Code Prime - R2: Revolution

by Iron117Prime

Britannia has fallen, and the Decepticons are well on their way to the complete global domination of Earth. However, hope is not lost. Six months after the failed Black Rebellion, Zero and Optimus Prime have returned to finish what they've started. With their Autobot-Black Knight alliance grown with new additions, our heroes have ever intent on freeing Earth once and for all.

11. The Fires of Rage

Hi everyone, thanks for your patience. I've been waiting to write this particular chapter for a long time, where we are finally introduced to the king of the Dinobots himself.

Before we begin however, I want to clarify something. A lot of you were confused with Shin's Geass. I'm aware in the canon OVA how his ability was to 'kill' those that he claimed to love, and he has no feelings of affection to Marrybell, so why did it work on her? (Well, he also attempted to use it on Leila as well, but it was pushed back by her own Geass.) I decided to change it slightly with Shin's Geass, which I am dubbing Absolute Death, being centered around the concept of Death itself. At first, he only used it to kill those he claimed to love, but when Steeljaw saw how it had affected Akito, he had the idea of maybe Shin using his Geass differently. It's not just being used to directly kill people, now Shin can use it turn people into living death machines like how Akito is. Akito's state was on accident, but now Shin has refined his power so that others can end up like that, on purpose. Pretty scary, huh?

You'll learn more about the origins of Shin's Geass, as well as Geass as a whole very soon.

I hope that all makes sense for you. Now, with all that being said, let's get started.

The Fires of Rage

The Sahara Dessert, a region on Earth that had been virtually untouched by either superpower, due to a lack of human life or Energon, was now being swept in a grid-like search pattern by those under the command of Shockwave.

A small army of Dark Pawns scanned the area as if they were drones. The present Dark Pawns were presently split into five different parties, under escort and guide by one Dark Knight unit and one Headmaster in their respective Knightmares. Land and the Dark Queen searched the northernmost area with their Dark Pawns, while Order and the Dark Mordred scanned the north-eastern perimeter. Power and the Dark Equus looked in the south-eastern area, while Refrain and the Dark Aquila searched the south-west, leaving Nebiros and the Dark Siegfried in the north-west.

At the very center, Shockwave continued to monitor their progress as the Dark Galahad rolled up to his side with a certain immortal boy inside.

"Is all this really necessary, Shockwave?" V.V. questioned. "We practically have the entire Geass Order combing this dessert for a single Autobot?"

"Once again, you continue to underestimate the Autobots. Ironic how your continuing falters are logical, given your perpetual immaturity." Shockwave commented, earning a glare from V.V. before Shockwave delivered an answer. "But to answer your question; it is two-fold. This particular Autobot is unlike any other you've encountered so far. He was an experiment of mine that I heavily modified with the intent of making him a weapon for the Decepticon cause. His escape was unfortunate, but I have since learned not to underestimate him as I previously did. On that note, you can expect the other Autobots and their Black Knight companions to rescue him, if only to keep his power out of our reach."

"Do you suspect Optimus will be among them?" V.V. asked.

"Most likely." Shockwave replied. "Optimus Prime would want to see to the acquisition of this specimen personally."

'Perfect.' V.V. thought with a sadistic smirk,

Meanwhile, while the Dark Mordred and Order continued to scan the area alongside the gathered Dark Pawns, the pilot inside appeared to be preoccupied with her own thoughts as she spoke with her 'roommate'. Ever since the battle for the Ark some time ago, Marianne has helped work to piece together Anya's memories bit-by-bit; before long, Charles' Geass had been undone. Anya had remembered everything about her past, of course Marianne had to explain why this happened to her, which included everything about Ragnarok. Needless to say, Anya was beyond furious, even hateful toward her.

Yet, at the same time, Anya understood that if she were to escape Shockwave's grasp and rejoin Gino, Monica, Nonette, and the others; even Lelouch, Nunnally, and Suzaku, she needed Marianne's help, so the two agreed to a truce. They learned to communicate with each other telepathically. The effect of Optimus' Prime Geass was still present, helping to establish proper communication, while also giving Marianne a chance to reflect on her own past sins.

"You believe this may be our only chance to get a message out to them?" Anya asked quietly, communications in her Dark Mordred turned off so nobody could hear them.

"The fact that Shockwave had sent this many out shows that he is expecting significant resistance." Marianne communicated telepathically. "More than likely, if we don't run into Optimus or Lelouch, it'll be someone of high ranking. If we can deliver the message to them…"

"I don't see why we don't just go with them like what Gino did." Anya said with a slight glare. "This is your plan, why does it have to be so complicated like your last one?"

She felt Marianne wince at the subtle accusation and tone, not that she blamed Anya. "Because it's not just us. If Shockwave and Megatron find a use for the Thought Elevators… I don't even want to think about it. We can't afford to be too brash, or they'll suspect something's up. I know you don't like it and you want to escape, as do I, but this may be the best way to not only go about it, but also give them a chance to undo everything all at once. I'm sorry Anya."

"As you have said over sixty times already." Anya practically growled. "Also, as you've said, I don't have to like it either…." Suddenly the Dark Mordred's radar went up as a signal was picked up in the area.

The Dark Mordred and Order soon came to a halt in their search while the Dark Pawns centered on the source of the signal. One Dark Pawn slowly approached a seemingly untouched spot on the desert sand, which began to cave in slightly, almost like quicksand. The Dark Pawn stopped at the spot, with everything becoming quiet. It raised its hand with the intent on reaching down, only for something massive to shoot out in the form of an explosion.

Both Knightmares quickly moved back, as did the Dark Pawns as Anya, and Marianne inside, looked in absolute shock at what had emerged. It was an Autobot, but he was massive, even more so than Optimus Prime or Megatron. He was covered in large and thick armor, massive shoulder pads, and held a massive sword that had completely impaled the Dark Pawn that tried to reach for him. The giant Autobot reached out to grab and wrench the Dark Pawn from his blade, tearing to pieces as he did. He set his glowing red eyes on the remaining Dark Pawns, as well as the two Knightmares, before the drones tried to rush him.

"Contact! We have contact!" Order reported as the five Dark Pawns were easily crushed by this massive Autobot. Three were sliced easily with the giant's blade, one was literally stomped under foot before he grabbed the last one with his free hand and crushed it like a grape. He then glared at Order and the Dark Mordred before trying to rush them.

Acting on instinct, Anya fired the Dark Mordred's hadron cannons, but the Autobot brought up a shield in his other arm and tanked the blast. The dust cleared to reveal that neither the Autobot nor his shield were damaged.

"My god…" Marianne thought to herself.

The Autobot growled like an animal, but before he could press on, multiple Energon blasts and armaments were shot his way, forcing himself to block it with his shield as all the Geass Order forces arrived on the scene with the Dark Galahad. at the lead.

"All units, open fire!" V.V. ordered

"Belay that order." Shockwave contradicted as he arrived in his tank-mode before transforming. "You will only enrage him, which will make containment all the more difficult."

All bombardment on the Autobot had ceased as he glared at the source of the one voice he would never forget. "Shockwave…!"

"Hello Grimlock. I am pleased you are still online." Shockwave said stoically.

"Lucky you." Grimlock growled. However, before he could even have the chance to attack…

"Nebiros, deploy! Geass at maximum power, focus on the primary target." Shockwave ordered.

"Acknowledged." Nebiros reported as his Knightmare flew straight at Grimlock. However, right as he was about to swing his massive sword down toward him, a Geass sigil manifested in both his eyes. Suddenly, a bright red slight was shined from the Knightmare's eyes directly onto Grimlock like a spotlight, freezing the Autobot in place while leaving everyone else unaffected.

"Target immobilized."

"Excellent." Shockwave nodded. "Dark Knight Headmasters, commence containment procedure as instructed. Remaining units, continue to monitor the area for signs of the enemy."

With that command, the other four Headmasters moved around the immobilized Grimlock while the Dark Knights, Pawns, and Queen began to circle the area.

"I admit Shockwave, I am impressed." V.V. commented. "Ordinarily, Nebiros' power could affect an entire perimeter, not to mention his heart stops every time he uses it. But now, you've actually shown how he can focus his power on a specific target, as well as keep him alive during this time."

"At the cost of mobility as well as awareness of surroundings." Shockwave replied. "So long as Nebiros is focused on a target, he cannot attack or move until he deactivates his power. The Knightmare he is installed into keeps his body fed with proper stimuli to see his heart functions normally, while also focusing his ability like a lens as opposed to a bulb that shines light in all directions. Now continue to monitor the area."

"Understood." V.V. drove the Dark Galahad away. 'Come to me, Optimus Prime. Your time of reckoning nears, and it will be by my hand! Let's see how Lelouch and Nunnally feel when I eliminate another individual that they hold most dear!'

---

Skies over Europe

The large man-made Euro Britannian vessel that was known as the Gallia Grande hovered over the clouds as a Groundbridge portal opened up just above it. Emerging from the portal first was Ultra Magnus' personal vessel known as the Iron Will, followed by the large team consisting of the Autobots Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Elita-One, Smokescreen, Sideswipe, Strongarm, Grindcore, Prowl, and Jetfire; alongside the Black Knights' leader Zero in his Shinkiro, Suzaku in the Lancelot, Kallen in the Guren, Rai in the Raiden, Cera in her pink Akatsuki, Gino in the Tristan Divider, Orpheus in the Gouka Byakuen, and Monica in the Florence Nero; with the WZERO team, including Alice, all in their customized Alexanders, save for Akito who had a standard Alexander unit.

"All units present and accounted for." Zero said as the entire team stood on the upper haul of the vessel, with the Iron Will hovering above them. "Everyone knows their assignments. Kallen, Arcee, Ayano, and Strongarm will neutralize the ship's engines; Elita-One, Ryo, and Sideswipe will secure the bridge of the vessel; Bumblebee, Akito, Cera, Orpheus, and myself will enter the ship and neutralize any possible trap. Everyone else will remain topside and secure the permitter in the enemy deploys aerial forces."

Everyone gave his or her own word of acknowledgement before the radar on Ultra Magnus' ship picked up multiple units heading their way. "Zero, we have incoming!"

"Already? That was fast!" Gino commented.

"What do we got this time? Britannian Knightmares? More Decepticons?" Ryo asked with a smirk.

Before anyone could respond, the group heard a massive and loud buzzing sound coming from the clouds below. "The heck is that sound?" Ayano asked.

"Those sound like… wings. Kinda like on bugs…" Yukiya commented.

"Wait… bugs?" Rai gulped as he, Kallen, Lelouch, and all the Autobots looked a little nervous at that particular word.

Beneath the ship, a massive swarm of over a hundred, maybe even two hundred Insecticons flew out from the clouds and made their way toward the Gallia Grande.

"Oh scrap!" Kallen cursed.

"Insecticons!" Arcee also exclaimed just as the swarm shot up and around the sides of the ship before opening fire on the group, forcing them to find cover and return fire.

"Don't panic! Stick with the plan!" Elita ordered as she returned fire herself. "Magnus and Jetfire, clear the skies! Rai, Suzaku, Gino, Monica, help them! Alice, Bulkhead, Grindcore, Yukiya, Smokescreen, Prowl, guard the haul! Everyone else, proceed with their assignments!"

"You heard her! Everyone move!" Orpheus exclaimed as he shot his Byakuen into the ship through one of the many openings, followed by Bumblebee in his vehicle mode, driving and skidding along the support structures, with Akito's Alexander leaping along the same structures, Zero's Shinkiro and Cera's Akatsuki simply flying inside.

Arcee and Strongarm transformed into their respective vehicle modes while Ayano's Alexander went into its 'insect-mode' and scurried along with them while the Guren hovered over it as they drove along the top of the ship toward the engines; while Elita's vehicle mode rode with Sideswipe's and Ryo's Alexander in the opposite directions.

The Iron Will flew into the air with Jetfire's jet-mode, the Lancelot, Tristian Divider, and Florence Nero flying alongside them before firing into the approaching Insecticon swarm, lighting up the skies with explosions; while Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and Yukiya's Alexander opened fire with their own long-range weapons as Alice, Grindcore, and Prowl prepared to meet the approaching Insecticons head-on.

---

Near the stern of the vessel, as the explosions continue to ring beside them; Kallen, Arcee, Strongarm, and Ayano made it their destination, the engines just below them.

"So, we just find a way to shut this thing down? As in, we don't blow it up, right?" Ayano asked.

"Right. Unless you want this whole thing going down in flames with us in it." Arcee answered.

"Guys, hang on! We got incoming!" Kallen exclaimed as her Guren picked up something heading their way. Something fast flew just past the group and hovered above them.

"It's a Knightmare!" Strongarm exclaimed as they saw a bright and shining silver Knightmare that strongly resembled the Aquila, only a set of four large winged-arms along its sides as opposed to two. This Knightmare was known as the Icarus, and its pilot was Raymond du Saint-Gilles, head of the Order of Uriel.

"Die! All of you! Die!" Raymond exclaimed, a pair of red rings around his eyes as his wings opened to reveal multiple machine guns that opened fire upon the group.

---

At the same time, Elita-One's team came to a stop at a certain point along the bow of the ship before she and Sideswipe transformed, and Ryo's Alexander stood upright.

"So, what? Do we just go in and say, 'hands in the air' or something?" Sideswipe asked.

"Wait… something's directly under us." Ryo said as his Alexander's radar beeped. "Something rather big."

Suddenly, multiple bullets shot through the floor beneath them as it caved in, causing all three to fall before they landed on the ground inside the vessel, facing a massive Knightmare. It was about as large and bulky as the Mordred, clad in bronze-colored armor with heavy-ordinances built onto its shoulders; it even had bullhorns atop its head, akin to that of a minotaur. This Knightmare was called the Taurus, its pilot being the head of the Order of Gabriel, Gaudefroy du Villon, his eyes glowing red with a pair of red rings inside.

"Die! Die! Die!" Gaudefroy shouted as he fired a salvo of missiles toward the trio.

---

Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Zero, Cera, Akito, and Orpheus made their way deeper into the ship. As they did however, they noticed a lack of resistance the deeper they went.

"[No Decepticons or Britannian Knightmares in sight.]" Bumblebee reported as he transformed from his vehicle mode and leapt from a diagonal support beam toward solid ground, with Akito landing right behind him; Cera, Orpheus, and Zero hovering in the area as well. "[Almost seems like the ship is abandoned.]"

"Well, it's not as if this wasn't expected." Cera commented right before Akito's instincts went on alert just before his radar did.

"Incoming! Dodge!" He shouted just as multiple explosions erupted from around them, forcing the five of them to scatter as they faced their attacker.

Steeping out of the darkness was a massive red and heavily armored Knightmare with massive gatling guns built along its arms, all aimed at the group as the pilot inside looked with a rage-filled expression, a pair of red rings glowing brightly in her eyes.

"So, you've come. Time to die!" Marrybell exclaimed as she opened fire with every known weapon the Ahuramazda had available.

---

WZERO headquarters.

"Enemy units engaged!"

"Multiple Decepticon signals outside the vessel! All confirmed to be Insecticons!"

"Three Britannian units on sight!"

As the officers and scientists of the WZERO made their reports of the ongoing battle, Leila stood alongside Claus and Oscar as they heard and observed everything, with even Nina and Misty being among the scientists and officers. Just Leila, watching from the wall were Shirley, Rivalz, Milly, and Nunnally, who appeared to look the most nervous.

"Hey Nunna, it's gonna be okay." Shirley said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You heard the plan."

"I know, I know." Nunnally nodded. "But… I can't help it. It's not just Lelouch, Bumblebee, Suzaku, and the others out there. Euphie…"

"Euphie can handle herself." Milly assured. "Besides, with the plan we put in, this could turn the entire war in our favor."

"You ask me, we can just kick back and enjoy the show." Rivalz said, stretching his arms back casually, leaning against the wall.

Nunnally of course knew they were just as nervous, despite their assurance. There was a lot riding on this mission; not just Lelouch's part, but even Euphemia's own mission with Misty as well. If they lost, they could lose everything. But, if it all went well, they may indeed turn the tide of not just the conflict here in Europe, but the entire global war against the Decepticon regime.

"Emergency message from Joint-HQ!" One of the female officers reported to Leila. "It's General Smilas!"

'Of course.' Leila knew this was coming. "Put it on the main screen." The second the screen appeared showing the face of Gene Smilas, Leila did her best not to glare as she put on her act. "Thank goodness your safe, General!"

"I'm fine, yes." Smilas replied. "But the government… the military… they are scattering. Paris is in shambles, and it appears Euro Britannian forces are closing in on our boarders. It's bad, but I won't be going anywhere, trust me."

"Sir, we have discovered the enemy's main flagship." Leila reported. "Zero and Ultra Magnus have taken their Black Knights and Autobots to intercept and disable the vessel. We can cut off the head of the invading army. They're engaging the enemy as we speak."

"You've already launched a counter-attack. It seems you and Zero make quite the team, and right now, the people could use that." Smilas said.

"What exactly do you mean, sir?" Leila asked, though she had a good feeling as to what it was already.

"Leila, the people are afraid, and with the government in shambles, they need someone to stand behind. Someone who can calm down the masses and help them to take a stand." Smilas explained. "It's not just Zero and the Autobots who can do that, but you as well. Leila, it is time the daughter of Bradow von Breisgau steps into the light."

---

Sahara Desert

After arriving via Groundbridge, the vehicle mode of Optimus Prime drove through the sand with Windblade riding behind on his fifth-wheel plate. Alongside him were the vehicle modes of Ironhide, Wheeljack, and Jazz; with the personal Knightmares driven by Ohgi, Tohdoh, Wizard, Cornelia, and Nonette present as well.

The group traveled some distance before coming to a stop near the top of a large dune before the Autobots transformed into their robot modes and quickly found cover with their Black Knight companions to see what was happening just below them.

Shockwave, with the Dark Galahad piloted by V.V. by his side, they continued to lead the operation as the Dark Knight units, alongside the Dark Queen and Dark Pawns guarded the area. The group of heroes looked further on ahead to see their target, who had been fixed with a special collar as the five Headmaster Knightmares surrounded him.

"There's our guy." Wheeljack commented.

"So… that's Grimlock." Cornelia observed.

"Yep, that's him alright." Ironhide confirmed.

"He's a lot bigger than any other Bots I've seen." Nonette observed.

"How did he even get here?" Ohgi asked. "Did you say he wasn't on the Ark when you left Cybertron?"

"Before the Ark' departure, Grimlock and his team were investigating a disturbance in the Sea of Rust." Optimus explained. "They were captured by Shockwave's forces and brought this laboratory. The disturbance was an old Spacebridge that he reverse engineered and rebuilt in that very same laboratory. Grimlock was able to free himself as well as his team before reporting to me."

"Then the entire portal became unstable." Jazz continued. "Guessing old Grim tried to tear it down, probably got caught up in it and got sent here to Earth. He's probably been in stasis this whole time, and Shockwave must have dug him up."

"What about his team?" Tohdoh asked. "Can we be certain they are here as well?"

"We would have picked up their signals otherwise." Windblade replied. "Looks like they're keeping him in some kind of stasis lock, with that collar he's wearing. They really don't wanna wake him up."

"Ohgi, are Tamaki and the others in position?" Wizard asked.

"Yeah, they're just waiting for the signal." Ohgi replied. "Optimus, are you sure about this? I mean Shockwave's got some heavy hitters down there, not to mention those Headmasters that are guarding Grimlock."

"I am certain." Optimus confirmed. "Grimlock is a capable warrior; once he is freed, Shockwave's forces will quickly be overwhelmed."

"Is he really that powerful?" Cornelia asked.

"Before Shockwave got him, Grimlock's old team, the Lightning Strike Coalition Force…" Jazz began.

"That's a mouthful." Nonette commented.

"…Just five Autobots completely wrecked an entire unit of Decepticons!" Jazz continued.

"Yep. If there's any team that's got a higher body count than the Wreckers, it was those guys." Wheeljack added.

"And from the looks of it, Shockwave's experiments seem to have made Grimlock even stronger." Windblade also. "Plus, he's the type to hold onto a grudge. So when he sees Shockwave again…"

"Understood." Tohdoh acknowledged. "We're ready to move when you are."

"Ironhide, Wheeljack, get the enemy's attention." Optimus ordered.

"You got it." Ironhide nodded as Wheeljack smirked before throwing a volley of grenades over the dune and into the enemy's area. This resulted in a series of explosions that took down several Dark Pawns and took the enemy by surprise, which Ironhide added to by firing blasts from his Energon canons.

"They're here!" V.V. exclaimed as he readied the Dark Galahad.

"As expected." Shockwave acknowledged. "Headmasters, begin relocating Grimlock away from the battlefield. Do not call for a Groundbridge until you are minimum distance away, we cannot risk the enemy finding our base."

With that, the five Headmaster units encircled Grimlock before special compartments built into their backs opened up to produce an electric field that connected to each other, as well as Grimlock's collar, keeping him in a stasis lock before they hovered into the air, taking the massive Autobot with them and began to fly eastward at a relatively slow yet steady pace, not taking any chances of waking the big guy up.

"All forces, converge and intercept the enemy." Shockwave ordered as the remaining Dark Pawns, Dark Knights, and the Dark Queen mobilized. "Do not allow them to reach Grimlock." He said as his forces conveyed around him before he opened fire with his large Energon canon at the dune the Autobots and Black Knights were hiding behind.

Optimus leapt from the dune with all his allies behind him before returning fire themselves and charging at the Decepticon scientist and his assembled group.

---

European Skies

The skies were lit with explosions as the air bound Autobot's and Black Knight forces threw everything they had to keep the Insecticons at bay. Suzaku grunted as the Lancelot was rammed by an Insecticon while airborne. But he quickly recovered and drew his VARIS rifle, shooting point blank to obliterate one Insecticon before a second charged at him, which he met by having his Lancelot draw an MVS blade from its free hand. Gino also flew the Tristan Divider back as two Insecticons flew toward him and shot Energon blasts from their horns, which Gino retaliated with Slash Harkens from both the Tristan's arms. One Insecticon had its wings clipped before it fell just as the second rammed into the Tristan with Gino struggling to hold it back with his Knightmare's strength alone.

Suddenly, that same Insecticon was shot with a streak of lightning, curtsey of the Raiden's Surger Claw, much to Gino's relief. "Thanks Rai."

"Anytime." Rai smirked before flying the Raiden with a katana in hand, heading straight for two more approaching Insecticons.

The Iron Will flew through the clouds as it had seven flying Insecticons at its tail, firing with their Energon blasts as Ultra Magnus did his best to avoid them. He then pulled up on his controls, causing the Iron Will to fly straight up before flipping and descending right below the Insecticons. Magnus wasted no time in opening fire to neutralize all seven at once.

Ultra Magnus' victory was short lived however as six more Insecticons came at him from behind. However, salvation came in the form of Jetfire in his jet-mode, flying alongside the Florence Nero. Monica fired her Knightmare's Hadron to obliterate two Insecticons, forcing them to scatter as Jetfire opened fire to clip the wings of two more, causing them to fall before accelerating toward a third, where he transformed and landed on the Insecticon's back to grab its wings and force it to collide with a fourth. He then transformed and opened fire to take down a fifth, leaving the sixth to be cut down at its wings by Monica's Florence Nero, causing it to fall as well.

Meanwhile, as the skies continued to light up with explosions, a few Insecticons have managed to land on the haul of the Gallia Grande and transformed into their hulking humanoid forms to engage with the heroes that were unable to fly.

One rushed Smokescreen, who swerved toward the side and opened fire on the Insecticon's back, but this only served to irritate it and attempted to rush Smokescreen again. However, this was all just a distraction as Prowl had leapt onto it from behind, climbed to the back of its head, and drove his shurikens into its eyes, blinding it before kicking it in the back of the head to knock it down. Not even giving it a chance to get back up, Smokescreen ran to the downed Insecticon, forced its mouth open and fired Energon shots down its throat till it ceased function.

Alice's Alexander Valliant scurried along the haul in its insect form as a hulking Insecticon gave chase. It was quick to catch up to her and try to grab her, only for Alice's Alexander to transform back into its humanoid form and leap onto its arm and behind the Insecticon like a master gymnast before the Insecticon turned around just as Alice shot her Alexander's arm forward, producing an Urana Edge Knife right into its neck before pulling back just as it fell over and died.

Bulkhead and Grindcore found themselves back-to-back against two Insecticons. Bulkhead formed his maces before laying the smackdown on the one he faced while Grindcore rushed the second Insecticon to grapple with hit and press his strength against his bug-like opponent. After the fifth mace strike, the Insecticon grabbed Bulkhead's mace before delivering a punch to knock him down. However, Bulkhead transformed into his truck-mode and shot at the Insecticon's legs to trip it up before transforming back to leap into the air and deliver both his maces onto its head to crush it. Meanwhile, Grindcore found himself being pushed back against the Insecticon he wrestled with, but then he let go of the Insecticon's arms and grabbed its belly to push it down to the ground before grabbing it by the neck. Grindcore gave a loud battle cry as he pulled with all his strength to pry the Insecticon's head from its body.

The two large and green Autobots would soon find three more Insecticons flying their way, only for their wings to explode, sending them soaring off the side of the ship and falling into the clouds below. The perpetrator was none other than Yukiya, who maintained a distance with his Alexander, holding its massive linear rifle in hand. Bulkhead and Grindcore gave him a thumbs up, which Yukiya returned with his Alexander.

---

Meanwhile, near the ship's engines, Raymond's Icarus Knightmare continued to rain fire down on Arcee, Strongarm, and Ayano, despite them leaping to safety as best as they could, they found themselves unable to return fire as the Icarus' many wing-mounted machine guns seemed to track their every move.

"Die!" The Geassed Raymond exclaimed when his Icarus was suddenly struck in the back by a blast from the Guren's Surger.

"You're not the only one who has fancy wings, pal!" Kallen stated as her Guren activated its red energy wings before shooting up into the air, prompting the Icarus to follow and directing all its fire power toward her, which Kallen retaliated with similarly rapid-fire Energon blasts from her wings; intercepting the bullets to create a flurry of explosions in-between the two flying Knightmares.

---

At the same time, inside the vessel, Gaudefroy's Taurus Knightmare continued to blast a multitude of missiles toward Elita One, who had transformed into her vehicle mode to avoid getting shot at.

"Die! Die!" Gaudefroy roared before his Knightmare was blasted at the side by Ryo's Alexander's own missiles from its shoulder-mounted weapon. However, the Taurus' own armor activated a hidden shield-like feature that protected itself on that one side. Once Ryo's assault ended, Gaudefroy attempted to rush and ram Ryo's Alexander, only for Sideswipe to appear and grab the Taurus by its horns before delivering a knee to its head-unit and knock it off balance, allowing Elita-One to open fire on its flank with her Energon blasters.

---

Meanwhile, within the inner most confines of the ship, the Ahuramazda fired in all directions as the Shinkiro, Bumblebee, Akatsuki, Byakuen, and Akito's Alexander did their best to dodge or block the rapid-fire from the massive red Knightmare's heavy ordinances.

"How long I've waited… Zero… you and the Autobots are the reason why Britannia is no more… and why the world is in chaos!" Marrybell exclaimed, still under the effect of Shin's Geass. "For that reason, you must die! Die! DIE!"

She focused all her firepower on the Shinkiro, prompting Zero to activate his Knightmare's shields as he looked towards his half-sister. 'Marrybell, I had a suspicion that you would be here. No doubt Shin's Geass has affected you. I know we may not have been the closest compared to Euphie and Cornelia back then, but you were kind to both me and Nunnally. You were even there to see us off when we were exiled. But… more than that… you and I are so much alike. So much so that… I know and understand the rage you feel. That is why I want to save you… no… I will save you!'

Suddenly, Akito went on the attack as he shot his Alexander toward the Ahuramazda and began to bash at its armor with its tonfas as a pair of familiar red rings and a crazed grin formed on his face.

"Die… Die!" Akito exclaimed, something the others heard through their communications.

"[Oh scrap… not again]" Bumblebee cursed while Cera looked toward both Akito and Marrybell with a serious and determined expression.

---

Sahara Desert

The battle in the sands was in full swing as the Autobots and their Black Knight allies clashed against Shockwave's own forces. Optimus Prime cut down one Dark Pawn before opening fire with his ion cannon to obliterate two more that attempted to charge him. Once they were dealt with, Optimus charged directly at Shockwave, who fired his large arm-cannon toward Optimus, which he rolled out of the way before returning fire to strike Shockwave in the shoulder, halting his fire and allowing Optimus to close the distance and strike at him with his blade, which Shockwave blocked with the blunt of his canon before delivering a punch to his face to knock him back. Before they could continue their slugfest however, Optimus noticed a glint out of the corner of his right optic and quickly brought his blade to block the sword-strike from the dark Galahad as the immortal pilot inside glared hatefully.

"Optimus Prime… You've made a grave mistake coming here. And it will certainly be your last." V.V. snarled before Optimus swerved around the next swing of the blade to deliver a kick and knock the Dark Galahad back, which quickly recovered as Optimus Prime found himself in-between V.V.'s Knightmare, as well as Shockwave.

Ironhide fired at the Dark Queen with his Energon canons as it dodged in the air before returning fire with its hadron canons. The Dark Queen then quickly turned around to block the charging lance of the flying custom Vincent owned by Cornelia.

Cornelia pressed her Knightmare's lance against the enemy unit's sword, but upon seeing the dark Knightmare, she was reminded once again of who was inside it. "Lady Marianne…" She muttered to herself, which caused her to hesitate, allowing the Dark Queen to bat the lance away before striking the custom Vincent down, sending it crashing into the sands. Before it could press the attack however, the Dark Queen was blasted in the back by Ironhide's canons.

"Cornelia, get your head in the game!" The veteran Autobot told her. "That's just her corpse! Stay focused!"

"Right…" She shook her head slightly and mentally scolded herself. 'Forgive me Lelouch, Nunnally.' She steeled herself again before pressing forward with the attack.

At the same time, the Galeschin Conquista flew in the air to meet the Dark Mordred, Nonette's Knightmare drawing its MVS blades to bring down on the bulkier mech, which brought up its shields to block the attack.

"Anya! I know you're being forced against your will to fight us, but we can still help you! Were able to save Gino, we can do the same for you!" Nonette pleaded.

The real Anya wanted to go with her, but at the same time, she knew they had to follow the plan. "We could deliver the message to Nonette. She is close to Rai as you've told me, so he can…"

"Not yet." Marianne communicated back. "Shockwave might still be monitoring us. Only when his attention is completely taken by something else."

"I understand." Anya replied before aiming her Dark Mordred's hadron canons toward the Galeschin Conquista, making sure to only just barley graze it and not directly hit it, causing Nonette to wince as she could feel the intense heat even through her Knightmare.

Meanwhile, Wheeljack and Jazz found themselves facing the massive humanoid form of the Dark Siegfried, its cybernetic pilot focusing on one Autobot in particular.

"I recognize you…" Jeremiah glared at Wheeljack. "You'll pay for humiliating me back in Area 11!"

"Oh hey, it's Orange boy again, long time no see." The wrecker smirked.

"Orange? Are you talking about the fruit or the color?" Jazz asked. "Hey, are you supposed to be orange the fruit, or orange the color?" Jazz trolled the cyborg, who glared with fury in his optics.

"Orange… Orange… Orange… Orange!" Jeremiah repeated like a glitch before razing the Dark Siegfried's fists to bring down on the pair, both of whom jumped back to avoid the crushing impact.

"Guess he's a few seeds short of a pulp." Jazz joked.

"If he's a fruit, let's see if we can squeeze some juice out of him." Wheeljack joked as well as he drew his swords and charged forward along with Jazz, the later transformed and drove around the Dark Siegfried as it pulled up before transforming back and shooting a full-power sound blast at its back to knock the Dark Siegfried off balance, allowing Wheeljack to jump up and slice at its body before punching the Autobot and sending him tumbling into the sands. Jeremiah turned his attention back to Jazz as he fired a hail of slash harkens from all over the Dark Siegfried's body, forcing himself to fire another sound blast to shield himself before transforming and driving away to get some distance from the charging behemoth.

Tohdoh's Zangetsu clashed its katana against the hammer of the Dark Equus before flying around to try and shoot at it with its shoulder-mounted machine gun; but the Dark Equus was surprisingly quick as it slammed its hammer into the side of the Zangetsu, prompting Tohdoh to quickly recover before flying up and above to bring its katana down again, forcing Pollux on the defensive. At the same time, Windblade flew in her jet mode to avoid the slices of the winged blades from Castor's Dark Aquila before she transformed and drew her own blades to block and parry the wing slashes.

"How you holding up, old man?" Windblade smirked towards Tohdoh.

"Managing." Tohdoh replied as his Zangetsu flew back to gain some distance. "Ohgi, Wizard, make sure they don't escape with Grimlock!"

"We're already moving to intercept!" Ohgi reported as his Gawain Nerion and Wizard's Agravain moved closer to the departing Headmasters that still carried the stasis-Grimlock in toe.

V.V. noticed the two direction the two Knightmares were heading in as he briefly flew his Dark Galahad away from Optimus, allowing Shockwave to deal with him as they clashed sword against canon again before V.V. contacted his twin contractors via Castor's telepathic Geass. Normally, Castor's Geass allowed him to communicate only with Pollux, but since V.V. was the one who gave both their powers to them, he could communicate with Castor as well, and by extension Pollux.

"Castor, Pollux, do not allow the Black Knights to rescue that Autobot!' He told them. 'Show them why you were introduced into the Dark Knights… unless you want Shockwave to end your lives!"

"Understood." They both said simultaneously just as the Dark Equus, and Dark Aquila departed from their respective fights and made their way closer towards the Gawain Nerion and Agravain.

"Ohgi, Wizard, hostiles on your six!" Windblade warned. Just as the two Black Knight commanders turned around, they saw something that made them more than a little shocked.

Both Knightmares combined with each other! The Dark Aquila's legs folded inward and merged with the upper body just as it descended and locked into the lower portions and back of the Dark Equus. The combined Knightmare shined to life as both its pilots felt their systems integrated with each other.

"Dark Regalia, online!" Castor and Pollux said at the same time as it shot into the air at incredible speeds from its wings and swung its hammer to knock the Gawain Nerion and Agravain down in one strike; both Wizard and Ohgi so stunned they weren't able to counterattack, even as their Knightmares hit the ground hard.

The Dark Regalia landed almost on top of the two Black Knight commanders and prepared to finish them with its hammer strike, only for Windblade and Tohdoh to come in at the front and back respectively. Windblade shot through the sky in her jet-mode before transforming to draw her blades and block the hammer's strike while Tohdoh attempted to impale it from behind with his Zangetsu's katana, only for the Dark Regalia's wings to fold backwards like a shield and block the blade. This allowed the Agravain and Gawain Nerion to recover as the Dark Regalia's upper body spun rapidly to knock back Windblade and the Zangetsu. The four of them quickly regrouped and surrounded the combined Knightmare.

Optimus was briefly distracted by the transformation and appearance of the Dark Regalia, allowing himself to be caught off guard by a combined blast from Shockwave's canon and the Dark Galahad's hadrons. The explosion sent Optimus flying and crashing into the sand. Before he could recover, both enemies had their weapons aimed at him.

"Heh, the dirt suits you so well." V.V. smirked.

"We suspected you would intercept Grimlock, sending your most powerful Knightmares to neutralize the Headmasters and awaken him." Shockwave told Optimus. "A logical and sound approach, but a predictable one."

"I know who I am dealing with." Optimus said to Shockwave specifically. "And while it may not be logical, my intent will achieve its objective. Because in place of logic, you lack faith in your own comrades. Something I have in abundance."

Meanwhile, just before the linked-Headmasters had made it to their minimal-safe distance with the imprisoned Grimlock, a riffle-like device shot out of a large dune before it locked onto the optics of the Nebiros unit before opening fire to take them both out in rapid shots. Before the others could even react; the dune exploded revealing none other than Chromia, Hot Shot, and Tamaki's Wrecker Akatsuki alongside Warpath in his tank-mode.

"Surprise!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Kablam!" Warpath shouted at the same time as both he and Tamaki opened fire with their heavy artillery; striking the Headmasters and forcing them to break their link, severing the eclectic grid and dropping the unresponsive Grimlock into the sand.

"Okay, I'll wake the big guy up!" Hot Shot stated. "You guys just keep those freaks busy!"

"We're on it!" Chromia replied as she shot precise shots with her rifle toward the other Headmaster, which Warpath and Tamaki added with their heavy ordnance, forcing the remaining Headmasters to break apart, aside from the still-blind Nebiros.

"I cannot see." Nebiros said as he completely lost visual with his Knightmare. "My link is disconnected… what is…" Suddenly, he was tripped up when Hotshot sped toward his legs in his vehicle mode, knocking Nebiros' mech onto the ground before Hotshot grabbed it by the legs and spun himself around before letting go to send Nebiros flying away just as he moved to Grimlock.

"Come on big guy, time to wake up!" Hot Shot had to climb up on top of him, but Grimlock's eyes were still dim. He noticed the collar on him and pried it off, but he still didn't wake up. "Hey! Grimlock! You alive in there!"

"Hot Shot, not complaining or anything, but these guys are tougher than they look!" Warpath exclaimed as he was knocked down by Land with Power proceeding to attack as well. Chromia continued to shoot her rifle at Refrain, but he dodged every shot before coming in close with a swipe of his scythe, which she just barley dodged herself. Tamaki fired his Wrecker Akatsuki's missiles at Order, but that Headmaster was able to dodge it easily enough.

Realizing that all his comrades were in trouble, he had to forgo restraint. "Sorry about this." Hot Shot fired an Energon blast into Grimlock's face, which spurred him awake as his optics shined a bright red. He then grabbed Hot Shot by the throat and stood up as he glared at the frightened Autobot.

"Did you just shoot me?!" Grimlock shouted at him.

"Sorry! Sorry! But we're kinda in a jam right now and we need you!" Hot Shot quickly explained, causing Grimlock to drop Hot Shot as he looked to see all the battles occurring around him. He then noticed Optimus Prime still locked in battle with Shockwave and the Dark Galahad.

"Optimus… Shockwave…" He said that last name with a growl.

"Yeah! We came all the way to save you so… how about a little gratitude…?" Hot Shot questioned.

"Save me? No thanks." Grimlock stated.

"Say what?!" Hot Shot questioned.

"I can save myself!" Grimlock channeled his own inner rage as an aura of heat formed around him. He then slammed his fists onto the ground as he transformed. But rather than a vehicle as the Autobots and Black Knight suggested; Grimlock had transformed into a gigantic and robotic tyrannosaurs rex before unleashing a loud roar that echoed throughout the entire desert.

With the sound of that roar, all the battles came to a sudden halt as everyone looked toward the transformed Grimlock with his or her own expressions of pure shock. Even Optimus was caught off guard, he and the Autobots unaware of what had happened to Grimlock during his time as Shockwave's prisoner/test subject.

"Holy… mother of god…" Cornelia said with a pale face.

"Is… is that a fucking T-Rex?!" Tamaki practically screamed.

"Huh, for some reason I was expecting a giant car or something." Ohgi commented with wide eyes as even the ever-stoic Tohdoh's eyes widened like a pair of softballs.

"Did… did you guys know he could do that?" Nonette asked Jazz and Wheeljack, the closest pair of Autobots to her.

"Nope." Jazz shook his head.

"Don't even know what the scrap that is." Wheeljack commented.

Nebiros looked up as the robotic tyrannosaurus rex glared at him, his visual feed barley restored. Grimlock focuses his sights on the individual that had put him in stasis in the first place. Nebiros tried desperately to activate his Geass.

"I must contain this… I must…" However, Grimlock opened his mouth to blast a concentrated steak of fire-like plasma to completely eradicate the Knightmare and the young pilot inside, killing Nebiros in one shot before setting his optics on the Decepticon cyclops that put him through so much pain and torture.

"SHOCKWAVE!" The T-Rex form of Grimlock roared before charging forward.

---

Skies above Europe

The Iron Will was rocked as its right engine was hit by an Insecticon's Energon blast. Realizing the best thing he could do was managed a controlled crash, he re-directed his damaged vessel toward the Gallia Grane where Bulkhead, Grindcore, Alice, and Yukiya were dealing with five Insecticons before he contacted them.

"Soldiers, you may want to move from your current position."

They noticed the incoming Iron Will with smoke coming from its right engines. "Incoming!" Yukiya shouted as his and Alice's Alexanders transformed into their 'insect-modes' with Bulkhead and Grindcore doing the same with their vehicle modes to split out of the way just as the Iron Will crashed and skidded along the upper haul of the Gallia Grande, crushing the five Insecticons underneath. Magnus gave a sigh, though his ship would need repairs, he was content to know he was still alive and none of his soldiers were caught up in that.

Back in the air, Jetfire pursued a single Insecticon in his jet-mode before firing at its wings to clip them and send the massive alien bug plummeting like so many others. Suzaku activated his Lancelot's energy wings to fire onto an incoming group of three Insecticons to fire a multitude of energy bolts that shredded and blasted them to smithereens. The Florence Nero and Raiden regrouped with the Tristan Divider as the last of the Insecticons, consisting of seven total, shot toward them before they fired a combined assault of hadron blasts, electric currents, and machine guns to blast them into oblivion.

"Is that all of them?" Suzaku asked.

"I just scanned the area. That appears to be the last of them." Jetfire reported.

"Good. Never was a big bug fan anyway." Gino commented.

"That makes two of us." Rai said.

"Three." Monica shivered slightly, remembering the beatdown she and the others received at Ashford at the hands of Hardshell and his group during the Black Rebellion.

---

Back near the engines, the Guren and Icarus flew alongside each other, clashing MVS fork-knife with bladed wings before the Icarus fired all its machine guns point-blank at Kallen, who was forced to bring up her Surger claw and activate it, sending a wave of radiation that blasted off the guns and upper two wings, damaging the lower ones as well. But even with its flight systems greatly damaged, almost disabled, Raymond pressed the attack.

"DIE!" He tried to ram Kallen, only for her to swerve out of the way and deliver a kick to the back of its head, knocking it back down toward her comrades. However, right as it landed, it pulled itself back up as it charged at them like a rabid animal. "DIE! DIE!"

Raymond attacked Ayano first, who swiftly dodged with her Alexander before it drew its blade and sliced off its remaining left wing, while Strongarm quickly aimed her Energon cross bow and fired a precise shot at the remaining right wing to sever it, leaving the Knightmare without any appendages save for its legs as Arcee shot past its cockpit with her arm-blades, slicing it in half, as well as the pilot inside before it exploded.

"Talk about clipped wings." Ayano commented, which Arcee returned with a smirk of her own.

---

Meanwhile, within the vessel, Ryo's Alexander retreated backwards as he virtually unloaded with every missile his Knightmare had its disposal. "Eat this you freak!"

"DIE!" Gaudefroy exclaimed, his Taurus firing all its missiles as well. Both volleys collided in a powerful explosion that rocked the entire area of the ship. Out of the dust, Ryo and Sideswipe both charged with yells, the former's Alexander wielding a strong axe while the later held his sword. Moving as quickly as they could, they sliced precisely at the joints where the armor had been weakened from their assault. With enough strength, Ryo's Alexander's axe cut through he armor to disable the Taurus' right arm while Sideswipe impaled his sword into the joint itself, piercing through the armor before slicing to completely sever the left arm.

"Die… Die… DIE!" Gaudefroy was ready to keep pushing, despite his Knightmare being heavily damaged, but Elita-One moved in to slice with her arm-blades at its throat, and landed on the Taurus' upper area to reach down and pry open the head from its neck before firing a couple Energon blasts into the open neck-space, destroying the Knightmare from the inside it before it toppled over and burst into flames just as Elita leapt off.

"Well… he was certainly something." Sideways commented.

"The way he was acting… it almost felt like Akito and…" Ryo didn't finish, but Elita and Sideswipe knew what he meant anyway.

"It had to have been Shang." Elita deduced, clenching her metallic fists. "To do this to his own comrades… When I see him, he will pay for this!"

---

Within the central parts of the ship, the Ahuramazda leapt onto a large and long support beam as it continued to fire in all directions; Bumblebee and Akito's Alexander leaping and nimbly swinging from one support structure to another, with the Shinkiro, pink Akatsuki, and Byakuen dodging as best as they could. The Geassed Marrybell stretched the large red Knightmare's arms out to fire its massive gatling gun in all directions, but this also left her open.

"Now!" Zero fired a concentrated hadron blast from his Shinkiro's right arm to obliterate the right gatling gun of the Ahuramazda, while Bumblebee also opened fire with his Energon blasters to destroy the left one.

At that instant, Akito's Alexander leapt to be on equal ground with Marrybell's Knightmare as he charged at her. "Die! Die!" He shouted as the Ahuramazda drew a set of dual wielding pistols.

"DIE!" Marrybell screamed as she fired her Knightmare's guns at the charging Alexander, striking it in the shoulders, legs, arms, and even face, but it pressed forward along with Akito.

"DIE!" Akito exclaimed in the same manner as their Knightmares collided.

'Perfect, they're focused on each other.' Lelouch thought before contacting his friends. "Bee, OZ, Cera, get ready!"

"Rodger!" All three of them replied, with Bumblebee bleeping in response as well.

'We expected something like this to happen again. So we disabled the neural link with the Alexander units, just to ensure that Ryo and the others wouldn't go through the same thing as well.' Lelouch thought to himself. 'I'm sorry to do this to you Akito, but we may have a way to lift that curse from you, as well as Marrybell.'

Akito's Alexander drew a pair of tonfas and used them to strike the Ahuramazda, knocking one pistol out of its hand before delivering a kick which Marrybell intercepted to grab the Alexander's foot and lift it to slam onto the ground behind her, but Akito retaliated with another kick that forced her to release him. Her weapons gone, Marrybell threw the Ahuramazda's fist toward the Alexander's face before throwing out another punch, which Akito leapt over to strike at the Ahuramazda's head with his tonfas. They both threw everything they had at one another, each of them giving their all to end the other's life.

"DIE!" They both screamed as they charged at each other, the force of their collision knocked both their Knightmares off the support bridge, sending them crashing to a platform below.

Despite both the Alexander and Ahuramazda being heavily damaged, both pilots were unwilling to give up as they tried to pick themselves up as best as they could.

"Die…" Akito muttered, blood pouring down his face.

"Die…" Marrybell also grunted, her right arm sprained and ribs cracked.

"NOW!" Zero muttered as Bumblebee leapt down behind Akito's Alexander, drawing his katana to completely sever the cockpit from the Knightmare. He quickly grabbed it and pried it open to pull out Akito with his bare metal hand. At the same time, Orpheus' Byakuen landed behind the Alexander and delivered an electric charge to it from the Byakuen's right arm, short circuiting the heavily armored Knightmare.

The disabled Ahuramazda fell over and automatically opened up, allowing the weakened, yet still-Geassed Marrybell, to step outside, the red ring in her eyes unfading.

"I must… kill you…!" All of you… must die!" She muttered as Bumblebee set Akito down, who appeared to be stuck in the same kind of trance as well.

"Die… Die…" Akito and Marrybell tried to rush each other, but Cera's Akatsuki had landed on the platform as well. She quickly emerged from her Knightmare and rushed toward the pair as fast as she could, grabbing both their wrists with her hands as she channeled her power directly into them, the Geass emblem on her forehead glowing a bright red.

"Akito! Marrybell! You can't let this power control you!" She spoke to both of them, communicating with them through their souls. "I may not have the power to break through all of it, but you do! Use your own will! Help me to fight it!"

They each heard her words as certain memories began to flow into Marrybell's mind; but several of them contradicted with each other, as if one set had been forged and the other was real. Removing the effect of Charles' Geass was within Cera's power, but the overlapping one of the command Shin had given her was another story. Akito being in the same position.

"Akito, you cannot let this power control you! I know you have the will to overcome this! To overcome what your brother did to you!" Cera pressed, focusing on him as she brought up all the happy memories he experienced in his life, such as those in his childhood with his mother and other family members, and even the time they all spent with the gypsies. "Don't let yourself give into this darkness! Don't become a monster!"

The more he saw those happy memories, the more he wanted to experience them. But he couldn't experience them if he let his brother's Geass command rule him. What Shin did to him will likely be with him the rest of his life, but… that wasn't going to be his life. He had people in his life now that understood him, that trusted him, that cared for him as a friend. Never! He would never become a monster! A monster like what his brother tried to make him!

At the same time, Cera also focused on Marrybell as she helped her see her true memories, hoping that could push her into overcoming Shin's Geass. "Marrybell listen to me… is this really what you want? Do you think this is what your mother and sister would want for you? To become a ruthless killer? A machine to be used by somebody else?!"

"I… I don't…" Marrybell struggled, the red ring in her eyes flashing as it seemed all the more difficult for her to push forward. That is until, someone else stood before her, someone that made her heart practically stop, someone she never thought she'd see again.

"Marrybell…" Euliya appeared to be kneeling before her. However, this wasn't the true Euliya, but rather Orpheus using his Geass to take the form of her sister. Though he hated using his late lover's face like this, he knew it would be necessary to save this woman. He owed it to the woman he loved to save her beloved sister. "… I know you're stronger than this. Fight it. Rise above it, become the person you want to be. The kind of person that wants to save this world from the likes of your father, from the likes of the Decepticons! Rise Marrybell! I know you can do this!" Orpheus reached out and grabbed her hand, which also connected him to Cera as she channeled his own memories of Euliya, allowing the immortal to feed them into Marrybell's mind.

She couldn't quite understand what was happening, but Marrybell was seeing her sister, hearing her words, her voice. Seeing and hearing all this made something inside her be set ablaze, not the kinds of flames that burn with rage or anger, but that that emerged from one's own inner strength of will. Her will pressed against the power that was eating away at her soul before she pushed back with all her might.

As she channeled more of her own power, Cera felt a new connection flowing through her. Something that caused her Geass emblem to glow from red to a whitish blue. She felt this kind of power before… from when she touched the Matrix of Leadership! Did some of its power pass onto her via contact when she made a contract with Optimus? Or was this from her conversion with the original Primes? Whatever it was, she channeled more of its power and fed it into Akito and Marrybell. This miniscule power of the Primes was enough to further strengthen their own will power and expunge the effects of the Geass from their minds. The red rings around both their eyes were blown away by flashes of white that completely engulfed their eyes before they were flown back and knocked to the ground.

The Shinkiro had already landed as Zero exited his Knightmare, with Bumblebee kneeling close as Cera and Orpheus helped Akito and Marrybell to sit up, the former being the first to regain his senses.

"Did… Did I…?" Akito stuttered. "I… what did I…?"

"You overcame it." Cera looked toward him with a smile. "The Geass command your brother gave you…? It's gone. And you pushed past it. You overcame it with your own will."

He almost couldn't believe it, yet it was true. The insatiable urge to kill that he could normally call upon battle was gone. He could feel its absence, and it felt like something heavy had been lifted from his shoulders. It was so much of a relief, that tears of joy began to flow into his eyes, which was enough for Cera to pull him into an embrace.

"Thank you… Thank you… thank you…" He muttered as she comforted him as best she could.

Marrybell was next as she felt her forehead, like a fog had been lifted from her mind as Orpheus helped her sit up straight.

"Take it easy… don't push yourself…" He advised.

"Who… what…?" Her vision cleared as she looked around her to see Orpheus first, whom she briefly mistook for a certain someone else. "Oldrin?"

"No, but… close." Orpheus said with a half-smirk as she saw his face clearly and that it was a young man instead of a woman. But he looked almost exactly like her. She looked around her surroundings and was most taken aback by the large yellow Autobot that kneeled close to her.

"[Are you alright?]" Bumblebee asked.

"What…?" Marrybell didn't understand him.

"He asked if you were alright." Zero walked toward her, causing her to gasp with a startle.

"Zero…!"

"Please Marrybell, there's no need for that here. After all…" He removed his mask to reveal his face. "…We are family."

She practically felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of her half-brother, whom she had thought died a long time ago. "Lelouch…?!"

---

Sahara Desert

The massive, robotic, tyrannosaurus rex that was known as Grimlock roared as he barreled his way through all the remaining Dark Pawns; swiping his tail to rip them asunder, literally crushing them underfoot, devouring them in his massive jaw, or even incinerating them with his powerful fire breath. As he continued to demolish the enemy forces like paper, most of the Autobots and Black Knights attempted to regroup together, if only to stay out of his way.

"Since when can you guys transform into Dinosaurs?!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"We couldn't! This… this shouldn't be possible!" Chromia replied.

"Possible or not, it's happening right in front of us." Wheeljack put in.

"Must have been Shockwave's experiments." Windblade assumed. "He always did have a knack of screwing with nature."

"Yeah! Go get em big guy! Show those wannabe Cons what you got!" Warpath cheered.

"Should we be helping him?" Ohgi asked.

"You really want to get in the middle of that?" Jazz pointed toward the one-sided massacre as Grimlock incinerated a group of Dark Pawns with his fire breath.

"Yeah… we'll stay out of it." Ohgi said with a gulp, glad they were able to rescue this Autobot and not let Shockwave turn him into a weapon against them.

Speaking of which; Shockwave attempted to find cover as he and the Dark Galahad moved back before he tried to rally his forces. "Dark Queen, Headmasters, form defense position seven-nine-alpha at my location." As per his command, the Dark Queen, along with Refrain, Land, Order, and Power surrounded Shockwave and V.V.'s Dark Galahad. "Dark Mordred rain down covering fire on Grimlock. Orange, Dark Regalia, commence attack."

"Will they be able to destroy him?" V.V. asked.

"Unlikely, this is merely a test to see how far Grimlock's power has come so that we may develop proper countermeasures at a later date." Shockwave explained.

As the two largest Knightmares made their way closer to Grimlock; the Dark Mordred was still in the air facing the Galeschin Conquista. This was it, while Shockwave was focused on Grimlock's rampage, Anya could give her message to her former comrade.

"Nonette." She got the elder woman's attention. "Give this message to Shirley Fenette. 'Look toward the stars as we have done'. She'll know what that means."

"What are you…?" Nonette questioned before the Dark Mordred sped towards Grimlock's location. "Anya! Wait!"

"Nonette, fall back and regroup immediately!" Optimus ordered. Though hesitant at first, Nonette did indeed fall back as her Knightmare regrouped with Optimus Prime and the other Black Knights and Autobots.

Already the Dark Regalia had sped its way toward Grimlock, still in his dino-mode, before striking its massive hammer into his face to knock him off balance; allowing the Dark Siegfried to charge Grimlock and grapple with him. Jeremiah's own modified Knightmare appeared to be just as large as Grimlock as the behemoth tried to put Grimlock in a hold that pulled back on his neck and exposed his belly, allowing the Dark Mordred to line up and aim its Hadron canons before firing.

It was a direct hit that seemed to knock Grimlock back. However, the robotic tyrannosaurus rex quickly recovered and gave a roar before unleashing a concentrated stream of fire-like plasma straight at the hovering Dark Mordred, forcing Anya to bring up the Knightmare's shields to full power, but they were quickly draining.

"Impossible…!" Anya muttered as fear began to flow throughout her body. Suddenly, a pair of red rings formed around her eyes as Marianne took control.

"Time to fall back!" Just as the shields broke apart and the fire-streak began to scorch the Dark Mordred, Marianne pulled back on its controls and retreated just before the Dark Regalia and Dark Siegfried went on the attack again.

They came at him from both sides, striking him repeatedly with fists and hammer-strikes, as well as spiked missiles from the Dark Siegfried. It seemed Grimlock was stuck and unable to find a counterattack, but the more he was struck and injured, the greater his rage grew, and the more his destructive impulses began to surge and increase his strength. Right as the Dark Siegfried threw another punch, Grimlock lifted his face and opened his jaw to intercept and bite down on the Dark Siegfried's right arm before ripping it off completely. He swung his tail to knock back the Dark Regalia before striking it at the left leg of the Dark Siegfried, crippling it and bringing down Jeremiah's massive Knightmare.

"Damn beast! You dare to stand against me!?" The cybernetic human exclaimed.

"Yes! I dare!" Grimlock roared before headbutted the Dark Siegfried to push it back and knock it down and proceeded to stomp onto its head and disable the Knightmare. He then turned his attention to the recovering Dark Regalia, which proceeded to charge at him, which Grimlock responded with a roar and charge of his own.

The Dark Regalia prepared to strike with its hammer, but Grimlock was much faster, surprising for his enormous size and mass, before delivering a powerful headbutt that sent the combined Knightmare flying into the air. Before it could even land however, Grimlock opened his jaw and lunged forward to grab the Dark Regalia in his mouth before crushing it completely, the cockpits being in the center of it as Castor and Pollux met their unfortunate end, the torn and chewed remnants of the Dark Regalia falling to the ground.

"Refrain with me!" V.V. exclaimed as the Dark Galahad shot forward, with Refrain following him. "Retrieve Jeremiah!"

"V.V. fall back." Shockwave ordered.

"We can't let Jeremiah be captured by the enemy! It could ruin everything!" V.V. exclaimed as his Dark Galahad drew its massive blade. 'And I won't let Optimus or Lelouch have a powerful weapon like this!'

V.V. gave a roar as the Dark Galahad swung its blade towards Grimlock, only for the massive Autobot tyrannosaurus rex to swing his tail and shatter the blade much to V.V.'s shock. He wouldn't even have time to react defensively as Grimlock unleashed a streak of plasma-like flames from his mouth to engulf the Dark Galahad and blast it to smithereens, killing V.V. once more.

However, this allowed Refrain to retrieve the damaged cockpit from the Dark Siegfried, with Jeremiah still inside and return to Shockwave.

"Soundwave, I require an immediate Groundbridge to my coordiantes." Shockwave requested as he turned around, catching Grimlock's attention who saw the Groundbridge open up with the surviving Headmasters and Dark Queen entering it first.

"SHOCKWAVE!" Grimlock roared as he tried to charge the Decepticon scientist, who had already casually walked into the vortex before it vanished. With his hated enemy vanished, Grimlock gave a loud and vengeful roar.

"Oh, hell yeah! That's how you do it!" Hot Shot exclaimed.

"Cons better watch out, cause we got a real monster on our side!" Tamaki smirked.

However, the sound of the cheers from many of the Autobots and Black Knights drew Grimlock's attention, still remaining in his dino-mode as he glared at them, a burning rage fire still in his eyes.

"Why… why is he looking at us like that?" Nonette gulped.

"Hey Grim, it's over. You won, man." Jazz tried to tell him. However, the only response Grimlock seemed to give was a feral-like snarl.

"Oh scrap…" Ironhide muttered as Grimlock roared and prepared to charge them. However, before the Autobots and Black Knights proceeded to either evade or fight back, Optimus had suddenly appeared before the raging Grimlock and activated his Prime Geass.

"Grimlock, that is enough! Think of your team!" Optimus exclaimed, the white Geass sigil materializing in his optics as he made eye-contact with Grimlock in his dino-mode. This was enough to stop the beast's charge.

"My… my team….?"

"They would not want you to be consumed by your rage." Optimus spoke, his Prime Geass still active, allowing him to speak to Grimlock's spark. "Master it, think of those you care for, and become more than what Shockwave had planned for you."

Hearing those words made Grimlock think of his old team. Swoop, Snarl, Slug, and Sludge. Even if he didn't agree with several of them, they were still his brothers-in-arms, he would charge head-first into hell a thousand times over if it meant bringing every single one of them back. For their sake, he would not let himself become a monster.

Taking the time to calm down and let go of his rage, Grimlock had transformed back into his normal Cybertronian form, which still towered even the likes of Optimus. This caused everyone in the Autobots and Black Knights to calm down as well, even Cornelia and Tohdoh couldn't hold back their sighs of relief.

Having deactivated his Geass, Optimus gazed up at the glaring Autobot. "Hello Grimlock. I am pleased to see you are alright."

"What did you just do to me?" Grimlock questioned. "I know that wasn't a normal thing with your eyes!"

"It is… complicated." Optimus explained. "I will explain everything to you in time, but if you must know, this power only allows me to see what lies in your spark. I am incapable of controlling the will of another, you were able to overcome this with your own strength."

Grimlock knew the Prime wasn't a liar and choose to accept this response. He took a moment to look around. "Where am I? How long has it been?"

"This planet is called Earth." Optimus began. "This was the world that Megatron discovered, and Shockwave reached to with that Spacebridge you and your team discovered. It has been over fifty cycles since we spoke last."

"Is my team here?" Grimlock asked.

"No." Optimus replied. "We have been unable to make contact with them since the Exodus."

Grimlock looked away with a scowl, a part of him expected this as they weren't anywhere near him when the Spacebridge exploded, which was the last thing he remembered and probably how he got to this rock in the first place.

"They can handle themselves." Grimlock spoke the truth. "What do you want from me?"

"Your help." Optimus requested. "Megatron is on this planet, and he has brought the majority of his forces here. Already they have conquered almost half the planet, countless lives have already been lost at their hands. Grimlock, I know you and I disagree on a great many things, but one thing we do agree on, is the fact that Megatron cannot be allowed to have his way. He will destroy this planet and every living creature on it if he had the chance. A small number of Autobots stand with me, and we have formed an alliance with this planet's inhabitants that have chosen to take a stand. We need all the assistance we can get; that being said, will you fight with us? Will you help us to liberate this world from Megatron's tyranny?" Optimus offered Grimlock his hand

The two Autobot leaders looked at one another for a moment. Grimlock would not shake Optimus' hand, but he would give his answer. "If I help you, I have three conditions. One, you will tell me everything. I'm not a mindless soldier to be kept in the dark. Two, I do things my way. If I have to work with you, I will; otherwise, you let me handle my missions on my own unless I say so. Three, if you hear anything about my team, even… even if they don't make it, you tell me first!"

"Understood, and acceptable." Optimus nodded. "Welcome back to the fight, Grimlock."

"Take me to your base." He demanded.

Optimus contacted headquarters. "T-AI, our mission is complete. We need a Groundbridge back."

"Right away, Optimus."

A Groundbridge portal opened up and Grimlock was the first to enter it, followed by Optimus, with his friends and allies following close behind.

"Is something going on between Optimus and Grimlock?" Cornelia asked. "They don't seem to get along quite well."

"Grimlock has his way of doing things." Ironhide explained. "He's never been one for following anybody's orders unless they follow with what he wants."

"But, he's still an Autobot." Jazz added. "He'll work with Optimus if he has to, and he'll probably work with us here too."

"Can he really be trusted?" Tohdoh asked. "That transformation of his seems unnatural."

"It's a god damn dinosaur! Of course, it ain't natural!" Tamaki added.

"That was probably Shockwave's handiwork." Warpath said. "We'll let the science-guys deal with it."

"And right now, we need all the help we can get." Ohgi said. "It might be a risk, but we sure can use Grimlock's strength right now."

"I agree." Wizard added. "It's a risk we need to take."

Right as the group entered the vortex, Nonette couldn't help but think about the message Anya gave her, and it was directed to Shirley of all people. Why? 'Anya, what exactly are you trying to tell me?'

---

Gallia Grande

Bumblebee, Cera, Orpheus, and Akito had taken a few steps back as Marrybell, still on her knees, looked toward her half-brother in shock. It was almost as if time stopped for her the moment she saw his face.

"Lelouch… you're…. you're alive…?"

"Yes, it's a long story." Lelouch replied.

"And… you're Zero…" She looked toward him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I am indeed." Lelouch confirmed. "I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but with all that happened in Britannia, I couldn't stand by anymore. I'm sure you can understand now, with your memories fully restored."

She did understand. She knew the truth, it wasn't a terrorist attack that killed her mother and sister. Someone else took their lives, and more than likely her late father had hand in it. She remembered drawing her sword to him, demanding justice be done, only to get beaten down by his fists before being exiled. The same exact thing happened to Lelouch, his exile being shortly before hers. So she could understand his reasoning for being Zero.

"Marrybell, listen to me. I understand that a lot in your head probably doesn't make sense right now." Lelouch began as he kneeled to her level. "But we don't have to fight each other. We both want the same thing, don't we? Even when we were technically on opposite sides, we both desired to bring peace to this world."

"In two very different ways." Marrybell said.

"True, but our ideals still matched." Lelouch continued. "And right now, the world desperately needs some idealism. The Decepticons can and will destroy the Earth if they are not stopped. But even with the aid of the Autobots, the Black Knights can't do it alone. We need all the help we can get, we need you. Please, come with me. We could have a chance to start over, I'm sure Nunnally, Euphie and Cornelia would love to see you again."

Marrybell gasped at the mention of her sisters' names. She had thought Nunnally died alongside Lelouch when Japan was invaded; but if Lelouch survived, it would make sense Nunnally did as well. As for Cornelia and Euphemia, she hadn't heard anything from them since the Empire fell. She had feared the worst for them as well. But… did Lelouch speak the truth?

"They're alive…?" She uttered.

"They are indeed." Lelouch confirmed. "And they're with me. We're working together to rebuild this world. But we're not going to the past where Britannia tried to run the rest of the world into the ground and raise their flag above the ruins. We want to build a new one, where everyone can live together in peace and freedom. I know there's a lot between us that needs to be resolved, but we can work on that together. We can mend the bonds of our family, as well as save this world from those would harm it. So come with me, Marrybell. Join us, and let's build that world together."

Lelouch offered Marrybell his hand with a smile. She almost couldn't believe it. Was this the same angry brother who was forcibly exiled from his home, and the one who declared war on his own empire? The look in his eyes was different, it was considerably brighter than before. One look into his eyes told Marrybell that he meant every word. While there was still a lot that needed to be sorted out, she was sure of one thing. This world needed to be saved, and they could pull it off together. Britannians, Japanese, Autobots, European, they couldn't let themselves be divided anymore. It was time to stand together.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, accepting his proposal and aid. This not only caused Lelouch to smile, but as well as Bumblebee and Orpheus, even Cera smiled as she looked towards Akito, who gave a smile of his own.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, multiple explosions erupted from all across the interior of the Gallia Grande, lighting it up in a blazing inferno that could be seen from miles in all directions.

---

Steeljaw laughed as he saw the footage of the Gallia Grande going up in flames over a hand-held device. "My, how clever." He said as he stood next to his partner-in-crime, Shin Hyuga Shang, who stood on the shoulder of his personal Knightmare, the Vercingetorix. Both of them standing on a cliffside as Steeljaw continued.

"I knew you were devious, but this…" Steeljaw chuckled. "You're quite the chess master, aren't you Shin."

"When you're facing such an enemy, you'd need to take such underhanded tactics in order to claim victory." Shin commented. "Honor, mercy, these things have no place in warfare."

"I couldn't agree more." Steeljaw said. "Though, I am certain that your brother and everyone else have died in that trap of ours; there is the possibility a few Autobots survived. Even Zero had come back from the dead before."

"True." Shin admitted. "But even if they did survive, there is no possibility they'll be able to make it here in time." He said as he and Steeljaw gazed past the edge of the cliff where, at least twenty miles away, was their target.

"Castle Weisswolf." Steeljaw observed. "The home base of that annoying little WZERO unit. But more importantly, the home the lovely and tenacious Leila Breisgau. That was quite the speech she gave earlier. A pity it won't amount to much when we show the populace of Europia her corpse."

Shin couldn't help but smirk at that. Right about now, his Geass command over his adoptive mother and younger sister would have taken effect and they had likely taken their own lives by now. No need for them to witness the coming end of Europia, when an entire superpower goes up in flames, along with the rest of the world.

"At the very least, we can have some fun with her and what remains of her forces." Shin said as he and Steeljaw gazed back to the other side of the cliff. Down below was assembled their army.

It consisted of the entirety of the Order of Michael (excluding the still missing Asura force, but they were of little consequence at this point). The Three Swordmasters and Jean's Unit appeared to be leading well over two hundred Knightmares total. In addition, were over a hundred Vehicon troopers, being led by Steeljaw's own pack consisting of Airachnid, Thunderhoof, Fracture, Underbite, and Quillfire.

There was even a mobile base that had something attached to its back like a trailer. It appeared to be a large Cybertronian device that opened up and shot something straight up into the sky like a missile. It kept flying straight up and would keep going till it was no longer in sight.

"Remind me to meet this Shockwave in person when this is over." Shin said to his partner. "His Anti-Groundbridge satellite will certainly come in handy."

"There's no means for our remaining enemies to escape. They're trapped and have no way of calling for back up." Steeljaw sneered. "I believe this, is checkmate."

---

Geass Order

Dr. Arkeville, Colonel Madd, and even General Bartley all stood before a large computer screen that showed a three-dimensional diagram of a Cybertronian satellite-like device as the mad scientist chuckled.

"Brilliant. Just brilliant." Arkeville stated. "Those Groundbridges were quite the nuisance; allowing those pesky Autobots and Black Knights to come and go as they please. Well, no more of that. Thanks to Shockwave's brilliance as well as my own, these beauties emit an energy field around a specific target that will make it impossible to deploy a Groundbridge within its vicinity. No more disappearing acts for those fools. No sir." Arkeville laughed.

"But we've only managed to complete three so far." Colonel Madd said. "One is currently being housed at Darkmount to keep Lord Megatron's main base from being invaded. The second is at the Chinese Federation while Starscream and Schneizel continue to negotiate with the High Eunuchs. And we've delivered the third to Steeljaw's group in the EU."

Bartley looked more than a little envious. If they had something like this in the homeland, then Britannia would still be standing. But sadly, Britannia was nothing more than a memory. So if he were to continue living, he had to serve these madmen and the metallic beasts they worshiped.

"There… is a slight error to these machines however." Bartley said. "If they are connected to a separate power source, the perimeter of the energy field can be expanded and contracted to the user's desire. But… on their own, they only have a fixed permitter that can't be changed. So… if they were to escape the perimeter…"

"True." Arkeville admitted. "But, if you have an army on your side that keeps your enemies surrounded, such an oversight seems rather minor, don't you agree?" He said with another laugh.

---

Meanwhile, in an adjacent laboratory, the cybernetic body of Jeremiah had been recovered and was going under extensive repairs. The man who appeared to be working with him was none other than Joseph Fenette. However, as he worked, the door opened behind him as Anya Alstreim walked in.

"Dr. Fenette, the stars look beautiful tonight. I've recorded them if you wish to see for yourself, if you are unable to leave the laboratory." She told him.

"Thank you, Anya. But I can't be distracted from my work." Joseph said.

"Understood." The girl nodded and left the man alone.

'She delivered the message. Good. Hopefully Shirley will be able to get it. So phase 1 is complete, time to move onto phase 2.' Joseph thought to himself as he walked over to a terminal that was connected to Jeremiah's cybernetic brain by a series of wires and cables. He began to type away and input a special program of his own design. One that could start a domino effect and bring this entire god forsaken place to the ground. 'Don't worry Jeremiah. You'll regain your free will soon enough. And then… we can take our freedom back.'

---

Meanwhile, Shockwave was in his personal laboratory, logging in his latest report. "The subject known as Grimlock has returned to the Autobots. His growth as a weapon was far more than I could have anticipated. Once again, he has surprised me; and that surprise has cost us the Dark Knight Headmaster code-name Nebiros, as well as both Dark Knights Castor and Pollux rui Britannia. The Dark Siegfried was irritably damaged, as well as the Dark Galahad; but both Jeremiah Gottwald and V.V. were recovered. V.V.'s regeneration will negate any means for repairs or restoration, while Gottwald will need to undergo extensive repairs."

He ended his report before getting back to work. Before Shockwave proceeded, he decided to overlook the progressions on his latest projects and replayed each of their previous logs in a frequency attuned to only his auditory receptors so nobody else could hear them.

"Project Log 764. Nemesis Project is 89.39 % complete. Schematics and frame around Optimus' design were simple enough to replicate. The use of the incomplete Synthetic Energon formula should enable the Nemesis Project with physicality that could equal or even surpass Optimus Prime. Note, progress on completion of the Synthetic Energon formula has come to a standstill. Project will be delayed until time is found to dedicate myself towards its completion. The initial plan for the Nemesis Project was to use it as a drone, for no organic individual could handle the physical strain; even the physical strongest of the Geass Order's subjects Alice and Clara cannot handle it. However, V.V.'s regeneration and immortality may make him a suitable subject, if only his brashness and immaturity could so easily be removed."

"Project Log 783. The Damocles Initiative stands at 64.125 % complete. A project coined by Schneizel and Starscream to device a station that could deploy multiple long ranged weapons of mass destruction to several locations at once. I have dictated the basic construction to the Constructicons with the project being built at New Kaon, under Lord Megatron's supervision. The need for raw supplies exceeds normal standards, and the constant use of them for the war initiative against the Autobots and the Black Knights has hindered construction. Regardless, even with the enemy's constant intervention, Damocles remains hidden from the enemy's eyes and ears. Construction will be slow, but progress has been made. Perhaps the assimilation of the Chinese Federation, Euro Britannia, and Europia could accelerate construction, if their raw materials are utilized."

"Project Log 815. I have been unable to return to my lab on Cybertron due to my focus being on maters on Earth. However, with the planet all but baren, the cultivation of the subject has gone undisturbed. As cultivation continues, subtle chemicals and electric pulses are being added to the subject's cerebral cortex that will enable me to control it once it fully awakens. This has been among my most successful projects yet, one that could potentially surpass the destructive capabilities of the rough test subject Grimlock."

"Project Log 839. I have known Lord Megatron for many cycles before the war. If there is one word, I could use to describe my leader, it is 'ambitious'. And this project of his surpasses any and all tasks he has undertaken thus far. I had initially thought it impossible to control Dark Energon, yet Megatron has proven me wrong; but even the utilization of the so-called Blood of Unicron pales in comparison to this. Lord Megatron believes the root cause of all conflict is free will and I agree. So long as sentient beings possess free will of their own, the universe shall forever know conflict, it is logical. Should this initiative succeed however, all conflict will cease forever. The late Charles zi Britannia and V.V. believed their Ragnarok could deliver to them into a world of their own peace, escaping from the reality they had believed wronged them. It was a childish gesture, but nonetheless that has given Lord Megatron and myself a grander goal to reach that could end not only our current conflict against the Autobots and the Black Knights, but the very concept of conflict will no longer exist. Project Neo Ragnarok has begun."

Done.

So quite a bit has happened in this chapter. The Autobots and Black Knights have gained Grimlock, who has already shown just how powerful he is. Arguably, he may be the most powerful Autobot currently seen in this story. However, it seems that things in the EU aren't going so smoothly. While the Geass holds on both Marrybell and Akito have been broken, Shin and Steeljaw have baited nearly everyone into a trap that appears to have them consumed with flames; while their own forces have Castle Weisswolf in their sights.

Now, a few things I need to address before the chapter ends…

*First, while I will bring in the other Dinobots into this story at a later time, the Dinobot Combiner known as Volcanicus will NOT be making an appearance. That would make the Dinobots far too over-powered. Based on the second "Fall of Cybertron" trailer, you can see Grimlock actually holding his own against Bruticus! (With support from his team). So if you have one Autobot that can stand his ground against a Combiner like that, is a Dinobot Combiner really necessary? Besides, the point of this story is to give the heroes a foe that is supposed to be difficult to overcome. So even with Grimlock added to their ranks, the Autobots and Black Knights are going to have a hard time against the Decepticons (as these anti-Groundbridge satellites have shown for example. As well as the projects that Shockwave has planned)

*Second, I'm sure you noticed I didn't write Leila's speech to Europia here, rest assured that I plan to write that speech of hers (with some changes) in the next chapter. I can't go into the details without spoilers, but if you look back at the beginning, with the only scene that has Leila in it, I'm sure you'll notice a few details that could help give you an answer. But I can't and won't say anything (even if you PM me) because of spoilers. You'll just have to see in the next chapter.

*Third, I also gave some original Knightmares for Raymond and Gaudefroy. Just thought it could be interesting considering Shin's Knightmare resembles a centaur, so it only makes sense that theirs resemble other creatures from Greek mythology (Icarus and a minotaur respectively). Does this mean Andrea Farnese has his own unique Knightmare? And why wasn't he present in the battle as well?

So, what's in store next for our heroes? How will Leila and everyone manage to overcome the odds with Shin and Steeljaw right at her doorstep and her allies and friends seemingly lost? What are all these projects that Shockwave has planned? Things are heating up as answers and surprises will come in the next chapter. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.