Hi everyone, welcome to the final battle of the EU arc for Code Prime R2. I know many of you have been waiting for this a long time, and now here it is. Things are certainly going to be different than how they were in the canon OVA. I've got plenty of surprises for you that I hope you'll find enjoyable. Now, with all that being said, let's get started.
Siege of Castle Weisswolf
It was in the dead of night as snow continued to fall all around the area. The golden Knightmare known as the Vercingetorix stood on a snowy ridge, across from a lake, staring at the castle that was the enemy base known as Weisswolf. One would call this scene rather peaceful, a complete contradictory to what was occurring within the pilot's mind.
Ever since his encounter with that immortal girl, Shin had felt his Geass being suppressed. He could feel it was still there in his mind, only know it felt as if it was locked behind several steel vaults, and he was unable to tear them down. And yet, he could still feel his power on the other side, violently shaking and raging against its confinement, longing for freedom and blood.
"Don't worry…" He muttered to himself, as if he was speaking to his power like it were some kind of pet. "I'm sure I'll find a way to free you… and then we can finally put an end to this accursed world."
"Lord Hyuga." Jean's face appeared on the Knightmare's screen, bringing him out of his trance. "All our forces are prepared and await your order."
"Very good, Jean." Shin nodded with a pleased smile. "We'll wait till dawn, give it a little more of a dramatic flair."
"Yes sir. But… Lord Hyuga… if I may?" Jean asked.
"What is it?"
"Once we've sieged control of the enemy base, and have conquered Europia, where do we go from there?" Jean asked. "What's the overall endgame?"
Shin smiled in a mix of sincerity and sadism. "We'll meet with Megatron, and work with the higher ups of the Decepticons to wipe out all remaining resistance on this planet, and run it dry of all its resources."
Jean looked in surprise. "What do you mean… all remaining resistance? As in, the rest of the Black Knights and Autobots?"
"Most certainly… but also the rest of humanity." Shin revealed, causing Jean to gasp. "Other than the ones the Decepticons wins to enslave, of course. Not to mention those like us who work with them of our own volition."
"The… the entire human race…?" Jean stuttered.
"I'm actually most thankful for the Decepticons' arrival to our planet." Shin began. "Since the beginning, humanity has been slaughtering itself, and yet… they refuse to go completely extinct. Quite surprising. But maybe the Decepticons can give them the push they need… over the edge, and plummet into oblivion."
"W-why though…? Why would… you want… humanity extinct?" Jean asked. "I… I understand the annihilation of our enemies but…"
"Jean, you don't have to think so militaristically." Shin told her. "This isn't about Euro-Britannia's victory over the EU, nor is it about the Decepticons' domination of this world. The human race has done nothing but bring pain and misery to itself, they fight and betray one another for the most pitiful of reasons. They are all parasites, and I wish to see them exterminated. Down to the last child."
Jean was unable to contain the look of horror on her face. "Do… do you really feel that way… about all people? Our own countrymen… our own soldiers… or… even… me…?"
Shin smiled. "Jean, you have been nothing short of loyal to me since I've found you. You've done so much for me and never asked for anything in return. You are one of the few exceptions to the parasitic nature of mankind. I'm grateful for everything you've done. Rest assured, once we're done here, I'll see to it you remain by my side. We can watch together as this world burns. Now, please standby and await the time to attack"
Despite that assurance, Jean didn't feel any better. "Yes… Lord Hyuga."
"That was quite the conversation." The vehicle mode of Steeljaw arrived by the Vercingetorix's side and transformed to reveal the wolf-like Decepticon. "You certainly have a way with words, Shin."
"Ah, so you've hacked my communications?" Shin asked, sounding more amused than anything. "That's rather rude."
Steeljaw snickered. "Joking aside…" He looked somewhat serious. "Are you sure young Jean will continue to follow the plan, now that she knows your intent? She did seem rather hesitant. And hesitance can sometimes lead to betrayal, I've seen it myself."
"You don't have to worry." Shin replied. "Jean's loyalty to me is rock-solid. I've seen it myself; she'll kill for me if I say so."
This caused a chuckle from Steeljaw. "I knew I liked you."
However, their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of ignition closer toward Castle Weisswolf. From just beyond the castle, Steeljaw and Shin looked to see what appeared to be a rocket launching straight up into the sky, the blazing trail illuminating the darkness of the night.
"Apollo's Chariot, I assume." Steeljaw commented before he and his partner received a communication.
"I trust the two of you are witnessing the projectile being launched into the sky." Sky-Byte communicated.
"Yes, prepare long ranged weapons to shoot it down." Shin told him. "If it's out of range, send our flyers…"
"That may not be necessary." Sky-Byte said. "I just performed a long-ranged scan, and the vessel is completely empty."
"Empty?" Steeljaw and Shin both questioned at the same time.
"Indeed. There are no weapons or munitions; no lifeforms, Cybertronian or otherwise." Sky-Byte confirmed.
"It's a bluff." Steeljaw said with a slight chuckle. "They probably want us to think they're running away. With our Anti-Groundbridge satellite that prevents an escape, Apollo's Chariot is the only means for them to leave. But they also know it runs the greater risk of being shot down."
"So more than likely, it is a bluff to lure us away while they find some other means to escape. Or to better prepare themselves for battle." Shin said, smirking. "Getting rather desperate, aren't we Zero?"
"Sky-Byte, have our forces check the perimeter of the area to see to it our enemy doesn't slip away." Steeljaw ordered. "If we don't find anything, we still attack at dawn."
"Understood." Sky-Byte responded.
Apollo's Chariot had just exited the atmosphere, it's engines ceasing function and breaking off from the main vessel. The seemingly empty rocket let zero gravity take it straight towards its intended destination: the alien-made satellite that was projecting a special kind of interference over Castle Weisswolf that prevented the use of Groundbridges.
The rocket than began to break apart and disperse into several pieces, revealing a single specially designed Alexander Knightmare. This Alexander was modified by Jetfire and outfitted with a special cloaking device that would render it invisible to any kind of scans. And the pilot of this Knightmare was none-other-than Nina Einstein, wearing a special space suit.
Her Knightmare activated once it was in zero-gravity, the screens powering up and locking on to the satellite. "Target located." Nina pressed a few buttons on the Knightmare and operated the controls, activating small thrusters on the Alexander's sides to allow her to steer and move towards the satellite. Once she was close enough, the limbs of the Alexander attached themselves to the device, securing its position.
"I'm locked on, hacking the device now." Nina began to work at a holographic keyboard as the attached limbs began to connect her directly to the satellite. Once she was in, she was quick to contact the main base of her resistance force. "Nina to Ratchet, I'm in position. Ready to connect my unit and the adjacent device to the Ark's systems."
"I'm already receiving the data. Nina, pay very close attention." The Autobot medic instructed.
The Next Morning
All the Decepticon and Euro Britannia forces had assembled just outside the castle, organized in groups that appeared to have the perimeter surrounded. From the north, we had Steeljaw and Shin in the Vercingetorix. On the south, were Fracture and Thunderhoof and their assembled group, with Swordmaster Brondello. At the east end were Airachnid and Sky-Byte alongside Swordmaster Dore. And on the west, there was Underbite with Quillfire and Swordmaster Scholtz.
The sun had just risen over the horizon as the countdown on Shin's Knightmare screen quickly dropped to Zero. "Now, shall we begin?"
"All forces, attack!" Steeljaw ordered; prompting the Knightmares and Vehicons to begin their charge on Castle Weisswolf. Though the Swordmasters led the charge, the Decepticon leaders along with Shin hung back as their infantry went on the attack first; opening fire with rifles and Energon blasters at the wall that encircled the castle. The second the walls were struck, however, automated turrets appeared on the sides of the wall and returned fire. The front most Vehicons and Knightmares were quickly gunned down before those behind them took cover.
Shin chuckled as he witnessed it all. "That's why in chess, the pawns go first."
"We can't get through!" Dore exclaimed. "Our numbers are spread too thin, and the defensive permitter is sealed tight! Prepare to fall back and regroup!"
"Negative, all units hold your positions." Airachnid told everyone over the comns before smirking evilly. "Their attention is too focused on us… rather than the real danger beneath."
Truth be told, this attack was only a distraction as she telepathically communicated to four Insecticon Bruisers, one at each of their locations, that tunneled their way underground. They dug their way deep under the walls before making their way closer to the surface. Just as they each made their way toward the bottom of the walls, the bombs that were attached to each Bruiser went off.
Four large explosions erupted at the foundations of the walls all around the castle's perimeter; causing four sections of the wall to collapse and create large openings that would allow their forces to break through.
"There it is! All units, move in!" Shin ordered as the invading forces entered the breached perimeter.
On the south side, the vehicle modes of Fracture and Thunderhoof were the first to enter, followed by the Vehicons in their helicopter and jet modes in the air above them, with the Euro Britannian Sutherlands right below. However, their advanced was halted by a blast of energy that exploded in front of them, prompting the Decepticons to transform as they and their Euro Britannian allies saw from the air what had fired that shot.
"That's close enough!" Suzaku declared, the Lancelot Albion hovering closer to the ground as it was joined by Gino's Tristian Divider, with Ryo's Alexander Valiant standing on a rooftop of a small building. And standing in front of the three Knightmares was the Autobot commander Ultra Magnus with Sideswipe and Smokescreen on his flank.
"You will not take this castle." Ultra Magnus stated. "I'd recommend you surrender!"
Swordmaster Brondello gasped as he recognized two of the Knightmares. "That's the Lancelot, piloted by the Eleven Knight of Euphemia! And… the Tristian… the Knight of Three, Gino!"
"Not anymore, I'm a Black Knight now." Gino said.
"Yeah, you guys really should be running." Smokescreen said with a smirk.
Fracture chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think so!" He launched a pair of projectiles from his shoulders, which struck Smokescreen to knock him down. The projectiles transformed into the Mini-Con pair of Airazor and Divebomb, both of whom chuckled before they jumped down on Smokescreen.
The Vehicons and Britannian Knightmares opened fire, with Thunderhoof charging with his antlers before he was caught and halted by Ultra Magnus right as Suzaku, Ryo, Sideswipe, and Gino charged into the enemy, weapons at the ready.
On the east end, Airachnid and Sky-Byte flew from the hole in their respective helicopter and shark-modes, leading the large group of Vehicons and Sutherlands with Swordmaster Dore right behind them. But just before they could get too much farther in the castle's courtyard, Arcee's vehicle mode drove out from around the corner before she transformed and leapt up to tackle Airachnid's vehicle mode and send it crashing down the hill.
"What in…?!" Sky-Byte was taken by surprise as he transformed, right before he and the whole group of enemy units were opened fire upon by Elita-One, Strongarm, and Ayano's Alexander Valiant, already taking down more than a few enemy forces. Sky-Byte transformed back into his shark-mode and took to the air, ready to fire on the three from above, only to get shot at from higher in the sky as Jetfire's jet-mode shot down from the clouds, prompting Sky-Byte to fly away as Jetfire gave pursuit.
Airachnid tumbled in her vehicle mode before transforming and recovering on the ground to face her Autobot rival again. "Arcee. And where's sweet little Kallen?"
She would soon get a response in the form of red energy projectiles shooting down from the sky, prompting Airachnid to backflip and avoid getting blasted as she saw the Guren hover down closer to the pilot's Autobot companion.
"Right here, Airachnid." Kallen glared from inside.
"This is the end of the line for you." Arcee glared as well. "No more escapes."
Airachnid snickered. "Finally, something we can agree on. Guess it's a good thing I brought some friends along."
She reached out with her telepathic link, calling in a trio of Insecticons to emerge from the ground below them. They immediately swarmed the Guren while Airachnid opened fire with her Energon palm at Arcee.
On the west side; Underbite's larger vehicle mode barreled its way through a large stone building, clearing the path for Quillfire's vehicle mode, as well as that of the Vehicons and the Sutherlands led by Swordmaster Scholtz. However, one Vehicon was quickly sniped in its right tire, causing him to derail in crash before a Sutherland was sniped in the head.
The group quickly stopped as the Decepticons transformed to see Yukiya's Alexander Valiant a few dozen meters in front of them with a large Knightmare rifle in its hand as it gave a friendly wave.
"Hiya." Yukiya said rather casually.
Suddenly, lightning and energy blasts rained down from the sky; forcing the enemy forces to fall back and find cover as Rai's Raiden shot down alongside Monica's Florence Nero and Orpheus' Gouka Byakuen.
"Fire! Attack! Kill them! For the revolution!" Quillfire ordered as he shot his quills at the incoming Knightmare trio, with the Vehicons and Knightmares firing as well.
Underbite was about to make his way towards Yukiya; only for the vehicle modes of Bulkhead and Grindcore to emerge in the form of a surprise attack and ram Underbite on the side, sending him crashing through several structures before he recovered to face the two large Autobots, who transformed in front of him.
"You bots want a piece of this?!" Underbite challenged.
"Yeah! Piece-by-piece work for you?!" Grindcore responded as he and Bulkhead charged the large Decepticon.
On the north side of the castle, what appeared to be the largest force of Vehicons and Sutherlands poured in from the hole that had been made into the wall. As they entered the castle grounds, Steeljaw and the Vercingetorix had somehow managed to climb to the top of the wall as they saw their forces continue further into the castle, only to be immediately fired upon by the defenders.
Bumblebee rounded one corner as he fired with his Energon blasters, taking down two Vehicons and one Sutherland as they shot at him. With them so focused on the scout, it left them vulnerable for Cera's pink Akatsuki to fly in from above, just as Alice's Alexander Valiant and Prowl came in from the right and left sides respectively, engaging the enemy in close-ranged combat.
"Well, they're certainly putting up an impressive fight, aren't they?" Shin commented.
"Of course, they are." Both villains looked up to see the Shinkiro descend toward them almost dramatically. "They're the type to give it their all in a fight."
"Zero." Shin greeted casually. "Or do you prefer, Lelouch? It won't really matter, since your revolution is about to come to an end here and now."
"No." Zero responded. "Your siege is about to end here and now, with your defeat."
"Oh, I highly doubt that!" Steeljaw said with a roar as he leapt to grab and tackle the Shinkiro, his sudden attack sending them both toward the ground. Shin would have joined them, had he not felt a familiar presence not too far from his location.
Akito gave a gasp as he felt the sickening presence send a shudder down his spine. "He's here." His newly acquired Alexander Liberte drew its rifle and fired on the charging Vercingetorix as it leapt from the wall, landing down hard on the ground before charging directly at the smaller Knightmare, slashing with its massive blade as Akito parried with his Alexander's katana, backing away to give himself some space, but Shin wouldn't have it as he gave pursuit, slashing is larger weapon as Akito tried to block and parry as best as he could.
"Where are you going, Akito?" Shin teased with a malevolent smile. "Come give your big brother, a hug!"
"I think not!"
Shin was caught off guard as the Alexander Red Ogre suddenly appeared, charging in its insectoid mode before transforming to draw both its sword and slash down at the Vercingetorix. But Shin reacted quickly enough to block the attack with his Knightmare's more complex weapon, but was quickly put on the defensive from the Red Ogre's relentless slashes.
'It's no Lancelot Trial, but it'll do.' Marrybell thought to herself. "You and I have a score to settle Shin!" She exclaimed as the Red Ogre's swords continued to clash against the Vercingetorix's weapon, but the larger Knightmare swerved around the fifth strike and went on the offensive.
"Is that you, Marrybell?" Shin asked as they continued to parry weapons, with Shin pushing forward, prompting the Red Ogre to fall back in its insectoid-mode and fire back with its guns, but Shin continued to charge. "I'm surprised you're here and fighting for your former Empire's worst enemies, no less. How much did you have to beg to get that Knightmare?" He sneered.
Marrybell was backed into a corner, but she would soon get assistance as Akito's Alexander Liberte opened fire with its rifle, charging at the now defensive Vercingetorix as it parried its weapon from the slashes with Akito's katana.
"You can't win this brother! I'm free from your influence, and your own power has been sealed away!" Akito told him, resulting in Shin scowling as they continued to parry weapons, allowing Marrybell to join in as Shin struggled to hold them both back at once. He directed the Vercingetorix straight towards a stone building, allowing both Alexanders to follow him before the golden Knightmare leapt straight to the top with Akito and Marrybell close behind just as Shin turned to face them and swing his Knightmare's massive blade, which they both evaded.
"I don't need my Geass to kill either of you! I can do it the old-fashioned way!" Shin exclaimed as he charged forward with a roar.
However, while these battles occurred all over the castle grounds, there was a smaller force moving in. This one consisted of only a couple Knightmares with a few foot soldiers as they came up over the northwest wall. Just as they made it over the wall, however, several Alexander drones appeared and opened fire. After finding cover, the Sutherlands returned fire. The drones did their best to avoid getting shot at but were quickly gunned down with no casualties on the Euro Britannian side before pushing forward.
"We're moving in!" One soldier reported. "Lady Rowe, we've entered the Castle Permitter and are moving on to the command center! Lord Hyuga is engaged with the enemy leader!"
"Rodger that." Jean responded. "Remember, Lord Hyuga wants Breisgau alive."
"Acknowledged."
Jean was currently in her Gracchus, which was in the WZERO underground facility farther away from the castle, and the rest of the battles. This was Shin's and Steeljaw's plan. While the bulk of their forces kept the enemy distracted, not only would a smaller force move in to capture Leila, but she would acquire all the data she could on the Apollo's Chariot.
The Gracchus was inside the underground launch site as she remotely downloaded all the information directly into her Knightmare. She knew Shin's orders. She understood them. She wanted to follow them. But… why did she feel this hesitance? She felt it when she heard Shin's overall plan: help the Decepticons wipe out humanity. The extinction or near-endangerment of the human race somehow left an odd taste in her mouth. She had no love for Euro Britannia or the rest of the world. The only reason she joined the military was to get closer to Shin. He and his adoptive family took her in from off the streets along with Ashley Ashura. He gave her purpose, she owed him everything. She would follow him into hell and back for him. So why… why did she feel this way.
"Stop!"
Jean gasped in surprise to see an Alexander facing her.
"Please… we don't have to fight. Let's just talk."
The Gracchus' cockpit opened as Jean slowly stood up and leapt to the ground, raising her hands. Likewise, the Alexander powered down to reveal the pilot was none other than Shirley as she stepped out as well.
'Guess Marrybell was right.' Shirley thought to herself. She remembered how strictly Lelouch was against this idea of hers, with almost everyone else as well. But after hearing everything from Marrybell, about not only the enemy's possible plan to steal data on Apollo's Chariot, but who would likely be the one to do it. If they were wrong, she'd retreat quietly and report this. If they were right… well… it took Marrybell to convince Lelouch to let Shirley do this, as reluctant as he was.
Jean quickly drew a pistol she had tapped to her back and aimed it Shirley. "You think you can scare me with a bluff? I see that Knightmare doesn't have any weapons, and I remember you and your friends. Your stature, your tone, everything about you says you are no soldier."
"You're right, I'm not." Shirley told her. "I work in the Black Knights' Intelligence, and I'm rarely on the field. My name is Shirley Finette, and you're Jean Rowe. Or rather… your name is Jeanne, right?"
Jean narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Marrybell told me… after she spoke with your friend, Ashley." Shirley revealed, catching her attention as she tried to walk forward. "You were an orphan, growing up on the streets like him, right? But Shin Hyuga Shang took you in. You joined the military to work more closely with him, right? You wanted to get close to him… because you love him."
A gunshot was fired, the bullet passing by Shirley, grazing off a few of her hairs, but Shirley remained unphased.
"That was a warning. Get down on the ground." Jean told her. "I won't hesitate to kill you."
"You want to steal Apollo's Chariot for Shin, who'll give it to the Decepticons." Shirley continued. "I don't know what exactly they want with it, but it can't be good." She could tell from the look in her eyes that Jean knew that as well. "But you're not doing it for them, you're doing it for him."
"I told you to get on the ground!" Jean exclaimed.
"I know what you're feeling right now." Shirley said, taking a few steps forward. "I used to be like that too. There was someone that I loved, and after learning just what kind of man he is, I wanted to make myself into someone who could be worthy of his love. But… no matter what I did…even if he did care for me as a friend… he wouldn't love me back."
"Stay away!" Jean shouted, her body shaking as she shot another bullet, this one almost grazing Shirley's arm but she didn't stop coming closer.
"And I know… that no matter what you do or how much you want to devote yourself to him… he won't love you back either." Shirley continued. "And even more… you know this is wrong. I see it in your eyes. The Decepticons are going to destroy this entire world, and I don't think you really want that."
"Shut up! How I feel is irrelevant! The only thing that matters now… is Lord Hyuga's objective! I'm going to make it come true!"
Shirley was right in front of her, but even though Jean kept the gun aimed at her, her hands were shaking and so were her eyes. With a firm yet understanding and compassionate look in her eyes, Shirley slowly reached her hands forward to gently lower the gun, making sure her own hands were over Jean's.
"Loving someone, doesn't mean being a devoted servant." Shirley said. "It's about helping them be the best person they can be. I've come to terms and accept that the person I once loved doesn't love me back, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him anymore, or that I've stopped helping him. I've also come to meet so many more people I'd never even thought I'd meet; people from all over this world, and even beyond. I've even found someone new…" She smiled before she pulled Jean into a hug. "You don't have to close your heart to all of it. There's a whole world out there, with plenty of good people. The world isn't perfect, but it's one worth protecting. One worth loving."
Jean's eyes were already beginning to water. "Why… why are you… trying to make me stop…?"
"Because that's what it means to care, and to love." Shirley said, smiling sincerely as she kept embracing the girl. "Seeing the good in people and helping them be the best they can be."
Jean honestly couldn't believe that. In just a few words from a complete stranger, she no longer had the will to fight.
Zero scowled underneath his mask as he fired the Shinkiro's wrist-mounted canons at the charging Steeljaw, who swerved around each strike in his vehicle mode, gunning straight for the black Knightmare before transforming to leap up and land a flying double-kick on the Shinkiro, knocking it back. Not giving him time to counter, Steeljaw leapt and grabbed onto the Shinkiro's shoulders, slicing toward the cockpit with his claws. Before he dealt too much damage, however, Zero transformed the Shinkiro into its shuttle-mode and shot into the air, spinning to throw Steeljaw off before transforming just as the Decepticon was sent falling and crashing onto the ground. He then leapt and ran away from more of the canon blasts Zero shot his way.
Not too far from their location, Akito and Marrybell tried to come at the Vercingetorix from both sides in their respective Alexanders. The golden Knightmare swung its sword to parry both their strikes before falling back, using all four of its legs to take a tremendous leap, landing at the top of an old castle-building, prompting both Alexanders to climb up in their insectoid-modes after him. However, just before they could reach the top, Shin pulled the golden Knightmare's shotgun out to obliterate the ledge of the wall, causing the two Alexanders to fall.
"Akito! Grab on!" Marrybell offered the Red Ogre's hand to the Liberte, which Akito took as they fell. The Red Ogre threw the Liberte away, where it spun and transformed to land on its four legs in its insectoid mode to cushion the fall just as the Red Ogre dug its blades into the wall of the building and halt its descent. Just then, Shin had shot his Vercingetorix forward, leaping and landing on the ground before charging at his younger brother.
"He's right on you!" Marrybell warned on time, which allowed Akito to transform his Alexander Liberte into its battle-mode, drawing his katana to parry the strikes from the Vercingetorix's axe, but Akito was clearly struggling.
"You weren't as ferocious as you were before, little brother." Shin said with a sadistic smile. "Am I correct to assume your moniker as the Ghost of Hannibal was due to letting your Geass Command drive you, turning you into a mass murderer?" He questioned as Akito was knocked down, his Alexander Liberte pushed down a hill and sent tumbling near the cemetery. He tried to get back up, only to quickly bring up his katana and block the axe-strike of his brother's Knightmare, two weapons locking.
"Hang, on! I'm coming!" Marrybell was about to provide some assistance, but Shin drew the Vercingetorix's shotgun with one hand and fired at her, keeping her at bay while the other hand pushed further against Akito's Liberte, something he was struggling with.
"You think that immortal freeing you from it was a blessing." Shin continued. "But all she really did was take away your greatest weapon!"
"You shouldn't underestimate your brother." The Vercingetorix was suddenly pulled away from Akito by an invisible force before being kicked back. Shin scowled as Prowl turned himself visible. "What he may lack with ferocity, he makes up for with friends."
Just as Shin pulled his Knightmare up, it was quickly pelted in the sides by the Alexander Valiant, being piloted by Alice, as she shot forward in its insectoid mode before it transformed and leapt toward him, drawing out one of its wrist blades to gun for the cockpit, but Shin quicky brought up the Vercingetorix's hidden blaze luminous sword to slice away at the hidden blade, forcing Alice to fall back as she leapt away and regrouped with Prowl, Marrybell's Red Ogre, and Akito's Liberte.
"Brother… you took away one family from me." Akito said with a steeled expression. "Geass or not, I will not allow you to take another!"
Shin scowled. "You are such a naïve fool!" He shot his Vercingetorix forward, intent on facing all four at once.
At the same time, the Shinkiro continued to shoot more energy blasts from its wrists at Steeljaw, but the Decepticon quickly leapt behind cover of a nearby building. Zero shot his Knightmare up into the air and looked behind the building, only to find the Decepticon was no longer there. Lelouch looked around in the maze of buildings and trees for any sing of his Decepticon foe.
'He's good. But maybe I can draw him out, goat more on his pride.' Lelouch thought. "What's the matter, Decepticon? Megatron was never one to hide behind cheap tricks. As monstrous as he is, I at least admire his tendency to face his opponents head on."
"Give me some credit, Zero." Steeljaw's voice echoed through the area. "I may not be a gladiator of Kaon like our esteemed leader… but when you spend your whole life in Cybertron's slums, literally fighting every day to survive, you pick up a few tricks."
"So that's why you're with the Decepticons?" Zero called out, still trying to goad on the enemy's pride. "Because life was unfair to you?"
"Just like most of your Black Knight companions, hmm?" Steeljaw responded, still unseen. Lelouch scowled, he could tell from Steeljaw's tone and words that he was turning his own tactic against him, insulting his friends. "As for why I bear the logo, let's just say I grew tired of constantly being at the bottom." Suddenly, Steeljaw broke out from a tree line on the Shinkiro's flank, grabbing at its legs and pulling it down closer to the ground. Steeljaw then leapt at its back to pin the Knightmare down.
"I'd much rather claw my way to the top, and I won't stop till I get there." Steeljaw continued, an evil and wild smirk on his face. "No matter who I have to coerce or kill to do it."
Before he could bring his claws down, however. A certain black and yellow car came driving out from around the side, before transforming to reveal Bumblebee as he pulled back a fist and smashed Steeljaw in the face, sending him flying and crashing through several trees. Bumblebee then helped the Shinkiro up as the pink Akatsuki also arrived on the scene.
"[You good in there, Zero?]" Bee asked.
"I'm fine, thanks Bee." Lelouch smiled under his mask. "What happened with the rest of the enemy forces?"
"We've taken care of most of them on the north end. Our allies can handle the rest." Cera reported.
Steeljaw recovered with a slight growl as he saw the trio standing in front of him. "Bring however many friends you want; I'll just skin every single one of you!"
Despite the charging and wild Decepticon, Lelouch smirked underneath his mask. 'Yes, keep attacking. It means he's buying the performance.'
The sky around the south side of Castle Weisswolf lit up with explosions as several jet and helicopter Vehicons flew around and fired Energon blasts at the airborne Lancelot Albion. Suzaku had drawn his Knightmare's blades and sliced to block several of the shoots before shooting into the air, an extra boost provided by his energy wings while the jet Vehicons flew after him. But Suzaku quickly stopped his Knightmare's float system and let the Lancelot fall, holding out both swords and spinning around to cut down the Vehicon jets that had caught up to him before activating his energy wings again to fire several projectiles at the remaining helicopters and jets, several were able to escape, but a few others were blown to pieces.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Thunderhoof charged Ultra Magnus once again. He rammed his antlers into the Autobot Commander's chest, actually knocking him down. But Magnus quickly delivered a kick into Thunderhoof's chest before getting back up to deck him across the face before striking with a roundhouse kick to send him tumbling through a few old buildings. Thunderhoof then transformed and drove away to avoid the Energon blasts Ultra Magnus shot in his direction.
Sideswipe used his own sword to parry the strikes from that of the Knightmare piloted by Swordmaster Brondello. As they continued to parry, Sideswipe swerved around a vertical strike from the Sutherland's blade, allowing the red Autobot to slice upward with his sword and sever the Gloucester's right arm.
"Damn it!" Brondello cursed as he pulled his Knightmare back, allowing some Knightmare reinforcements to come in and open fire, prompting Sideswipe to transform and drive away. Several of the enemy Knightmares were quickly halted by machine gun fire as the Tristan Divider descended in its Fortress Mode.
"Listen guys, you really outta just leave this place. You can't win, no matter what." Gino advised. "I don't mind cutting down the Decepticons, but I'd rather avoid killing people if I can."
"Go to hell, traitor!" One of the Britannian pilots cursed as the Sutherlands fired on the Tristan Divider, where it quickly transformed into its Knightmare-mode and found cover behind a building alongside Sideswipe.
"Yeah… these guys are following a deranged psycho who sold out his own country, remember?" Sideswipe reminded the former Knight of Three. "They don't seem like the type to listen to reason."
"I know…" Gino commented, sounding exhausted and sympathetic at the same time. "Just wanted to try anyway." The Tristan then drew its dual blades before flying over the building to engage the enemy with Sideswipe.
Ryo roared as his Alexander Valliant's axe was used to parry Fracture's own blades. Ryo tried to push forward, leaping over Fracture while slicing toward his head. But Fracture parried the blow by crossing his arm-blades and right as the Ryo's Alexander landed, Fracture kicked it in the back to knock it down. When he tried to get up, the Alexander's axe arm was pierced by Fracture's right arm blade.
"You're out of your league, kid." Fracture mocked as he twisted the blade, severing the Alexander's weapon arm before kicking it into a nearby wall, and into an old building.
Ryo coughed slightly as he glared at the Decepticon. "Actually, I think I'm ready. Cause I've been doing the same thing you Cons have been doing before I joined the cause."
"Yeah? What's that?" Fracture questioned as he loomed over him.
"Play dirty!" Ryo shot his Alexander's remaining arm forward, drawing the hidden blade and gunning for the eyes. Fracture was able to parry the attack just in time, but his face did get cut, creating a scar over his right eye and temporarily blinding him, allowing Ryo to transform his Alexander and fire its chain-gun at Fracture, scoring several direct hits and knocking him down onto the ground with a thud.
Divebomb and Airazor, both who had climbing up all over the downed Smokescreen, slashing him with their claws, looked in shock at seeing Fracture fall. "Master, no!" They were about to rush and aid him, but this left them open for Smokescreen to up and grab them before slamming them both together and throwing them in two separate directions.
"I hate fighting guys smaller than me…" Smokescreen said as he wiped some spilled Energon from his mouth. "But those little creeps are worth the exception." He quipped his Energon blasters and fired at the two Mini-Cons as they transformed into their missile-modes and flew in the air around the young Autobot.
On the east side, Jetfire was currently engaged in an aerial dogfight with Sky-Byte, firing his rapid-fire Energon blasts at the flying Sharkticon, who quickly flew up and over to get behind Jetfire, open his mouth and fire a pair of missiles. Jetfire however, quickly turned around and transformed, to fire precise Energon blasts to obliterate the missiles before letting himself fly into Sky-Byte's face, grabbing his shark-mode and punching him repeatedly before Sky-Byte shot himself straight down toward the ground and transformed to throw Jetfire off before landing on his feet. Jetfire, however, was quick to recover as he shot from the snow and dust to deck Sky-Byte across the face right before they engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
Meanwhile, nearby, Ayano's Alexander Valliant had drawn its long-sword, engaging Swordmaster Dore's Gloucester in a sword duel. Despite the Britannian soldier's own experience, Ayano was holding her own quite well, clashing blade for blade as the more nimble Alexander leapt from the ground to a nearby wall and behind the Gloucester to try and impale it from behind, only to be shot in the back herself by a squad of Sutherlands and Vehicon troopers, forcing Ayano to retreat as she transformed her Alexander Valliant into its insectoid mode and scurried around a nearby corner as Strongarm provided cover-fire with her Energon crossbow.
"We got them on the run! Let's finish them off!" Dore ordered as the Euro-Britannian Knightmares and Vehicons continued to shoot in their direction.
However, this made them blind to a sudden surprise attack from Elita-One, who leapt down from the top of a stone wall, drawing her arm-blade to slice Dore's Gloucester in half at the cockpit. Dore gave a final scream as his Knightmare exploded, killing him.
Elita-One had landed in the middle of a group of enemy soldiers, quickly drawing her Energon blasters to shoot off the heads of a Vehicon and a Sutherland, spinning around almost like a ballet dancer while she continued firing to take down several more enemy units, forcing the remaining Sutherlands and Vehicons to pull back.
At the same time, in the courtyard, Kallen lunged her Surger Claw into the face of an Insecticon, quickly activating it and sending a wave of radiation burning through the large insect-Cybertronian before it finally exploded. The remaining two Insecticons tried to charge her from both sides, but the Guren leapt into the air before flying to land behind one of the Insecticons, charging it as she drew her Knightmare's knife to slash all over its body, moving nimbly around the large clawed arms that the Insecticon slashed and threw her way. The Guren landed in front of the Insecticon before driving its knife into the Insecticon's throat, quickly twisting it to decapitate it, leaving Kallen to face the single remaining bug-like Decepticon.
Nearby, Arcee drew her arm-blades to parry the strikes from Airachnid's spider-legs before they lunged forward with enough force that even as Arcee blocked them, she still skidded back slightly. Airachnid then extended her hooked hand to its chain before lashing it out at Arcee. However, the blue female Autobot allowed her left arm to be ensnared, despite the hook piercing her arm, and grabbed the chain with her right hand before using both her arms to pull Airachnid in close where she delt a kick to her face and knocked her down. However, right before Arcee could come forward, right as she leapt to slice one of her arm-blades toward her enemy's throat, Airachnid shot a surprise strand of webbing that knocked and stuck Arcee to the ground.
Kallen noticed the predicament her partner was in as Airachnid loomed over her. "Arcee!" Kallen quickly fired a point-blank Surger attack at the Insecticon, blasting a hole through its chest before zooming toward her trapped partner.
Airachnid brought her hook close to Arcee's face and smiled sadistically. "Oh, I am going to enjoy finally putting an end to our little song-and-dance routine, Arcee. As much as I loved them, all good things must come to an end. But don't worry, I'll be sure to send your new partner to join you and both your old ones; right before I get to that worthless Suzaku and those bothersome sisters Euphie and Cornelia…!"
She heard Kallen's roar of fury as the Guren shot at her, Airachnid instinctively brought up her spider-legs to block the Surger Claw, but Kallen had already activated it to blast a wave of radiation to melt and destroy Airachnid's extra appendages, blasting her away in a fiery heap.
"That was for all the men, women, and children you slaughtered in the ghettos!" Kallen exclaimed, using her knife to cut Arcee free as they faced Airachnid again. She looked at the smoking stubs of where her spider-legs once were before scowling like a maniac and attacked the two, swinging her hook hand wildly, but Arcee caught it and used her arm-blade to sever that arm before cutting off the other.
"That was for Tailgate, and all the other Autobots you butchered too!" Arcee said before delivering a kick to the limbless Airachnid as she was knocked on the ground, Arcee and the Guren looming over her. "Tell me, how does it feel to be dismembered? To be torn apart?! To be helpless?!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Oh spare me!" Airachnid spat hatefully at the pair. "How is this any different?! How are either of you different from me?! Go ahead and kill me, but just know… if Hell does exist… I'll be waiting for the both of you… with whatever sharp thing I can get my hands on… and the determination to find out if you can die twice! You hear me?! Even in death… you'll never be rid of…!"
She was silenced when Kallen grabbed her by the face with the Surger Claw and lifted her up. "Oh, will you just… Shut! Up!" She activated her Surger Claw, sending a wave of radiation through Airachnid's body before she was finally lit up from the inside with an explosion, killing the sadistic spider-con once and for all.
"Good riddance." Arcee said with a scowl before turning to Kallen as the pilot climbed out of the Guren's cockpit. With their most hated and personal enemy gone, it felt like a weight was lifted off both their shoulders. Kallen said nothing as she shared a smile with Arcee, who simply gave an approving nod before looking toward the sun with a relieved and satisfied smile of her own.
On the west side of the castle grounds, Yukiya remained in the back in his Alexander Valiant, using his long-distance canon to pick off the Decepticon and Euro-Britannian forces one-by-one with precise headshots, though this made it easier for the enemy forces to concentrate their firepower on his location, forcing him to retreat deeper into the castle grounds in his Alexander's insectoid mode.
"Don't let him get away!" Swordmaster Scholtz ordered.
"You've got problems of your own!" Orpheus declared as the Gouka Byakuen flew down to engage Scholtz's Gloucester while Monica in her Florence Nero fired several gunshots at the Vehicons and Sutherlands around him, allowing the Byakuen to engage Scholtz in a brief duel, before Orpheus fired his Gefjun blaster on the Byakuen's forehead to short out the Gloucester.
"What?!" Scholtz questioned as his Knightmare was suddenly out of power before the Byakuen drew a blade from it's seven-type armament gauntlet on the right arm.
"Sorry about this." Orpheus said with some remorse as he cut down Scholtz's Knightmare, killing him in an instant.
Quillfire launched every deadly quill he could muster at the charging Raiden, with Rai drawing his Knightmare's katana to cut down several of them, closing in on Quillfire, who quickly drew two of his own quills to use as make-shift weapons to parry the katana before being backed into a corner.
"Tyrants! All of you! The Decepticon reign is the only true revolution!" The fanatic Decepticon exclaimed. "Destruction of the human race! Death to the Autobots and the Black Knights! You cannot…!" He was silenced as Rai threw his Surger Claw out to grab him by the face.
"Your 'revolution' is a joke!" Rai stated. "Ours is the one that's going to save this world!"
"You truly think you can stop the mighty Lord Megatron?!" Quillfire continued to exclaim. "Your mission is folly!"
"My regards to Breakdown." Rai narrowed his eyes as he activated his Surger's claw, sending a large jolt of electricity all throughout Quillfire's insides, frying all his circuits before his body went up in an explosion.
Meanwhile, Underbite was being grabbed at both sides by Bulkhead and Grindcore. The former formed his mace as he and the later smashed at Underbite's face before the large Decepticon tried to shake them off. He then spotted the remains of several Britannian Sutherlands, leaping up to finally loosen the grip of the two Wreckers before charging forward and breaking from their hold.
Bulkhead and Grindcore watched as Underbite easily devoured the Knightmare remains, giving him a boost of energy. "Oh yeah! Tough, toned, and talented!" Underbite flexed his muscles before getting ready to charge. "Get ready to say 'hello' to Earth's moon, Autobots!"
Grindcore looked ready to charge back, but Bulkhead grabbed him by the shoulder and gestured to the stone building behind them, as well as his own mace. Grindcore seemed to get the idea as he smirked before turning back to Underbite.
"Come on, muscle-mouth! Show us what you got!" Grindcore challenged. Underbite responded with a charge, right as Bulkhead and Grindcore smashed the building and dove out of the way, causing Underbite to crash into the weakened structure, which then collapsed over him.
Bulkhead chuckled. "Guess he doesn't know his own strength." He and Grindcore shared a high-five.
Back on the north side, Steeljaw was knocked back as he used his claws to parry the strikes from Bumblebee's katana, with Steeljaw swerving around to punch Bumblebee across the face, who retaliated with a punch of his own, followed by a jumping kick to knock Steeljaw against a tree. Bee then leapt away to allow Cera's pink Akatsuki to fly forward, swinging her katana, which Steeljaw ducked under to avoid getting decapitated as the tree fell. Steeljaw tried to run backwards as Cera continued to advance on him, parrying claws with katana once more. However, Cera flew away as the Shinkiro came up from behind Steeljaw, blasting at him from the rear; the shockwave of the explosion sending Steeljaw up into the air and crashing to the ground.
The wolf-like Decepticon picked himself up with a growl. 'They're coming at me with hit-and runs, keeping me on my toes and from retaliating! Clever!' He extended his claws as he faced the three of them again before charging with a roar.
Nearby, Shin's Vercingetorix slashed relentlessly with its dual axe and sword, parrying the strikes from Akito, Alice, Marrybell, and Prowl as they maneuvered around him, coming at him from all angles and keeping him from going on the offensive. Akito and Alice's respective Alexanders went at him from the left and right, forcing him to block both their strikes with his sword and axe, while Marrybell tried to come in from behind. The Vercingetorix tried to kick back with its rear legs, but Marrybell anticipated this as she leapt up to deliver a double-bladed strike to the Vercingetorix's back, sending it tumbling toward the oncoming Prowl who leapt upward to deliver a flip-kick, followed by a sweep of his legs to trip up the Vercingetorix, before coming in with several punches and chops, ending with a jump and kick to the face, knocking he Vercingetorix down.
Shin growled with such hate and ferocity as he saw all four opponents rushing him. He knew he was being overpowered, and he hated it. This hate further fueled all the hatred and madness that had been building up inside him since he was a child, to where he exploded in a roar of rage; pulling the Vercingetorix up and charging at the heroes with such speed that they couldn't counter as he rammed them to knock them down.
Shin gunned for Alice first, slicing his Knightmare's sword at the Alexander's mid-section, cutting it half. Fortunately, Alice leapt out of the cockpit and rolled on the snow before the Knightmare exploded. Marrybell tried to come in next, drawing the Red Ogre's dual blades, but Shin intercepted and blocked them with the Vercingetorix's sword before thrusting his axe forward, the bladed tip on the end like a spear. Marrybell gave a surprised scream as her cockpit was almost completely pierced, but she maneuvered it out of the way just in time as the spinning blades on the axe cut the cockpit open like a sardine can, causing the Red Ogre to fall over and be rendered inoperable. Fortunately, Marrybell survived.
Prowl leapt onto the Vercingetorix, wrapping his arms and legs around its top as the wild pilot tried to shake the Autobot loose, but Prowl maintained his grip as Akito tried to come in for the finishing blow.
"This ends now!" Akito was ready to cut down his brother's Knightmare and end the fight, drawing his Liberte's katana.
The look of pure rage on Shin's face continued to spur as something inside him broke. Something that had kept his inner power and malice restrained. Suddenly, two Geass sigils formed in both his eyes.
Cera gave a gasp, with Bumblebee and Zero still fighting Steeljaw, she turned back towards the struggle against Shin with a look of fear on her face. She could fee his wild Geass breaking free as the last of her barriers had broken down.
Shin gave a roar like a demon, the Vercingetorix leaping into the air to avoid Akito's strike, taking Prowl with him and fired a Slash Harken toward the ground some distance away from Akito, allowing the Vercingetorix to be pulled in that direction, angling itself so that when it crashed, Prowl took the brunt of the impact and was forced off. Akito quickly shot his Alexander Liberte to try and stop his mad brother, but the wild Shin was already recovering as he sliced with both his weapons, striking with such force that it shattered the Liberte's katana. The Vercingetorix threw the sword away to grab the Liberte by the throat and drove forward to press and pin Akito's Knightmare against the cliffside that served as the Castle's foundation.
"Akito!" Cera exclaimed; catching Lelouch and Bumblebee's attention, while Marrybell and Alice, even the recovering Prowl, looked in clear shock.
A sadistic and maniacal smile formed on Shin's face, reading his weapon for the fatal blow. "The time has come Akito… for you… to finally die!"
Right before he could lash out with his weapon though, right before either the Shinkiro, Bumblebee, Cera's Akatsuki, could make their move to stop him…
"LORD HYUGA! STOP!"
That was the only warning he would get as the Gracchus suddenly came in to ram its shoulder into the Vercingetorix, sending it crashing through several trees, much to everyone's surprise.
"Please… Lord Hyuga… just… just stop…!" Jean attempted to plead with him, standing up from her Knightmare's cockpit, just so he could see the look of desperation clear in her eyes.
Most of the group were nothing short of shocked, but that surprise came to an end as a certain Alexander made its way to the group, particularly to the Knightmare-less pilots. "Alice! Marrybell! Are you two alright?!"
"Shirley…" Alice said in surprised acknowledgement as Shirley's borrowed Knightmare stood rather close to them.
Marrybell couldn't help but smile. "Guess you got through to her." Shirley said nothing in response, but smiled and nodded, nonetheless.
"Jean… what are you doing…?" Shin questioned as the Vercingetorix pulled itself up, a seemingly stoic look on Shin's face as he remained seated in his Knightmare.
"I… I understand… why… you want to do this." Jean tried to plead. "But… this won't… solve anything. All you're doing… is just killing. I… that's not… that's not what will end… the suffering. Maybe… you don't care about the world… you just want to end your own suffering… but causing others to suffer… I… I can't go through with that. You saved me… welcomed me into your home… gave me a place in this world…!" Tears flowed down her face. "You were my hero! So, I… I won't let you become a monster! Please just stop! I'm not saying to join the other side… just stop! Please! We can walk away from this! All this hate and death! Please! Lord Hyuga! I love you!"
All remained silent, even the recovering Steeljaw as he pushed himself up from a tree as he waited, mostly out of curiosity, to see what Shin's response would be.
Shin's only response at first was a small sigh before he spoke. "Jean… if you truly do feel that way…. Then die!"
Jean gasped in horror as the Vercingetorix raised its axe, ready to cut her down. However, before it could be brought down, the Shinkiro had already moved in front of Jean and her Knightmare to activate its shields and block the axe strike.
"This is how you treat people who care about you?" Lelouch said with a scowl, all the while Shin's scowl grew even more, his teeth gnashing together like a wild animal. "How sad." The shields broke, right before the Shinkiro fired a point blank hadron blast from its right to the Vercingetorix's head, disabling the golden Knightmare and letting it fall to the ground in a heap.
Jean fell to her knees in her Gracchus' cockpit, tears continuing to flow down her eyes as she felt her heart break. The man she loved and admired her just tried to kill her. She knew at that point, the man she once thought the world over was gone, with only a monster wearing his skin. But that did not make it hurt any less.
Shin, however, despite his Knightmare being disabled, was still very much alive in his cockpit. "No! Not like this!" He tried to force his unit open, trying to punch and kick his way out like a madman in an asylum. "No! The world will burn! I'll see that it does burn! I'll kill you all!"
"Lord Hyuga! We've entered the command center, but it's empty!"
That broke Shin from his maddened thoughts. "Empty?!"
It was true, the Britannian strike team had entered the command center of Castle Weisswolf, only to find there wasn't a single soul inside.
"There's no one here, my lord." One of the soldiers reported. "Breisgau is gone, as is everyone else! We'll sweep the rest of the castle!"
However, unbeknownst to them, a small camera laid hidden in the far corner near the ceiling, observing everything.
Leila watched from the screen, standing alongside Nunnally, on the bridge of the Ark, as the Euro Britannian soldiers had entered the empty command center back at Castle Weisswolf. They knew that even if they swept the castle, the enemy wouldn't find a single soul as every person and valued piece of technology and had been moved from the castle to the Ark on Horai Island the night before. Nina had successfully hacked the Anti-Groundbridge satellite and, with Ratchet's help, implanted a special code to disable the satellite as well as create a false beacon so that the enemy forces could see it was still online, when it really wasn't.
Leila and Nunnally stood close together, Eliza purring against Leila's leg, as Ratchet walked close to them. Milly, Rivalz, Nina, Misty, Claus, Anna, Sophie, Oscar, and all the other military officers, scientists, and people had stood on different areas of the Ark's bridge, all of them observing everything as the Autobot scientist opened the comn channel.
"Ratchet to all combat teams, prepare for immediate Groundbridge extraction!"
All across Castle Weisswolf; multiple Groundbridge portals had opened to allow all the Autobot and Black Knight units, with the WZERO soldiers, to escape.
On the east side, Elita One kept covering fire to allow Strongarm and Ayano's Alexander to enter the Groundbridge portal before she leapt in herself, with the portal closing behind as the remaining Vehicon and Euro-Britannian soldiers looked in shock. Similarly, Sky-Byte looked only in confusion as he saw Jetfire, Arcee, and Kallen's Guren escape through a Groundbridge portal near their location.
At the south, Ultra Magnus and Suzaku's Lancelot too had provided covering fire as they made sure Sideswipe and Smokescreen, as well as Ryo and Gino in their respective Knightmares, to enter the Groundbridge portal at their location.
On the west end, Bulkhead and Rai's Raiden provided similar cover as Orpheus' Byakuen, Yukiya's Alexander, Monica's Florence, and Grindcore entered their Groundbridge portal before the two partners entered it themselves. It closed behind as the recovering Underbite could only look in confused stupor.
Another Groundbridge portal had also opened, much to the shock of Steeljaw and Jean, but the later was even further surprised as the Shinkiro picked up her Knightmare with her still inside.
"Let's go! Everyone out! Now!" Zero ordered.
Not needing to be told twice, Bumblebee had transformed with Prowl as they, Cera's Pink Akatsuki, and Akito's Alexander made their way to the Groundbridge. Shirley lowered her Knightmare to allow Alice and Marrybell to climb on before she too joined them, entering the portal. Once he saw everyone made it, Lelouch flew his Shinkiro, still holding onto the Gracchus with Jean inside, and entered the portal before it closed.
"A Groundbridge?!" Steeljaw exclaimed as Shin had used his sword to cut himself free form the Vercingetorix's cockpit. "Impossible! The satellite should have…!" His optics widened in realization. "It's a trap!"
Leila held the trigger in her hands, she seemed hesitant at first, looking toward the screen in front of her as she saw the castle that had been her home since she was little. She knew what had to be done, but a part of her couldn't help but hesitate.
That is until, Nunnally placed her hand on top of hers. Leila looked towards the younger girl as she gave a smile and a look of understanding. That was all Leila needed as she smiled back, held the trigger firmly before steeling her resolve.
"Till all are one."
Leila then pressed the button.
Multiple explosions erupted from all over Castle Weisswolf and its grounds. The bombs underneath the command center exploded first before the whole structure collapsed, as well as those within the underground facility connected to Apollo's Chariot launch site, causing it all to crumble and fall apart. More and more explosions erupted from not only within Castle Weisswolf, destroying all the rooms, offices, and everything else within before the grounds around the castle also erupted.
The surviving Decepticons, consisting of Fracture, Underbite, Thunderhoof, and Sky-Byte attempted to escape, while most of the remaining Vehicons and Britannian Knightmares and soldiers were caught up in the explosions.
The castle's structure began to collapse as Steeljaw quickly grabbed the maddened Shin and transformed before attempting to drive off. But even with the Decepticon gunning it, the rubble of the castle would soon catch up with them before they would get caught up and buried alive, all the while Steeljaw gave a defiant howl.
That was it. Castle Weisswolf was now gone, nothing short of a massive pile of rubble and debris as the snow began to set in. However, while first glance may seem like a defeat, it was in truth, a great victory.
Leila was almost brought to tears as she saw her home go up in all the explosions from the Ark's main screen. Though she knew it was part of the plan and the best way to assure the enemy could not salvage any of their data that they had already copied and downloaded into the Ark and Horai Island systems. But it was still heartbreaking, all the same. Nunnally wasted no time in pulling Leila into a comforting hug, which she returned.
"Don't worry." Ratchet said as he tried to provide some comfort himself. "We have everything of value from your base, and all our forces have evacuated to Horai Island with no casualties. We've won."
"I know… I know…" Leila muttered as she wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to stand straight. "It's just…"
"Trust me, Leila. I understand." Ratchet said sincerely. It was one of the hardest things he and Optimus ever did, organizing the exodus from Cybertron when they knew it couldn't be saved, as well as other similar decisions during the war. "Really. I do."
"Thank you." Leila nodded as Nunnally held her hand as a sign of her comfort and friendship.
"Welcome to the Black Knights, Leila." Nunnally smiled, which Leila returned with a smile fo her own.
Ratchet gave a nod before accessing the comns again. "Ark to Grandberry, the operation at Castle Weisswolf was a success. What is the status on your end?"
Euphemia couldn't help but smile as she stood on the bridge of the Glinda Knight's personal airship alongside Grand Duke Velaines and Toto Thompson at the controls.
"Everything is going smoothy here." Euphie reported back. "We have the last of the Decepticon forces cornered in a Euro Britannian stronghold, and our coalition is ready to move in."
"Acknowledged." Ratchet said before signing off.
"Well Euphemia, everyone is waiting for your word." Velaines encouraged.
Just below the Grandberry was a large army consisting of a Euro Britannian mobile base, being operated by Andrea Farnese, with the remainder of the Holy Order of Raphael in their various Knightmares all around him, as well as those of the Asura Strike force and other Euro Britannian infantry. There was also a massive tank-like vehicle of equal size with the Geassed Smilas at the command, being covered by many more Gardmare Knightmares. And behind them were several hundred Europian tanks. Hovering alongside the Grandberry were multiple Europian and Euro Britannian military aircraft and even a few flying Knightmares.
The only reaming structure under Decepticon control laid in front of them, which was heavily fortified as the various Decepticon soldiers laid bunkered down and ready for a fight.
A few years ago, Euphemia would never see herself leading an assault like this. She was a pacifist back then. However, times have changed. She knew the Decepticons would not listen to reason and back down. For the sake of her family, her friends, her loved ones, and for the whole world… she would fight.
"All units! Commence attack!" Euphemia ordered.
The Grandberry then opened as Oldrin piloted the Lancelot Grail out with the Glynda Knights right behind her. Just as the Glynda Knights advanced, Ashley led the Asura Strike Force forward as well.
"Hey Oldrin!" Ashley contacted her as the tanks, aircraft, and other military vehicles opened fire on the enemy stronghold, prompting the Decepticons to return fire with their own defenses. "Bet I can take out more Cons than you!"
Oldrin couldn't help but smirk at his challenge. "You're on."
Done.
Well, I'm rather pleased with how this chapter turned out. It was far shorter than I had expected, but that is what I'm hoping for. Less is more, after all. Even though Castle Weisswolf has been destroyed, it is a victory for the Black Knights and the Autobots, as well as their WZERO allies.
Though I will make no confirmation that Shin, Steeljaw, and the rest of his pack are dead; I will absolutely confirm that Quillfire, and especially Airachnid, are dead and gone. I know many of you were waiting for it to happen, and it did. The spider-bitch escaped karma for too long, and was now finally taken down for good by the combined efforts of Kallen and Arcee. I'm sure many of you will be pleased with that.
And now, the united front of the EU and Euro-Britannia are expunging the last of the Decepticon forces from the continent. We won't see much of the battle, but I'm sure you can get the gist of what's about to happen.
And so, thus concludes the Akito arc. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, but we're not quite done yet. Because next chapter deals with Optimus and his forces focusing on the arranged wedding in the Chinese Federation, and I've got some surprises there.
Once that's done, we'll have an epilogue-esque chapter that connects this arc with the next one.
Things are looking bright for the heroes now, but the war is far from over. How is the wedding in the Chinese Federation going to go this time around? Find out next time, on Code Prime! Happy holidays!