Turn III: Second Coming.
(Federal Palace)
The Chinese had sent the massive garrison stationed in Fukuoka to the Palace once they heard of the attack, inside it one Gun Ru was shouting part of the civilian staff which were unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, he continued its pursuit until Suzaku came crashing through the wall and impaling the Gun Ru with his sword.
"You don't like it when you attack somebody and they fight back…don't you?" Suzaku said and he slashed his word destroying the Gun Ru
"Well Done Suzaku. Head to the 21st floor now" Lelouch ordered viewing the palaces tactical radar screen.
"Seal of the stairway Bradley" Lelouch ordered and a squad Of Gun Ru's was destroyed by the rubble
"Kewell, aim to your left 30 degrees" He ordered and Kewell ambushed and destroyed four enemy frames.
"Jeremiah, advance 50 meters and fire at the ceiling" Lelouch ordered and what was left of the first wave of enemy frames was destroyed.
(Chinese Fukuoka garrison Command pyramid)
" Lost contact with Colonel Tzu" one communications officer reported.
"Change the IFF codes!"
"That's the fifth time already!"
"Team four, annihilated!"
"Impossible. Who is commanding these terrorists?" one of the commanders said.
(Federal Palace)
"To think that Lelouch a week ago was in a coma and now we are storming the enemy's main command stronghold with only four battalions, most people would say I am crazy if they heard that…..but…the only difference between madness and genius is success and with Lelouch we have genius!" George said as he charged and slashed two enemy frames.
"Infantry! These are Sutherlands that the Chinese captured when they took Kyushu, Zero captured and now we will use them. Hurry and mount them. With Zero we will win! There will be a miracle!" Viletta said to her men.
"This is just the vanguard; if they use basic textbook tactics then they should now start to encircle the Palace…" Lelouch said with a smile and chuckle as he saw his men decimate the enemy, he also saw that Diethard transmission was working and riots had broken in every city in Kyushu, he would have liked to go to a window and open it to hear the riot which he was sure had started in Fukuoka, but he knew he had other responsibilities at the moment.
"Things appear to be going smoothly" a voice said behind him and C.C appeared, which startled Lelouch for a second, but only for a second.
"You don't seem too surprised to see me here boy!" C.C said with a smile.
"No, not really and if you are here you might as well make yourself useful, lieutenant Hagan!" Lelouch said and the officer entered.
"Sir" Hagan said and saluted his commander.
"I understand that Captain Perkins was killed just now, so this woman is your new Squat Captain, give her a Sutherland and C.C take the C4 that Hagan's team has and place it at the following locations" Lelouch said and gave her a map.
"Be careful this time, if you think yourself immortal you'll die when you least expect it" C.C said to him after Hagan left the room.
"Coming from an immortal which those words aren't so convincing." Lelouch jokingly replied at which C.C return the joke with a sincere smile and then left to do her part.
After a few minute of relative silence, a beep came on Lelouch communicator.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Sir, the enemy have now surrounded the Palace, from our reports I'd say at least eight knightmare and armored battalions!" one of the look outs replied.
"Guess it's time for checkmate then!" Lelouch replied with a smile since he knew that the bait have was reel him in.
(Fukuoka command Pyramid)
"The 4th Special Armored Division will now begin its descent! Show these pathetic terrorists the glory of the Chinese Federation." The commander said to his men.
"Shaw us she!" they all shouted in battle cry and began their assault, like a wave hitting a beach they flooded the Palace occupying the edges of the construction, but Lelouch forces were all inside and not on the edges so he had no casualties.
"The first wave has secured the ground floor; the second has parachuted on the roof and secured the top floor. According to our report these aren't just terrorists, but it seems that the enemy is composed out off Black knights from the original 42nd corps. They have no way out and if there are survivors then the third and fourth wave which has set up a perimeter around the Palace will catch them!" one officer said.
"So not only will we free our generals and Sawasaki, we will also avenge the shame which we suffered in this city weeks ago!" the commander said with a smile.
(Federal Palace)
"The enemy now believes that victory is his. All conditions are being cleared one at a time. All that's left is your part now, how much more time until you are done?" Lelouch asked C.C as he boarded the Colgrevance Shinkiro
"I'll be ready within ten minutes." C.C replied.
"Okay. Then we will be able to hold our positions." Lelouch replied.
Lelouch was smiling form satisfaction that his plan was going well when a transmission from one of the patrols was heard.
"This is company B2 , one enemy knightmare is….." his voice was cut off and only static remained.
"What's happening?" Lelouch asked concerned.
"No way, just now it was…." Another member of the company was lost.
"Is the enemy fighting without IFF?" Lelouch asked himself as she saw knightmare signal after knightmare signal show lost on his radar.
"Lelouch you should at least get out of here!" George said as he and Bradley along with Suzaku and Viletta and Jeremiah formed a defensive ring around him.
"It's a soldiers purpose to die for his lord after all!" Jeremiah replied with a serious tone in his voice.
"You're wrong! You are very wrong Jeremiah! A soldier's purpose is to follow his general and not die for him, I will lead you all to victory or share with you a tombstone" Lelouch replied which caught them off guard, since they did not want him to die.
"Commander Zero, this is squad 32 E, we have a visual on the enemy. Sir this is incredible, the enemy has some kind of golden Lancelot in their ranks….what it disappeared!...how'd it get here? Agh…." The squad leader said as he and his squad was destroyed.
"Disappeared? What does he mean by that?" Suzaku asked since the transmission was heard by all six Lancelots.
"The enemy has a new type of weapon which must give him some stealth capabilities, all units form a circle!" Lelouch said and all six frames complied.
"So we are going to be facing off against some kind of haunted demon frame huh? Sounds like a ball!" George said intending it as a joke, but there was a serious undertone of fear and dread in his voice.
"George." Lelouch said to him.
"Yes sir?" he replied.
"Shut up and focus!" Lelouch said.
"With pleasure sir." George said and he was grateful to have an order, it was the reason he joined the army, everything was orderly and organized unlike the chaos of civilian life.
Back with the remaining survivors of the reconnaissance squad, both fired their guns at the Vincent, he used its speed to dodge their fired, ran up on one of the walls, and destroyed one of the knightmares with a hip mounted slash harken, the remaining other frame fired at him, but the Vincent then charged him and destroyed him with its elbow energy pulse dispenser.
"C.C are you not done with your floor yet?" Lelouch said now panicked at the sheer monstrosity was coming their way.
"What are you getting so nervous for? You have five Lancelots with you" C.C calmly replied.
"If the enemy truly has some kind of stealth device, then we are dead….but if we keep a cool head then maybe…just maybe we have a change to survive" Lelouch said to himself, just then the Vincent came crashing through the wall.
"So this guy's the irregular?" Bradley said startled at this situation.
"Screw this! You are facing against my intelligence and Suzaku's and my lieutenant battle prowess, you actually thing you can win under these circumstances?" Lelouch thought to himself.
"Come on you poltergeist!" George said and he and Bradley charged it.
The Vincent the unsheathed it's twin blades and formed an x across its chest.
"To slow!" Bradley said and both he and George slashed it with their swords, only for the Vincent to disappear and reaper 30 meters away from them.
George's right arm was now cut off along with Bradley's'
"It teleported!...It bloody teleported!" Bradley said eyes wide in astonishment.
"It's as fast as lightning!" George said as astonished as Bradley.
"Impossible! It's not something physical that is causing that!...the enemy couldn't possibly!….." Lelouch said to himself as he realized that Geass was the power which they faced once more.
"All units activated chaff smoke!" he ordered and they all complied.
"Retreat to the rendezvous point, we cannot prevail here!" Lelouch said and they all complied seeing that they were outmatched.
Just then the Vincent appeared before them once more and it attacked Suzaku's frame, Suzaku with his battle skill blocked a strike form his right blade of the staff and stroke the left blade before the Vincent could attack a second time forcing it to retreat, the Vincent spun around and Suzaku's right leg, he blocked it with his sword and Suzaku pushed The Vincent's left sword tip over his head, the Vincent then tried to slash his head with its right sword tip, he then tried to slash at him with it's left tip, but Suzaku dodged it and blocked a blow from above with his sword.
The Vincent then spun around, and launched a barrage of attacks, he slashed at his head, Suzaku dodged, he slashed his left arm, right leg, right chest plate and left forearm, but Suzaku managed to block all of the, Suzaku then gave a vertical slash from above which cut the lance in two, he immediately went for a neck thrust, but the Vincent disappeared and reappeared from behind him ready to destroy him it was about to slash him when Kewell pushed him out of the way and was now pinned down by the Vincent's blade,
"Lord Kewell!" Suzaku said.
"Suzaku-kun, this is a thank you for what you did for me in Siberia" Kewell said thinking his end was now near, as he saw his energy filled becoming empty from exhaustion from fighting the Gun Ru's he prepared for death.
"Kewell eject now!" Lelouch ordered him suddenly and Kewell's military training kicked in and he complied, Lelouch then fired the chest energy cannon he had on Kewell's frame just a moment after he managed to eject , Kewell was saved , but as the smoke from the impact cleared they realized the Vincent was damaged but was very much intact.
"What the hell is that monster?" Jeremiah exclaimed.
Just then a radio transmission from C.C was received in which she said she finished her job.
"Took you long enough, and now.." Lelouch said as he looked at the Vincent. " Try to get out of this, you God damn road runner!" Lelouch said and he pressed the remote control which detonated the explosives which C.C had set up.
The smoke and shock wave from the blast gave Lelouch and those with him time to reach the rendezvous point.
The Chinese Fukuoka troops which were stationed entirely outside and within the Palace were either destroyed by the blast of the collapsing building, Lelouch and his forces survived because it was because they designed the explosion so a portion of the Palace remains unaffected.
(Slayers military base)
"Man things sure have gone crazy in Fukuoka!" Tamaki said as they watched things from their Fukuoka spies which broadcasted them everything.
"Not only that but we are getting reports that the other cities of Fukuoka are rising up against Sawasaki from that video which was shown on TV!" Ohgi added.
"This sure is one hell of a Christmas!" Kallen said and it was one of those occasions in which a proverbial expression could be taken literally.
Just then they saw from what remained of the Palace the 501stdivision and the 761st knightmare battalion emerge from the building.
"Hey those are Black Knights!" Inoue said.
"But who would have the necessary skill to obtain their loyalty?" Senba asked curious.
"Perhaps he already has their loyalty." Kaguya stated.
"Kaguya-sama you don't mean?..." Chiba said but was cut short when they saw five Lancelots and the Colgrevance Shinkiro emerge from the Black knights.
Before them people had gathered since they hesitated to riot when they saw soldiers on the streets and
(Outside the now rubble palace)
The five aforementioned Lancelots open their tops to reveal their occupants.
"Hey that is Lord Jeremiah!"
"That's Kururugi Suzaku, the silver knight in that one"
"Generals Kewell, Viletta, Patton and Bradley!"
"The Black Knights leaders!"
People from the gathered crowd said.
Just then the Shinkiro cockpit opened up and the Lelouch in with his Zero mask emerged, he then grabbed it with his hand, the crowd held their breaths in anticipation and he took of it's mask and theu all saw Lelouch's face.
"I am Zero…people of Japan I HAVE RETURNED!" Lelouch shouted with his thunderous.
"It's Prince Lelouch he has returned."
"Long live the Iron Prince !"
Sentences like that interposed with cheers sounded off when people saw that.
Lelouch raised his hand in a gesture for them to make quiet.
"I was wounded in battle and fell into a deep sleep, but the sounds of the horrors around me awaken me from death's sleep, hearing the people suffer under the madness of Sawasaki I awoke and came here to punish this perversity…to all Chinese forces who are still in Kyushu, know this you have pillaged, violated and feed upon this land for two long and now the time has come for hell's fury to engulf you in the form of the Black knights, I will accept nothing but unconditional and immediate surrender and I expect it within the next 15 minutes, ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT WILL KNOW ONLY THE LEAD BULLETS OF OUR CANNONS AND THE STEEL TIPS OF OUR SWORDS, THEY WILL LEAVE THIS COUNTRY IN BODIE BAGS!" Lelouch said and a round of cheers from the crowd.
Just then Sawasaki was visibly escorted by a company of soldiers to full view of the crowd.
"It's that monster!" a woman in the crowd said.
"Kill him your highness!" another one said.
"Death to Sawasaki the butcher!" a man shouted from the crowd and so on and so on.
Once again Lelouch raised his hand and the crowd fell silent.
"I know how you feel, seeing what this monster had done to this beautiful land I do not condemn, you. however….this animal, this …..devil with the form of a man killed countless people like that, and I am a man of justice and the law, I say bring him before a tribunal so the whole world can know of his crimes JUSTICE not REVENGE!" Lelouch shouted.
"That's right let justice be done!"
"Let the whole world make him pay for his sins"
The crowd shouted back.
"Sawasaki's reign of terror has ended….." Lelouch said, he then took out a party whistle and moved it to his lips and said "Merry Christmas!" and 'Phewww' blew the whistle much to the crowds cheers and screams of joy.
(Pendragon City Schneizell's office)
"So you've returned at last little brother!" Schneizell happily said to himself as he viewed the footage.
Just then his aide Cannon came into the room.
"Your highness the maharaja of India wants to speak with you on line four." Cannon said
"Good Day to you Lord Manmohan Singh!" Schneizell said as he picked up the phone.
"Namaskaar Schneizell sahib, is it true that your brother Zero has returned from the dead?" Manmohan said to him.
"Yes that's true, what of it?" Schneizell asked curiously.
"We have a proposition for you then!" Manmohan said and Schneizell listened.
(1 hour later Fukuoka city)
The city had turned into a gigantic party hall, there were songs, fireworks food drink, dance, and there was great cause for celebration, the Chinese forces stationed in Kyushu developed a great fear of Lelouch after The Battle of Fukuoka and after he done today they're commanders could not be blamed for surrendering only minutes after the broadcast.
Riots had broken out all over Kyushu, both Japanese and what Brittannian's who managed to avoid the concentration camps rioted from Diethard's transmission.
On top off that Lelouch reappeared when the Chinese leaders insisted he died at sea, he captured their main commanders and Sawasaki, destroyed the Fukuoka garrison, demolished the Palace which was a symbol of the Federations power and proclaimed that he would accept only unconditional and immediate surrender within the next 10 minutes and whoever didn't surrender would be shown no mercy, the sheer magnitude of destruction he caused to the Chinese forces send a psychic shock wave which scared them senselessly and fear made them surrender and disarm, Odysseus and the rest of the Black Knights would arrive soon, but the only thing they had to do now was to gather the Chinese forces and not fight them.
He even heard reports that the concentration camp officers released the prisoners and ran towards the seas for evacuation and hopefully escape from justice.
So despite the fact that he was a strict disciplinarian with his men , he now allowed them to celebrate and indulge, he himself was enjoying a drink of Sake and around him his soldiers and the civilians were celebrating their great victory, he was worried of assassination, because he was sitting in the open, surrounded by people only a fool would try something like that in such circumstances.
He also happily watched as the residence of Fukuoka both Brittannian's and Japanese celebrated together the Fall of the monster Sawasaki and since it was on December 24th it made it even more reason to celebrate, to those in Kyushu Lelouch had given them the best Christmas present ever.
"What the hell was hat thing in the palace?" George said to Bradley.
"Well we developed some pretty powerful weapons so it's safe to assume that our enemies also developed some powerful one's, it's OK to be afraid George after what we been through." Bradley replied to his friend and commander.
"Afraid…yes I am afraid, but I am not afraid of death, oh no, you expect that when you're a soldier, what I am afraid is failing to do my part and since I am a General my men would have to pay the price for my mistake, next time…..next time I will prevail….even if it costs me my life!" George replied determined to not let his comrades down.
"Jeremiah-san you should go and enjoy the ladies, or are you afraid that Sayoko will find out?" Suzaku said to him.
"What!...it's not like that… Sayoko and i…we are… we are….." Jeremiah struggled to explain their relationship but a mixture of personal confusion and embarrassment made it difficult so he changed the subject.
"I have to watch over the Prince, to make sure he is alright." Jeremiah said and he gestured to Lelouch who was talking on the phone a few feet away.
"Also Suzaku-kun you shouldn't be so careless with the ladies, Lady Euphemia will make you regret being unfaithful!" Jeremiah countered which cause Suzaku to spit out his drink.
"You…you knew about that?" Suzaku asked shocked.
"By now everyone who reads the tabloids suspects that it's kind of a public secret." Jeremiah teasingly said to Suzaku.
(Slayers military base)
After seeing that Zero had awoken and in only a few short hours defeated the Chinese forces in Kyushu, the executive committee knew that they would be next, so the evacuation to Horai Island which was scheduled for next month was rushed to begin a few days from now.
In the middle of this Kallen's cell phone vibrated.
"Hello?" she picked it up without anyone noticing.
"Hello Kallen, the time when our jobs get in the way has arrived" Lelouch replied over the phone.
"Lelouch…!" Kallen said astonished that he was calling.
"So that it's finally time then….if I face you on the field of battle I will not hesitate to kill you!" She replied with a determined voice, she had mentally prepared herself for over a year for this moment.
"Of course you should do that, you are after all fighting for your mother and your late brother's dream aren't you?" Lelouch said to her, Kallen told him at some point of Naoto.
"Y..Yes." she replied hesitantly.
"Then you shouldn't burden your conscious with guilt, strike at me with all your might and I will do the same to you." Lelouch said and it gave Kallen piece of mind.
"Oh and by the way I know you'd like one last hot toss between the sheets but I am afraid that it's not possible now…." Lelouch jokingly said.
"You…you son of a bitch I'll kill you, you shameless man!" Kallen angrily spat out with her face red from embarrassment.
Lelouch only laughed and closed the phone.
At this Kallen stealth fully went to her room and once she thought she was alone she started crying.
"I'm sorry to hear the two of you had to break up" Kaguya who had notice the conversation and followed her appeared in her room.
"Kaguya-sama…I know he's the enemy…and I know we would have to kill each other one day…..but it's still, it' still hard…why , why did I have to love a brittannian prince!" Kallen said crying and Kaguya gave her a comforting hug and her shoulder to cry on.
"You didn't do anything wrong by being his lover Kallen-san, you cannot choose who you love." Kaguya said to her and comforted her further, she did not accuse Kallen of betrayal since Kallen and Kaguya had become confidant's and she confessed in Kaguya here 'exploits' with Lelouch, Kaguya knew that Kallen said nothing of their operations and Lelouch didn't try to obtain nothing out of her, so she comforted her because of her brake up.
(Fukuoka city)
Lelouch had just finished her conversation with Kallen when Nunnally gave him a call.
"Hello Nunnally." Lelouch said cheerfully.
"Brother sister Euphemia and I are coming to Fukuoka to celebrate its liberation, as Governor and Vice-Governor it is our duty to do so!" Nunnally said but Lelouch could tell that she just wanted to spend Christmas morning with her brother.
"Alright Nunnally, you and Euphie have a safe trip!" Lelouch said and closed the phone.
He then walked over to his subordinates and said
" Everyone prepared to move out, we have one last final job to do!"
(Fukuoka harbor, OSI rendezvous point)
The Vincent returned to the point for repairsand Rollo exited the frame.
"I am sorry I could not complete my mission, should I try again latter?" Rollo asked his commander.
"Negative! We have been ordered to pull out, we will capture C.C at a another opportunity!" he replied and they left.
(Slayers military base)
As Kaguya was comforting Kallen and Ohgi and the rest were planning the evacuation a transmission came from the other houses of Kyoto and they all assembled to view it.
On the monitor half of the screen was broadcasting Kyoto and the other surprisingly the Chinese Eunuchs.
"God evening fellow allies, it seems things have gotten rather complicated in Kyushu!" Gao hai said to them.
"Yes, and for that reason we will be transferring our forces to Horai Island within the week, please excuse the inconvenience" Kaguya replied, she was good friends and like the Chinese Empress but she hated the high eunuchs.
"That maybe, but there is an opportunity in this change of events!" Kirihara said.
"What do you mean Kirihara-san?" Ohgi asked.
"Our spies within Tokyo have confirmed that Euphemia and Nunnally will be journeying tomorrow to Join Lelouch for Christmas day and celebrated his successful conquest of Kyushu" Tousai Munakata said.
"During this time The Slayers will ambush and capture them!" Hidenobu Kubouin said.
"Wait even if we are successful Lelouch does not have the power to give back Japan, and the Emperor wouldn't do such a thing, and if we fail it will give Lelouch the power to destroy our carefully built public image and annihilated the 'Slayers'" Kaguya replied concerned.
"We are fully aware of that Kaguya-dono, but once we capture the princesses we will make Lelouch surrender his heavy equipment to us in exchange for their release, that would give us an advantage in the future, and as for our public image we request permission from our Chinese allies to use their names in the attack!" Kirihara replied.
"Hoooo…..that is no problem, we already release press statements that the occupation of Kyushu was a independent action by our army and Navy, and since we like seeing Brittannia in chaos we will give you an ally and a Divine Tiger to aid you ho ho ho!" Gao Hai replied.
Kaguya did not like this move but was powerless to oppose it, she knew how much Lelouch loved Nunnally and Euphemia and after this he would strike the Slayers with all his Fury.
(Skies above Kyushu, Black Knights escort)
Lelouch explained to his men about Nunnally's coming and were on their way to act as escorts, it would be several hours before they would meet so Lelouch decided to take a nap.
"Kallen I eagerly await our reunion, whether it is night of passion or a day of battle it does not matter, I always enjoy my time spent with you, so I welcome you My Lady Devil!" Lelouch thought to himself as he fell asleep.
Authors note
Read and review let me know if I should continue.
Next Chapter it's Round two For Lelouch and his lieutenants against Todoh and Ohgi!