The impact triggered the ground to crack and collapsed sending all but one of the knights underground. Those who had fallen in were fortunate as the remaining knightmare was crushed between the ground and the falling debris.

Before they knew it, the town centre was surrounded by a makeshift trench and barricade against the invading forces.

Lambert however was a veteran soldier and quickly recovered. "All units report your status!"

The first response was from the north by a captain with the death of his commanding officer.

"My lord, the blast took down most of our knightmares and a quarter of our infantry here but we can't pass through this route now. The entire path has blocked us from crossing."

"Sir," The major of the second force reported. "Our entire front row had been taken down but the road is still clear! We're moving in now!"

There was no response from the Knights but the remaining army units blinked and reappeared on the IFF screen.

Lambert saw that the damage was less than he thought.

"Pull yourselves together!" He snarled on all channels. "You are the pride of the Britannia! Don't let this filthy peasants make monkeys out of you!"

His words had given the survivors the motivation they needed and they continued their advance.

The North-East

Second Division

The knightmares rallied under the command of their major who led them in a Gloucester.

Sixty knightmares advanced down the lane and seeing the barricade made by the town's police, shouted their battle cry and charged.

The charge smashed the barricade a part killing trampling some of the policemen that were foolish enough to bar the way.

"To the centre! We'll end the resistance with this charge!" The Major shouted, waving his lance at the enemy lines.

The machines broke the defenders easily, killing them with their rifles or merely trampling them. However, as the attack reached the centre a strange energy wave swept pass them.

As if the Emperor had ordered them to stop, the knightmares pulled to a halt.

"What?" The Major suddenly found his Gloucester's systems suddenly shut down.

Before they knew it, the entire force all sixty knightmares had lost power.

In his cockpit, the rebel officer heard a roar.

"ATTACK!"

The South-West

Third Division

"Pull yourselves together!" Captain Keen shouted to his surviving men. "We're still not out of this yet!"

A Sutherland near him suddenly recoiled and exploded.

The red Glasgow reappeared and began to rain lead on them.

"Get him!" The captain shouted as a dozen knightmares returned fire.

The crimson machine however leapt back into his hiding place and retreated.

They gave pursue and suddenly found themselves under fire from down the street.

"Contact!" A soldier shouted as his machine too was riddled with bullets and exploded.

They were in open ground and the enemy was raining bullets down on them.

"Return fire!" Keen shouted to his men as he led his Gloucester down to the front and sprayed the enemy ranks with his machine gun.

The bullets struck their lines but the fire continued. And only when the smoke began to fade did the captain saw what they were facing.

A phalanx of Knight Police with riots shields and bustling with guns...

The Sutherlands and Gloucesters were far superior in performance but the defensive wall that the enemy completely took away their advantage in speed and strength.

"It worked!" A policeman cried out. Kallen was surprised. He used the same tactics from the second battle of Tokyo and used the underground train part they had found and used its engine to create a small Gejun Disturber.

Arthur's distribution of the forces was ingenious! He threw the bulk of the knightmares to the West while keeping none in the Gejun Disturber guarding it with only infantry. Leaving the path empty of knightmares tempted the rebels to attack with an all knightmare force without waiting for infantry support.

And took away half the enemy knightmare force with it.

Of course now, everything relied on them to hold off the upcoming infantry assault on the Gejun Disturber and while the Fallon's defenders outnumbered the infantrymen by a slight margin, the Britannian infantry was not an enemy to take lightly without support. Kallen had seen it for herself back in Japan.

So the Black knight commander and the Knight Police now had to they can take out the enemy forces before the infantry could destroy the Gejun Disturber.

The greatest threat had been the Knights, whose Vincents and Wards were not only shielded from the Disturber but also due to the great difference in class. A single Vincent Ward was capable of taking a dozen Sutherlands and so Arthur dealt with them by throwing them down the old subway tunnel and dropping a building on them.

She watched the shield wall tearing apart the Sutherlands who she had drawn into the kill zone.

Some tried to out flank the wall but the barrage was too hot for them to move and so most began to take cover.

A few of the reserve units seeing their front rank was being held turned back and tried to take the long way to find a weak point on the wall. They were heavily armed with cannon and sniper rifles.

"This Q-1. Enemy sniper and cannon units moving away from the main army."

"Roger. We're ready."

"Move in at my signal!"

Kallen leapt out of her hiding place and used her slash harken to swing herself to a taller building.

She leapt to the right and cut the reserve unit from the side, firing her grenade launcher at a cannon wielding Sutherland. The blast took the knightmare from the shoulder and half of its cockpit.

The half-Japanese woman did not stop and continued her advance firing her rifle and grenade launcher at them. She took down the sniper with a burst of rounds.

The third one turned his rifle but he was too slow and Kallen knocked the weapon aside with her slash harkens. The Sutherland activated a stun tonfa and swung the weapon at the red Glasgow, which avoided the attack. Kallen then threw her machine at her attack and smashed her knee into the machine's head.

While Kallen was dealing with the three of them, the team leader: a Gloucester brandished his lance at her and the rest of the squad turned their weapons on her.

The first sniper turned to her but before he could fire a Knight Police frame slammed itself on him with the riot shield.

More Knight Police joined in the fray from the sides, firing their assault rifles and machine pistols at them as them came.

The rebel leader swung his lance at one of the charging police frame and knocking it off balance but before he could make the final blow a white and blue Gloucester with a red cloak lunged and buried the tip of his lance into his counterpart.

Withdrawing the weapon, the Gloucester faced a cannon wielding Sutherland and fired his slash harkens at the machine even as he sprayed his rifle at the others.

The remaining squad was easily dealt with by the Knight Police.

"You've done this before." Kallen said, observing the Gloucester pilot.

"Aye. Been in France with the Imperial Dragoon Guard." Waltfeld replied. "But we've got trouble now. More squads are heading here and it won't be long before the birds come in."

Kallen grimaced. The main problem now was going to be the air force. A group of police pilots offered to sacrifice themselves using their gunships against the flying knightmares even though their chances were slim to none.

Kallen could only hope they last the next ten minutes...for Arthur...for Lelouch to unveil his next plan.

North-East

Lambert knew he had been doped but he was not a fool. The nobleman saw the enemy forces had divided his forces but they were severely outnumbered and outmatched and Lambert saw the gaps of their forces.

"All infantry units. Forget your previous orders. Move to the East! I repeat attack from the East! Dante, damn you! Where are you?"

"We're being attacked." The turncoat replied. "Dozens of enemy gunships have ambushed us in the West."

"They're just gunships, you fool! Quickly deal with them and support the East!"

"My lord, this is Archer Two-One. We're met up with Two-two and Two-five and we're advancing on the East."

"Proceed. I want some of you to head down from..." He checked the map for the underground entrance. "In sector C6, there's a sewer way. They have a Gejun Disturber underneath so destroy it."

"Alright, lads!" A sergeant shouted to his men through the radio. "For once the bloody knights need us more than anything else. Let's give these bastards a hand!"

The infantry advanced from the north, abandoning their knightmare attachments and the column headed straight down the main streets.

They were greeted with a sight that the Britannian military rarely faced: dozens of knightmares in the distance in the different streets and corners, standing motionlessly in the middle of a battlefield.

"Chalk 1, with me." An officer told them. "We're heading down. The rest of you bastards cover those knightmares."

"Yes, sir." The sergeants nodded and fanned out in their respective squads while the officer and his men headed to his designated coordinates.

"Switch to night mode." The soldiers activated their HUDs and continued their way through the underground.

"I can even smell the shit even with the mask." A soldier muttered.

"The stench of the impure..." Another muttered.

"Quiet." The officer snapped. "We're going to be cleaning it now."

"Sir, it's directly ahead." A soldier gestured the wall they were facing.

The rebel commander confirmed the report in his own sensors then nodded.

"Go."

The sergeant nodded. "Breaching." He planted an explosive on the wall then braced himself.

As if a knightmare had punched it, the wall scattered and fell and the soldiers stormed in with their rifles at the ready.

The officer charged in and was just aiming his carbine at his first target, a man in the blue and white uniform of the police when a metal container appeared in front of his HUD screen.

Suddenly, all their vision despite their helmets and visors was blinded.

"Kill the bastards!" A voice shouted and the rebels were suddenly under heavy fire from all sides.

Infantrymen despite their armour fell like flies, many dancing in the continuous barrage of bullets, ripping through their defences and meat.

The sergeant tried to rally the men but a well placed shot pierced his helmet and brains.

"To the sides!" The lieutenant had taken a several shots on his breastplate and shoulder with the latter bleeding.

He brought his carbine around and sprayed at one side where on the above floor were men in police gear and armed with assault rifles. The fire sent some of them down to cover but before he knew a heavy blow struck him from the side.

"Heavy troops!" One of the rebel soldiers shouted and the lieutenant saw a man in police armour and a visored helmet with a riot shield in one hand and a pistol in the other.

The pistol pointed at his face and fired.

Above them, a similar event occurred as the Fallon defenders reappeared and attacked the rebel troopers storming in.

The squad leaders had expected such random attacks and pulled themselves to cover and ready their grenades.

What they weren't ready for, was a spray of fire that rained down from above.

To the rebel infantry commander, a captain who was leading in the second Chalk of rangers and shock troopers into battle, it was like as if the defenders were pouring molten oil down a castle.

Using water cannons meant for riot control and arming them with petrol and lighting them with matches or other means, the improvised flamethrowers cooked the rebel soldiers in their own armour.

South-West

"Hold them!" The police commander shouted in the Gloucester as the shield wall protected them from the military forces' superior fire.

The reinforced shields even shrugged off a cannon fire! Kallen felt the saw blow just glancing off the commander's shield. He turned and brought his assault rifle and fired at the astonished military fool, blasting his head and chest.

The shield wall had stopped the entire assault and the Sutherlands were now being forced to take cover.

However, Kallen knew that the only reason why they managed to hold them was because they hadn't gotten the chance to throw chaos mines or use their cannons and sniper fire in concentration and that was due to the Knight of Two and her squad's constant raiding on the rebel forces.

Even now, Kallen in her red Glasgow led the charge.

The half-Britannian raised her machine's assault rifle and sprayed slugs into the flanks of two Sutherlands then swung her short axe into the face of the armoured soldier.

Behind her, the warriors astride their horses smashed into the ranks of Roman archers, breaking the hateful enemy apart with their weapons.

One soldier, an officer with a halberd swung at her but the Pit warrior swung her horse aside where the blade missed her by inches. She then drew one of her daggers and leapt on the armoured soldier's back and buried it in...the Gloucester's back.

The blade pierced through the cockpit, killing the pilot.

"Well done!" Waltfeld shouted to her. Kallen shook herself at the sudden change of vision.

What was that? Kallen paused for a few seconds and observed the battle where see saw the slaughter of the heavy troops. The Sutherlands with their heavy equipment struggled hard against their attackers who were armed with lighter weapons.

For a few seconds, the knightmares had turned to armoured soldiers armed with swords and bows.

Shaking her head, Kallen rejoined the fray.

She withdrew her dagger and switched back to her assault rifle entering a new clip.

"We need to fall back and recharge." They had sortie several times and knew that they needed to replenish their power. Thankfully, after Arthur's Gejun disturber had disabled the bulk of the enemy knightmare force, those machines that had gone pass their lines are now being salvaged by the infantrymen. The pilots would be thrown to the town jail and their machines to be brought out of the Gejun disturber's range for their own use, including their energy cells.

Kallen signalled Waltfeld who acknowledged and led his men back while she covered their rear.

The red Glasgow fired a few bursts then launched her slash harken at one squad then followed the rest.

Then a Sutherland broke through a building and swung his stun tonfa at her. Kallen, knowing that she could not dodge the blow she closed in and crossed her arms to block the tonfa arm then quickly switched her grip and threw the purple machine in a judo throw.

She even heard the unfortunate pilot scream in horror and shock as the machine fell in a metallic crush.

A second Sutherland joined him this one with a lance. The silver spear came aiming towards her chest but the Black knight commander slide pass the thrust then used the lung's momentum to take the weapon for herself and drove the lance back into the owner's own chest.

"Q-1, angle your slash harkens 45 degrees your right!" Lelouch's voice roared.

Kallen did not hesitate and did as she was told. She launched them both and they struck just above of a window on the fourth floor.

"Turn left and get out of there!"

She did and Kallen saw on her rear camera, two full squads of Sutherlands and Gloucesters after her when her slash harkens as if pulling a piece from a game of Jenga caused the entire building to collapse on those squads.

"Thanks." Kallen told him. "How are you holding up?"

"The first wave is gone. But reinforcements are coming!" She heard gunfire in the background and screams of men in pain.

"Do you need me there?" She asked.

"Negative. You need to reinforce the north. The survivors are trying to make their way through. Waltfeld and his men will stay with the wall. You need to prevent them from bring anything heavy to our units there."

"Understood."

The battle was like and unlike that of Shinjuku. They were just as outnumbered like back then despite their slightly larger number and weapons. But then again, the Britannian forces had not been this large or this determined.

And of course, the other unpredictable factor of the battle...Back then it had been the white knight in the form of the Lancelot. Now it was a bunch of white knights in the Lancelot's inferior but no less deadly cousins.

A Fallon defender screamed as a burst of rounds pierced through his body. A rebel trooper lobbed a grenade into a window where it exploded with several shouts of pain. A second trooper rushed out with his gun blazing, taking out several defenders and rolled over to fallen debris for cover as the counter fire roared back.

The soldier used his HUD to measure the debris then readied his grenade and as he went to cover, a sniper round struck his helmet and brain.

Valois sighed in relief as the grenade rolled away from the defenders and exploded.

Despite the surprise and position that the Fallon forces held, the superior training and equipment of the rebel army was beginning to tell.

And even now, several rebel APCs were beginning to enter the area just away from Gejun Disturber field and emptying their cargos of fresh rebel troopers.

And worse were the constant artillery strikes that pounded hard on the defenders' position.

Fallon was in ruins and for Valois to see her home town in such state filled her with righteous fury and gratitude to Arthur and Kallen. She felt guilty over her initial impression of the two.

"Here they come again!" The police captain shouted over her radio and took down a rebel trooper.

The rebels, seeing the futility of their frontal assaults now switched to heavier weapons. Most of them took cover and concentrate their fire on the defenders while others with grenades and rocket launchers began to arrive.

One particular squad moved with a speed and professionalism that only veterans would have. Several of their members took position on the ground floor of one of the buildings while the rest went upstairs and blasted a hole in the wall of fourth floor allowing them to plant a heavy machine gun position.

The Fallon defenders began to panic and concentrated their fire on the position only to receive several rockets landing on them. Under the fire, the machine gun was quickly set up and poured lead on the defenders.

Under the cover of that barrage, many of the troopers renew their offensive. Valois saw the machine gun position and aimed and took down the main gunner but even as she aimed for the soldier's replacement, a round struck her helmet.

"Snipers!" One of the defenders roared as she too took cover.

Valois activated her radio. "Arthur! We're getting swarmed over here!"

He did not reply but Valois heard his voice below her and saw more defenders joining the battle.

"Valois, pull out!" Kallen's voice shouted. And she saw a rebel trooper aiming a rocket launcher right at her.

The police captain could not bring her rifle in time to fire and she thought that she had died. Then she saw the trooper's weapon suddenly exploded in his face.

Valois blinked and saw a series of bullet striking the trooper.

Kallen arrived at her side.

"Are you alright?" The red haired woman asked as she checked Valois's wound.

"I'm fine." Valois was still stunned at her luck.

"It was Arthur's handy work." Kallen told her and the other woman just stared at her.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

The red haired woman grabbed a fallen rifle and fired. "Waiting for my knightmare to be repaired." She took down several troopers. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Taking out gun position would be nice." Valois pointed at the machine gun position in the far building.

Kallen looked at it then nodded. "Done."

With almost superhuman speed, the red haired woman ran off. She ran upstairs and for a few moments Valois thought the Black knight was going to snipe them from above when she saw Kallen again running over the roofs.

"What in the name of..." Valois saw the Knight of Two running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop as if she was a knightmare herself.

There were rebel troopers on the roofs on the attackers' side and they turned startled to see the red haired woman in police uniform charging at them and firing as she did.

Kallen let her instincts guide her. She turned her rifle around to any moving target, locking each into her scope and pressed the trigger again and again. And each time was a burst of three to four rounds piercing through armour and flesh.

She fired and fired again as she ran across and by the time Kallen neared the machine gun position her rifle clicked.

A rebel trooper turned his carbine at her but the Japanese-Britannian woman tossed the empty thing at him and emptied two pistol rounds into his helmet. She turned her pistol on the few defenders and upon reaching the building she jumped over.

Valois watched in awe as Kallen landed behind the gun crew and emptied the rest of her pistol in its members.

There was a shout of triumph and the defenders surged forward against advancing enemy.

"Kallen, pull back!" Arthur's voice came into her ear piece. "You need to get back to your knightmare! Our gunships led their air force on a good chase but they're all dead now."

"You have a plan against them?"

"Lead them to Sector 6."

Kallen checked the position on her wrist watch, even as she covered her position for the defenders to take her place.

"Roger." She nodded to a visored defender and headed back.

At the shield wall, the situation too was beginning to look grim as the rebel forces were now just throwing chaos mines at them forcing the Knight Police frames to pull back or risk engaging them head on.

And then the flights of aerial knightmares arrived shafting their positions with fire from the skies. Worse some of those knightmares were the advance Vincent Wards and some with their blood red MVS blades swept over them like eagles over snakes.

One of the Wards dove down with the MVS blade and thrust at a shield wielding Knight Police. The blade pierced through the shield and through its owner as well.

With the wall weakened, the Sutherlands and Gloucesters charged forward with their lances.

Waltfeld, rallied his squad and move in to strengthen the line knowing that they stood little chance against the combine air and land assault.

Kallen arrived just in time to see the onslaught and quickly threw her red Glasgow on a building and signalled others to follow her example.

Using their higher position, they open up on the next wave of air knightmares. They succeeded in taking down the wave, Vincent Wards and Sutherlands fell down being filled with bullet holes.

However, it caught the attention of the other flights and they turned on them.

"Scatter! You know where to go!"

To Kallen it felt like the time, the resistance group was being chased by gunships. Volleys of bullets filled the air. A Knight Police frame was struck down: a burst struck one landspinner sending the machine falling off the building.

Kallen turned around to fire a burst at a Sutherland taking it down. In her red Glasgow, she was easily recognisable as a main threat by now and she had at least seven machines tailing her while others had a few behind them.

She prayed hard that the knightmare pilots wouldn't turn back to the shield wall and every time they seem to do so, she turn and fire. A round struck her torso but it was just a scratch. This had to work.

Now. She reached it.

"Arthur!" She shouted.

He seemed to be following her progress because his reply was instant.

"NOW!" Like a swarm of bees, flights of plane shaped figures appeared from the windows. Armed with explosives, they headed to the aerial knightmares in suicide runs.

Kallen initially thought they'd use them for air cover but since their performance was pale in comparison to a knightmare and their armament so weak, Arthur decided to try something else. At this close range, the rebel air force could not pull out in time as the drones ran into them exploding. They found less than thirty drones but it was enough against the dozen of air knightmares.

It was true that they might be of better use against infantry but taking out the air force was the main concern.

The blasts startled the rebel forces and Kallen and the rest turned on the survivors with their rifles.

"That's the bulk of them!" Kallen breathed in but some remained and she saw that they were ignoring them.

At first she thought they'd head to the shield wall where a grim close quarter battle between the Knight Police and the Sutherlands was taking place.

Instead, they headed to the infantry battle. And Kallen also realised that all of them were Wards.

Knowing what they were planning, Kallen decided to take the risk.

She jumped across buildings to reach the flight's flank.

Aiming her rifle, Kallen began to fire at the Wards. She missed most of the shots, striking only one but it caught their attention.

"Dante!" Kallen shouted at their leader, a Vincent Commander. She was not sure if it was him but he pulled to a halt and signalled a Ward who then fired his slash harkens to take her out.

Big mistake. The Black knight had no idea if she could do this in a Glasgow but she did it anyway. It seemed as if she was going to dodge the harken but instead she jumped on top of it and used her landspinners to move towards her target.

The Vincent recoiled reflecting the pilot's shock. Kallen tossed her rifle away and drew both her Knight Police machine pistols. She fired not at the Vincent but at his companions, aiming at the Float Systems. Fortunately for her they seemed to have regarded that they were in no major threat and moved in close formation.

She sprayed wide with her machine pistols, aiming for their Float Systems. The aerial knightmares recoiled from the gun fire, sending them dropping from the skies.

By the time several knightmares had been downed, Kallen was closing on the Vincent Commander who was too stunned to react to her.

Taking advantage of it, she jumped and slammed a foot on the machine's Float System and forgetting that she was several stories in the air, leapt again this time on a hapless Vincent Ward.

Throwing one pistol away, she drew one of knife and thrust the blade into the think area of the Ward's cockpit to kill the pilot.

The purple machine shivered as the Float System was only build to carry a single knightmare and they descended to the ground. The red Glasgow ignored that and turned her remaining pistol on the remaining knightmares still in air and turned to fire a burst at their commander. A few shots struck the Float System that send smoke out the Lancelot's cousin back.

Seeing that her task on this air group was done, she leaned towards the nearest building so that the falling machine will move to that direction and jumped to its roof and landed gracefully.

No sooner than she did, her machine's energy screamed a warning no doubt due to her intense demand on the 5th Generation knightmare. Kallen herself could scarcely believe what she had done. If it had been the Guren it would not had been so hard. Her old crimson comrade was both faster and stronger than the others.

Of course, the Glasgow was much easier to operate compared to the other machine. Still what she did was not without risks especially against machines that were generations apart.

Regardless she did her duty and if her pounding heart and heavy breathing was not proof enough, it would be the cheers that erupted from the Fallon defenders.

Everyone in the town would have likely saw the action and now they cheered for her as Kallen turned to look.

The rebel knightmares especially those in the area suddenly lose heart.

"Huzzah, for the lady!" Waltfeld's voice roared as the Gloucester charged at a fallen Ward smashing the machine back to the ground with his lance then buried its point in its chest.

Knight Police now went on the offensive, taking the fight to the rebel army, smashing their shields and thrusting their combat knives into the ranks of Sutherlands and Gloucesters.

"Well, done Q-1." Lelouch's voice returned. "Pull back and refill your energy cell quickly. That was one hell of a fight. Glad to see your Japanese spirit is still alive after so much Britannian flop."

Kallen was too tired to respond with a sharp comment and replied with a simple roger but she was happy all together.

She watched the remaining battle where the Knight Police battled the enemy, firing random positions and blasting the air as well as random explosions and she knew that Lelouch had a hand in it.

North-East

The defenders managed to halt he assault. The destruction of their main air support seemed to have broken their spirit.

However, a desperate infantry commander was determined not to be humiliated by what the rebels deemed as impure and unworthy. He ordered all infantry reserves they had and throw them against the defenders.

This time however, he led the charge himself driving the APC in. Unfortunately for the defenders, the APCs were not powered by Sakuradite and hence the Gejun Disrupter was useless to them and with police weapons it seemed that the Fallon defenders had nothing to stop them with.

It was not without risks as the destruction of at least four APCs along the road would serve only to trouble the rebels as they'd block the way and give the defenders another barrier in which to defend.

So the rebel commander decided to launch a combine assault with both elements.

"Attack!" The APCs and infantrymen charged at the Fallon ranks head on ignoring their losses. The waves of infantrymen and armoured carriers smashed into the first ranks.

Valois saw the attack and knew they were in trouble.

"Fight on!" She shouted, wondering how they would counter this new assault. Their heavy barrage slowed the infantry assault but the APCs continued their charge, shrugging the small arm fire as if rain.

Then suddenly the lead APC's head exploded, followed by a series of small explosions. She was wondering where the attack was coming from when she saw a group of Fallon defenders in full armour wielding grenade launchers. But the shells were melting their armour.

"Where did they get thos..." Then she realised it.

Arthur had gathered the knightmare's sabot rounds and redistributed them to the infantry where they used the rounds on their grenade launchers which was normally used for firing tear gas grenades.

"This guy..." Valois shook her head in amusement. "All right, everyone! Provide cover for those boys! Don't let the bastards get a single scratch on them!" She took aim with her sniper rifle and fired at an infantryman firing on the grenadiers.

The attack destroyed the first two APCs in a line and the others began to withdraw knowing that they would end up blocking their own way to the attack.

However, the way to the underground was now back in rebel hands and more infantrymen stormed in for another assault on the Disturber.

Then suddenly, one APC smashed its way through the bodies of its knock out comrades. It took the grenade blasts without giving an inch and ran over both rebel and defender alike. It headed right towards the barricade.

"STOP THAT BASTARD!" Valois screamed but despite the fire it continued and at this rate it would serve as a mobile bomb into the defenders' ranks. And then it happened. From out of nowhere a huge police motorcycle suddenly appeared in the air in full speed. On it was a blue haired youth dressed in the police uniform.

"Rivalz!?" Arthur's voice suddenly shouted from somewhere. "NO!"

Valois realised the youth was going for a suicide run on the burning APC.

He landed on the ground and drove towards the charging vehicle in full speed.

"For...Nuna...Empre...Ah screw this! AHHHHHHH!" Valois saw a figure in full police armour with a red sash, running across the side vainly. It was Arthur.

Rivalz continued dodging debris and dead bodies along the road his skilled driving skills allowed him to avoid them easily.

Just before he reached the APC, he pulled the brakes and leapt off it. The speeding bike smashed into the APC to deliver the final blow finally destroying the damn thing. The remaining pieces reached the barricade at the speed but it did little harm.

The former student council president bounced several times as he landed on the sidewalk. Rivalz screamed as he felt a crack in one of his arms.

A heavy boot suddenly kicked him across sending his rolling and on his back.

"DAMN YOU!" An electronic voice suddenly snarled and stepped on his stomach, knocking all the air out of his stomach.

"You're going to pay for that!" The rebel said and aimed his pistol when there was a shout and the officer turned to see the police and other defenders charging out from the barricade. Many of the police had little ammunition left so they fired the remaining rounds in their guns then charged in for close quarters.

A police officer in full riot gear drew out an extendable baton and smashed it across an infantryman's face breaking the visor and his nose. Another ran into a soldier with his riot shield then brought the shield's edge down hard on his unprotected throat.

The rebel commander seeing that they had little other choice of action signalled to pushed on, to meet the attack. Some officers and men drew short sabres and combat knives but others were content to fire point blank range.

The officer remembered the worm he had and was about to pressed the trigger when he felt a shadow over him and turned to see an armoured figure with a red sash on his waist leaping forward and died as the man's sword cut through him.

Kallen had quickly replaced her power cells and rejoined the battle. By now, the reserves on both sides were being thrown in.

"They're breaking through!" A Knight Policeman shouted, as the rebel forces were literally throwing every chaos mine they possessed. The wall had broken and Gloucesters charged into the individual knightmares skewering them with their lances.

"Hold the line!" Kallen shouted as she fired her rifle at some of those Gloucesters. Waltfeld's squad was already plunging the gap but as they did more and more forces were coming from the sides and this time they did not hesitate to use their heavy weapons.

And the artillery barrages were becoming more intense sometimes they hit their own side as well.

"Kallen! Milly here! Those shots have caused cave ins here in the tunnels. Unless, you win up there we're trapped!"

The Black knight cursed. This was not looking good. Many of their knightmares are destroyed and now even the Sutherlands that had been disabled by the Gejun Disturbers and commandeered and sent out to the knightmare zones. They had managed to get at least a dozen that had gotten too close to their lines but the most of them had been recovered by the rebel infantry and once they manage to destroy the disturber the rebels would swarm over them like ants over a beetle.

Kallen was thinking of a reply when she heard a voice. It was coming by radio and to all channels.

"Greetings, People of Britannia, I, Nunnally vi Britannia, Empress of Britannia would be grateful to have your attention for the next few minutes."

"Nunnally?" Arthur seemed to have grasped it too as she heard someone broadcasting the message through the entire town.

Imperial Palace, New Pendragon

"This message is for everyone who have called and pledge this great nation its allegiance, regardless of your nationality, your blood or your status."

Nunnally faced the population of Pendragon and with the cameras the whole Empire. Suzaku stood by her right with General Alexandros while Guilford and Claudio Dalton stood on her left.

"I did not ask to be on this throne. It was given to me through blood. I had lost my entire family to darkness. Even my dearest kin." Her voice quivered at the mention of her brother. The Japanese knight gave her a squeeze of encouragement on her hand below the balcony.

"But here I am. And I am determined to see to rebuilding our torn world."

"Some of you believe that I am destroying Britannia in my new policies. It was against the warrior culture that of our great nation was built on."

The Knight Police commander charged into a Sutherland with a shield, knocking off balance. More Knight Police joined in the assault firing their machine pistols with their shields locked. A rebel Gloucester charged into the line with his lance lowered and swung it at the shields to break the wall but two pairs of slash harkens fired out behind the wall, knocking its head and arms off.

"Why choose peace and coexistence? Why ally ourselves with these lesser beings? Our mortal enemies?"

Some rebel soldiers however stopped firing to listen to her.

"After all, it was only when the Home Islands fell to Napoleon did the true potential of the Britannia appeared. That is what many say on those sides. If that is the view, then it seems that, yes, I am bringing Britannia to ruin."

She paused, closing her eyes sadly.

"But, I will ask this question to each and every one of you now: Is this the same world? Is this the same world that the Tudors had built from the British Isles?"

Kallen was firing at some of the rebel forces, taking down several knightmares when suddenly some of the enemy stopped firing.

"Are we the same people that fought during those revolutions, against tyranny? My father and many before him believed in the Survival of the Fittest. And we have seen the results of it."

Rivalz watched as Arthur turned about and hacked a rebel soldier then thrust his sword into the second soldier chest. The red knight then pulled Rivalz up from the ground and carried him to shelter.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" He asked angrily.

"Trying to act cool?" The blue haired youth gave him a weak smile in the mist of the pain.

Arthur didn't know whether to laugh or be angry at that.

"Britannia had become great, indeed. But is that all we are? Is that all we are capable of? Are we like the animals as St. Darwin summarized doomed to be in the cycle of kill or be killed and evolve stronger from it? Is this the only way to evolve?"

Waltfeld swung his lance to block the rebel's thrust then shove the other Gloucester back. He counter-thrust, then swung the pommel then thrust again. The rebel parried the latest attack and launched his slash harkens at police chief who deflected both with his lance then swung the golden weapon again but lowered it as it came sweep the rebel off his feet.

Spinning his weapon, Waltfeld delivered the coup de grace and thrust down.

"So you want to know the answer? Is there any other way? I don't need to tell you the answer. I merely ask you to look at the events that had occurred after the Zero's return."

Valois fired her last shot with her sniper rifle before tossing the useless weapon away and drawing both her revolvers and joined in the fray. She saw Arthur dancing around with the sabre and pistol, cutting and shooting his way into the grey ranks.

She fought her way towards him. A rebel soldier fired at her but she was quick and emptied two rounds into his helmet. Another got too close for comfort and Valois threw a kick into the soldier's chest then emptied another round in his face.

"United together, Britannian, Europeans, Asians, Africans, Numbers, Nobles and Commoners, Purebloods and new bloods, we had rebuild half of what was destroyed in less than a year."

Arthur in his armour and red sash around his waist seemed wielding a sword seemed like one of those warrior from the legends. Now he was facing a group of rebels who charged at him. He was holding his pistol by the barrel and smashed the black and gold weapon into the soldier's face stunning him then brought his sword around to cut him down. The Red Knight then swung his sword again cutting a rebel across his chest then smashed his pistol to send the man back down.

By the time she reached him, he spanned his pistol back by the handle and was firing at some rebels in the distance.

"Impressive." Valois commented as she added her weapons into the barrage. "You weren't kidding when you said you were a knight."

Arthur made what seemed like a scoff under the visor. "You're not bad yourself. Rather fight beside you than against you."

The police captain laughed. "Not too long. I don't want to be a cause for competition."

The red knight gave her a glance of confusion before returning fire.

"That is what we can do. That is what we are capable of! That is what awaits us! We're rebuilding a new world! This world has had enough of its blood. Blood can spill again another century but not now. And together we are stronger than ever. Compassion, friendship, kinship versus Ruthlessness, hatred, betrayal which one I ask you. Which one has given you more? This is the future I envision."

A rebel Gloucester suddenly swung his lance between two Knight Police shields, sending both flying back then signalling its Sutherland companions breached in with their stun tonfas. As the Gloucester turned, it faced a charging red Glasgow which leapt and slammed a kick square in its chest. The blow sent the purple machine crashing into the ground.

Kallen then fired both her slash harkens into the next two Sutherlands then banked right to climb between the buildings with her landspinners even as she fired down with her rifle.

"Even as now I fight this civil war, I do not fight it with hatred, I and those of my knights and those who champion me fight with compassion and honour for those who cannot fight. You may argue that our persistence is what will get our people killed."

Suddenly, the ground shook slightly away from the fighting. Then as if a volcano had erupted, the floor exploded. From the smoke, several white and gold Vincent Wards and Gloucesters with plums in on their heads leapt out from the ground.

Their green cloaks bellowed as the knights waited for their commander who in the heavily customised Vincent Commander appeared.

"NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OUT OF ST. DARWIN! NO ONE!"

The Knight-Captain's machine's eyes glowed green.

"Slay them! KILL THEM ALL! IN THE MEMORY OF EMERPOR CHARLES!"

The knights charged.

"But your world will harm those who cannot fight those hapless as I once been! Well, if that is something to be trapped in forever then I will prove you wrong!" With that she suddenly tried to stand.

"Majesty!" Zero and the other commanders rushed forward to help but she raised a hand to stop them.

She struggled to stand up then fell. The crowds gasped as her guards try to help her but Nunnally waved them off.

"Leave me!" She said in her commanding voice. The Britannian Empress then continued her attempt slowly. The crowds watched with a mix of awe, fear and sympathy at her. She grabbed hold of the balcony first then stood. She tested her strength then let go.

For a second it looked as if she would fall again but she stood firm, standing proud.

"People say I am a cripple...that I could never stand again..." The crowds cheered for her at that.

"So I ask you now! Fight with honour! Fight with compassion! Fight for the Future! For Britannia!"

Arthur raised his sword. "FOR BRITANNIA! FOR THE EMPRESS!"

The Fallon defenders picked up the cry and continued the battle with renewed fury.

Many rebel soldiers looked confused and fell to the onslaught. Some surrendered when the police forces reached them.

On Kallen's front, an entire squad of Sutherlands surrendered.

"We yield to the Empress." Their commander replied, dropping their weapons.

Their surrender caused a chain reaction with many more lowering their weapons. Others however, of course fought on. They were soldiers. They picked up the sword and would die by the sword.

Before Kallen could give a reply to the surrendering troops, figures in green, white and gold suddenly appeared.

Vincent Wards and Gloucesters swept pass them skewering and slashing everything in their way.

Two Wards jumped from a building then zooming pass the shield wall in their high speed. Wielding their MVS double lances and assault rifles, they broke the line with ease. A Knight Police locked his shield and fired at one Ward but the knight was too fast and dodged all the bullets with ease and leapt behind another Knight Police firing his rifle as he went pass from behind.

A second Ward lunged at the first Knight Police swinging his crimson blade. The Police blocked with his shield but knight reverse swing his blade and knocked the shield aside then thrust the blade into his chest.

The Knight Gloucesters followed the Wards thrusting their golden lances at anything in their way.

"Kill them all!" One gold and white Gloucester thrust his lance at such a speed that it pierced one Knight Police through the shield and body with one go.

"Fall back!" Waltfeld shouted, even as he clashed with another Gloucester.

A squad of commandeered Sutherlands moved in to cover their retreat when a lithe figure suddenly jumped out of nowhere firing his rifle into the leading machine as it did.

It landed behind the bullet ridden Sutherland just when it exploded. The explosion caused the machine's green cloak to dance in the impact and revealed it as the Knight Commander's customised Vincent.

The squad recovered and open fired but the Vincent pulled out his double bladed lance and charged, fixing the blades as he did.

Despite their courage, they were completely outclassed by the Lancelot's cousin and Sir Guillemain dodged the gun fire at ease throwing himself into the squad and ripped them to shreds in a whirling blade storm.

He severed the first one in half with a single stroke and continued the swing to cut the rifle of the second one even as he used the rear blade to thrust into a third. The knight captain brought the blade back out to give an upper handed swing on the next one, cutting it diagonally across the body.

The last Sutherland retreated as it fired but Guillemain was not in the mood for mercy. The impure scum launched both his slash harkens at the last minute but the knight officer caught them both with his blades and used his needle blazer and punched a hole into the machine's chest.

"All Wards to the North-East! Destroy the Disturber! The rest of you push these insolent animals back!"

The knights roared in acknowledgement.

It had looked so simple. This impossible battle had looked as if it was actually going to be won. The rebel troops had been on the verge of being broken. The air support broken to a handful of knightmares flying about like flies. The shield walls had held. The infantry barricade too as well despite all odds.

Then the Knights reappeared and threw a monkey's wrench into all their plans.

Like the way how Suzaku leapt in with the Lancelot. It was exactly like Shinjuku. And that was where the white knight almost killed Lelouch and it was only her timely intervention that managed to save him.

At the time, she had tried to stop the white monstrosity in an old Glasgow with a single slash harken and a single arm.

And now Kallen was here in another old Glasgow and faced a dozen rampaging Knights in highly advance machines.

The former Black knight watched the white and green figures smashing through their lines. For a moment, she stood in despair. How was she going to stop a dozen Lancelots with a...

Kallen shook her head as if to clear those thoughts physically. She had been Lelouch's best soldier above all. And she would face any odds for him.

She readied her knightmare then leapt into the fray.

The Knights had smashed through the defensive lines and the bulk of the knightmare force. The Wards passed their command centre leaving the remaining defenders to their Gloucesters.

These machines had been shielded from the Disturber so the knight commander was going to smashed it first then rally those remaining knightmares and take the city.

The Wards had appeared behind the infantrymen even as the rebel troopers had retreated. The Knights of St. Darwin fired indiscriminately, shooting, hacking and running over men on both sides.

It looked as if the knights would simply just go in and destroy the Disturber when the white and green machines came under fire.

"Concentrate all fire on them!" Arthur shouted out.

They took all the grenade launchers and rockets that the rebel infantry had left behind and turned them on the knights.

A few Wards were taken down by a concentration of sabot rounds. However, the knight commander in the customised Vincent entered and physically cutting through the fire teams with his MVS leaving severed bodies and limbs on the walls.

"Gnats!" Sir Guillemain cursed as he stepped to a policeman. "Nothing but gnats!"

The Vincent activated his needle blazer and then slammed it right on the ground allowing him to enter the tunnel hosting the Gejun Disturber.

"Ingenious! I'll give you that! But it has all been for naught. It will be as St. Darwin dedicated." The Knight Captain faced a hail of bullet fire from the last defenders. He pulled his MVS blade back and gave a broad swing, cutting the Disturber and the men defending it in a single blow.

"The Disturber is gone! Take the city!" Lambert's voice roared.

At once, all the Sutherlands and Gloucesters that had been sitting around the entire battle came back to life.

"NO!" Kallen shouted. I'm too late. She saw the purple machine suddenly moving again.

"This is Arthur Peregrine! All forces move and engage the enemy on the barricade. I repeat, all forces move to the barricade."

She saw on her IFF screen that all remaining troops on the battlefield were moving to the infantry barricade. It was littered with human bodies and now robotic ones will join them.

Kallen saw one knight spraying his rifle into several squads of Fallon police. The white and gold Ward was switching his aim when Kallen slammed into him. Aware of the technological differences between the two, she attacked again relentlessly. She threw in punch after punch at the Ward aiming at the cockpit to imbalance the pilot inside.

She grabbed the knight's head and smashed her knee into his face then launched both her slash harkens at point blank range.

The harkens took his right arm and left leg, sending the machine off its feet.

Kallen had just taken him down when a second knight leapt in and swung his sword at her. This one wore a blue plum on his head and wielding a Lancelot-style long sword like the Gloucesters. He thrust at her and slashed again each blow Kallen just being able to avoid them.

A third knight joined in this one with the more traditional MVS double bladed lance. This one launched his slash harkens at her first. She dodged the first one but the second gave her a glancing hit along the arm that sent her back. The blue plum swung his sword again then kicked her in the groin with such a force that her systems momentarily flared a warning.

She recovered herself and faced the knights who readied their swords at her. Kallen activated both her daggers and readied herself in combat stance.

The knights charged at her. The swordsman swung first which she dodged then she parried the lancer's swing. They punched and kicked at her but Kallen's red Glasgow reacted to her commands as if it was her own body and avoided them.

Then both knights brought their blades together, one from the side and the other from above. In her Glasgow's speed she wouldn't have made it so she went down on one knee and launched both her slash harkens to the ground as she jumped back giving her the momentum and power to avoid them both.

The move startled the two and it gave her the time to attack. She charged back into them and hurled one of her knives into the lancer's chest then physically slammed herself into his companion.

The bash sent the blue plum knight off his feet and Kallen slammed her remaining dagger into the joint between his chest and torso, right where the Sakuradite was.

Pulling the blade back out, Kallen turned and send one leg out to sweep the other knight then pushed the impaled knife deeper into his chest.

Even if her machine was till powered, those movements had took its toll on her body. The Glasgow was not made from the same calibre of her beloved Guren in terms of performance so she had to move with greater effort and it tired her.

She saw a few more knights heading towards her. One lowered his lance and charged and Kallen was not sure if she could avoid the blow.

Before the golden lance could reach her, a white and blue shape appeared and slammed the Gloucester against the wall. The Knight Police pulled back and smashed his shield against the knight again.

More Knight Police joined in and was even joined by Sutherlands and Gloucester; these were blue- white and wore the red cloaks of the town's defender.

"Get these knights out of my town!" Waltfeld's voice shouted.

"Push them back!" Arthur's voice came. A black and gold Gloucester with red shoulder guards joined in followed by two more Gloucesters.

The ebony machine thrust his lance into a St. Darwin Ward's chest then pulled it out to parry a sword swing.

"My lady, are you alright?" Two Knight Police arrived at her side.

"I'm fine! Go! Join the attack!" Kallen took one of the fallen knight's swords and leapt into the fight.

Arthur shoved his opponent then buried the point of his lance into him. He knew that the debris was not going to hold those knights forever but he had hoped to defeat the main rebel force before they break free.

So he was forced to release his last reserve for knightmares most of the defenders' Gloucesters.

With the Gloucesters, the slaughter had turned into a grim struggle but the rebel forces were still holding the upper hand.

The main problem was the St. Darwin knights. For every knight they kill, they'd lose three and if it goes the rebel army would swarm over them even after all the knights were killed.

So Arthur needed to face their commander. Sir Guillemain was a notorious zealot to Emperor Charles but he was also known for his pride as a knight. If he could force the knight captain to face him in a formal duel, then it would prevent the other knights from facing Kallen and the others.

After all, it was punishable by death to interfere with a knight's duel in old Britannia. They'd even disobey Lambert's orders to do it. He had to gamble on the knight captain's ego and his knights' urge to see their commander duel rather than to do their own killing.

So Arthur looked around for the knight commander and found him facing two Gloucesters and three Knight Police. The latter two were down already. Guillemain parried a lance thrust from one of them even as he slammed a kick into a Knight Police and then turned about to behead both of them with a single swing.

"You'll pay for that, you damn bastard!" Waltfeld's voice suddenly roared and the blue and white Gloucester charged in with his lance lowered and holding a shield on the other arm.

The knight captain laughed and tossed his double bladed lance away. Waltfeld sped up and close in but Guillemain was too fast. The Vincent side stepped the thrust and moved away. The gold and white machine returned and used the momentum to throw a powerful kick into his shield.

The blow sent the police chief sprawling on the ground. The knight commander closed in and slammed his needle blazer down on the shield.

The energy blast pierced through the shield and into Waltfeld himself.

"GUILLEMAIN!" Arthur shouted, not sure whether his rage was for Waltfeld's death or his disgust for the ruthless knight. He threw his lance at the knight commander's feet.

I have to make this look formal and stylish. "I, Sir Arthur, Knight of Britannia and of House Peregrine challenge you to a single combat!" He slapped one hand at his crimson cloak to add to the theatrics.

The other knight looked at him as if he could not believe his eyes and for a moment, Arthur that the zealot would refuse when he heard a deep laugh.

"So you're the infamous Red Knight." The knight captain's voice returned. "Though your armour seems more black than red. I have heard of you."

Guillemain waved his fellow knights down. "It was said that you led the victory at New England and again at Richmond. And that you were the Demon Emperor's reincarnation. Ha! If you are than I as a holy knight, shall have to smite you in St. Darwin's name! Very well, I accept your challenge. Since my knightmare has the technological advantage, I shall allow you to state the rules of combat."

"Single weapon set only and without landspinners." Arthur disabled his landspinners and stood on his two feet. Without the landspinners, however that mobility would be seriously compromised especially to Arthur's fighting style. However, it would also take away the Vincent's superior mobility.

The battle would solely rely on the pilot's skills with the weapons and fighting prowess.

"HA! HAHA! Fighting on your own two feet huh? Good! I like it!" Guillemain did the same. "Weapon?"

"Long sword and shield." Arthur grabbed a fallen Knight Police's riot shield.

"Very well. Lieutenant, give him your sword!" One of the Vincent Wards unsheathed his long sword and tossed it to Arthur. He caught it and brandished the weapon as the blade turned deep red.

"These will be mine!" The Knight of St. Darwin picked up his double bladed lance and took a second long sword from his men.

It looked like a strange and clumsy weapon set but Arthur knew better than to doubt this man. He was dealing with one of the Empire's best fighters even if they were in the same machine.

"Arthur, what the hell are you doing?" Kallen's voice came from a secured channel.

"Giving you time to deal with the rebel army. I'll keep these idiots busy. They can wipe us all out by themselves and they know it that's why they're accepting this. Use this time to fight the rebel army off, if I win these knights might even yield. If I don't, you'll have time to get the civilians out."

"Let me fight him." She insisted.

"No. You're the best chance these people have. You need to face the rebel army. Go help them. These events have convinced me that what you've said is true. You've gain my trust. So please, I ask you, Kallen. For what Lelouch died for, lead these people!"

With those words, he closed the channel saw Guillemain whirling both his blades.

The Knight of St. Darwin leapt and Arthur swung his sword to meet him.

Phew! So long...Sorry for the cliff hanger. Haha realised that the battle needed to be extended to another chapter. Don't worry. I'll update quicker this time. ;)