Evolution Geass: Uzumaki of the Retribution

by SoulEmbrace2010

Naruto, Naruko, and Lucienne aim to destroy Britannia, in memory of their departed loved ones. The trio trained and prepared for the future war, but their hands are forced when they got caught up in the Shinjuku incident. In response, they start their campaign early to free Japan, only to find that there's more going on, and the world is at stake. AU, OOC, Naru/Harem, Mass-Xovers

6. STAGE 05: The World Shift

Castle: Alright...let's see how this goes…*Vreeeeeee-CHOOM! BA-BOOM!*WOOOO! THAT'S GOT SOME KICK TO IT!

Naruko: Okay, what just exploded?!

Castle: Ah, hey gang. Just giving this baby here a test-run. *Pats weapon*

Soul: Looks cool. What is that thing? And how far should we be when it goes off?

Castle: Just as long as you are not directly in front of it or standing within twenty feet of the target, you're good. As for what it is? That, my friends, is a secret. I figured Yoko could use something more than a sniper rifle while dealing with armored Knightmare Frames. Just ask that old Gloucester there for the results.

Lucienne: What Gloucester!? That's just a pile of smoldering scrap!

Castle: Exactly.

Naruto: Let's be sure that Cornelia isn't in hers before we scrap it. Euphie-chan will be devastated.

Bagley: That's what I'm here for.

Soul: Right, now for the reviews…

ShirouEmiya1 - I must admit, the song is fitting. And once again, I need to watch that series soon.

Calderoneric758 - I might use Malty and/or Cinder since they fit the 'bitch princess' stereotype.

XenoBlaze - Stick around and find out what powers Nick has, eh?

HeirOfRohan - Heh heh heh.

1v2 - I'll shelf these just in case…

Neo Infinity - Trust me, I was tempted to do an all-female council lol

GunBlade2021 - Heh heh heh.

Guest - Thank you very much. I like to think that I've grown as a writer since the early days thanks to my fellow writers and friends.

Soul: All right, let the fun continue-!

---

Good tidings, ya little piggies~

The Big Boss: Joker. The Switchblade: Cypher. The Playmaker: Rei.

Long have they hidden in the shadows, doing various odd jobs to cripple the Britannian military; from stealing valuable tech, assassinating the most troublesome targets, and replacing their shipment of weapons with tampons.

But now they're moving up in the world, for they're about to fire the first shot in the war against Britannia and Charles vi Britannia. And I'm going to be front and center, praising their deeds while giving those foolish humans the biggest headache since Joker painted their entire base pink.

As much as my Uzumaki masters are good at what they do…

I'm respectfully much worse. Ku ku ku!

---

[Japan Liberation Front HQ, Narita]

The Japan Liberation Front was the largest Japanese resistance organization in Area 11, the group being established from the remnants of the Japanese military. Their success as a group was due to having a chain of command, rather than being just a ragtag gathering of resistance fighters, with most of the higher-ups having actual military credentials. They also had Toudou Kyoshiro, a tall man with spiky brown hair and eyebrows; a celebrated former officer in the Japanese military with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and responsible for Britannia's first major defeat on Japanese soil.

Right now, Toudou was meditating as the higher-ranked officers were having a shouting match- er, discussion about the news of Kururugi Suzaku for over an hour.

"He assassinated the Third Prince of Britannia himself! Kururugi Suzaku should be treated as a hero!"

"But he's an Honorary Britannian!"

"Isn't he the only son of the late Prime Minister Kururugi Genbu?"

"So what?! The bastard gave up Japan! Our people don't know that about him!"

"The whole Shinjuku business was the work of Kozuki's group, wasn't it?" Tatewaki Katase, the Major General and leader of the JLF inquired.

"Yes General. They're being led by a man called Ohgi at the present." Kusakabe Josui, the Lieutenant Colonel informed him.

"Hmm." Tatewaki sighed, deep in thought. "Has Kururugi's family said anything?"

"No sir. They broke contact with him once he became an Honorary Britannian and joined their military." Kusakabe replied with distaste.

"What about Uzu? Surely they should take action?"

Katase gritted his teeth. "Other than their movements that we still have trouble tracking, it's all silent on their end."

"...Toudou, what are your thoughts?" Tatewaki asked, turning to his old friend.

Toudou opened his eyes with a grim expression. "We should not become involved with this public execution."

"Such cowardice!" Katase said, outraged. "You're Toudou the Miracle Worker, right?!"

Despite being a high-ranking officer as Lieutenant Colonel of the JLF, Katase was one of the few within the organization who was dissatisfied with the progress that they'd made. The JLF hadn't had a major victory since the Miracle of Itsukushima years ago. Since then, there was nothing except small raids and whatnot bearing little fruit, and it was grating on most of the members. The fact that a bunch of Phantom Thieves were more successful than them didn't help matters.

"Do not confuse miracles with foolhardiness," Toudou sternly retorted, "Besides, my instincts tell me that my old student is just a sacrificial lamb, and there's someone else behind Clovis's assassination."

During his stay at the Kururugi Manor, Toudou had taught Suzaku the art of combat and philosophy. He'd gotten to know Suzaku, and knew that the boy wouldn't be capable of something as egregious as assassination. While Suzaku would have no problems using his skills to protect, he would never take another life. As a child, he was traumatized from the war, and his father's actions didn't help matters in having every last man, woman, and child fight to the end. Years had passed since Toudou last saw Suzaku, and he doubted that he'd changed much since he joined the Britannian military.

No way Suzaku would endanger his position by killing Clovis…

"Regardless," Toudou stood up with his sheathed sword in hand. "Kururugi Suzaku knew the risks when he became an Honorary Britannian and joined the Britannian military. As a result, he is now against the cause of liberating Japan. We have no duty to rescue him from the consequences of his choice…"

---

[Britannian Military Compound, Holding Cells]

As for Suzaku, he was placed in a holding cell awaiting his "trial," still in his restraining suit; all along until Lloyd came to visit.

"Congratulations! Those three you asked me about weren't on the list of casualties." Lloyd said while taking a seat on his own stool that he bought with him.

"That's good to hear," Suzaku said in relief.

Then again, with Naruto there, there was no doubt in Suzaku's mind that he'd gotten Lucienne and the mystery girl to safety.

"Not much luck on your end though." Lloyds continued, his voice becoming subdued. "You may be getting a trial, but no one is pulling for you certainly."

"But…the courts are where truth comes to light!" Suzaku protested with a bit of hope.

"I expect there'll be more smoke and mirrors than anything. The truth is scarce of late." Lloyd said, shaking his head and genuinely looked sorry for his former charge. "Trust me when I say that Cécile and I did everything in our power to get you off scot-free. We even had iron-clad alibis that would not have you in here, but with you being the son of the former Prime Minister, the building being dropped on you despite your strong performance, and Lancelot being an irregular unit despite being under Prince Schneizal's jurisdiction; our testimony was deemed inadmissible. I'm sorry about this Suzaku, I truly am. "

"If you're telling me that's how the world works, then so be it. I have no regrets." Suzaku said, resolute in his fate.

---

[Underground Bunker, the next day]

"Everyone. Jerry and Villy just came through for us." Milly said as she typed some buttons on the war table. "This is the route they're taking tonight."

"They're taking the most likely route I calculated yesterday. Good thing you planned for all the routes, am I right?" Bagley asked.

"It took us all night!" Rivalz said as he yawned. "And a box of energy drinks!"

"You and Milly didn't have to stay up with us to plan." Naruto deadpanned as he suited up with Naruko and Lucienne.

"Naruto, we're all partners in this. Whatever we do, we do together." Milly told him with a smile. "And with this operation, we'll be with you every step of the way."

"Sorry Milly, but not this time. We need you with Nick, Shirley, Nina, and Claire to watch over them when they watch the proceedings, especially when we play the footage from Shinjuku. Hell, Nina will look for comfort and you'll be the only one who can give it."

"But...yeah, you're right," Milly said in resignation. "But who will watch over for Mission Control?"

"I will through the CODEC System." Nines said as he appeared on a holo-screen. "Someone needs to make sure that no one disrupts the signal. By the way, have you guys come up with a name for the operation yet?"

"Not really, but if you have to ask me on the spot, it'll have to be Operation: Full Disclosure," Naruto said, zipping up his inner suit.

"Fitting." Nines said.

"I'll be the first to admit that I'm nervous about all of this. All these years, we operated in the shadows. And now…" Lucienne gazed at her helmet, her Rei suit already on. "We'll be on stage front and center. People will know the masks, not the ones behind them. And Britannia will come down hard on us once we announce that we're the Phantom Thieves taking their stuff. I thought I'd be ready when the time comes."

"Cold feet, Lucy-chan?" Naruko asked, putting on the last of her exo-suit.

"You could say that…yes. Yes, I'm getting cold feet. But once we're on the stage, it'll go away. As The Playmaker: Rei, I'll give them a performance of a lifetime." Lucienne said with determination, looking at her reflection in her helmet.

"Hold on to that feeling, Lucy-chan. It is what makes you Lucienne. It still makes you human. Our path to justice is going to be red with the blood of our enemies. Holding to our humanity will keep us from becoming the monsters Britannia will try to portray us to be." Naruto said, all suited up and holding her hand.

"Just remember. You're all not alone. That's why we're here. We all have a stake in this." Milly said softly. "We all come too far to turn back now. The only way to go is forward, hand in hand."

"The enemy will always demonize you, just as you will demonize them. Such is the way in war. You will be hated. You will be reviled. Your name will be cursed. But always remember, that for every foul name the enemy will give you, there will be one given in love and reverence by your allies and comrades who look to you for the strength you give them with every victory you achieve. You will become the beacon for those who chose to fight injustice and tyranny." Nines said as he looked at the three crusaders. "Show them why you are the ones to lead them to that 'Better Tomorrow' the oppressed yearn for."

'You're becoming better than your parents, young girl. I daresay you took their best qualities from them, and none of their darkness.' C.C. thought from the side, a piece of pizza crust in her mouth. 'As for the Uzumaki twins, what is there to say? Like their ancestors before them, they'll surpass their parents and lead the way into the future. They are the glue that keeps their friends and allies connected, no matter what walks of life they take.'

"Eh, what they said," Rivalz said and held his hand out. "Come on, bring it in."

One by one, everyone brought their hands and laid them on top of one another, with Naruto being the last with his hand on top of the pile. Even C.C. joined in, much to their shock. Despite that, they all looked into each other's eyes, seeing the fear and determination in them. Naruto then nodded and patted his hand on the piles, with the others withdrawing their hands.

"Right," Naruto said, raising his hands to draw everyone's attention, pausing for a bit, and then shook them off, along with his nerves. "Okay, let's ride!"

---

[Stage 05: The World Shift]

---

[Unknown Location, Half-Hour Later]

"Just you three and no one else?" Joker asked as Kallen, Akiza, and Yoko came before himself, Cypher, and Rei.

"Yeah. We were the only willing volunteers. Ohgi wanted to come, but in the end, he stayed behind to make sure Tamaki behaved." Kallen said sheepishly.

"That's fine. The six of us will clear the task at hand easily." Rei assured her.

Yoko nodded. "Where do you need us?"

"Wait! How are we going to get close enough to get Suzaku?" Akiza interjected, raising her hand.

"See for yourself," Joker said, gesturing over to a certain car.

All three redheads looked to see the said car with its cargo and their jaws dropped.

"...Are you being funny?" Kallen asked weakly. 'They really are insane!'

---

[Uzu, Nine's Computer Station]

Nines typed furiously at his terminal, the numerous screens showing different information and maps. One such map enlarged to show a line of red dots and rectangles beginning to slowly move away from a location known to hold high-profile prisoners.

"Confirming Suzaku's prisoner convoy. They are leaving the holding area and are proceeding towards the court building on the pre-planned route. Time 'till contact point: fifteen minutes." Nines informed everyone through the CODEC link. "Are you guys in position, yet?"

"We're almost there." Cypher said, "Took us a while to get the car and pick the others up."

"Understood. I'll keep an eye out for any surprises tucked away. So far, only the Sutherlands in the convoy are within striking range of you when you make contact. I'm seeing Knightpolice units on station several blocks away, but they are most likely for crowd-control if things get too rowdy. Be prepared for that to change quickly when you grab Suzaku, though." Nines informed the group before muting his radio. "Is everything ready for showtime, my dear?"

"You bet, sweety! Those naughty Britannians are about to learn why lying is a bad idea. Oh, I can't wait to see all the chaos this is going to stir up!"

"Careful, dear. Your evil is showing~" Nines said in a teasing tone.

"Oh my, I must really learn to control that. Teehee~"

Nines shook his head as he glanced back at the screen, showing the convoy nearing the area where the Britannian civilians were gathering.

"And so, it begins…"

---

[Student Council Clubroom]

"Any moment…any moment now… It's a sight to see, the throngs lining the route, all of them waiting on bated breath; waiting for the accused murderer of Prince Clovis to pass by. Honorary Britannian and former Eleven, Suzaku Kururugi."

Milly, Rivalz, Nick, Shirley, Nina, and Claire were in the meeting room where the TV was playing the broadcast highlighting Kururugi Suzaku's path to his court-martial. Milly had Nunnally in a different room listening on a tablet.

'What a circus. Why is this necessary? For some humiliation?' Nick wondered, absentmindedly tapping his finger on the table. 'Still, this event is where the masked vigilantes and the twins will strike. And judging from their disappearance,' he glanced around, 'The twins and Lucienne are almost certainly those masked Phantom Thieves.'

As he looked around, he noticed Claire leaning on the wall near the window by herself, muttering to herself while biting her thumbnail. He focused his hearing to pick up, "Can't do this…won't let them…they can't…" while fiddling with her phone in her other hand.

'Could she have also found out somehow?' he wondered, quickly glancing away when she looked towards him. 'Though I doubt the police will believe her if she called.'

"I-I can see them! They have the suspect. Suzaku Kururugi is headed this way!"

---

[Hi-TV News Van on Site]

"Camera five's a little slow." Diethard said, speaking into a small microphone while watching the many screens he was directing. "Talk to me Charles, your team has been deployed yet?"

He frowned at the response he received on the other end.

"What, the studio? Let 'em wait. Nothing's been pushed back. Everything's going according to plan." he said and nodded to a subordinate. "Here we go."

After he said that, the convoy came up the hill, a float with the prisoner surrounded by Sutherlands.

"There, you see? Like clockwork. " he mused, shutting off his microphone. "Humph, what a circus this is and I'm as corrupt as any of 'em…"

Rinse and repeat. That was the story of Diethard Ried as a news reporter. The Britannian higher-ups wanted something done, and he hopped to it. He wasn't like the typical Britannian hating on others, and this job further reinforced it. And this time, as a graduate of the Imperial Britannia Central University's Faculty of Law, this event sickened him. The boy was clearly innocent, but it's the Purist Faction who's running the show. This whole circus was an affront to the rule of law, and it's being twisted by those drunk with power.

He closed his eyes and shook his head before returning to produce the show, not noticing a screen glitching out with pink and violet flowers dancing among the footage.

---

[Outside]

As the Sutherland protected float passed by the people, the latter were all yelling at him with hatred.

"Murderer!"

"Scum!"

"Damned Eleven!"

"We want our Prince back!"

A bruised Suzaku could only look down in sadness as the insults and shouts of damnation were hurled at him. He was still bound by his restraining suit, along with a metal shock collar that prevented him from speaking out. Plus, there were two guards whose guns were trained on him.

---

[Camelot Engineering Corps]

"This is insane! It's madness! We all know that Suzaku is innocent!" Cecile protested furiously, finding herself unable to work in peace.

"The court deemed our testimony and record inadmissible. We both know they were paid off, so there's nothing we can do at this point; lest we end up like some of our staff that pressed their luck…"

"But still…" Cecile murmured, clearly uncomfortable.

"Is that altruism or humanitarianism?" Lloyd asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You're playing a game of semantics at a time like this?!" Cécile snapped at him, not in the mood for games.

Lloyd sighed and shrugged. "Not much else to do. We both know where this case is headed, don't we? We couldn't reach him at the summit. As much as I hate to do it, all we can do is cut our losses really."

"What about Prince Schneizal? Truly he can-" Cécile started to say hopefully.

"I tried, but my call never made it through thanks to the Purebloods. Only calls within Area 11 can be made, and Schneizal is away on business in the homeland. By the time he gets back, Suzaku will no longer be with us…"

---

[Student Council Room]

"Voices of scorn, growing ever louder. Voices bearing testament to a people's love of their Prince, raining their righteous judgment down on a terrorist."

'What is this, a movie?' Nick huffed to himself, unimpressed, 'They might as well say outright that he's not the one who did it. But then, it's convincing enough for the public, so that's all that matters.'

He stole glances at his fellow student council members.

'Out of everyone here, Milly and Rivalz are way too calm about this…unlike Claire,' he thought, his eyes once again flitting to a shaking Claire. 'Wait…there's no way they could be in on this…' Then he frowned and shook himself. '...No. There's no way that there's no way. Anything is possible.'

'Damned closed-minded fools,' Milly thought, narrowing her eyes at the TV screen. 'Well, none of you won't be so closed-minded after tonight!'

"Margrave Kewell, integral in settling this case will be presiding over the trial as acting consol."

---

[Highway]

A smug Kewell waved to the audience, he and his fellow Purebloods standing on their cockpits with their Sutherlands on auto-drive.

'Enjoy this while you can, you bastard!' Villetta thought, staring at the Margrave. 'Your hour of reckoning is at hand!'

'I thank you for taking us in after our disgrace Kewell, but because of your actions here,' Jeremiah thought, looking ahead. 'You shall be the second offering as justice for our Lady Marianne!'

---

[Kozuki Group HQ]

Like everyone else around the world, the rebels were gathered around an old TV that thankfully still worked.

"No way the six of them can pull this off on their own," Tamaki scoffed. 'After all, it should be me out there…'

"They told us that they'd make the impossible possible, and rescue Kururugi Suzaku counts," said Ohgi resolutely, "And honestly, I'm looking forward to witnessing another miracle."

"Please be safe, Kallen, Akiza, Yoko," Inoue murmured, putting her hands together.

---

[Unknown Location]

"Ne, Master, are you sure you don't want us to assist you?" Scáthach asked from within Lucienne.

"Not unless we're really in a jam." her Master replied.

"Besides, if you gals are exposed, the Geass Assassins won't be far behind. Just standby for now."

"As you wish, Master." Medusa said.

Naruto, Naruko, and Lucienne were together, their surroundings rumbling around them. All three have come so far up to this point. It started with them, with petty thievery, small-time assassination, and amusing pranks in the Viceroy Palace and Military Complex. Over time, it grew into something better, having the support of their friends, family, and allies, old and new.

"Guys, you just breached security. They let you through as expected. Hope you're ready." Nines voices came through the CODEC.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Naruto replied with a grin. "Right girls?"

Naruko giggled with a bloodthirsty grin. "I'm ready to juggle Knightmares into the night sky."

"Same. There's no turning back now," Lucienne mumbled with a weary sigh.

Naruto then held her by her chin and kissed her. A surprised Lucienne squeaked before settling into the kiss, their tongues dancing around each other. After a few moments, they parted, Lucienne gasping with a blush on her cheeks.

"No turning back," he echoed with a coy smile. "The dice is cast."

"...Thanks. I…needed that." Lucienne mumbled as she stuffed her head and hair into her helmet. "I'll get you back for that."

"Lucky. I would do it too, but…" Naruko said as the car came to a halt and she put on her helmet. "We're out of time, but I'll take care of you tonight, Lucy-chan."

"For now," Naruto locked on his helmet, his visor activating, "Let's make the most of it, and have some fun, dattebayo!"

---

[Operation: Full Disclosure]

Margrave Kewell Soresi was looking immaculate, and immensely proud of himself. This event is one of the greatest moments of his career.

As a Britannian, he was proud of his heritage and drunk in the belief that Britannians were the best in the world nonstop; which is why he was unhappy with his homeland giving the natives they conquered the right to become Honorary Britannians when they should be slaves in all but name. To him, the Honorary Britannian system was a farce and an abomination, and paved the way for the natives to gain too much status; especially if they marry into an influential family.

It is why he founded the Purist Faction, and despite opposition, it brought together like-minded Pureblood Britannians under his leadership. Over the years, his faction gained more influence with their victories and track record in bringing new Areas under heel. Seen as ambitious but generous, since he brought Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu into the fold after their career-ending failures in protecting Lady Marianne. Soon, the Purist Faction became the most powerful force in the Bitannian military, and with a little more influence, their ways would truly become the Britannian way of life.

Despite Prince Clovis dying under his watch, Kewell used the chance to pin the blame on an Honorary Britannian, getting to Suzaku Kururugi as he was being treated for injuries. It was such luck that he happened to be the son of former Prime Minister Kururugi, with the motive practically being gift-wrapped to him. What heat was building quickly died down, with the extraordinary circumstances allowing him to completely abolish the Honorary Britannian system for good.

Soon, Suzaku Kururugi would be found guilty and executed, with no more rights for the conquered natives, and Britannians would rule the world with everyone following suit.

It made him feel like the Emperor himself. Oh yes, everything was going his way-

"Acting Consol Kewell!" a voice came over the radio.

"What is it?" Kewell asked, putting a finger to his right ear where his comms were.

"There's a vehicle approaching the main highway from Third Street. We just let it through as you instructed…but…" the voice trailed off nervously.

"Let me guess, a terrorist vehicle?" Kewell scoffed in amusement. "Such is the stupidity of these foolish Eleven scum."

"Well, sir. Uh," the voice sounded as if they were choosing their words carefully. "I don't know how to tell you this, but the vehicle we let through is…Prince Clovis's car…"

"The Prince's…car?" Kewell repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes sir. It's approaching your convoy. ETA, 1 minute!"

"Sir, we should neutralize the incoming threat. There's no telling what they have planned." Jeremiah advised the Margrave, playing the role of the good subordinate.

"Seriously, Jeremiah? These are nothing but lowly terrorists playing comedians. Though I can't even imagine how they managed to steal the Prince's car, it matters not in the end. We have more firepower than they could ever hope to dream." Kewell arrogantly said and put a finger to his comms. "Don't worry about it. Let them pass!" He then held his right arm up to the convoy. "All forces, halt here!"

At his command, the prisoner float and Sutherlands stopped.

…

"Hey, they stopped!" Sugiyama said in surprise.

"Eh, coincidence!" Tamaki scoffed, waving it off.

"So far, it's happening as Rei said it would. And they confirmed that Britannians like him have a habit of hogging the limelight for dramatic appearances," Ohgi commented, looking down at a notebook that detailed their plan.

"Coincidence!" Tamaki repeated, glaring at him. "I bet you money that they signed their death warrants!"

"I'll take some of that action," Yoshida said. "They'll live."

"Same here. They'll live." Inoue piled up.

"I'm gonna go for living as well," Sugiyama said. "Just for this stop alone."

"Ha! Get ready to pay up for taking those idiots' side." Tamaki boasted, rubbing his fingers together.

"Do you even have money on you?" Ohgi asked with uncertainty.

"This is not a scheduled stop. Could there have been some sort of accident?"

…

"This is Site 5! There's a vehicle approaching them."

Meanwhile, Yoko was sitting inside a cargo truck on the outskirts of the main highway. The built-in TV was showing the proceedings while she was spread out inside the cab, aiming her rifle towards the highway.

"It's…it's Prince Clovis's personal transport?! It's heading straight at them!"

On cue, a white luxury car appeared with a Britannian flag covering the mobile platform on top.

Yoko grinned. "Oh yeah, they're as crazy as Kushina-sama, Aoshi-sama…"

…

Inside the car, Kallen was shaking like crazy as she drove the car towards them, she and Akiza both dressed as chauffeurs in white suits and hats, with visors to hide their faces. Akiza then put a hand on Kallen's leg to lessen her tremors.

"I wanna turn back. This is too insane!" Kallen whispered. "We're gonna get killed!"

"It's already too late for that. Besides, we've come too far to turn back now," replied Akiza, squeezing her thigh.

"I still can't believe they managed to steal his actual car. Even so, there's too many of them." Kallen said, eying the Sutherlands ahead and the VTOLs above.

"Just remember the exit plan should things get dicey," Akiza assured her. "But I don't think we'll need it. Now stop here."

…

The car stopped several meters from the float and Sutherlands.

'How in the world did they manage to get his car?! It was locked and secure in the military garage!' Villetta thought, impressed by their daring.

"You dare desecrate His Highness's transport?! Come out of there!" Kewell demanded, pointing his gun at the vehicle.

In response, the Britannian flag burned away, revealing the three masked vigilantes that would soon be the public bane of Britannia. The audience gasped at their appearance, wondering what to make of them and wondered if they were part of the procession.

"Well guys, you're up!" Nines said through their CODEC. "Remember, first impressions are very important!"

"Good evening, Margrave Kewell Soresi of Britannia's infamous Purist Faction. The Big Boss… Joker, at your service!" he introduced himself with a slight bow.

"I'm his second, The Switchblade…Cypher!" she said with a mocking wave. "Konichiwa!"

"And I am The Playmaker…Rei!" she boomed, standing upright.

…

"Who…who is this trio with such odd names and titles standing before a full military convoy?!"

'Heh,' Milly let out a slight grin. 'Showtime! Stay safe, you guys!'

"What is all this?" Nina asked nervously, unnerved by this unexpected development. "Who are they? What do they want?"

"Something tells me that we're about to find out." said Nick, eyeing the blonde's expression.

…

"What the hell do they think they're doing?!" Tamaki snarled angrily. "They're going to get themselves killed!"

"They have Yoko watching their backs! They'll be fine!" Inoue snapped at him

…

"Who are these individuals calling themselves Joker, Cypher, and Rei?! Ladies and gentlemen-!"

"Joker and Cypher I don't get, but Rei? As in Zero? As in nothingness?" Diethard murmured, curious about the situation at hand.

…

"Are we gazing on terrorists? Certainly not the wisest if such is the case!"

In the JFL base, everyone was gazing on the TV in wonder as Toudou was in the back, leaning against the wall with his sheathed katana.

"Hmm," he murmured, not sure of what to make about what's happening.

…

"Hey, I recognize that armor! That's the pilot who fought Suzaku and the Lancelot!" Cécile exclaimed.

"Hmm, Big Boss, meaning he's the ringleader. What an interesting development." Lloyd noted, his hands on his glasses.

…

'Are they…Elevens?' Suzaku wondered, careful not to say anything less he would be shocked by his collar.

'Now to return the favor, Suzaku.' Rei thought, angered along with Joker and Cypher at how roughly Suzaku had been treated from the bruises.

"All right, I've seen enough of this farce! This little show of yours is over!" Kewell snapped and fired his gun into the air.

At once, the Knightmare VTOLs flying above dropped four Sutherlands that surrounded the car, their assault rifles trained at the rebel group. Their descent caused the wind to blow about them, with Rei's cape flapping in the air and revealing her outfit to show that she was a woman.

"We're done for," Kallen whimpered as Akiza took the key out of the ignition.

"No, we're not." Akiza whispered, trying to curb their fear.

"First things first! Why don't you lose those masks?" Kewell ordered, pointing his pistols at them.

Rei folded her arms. "Guys, deal with these Sutherlands. I feel unsafe with those guns pointed at us, considering our cargo."

Kewell growled and snapped his fingers, making Sutherlands in front of the terrorists cock their rifles. "If you're not going to surrender on your own will, then we'll find out who you are from your corpses!" he pointed at him, "Open fire!"

"Baka…" Rei said, activating a slide system in her helmet, revealing her eye that had her Geass already active.

The Sutherlands fired upon them, but the bullets stopped right in front of the masked vigilantes and vehicles. As soon as they stopped firing, there was a literal wall of bullets stopped in midair, which was a sight to behold to the shivering Kozuki sisters who were hugging each other.

"Prideful fool. Joker. Cypher. Show them…" Rei flicked her wrist down, releasing the bullets from her hold, causing them to drop harmlessly to the ground. "Your power!"

In a flash, Joker and Cypher leap forward and plant their feet in the Sutherlands in front of the vehicle. With a yell, they increased the chakra output in the soles of their feet and unleashed devastating kicks that knocked the Knightmares across the block.

Everyone in person and watching the broadcast was struck dumb at what happened as the two moved to the Sutherlands behind the car. The pilots inside were so dumbstruck that they failed to realize that their Sutherlands were being lifted off the ground by their legs.

"Heave-ho!"

They tossed the Knightmares into the air by their legs and jumped after them. Unsheathing their HF-Blades, they sliced through their targets, cutting through the torso and causing them to explode, with the pilots managing to eject in time.

"Wha-what is this?!" the reporter on the broadcast exclaimed. "Your eyes are not deceiving you, ladies and gentlemen! Not one bullet reached their person, and the Knightmares surrounding them have been tossed and sliced to pieces! Whoever they are, they're no ordinary humans!"

…

"...Well, that happened," Nick said, unable to keep the shock out of his voice. 'Could it be…those three…are they like me?!'

"You're…k-kidding me…right?" Claire stammered, a look of horror on her face. "That's…what they can do?"

"Are we sure this is not part of the show?" Rivalz asked, partially to keep up appearances. "Because that was actually amazing!"

…

"Whew!" Yoko sighed, wiping her brow. "Don't scare me like that. Still, they are the aces of the Uzumaki clan alright."

…

"Is this how you treat special guests of honor, Margrave? That was rude!" Rei said in a mock scolding tone of voice. "Especially when we come bearing housewarming gifts!"

Grinning behind her mask, she raised her arm and snapped her fingers. Behind her, the panels around the mobile platform collapsed, revealing the "housewarming gift"; a crimson-colored capsule with tubes sticking out.

"What the?!" Kewell gaped in horror.

"Lord Kewell, be careful! They got the…" Villetta trailed off, knowing that was all she could say, not that it mattered to her.

'We must thank our lucky stars that Clovis never told you Purebloods what was really in the capsule, otherwise this would have been a bust.' Cypher mused under her helmet.

'While this will put some heat on us, what happens next will clear it all away!' Rei said, moving her hand slightly out to reveal a trigger.

"Wait, you don't understand-!" Suzaku tried to call out to them, but the collar shocked him into silence.

Joker growled as he and Cypher walked to the front of the car. 'Shock collar. How barbaric. No wonder he was quiet.'

"Can all of you watching at home see this?!" the reporter said with a hint of fear. "It's some sort of device! Although its purpose is unclear…stay with us and we'll see if these terrorists have anything to say!"

"You…bastards!" Kewell spat out as he pointed his gun at the group.

"Oi oi oi, you intend to shoot after what Rei did with the last round of bullets that was shot at us?" Joker said, slowly walking forward. "I wouldn't advise it, especially with the DMS on all of our persons if a stray shot makes it through. So behave!"

Kewell frowned. 'DMS? What is he-? Shit, Dead Man's Switches! If we try to kill them, the gas will be released no matter what! They're taking every Britannian here hostage, and they don't even know it! If I reveal it, there will be mass panic, and they might release the gas out of spite!'

"Bagley, is the footage prepped?" Cypher asked privately.

"Yes. It's been uploaded to the servers of Hi-TV's servers and ready to roll." Bagley informed her. "They won't be able to stop the footage."

"Good work Bagley. On our signal…" Rei whispered.

…

"Camera 6, bring up the sound and get a camera up close and personal!" Diethard commanded a member of his crew.

"But sir, after what they did to those Sutherlands, it's gotten too hairy!" the Camera 6 operator protested.

"Grr, damn amateurs," Diethard growled, grabbing a spare camera on the side, and ran outside. "You want something done right, do it yourself!"

"Hey, what's going on? What was that?" one of the operators asked as their screens started glitching.

…

"Gah, fine then!" Kewell relented, putting his gun down. "What are your terms?"

"This bad boy behind me," Joker jabbed his thumb towards the capsule. "For that poor kid you got there, Kururugi Suzaku!"

"Like hell!" Jeremiah shot back to keep up appearances, "He's accused of high treason for murdering the Third Prince of Britannia! We can't hand him over!"

"Not that it matters, because he's good as guilty anyway!" Kewell added on.

"Oh ho, how interesting. If you believe that, then you've been buying into your own party line a little too hard, Margrave!" Rei laughed, fiddling around with the DMS trigger in her hand. "The idea that Kururugi Suzaku, an Honorary Britannian, was able to bypass the tightest of securities to get himself a gun, stroll up into the G1-Base, and execute the Prince. That's awfully negligent of the Britannian military, to let something like that happen. After all, Honorary Britannians are barred from carrying firearms, or did you pass a law that none of us know about to allow such a thing? Quite suspect since the Prince died on your watch!"

"Of course we…didn't…you...bitch!" Kewell was now frothing at the mouth, the gun shaking his hand. With no effort, Rei voiced the nitpicks that would easily be missed by the general populace. Now the audience around them were frowning and speaking to each other in whispered voices, with eyes looking at him with suspicion.

'This…can't be happening! This wasn't supposed to go down like this!' he thought, trying to avoid the stares everyone was giving him. 'I need some way to salvage this!'

"Besides, we don't recall seeing a bullet hole between his eyes the last time we saw him!" Cypher piped up with a cat emote and her hand in front of her mouth.

"What?! How did you know he wasn't killed with a gun-!" Kewell started to say before stopping himself, but he already said too much. 'FUCK!'

Now the people's voices grew in earnest with questions and frowns at him.

"Come now, Margrave. You didn't even know who the real killers were, so you chose an easy target instead of doing your job and looking for the culprits. This is so bad that it didn't even feel like a trap for the real killers that are standing right in front of you!" Rei said, spreading her arms dramatically.

At the same time, Diethard arrived with his camera to get an up-close-and-personal view of the terrorists for the people at home.

"In front of me?" Kewell gasped. "You mean-?!"

"That's right! The ones who were truly responsible for the death of Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince to the Imperial Throne of the Holy Britannian Empire, was yours truly!" Joker declared, resting his sword on his shoulder while looking straight at Diethard's camera.

As the crowd gasped in horror, Diethard looked on in amazement. He grinned enjoying the spectacle that was fresh and new. Finally, there was a chance to record and be part of history through these vigilantes. And with their daring appearances, the media won't be able to ignore them.

…

"Unbelievable!" Cécile sighed in relief while resisting the urge to jump with joy.

"The real culprits, eh?" Lloyd said excitedly. "Looks like Suzaku's going to be coming back to us after all!"

…

"What?! What does this mean?! These masked individuals, identified as Joker, Cypher, and Rei…no, we can't be sure who they are, but in any case, they claim to be real assassins!"

"But why? Why would they do something so horrible?" Nina whimpered.

"They must have their reasons," Milly said, rubbing the smaller girl's back. "Question is will they bother to explain."

Nick frowned and looked at Claire, who was glaring bloody daggers towards Milly. Milly must have sensed it, because she turned towards Claire.

"Is there a problem?" Milly asked, narrowing her eyes.

"So where does this leave the current suspect, Private Kururugi?"

"Oh I don't know, is there?" Claire shot back.

"You're not being subtle with that hostile aura of yours, Claire." Nick said, patting his rolled-up newspaper, "Do I need to swap targets? But more importantly, what's their game here?"

"Game?" Rivalz asked, looking back at him.

"These guys have to know that by coming out and announcing that they murdered the Prince, they'll be making pretty much the whole empire their enemy," he pointed out reasonably, pretending not to focus on Milly and Rivalz's expressions, "They're far too over the top. Coming out in public? Destroying Knightmare Frames on their own? Stopping bullets? It's clear that they've got some kinda weird powers that we can't even begin to imagine, or at least something that lets them fake it. But they're not just showing off for pure vanity; otherwise we'd have heard of them before now. The fact that they're acting now means that they've got something even bigger in store. Something that might actually sway the public back towards them."

Milly tensed up for a moment, and his eyes flashed, but he hid it under a lazy blink and a shrug. "Or maybe Rivalz spiked the pizza again and I'm rambling, who knows."

"...Th-that might be the most I've ever heard you say at once!" laughed the blonde girl nervously, brushing off her momentary nerves by twirling her finger through her hair, "That was almost as scary as Lucy, there!"

Claire stared incredulously at him, unsure of what to make of his observations, while Nina piped up. "Um…what sort of 'bigger thing' do you think they have planned, Nick?" she asked in a small voice.

"Hell if I know," he replied easily, jerking his head towards the screen, "But I think we're about to find out."

…

"He's gone too far. Goodbye, cruel world~" Kallen moaned, foaming at the mouth with swirly-eyes.

"Are you kidding me? They got the Pureblood by the balls. It's…" Akiza sensually licked her lips. "Absolutely exquisite!"

"For a single Japanese kid, you'll save scores of precious patriotic Britannians," Joker said, casually pointing his sword around the crowd. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

'Amazing. Spectacular! This is all one big performance to them!' Diethard noted excitedly as he continued rolling for the studio.

"He's mad I tell you!" Kewell yelled in desperation. "Disguising their truck as His Highness's! You'll all pay the price for mocking the crown!"

"Oh Margrave, did you really think we wouldn't provide a reason after outing ourselves as the killers?" Rei asked in a sing-song voice. "Disappointing, but not unexpected. There's a legit reason we ended Clovis's life. And trust me when I say that it gave us no pleasure doing so."

"We would tell you all ourselves, but what better way to explain as the man himself?" Joker said, turning to the girls. "Right, ladies?"

"With that, we present to you all your beloved Prince!" Cypher yelled and snapped her fingers.

At once, every screen showing the broadcast went blank, alarming everyone. However, there was a pause as static was heard instead.

"Uh, Bagley? Footage please." Joker said, now sweating. "Now?"

"We have a problem." Bagley responded.

"What is it?" Rei asked worryingly.

"Something is usurping me. I can't play the footage." Bagley said. "I have no control."

"...Why?!" Cypher asked loudly before everyone heard the sound of someone clearing their voice. "Nines, you got anything? What was that?"

"Someone who, if she doesn't get her way, will make life miserable for you as that one maid did," Nines answered with a coy smirk.

"..What?" Joker asked flatly.

"Ah...Ahem! Uh, testing, testing! Mic sensitivity OK? All good? Can all you little humans around the world hear me okay?" a mischievous voice echoed through the broadcast. "That crystal clear audio you get when you sneak spyware into a free app and hear everything the poor phone user says, stripping them of their privacy? That kinda good?"

"What's going on?!" Diethard asked, seeing his camera was out of his control. "Who is that voice?!"

"Perfect! Hello, people of Britannia! Is this a bad time, cutting into your regularly scheduled bread and circus? You've got to be bored of the performance dragging on and on like some dramatic Skarespearian soap opera! Well, if you have your TV and/or device up to the max, you might wanna turn it down because it's about to get loud enough to kill your eardrums!"

"What now?!" Kewell yelled in rage with Jeremiah and Villetta looked around in confusion.

"Now, without further ado~ BB! CHANNEL!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh…nooooooooooo…" Joker, Cypher, and Rei moaned as one.

The screens then showed a pink static screen with the words [now hacking…] with a spinning petal over the words. After a bit, the screen turned white, with the words [OK!] appearing in pink lettering before fading to black. Music started playing as the screens flashed teal, cyan, and pink with sakura petals flying by, with the words [Are you enjoying life?] appearing in reverse, before displaying the words…

[BB Channel]

…

"Oh my god, no…" Milly moaned, facepalming in despair. 'Not BB! She'll ruin everything! Nines, what are you doing?!'

"Of all the days, why?" Rivalz joined in, ruffling his hair.

"What now?!" Claire yelled.

Nick starred, blinking in dumbfounded confusion. "...And apparently, this is now happening," he muttered, scratching his head, "Please explain."

"I don't know what to tell you, Nick. We've never seen this before." Shirley said, confused as the rest of the world.

…

The screens then changed to a room that was reminiscent of a talk show with chairs, a desk, and a large TV with the words [NEWS * BB].

And in front of the screen with a cheerful look on her face is a young woman with long purple hair with a red ribbon tied in the left side of her hair, large purple irises filled with mischief; and wearing a long black coat with a matching miniskirt that exposed her white panties. She also wore a white shirt with the coat acting as a sort of corset that empathized her large (certified Danger-Cup-sized) breasts, along with a long red bowtie. Finally, she has on a pair of white gloves, thigh-high stockings with a floral pattern, and low-heeled shoes.

"Hello, humanity! How are you all doing? Still running around looking like idiots? Scurrying around like ants who just had boiling water poured into their hill? You are, aren't you? Oh, my! After thousands of years, you haven't changed a bit! I love it! It almost makes me feel bad for you! Well, not so much in the 'poor thing' sense as the 'pathetic' or 'pitiful' senses, mind you."

Meanwhile, Diethard ran back into the truck as alarms blared inside. "What's going on? Where's that transmission coming from?!"

An aide shook their heads as they typed on their keyboards. "I don't know! And the controls aren't responding! She's using completely different protocols than us!"

"And it's not just us! She's taken over the whole network! None of the media around the world have any control over their systems, and she's piggybacking off the Hi-TV mainframe!" another aide reported frantically. "How is she doing this?! Is she some kind of hacker working with the terrorists?!"

"Ding ding ding, correct little piggy! This broadcast is coming to you live from me, BB: Illegal High-Grade AI and former Ruler of the Moon. We don't talk about the moon, by the way, so don't bother asking!" BB chuckled before adopting a smug look. "And to those asking if I'm working with those three down there, then yes I am, and proud to do so! You can even call me their official spokesperson, their greedy zealous angel and herald if you will, so IWAE!"

"Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?" Kewell yelled, pointing his gun at the nearby screen. "Because I'm not laughing!"

"Oh, you won't be laughing at all." BB said, her voice turning cold and eyes turning completely red, as the theme music suddenly warped into a sinister tone. "As a matter of fact, no one will be laughing in a bit. After all, with this festive parading around an innocent soul, you neglected to tell everyone what led up to the assassination of that foolish prince. I hope everyone's got their popcorn, because as a BB Channel exclusive, you all get to see a trailer for the new reality show. A reality show where Britannia isn't number one. A reality show-"

"Oh for fuck sake, just play the damn footage already, BB!" Joker yelled at her, shaking his fist at the nearest screen.

"Oh ok, fine!" BB pouted and manipulated the screens with her pointer. "Take the fun out of it, why don't you…"

She moved herself to the bottom-left side of the screen, and the footage of the convoy to the bottom-right side of the screen; with the whole screen showing the main footage of the Shinjuku massacre as the music died down.

"Enjoy~...because we certainly didn't…" BB said as the footage inside the G1-Base played.

…

"They got away?! And you call yourselves the Royal Guard?!"

"Uh, forgive me, my Lord. The blast was mainly directed upwards, but-"

"Why the hell do you think I only told you people about this?!"

"W-We'll continue the investigation."

"What exactly happened?"

"We found the target, but the soldier who discovered it had seen the target, so I had to silence him. A couple of Britannian students were there as well. It ties into the social media footage of two students trying to help the occupants of the crash not knowing they were terrorists, so basically they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, even if they might have been taken as hostages. We moved to eliminate them and secure the target, but the truck exploded. We lost them in the smoke."

"Understood. That only means that the plan shall move forward to the next stage."

"B-but your Highness-!"

"If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited. Worse, despite the ceasefire agreement, we know full well that they will jump at any excuse to fight us again. Tell them back home that we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here."

"Your Highness, I must insist! If you go through with this, then this will definitely give them a reason to enter conflict with Britannia again!"

"You're all sworn to silence then. Besides, we have the media on our side, so they'll be in the dark as the rest of the world. And so, as Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Empire, I command you. Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

…

"No, no, no!" Kewell howled as the damning footage started to roll.

Scenes of the Shinjuku Massacre played out on screens, from Area 11 to everyone tuning into the procession. Nothing was edited out, nothing was uncensored, and to add to the footage were the voices of gleeful Britannian soldiers wiping out the Shinjuku Ghetto, "The enemy is garbage that could never hope to become even Honorary Britannians! Wipe out every last one of them!" accompanied by the screams and death cries of the residents. Tanks came in and blasted crowds of people to smithereens, Knightmares rolled in shooting anything that moved, and soldiers swept through every floor and rooms in the residential buildings, personally gunning down the people. Adults, children, the elderly, even babies, none were spared, and their deaths were shown in full and graphic detail.

Kewell's gun dropped from his hand onto the ground. There was no way out of this for him. Each shot in the footage felt like the death nails hammering into the coffin that contained his career. He wanted to cry out that the footage was faked until the next video clip sealed his fate.

"Get Jeremiah or Villetta to do Bartley's work! I haven't had this much fun on the front lines in ages!" he yelled gleefully as the images showed his Knightmare Frame gunning down a family.

The audience was downright horrified at what was being shown and were despairing. The parents covered their children's eyes, but the death cries of the slaughtered still echoed throughout the venue. BB made sure to get their reactions on the smaller screen for the viewers at him; most of them falling to their knees, some puking their guts out, with all of them shedding tears of despair. They all wanted to deny it, but the screams of the dying were just as real as the bullet wounds, and left a permanent mark on their souls.

Jeremiah and Villetta, who were part of it, could only look away. While they did search for the "poison gas", they took chances and saved those that they could without any of the Britannian soldiers spotting them. All they could do at the time was find the object in hope of ending the one-sided massacre.

In the Hi-TV van, it was chaos as the aides did everything they could to cut the feed, but BB wouldn't let them. Even cutting the power did nothing. As for Diethard, he stepped outside and puked. He's seen death, but nothing on the levels of what was now playing. Regardless, he knew the world was going to change, and despite Britannia's best efforts, they won't be able to keep the footage buried.

Meanwhile, in Clovis's car, the sister clamped their ears and closed their eyes, tearing falling. They were all there during the massacre of course, but it was gut-wrenching to see those they couldn't save being killed. Yoko was the same as well, wiping her tears away as she tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Well well well. Looks like these patriotic Britannians you have gathered here tonight have a different opinion of the Prince now, wouldn't you say?" Joker asked coldly as he walked forward.

"Please, stop this- Gak!" Suzaku yelled only to be shocked.

"Nope!" BB said with false cheerfulness. "I'm going to keep it going until everyone gets the message!"

…

Meanwhile in the rebel groups within Japan and other nations resisting Britannia, everyone watching the broadcast erupted in outrage; more so in Japan than the others.

The JLF were all angrily shouting, pressing the higher-ups to do something. Even the Lieutenant-Colonel Kusabe was yelling at the General, while Toudou gripped his sword, making his hand bleed.

The Kozuki Group could only look away in shame, while Tamaki was shooting his mouth off, trying to justify why they should go extreme, but nobody listened.

Outside of Japan, the resistance groups who were preventing Britannia from conquering their lands had renewed vigor and morale from the depths of despair. While they sympathized with the Japanese, they were going to do everything they could to prevent Shinjuku from happening to them.

…

The sounds of the slaughter masked the sound of Claire dropping her phone as she brought her hands to her face in horror.

Milly and Rivalz could only look away as they were witnesses to it already, only seeing Shirley stand up quickly, only to trip backward and fall on her rear.

"What is- This can't be." Shirley shook in fright, unable to look away.

"What- Why would-" Nina backed away in terror. "Why would Prince Clovis do this?!" she yelled, dropping to her knees and sobbing, with Milly swiftly going to her and embraced her in comfort.

As for Nick…he stayed seated, his eyes processing the whole thing without blinking, practically boring into the screen, face stony. His body went so still that he could have been mistaken for a statue.

…

"How…horrible!" Cécile stepped back, her hands shaking as they looked on in horror. "Prince Clovis…why?"

Lloyd adjusted his glasses. "So this was the clean-up they were referring to. For once I'm glad they kept us from deploying. Lancelot is used for the battlefield, not meaningless manslaughter." There's no data to be had for it.

"How could you say something like that?!" Cécile demanded shrilly.

"Don't misunderstand me, my dear Cécile. I'm just as sickened as you are. The new Viceroy will inherit this huge mess. At least the Purebloods will finally be out of power, and Suzaku will be coming back to us. That's what's important." Lloyd said evenly.

…

After the sound of a toddler crying that was silenced by a gunshot, Rei tapped her foot twice on the roof of the car. Kallen snapped out of it and slowly drove forward, wondering if this was all a dream.

"So, Margrave, now that we've proven Kururugi Suzaku's innocence several times over, hand him over, and you get this," Rei said, jerking her thumb towards the capsule. "I advise that you make the right move because after reliving that massacre, I speak for myself and my companions when I say that none of us are in a gaming mood. So, decide!"

"I…I…"

Kewell was broken. Everything he worked for was burning around him. No way would the courts convict Suzaku now, even with the judges and prosecutors paid off. The whole world was seeing what happened, and now…

"I'll sweeten the deal! Give them the kid and I stop the footage!" BB offered with an evil grin. "This stuff lasts quite a while, and it's only been five minutes! Only you can stop your fellow Britannians from being traumatized further!"

"N-No! I can…still…" Kewell protested, looking around wildly, but he had nothing and no support. "You won't…I…"

"That's enough!"

Jeremiah drove his Sutherland in front to confront the crusaders. "This doesn't need to go on any longer! We lost! If we give you Kururugi, will you still give us that container and stop the footage?"

Joker nodded. "That's the idea, so we have a deal?"

"Lord Jeremiah, are you sure about this?" Villetta asked in a demanding tone.

"On my name as Jeremiah Gottwald, I shall take full responsibility for this exchange!" Jeremiah declared and turned back to Joker. "You have a deal!"

"Have him come to us," Cypher commanded. "Once he's in our custody and we won't be attacked while leaving, we'll disarm the bomb and stop the footage from playing. Now release him."

"Right, understood. Release the prisoner!" Jeremiah commanded.

"But Lord Jeremiah-" one of the soldiers protested.

"Lord Kewell is currently incapable of keeping everyone safe!" Jeremiah said, gesturing to a drooling Kewell. "Now get the Private over there now!"

"This is actually working. Come on, it's time to go." Akiza said and exited the car.

"Oh uh, right." Kallen said, shaking her fears off and exited as well.

With great reluctance despite what was happening, the soldiers released Suzaku and had him walk over to where Joker is.

"So who the hell are you all?" Suzaku asked, only to be shocked by the collar.

"Someone who's saving your dumb ass," Joker said as his HUD analyzed the collar on his neck.

"It's time to go, Joker. Everyone." Kallen said as she and Akiza joined them.

"Indeed." Rei nodded and bowed towards the Purebloods. "Until next time-"

"I won't let you get away with this!" Kewell yelled, getting into his Knightmare and charged at the group of crusaders.

"Lord Kewell, stop!" Jeremiah yelled to no avail.

"Oh for fuck sakes." Cypher said, a slide system in her helmet opening to reveal her Geass eye that was flapping.

Suddenly, the charging Knightmare stopped in its tracks, its limbs jerking about as it tried to move.

"What? What's happening to my Knightmare?!" Kewell asked frantically as the Geass sigil appeared on his screens.

'Yep, Naruko can disrupt electronics now.' Joker mused. 'Not complete full-on hacking, but it still works. Reminds me of Watch Dogs-'

"Heads up, gang! We got numerous KF units headed in your direction! Looks like they decided to stop dragging their feet and actually do something about this debacle! You need to make your Egress, Now!" Nines shouted over the CODEC link.

"You heard the man! Time to bounce!"Joker yelled, grabbing Kallen close, making her blush. "We'll let that one transgression slide, but let me assure you all. This is just the beginning!"

With Cypher grabbing Akiza and Rei wrapping Suzaku in her cape, the twins shot their chakra chains towards the vehicle Yoko was manning, with Lucienne doing the same with her grapple gun. As soon they made contact with the truck, Yoko hit the gas and sped off, taking the others with her.

"'Till next time, suckers!" Cypher yelled as they were soon out of sight, and released her hold on Kewell's Sutherland.

'I say that went well.' Villetta thought as she looked up at the screen where BB has dismissed the smaller screen and appeared in full.

"That was fun! I can't wait to do that again! Don't worry everyone, this won't be the last time you see little old me! For all the latest going ons of the Phantom Thieves that are now moving up in the world, follow me on social media and the Tubes at BB Channel~! Until next time, BB out! Ciao~"

With a hearty wave, BB and her studio disappeared, leaving the broadcast intact.

'And with that, the fall of the Purist Faction has begun. After all,' Jeremiah looked around to see the miserable and despairing faces of the audience around him. 'No one's going to be proud to be a Britannian on this day… Not even me…'

[Operation: Full Disclosure]

[Mission Accomplished]

---

[Uzu]

"The war has begun." Kushina declared, snapping her fan closed.

"Not a fan of war myself, but it is necessary," Nines said, looking tired. "Hell, things are worse here than in my world. I shudder to think of how things would be if the Patriots existed in this diverging timeline."

"It's thanks to your knowledge that we were able to prevent the Patriots from existing," Kushina said softly. "Not to mention all your knowledge as well, M.M."

"You hear that, Emmie? Kushina giving you praise instead of your fellow Code Bearer, C.C." Nines teased her, poking her sides.

"Geez, Kushina-sama! You know that I'm not fond of that name!" 'Emmie' whined with a pout. "Call me Emmie, or at least my old name!"

Kushina giggled. "As you wish, Medaka-chan."

[Ashford]

'Whew, thank goodness it all worked out.' Milly silently sighed while keeping Nina in her embrace and rubbing her head to keep her calm. 'Still, school's going to be miserable tomorrow. The Purebloods promoted the hell out of this event to make sure everyone tunes in.' she looked to see Shirley and Claire crying their eyes out. 'And even if people didn't watch, word will spread like wildfire, and clips will be uploaded to social media and the Tubes. And since BB is now active,' she grumbled to herself. 'She'll make sure all of those clips stay up for everyone to see.'

"Huh? Did anyone see where Nick went? I didn't even hear him leave." Rivalz asked, looking forward. 'Did the footage get to him? He had a real thousand-yard stare back there…'

…

"Sayoko, is it over?" Nunnally asked nervously. "Sayoko?"

After hearing Clovis's order to kill everyone in the Shinjuku Ghetto, Nunnally dropped the tablet in fright, hoping she heard wrong. But before the actual massacre played, Sayoko quickly grabbed the tablet and lowered the volume so Nunnally couldn't hear the slaughter.

"It's all right, Nunnally-sama. Everything looks to have worked out." Sayoko assured her.

"Sayoko, that video of Clovis. It has to be wrong, right?" Nunnally asked hopefully.

"...I'm sorry, Nunnally-sama." Sayoko said regretfully.

"It can't be. But…what about Suzaku? Is he okay?" Nunnally asked, tears falling through her closed eyes.

"It would seem that those Phantom Thieves took him." Sayoko said, knowing that Suzaku would be fine.

…

Nick was outside, breathing heavily while trying to keep calm. He had to get away from the clubhouse before he snapped.

As he'd feared, a massacre had happened right under his nose, miles away; and it was worse than he imagined. His blood ran cold when he saw Clovis give the order, followed by the footage of the extermination of the residents. Man, woman, child, it didn't matter, as they were executed without a chance to defend themselves. The voices of the radios didn't help any.

'Dammit…dammit dammit DAMMIT!'

He punched the nearby wall, barely even noticing when his fist smashed straight through it, leaving behind a hole as he continued onward.

'No. More. Standing around!'

---

[Abandoned Theatre, Old Tokyo]

Night had fully fallen over Japan, with Joker, Cypher, Rei, Kallen, Akiza, and Yoko meeting up with the others in the Kozuki Group with their prize, Kururugi Suzaku. While the redheads stayed behind with the others, the three masked crusaders dragged Suzaku to the amphitheater area to talk in private.

"Man, I really couldn't think they could do it." Yoshida said, looking at where they went.

"Yeah," Sugiyama agreed. "We underestimated them. I guess as Phantom Thieves, they had lots of tricks up their sleeves, and allies supporting them in the shadows, like that BB chick."

"Bullshit! That had to be a fluke, right?" Tamaki protested, only to get looks of disagreements. "Come on, How many times can a bluff like that work?"

"What's it going to take to make you admit that they proved you wrong?" Akiza said with a cold look. "They made the impossible possible and dealt a mortal wound through Britannia's armor of arrogance. I saw it with my own eyes."

"You and the others were just…seeing things…" Tamaki tried to say, but his words lacked impact. "Yeah, that's it."

Akiza rolled her eyes. "Grow up, Tamaki. No one will fault you for admitting you're wrong. Or do you truly believe that you could've done better?"

"...No." Tamaki finally bit out, feeling ill from just admitting it.

In the same positions as the crusaders, his methods of rushing forward without consequence would've gotten him killed.

"Come on Tamaki, even you gotta give them some credit," Ohgi added with a smile while ignoring Tamaki's glaring at him. "Gotta admit, nobody else could've pulled that off. Not the Japanese Liberation Front, and sure as hell not me. We always thought that a full-on war with Britannia wasn't a possibility at all. But maybe with them, it is."

"No maybes, because it is possible with them," Yoko said, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. "That massacre started the countdown to Japan's liberation and Britannia's destruction."

"Now that you say it like that, that thing you said to them about Devils and whatnot. What was that about?" Inoue asked.

Yoko winked at her and put a finger to her lips. "Everything will become clear soon, but for now, it's a secret!"

'Hmm? Where did Kallen go?' Akiza wondered before spotting her sneaking away towards the amphitheater.

…

In the amphitheater, the trio was standing before Suzaku, who was on the stage and looking at them warily while rubbing his wrist. Joker was on the stage with him, Cypher was sitting upside down on one of the front seats, and Rei was standing on a slab of debris that fell on a section of the seat.

"Doing a bit better, Kururugi Suzaku?" Joker asked, his arms folded and staring at him.

"Y-Yeah." Suzaku nodded, touching the bandage on his cheek. After they arrived, he was treated for his bruises dealt by his interrogators. "Tell me, did you all really kill Prince Clovis?"

"Not exactly. None of us personally killed him," said Rei, shrugging, "But we were there, and it's accurate to say that we were responsible."

"But you yourself saw the footage we provided by way of our AI…friend," Cypher said with a snort. "He had it coming from ordering all those deaths of the innocent for something he was trying to hide. And even if we weren't there, we would've still gone after Clovis for what he did."

"Even so, he didn't have to die!" Suzaku protested, to everyone's confusion.

"What are you talking about, Kururugi Suzaku? Clovis la Britannia was an enemy commander. Considering his skills, he wouldn't have lasted long with all the yes-men around him," Joker retorted while jumping off the stage. "As a soldier, you should know how war works."

"Hell, I'm surprised you're not asking to join us after what they did to you," Rei said with a tilt of her head. "You've experienced Britannia's corruption first-hand with you being scapegoated."

"That's true, but I understand why they did that. They wouldn't have been able to keep Clovis's assassination quiet, so they went for the best route possible to prevent anarchy." Suzaku said while looking out of the theater.

"...Pour quoi?" Rei asked, voicing everyone's bafflement.

"But you all…why? Why did you reveal that footage?! I'm still shocked that happened when I was out, but it should've been hidden!" Suzaku said, glaring at them. "And now that it's out in the open, chaos will consume Area 11, and more people will die!"

Cypher gaped at him with a wide-eyed emote. "Are you seriously more angry about the footage than what it contained?! You're an Honorary Britannian, but you're still Japanese! Those were your people being killed!"

"I know, and my heart weeps for them! But the terrorists who stole that gas are the ones responsible for bringing it there in the first place. Hell, if they didn't steal it at all, those people would still be alive! My friends were almost killed because of them!" Suzaku shot back.

'I don't like where this is going.' Joker thought with his teeth grit. "That may be true, but Rei here took command to prevent more from being killed! Normally people like you would be grateful!"

"How can I when you threaten to unleash the same poison gas on the audience back there if you didn't get me?!" Suzaku demanded.

"You can't be serious, Kururugi Suzaku," Rei said, her eyebrow twitching under her helmet. "Chemical weapons are a death sentence to those that unleash it. Besides, there was never any poison gas inside the capsule. And even if we unleashed it, it would be nothing but harmless colored smoke that smells like sewer water!"

"In other words, it was a bluff," Cypher said, pointing a finger up. "We're nothing like Britannia, so get that out of your mind, idiot."

Joker nodded as he took a seat. "Our target is Britannia's corruption and the ones who enable it. As a result of tonight's mission, not a single life was lost during your rescue. Operation Full Disclosure was a resounding success!"

"The result, huh? I guess that's all that matters to you." Suzaku said quietly, but the others heard him.

"What do you mean by that?" Cypher asked with a raised eyebrow emote. "Care to elaborate?"

"Your actions were reckless and put hundreds of innocent lives at risk with your bluff! You forced the Purebloods to bow to your demand at the cost of practically holding everyone hostage! You may think of yourselves as heroes, but that was cowardly!" Suzaku snapped at them.

"Cowardly? You can't be serious-" Rei started to say in disbelief. "W-Why are you in the military again?"

"Why? To protect the people, to stop people from dying, and change the empire from within!" Suzaku replied and started walking away. "And any ends gained through contemptible means are worth nothing."

"...Oh my fucking god. You're not an idiot. You're a complete dumbass with a death wish." Joker said, standing up.

"What was that?!" Suzaku snapped, spinning around to see Joker stomping towards him.

"First off, our plan and backup plans did not involve harming innocent civilians, so you can fuck off with your 'contemptible means' shit. No one was in danger except us! Second, you're a dead man walking with your idea of changing the empire from within. Better men than you have tried, and even they knew not to try it alone. And third!" Joker got in Suzaku's face, the intimidating mask making the latter step back. "You joined the military to save lives? If so, then you should've joined the Knight Police! As a Private of the Britannian military, you will be forced to take the lives of enemy combatants! Worse, the innocents you'll try so hard to protect will be caught in the crossfire! That self-contradiction of yours is going to get you and others killed!"

"It's the only path I have to become a Knight of the Round!" Suzaku shot back.

"A Knight of the- WHAT?!" Cypher shrieked while Rei's jaw dropped.

The Knights of the Round were a group of elite knights of the Holy Britannian Empire, currently totaling 13. They operated outside the standard Britannian military and were given special privileges and authority. In addition, they were in direct command of the Emperor.

"That's my goal; to become the first Honorary Britannian to become one of the Knights of the Rounds and eventually become Knight of One," Suzaku revealed with a determined look. "The Knight of One can govern any colonized area of Britannia. As Knight of One, I'll take control of Area 11, and return it to what it once was."

There was a dead silence following that declaration, with Joker, Cypher, and Rei standing still as statues.

---

[Uzu]

Kushina, Nines, and Medaka were listening in on the conversation through BB hacking the suits, and were also dumbstruck at what they heard.

Nines then started banging his head on his work table, with Medaka sweatdropping at the action.

Kushina then disappeared and reappeared in a crimson flash with a bottle of sake she stole from Tsunade's stash. Popping the cork, she drank directly from the bottle, each gulp causing her breasts to jiggle.

"His heart is in the right place," Medaka murmured, looking back at the screen. "But…"

---

[Abandoned Theatre]

"Hmhmhmhmhm… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rei screamed with laughter, dramatically pointing at Suzaku. "What the hell! An Honorary Britannian…as Knight of One…to control the territory his conquerors conquered…Wow! That's great! You're a riot, Kururugi Suzaku! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey, I can do it!" Suzaku protested, unnerved by Rei's laughter. "It can be done without blood and pain!"

"No, it can't," Cypher said flatly, jumping out of her seat to stand upwards. "You forget your position as a Japanese turned Honorary Britannian. Under the current Britannian rule, it CANNOT be done, no matter how hard you work. The military Generals won't even sign off on a recommendation, no matter what you achieve. It is a fool's errand."

Joker turned his back to Suzaku to look out at the settlement. "And even by some miracle you pull it off, it'll only happen when you throw someone under the bus. It is a path steeped in betrayal, causing you to cast aside all of your morals and principles. The only way for you to become a Knight of the Round from your position is to truly become the worst kind of Britannian. And even if you become a Knight of One to rule Japan, no one will accept you."

"...You don't know that," Suzaku said, closing his eyes to block out Rei's continued laughter. "I don't know what's causing you all to go against Britannia, but we couldn't be any more different. I'll prove you all wrong. I'll become the Knight of One, no matter how long it takes," he said, opening his eyes and walking past Joker. "I'll show all of you that this nation can be changed for the better and from within. It'll be the only way to bring back Japan from Area 11."

"So I guess you won't be joining our crusade. How disappointing," Joker said, looking at his retreating back. "We can't guarantee that will happen to you if you go back. I won't put it past them to go to extreme lengths to find you guilty and deny the footage we provided to the masses."

"Rules are rules," Suzaku said, coming to a stop again. "And if I don't go, they'll start cracking down on Elevens and Honorary Britannians."

"More than normal, you mean?" Joker asked evenly.

"You would denounce your own people like that?" Cypher asked with a frowning emote. "They're Japanese like you, dumbass! What kind of world do you think this is?!"

"Japan lost and Britannia's in control, so it's their way or the highway," Suzaku retorted curtly. "I will never approve of terrorism or vigilantism, even if it is to take back Japan. Uzu must see it that way since they haven't done anything for years. It's probably for the best that they stay out of it."

"They will not stay out of it anymore, Kururugi." Joker countered with a dangerous edge to his voice, flash-stepping forward and putting a hand on Suzaku's shoulder. "After what everyone saw, they will take action."

"And they will lose." Suzaku shot back, glaring at Joker. "Just like you all will," he said before wincing in pain at his shoulder being squeezed. "Gah!"

"Well then. Looks like we'll have to prove you wrong as well, Kururugi. After all, all empires don't last long in the pages of history. When you're caught in the crossfire, no one will mourn your death!" Rei snarled as Joker booted him in the back. "Now piss off back to your masters! A naive child like you is the kiss of death to our growing group and the people around you! No matter how hard you work, you'll never advance; but if you do, they will try to kill you! And when they truly break you, you'll be begging to join us!"

"...We'll see." Suzaku gritted his teeth before striding away. "I would bring you in for that, but for now I'll let it slide for saving my life. You'll come to regret not killing me though."

As soon as the footsteps were gone, the three sat down in the seats, stewing and irritated. Soon, Kallen came down, having heard everything.

"Ungrateful bastard. In the end, he sided with the enemy. I know he saw what we did." she growled and looked at them as they took off their helmets. "Are you sure we should've let him go? He might become a pain in the ass in the future."

"His goal will get him killed, so he won't be a problem," Naruto assured her. "I wasn't lying when I said that Honorary Britannian soldiers got themselves killed for attempting to rise above their station. Better men and women tried and suffered horrific fates for it. Half the time the Purist Faction wasn't even involved."

Naruko sighed and nodded. "In the end, Suzaku's become a fool. It's now undeniable that he's changed just like us…for the worse that is. His plan is doomed to fail."

"Despite that setback, everything turned out alright in the end." Naruto said, grinning.

"Yes, everything turned out just fine… except BB's been freed, a lot of people will have to check into therapy, and Suzaku's no longer the prideful boy tried to punch me in the face in front of Nunnally when we first met." Lucienne said, twirling her mask around her finger.

"He did that?!" Kallen gaped.

"He's an old friend of ours. Long story for later." Lucienne drawled. "Still, Suzaku's so convinced that he can move up the ranks despite his standing. I still think he's the Lancelot's pilot."

"No." Naruko instantly said.

"Bet you I'm right." Lucienne said, grinning.

"Bet you you're wrong." Naruko huffed.

"Bet you you're in denial."

"Bet you enjoy the wooden horse."

"Girls, knock it off!" Naruto ordered as angry lightning shot between them, making Kallen and an incoming Akiza sweatdrop. "Don't make me spank you two!"

---

[Ashford]

"Yes, apparently Private Kururugi has made contact with the authorities."

"It seems that Joker, Cypher, and Rei released him?"

"However, with their confession and video they played, the original charges against him have been thrown into question. It's very possible Kururugi will be found and acquitted."

"Thank goodness." Nunnally sighed in relief.

"Speaking of the video…"

"Yes. The footage that played…We…well…It's going to be the talk of the world for years to come…"

"I think that's enough excitement for one night," Sayoko said, gently taking the tablet from her, just as there was a knock on the door leading into the living room. "Wait here,"

Sayoko headed to the door, passing C.C. who peered into the bedroom where Nunnally was.

'I can see why Lucienne is doing all of this for her. She's too innocent and pure for this world.' she thought with a smile. 'Oh Charles. You have no idea what a bright young girl you have. Shame you and Marianne are too focused on that foolish plan to see it…'

Sayoko was at the door with a kunai in hand and peered through the peephole. She grinned when she recognized the individual at the door and opened it.

"Welcome. We've been expecting you…"

…

Outside in the northeastern area of the school near the auditorium, Nick was aimlessly strolling through the secluded woods, his mind still on what was shown in the Shinjuku Massacre. He was also connecting the dots on the day of the massacre and the events that followed.

On that day, he'd just be doing his usual thing at school, keeping Milly in check, handling school council duties, and doing school work; all while people were needlessly dying. On that note, since lunch, he hadn't seen either Milly or Rivalz for the rest of that day.

The very next day, Kallen and Akiza returned to school while Nathan, Natalia, Lucienne, Milly, and Rivalz were hanging out with each other more than usual, and were tired and distracted while balancing the budgets.

He didn't buy Kallen and Akiza excuses of being invalid for a second. They may look tired and weak, but their eyes were alert for threats, and they were conveniently absent when there were terrorist incidents in the area.

As for the broadcasts about the "poison gas attacks" and Suzaku being arrested, Nathan, Natalia, Lucienne, Milly, Rivalz, Kallen, and Akiza did not have the same reactions as Shirley and Nina; it was clear that they'd already known something beforehand, and were merely waiting to see how the media would respond.

Yesterday, the five main suspects were gone again, leading Nick to follow the redheads out of the school grounds and to Tokyo Tower, where they and some Japanese adults met the masked vigilantes that were obviously Nathan, Natalia, and Lucienne…if that were their real names.

Might have something to do with those whisker-marks on the twin's cheeks.

And now tonight. The main suspects were nowhere to be seen, except Milly and Rivalz who were with him, Shirley, Nina, and Claire; garnering different reactions than the others who were not part of the vigilante group.

As he milled over the information, a metal silver wolf landed next to him and followed him in stride.

"Moshire," he said absently, reaching out to scratch the mechanical beast behind an ear, "It's time. I've been sitting around playing the student for too long."

The wolf woofed softly.

"Yeah, I know. There's nothing to be done about all the lives lost up until now…but this is an injustice that I have allowed, knowingly or not." His eyes sharpened. "Armor me."

The wolf's silvery hide rippled, before seemingly liquifying, great drops and streams of its outer shell floating up into the air to gather around Nick's head. It then re-solidified, forming into a silver Kabuto-style helmet, the mask shaped like the muzzle of a wolf.

"Firstly: Punish evil where it flourishes."

Overlapping silver plates adorned his shoulders, bracers enclosing his forearms. A metallic breastplate poured into place over his chest.

"Secondly: Cut it down where it threatens the lives of innocents."

The armor encased his legs and wrapped around him in a set of tightly-woven strips that hung from his waist.

"Thirdly: Let those who stand at the top, their power unchecked, quake in fear when they realize that their supremacy has been challenged!"

A compartment opened up in Moshire's back, a katana rising up to present itself. Nick took it, and threaded it into a loop by his side.

"These tenets shall form the basis of my Way…my Bushido. May Fudou Myo'o smile upon my endeavors."

…

"We're home."

After making a stop to take Akiza and Kallen home, and a quick pit stop to the bunker to drop off their weapons and armor, the trio entered the Student Council clubhouse that served as their home.

"Welcome home, Naruto, Naruko, Lucienne." C.C. said from the table.

"Hello, Celesta. I see you met my sister." Lucienne said, her eyebrow twitching.

Nunnally, C.C., and Sayoko were at the table, making origami.

"Celesta? Is that your actual name? It's beautiful." Nunnally praised her, with C.C. throwing a dirty look at Lucienne.

"Thank you. And please Lucienne, keep my real name usage to a minimum." C.C. pouted, throwing an origami at her.

Naruto caught it. "You look cute when you blush, Celesta-chan." he said with a wink.

"Not you too. Respect a lady's wishes." C.C. whined, hiding her blush with her sleeves.

"Ah yes," Sayoko said as she stood up. "Naruto-sama, Naruko-sama, Lucienne-sama, I shall be away on clan business for the foreseeable future," she said with a knowing look at them. "Not to worry. Kushina-sama sent someone to watch over you all in my stead."

Naruko tilted her head. "Eh, kaa-chan did?"

"Who? And why do you have a camera?" Naruto asked suspiciously, not liking the mischievous look on Sayoko's face.

A different maid suddenly came strolling in, pushing a food cart and drawing their attention. She was a young woman with dark-violet hair tied in low pigtail braids, blue irises with round glasses over them, fair skin with a moderately curvaceous figure with large breasts; and wearing classical long black maid uniform with a frilly white apron and a headdress on her head.

"Good evening, Masters and Mistress," she greeted them warmly, "I'm glad you've all arrived just in time for dinner."

"Oh…hi there…" Lucienne squeaked, now shaking in her shoes. 'Oh god~ the Bloodhound…'

She slowly turned to the twins, who were reacting just as bad; and shaking violently like maracas.

"WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! RRRROOOOOOBBBBBBBEEEEERRRRTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" they wailed in terror as Sayoko took pictures.

"Well, that's my name. Uzumaki Roberta…" she said, never losing her smile.

But not the killer look behind those 'gentle' eyes and glasses.

---

"BB CHANNEL!

Nunnally-chan could not be in more safer hands while the crusaders take it to the man! That man being Charles zi Britannia!

The whole world knows what happened in Shinjuku, so good luck putting out those fires! Go on! Run! Scurry around as your doom approaches!

But what is up with that Suzaku guy? I mean, his old friends saved him, only to get nothing back from him. He's an idiot, a moron! Lower than a pig! He'll pay for his lack of vision the hard way!

And that Nick guy. He's so mysterious, but what was all that about 'playing the student?' And what's with that wolf and armor? I guess we'll find out soon!

Oh, coming Nines~! BB out!"

---

STAGE 05 COMPLETED

---

When faced with the truth, it can be a bitter pill to swallow. What were once patriots now question what it means to be Britannian. Meanwhile, the heroes take a brief respite to prepare for the battles ahead.

But the world continues to move without them, as Clovis's death brings a new set of challenges for the crusaders.

Next time… Stage 06: The Princesses of Britannia (tentative title)

Soul: I found it! The Kiara Punisher!

BB: But that only works against Kiara! It won't work on lil' old me~

Soul: Nah, I'll just get someone to reconfigure it to use on you!

BB: …You'll never catch me alive!

Soul: Get back here!

Lucienne: Was it a good idea to include her?

Lelouch: Who knows. I would rather she not replace Bagley, though.

Soul: She won't!

Naruto: Well, chalk up another arc done.

Naruko: Now to prepare for Euphemia and Cornelia!

Milly: And Laila!

Lelouch: Lovely. And by the way, what about your Servant?

Naruko: Next chapter, Lulu. Next chapter.

---

[Crossover Characters (no longer redacted)]

Black Lagoon ] Roberta

Fate / FGO ] BB (Moon Cancer)

Medaka Box ] Medaka Kurokami / 'Emmie' / M.M.

…

[Geass and Servants]

User: Naruko Uzumaki

Type: Ward of Absolute Technical Disruption

Servant(s): ? Alter (Lancer)

…

[References and Explanations]

The title of Big Boss is from the Metal Gear series, and since Naruto is the leader of the crusade, it's fitting.

I decided on the Switchblade title for Naruko randomly, and I keep hearing the terms in NJPW from one of its wrestlers, Jay White.

The CODEC system is from the Metal Gear series.

Castle came up with the Operation name Full Disclosure.

"Okay, let's ride" Nicolas Cage, Gone in 60 seconds.

"Are you being funny?" is a quote from iRobot.

The trio stealing Clovis's real car is fitting of them as Phantom Thieves.

"I'd buy that for a dollar!" Robocop.

BB appears in the same way she hacked Chaldea in Fate Grand Order.

"IWAE" is from Kamen Rider Zi-O.

I have seen some stories doing that 'revealing of the Shinjuku massacre' thing. I myself had that planned in my original notes of my old Naruto x Code Geass story plans.

"Gaming mood" is what Thor says to Loki in Avengers.

Naruko's Geass is practically Watch Dogs. More will be elaborated in the next chapter about its pros and cons.

Lucienne laughing at Suzaku's plan; imagine Miss Nagatoro laughing after fooling the poor MC into also kissing her.

I know Naruto would've alright decked Suzaku for insulting the Uzumaki clan, but assaulting them like that would do so good. Besides, all of that comes later.

Suzaku trying to punch Lucienne in the past is from Code Geass R1 Picture Drama 0.515. Elaboration from that incident will come in a future chapter.

Naruko and Lucienne bickers like Alucard and Integra from Hellsing Abridged.

While Nick himself is an OC, his powerset comes from another series. Let's see if any of y'all can recognize it.

There is a definite reason why Naruto, Naruko, and Lucienne were terrified of Roberta. It will be explained soon, but if you don't know her, please watch Black Lagoon...preferably in dub. Also, does this pave the way for other Black Lagoons to appear? Don't know, but I'm open to it.

Finally, there is a poll up on my profile concerning Euphemia. Please check it out.

---

Released: Monday, March 29, 2021

---

Nines walked into his private quarters, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he closed and locked the door behind him. It had been a trying day, both with the Kururugi rescue, exposing Britannia for the Shinjuku Massacre, and listening to Kururugi's simply idiotic plan to restore Japan back to itself by placing himself in power as The Knight of One. He really needed some painkiller for the headache he got, either from listening to the guy's half-baked idea or the hard surface of the workbench he attempted to imprint an image of his face on.

Plopping down at his computer, the young man groaned as rubbed his face. After a moment, he looked at the sleeping monitor before turning and awakening the terminal. All his private data files appeared, organized in their folders by category. Scrolling through the names, he stopped at one folder in particular labeled 'Metal Gear.'

'Emmerich. My family name has always been synonymous with weapons of mass destruction. My Great-grandfather, who was involved with the Manhattan Project. My Grandfather, the man behind 'Peace Walker' and creator of ZEKE and SAHELANTHROPUS. Even my own father, who created REX.'

Opening the folder, he searched through the sub-categories and opened one labeled 'REX.' The screen filled with detailed blueprints and schematics for the bi-pedal battle tank. Everything regarding the machine's construction was present and viewable to the inventor.

'I never wanted to live in the shadow of my family name, a name that ushered in such an era of fear and paranoia. Yet, here, in a world just like my own, yet so different, perhaps I can forge a new identity for the name 'Emmerich'. Perhaps this weapon, Metal Gear, can be a symbol of hope, rather than one of fear.'

Minimizing the window after skimming through files, he moved to another one labeled 'RAY' and opened it as well. Just like REX, it too contained all the files for the construction of the amphibious assault vehicle.

'On this island, Uzu, and the Uzumaki Clan that inhabits it, we can lead this world to a peace that it so desperately needs. I'm willing to place my fate in their hands, and give to them the means to fight Britannia.'

Looking through a few more subcategories, Nines closed the files and returned to the main screen. Leaning back in his seat, he let out another sigh and stared up at the ceiling.

"Great-grandfather...Gramps...Dad...I will bring our family name out of the dark and into the light...I swear it."

Feeling tired, Nines cycled the 'Shut Down' sequence on his computer. As he stood to retire to his room where Medaka was waiting, the computer flashed a final message before going dark.

[Goodnight, Miles Emmerich]