Castle: BRRRRR! Jeez, it's cold! I knew Soul said he was putting the story in the chiller for a few months, but any colder and this place could pass as a resort for polar bears!

Soul: Hardy har har~ Real life's a bitch. I can't count the number of times I apply for a job, only to not get it, and then a few months later, the same job listing comes back.

Lelouch: I don't get it. Do those jobs want workers or waste everyone's time?

Naruko: Well they are in a pandemic, so I bet there's not much money circling around.

Lucienne: Yep, that'll do it.

Soul: And leave it at that!

Castle: It's a bit tough right now, not going to lie. Anyways, let's get started on thawing this story out again.

Cornelia: Shouldn't you get to the reviews now?

Soul: Yes…just as long as you get that riding crop away from me! Oh, link to my Discord is open on my profile for a limited time, so come join the madhouse!

-Review Responses

Spiral-Voltron-Zero0Q1 - More Gibb-Smacks coming up!

XenoBlaze - You want to know who the woman Suzaku was talking about? Well so do we because the Picture Drama never tells us. And yeah, Mao gets a Servant.

Jlargent - Ya know, you may have a point. Lemme take a gander at his TV Tropes page.

Raidentendo - Hmm, nope, but a good suggestion.

Falco - Sorry I haven't been using your stuff lately, but I will when its needed.

[JLF HQ]

"...Is this everyone?"

"Yes sir. I'm sorry we couldn't get more."

"No, this is enough to do what we need to do."

"Understood. But sir, are you sure this will work?"

"We will not let those freaks that came out of nowhere do our jobs. We are the Japanese Liberation Front. We will be the ones to free our Japanese brothers and sisters from the tyranny of the Britannian scum! NOT them. Do I make myself clear, men?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent. For once in this group's existence, it's time to go on the offensive!"

"Seems that everyone got themselves a harem. My lovely Nines, good ol' Naruto, that Nick kid, even Rivalz."

"Well, well~ It's been quite a while since Nicky-boy let himself relax and have fun with the ladies. And they're quite the fun pair, aren't they? It might be a little tough to have so many lives he needs to protect, but you know what they say. Risk versus reward~"

"And the greater the risk, the greater the reward, right. From what I saw of your Nicky in action, he's more than capable of protecting that succubus and shinobi-in-training. The same can be said for Nines and Naruto and their girls. But of course, they need some daily relaxation to keep their minds in order. I trust my Nines, but I hope Naruto and Nick remembers that kids aren't on the menu."

"Well, when you consider how many times he's been around the block, anyone will seem like a kid in comparison…"

"Wat? No, heavens no! I meant making little piggies, little kids! But if they did, they'd be in the care of Sayoko or even…Roberta, when they're out fighting."

"Oh my, is that it? Well, easy does it in Nicky's case. But I assure you that once Nicky finishes his mission with your friends, there will be a lot of lil' Nickys running around with lil' Narutos and lil' Nines."

"Now I want to introduce my daughters once they're summoned~"

"Oh? Your daughters?"

"Oh yes! There's Meltryllis, Passionlip, Kingprotea, Violet, and er…Kazuradrop…"

"Ara, sounds like a handful!"

"...You have no idea. Lemme just say, Naruto and the others should be careful if they summon them~ Now on with the show!"

[Train to Lake Kawaguchi]

In one of the Ghettos of Area 11, the displaced Japanese were living in despair. Most were outside, sitting near available sources of heat while the elders were inside the huts, life nonexistent in their eyes. Not even the children were out there playing or running around, as fear of what happened in Shinjuku gripped everyone's hearts. They couldn't even bring themselves to care about the area shaking as the train rolled by. While Britannia couldn't care less about the Ghettos, it didn't stop them from building train tracks over the ruined infrastructure. No one wanted to drive on the ground through one of the many reminders of Japan's defeat.

For some, ignorance was bliss.

But not everyone.

For the passengers on the train, they would never have known that some of their passengers were the reason that Area 11 was in so much chaos. But chaos was not on their menu, as they were heading to Lake Kawaguchi for pleasure, not business.

Naruto, Milly, Akiza, and Nick were the only ones in the resistance going, with Shirley, Nina, Hakari, and Meme tagging along. It was practically a date for Naruto and Akiza, as she wanted to get to know the former better. Milly had dragged Shirley and Nina along so they could get away from the madness she was mostly responsible for. And Nick had been personally invited by Princess Laila herself, who'd given him two extra tickets to invite his friends, so of course he'd brought Hakari and Meme along, which was a dream come true for the two of them.

As for the others, Naruko, Lucienne, C.C., Kallen, and Claire were the only ones not going, as they'd opted to help their new group get set up with some new digs. Naruko wanted to see the surprise Nines had made, and Lucienne had enough fun thanks to the Handmade Dress Party. C.C. wasn't interested in swimming in a lake, due to an incident years ago that had partially traumatized her to this day. Kallen was there to keep her comrades at ease, as she was all business when it came to liberating Japan. And Claire wanted to judge the ragtag resistance cell chosen by her senpai for herself.

Since the train cabins could only fit so many, the kids got several compartments to themselves.

…

(With Milly, Shirley, and Nina)

"I never left the Tokyo Settlement before! This is my first time!" Shirley said excitedly.

"I'm sure you wish Nathan would be in here to share in your enthusiasm, huh?" Milly said with a smirk, teasing her.

"Huh?!" Shirley squeaked before going to sip on her drink.

"Don't be so shy~! Tonight, we can stay up all night talking if you want." Milly said with a knowing wink.

"Hmph! Boasting about how you get to spend time with Nathan?" Shirley pouted as she narrowed her eyes.

"Not really." Milly laughed, unintimidated by Shirley's annoyance. "I'll just tell you all about him so you'll know what you're getting into with him."

Shirley blinked at that. "How are you okay with sharing him? That's not normal, you know!"

Milly raised an eyebrow and stared at Shirley; the latter sweatdropped when she remembered this was Milly she was talking to, and normality was a foreign concept to her. Boys, girls, no one was safe from her groping hands.

Before anything else could be said, the train entered the tunnel. Nina, who was silently listening up until now, suddenly gasped and gripped the hems of her blouse tightly, shaking with fear.

"Nina, it's all right." Milly murmured, gripping her hand to calm her down. "There's a lot of Britannian tourists at Lake Kawaguchi, so security's fine. Don't worry, it's not the Ghettos."

"Yes, but-" Nina protested as Shirley looked on worryingly.

"Nina, Nathan and I already promised that we won't let anything happen to you." Milly said, frowning over Nina's xenophobia taking hold. "So please don't be afraid."

To this day, Milly and the others didn't know the source of Nina's xenophobia, and thankfully it had lessened just a little after the Shinjuku footage was released. But even Milly's patience was wearing thin and she vowed to find out what had happened to her. But for now, it was a time for relaxing with her dear friends, just as the train left the tunnel.

Shirley gasped in delight at the view of Lake Kawaguchi and the hotel, not a sign of any ghettos in sight.

…

(With Naruto and Akiza)

Meanwhile, Akiza was resting her head on Naruto's shoulder as they looked at the window. She was wearing her Victorian-style outfit that was seen when she first tested out her Geass. It consisted of a high-collared, low-cut red corset with short, light green puffy sleeves worn underneath a sleeveless, magenta trench coat; a red neck-choker with an emerald golden cross-shaped necklace; fingerless gloves with gold bracelets above them; and black thigh-high panty-hole stocks with suspenders with red high-heels.

"Look at all the effort they put into this place." Akiza murmured with a neutral expression at the hotel. "Not a single Japanese building in sight. You would think they'll keep them around for historical value."

"Don't worry, Aki-chan. You and Kallen-chan will see traditional Japanese buildings once we bring you both to the capital of Uzu. There's even a few Japanese castles too, the biggest one belonging to my clan." Naruto assured her. "I bet Kallen-chan wouldn't even want to leave."

"Heh, I wouldn't go that far…" Akiza said as she relaxed, rubbing her cheek against his neck.

"...Did I really make that hell of an impression on you for recovering your brother's body? Because it wasn't just me."

"Yes, but being with you is more than that. And that kiss? I was caught up in the moment and wanted to thank you the only way I knew how. Nothing to do with one-upping Kallen. And I don't think Milly minded, as I figured with a girlfriend like that, you have yourself a harem and she didn't smack you silly for olging Kallen's body."

Naruto smirked and shrugged. "Guilty as charged. But I'm surprised you haven't smacked me silly."

"I found it hilarious."

"Heh. Milly-chan and I would love to have you." Naruto said, wrapping her arm around her. "There are others besides nee-chan, Milly-chan, and Lucy-chan by the way."

Akiza chuckled. "That explains the few times I saw Lucienne limping, no matter how she tried to hide it. But Naruko? No wonder she burns the love letters in her locker."

"I do have Claire coming after me too. But I would rather not have Shirley get involved."

"Gotcha, which leaves room for my sister…"

"Plenty of room. Only if she wants to."

"Oh, trust me," Akiza smirked, rubbing her finger on his whisker-marked cheek. "She'll be all in once you unlock her heart. It won't be easy, but you got a good start, nonetheless. You're almost there."

"I like a good challenge, dattebayo." Naruto replied before leaning forward to kiss her, reaching into her dress to cup her breast.

Akiza's eyes widened, being caught off guard, but relaxed, as she returned the kiss, looking forward to the days ahead.

…

(With Nick, Hakari, and Meme)

For Nick, it was an interesting ride with the company he had, in the form of Hanazono Hakari and Kakure Meme. Hakari sat demurely at his side, slowly but subtly trying to guide his hand around her shoulder, onto her voluminous breast, or to her plump, silky-skinned thigh. The young man had caught on fairly quickly that this girl, despite acting sweet and gentle, had quite the scheming streak to her. Fortunately, said schemes seemed to begin and end at trying to kiss him, or get into his pants.

Meme, on the other hand, seemed content to make herself forgotten. Unlike Hakari's forwardness, the black-haired girl, it seemed, could scarcely bring herself to gently grab onto Nick's sleeve. Any attention he tried to give her would make her squeak and throw a tiny plushy at him before ducking away. Thanks to his Samurai senses, it was easy to find her, but it was nevertheless impressive how she would jam herself into the overhead luggage rack, especially with her own hefty breasts.

Nick even found it hard to indulge in his beloved newspapers due to Hakari taking any opportunity to capture his arm and hug it in her bust.

"And then we can go out in the middle of the lake, have a nice candle dinner, before we return to our hotel, and then…and then-!" Hakari was saying before she squealed in delight.

"I don't think the hotel will allow that." Nick noted, his eyes locked on the hotel. "Not with all this security there."

She pouted. "I didn't hear a no…"

He gave her a wink. "You certainly didn't."

The pinkette perked up.

"Y-y-you do-don't think those… Rebels… will target the hotel, do you?" Meme whined as she shivered.

"...Doubtful. There's too much heat on them to pull anything stupid after they and that Kinkaku guy embarrassed Cornelia in Saitama. Besides, I don't think Joker and his friends are interested in the goings on of a Sakuradite trade." Nick smoothly commented, completely truthfully. "And neither are we."

"Yeah! I can't wait to meet the Princess!" Hakari cheered.

Meme, on the other hand, squirmed in her seat. "A P-Princess, looking at me…? No no no, that's too scary!" She buried her face in Nick's shoulder. Sighing, the boy patted her on the hand reassuringly.

Stage 11: A New Hope

[Uzu, Underground Transport]

Uzumaki Kushina was overseeing the supplies being loaded onto the train network running beneath the island and all over Japan. The supplies were for the Forward Operating Bases that had been activated all over Japan. It wasn't just supplies, as personnel were also boarding the trains, as they were needed to run and protect the FOBs. The crusaders and their new friends would need all the help they could get in repelling Britannia out of Japan. Early yes, but necessary. Cornelia had been establishing a foothold in Japan until she was soundly embarrassed at Saitama, and was currently licking her wounds.

"C'mon, people. Pick up the pace!" the Military Commander, Kusanagi Motoko, called out. "Just because the enemy is distracted doesn't mean that we can get complacent and slow down. Move move move!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the troops chorused.

"Hey now, Cornelia-chan isn't going anywhere and we don't have to worry about Schneizel for now. The last thing we need is to run our troops ragged." Kushina chided her.

"Sorry, Kushina-sama, but I would rather we be swiftly prepared than not at all." Motoko replied curtly. "You never know if Charles might send one of the Knights of the Round out of the blue."

"Motoko-channnnn, there's a reason Nines not only optimized my kids' Knightmares, but retrofitted them too. Now, Knightmares like the Lancelot are just expensive gunpla figures. We'll be fine."

"Did you black out when Iroh said that no matter how shiny the toy is, experience is what wins the day?" Motoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I have faith in my kids, their friends, and all of us."

"Nice to know. We'll make sure that the faith you have in us is not misplaced." Nines said as he walked up to the pair with Medaka, Kan'u, and Ryofu in tow. "The Raiser and The Artorias are in the final stages of adjustments. They should be ready for deployment by the beginning of the week at the earliest. I can't wait to see the look on the Britannians faces when they see what we have been able to develop from the specs and parts we recovered from the Lancelot. Thanks to that, I've finally been able to finish development of the GN-Drive. Our frames are going to run circles around anything Britannia has at its disposal."

"Excellent Nines. You hear that, Motoko-chan? Nines is on top of it just like you, albeit at his own pace." Kushina said with a giggle, with Motoko grumbling.

Then Motoko blinked "Wait, you finished the GN-Drive?! I thought your last estimate was a few months!"

"Thanks to the Samurai, Nick Ward. Now that I'm done with Raiser and Artorias, I can begin working on his Knightmare, as well as Lucienne and C.C.'s. It won't take long since their Frames are already halfway through development." Nines informed her.

"And the mass production types?"

"Proceeding on schedule."

"See? Nothing to worry about!" Kushina said with a cheesy smile.

Nines chuckled. "Well, I better get back to getting those transfer papers to Ashford Academy in order. Making foolproof false identities isn't easy, you know."

Kushina nodded. "Very well, Nines. We'll take care of the logistics."

"By your leave, Lady Ku-" Nines suddenly jolted in surprise, as if something startled him. "One moment, ladies." Nines said as he cupped the side of his neck behind the ear. The people in the area recognized the action as when Nines was communicating through his personal CODEC. They watched as his expression changed from curious to surprised to concerned before he let go of his neck and looked at Kushina. "Something just came up. BB just intercepted some burst messages that were heavily encoded, that she's identified as originating from members of the Japanese Liberation Front."

"The JLF? What could they be doing?" Makoto asked.

"Not sure, the messages didn't last long enough for us to get very much data, but it definitely made reference to Lake Kawaguchi." Nines informed the group.

Kushina's eyes widened. "That's...The Sakuradite Allocation Convention is being held there!"

Makoto looked uneasy. "If the JLF is planning some kind of operation there…"

Nines frowned. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Well, it's a good thing we're taking this bad boy to the mainland." Ryofu said, knocking her knuckles against a vehicle. "Roadtrip, anyone?"

Nines nodded and turned to Medaka. "Emmie, please go get the cases for us." He watched her nod and leave before turning to his two bodyguards. "Girls, get ready to suit-up."

[Hotel Resort Area]

Lake Kawaguchi is located about 70 miles from the main Tokyo Settlement, located on the border of the towns of Fujikawaguchiko and Minobu in the once southern Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan. It was one of the Fuji Five Lakes that served as a popular tourist destination until the Fall of Japan. Today, it's being used as a popular resort hotspot away from the chaos of the busy Settlements, and the ideal spot for the Sakuradite Allocation Convention.

Even the presence of Joker, Cypher, Rei, and that mysterious Samurai Kinkaku wouldn't ruin the festivities. It was an annual convention that brings in a who's who of VIPs to discuss Sakuradite, which meant the chances of connections are aplenty. Royalty wasn't expected to be at the Convention, especially after the Phantom Thieves assassinated a target during their first active years, where they were green and Rei was filled with rage.

And speaking of the former Phantom Thieves…

Naruto, dressed in orange baggy swim trunks, ran up to the pool and leapt into the water. "CANNONBALL!" He dropped into the water with a splash and swam through the water, the seals near his eyes allowing him to keep his eyes open underwater.

He looked around before seeing two sets of feets and grinned. Swimming up to their owners, he popped out of the water. "Surprise!"

"Gah! Nar-Nathan!" Milly yelled indignantly.

"Eep!" Nina squeaked in fright.

Milly was teaching Nina how to swim near the shallow end of the pool. Milly was wearing a two-piece, maroon bikini, while Nina was wearing a casual, one-piece, light green swimsuit. The more slender girl had an inner tube around her waist, holding onto Milly for dear life until Naruto popped up and scared them.

"Heh, sorry about that." Naruto managed to say as Milly splashed him with water, with Nina all white-eyed and big teardrops dripping down her face. "You know I was having a bit of fun! Loosen up!"

"Can't deny that." Milly sighed, smiling as she was rubbing a shaking Nina's head. "I'm in no position to complain."

Meanwhile, Akiza was floating while sitting in her own oversized tube, letting the current take her whatever, but she was always closeby. She was wearing a red and black swimsuit that had a cut-out showing her cleavage, and had a pair of sunglasses on. She promptly pulled them up to see the next group coming down the waterslide.

"WWWHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Hakari squealed as she and Nick slid down the waterslide on their innertube, with the latter holding onto Hakari, and Meme somehow hiding inside the innertube. Hakari was wearing a lacey two-piece bikini swimsuit, while Meme was wearing a literal black diving outfit.

When they reached the end, they sailed over Akiza, the slipstreaming sending her lightly spinning in Naruto's direction. She shifted over to make room as Naruto hopped onto her tube and playfully hugged her, making them both laugh.

The resulting splash sent waves through the pool, with one Artoria, who was floating in an innertube in a one-piece swimsuit, let out a faint "Woah~" as she was gently lifted with the waves.

She wasn't the only Servant out, as Nero, wearing a red-and-white criss-cross bikini, was attracting attention and gleefully posing as the other patrons took pictures. She didn't mind, as it was a testament of her natural beauty.

Medusa was away from the water and instead was lying back on beach chairs with sunglasses. She was clad in a purple-and-black swimsuit and kept her eyes out for any signs of trouble beneath their shades. Medusa also had a chain connected to Scheherazade, who had her own innertubes around her waist and arms. The ebony scaredy-cat also had on a criss-cross slingshot swimsuit, and was swimming away from those that got too close to her. However, Medusa would occasionally tug on her chain so she wouldn't get so far.

Thankfully Shirley, Nina, Hakari, and Meme never noticed how the Servants had manifested from their Masters.

All in all, it was a pretty fun time for all involved, and nothing could ever spoil their fun.

[Naruto's Hotel Room]

"You know, I'm surprised that Milly isn't with us." Akiza noted as she and Naruto entered their hotel room later that night, and blushed upon seeing just one bed inside the room.

A King-sized bed, that is.

The room, a Presidential Suite, wasn't too shabby either. It was quite big with an open living room, bedroom, kitchen, and even a jacuzzi on the side. There were a few windows overlooking the lake as well as Mount Fuji, providing a fantastic view.

"She'll be with us tomorrow." Naruto said as he locked the door behind him. "She's just making sure Shirley and Nina- mainly Nina, are settled in for tonight." he added, tossing the key onto the night desk.

He wasn't blind to the fact that he was in the room alone with a girl, a very lovely redhead at that. Seeing her so lively and vibrant was more appealing than her invalid persona. The same can be said about Kallen, but between the two of them, Akiza was more approachable and open, truly being the best of both her worlds. Not to mention that her favorite Victorian-esque outfit made the Black Rose all the more sexy.

Akiza walked up to the large window, amazed by the view. "Which means I have you and this awesome view all to myself for tonight." she purred, feeling the blonde wrap his arms around her waist. "I hope you won't be mad at me for asking this, but can we take it slow?"

Naruto nodded. "Why would I be mad? I don't mind. We are moving really fast on this, and we've on the verge of war." he said, reaching under her outfit and squeezed her breasts through her bra. "Just kissing and groping then, I take it?"

"And rubbing." she added and gripped his crotch. "I wouldn't say no to fellatio and paizuri, either."

"Measuring me for Kallen?"

"Maybe~?"

They started kissing, with Akiza leaping up and Naruto catching her by her ass as she wrapped her arms behind his neck. She reached back and managed to close the blinds before Naruto carried her to the bed and dropped her onto the mattress. Naruto leaned forward to kiss her again, this time with their tongues dancing around each other.

It was getting hot and heavy as their body's warmed each other up, and they gasped for air after two minutes of tongue-wrestling. During their warm-up session, Naruto already had his shirt off and the buttons to Akiza's top was undone, exposing her bare F-cup breasts. Their chests pressed against each other as they kissed again, with the snogging now becoming a competition to see who'll break first.

"Awawawa!" Scheherazade whined as she looked around the corner.

"Just a normal day for my Master…" Medusa murmured as she rubbed her legs together, having witnessed his nighttime activities.

[Laila's Hotel Room]

'Hi Nick and friends!

Sorry I couldn't be there in person but something came up on my end, but by the time you get this, I'll be there to have fun with all of you tomorrow! We'll make it a vacation to remember! And don't worry about being a few days late to school. I'm a Princess of the Realm! I'm your Executive Excuse!

XOXO,

Princess Laila

P.S. Feel free to get as much room service as you want! If you want to.'

"Ehh, is that so?" sighed Hakari as Nick read out the letter that had been delivered to their shared room, which also had one bed.

"She is a Princess, so I imagine she's quite busy with something unexpected," he replied, unbothered by the raincheck.

Meme, who was crouching on the far side of the bed, gave a sigh. "Oh, thank goodness…I thought my heart was going to explode from having a princess in the same room as me…"

"You have nothing to worry about. She may be a princess, but she's every bit a normal girl as you are." he said as he looked outside the window. "Not like this room however…"

Unlike Naruto and Milly's VIP rooms, the room was a Royal Suite perfect for Britannian Royalty. It was a few levels up from Naruto and Milly's rooms, placing it on the top floor. The room was luxurious with gold and silver colors, a soft carpet, a marble table with sofas around it, and a single King-sized bed draped in embroidery near the window.

"This is amazing!" Hakari squealed as she examined every inch of the room. "There's even a jacuzzi like the Presidential Suites!"

"Oh? And how do you come to know about Presidential Suites?" Nick questioned.

"Oh, my mother is wealthy enough to make even Britannian nobles respect her. She even owns a company that produces advanced medical equipment and medicine, so not even the nobility that don't respect her are willing to touch her."

"...Impressive." Nick said as he sat down on the bed. "You mind telling me more?"

The pinkette pouted, even as she sat down next to him, casually pressing her plump thigh against his. "Mmm, I'd rather we tell each other a bit about ourselves~" she giggled, placing a hand on his.

He raised an eyebrow at her innocently blushing face. 'Well, I don't want to make her think I'm only interested in her family or money,' he decided, shrugging. Even so, those sorts of assets would definitely help the cause…

[The Hotel, 12:00am]

That night in the hotel, almost everyone went to sleep to prepare for the next day. Most of the hotel room lights were off, creating a random pattern from outside the hotel to those that were passing by. Naruto and Akiza were in their underwear and sleeping against each other without the covers. Milly was in one of the twin beds and sleeping with Nina while Shirley was sleeping in the other twin bed. Nick, Hakari, and Meme were sleeping together in pajamas, with the two girls using the Treasurer as a body-pillow.

Unfortunately while the crusaders and their friends were in dreamland, a plot was slowly beginning to unfurl.

In the street leading up to the hotel, there was a construction job where a giant manhole cover was removed for maintenance. However, the work forces overseeing it were dead, their corpses tossed into the forest of trees nearby. A giant machine was then lowered into the manhole and placed on the ground of the maintenance shaft.

This giant machine was a radical type of weapon that had been created by combining a heavy siege-tank cannon and four Glasgow Knightmare Frames. There were uniformed soldiers on top of the machine as it rolled down the maintenance shaft, driving at an optimal speed so that the soldiers and their leader wouldn't get thrown off. When they made it halfway through the shaft, they spun the giant machine around and pointed the cannon the way they came, leaving the troops to hop off and march the rest of the way.

They soon reached underneath the hotel and entered the basement. There, most of the troops stayed as a few went out to the first floor. One of the troops arrived at the security room and disabled the the camera outside the room. Soon the individual inside went out to investigate, only to be choked to death by one of the troops's garrotte. The trooper dragged the dead man into the room, stripped him of his clothes, and swapped his uniform with the security guard's.

"You're a go."

One of the invading troops was outside the security booth in the main lobby. He too garrotted the guard there, claimed his life, and put on his clothes. With both security stations taken, the rest of the troops and their leader manned the elevators and took them up to one of the floors.

"All checkpoints have been secured! We are in control, sir!"

"Excellent! Now then, time to show those masked upstarts how we take back Japan!" Kusakabe Josei declared with a menacing grin.

(The Next Day, morning)

A black car rolled up to the front doors of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel, and out stepped Laila la Britannia, albeit no one would know from the cap, sunglasses, and casual outfit she was wearing.

"Geez, it's bad enough that I'm late, but I kept Nick and his friends waiting. At least I had my luggage sent ahead with Big Sister Euphie."

She entered through the doors, but frowned when she saw there wasn't anyone in the lobby aside from the lone security guard at his station. She noticed as she walked that the security guard had an unsettling gaze on her. "The last guest has arrived." she heard the man say, alarming her as she quickened her pace, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator, further unnerved by the lack of people lounging about.

'Something doesn't feel right.' she thought as she trekked up the stairs, feeling her heartbeat quickening. 'It feels as if the hotel is a ghost town-'

Suddenly one of the doors opened with an echo. "She should be down here. Detain her and quickly!" she heard a man say in Japanese.

"...Eh?"

…

Despite having a raging morning wood, Naruto could sense something was wrong the moment he awakened, especially with Medusa out of his shadow and hovering over them, staring at the door. At the same time, a shivering Scherezade was peeking her head out of the jacuzzi.

The hotel, once rife with positivity, was now drenched with negativity. Naruto gently shook Akiza awake, using a Water Jutsu to dampen his hand and pat her face with cool water. She frowned at that as she rubbed her face, her vision clearing enough to see the serious look on Naruto's face and the Geass blazing in his eye. Her own eyes hardened as soon she sensed something was wrong as well, before hearing screams out in the hallway.

"Gotta ask, is this you?" she asked innocently.

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I was serious about the pleasure part. Minus the kids."

"Charmed. Someone is looking to make our trip all business."

"...It's gotta be the old Japan Liberation Front farts."

"No argument with that."

Both of them quickly slid off the bed and slipped into their clothes. Naruto was first due to his ninja training, and Akiza was halfway there when their door burst open, with two JLF soldiers bursting in, guns drawn. Naruto glared at him, his Geass showing them completely shrouded in enemy-red auras.

"Britannian scum! You will come with us in the name of the Japan Liberation Front-"

Akiza whipped her head towards them and activated her Geass just as Naruto kicked the guns away. Before they could react, red circles appeared in the soldiers' eyes, trapping them in a hallucination, with Medusa directing her spiked chain to wrap around their necks.

"Nice one!" Naruto praised her, shoving them inside and locking the door; this time planting a seal on the door to keep it from being opened. He noticed the soldier's eyes bleeding and frowned. "What are you doing to them?"

"Subjecting them to my dragon's Thorn Whip in my Black Rose garden." she said coolly and licked her lips, a dark look in her eye.

Her Geass works off the power of her imagination. She mainly uses plant-based cards from Duel Monsters to either relax her target or deal damage.

"S-Scary." Scherezade whined, shaking like a maraca at her Master's dark look.

"Right, keep them like that while I bind them. And please don't kill them!" he ordered her.

"No promises~" Akiza countered sadistically, now licking her fingers.

"...Shit! I gotta check on Milly-chan and the others!" he growled and crossed two fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Another Naruto appeared in a puff of smoke and went to the door.

"Wait, you can do that?!" Akiza gaped at the Shadow Clone.

"Yeah, but Naruko and I only use them for training and in case of emergencies. We would rather not have a repeat of a Shadow Clone Rebellion." he grumbled, shuddering at the memory as he produced Chakra Chains from his back and wrapped the soldiers with them, much to the curious look of Medusa.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Clone peeked through the door and saw Milly, Shirley, and Nina being hauled away. It was about to act when Milly saw the clone, gave the tiniest of head shakes, and a small wink. With a nod, the Shadow Clone closed the door and disbursed, with Naruto gaining its memories.

"Milly-chan…" Naruto muttered, reapplying the seal, this time with a Sound Barrier Seal. "She just volunteered to be our eyes on the inside."

"Wait, did you get your Shadow Clone's memories?"

"One of the great features of Shadow Clones. Hence only using them for training and stuff."

"Why not use them as an army?"

"I've mentioned the Shadow Clone Rebellion. There was an incident with the technique that caused them to gain sentience and tried to kill us. After that we had to be careful of its uses." Naruto explained grimly. "While not confirmed, we suspect it has something to do with some unknown outside influence creeping in on the world."

"...Right, got that. I just hope the others will be okay." Akiza murmured and turned to Naruto. "So, which one will be Good Cop?"

Naruto shook his head and handed Akiza a blank mask; putting one on himself. "No Good Cop. Just Bad Cop and Worse Cop."

"I like that." Akiza agreed, putting on her mask and deactivating her Geass. "I'll be Worse Cop."

The two soldiers suddenly yelled in pain from the torment Akiza inflicted on them in her Geass illusion. This continued for several seconds until Naruto kicked them both in the face as Medusa silently appeared behind them.

"Right! Let's play a game called Bad Cop, Worse Cop. But don't bother to guess which is which," Naruto growled as he and Akiza towered over the two soldiers. "Because no matter who's who, you will both talk. Now talk!"

"Damn you! You won't get away with this!" the first soldier yelled at them.

"Not that it matters, since you Britannia scum will all be dead soon!" the second soldier added.

Naruto nodded before producing a kunai. "Black Rose, dear. Take this and mutilate one of their nuts." he said in plain Japanese, the men now looking confused. "You get to choose which."

Akiza grinned under her mask, taking the kunai and slowly walked over to them. She spun the kunai between her fingers, her head tilted to give herself a disturbing look. It ended up being effective as the soldiers started shaking, moving their legs in a futile attempt to escape.

"Fuck you! We'll never talk!" the second soldier snapped.

"Then you can just scream." Naruto deadpanned as Akiza brought the kunai down.

Even the Servants had to feel sorry for the humans as Akiza unleashed her rage on them, and were relieved when one of them talked.

Akiza had mutilated the guy who refused to talk. He ended up dying from shock due to the extreme pain.

Once the survivor spilled his guts, Naruto was really sour, channeling Lightning Chakra through his hand before plunging it into the remaining soldier in frustration. The radical portion of the JFL was threatening to undo everything his group was working hard to achieve. Their efforts were rewarded to the point that even sympathetic Britannians dared venture into the various Ghettos and provide much needed aid.

And now the JFL was taking a big, fat dump over progress that would result in the goodwill being withdrawn.

"Damn those old fossils! Damn them to Hell! And they wonder why Uzu wanted nothing to do with them!" Naruto shouted angrily, punching the nearby wall. "One new group makes more progress than they ever could in this day and age, and they get pissy and pull this crap! Kusakabe Josei…damn you!"

"I suppose this speeds up the timetable." Medusa noted as she retracted her chains.

Akiza nodded. "What's your next play?"

"We'll meet up with Nick and plan our next move to rescue Milly-chan and the others. Hopefully we can end this before Nelia arrives-" Naruto replied as he looked out the window, seeing flashing lights. "Well, so much for that…shit."

…

Nick frowned when he sensed some dark presence entering the floor of the Royal Suite. He and the girls were getting ready for the day, the girls blissfully unaware of what was going on downstairs.

"Nick? Is everything okay?" Hakari asked, noting the sudden serious look on his face.

"...Not sure," he answered, and went to the door, his face set in a grim expression. "You two stay in here for now."

Hakari and Meme looked at each other as Nick slipped out. His suddenly stern voice sent pleasurable shivers through their shapely bodies, but his seriousness also made them nervous.

Nick closed the door behind him and tapped the electronic lock, shutting it to prevent his girlfriends from investigating. He walked towards the direction of the elevator, where he saw a legion of troops round the corner, guns drawn. When they spotted Nick, they pointed their guns at him. However, before they could react any further, he sped across the way and smacked the nearest soldiers' guns aside, seized them by the front of their shirts and hurled them into the men behind them, knocking them over. "Guns? Cute," he grunted. Simultaneously, he sent out a mental call. 'Kotane!'

Over on Uzu Island, the large golden owl suddenly swiveled its head to gaze towards Japan, and took flight, answering its partner's call.

'And to think I thought it would be fine to go unarmed today,' Nick groused, even as his fist collided with a JLF trooper's jaw with a crack, dropping him like a sack of potatoes, 'Not even a plastic sword. Well, nothing for it.'

"What the hell is this guy?!" one of the soldiers shouted in confusion. "How's he doing this?!"

"Who cares, he's Britannian! Just kill him for resisting! He won't be missed!" the leader commanded.

"You won't be so lucky this time, punk!" another said, taking aim.

*THOCK!*

The man's gun dropped from his hands as he clutched at his throat, which had been crushed with a single blow. Even as he collapsed, Nick dodged around behind another man, and with one swift movement, snapped his neck, the visceral sound making the rest of the soldiers flinch.

"Killing Britannians, huh? Sorry, but I won't stand for that. My girlfriends are Honoraries, and you seem like the types to not make the distinction," he replied, casually picking up one of the dead men's guns.

"Don't even think abou-!"

The gun erupted with a spray of bullets, dropping the men at the front before their leader could even finish his threat.

Of course, the rest also opened fire, aiming to riddle Nick with bullets before he could do any more harm. However, even as a dozen rounds pierced his flesh, he only gave a grunt of irritation, and remained standing. This only added to the troops' fear, leading them to dump their entire magazines into his body.

By the time their guns all clicked empty, Nick looked like a used ballistic gel dummy, with more bullet holes in him than a beehive. But then, those holes began to close over, not even a drop of blood spilling from them. "Ouch," was his only sarcastic reply.

"That's…not possible…" the leader stammered out, taking a step back.

"Judging from those uniforms, I guess you idiots are from the Japan Liberation Front." Nick noted after he completely healed. "So, what's the big idea?"

The leader of the squad was completely unnerved. Not only was this Britannian speaking perfect Japanese, but he took their bullets like they were nothing. With fear gripping his heart, he shakingly reloaded his rifle with his men doing the same.

"...You don't have to do this." Nick said plainly, but his words fell on deaf ears. The soldiers took aim. "Alright then. Gundari Style: Kamakiri."

A series of seams appeared on his forearms, before they split open, his arms unfolding into a pair of curved blades.

The JLF fighters screamed in shock and terror as the man seemed to morph instantaneously into a mechanical monstrosity, his new appendages extending his reach by several feet. A few brutal slashes hacked through their bodies, one by one, severing arms, legs, torsos, even their heads as he continued to ignore their panicked gunfire, dispatching them with lightning speed.

Within moments, it was done, and they all lay dead, and his Mantis Blades folded back into his arms, without leaving a single trace of cybernetics. Nick let out a breath, trying to disperse the small amount of heat that the technique had built up in his Key.

'If the JLF are taking this place over and killing Britannians, then their target must be Princess Laila.' His eyes sharpened. 'I have to find her before I can rendezvous with Naruto!'

[Multi-Level Parking Garage, Tokyo Settlement]

The Kozuki Group arrived at the coordinates given to them by the former Phantom Thieves, with Kallen and Yoko leading the way. Everyone besides Yoko gaped at the large vehicle, which had the appearance of a luxurious recreational bus parked on the first floor. It had two floors, eight wheels, and was colored crimson and black with gold trim. When they got to the door on the side, it opened to reveal Scáthach.

"Glad to see you maggots haven't dragged your feet." the Scottish servant said. "Come on in."

Yoko, Kallen, Ohgi, Tamaki, Sugiyama, Minami, Yoshida, and Inoue stepped inside, with the door automatically closing behind them. Before they could take in the interior, there was a rumble before they held onto the walls when the vehicle began moving. They looked around before spotting Cypher, who was sitting upside down with Medusa Alter sitting next to her, and Rei, who was sitting casually with one leg over the other with Scáthach now standing next to her as a guard.

"Welcome to our new humble abode, a command center on-the-go to be precise." Cypher greeted the group. "Apologize for the sudden movement, but we have ourselves an emergency we need to deal with."

"I see." Ohgi said as he took in his surroundings. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you acquire this?"

"Before we answer, we would like to introduce you to some friends from our vast inner circle." Rei interjected as someone walked down from the second floor. "First up…"

The group looked to see a masked individual of below-average height, with a notable bust revealing her to be a woman. She had a large cape in white with purple trim, with her full-body suit having the same color scheme. Her suit was mostly white with gold trim and a small red shoulder cape. Her mask was similar to Rei, albeit with an ancient Knight flair.

"Hello, children. I am Athena. The Wise One." she introduced herself. "You can call me an advisor of sorts. I look forward to working with you, provided you don't annoy me so much."

'Yeah, that's C.C. all right.' Kallen thought with a sweatdrop.

"And the one driving…" Rei added, gesturing to the driver's seat that now swung around.

"Technically it's on auto-drive." A deep, mechanical synthetic voice spoke to them.

The next masked individual was obviously a man. Unlike Athena's form-fitting suit, he had armor plating with layers, with a silver utility belt and a hooded cloak. His helmet was of an intricate design, with two eye-vents and the mask covering his whole face. The whole suit reminded them of some sci-fi movie dark space lord they had seen advertised on Britannia TV.

"Call me Odin. All the fancy tech and equipment you'll be provided with? It's all mostly from me. I'm also an Intelligence Broker for this outfit." Odin boasted as he stood up. "And should you doubt the effectiveness of your gear, I refer you to Joker, Cypher, and Rei spanking Britannian silly since their debut on the world stage. It's only a taste, by the way."

"Geez man, how many of you are there?!" Tamaki asked, exasperated.

"Merely enough." Rei replied with a smirk under her helmet. "Well, more than enough to the point that it'll be unfair to Britannia."

"And this new Mobile Command Center has been personally modified by Odin. Right after we nicked it from a wasted space of a Britannian Noble." Cypher added cheekily.

"Are you sure it's alright to share this with us?" Ohgi asked.

Cypher nodded with a smiling emoticon. "Of course. We're comrades now, after all."

"This is amazing. No one would suspect us of being in something like this." Kallen noted, impressed that there's even a mini bar installed.

"I'd like to get a crack under the hood, if possible." Tamaki requested, rubbing his hands together.

"Of course. There may be a time that I'm not around and someone has to help with maintenance. The booklets for the MCC are in this compartment here. I'll also personally go over everything with you." Odin said, patting said compartant near the driver's seat.

"Sounds great!" Tamaki said with a thumbs-up. "Odin-san, sir."

Scáthach smirked. "Much more respectful than last time."

"While this is all well and good, where are you taking us, if you don't mind me asking." Yoko asked as the MCC entered the highway.

"Lake Kawaguchi. Odin intercepted an incomplete transmission from the JFL, so we're going to investigate what they're doing over there." Cypher revealed and rolled to an upright position. "And it's concerning-"

"Due to the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting taking place there," Athena finished for her.

'Lake Kawaguchi?' Kallen frowned before her eyes widened. 'Aki-oneechan!'

"If the JLF are making a move at the conference, it cannot be anything good. The resort has no military presence and is an international destination during the conference. We need to-" Odin stopped his explanation as he placed his fingers against the side of his mask. "A live broadcast is being transmitted on all open frequencies. It originates from the resort."

Odin pressed a few buttons on a nearby console and the large TV powered on, showing a news program with an anchor in front of the hotel.

"How are things looking on the scene?!"

"I'm here at the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Centre Hotel. The hotel jackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front. Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably Chairman James, were taken hostage, as well as several tourists and hotel employees."

The screen shifted to a group of armed men in uniform of the JLF standing with their backs to a large group of frightened people sitting on the floor surrounded by more armed men with their hands behind their heads. Beneath the screen were the words, 'Fottage Taken by the Perpetraeor'.

"Breaking news, the media cannot do words." Athena giggled.

"This footage was taken by the perpetrators. In it, you can clearly see Chairman James, including some students."

Said students were Milly, Shirley, and Nina, who all had their hands up.

"...Fuck." Rei growled out.

"The Student Council!" a new voice exclaimed. "Oof!"

There was a crash, with everyone turning to the stairs to see an armored individual decked out in red lying prone next to the steps. The armor was sleek with a skintight red and black suit underneath some armor, and green crystals in different places of the armor. Her mask had a Dragon-motif with a black visor and red eyes behind the visors. The armor was also form-fitting, as the person had a big bust that protruded from her suit.

"I see the others got your armor on properly, Ravel." Cypher said dryly as the news continued.

"The leader of the group claims to be Lieutenant-Colonel Josei Kusakabe of the now defunct Japanese military, now part of the Japan Liberation Front.

"Sakuradite, an essential component of the manufacturing of high-temperature superconductors, is a vital strategic resource that directly affects world security. Area 11 is the largest of this material, providing 70% of the world's total supply. Here at the yearly international meeting of Sakuradite producers it will be determined how this resource will be distributed among the world's nations. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interest in the annual gathering to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover."

"Odin, can't you get this lug moving faster?" Scáthach questioned with a frown.

"We're already going as fast as we can without tipping off the police. At our current pace, we'll be there around early evening, factoring in slow traffic and all." Odin told the Heroic Spirit.

"Um, do you need help with that?" Inoue asked, reaching out to help Ravel up. "What the?"

She stepped back in fright to see a figure coming out of Ravel's shadow. The latter's Heroic Spirit was wearing a rather 'unique' outfit that had sections of traditional Samurai armor, but it might as well be a type of chainmail bikini that left her torso completely exposed except for most of her breasts; wearing nothing but scant mismatched white and purple sleeves, and a red bikini bottom with side armor. She also had black hair in a side ponytail and a small feathered cap on her head, blue eyes with light skin, and a small stature with a perky cleavage.

"Are you alright, Master?" she asked, looking amused.

"Ah, no! I'm fine, thanks!" Ravel squeaked, waving her hand. "Aha ha ha ha ha- wait. What are you doing out here in that, Ushiwakamaru?!" she shrieked, leaping up to block everyone's view of her.

"Who the hell is that?!" Tamaki asked as he and the other guy were wisely looking away.

"A Servant, like me." Scáthach replied.

"Ushiwakamaru, at your service!" the new Servant saluted.

"Will you please put some clothes on! Like your kimono at least!" Ravel wailed.

"We told you, you should've saved the armor for later."

Two more masked women came down, wearing long-sleeved armor with long black skirts and slacks, along with heeled boots. They also had helmets with small black visors. The only difference between them is one of them had teal armor, and the other had violet armor, the latter wielding a curved bladed spear.

"Frigga. Freya. So nice of you two to join us." Odin remarked as the two moved to his side.

"These masked people are popping out of nowhere." Minami muttered. "Not to mention the weird ones."

"Something tells me they're not for style points though." Yoshida murmured, eyeing Freya's weapon.

[JLF HQ]

"Ugh, that imbecile!" Tohdoh exclaimed in rage, pounding his fist on his leg. "Kusakabe has doomed us all!"

"It explains why a quarter of our forces suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night." his second-in-command, Chiba Nagisa, growled out in annoyance.

"I told you all that Kusakabe was no good." Urabe Kosetsu pointed out. "With every victory by those Phantom Thieves, the more impatient he got."

"But as one of the members of the old guard, he was necessary," Asahina Shogo shot back.

"Until now. This latest stunt has now ensured that we'll be next on Cornelia's list," Senba Ryoga grunted. "And now with all this heat on us…"

"The Six Houses of Kyoto will be less than inclined to support us, especially with that new group out there lead by the Phantom Thieves," said Tatewaki somberly, "Dammit, Kusakabe… I will get in contact with the Six Houses to see if we can appease them."

Tohdoh nodded. "You do that. We'll keep an eye on things here and hope that Kusakabe doesn't cause too much damage. I hate to think what will happen should Uzu themselves come after us for his crimes."

[Back at the Hotel]

The hostages were in an unused dining room, forced to kneel down with JLF soldiers surrounding them. Milly held Shirley and Nina close as she glared at the ringleader, her Geass threatening to activate.

"I'm Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front!" he declared, sword in hand, "This stand we're taking is for the freedom of Japan and our countrymen. Even though you're not soldiers, you're still Britannians. You are the ones who rule and oppress us! Sit still, be quiet, and you'll be fine! If you don't…" he growled out, letting that warning hang.

"Nathan…" Shirley whispered to herself.

'You stupid fool! 'Nelia won't negotiates with terrorists! Even they should know this!' Milly thought angrily. 'Now she's going to stream-roll this place without any regard for our lives, not if Naruko and the others can stop her first!'

She looked around worryingly, counting the number of guards until he saw a familiar mop of pink hair beneath a hat. Mortified, she took a closer look and met the eyes of Euphemia li Britannia, disguised in a hat and glasses; both their eyes widening upon recognizing each other.

'And now a wild Euphie appears! Just great!' Milly groaned in exasperation. 'We are 100% screwed if anything happens to her! This just became the worst vacation ever-' she ranted before blinking. 'What a minute, if Euphie's here, then Cornelia won't make a move without risking Euphie's life! Hopefully the cameras caught a bit of Euphie for Naruko and Lucy to see, and I gotta get a message out to Naruto and Nick somehow-'

"Leave it to me, Praetor!"

'Nero?'

"We Servants can render ourselves invisible to the human eye. I can get to your lover and report what's going on!"

'Do that then! I'm counting on you, Nero!'

"Your wish is my command, Praetor!"

Milly watched as Nero came out of her shadow, but instead of a physical form, Nero's invisible form was slightly distorted in the air. Nero managed to slip through the open door before it slammed shut as Kusakabe left.

[Mobile Command Center]

"So, this is their response to us upstaging them when they were sitting on their asses doing fuck all. Pathetic!" Rei spat, furious at this blatant terrorist attempt. "This sets back all the humanitarian efforts the Japanese in the Ghettos have been receiving!"

"Not only that, but he's endangering not only the hostage, but his own men as well. Cornelia will sacrifice the lives of the hostages before bowing to terrorism. It's how Britannia operates." Cypher growled out. "We can only hope that Joker and Kinkaku can secure the hostages before Cornelia makes her move."

"Wait a sec, that silver samurai dude joined up too? That's amazing!" Tamaki asked, looking surprised. "Britannia's enemies are coming out of the woodwork!"

"Hold on a minute, why are Joker and Kinkaku even there to begin with?" Inoue questioned with a frown. 'Coincidentally with Akiza?'

"Simple invite to an R&R session and leave it at that." Rei answered as she replayed the footage. "Odd, Cornelia's new Royal eyesore is on site, so why aren't they moving in? Usually nothing stops her."

"Ahem!"

BB suddenly appeared on the screen in front of the footage, scaring the members of the Kouzuki Group. "I can answer that for you little piggies. If you notice this mop of hair hiding under this here hat," she tapped it with her riding crop. "You'll know why Cornelia is staying her hand."

Cypher took a look before gaping under her helmet. "Oh fuck me."

"...Oh…no." Rei groaned, facepalming her helmet. "That is not good!"

"Is that Euphemia li Britannia?!" Ravel shrieked, absolutely freaking out.

"Holy cow! Kusakabe hit the jackpot!" Tamaki said, looking impressed.

"That is the opposite of good, you dolt! That's Cornelia's little sister!" Ravel cried out. "If anything happens to her, it'll be a disaster and we'll all be dead!"

"Her wrath will know no bounds, and she'll raze Japan to the ground." Odin added grimly. "Ironically, it's her presence that's keeping Cornelia from doing anything rash."

"She really cares for her sister that much?" Yoshida questioned.

"Just as much as your former leader cared for Akiza and Kallen," Cypher replied coolly, making Kallen flinch.

Odin nodded. "Cornelia has already lost three siblings in this land. If she loses her closest sister, there will be no safe haven from her wrath. She truly will destroy this country in her pursuit for retribution. Her slaughter would make the Shinjuku Massacre look like a picnic."

Yoko sighed. "And we all knew how that turned out."

"Thankfully, it appears that Joker, Kinkaku, and Akiza haven't been taken. I have no doubt they're waiting for us to get there so we can begin the Operation." Rei said and walked to the stairs.

"Operation?" Minami questioned in confusion.

"The Operation to save the hostages and punish Kusakabe Josui for this transgression." Odin clarified. "I have no doubt Joker would want to deal with him personally. None may escape the Whirlpool's embrace, after all."

Yoko smirked as she hiked up her sniper rifle.

"Wait, hold on. You mean to kill a member of the JLF? We can't! Despite that they did-" Ohgi protested, until he noticed Cypher's angry emote on her mask.

"Oi, are you seriously defending them?" BB asked with red eyes.

"N-No…I…" Ohgi replied, shaking when he felt BB's death stare.

"We're well aware that this isn't all of the JLF, but only the more radical side of the group that was tired of waiting around! They've involved non-combatants in their plot, and there's no way we're letting that slide!" Cypher snapped at him.

"Kusakabe intends to make himself a martyr. They don't have any plan to walk away from this alive. A plot like this is clearly suicide, engineered to make an everlasting statement. Even if we weren't around, this plot was doomed to fail," Athena piped up while lazily lounging on the sofa. "The least we can do is make sure the innocents don't die for his cause."

"Of course." Kallen nodded in agreement. "What he's doing is just as bad as Clovis, and I'm worried for Aki-neechan."

"Then let us make haste." Rei proclaimed as the MCC sped up a tad. 'Don't do anything stupid, Naruto, Nick, Akiza, Milly!'

[Hotel]

"What do you mean some of our men are missing?!" Kusakabe demanded, look irate. "What are they doing, slacking off?"

He and his men occupied an empty room that gave them a view of the bridge outside. They made it into their command room, where a TV was playing the news coverage of the hotel takeover they caused.

"We don't know, sir. They haven't been answering their radios for a good while now." one of the soldiers reported. "There's also a final guest that came in, but they've managed to avoid our patrols."

"This is unacceptable!" Kusakabe growled at him. "Capture that guest and find out what happened to our other men! I will not spend all day worrying about any interruptions that'll derail this mission! The fate of Japan depends on this!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" his men choursed before heading out.

"Sir, what about those masked individuals? Do you think they'll interfere?" an aide asked.

"It's obvious that they want to free Japan too, but I won't let them have all of the glory. I'm confident they'll understand what we're doing here and won't interfere." Kusakabe said confidently. "The only thing we need to be concerned with is how Cornelia will respond, but I am curious as to why she hasn't made a move yet…"

…

A door opened, and Naruto looked around before stepping out, followed by Akiza, and then their Servants. They speed-walked across the hall and arrived at the staircase just as they heard the elevator going down and about to pass their floor.

Naruto pressed the down button and readied his kunai, with Akiza behind him and ready to unleash her Geass. Medusa and Scherezade were on the other side, with Medusa having her spikes ready and Scherezade raising her staff in an attempt to help subdue whoever comes out of the elevator.

*DING*

The elevator doors opened and Naruto took a peek around the corner. Upon seeing who it was, he sighed in relief. "Nick."

"Glad to see you weren't caught, not that I was expecting you to," Nick greeted them as they entered the elevator. "Looks like you lot had bit of excitement-"

"Master!" Medusa suddenly said, getting in front of the group as a distortion in the air zipped into the closing elevator door.

"Woah, woah, woah, it's me!" the distortion melted away to reveal Nero in all her splendid glory. "The most beautiful rose in all the world has arrived, with a message from my Praetor!"

"Disputed." Nick drawled, making her pout.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't be mean. Are Milly-chan, Shirley, and Nina alright?"

"Yes, but there's more! That Euphemia girl is there too, hidden in a disguise!" Nero answered, making Naruto, Nick, and Akiza all look dumbstruck. "And there's a bunch of soldiers surrounding them and outside where they're at! Oh, and Cornelia's outside."

"Euphie-chan, huh? So that's why Nelia hasn't come in guns blazing." Naruto muttered and groaned. "But Euphie-chan being here made this situation into a time bomb."

"As an older sister who would burn this world to the ground should anything happen to my little sister, we should secure Euphemia before the soldiers suddenly get trigger-happy." Akiza said with a straight face, with everyone sweatdropping.

"If she's well hidden with the hostages, she'll be fine. We need to get to Laila first," Nick said, forcing the elevator to close and go down.

"...Shit, I forgot she was supposed to be here too." Naruto growled. "Man, isn't this turning out to be the worst day ever."

"I didn't see her among the hostages, and the soldiers appeared to be looking for someone when I passed them," Nero piped up.

Naruto nodded. "Right, we'll secure Laila-chan first."

"Wait, what about Hakari and Meme? Where are they?" Akiza asked with concern.

"They're up in the Royal Suite. They'll be safe there." Nick replied, waving his hand.

"Right then. Medusa, can you do what Nero just did?"

"Yes, Master. All Servants can."

"Perfect. You, Nero, and Scherezade go stealth and sweep the hotel to locate Laila. When you find her, let us know so we can secure her and take her to the Royal Suite with Hakari and Meme." Naruto commanded them. "Also, let us know if anything else happens too."

"Understood, Master." Medusa said, with Nero and Scherezade nodding.

As one, the three Servants melted into the air and exited out of the emergency escape hatch on the roof of the elevator.

"What about us?" Akiza asked, pointing at herself.

"We're going to pick off all the JLF soldiers one by one until Laila is found. Then we'll start making moves to free the hostages." Naruto stated, locking eyes with his crew.

"Well then, looks like it's time for my 'other' self to get in on the action," Nick commented, feeling Kotane approaching the hotel. "You don't mind, don't you?"

"...Are you being funny right now, Samurai?" Akiza deadpanned while Naruto sweatdropped.

[Cornelia's [New] G1-Base]

In the G1-Base, Cornelia was on the throne with her knight Guilford by her side. In front of her were her Royal Guard, led by Jeremiah and Viletta with Darlton by their side looking over the war table.

And she was anything but calm.

"All bridges connecting to the hotel with the exception of the main have been destroyed. Our attempted approaches from the air and water have been unsuccessful. There is only one route left that will allow us to develop a possible hostage rescue plan." Jeremiah explained to Cornelia and the rest of the war council. His words of the hostage rescue plan peaked Cornelia's interest. "The main utilities tunnel runs directly beneath the convention center hotel. Basically, we would go in through this route, destroy the foundation block and submerge the hotel. Since the tunnel was built to handle supply deliveries, it should be able to accompany Sutherlands. Even if the enemy had taken precautions it should be no problem. They have been using substandard weaponry, so they should have no trouble evading them."

"They should be cautious all the same." Villetta spoke up. "This is the JLF, so I suspect they have a few surprises in store."

Darlton grunted and chuckled. "No matter the surprises they have for us, we have the superior weaponry."

"And that worked so well back in Saitama." Bourne said dryly, causing glares to be thrown his way. "Those fools in there may be cornered, but they're still dangerous."

'As much as everything else doesn't want to hear it, he has a point…' Jeremiah thought, seeing Cornelia grip the arms of her throne tightly.

[Maintenance Tunnel]

Three Sutherlands traveled through the tunnel, traveling upwards at high-speed to get into the hotel. But their arrival has not gone unnoticed.

"Enemy detected! As expected, they're moving through the underground tunnel!" a JLF soldier reported.

"Roger that. Raikō secondary startup, both quad linkage legs locked. Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Voltage confirmed." The commanding soldier said as they aimed a giant cannon at the approaching Sutherlands.

Said giant cannon was the Raikō, the giant machine made with four Glasgows and a giant cannon that the JLF dragged through the maintenance tunnel.

"I think these guys have anti-Knightmare rifles." the lead pilot said as he activated his Factosphere. "Spread out and break their ranks!" he ordered.

"Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, fire!" the commanding JLF soldier shouted.

The giant cannon released a single fast moving bullet that opened and released multiple smaller bullets that flew down the tunnel even faster.

"What?!" the pilot shouted as he and his squad initiated evasive maneuvers.

However, it wasn't enough, as the Sutherlands were instantly obliterated, the pilots not even having a chance to eject.

[JLF Command Room]

"In one shot!" a soldier next to Kusakabe yelled in sheer jubilation.

"It worked!"

"The Raikō was a complete success!"

"What do you think of that, Britannian pigs?" Kusakabe declared smugly.

[G1-Base]

"Wiped out?!" Darlton snapped, looking outraged.

"Yes. It seems as though they modified some Glasgows into a linear cannon." an advisor reported.

"Who could've seen that coming? Not me." Bourne uttered with dripping sarcasm. "I mean, if the MEF can develop those Bamides, the possibilities are endless in what these terrorists can create."

"So the maintenance shaft is a no-go either. They're way too prepared for this, given that they have every entrance point covered…" Jeremiah muttered with a thoughtful pose.

Cornelia gritted her teeth as she listened to the reports.

"What do we do now? If we release the political hostages as they demand-!" the advisor said worryingly.

"We cannot show weakness to terrorists!" Cornelia shouted, glaring at the advisor for suggesting such a thing.

"But milady…" Guilford leaned and whispered in her ear. "Princess Euphemia and Princess Laila…"

"Yes, I know. Believe me I know." Cornelia whispered back, struggling to keep her regal expression.

"Thus far it appears none of them have discovered their identities. If they did, they would have used them as bargaining chips by now." Darlton stated, hiding his fear behind a mask of professionalism. "Princess Euphemia just went there just to observe while Princess Laila wanted to sightsee. Therefore they're not registered along with the other guests, despite Laila taking the Royal Suite."

"They're smart enough to keep their heads down, but I suspect Kusakabe will start to grow impatient with the passing hours. We need to resolve this before they start executing hostages at random." Bourne said, with Cornelia gritting her teeth.

'...At least Euphemia is there to keep the Captain at bay. Otherwise it would've been a bloodbath by now.' Villetta thought and looked out to the hotel. 'Naruto being there is a plus, and no doubt Lady Lucienne is on her way. It's all about to come to a head…'

[Outside]

"Can the Special Corp offer any assistance in the rescue?" Suzaku asked as he, Cecile, and Lloyd waited in front of the water in front of the Lancelot trailer.

"I've already asked them, but we're an irregular unit and they don't acknowledge our chain of command, despite being backed by Prime Minister Schneizel." Lloyd threw a rock that skidded across the lake. "Not to mention…"

"It's too risky to trust the operation to an Eleven, right?" Suzaku cut Lloyd off.

"Actually, I was going to say our support isn't that strong these days. The Lancelot's debut and defeat has not been forgotten and I'm sure you're aware Princess Cornelia is very discriminating about Britannians and Numbers." Lloyd noted in annoyance.

"So the Japanese are still not accepted in your structure." Suzaku said disappointingly.

"If that were true then what point would there be in having a Britannian Honorary System?" Cecile rhetorically asked with a saddened look on her face.

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it my dear assistant?" Lloyd snorted as he sent another rock skipping.

[Uzu, Uzu Council]

"With that, the Japan Liberation Front is finished." Aoshi declared with a scowl. "Fools to the very end. Tohdoh and Tatewaki should have put Kusakabe on a tighter leash."

"But with them out of the way, the Six Houses of Kyoto will have no choice but to turn to Naruto-san's group, and by extension, us," Medaka stated, standing in for Nines, "And at this point, they're not in any position to refuse us. It does help that the Kaguya girl has been a big fan of the Phantom Thieves for a long time now." Having said her bit, she put a hand to her ear.

'Not to mention the little girl is crushing on the 'demon' that is my son, even to this day.' Kushina thought with a smile behind her fan.

Iroh nodded in agreement. "It is time for bygones to be bygones in this state. There are no regrets about Uzu being the unofficial checks-and-balance of Imperial Japan back in the day. And after what Nines showed us from his world, we were more than justified."

"Instead. Had we not stopped them, they might have been like current day Britannia, but that's neither here nor there." Kushina agreed, snapping her fan closed. "Naruto, along with his friends, are on-site, so they'll get the situation under control."

"That may prove difficult." Medaka said grimly after receiving a codec message. "I just received word from BB that Euphemia and Laila are also on-site. Euphemia is with the hostages but thankfully she's undercover, and the soldiers are searching for Laila but haven't found her yet."

There were groans echoing throughout the table.

"What rotten luck." Tsunade rubbed her temple. "I don't think I need to tell you all what will happen should Euphemia and Laila be discovered."

"It'd be a disaster," Reeves replied. "On a lighter note, it's a good time for your son and his ragtag group to make their public debut, right?"

"Good point. That is, should they resolve the situation favorably." Motoko pointed out.

"All we can do is wait and hope." Kushina said as they all continued to watch the footage of the hotel jacking.

"To go down killing the people they hate…what foolishness. A waste of energy and life…" Iroh murmured with sadness.

[Mobile Command Center]

As the large vehicle made its way to Lake Kawaguchi, the occupants inside were mobile. The members of the resistance group were helping unpack boxes of equipment while the masked individuals were servicing their own equipment. At the same time, the TV was showing media coverage of the hotel jacking.

"She was only sightseeing! Shirley is still a student, but these criminals act indiscriminately! Savages! I want to know if Shir- I want to know if my daughter is alright! She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Hey, is that man supposed to be Shirley's father?" Athena whispered at Rei, who was watching from the staircase with Ravel.

"Yeah." Rei murmured, her arms folded but gripped her bicep.

"...I see. What a shame." Athena replied as she went upstairs.

'What did she mean by that?' Ravel wondered with a tilt of her head.

"Hey Na- Cypher." Kallen quickly corrected herself. "Do you really think that Milly and the others will be sacrificed if we don't do anything?"

"Of course," Cypher confirmed with a neutral emote, "The JLF will grow impatient and start eliminating the hostages. And Britannians opt to eliminate anything and anyone they see as weak. Anyone who gets themselves into a hostage situation, regardless of the reason, is considered weak and not worth rescuing, such is the way of Charles's Britannia."

Kallen grimaced as Cypher did not mince words lightly. It was the cold hard truth, but it was the truth nonetheless.

"Then it's lucky that Na- Joker, Panther, Aki-neesan, and Kinkaku are there." Kallen said with relief.

"Yep. Don't worry your pretty lil' head, Kally." Cypher assured her with a smiling emote. "We got this."

Kallen blushed in embarrassment as Ohgi came up to them with a partially open box.

"Hey Cypher, I found these. Should I hand them out to everyone? I mean, as far as gear goes, it's pretty futuristic and hip, but we're just a resistance group-"

"BZZT! Wrong!" Cypher interrupted him with a tongue-sticking-out emote. "Lemme make this plain, simple, and crystal for ya: We are not a resistance group."

"We aren't?" Ohgi asked, now confused. "Well then, what are we?"

"Elementary, by dear Ohgi. What we are, is an Order of Black Knights for Justice, heralding the liberation of Japan." Rei declared with a smirk under her helmet. "And as an Order of Black Knights for justice, we gotta have the best gear, right?"

"Tell them what they get, Odin." Rei said with a nod of her head.

"You get suits with Kevlar and impact-absorbing thread that'll protect you from standard rounds and grenade explosions. They're also double-layered for added protection. You also get helmets with visors and a heads-up display. And as a bonus, it's better than the standard-issue staff Britannian soldiers get nowadays." Odin listed off the specs without pausing for breath as he showed off the uniform.

They were simple yet stylish, red tops with black lines accenting them. Trousers for the males, with the females also getting a skirt add-on. The helmets were also black but with a red band design.

"As for your visors, not only do you get a HUD, but it also comes equipped with night-vision, thermal vision, echolocation sonar, and other cool benefits," continued Odin, making the Kozuki Group look pleasantly surprised. "The helmet design here is a limited edition and only for you, and signifies that you are all the founding members of our new group. The red part is based on the signature headbands of the Kozuki Group. The others suggested it as a little tribute to Kozuki Naoto."

"Th-Thank you." Kallen said, feeling herself tearing up at the gesture before looking at Cypher. "You really think of everything."

Cypher shrugged with a smile emote. "Hey, it was a good idea. And as the cherry on top, we have something for you especially, Red Queen."

"For me?" Kallen asked as Frigga and Freya began to flank her. "Wait, Red Queen?"

"Frigga-chan. Freya-chan, kindly get her into her new suit." Cypher sweetly ordered.

"Wait- Wait a minute! I didn't mind wearing something standard-issued!" Kallen wailed as the two masked fighters dragged her upstairs.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Frigga giggled as they entered the office area and closed the door behind them.

"I bet it's something perverted." Ravel accused Cypher.

"Ravel, having bare skin like our cleavages and thigh exposed was tempting, but I nixed that since we're going up against a global superpower, you know." Rei deadpanned.

"And our Servants get a pass?" she asked, pointing at Ushiwakamaru, who was conversing with Scáthach.

Rei shrugged. "They're more superhuman than us. They'll be fine."

(With Laila)

"Have you found her yet?!"

"Sorry, no! We're looking everywhere!"

"Dammit, the Lieutenant-Colonel wants her found! Keep searching!"

"I'm on it!"

Inside the kitchen the soldiers just passed, Laila let out a small sigh as the footsteps faded away. She was hidden in a small cupboard that was easily missable. Even if those soldiers were to come looking-

"Let's see what those filthy Britannians had on the menu. I'm starving."

'Oh come on!' Laila whined as the footsteps returned, with the soldiers now in the kitchen. 'Go away!'

After getting out of the stairwell, she ducked and dodged patrols by hiding in bathrooms and storage closets. She did this for hours until something zipped her by before returning, with the presence being in front of her for a while before retreating. Understandably freaked out, it's how Laila found herself in the kitchen.

'Why are they doing this?' an upset Laila asked herself as she heard clanging in the background. 'This is just as bad as what my brother did! So many Elevens will suffer from this! I hope they haven't got Big Sister Euphie.'

She clamped her hands around her mouth as she heard the footsteps roaming around. Judging by the frequency of the footsteps, she counted three JLF soldiers so far. She looked around her hiding place and paled when she saw that there were spices and seasonings around her. And that note…

"Ah-Ah-ah-achoo!" she squeezed through her hand.

"Hey, someone's here!"

'No!'

She heard the soldiers getting closer to her position, opening the cabinet doors near her. Just as they got to her, a door opened that was not hers.

"What the? Who are you?"

"Is it not obvious?" came a mellow, metal-tinged voice, "I am a Samurai."

"That armor…It's just like that Kinkaku guy!"

"Ah, I see that you are already familiar with my brother."

"Get out of here! You're not welcome here! The JFL has jurisdiction here! Go back to those petty thieves trying to play terrorists!"

"Playing terrorists? After Shinjuku and Saitama? Clearly foresight is not the JLF's strong suit. Chasing after glory when your country's freedom is on the line…laughable."

"Screw you! Open fire!"

There was the sound of gunfire, followed by 'tinking' sounds of bullets hitting metal and falling to the floor. This went on for some time until there was the sound of clicking guns.

"That's…impossible…"

"What…are you?"

"I believe I already told you. I am a Samurai."

There was a long sound of metal scraping against something, followed by the screams and yells of the JLF soldiers as metal sliced through flesh. Laila yelped as she saw blood spatter near her as the sounds of carnage continued.

"W-Why?" mumbled the last one with the sound of a thud on the floor. "Why save the Britannians? They're the ones that force us out of our homes…"

"Not the ones that you have hostage, you fool." One squishing sound later, he grunted. "It's safe now."

Laila jumped at that and sweated, hoping that the Samurai didn't mean her. Suddenly there was running footsteps near her.

"Laila, are you here?!" shouted a familiar voice she hoped to hear. "Answer me!"

"Nick!" Laila popped out of her hiding spot and saw Nick, along with another with red hair whom she assumed was a friend. "You're here!" she cried in relief, running up and hugging him.

"Of course I am. Someone had to make sure you stayed out of trouble." Nick chuckled, patting her head.

"C'mon, we should move." Akiza said, beckoning them to her at the door. "The mask one up is up ahead clearing a path to the elevators…"

"Another masked one?" Laila repeated with a tilt of her head.

Akiza smiled. "With no love for the JLF, Princess…"

…

Near the elevators, Naruto swung his HF-Katana a few times before sheathing it, with JLF soldiers falling in his wake, diced to pieces. He then moved his head to the side, dodging rapid bullets before throwing a kunai at the offender. The kunai embedded itself into the JLF soldier's head, killing him instantly. Just as he did, his iDroid rang, answering just as the body fell to the ground.

"Yo."

"Hey, bro! What's the sitch?"

"Well, we're picking off dozens of JLF soldiers and just retrieved Laila-chan. We'll be taking her up to the Royal Suite where Hakari-chan and Meme-chan are."

"Nick's lil' girlfriends that want cyber dong. Got it."

"Oi, that's not nice."

"Cheer up, it was just a joke."

"Then I'll leave you alone to explain it to him should he find out, like Nines did when you called him four-eyes."

"Dude…uncool."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What's your sitch?" he asked as he watched the setting sun from the nearby window.

"We're almost there. Everyone's suited and booted. Especially Kally-chan. I can't tell if she loves or hates the outfit we had commissioned for her."

Naruto chuckled at that. "Her tastes are similar to Aki-chan's. She loves it. Be sure to bring it here when you get here," he said before spotting Nick and Akiza coming, the young man carrying Laila in his arms. "As well as a news van."

"Oh, you piggies are finally going to tell everyone your edgy name, eh?" BB suddenly interjected into the call.

"Buzz off, BB!" Naruko snapped at her. "Yeah, gotcha. We'll be there soon!"

Naruto closed his phone and faced the others with his mask and hood up, as he was wearing a cloak over his clothes. "C'mon, up we go."

"Who is he?" Laila asked, looking at him warily.

"A friend." Akiza said as the elevator arrived.

They all stepped in and punched the button to the Royal Suite. Just as the elevator was about to go up, Naruto suddenly zipped through the emergency hatch before closing it behind him.

"Wait, what about the other one?!" Laila shouted after him.

"What other one?" Akiza asked.

"There was someone else. They had a different voice and everything." Laila said and gasped. "And he said he was the brother of Kinkaku! Have you seen him? He must be wearing gold armor!"

"Hmm, if that's the case, he's probably called Ginkaku." Akiza guessed, giving Nick a knowing look from behind the princess's back. "What do you think?"

"Sounds about right," he said gruffly, "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Lial shook her head. "N-No. He just came in and slaughtered those soldiers after they attacked him. I couldn't see, but I could hear what was going on. What do you think he's doing here?"

"Well it has been a few hours since the JLF jacked the hotel, so there's time for daring vigilantes to get here," Akiza suggested as they arrived at the top floor.

Nick grunted. "The fact the JLF would do this suggests that they expect the vigilantes to stay back while they stick it to Britannia in their own way."

They stepped off the elevator to find (an uncloaked) Naruto waiting for them. Laila gasped when she saw him, recognizing the whisker-marks on his cheeks.

"Hey, you made it." he greeted them and locked eyes with Laila. "Long time, no see, Princess Laila-chan. I won't blame you for not recognizing me since you were still just a little squirt."

"How could I forget? Even when you never came back, Big Brother Clovis would complain how he would never get a rematch with you in Magic and Duel Monsters." Laila smiled in sad nostalgia. "It's good to see you too, Naruto-san."

"Let's get inside." Nick said and led the others to the Royal Suite.

Laila opened the door to the suite and everyone went inside, closing the door behind them.

"Nick~ Where did you go!?" Hakari wailed, flying up to them and latched onto him.

"I see you're alright in here," Naruto chuckled and looked around. "Wait… where's Meme?"

"You all startled her when you busted in. She's still in here…somewhere." Hakari replied.

'How good at hiding is she?!' wondered Naruto and Akiza, sweatdropping.

Then the pinkette noticed Laila. "Ah, you must be Princess Laila!" she squealed and bowed. "I'm Hanazono Hakari, Honorary Britannian, your grace!"

Meme poked her black-haired head out from under the bed to peer at the newcomers through her bangs.

"No, please, Laila is fine, Hanazono-san." Laila said, waving her hands. "Besides," she and everyone else looked out the window. "Now's not the time to stand on ceremony."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "If you're wondering about Euphie, she was caught with the other hostages. She's safe for now."

"Surely you can rescue them! You're an Uzumaki!" Laila said urgently.

"Plans are already in place." Naruto assured her. I'll just need Akiza and Nick's help while you stay up here with Hakari-chan and Meme-chan.

"Wait, why Nick?" Laila asked, looking at him in confusion. "He's just a student!"

"Laila, it's alright." he calmed her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Besides, we can't sit here while the rest of the Student Council are in danger."

Naruto nodded. "And I don't think the old fart is going to be patient with all this inactivity."

[Outside]

It was now night time, and the Britannian Forces were still making no moves…until the Princesses were secure that is.

"Some of those hostages are your friends from school, aren't they?" Cecile asked as she worked on the Lancelot's systems. "They're still negotiating, so don't worry."

"I have faith in the system." Suzaku replied, looking at the building through the Lancelot's sensors. "I prefer the logic of systems to individual emotions."

Cecile looked somewhat upset at his answer and would have said something if she hadn't been startled by the look of horror on his face.

"Oh god…" Suzaku gasped as his face paled.

On roof of the hotel several terrorists brought a bound hostage to the edge.

"Don't do it!" Suzaku pleaded but his words fell on deaf ears as the terrorists pushed the hostage over the edge and left him to fall to this death. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Britannian screamed as he fell to the ground but just as he almost hit the ground he suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes and saw himself hovering above the platform.

"Hooo."

Before the man could see what saved him, he suddenly felt sleepy for some reason and lost consciousness. If he was awake he would have seen a metallic golden owl flapping its wings as it carried him to safety.

But when he woke up, he would be happy to be alive.

"Wh-What was…?" asked Suzaku, unsure whether he'd really seen what he just saw on TV. He had no time to dwell on it, as the voice of Kusakabe sounded on the open channel.

[JLF Command Room]

"Our demands have gone unanswered. Therefore, we will throw one hostage from the roof every 30 minutes until our terms are met. For the sake of the hostages, the negotiations better be in good faith." Kusakabe growled and set the radio down.

"Sir! Our patrols have found our men dead on different floors!"

"What?" Kusakabe snarled. "It can't be the Britannians. We've been keeping them out! What is going on?!"

"I'm…not sure, sir! All entrances and exits have and are still covered! But that's not all, sir."

"What is it?"

"Our men have been found with slash marks and stab wounds all over their bodies, along with blunt force trauma and dismembered limbs!"

Kusakabe frowned. "Impossible. Bring me the guest list! Now!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldier said as another soldier came in.

"Sir, you need to look outside! It's-"

"Why? Is Cornelia finally making her move?"

"No, sir! It's Cypher and Rei! They're moving through the Britannian forces!"

Kusakabe stood up in shock. "What-?! Wait, just Cypher and Rei?"

"Yes, just them! Joker is nowhere to be found! And either is that Samurai from Saitama!"

"Then that means… the way our men were killed…" Kusakabe's eyes widened in horror. "Joker and Kinkaku are here!?"

[G1-Base, at the same time]

"This is their warning? Barbarians." Darlton growled as he, Guilford, Jeremiah, Villetta, and Bourne followed Cornelia to the hanger area.

"For now we could negotiate to get the women and children out-" Bourne started to say.

"Forget it!" Cornelia harshly cut Bourne off. "If you give into their conditions, even once, then you're legitimizing terrorism."

"Milady, should we use force?" Darlton asked, both him and Guilford worried about their lady's state of mind.

"We should only assume that course of action after we've confirmed the safety of Princess Euphemia and Laila." Guilford answered.

"Milady, with all due respect, I don't think we can afford to sacrifice the lives of the hostages." Bourne stated bluntly. "Need I remind you that the eyes of the world are upon us after Shinjuku, and the PR department had to crunch to put out the fires that are still burning."

"I suppose you have a plan then." Villetta asked curtly.

"It's simple really. We deployed the Special Weapons' machine, the Lancelot. I had a look at its stats and despite its loss to that mysterious machine in Shinjuku, it's more than enough to get past that cannon in the maintenance tunnel."

"Out of the question, Bourne!" Cornelia snapped at him. "I will not involve that Eleven in this! If the Lancelot is to be used, it will be by a proper Britannian pilot! Not by one with delusions of grandeur and a death wish like you said!"

Bourne stopped in his tracks. "I know I said he was a potential liability Cornelia, but the last time you didn't listen to me, you were embarrassed by those Phantom Thieves and their new friend at Saitama." he snarled, making everyone stop. "You have the solution waiting outside, and you refuse to use it because the only pilot capable of piloting the Lancelot is an Eleven first?! How much do you truly care for the Princesses?"

Cornelia blanched and twirled around to retort, but words failed her as the events of Saitama came to mind.

"Bourne, that is enough-!" Guilford shouted at him.

"Quiet, Guilford. Who gives a damn if that Kururugi kid's an naive Eleven or not. He's the only one who can pilot the damn thing with this sync rate. And should I remind you that the Lancelot is Prime Minister's Schneizal's pet project that needs plenty of data for possible mass production for our troops!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Bourne on this one, Captain. All means of getting past that cannon have been unsuccessful, and we have a 7th-Generation Knightmare with a pilot willing to assist." Jeremiah interjected, matching Guilford's glare at him.

"I concur. Are we really going to put Princess Euphemia and Princess Laila's lives in jeopardy all because we refused to use the Lancelot because of Kururugi?" Villetta added with a cold look, with Cornelia flinching. "I'm not fond of him either, but he's the best we got at this point."

Jeremiah and Villetta are still on the side of the crusaders, but they had to play their part to save Euphemia and Laila and help Cornelia do it.

"They all have a point." Darlton agreed, much to Guilford's surprise. "I strongly urge you to consider this because we don't have anything else at this point."

Cornelia gritted her teeth, looking powerless and unable to come up with a retort. 'Euphie. Laila.'

"Viceroy!" A soldier cried out as he ran up to them, looking scared.

"Calm down, soldier." Darlton chided him. "What is it?"

"It's the masked vigilantes Cypher and Rei! We've just received a message from them and they're advancing towards us as we speak!"

"Just Cypher and Rei?" Bourne muttered with a frown.

"Cypher? Rei? Why are they-?" Cornelia muttered as they stared at the soldier in shock. Her gaze hardening, she continues onward to the hanger. "Guilford, Darlton, Bourne, Gottwald, Nu, come with me! We're going to deal with them before they join up with the JLF!"

Jeremiah grimaced. "Something tells me that won't be the case-"

"This is Kusakabe broadcasting again on the open channel. Joker. Kinkaku. I know you're there and killing my men." Kusakabe's voice sounded off, shocking everyone. "I advise you to cease and let us talk face to face. I know you're fighting for Japan, so we have common ground and I'm willing to excuse your insolence. Meet me in my command room so we can talk face-to-face."

[Operation: Genesis Rebel]

"What?! What do you mean that Van Three was stolen by Cypher and Rei? What the hell was Gibson doing at the time?" Diethard demanded, looking up from his fishing rod.

"When we found him, he was knocked out near the trees." The intern answered.

"Hah, then where is Van Three now?"

"Heading straight for the military now." The intern replied, shocking Diethard.

"Huh? What is your plan, masked ones?' Diethard wondered, tuning out the man. The masked trio and their new friend had impressed him so far and this was obviously important if he was coming out like this. He then blinked in realization. "Wait, just Cypher and Rei? What about Joker and that silver swordsman from Saitama?"

"Gibson didn't see them, and he suspected Cypher knocked him out because Rei appeared in front of him."

"...Could it be?" Diethard mumbled, looking out at the hotel.

…

Far away on the roof of a building, Yoko made her sniper nest, her oversized rifle set on the edge of the building. She has a clear shot of the road, the bridge, and the hotel building, where she spotted Kusakabe and his men.

"I spotted Kusakabe. 10th floor in the executive suite."

"Roger that."

The spotlights on the road came on, showing Cypher, Rei, and Athena on top of the news van they commandeered. As the van approached, Rei was sitting on a makeshift throne with an elbow on the arm rest, while Cypher had a leg up on the other arm rest. Athena on the other hand was behind the throne and leaned on top of it. Neither of them showed any signs of concern as the Britannian military scurried like ants at their arrival. Cypher giggled and Rei smirked under her helmet as they heard the radio chatter and spotted the Gloucaster rolling in to block their path.

"We confirm, it's Cypher and Rei of the Phantom Thieves with something else! Should we open fire?!"

"No, just stand by. We'll capture them after they're surrounded."

"What a bunch of dumbasses." Cypher muttered as Medusa Alter rose from her shadow.

"Just give me the word and they'll all be dead in minutes, Master." Alter muttered.

"Will you stop being so blood-thirsty, Alter-chan? You can have the remaining JLF soldiers that cross your path!" Cypher whispered back.

"Just a thought." Alter smirked as Scáthach appeared as well.

"If you need her under control, choose an Archer and/or Assassin card next time. You'll be able to summon Euryale and Stheno with them, if they're not summoned already." Scáthach suggested, making Alter look horrified. "It's no secret. Trust me, she'll turn into a real softie then."

"Scáthach…" Alter growled at her with a look that promised pain, with the Scottish Servant unconcerned and waved her off.

"Focus up, you two. It's showtime." Rei chided them.

"Yes, yes, my Master." Scáthach said and put on a visor to hide her eyes.

In the van were the Kozuki Group, dressed in their new uniforms.

"Hey Odin, when Rei went off about justice earlier, what do you think she meant?" Ohgi asked as Odin drove.

"I think it's obvious, Ohgi. Justice for the unjust takeover of Japan and how it happened." he responded.

"Looks like we may die first before that happens. All of our escape routes have been cut off." Kallen mumbled through her mask.

Unlike the standard-issues uniforms the others got, Kallen's was a bodysuit that was all red with black trim. It was real form-fitting too, showing off all her curves. The suit had a turtleneck, a skirt, a cloak that stopped at her lower back, and a pair of black combat boots. Her helmet was red with a black visor, the edges of the visor reminiscent of a Queen chess piece and wings on the side of the helmet.

"Oh, getting cold feet, Kally-chan?" Frigga cooed at her.

"Give me a break!" Kallen snapped at her. "We never did anything as daring as this-!"

"The bomb." Freya shot back, her arms folded around her Green Crescent Dragon Blade.

"..." That shut Kallen up.

"I'm just wondering why we didn't use that other vehicle." Yoshida wondered.

"Oh, so you want the whole world to see where we hide out," Sugiyama said dryly.

"Point taken." Minami agreed sheepishly.

"I honestly don't know about these Phantom Thieves. Are you sure we should trust them?" Inoue asked with narrowed eyes at Odin.

"Of course we can. They've done a lot for us already. I mean, they got Naoto's body for us to properly send him off." Tamaki replied. "I'll admit, I found them shifty at first, but after Naoto's funeral and what they did to Cornelia at Saitama, I'm willing to put my life in their hands. They know their stuff."

"I'm surprised. I've heard that you didn't get along with them when you first met." Ravel pointed out.

Tamaki shrugged. "I'll own that, but like I said, they showed me something."

Back outside, five Gloucasters rolled in front of the bridge, blocking the way of the news van and causing Odin to come to a halt. Their cockpits open, revealing Cornelia, Darlton, Guilford, Jeremiah, and Villetta. Bourne meanwhile was watching from the deck of the G1-Base, narrowing his eyes at the sight.

"Well well, we meet again, Cypher. And Rei, I believe this is the first time we met." Cornelia boomed at them, with Rei giving a small nod in return. "With…additional company."

Athena mockingly waved at her while Medusa Alter shot a bloodthirsty smile at her.

"Good to see you again, Nelly-chan. You're just as sexy and ravishing as ever," Cypher praised mockingly, giving a winking emote.

Guilford and Darlton were struck dumb while Jeremiah and Villetta sweatdropped at Cypher's brazen yet unexpected praise. As for Cornelia, she gained a tickmark.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, girl," she snarled. "I suppose you're here to rendezvous with your friends Joker and Kinkaku to side with the Japan Liberation Front?"

Rei laughed loudly. "Countering praise with an attempt to offend us? Did you hit your head or something? We're actually here to help you, dear Cornelia. I mean, you've wasted the day being out here doing nothing that we figured we take a stab at it."

"Sorry, but that's a chance I won't take." Cornelia said, pulling out her gunblade. "Our concerns take priority over yours at the moment. So for the death of my half-brother Clovis, I shall take my revenge right here and now!" she declared, pointing her sword at the masked trio.

"So you justify what Clovis did. I thought better of you, Cornelia." Rei said, her sadness almost bleeding through her voice filter.

"Of course I don't. Regardless of what he did, he was still my brother by blood, and I shall have your heads for his death!" Cornelia seethed, flipping the safety off.

"Listen to you. You truly are the Witch of Britannia. Have you learned necromancy, by the way?" Cypher asked sweetly.

"The hell are you talking about? Necromancy isn't possible, fool!" Cornelia shot back.

"Ah, our apologies." Rei stood up, her voice now sounding cold. "We just thought that you had a way to bring back Euphemia and Laila from the dead, since you care more about us than them."

"I…what…you…!" Cornelia was absolutely pissed; her face twisted into a snarl as her trigger-finger twitched uncontrollably.

"Uh-oh, I think they went too far with that one." Jeremiah muttered within earshot to Villetta.

"Ya think?!" she hissed back.

Cornelia was almost frothing at the mouth as multiple emotions stormed through her. Shock from them knowing that Euphemia and Laila were in the hotel, confusion as to how they'd found that out, and outrage from walking into the blatant insult and insinuating that she didn't give a damn about her sisters. That was far from true, of course; everything she did was for Euphemia's safety, and because Laila had sneaked her way to Area 11, she had to protect her as well.

'Just like her parents, always a taste for the theatrical with no sense of self preservation, except I can see Kushina's influence in her words, and that scares me…' Athena thought while humorously watching Cornelia breaking down.

'Wow, you two. That wasn't cruel at all.' Ravel thought with multiple sweat drops.

"We're here to rescue the Princesses and the hostages from the dumbass radical section of the JLF." Cypher declared while making a shooing motion. "Now move aside and let us pass. With a situation like this, we shouldn't even be a priority for you."

"She's right. We can save Euphemia and Laila for you, if Joker and Kinkaku haven't already." Rei added, spotting the spark of hope in Cornelia's rage-filled eyes. 'C'mon, Nelia, take the olive branch. You're just like me and haven't changed, I'll do anything for Nunnally, and you'll do everything for Euphemia…and Laila.'

'If they know about Euphemia and Laila, then that means Joker must be in the hotel like the JLF said.' Darlton thought with a frown while sharing a knowing glance at Guilford.

"What are you saying?" Cornelia asked shakily, sweat pouring down her forehead. "I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Now's not the time to play the fool, Cornelia. We all know how you operate in hostage situations like this. Let us pass and we'll bring your sisters back unharmed." Athena spoke up lazily.

Cornelia grit her teeth at the new masked woman. As much as she wanted to know who she was, she couldn't afford the time. 'There's no way they can pull it off. Any attempt to extract the hostages would only put Euphie and Laila in danger!' Cornelia tried to rationalize.

But the part of her that was a soldier was falling against the part that was a terrified older sister that would do anything to save Euphie and Laila.

Even it means making a deal with the devil.

"...L-let them pass," she ordered through gritted teeth, much to her soldiers' shock. "Let them pass!" she repeated loudly.

Without another word, the Gloucasters rolled out of the way, clearing the way for the van. Rei tapped the roof of the van with her foot, and the van slowly inched forward. Cornelia could only stare with a frustrated look as the van drove past her.

"By the way, you might want to use that Lancelot while you still can." Rei said as they rolled past. "Don't worry, Euphemia and Laila will be fine."

"And ask around about Project R." Athena added cheekily.

"What? Project R?" Cornelia asked, only for them to be out of earshot. "The hell?"

"Milady, are you sure this is wise?" Guilford asked.

"...With the Phantom Thieves involved, they can buy us time before the next hostage is executed. So this is our chance." Cornelia answered as she got back into the cockpit of her Gloucaster. "Beggars can't be choosers! Get in touch with the Special Weapons Unit!" Cornelia commanded and pressed a button. "Bourne!"

"Yes, milady?"

"Find out everything you can about Project R."

…

"Holy shit, the balls on those chicks." Tamaki muttered as they looked out the back window. "I thought for sure we were goners."

"Yeah, same here. They do have a way with words." Ohgi mused, sounding impressed. "Naoto would've loved to have them."

"Yeah." Kallen agreed, as the other girls' way of insults was similar to his in a way.

"You all remember your assignments, right?" Odin called out to them, and saw them nod. "Good. And not worry about taking out the JLF soldiers. Leave that to us."

…

[JLF Command Room]

"Sir, we have reports of Cypher and Rei coming towards the hotel!" a soldier reported.

"Rei and Cypher, you say?" Kusakabe asked, sounding intrigued.

"Yes sir. They just came past the Britannian Military forces."

"Very well, let them pass and do not engage. I'm sure they'll be meeting up with their friends, and once they do," Kusakabe grinned. "I'll be having a little chat about them joining under my command."

"But they were killing our men, sir."

"Yes, but I'm going to chalk it up to ignorance on their part. Their power can make it up to us…"

…

[Outside]

"Wonderful! I want to thank you for such a lovely order!" Lloyd exclaimed, giggling happily as he turned to face the Lancelot and its pilot. "They've said you've got the green light, Lancelot. Your orders are to charge right through the Linear Cannon in the tunnel!"

"Wait a minute!" Cecile spoke up. "They're using him as a decoy to make an opening for them?!"

"Yep. Seems like they'll use the confusion to send in the Royal Guard!" Lloyd answered with no end to his enthusiasm.

"Seems like?! But Lloyd-!" Cecile protested angrily.

"Miss Cecile, I'm ready. Please let me do it." Suzaku stated with conviction in his voice. "If the Lancelot and I are needed and we're able to give the hostages an opportunity to be saved then I'll do it, even if it means being a decoy."

…

Once the van stopped in front of the door, Cypher, Rei, and Athena hopped off the van with their Servants in tow. The front doors then opened with a few JFL guards coming out, just as Odin and the others got out of the van.

"Cypher, we shall be escorting you and your entourage to Lieutenant-Colonel Kusakabe," said the lead soldier. "Please, this way."

"Ku ku ku, that's hilarious." Cypher chuckled with a smug emote. "No, we'll be seeing the hostages now."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't let you do that," said the soldier, suddenly on edge, "Your friends have already killed our comrades and it's for the best that-"

"She said we'll be seeing the hostages." Rei repeated, this time with some edge to her voice. "So you lot can die now." she said with a snap of her fingers.

In an instant, Cypher grabbed her guns and shot holes into the lead soldier. Before his comrades could react, Athena lunged forward with a knife shooting out of her gauntlet, slicing the throat of the second soldier. Odin twirled a revolver between his fingers before shooting the third one between the eyes.

"W-Why?" a dying soldier moaned out.

"Don't misunderstand. We're not with Cornelia, but we're not with your foolish leader either. You all made your graves here, after all." Rei snarled and snapped her fingers in the air, snapping the Kozuki Group out of their shock. "Come on people, you all have your assignments. Get to it!"

"I know they're dead men walking, but that felt…unnecessary." Ravel noted, grumbling as Athena purposely stepped on their bodies.

Cypher snorted. "They're radicals. They can get fucked."

…

The Lancelot was lowered into the service tunnel with Suzaku ready to rescue the hostages; a rifle was attached to its back by the waist.

"Warrant Officer Kururugi, here is a guideline for your mission: According to Prime Search the hostages are located on the hotel's middle floor and believed to be locked inside an unused dining room. Advanced Prototype Weapon Z-01 Lancelot will use the utilities tunnel to move under the hotel." Cecile's voice came through the speakers. "Once on site you will destroy the foundation and submerge the building. The area with the hostages should hold out for eight minutes. Hostage rescue and mop up of the terrorists will be handled by other units. You will be using the V.A.R.I.S. to destroy the foundation. Set the Impact Rail to Anti-Material Level Three."

"The only variable in this is that pesky Linear Cannon waiting for you in the tunnel. Space is tight in there; the Lancelot will only have a forty seven point eight percent evasion rate." Lloyd added his own two cents.

"Are we really going through with this?" Ceile asked worryingly.

"Yep. Make sure you both pull out before it's too late. Lancelot might be wrecked, that'll be unacceptable."

"Before it's too late?" Suzaku asked, with Lloyd making a bit of noise of confirmation in response. "Understood, sir."

Suzaku knew that the odds were against him, but he cared little for that. All that he cared about was rescuing his friends on the Student Council, as his mind floated back to his conversation with Shirley.

"Suzaku, Nathan, Madam President, Nina, Nick, Akiza, and I are going to Lake Kawaguchi for the weekend. Are you coming with us?"

"Sorry, I have to work that day."

"You do? Too bad, I guess that can't be helped then."

"But, thank you for inviting me. I really appreciate it. I hope all of you have a great time."

He readied himself for the all clear signal as he readied the Lancelot for launch.

And hoping that Naruto doesn't do anything foolish like trying to be a hero.

"Twelve minutes to operation start. Commencing countdown."

…

[Hotel]

Akiza crawled through the vents with Medusa behind her until they came across the room where the hostages were being held. She peered through the vents, seeing multiple JLF guards surrounding the hostages, with some by the doors. She spotted Milly, Shirley, and Nina, with Milly still holding them close while looking around. There was a distortion near her that was Nero, with Milly suddenly looking at the vent to see Akiza.

Akiza pressed a finger to her ear. "I count seven guards around the hostages, three of them near the door."

Outside the room, Naruto and Nick were on either side of the short hallway, looking around the corner where they saw guards outside.

"Roger that. There's five guards out there. Seems that they buffed up security for us." Naruto noted and felt his iDroid vibrating. "Yeah?"

"We're here and setting explosives. We've also taken out our escort." Naruko said with the sound of a door opening on her end. "We're coming up now as well. Yoko spotted Kusakabe from her position."

"All right. We're about to rescue the hostages on our end. Then we'll meet with Kusakabe together. You have my gear?"

"Nice and warm for ya."

"Uh, Naruto? We have a problem!" Akiza suddenly spoke up. "Nina said the no-no word!"

"What?!" Naruto asked as Nero appeared before him.

"That Nina girl just called them Elevens out loud!" she hissed.

"Dammit, Nina!" Nick growled as they suddenly heard her screaming from the door, with the guards looking curiously at the door.

"Aki-chan, Medusa, take out the guards inside!" Naruto ordered and put his mask on. "Nick, let's go! Akiza, on your mark!"

"I said get up now!"

"No, let me go!" Nina screamed, resisting as a soldier tried to drag her away.

"Stop it!" called out a familiar voice.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of the soldiers dragging Nina snarled at her before tossing Nina away.

"I demand that you take me to your leader, understand?!"

"What?!"

"No, Sub-Viceroy, don't do it!" an aide called out to her.

"You're addressing Euphemia li Britannia, third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire and Sub-Viceroy to Area 11." she declared as she took up her glasses.

"Oh hell no!" Akiza shouted, putting on her mask and activating her Geass. "NOW!"

She targeted all the surprised hostages and Euphemia except Milly and trapped them in her Ward, evidenced by the red rings around her eyes. She then burst open the vent door and slid out, followed by a distortion in the air that reformed into Medusa.

"What the?!" one the soldiers shouted before he was shot dead by Milly via headshot.

"She had a gun!" one of the other soldiers shouted before his head was impaled by Medusa's spike.

"Oof, sorry Nina!" Milly said, accidentally bumping into her as she went after another soldier.

With some experimentation of her Geass, Akiza noticed that her right eye could see what illusion she trapped her targets in, while her other eye remained able to see what was happening in the real world. It took some time, but she was able to train herself to fight while her Geass was active. With two kunai in hand, she threw one at a soldier that aimed his rifle at her, embedding it in his neck. The soldier choked as Akiza leapt up and jammed her other kunai into his eye. She grinned before punching it further in, killing him.

As for Milly, she looked behind her to see two soldiers coming after her, but she activated her Geass. "{Fear me!}" she yelled.

The soldiers suddenly froze and dropped their weapons, red rings around their eyes as they looked at Milly in absolute fear. Sure she didn't have to say it out loud, but adding vocal command added a bit of power to her Geass' effects.

"Don't look at me like that. You tried to hurt Nina. While I'll never condone what she called you," she drew back her pistol. "You should've let it go." she said coolly and swung her pistol forward, pulling the trigger.

When Nines came into the world and the wormhole established a connection between hers and his, he found a way to stream media from his world. One of the movies she watched with the twins and Lucienne was Wanted, a film about assassins with unique abilities, like curving a bullet. After many years of trial and error, Milly had successfully managed to replicate the technique, to make her stand out in the group of crusaders.

And now her training paid off, as the bullet curved in the air before blasting through the soldiers' heads, ending their lives.

The sixth soldier was shooting at Medusa who was flipped through the air, twisting her body to avoid the bullets with chains around her providing defense as well. At the same time, she clipped off her 'blindfold'. "Cybele!" she chanted.

"Ack!" the soldier cried out as he was turned to stone, before Medusa dropped down and stomped him into pieces.

As for the final one who was freaked out, the door burst open with Nero dashing in and sliced through him and the others near the door. She grinned as the bodies fell to the ground.

A couple minutes earlier…

Naruto, Nick, and Nero zipped towards the guards, Naruto summoning his HF-Katana with its Gun-Sheath, Nick augmenting his fists to deliver heavy, devastating blows that shattered bones and pulped organs, and Nero leaping over him, cutting down one of the soldiers in a surprise attack.

"Incoming!" one of them yelled.

The soldiers opened fire, only for Naruto to weave in and out of the shots with short dashes, without losing momentum. His Geass flashed in his right eye, seeing the soldiers as enemy-red. When he was in range, he shot his sword from his sheath, stunning one of the soldiers when the hilt broke their nose. The masked blonde grabbed his sword and disarmed his second target with a swipe before flash-stepping behind him and stabbing him in the back. Pulling the sword free, he spun in place and beheaded the soldier. By the time the broken-nosed soldier could recover, he shared the same fate as his comrade.

"What the hell?! They're just kids!" another yelled as he shot at Nick.

Nick zipped forward, blocking the bullets with his augmented forearms, and rammed his fist into the man's throat, crushing and causing him to choke to death. The last one buried his knife in Nick, who gazed at him with a 'Really?' look before grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. Rearing back his fist, Nick dealt a devastating punch that exploded the soldier's heart as he soared away.

"Going in!" Nero yelled as she burst into the room.

And now…

"That's all of them!" Nero said cheerfully.

"Good. The others should be up here soon to pick up the hostages." Naruto said as he stepped in. "Milly-chan, you okay?"

"I'll live. Good thing you came when you did. They were about to take Nina away." Milly said, sighing. "I don't know what possessed her to even call them Elevens out loud."

"We'll talk to her when we get back to school. This is getting out of hand. She could've gotten killed." Nick said in annoyance.

"Later." Naruto waved him off. "Milly, Nero, I need you to stay with the hostages until Kallen's group picks them up for evac."

"Got it!" Nero said cheerfully.

"Understood. Panther isn't ready to debut yet after all. Don't worry, I'll keep everyone safe. Send Kusakabe my regards." Milly said darkly and looked at Nick. "Are Hakari and Meme all right?"

"They're with Laila in the Royal Suite, protected by Scheherezade." he answered curtly.

"Um guys, can we go now?" Akiza asked as she moved to the door and held her eye. "It's getting hard to keep my Geass up."

"Right. Let's go." Naruto said, leading the others out.

As soon as the door closed, Akiza's Geass was released, and everyone besides Milly looked around in confusion.

"What happened? One moment I was in a garden in the middle of nowhere and-" Shirley was saying before there was a scream from one of the hostages as they drew attention to the dead guards. "W-What happened to them?! How are they dead?!"

"Not sure, but it looks like we're safe for now. Let's stay here before help arrives." Euphemia said as she went over to them. "Are you all right, young lady?"

"Um, yes!" Nina squeaked before Milly brought her in for a hug.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright. We'll be alright." Milly said before looking over at Euphemia and nodded to her.

"I-I'm so sorry," Nina cried. "If I hadn't said anything-"

"Shh, just calm down, Nina. Don't worry, I'm here."

Nero smiled at her Master, but frowned when she noticed Nina gazing at the door in a 'thousand yard-stare' sort of way.

…

The elevator dinged, and Cypher came out with Rei, Athena, Ravel, and Kallen in tow. Odin, Frigga, and Freya were downstairs with the others setting the explosives. As they rounded a corner, they saw Naruto, Akiza, and Nick coming down the hallway.

"Yo, Naru-nii!" Cypher said and handed him a briefcase. "Here's your suit."

"Thanks. There better not be any surprise enhancements." he said and went into the mens bathroom. Before he did, he poked his head out and said. "Love the aesthetic, C.C. And you could've left the armor behind, Claire."

"Hey, it pays to be prepared!" Ravel said indignantly, shaking her fist at him as C.C. waved him off.

"You too, Aki-nee. They made this for you." Kallen said, handing Akiza her briefcase.

"If it fits as well as yours, I'm going to enjoy it." Akiza said before heading into the girl's restroom.

"All of the hostages are on this floor and counted." Nick reported. "I advise not using the elevators."

"Of course not. We're setting explosives down below." Cypher replied.

"You can leave the hostages to us." Kallen said as Artoria appeared from her shadow.

"I can get Hanazono-san, Kakure-san, Princess Laila from the Royal Suite." Ravel said. "With this armor, I'll have them on the lifeboats before that Lancelot starts shooting."

"It's settled then. But I do want Euphemia to come with us when we see Kusakabe. I need to show her the kind of scum we're dealing with." Rei said darkly.

"I'll send my armor to accompany you," Nick added.

"Then it's settled." Athena said as Joker and Akiza came out of the bathrooms.

Akiza's suit was the same as Kallen, albeit it had major differences, such as it was more black than red, it was littered with rose designs, and had two trench coat tails in the skirt area.

"Right, it's been a long day, everyone." Joker said and punched his fist into his hand. "So let's end this crap and get back home!"

"Yeah/Yeah!"

…

"Hey!" Kallen said as she came through the door where the hostages were. "We're getting you all out of here. Let's go!"

Almost everyone was unsure until Milly spoke up. "Judging from the masks, you're with Joker?" she asked, still playing the role of hostage.

"Exactly. This hotel's about to be submerged in a few minutes and I'm sure you all don't want to be around when that happens." Akiza said shortly. "Now let's move! I already have your friend here!"

Nick appeared and beckoned the hostages to him. "Come on. They have lifeboats ready. We can get out of here!" he said as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

"Everyone," Kallen drawled as the people quickly filed out. "Except you." she said, grabbing Euphemia's arm. "Rei wants you." she said, pointing to her standing at the end of the hallway. "Follow her."

"Wait, I can't let you take her-" her aide said but Artoria got in her way.

"She will be fine, ma'am. Please continue to follow Red Queen and Black Rose to the lifeboats. Princess Euphemia and Laila will be joining you shortly." Artoria advised her.

"Hello, Princess Euphemia." Rei said as she walked up to her. "Good to finally meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I agree." Euphemia said with a weary gaze.

"Come, let us meet with the good Lieutenant-Colonel. Joker and Cypher are already there. Don't worry, we'll die before letting him harm you. I just need you to witness something to prove our point…can I call you Euphie?"

…

"A little bit of this and that, and-" Ravel whispered, tapping at her new iDroid before the door opened up with a click. "There!" She cheered and walked inside, with Ushiwakamaru standing guard.

"Eh? Who are you?!" Hakari squeaked as soon as Ravel entered.

"You're with the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Laila accused her.

"Yes, but we're going under a new name that you and the rest of the world will find out soon enough." Ravel nodded and gestured for them to come with her. "Now let us depart, you three. The hotel is about to be submerged and the other hostages are being evacuated as we speak."

"Wait, but what about Nick!" Hakari protested as Meme peaked around the corner.

"He's helping to guide the other hostages to safety. Now please, we don't have a lot of time for antics." Ravel pressed them while directing her words towards Meme, who squeaked.

"...I understand." Laila relented. "Come, ladies. Let us be on our way…"

…

[JLF Command Room]

"You've set us back quite a lot by killing my men." Kusakabe said reproachfully as Joker, Cypher, and Athena stared him down.

"Their lives were forfeited thanks to you. We just sped up the process." Joker growled at him, his Geass active and showing Kusakabe in a golden aura and his men in red aura. "Besides, what you are doing is a dead end."

"Impossible. When we endeavored on this undertaking, we had no plans to die!" Kusakabe countered.

"Is that so?" Athena chuckled. "And pray tell what were you trying to accomplish here, really? You had to have known how Cornelia operated in hostage situations."

"Indeed. It is curious why she hadn't had all her force storm in at once. But to answer your question, this is all to gain attention." Kusakabe answered as if it was simple. "I want this country and the rest of the world to know that your group isn't the only one capable of fighting Britannia, and that the Japanese aren't dead yet."

The door suddenly opened and Rei stepped in, with Euphemia.

"How stale." Rei darkly commented.

"Hmm?" Kusakabe frowned.

"You people are obsolete. There's no saving you lot." Rei said condescendingly.

"What?! Why you arrogant-" A JFL bodyguard shouted.

"Explain what you mean by that, Rei." Kusakabe cut his guard off. "And who is your guest? Your own hostage?"

"Hardly." Athena responded. "She's the reason Cornelia hasn't done anything all day. You should be grateful to her."

"How-?"

"Back to you, sir. You don't think a lot, do you? Your actions play into the Britannian propaganda that the people of Brtiannian-conquered areas are nothing but barbaric savages." Rei said coolly. "You took innocents hostage and even started throwing them off the roof. At this point, I'm seeing more of Clovis in you than a proud Japanese warrior. You don't even deserve that katana you have."

"I suspected that you were nothing but children and you proved it with your words. You upstarts thieves can't begin to understand the lengths one must go through when fighting a war!" Kusakabe said and stood up. "Besides, the Britannians showed their hand in Shinjuku, so it's only fair that we respond in kind!"

"Even if it means putting actual Japanese and Honorary Britannians in the line of fire?" The new voice made everyone glance around as another figure stepped into the room. Unlike Kinkaku, he was clad from head to foot in gleaming, golden armor, with an owl-shaped helmet, but carried a long, straight sword. "Because they were here too, you know."

The other crusaders looked at him, their surprise hidden under their various masks.

'So, Nick really did have another set of armor lying around,' thought Naruto, remembering the man's gold and silver Holder companions.

"Honorary Britannians are nothing but cowards and traitors to our culture and heritage," scoffed Kusakabe, sneering at the gold-armored newcomer. "As for the Japanese here, their sacrifices will not be in vain. When faced with an enemy such as the Britannian Empire, every option is preferable!"

"It won't work." Athena drawled, folding her arm. "That has never worked."

"You don't know that, girl!"

"You really are a goddamn idiot, Lieutenant-Colonel Kusakabe." Joker suddenly spoke up. "You fail to recognize how damaging your actions here are. There's a reason why Uzu wants nothing to do with the Japan Liberation Front."

"Like we'd welcome them into the fold anyway! If it wasn't for them, Japan would've been ready for Britannia!"

Ginkaku shook his head. "Unlikely."

"Total bullshit and you know it. The days of Imperial Japan were a long time ago, you old fart!" Cypher snarled at him. "This is not the way to take back Japan! This will only enforce the Britannia's discrimination of the Japanese!"

Kusakabe scoffed. "Which will no longer be an issue once you join us! You owe us that much for killing my men!"

"Pass!" Joker snapped at him. "With that logic, Rei was right. There's no saving your sorry asses. Now we have to fix your mess!"

…

[Maintenance Tunnel]

"M.E. Boost…" Suzaku muttered, gripping the controls tightly.

"Lancelot, now launching!" Cecile confirmed.

The Lancelot blasted forward through the tunnels, surprising the Raikō pilots but they quickly recovered by preparing to fire again.

"Reaction confirmed! One enemy Knightmare!"

"It moves twice as fast as the others!"

"So what? It'll end up like the rest! Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, fire!"

The Sakuradite Core surged as Lancelot activated its Factospheres to avoid the barrage launched by the Raikō with its speed, and the fact that it's Landspinners even allowed it to move along the tunnel's ceiling.

Meanwhile outside, there was a blast of wind caused by the Lancelot's launch.

"I warned you about this, Lloyd!" Cecile screamed at him as they took cover.

"He doesn't want to play decoy! He's going for the gold!" Lloyd said in amusement.

At the same time, the drawback from the blast of wind knocked over a nearby portable bathroom, tilting it over and causing the occupant named Private Johnny to howl in despair; now covered in his own bodily filth.

…

[JLF Command Room]

"Amateurs, all of you. Now who is that Britannian girl with you and why the hell should I be grateful to the likes of her?" Kusakabe snapped at them.

"You should show some respect." Athena said dryly. "This here is Princess Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire and Sub-Viceroy to Area 11."

"Also Cornelia's baby sister. We can't forget about that." Joker pointed out.

"Wait, is this…true?" Kusakabe bit out, staring at Euphemia in shock.

"Yep!" Cypher said brightly. "So if you want to reopen negotiations, that would be-"

"...JOKER!" Kusakabe suddenly shouted, his aura turning red as he drew his katana. "THERE'S NO POINT IN TALKING ANYMORE!" He roared as he tried to bring his katana down on Joker.

He now had a Princess in the Realm in his grasp, so why should he have the help of a bunch of disrespect welps?

"Wait, No!" Euphemia cried, but was kept back by Athena.

He was halfway near them when the window sprouted a hole; a bullet whizzing through and disarmed him of his katana. "What?!"

"Fool." Yoko muttered before jumping down from the building with Kotane catching her and flew her to the hotel.

"Well shit," Joker sighed as he lightly flicked his katana free from its gun-sheath. "The Whirlpools are known to tear anyone that defies them to shreds," he chanted, hearing Euphemia gasp as he unleashed his katana. "For your crimes, your soul shall drown in the deepest abyss…"

"Wait a minute, you're-" Kusakabe gasped, but unable to stop himself as the HF-Blade sliced through his neck. "Ack!"

"Sir!" his men yelled.

However, they were frozen in place by Rei's Geass, followed by Cypher gunning one down, Athena embedding shuriken into the throat of another, and Ginkaku slicing the last one straight down the middle.

"Some words to take with you to Hell: None may escape the Whirlpool's embrace. Not the Emperor," Joker murmured as he sheathed his katana with a click. "And certainly not you."

Kusakabe was unable to answer as his head rolled off his body. Euphemia yelped as it started rolling towards her, but Athena stopped it by kicking it away.

…

(Outside the Hotel)

"Fire!" the lead JLF soldier yelled.

Suzaku lead the Lancelot into dodging the destructive pellets. With its superior speed and evasive maneuvers, it came out of the barrage with barely any damage to its frame.

…

"What?! The A.S.E.E.C.'s Knightmare is succeeding?!" Cornelia asked, dumbstruck.

"Yes. At the rate he's going, he'll break through soon." Darlton reported.

"...Do we even dare hold out hope?" Cornelia asked, feeling the sting to her pride.

The reason that she didn't want Suzaku involved is because it'll be a mark on her service record that an Eleven was allowed to help her, the Witch of Britannia. But now that he's active, he's doing better than anticipated, and it kills Cornelia to have to praise him, fool who thinks he can be Knight of One.

…

"Yes, it can take this level of destructive force." Suzaku muttered, focusing on the enemy up ahead with Blaze Luminous shields active.

"That thing broke through salvo number five! I can't believe it!" A JFL pilot said fearfully.

"Just don't panic! Deploy the quad-link free-firearm gun, batteries too. We'll shield this final defense with our lives." The lead pilot shouted.

"Ms. Cecile, it's time to use the V.A.R.I.S.!" Suzaku declared.

"No! You could get killed! " Cecile shouted in concern over the sound of another barrage that Suzaku deflected.

"There's no time for me to evade. I'll risk getting blasted to take the shot!"

As it moved in a crouch position the Lancelot deployed its new Variable Ammunition Impact Spitfire (VARIS) rifle, a large blue collapsible rifle; and aimed it at the Raikō cannon.

…

[JLF Command Room (formerly)]

"Now do you see, your Highness, Euphemia li Britannia?" Rei said, looking at her. "Scum like this are to be put down for involving innocents in warfare. It was the same fate that ultimately befell Clovis for his actions in Shinjuku."

Euphemia shook her head. "I can't exactly agree with that sentiment. And before you accuse me, I would never have agreed with what Clovis has done!"

"I would certainly hope not after you nearly sacrificed yourself for the people." Ginkaku snarked.

"It would've been better if everyone made it out of this alive." Euphemia murmured.

"Interesting how you would show compassion for this fool, especially after he dumped a body from the roof." Athena drawled.

"If anything, the commoners you tried to save deserve more compassion." Joker pointed out.

"Because violence is never the answer, nor is the belief that the strong should lord over the weak." Euphemia stated firmly, staring at Joker's helmet.

"Normally you would be right, Princess Euphemia, but as one of my mother's old teachers used to say: Might Controls Everything. Without it, you can't save anyone, let alone yourself." Joker countered sternly.

Euphemia narrowed her eyes at Joker before putting her hands on the sides of his mask. "I prefer you continue to call me Euphie-chan, Naruto." she said, lifting it off.

It wasn't hard for her to figure out, her suspicions being born from learning that Lucienne, Naruto, and Naruko were still alive. Couples with their actions in Saitama and the quotes she first heard in Uzushio during her first and only visit put all the pieces in place; as she stared into the blue eyes of Naruto.

"...Well, this is awkward." Naruto grimaced as Euphemia looked at Cypher and Rei.

"Lucienne? Naruko?" Euphemia continued, getting them the stink eye.

Cypher grumbled as she took off her mask. "Hi, Euphie-chan." Naruko said, waving nervously.

Rei sighing and following suit. "I'm not apologizing, Euphie. This was a long time coming." Lucienne growled at her.

"How about we talk about this back at school. We're nearly out of time." the gold-armored man interjected before Euphemia could reply.

'Wait, he must be a student too…' Euphemia thought with a glance at him. "I presume that you must be Ginkaku."

"That is correct, your highness. I understand that your sister had an encounter with my uncouth brother."

'How long is he gonna pretend that he's two different people?!' wondered Lucienne, eye twitching.

"Agreeing with your earlier statement, we are short on time." Naruto said as he put his mask back on, "Besides, I'm sure the White Knight is doing his part as expected."

"This is Odin," Odin's voice suddenly came through the CODEC. "Explosives are set and we're clear. Get out of there!"

"That's our cue." Joker said, taking out his iDroid just as the Lancelot was seen outside in the air, shooting the foundation.

…

"Use maximum output! I don't give a damn if it destroys the guns! Be prepared to die defending this spot. SMASH HIM!"

The Raikō fired, just as the Lancelot fired the VARIS rifle. Just as the Raikō shell deployed its pellets, the energy shot blasted through the spread, causing them to explode on contract. The V.A.R.I.S. shot sped through unimpeded until it reached the barrel of the cannon. Upon contract, the shot interacted with the core systems of the Raikō that caused it to detonate in a fiery explosion that blew a hole in the ceiling and wave of water shooting upwards. The Lancelot leapt through the hole, reloading the V.A.R.I.S. rifle at the same time.

"It's the Eleven!" Cornelia muttered as the Lancelot quickly fired at the foundation blocks, demolishing them. "He really did it! Guilford!"

"Right!" he answered, about to execute the next phase of the plan.

As the hotel began to sink into Lake Kawaguchi, Suzaku watched with a rush of pride at completing his mission and showing his skills to the Britannian military. The Royal Guard would swarm the terrorists and rescue the hostages before anyone else died. But suddenly, his Lancelot's sensors alerted him to someone looking out the window.

"Huh, no way!"

The scanning reticle stopped on one of the floors, showing him an image of Joker staring at him.

"It can't be!" Suzaku shouted as he thrust the Lancelot forward towards the hotel, throwing away all forms of rational thinking. The Phantom Thieves had proven that they didn't care about endangering innocent lives or killing Britannian Royalty. Worse, Princess Euphemia and her sister Laila were still in there!

…

Naruto narrowed his eyes behind his mask as his own reticle showed him the majestic white Knightmare known as the Lancelot.

"Ah, the White Knight. Sorry about this good buddy, but the glory of the rescue is not yours to claim tonight."

With that, he pressed a button on his iDroid.

"Fire in the hole, -ttebayo!"

…

The second the detonator was triggered, the explosives he had the team place around key areas of the hotel went off. Soon, the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel toppled over as it exploded in a ball of flame with enough force to knock several soldiers off their feet.

"EUPHIE! LAILA!" Cornelia screamed in anguish, not caring what people thought of her reaction.

"MY FRIENDS!" Suzaku's voice shouted through the Lancelot's speakers.

"WARRANT OFFICER KURURUGI, DON'T!" Lloyd protested.

Suzaku didn't hear Lloyd's voice as the Lancelot leapt towards the falling remains of the hotel. The smoke and dust from the rubble quickly covered the Knightmare, and everyone was blinded and had to cover their eyes.

…

"What about the cameras in Van Three?"

"I'm telling you those Phantom Thieves took them-" the technician was saying.

"Then let's hope we can pick up a signal from them!" Diethard snapped at him and looked at the monitors. 'What are you doing, Phantom Thieves? Was this not part of your plan? To give us a message of some kind?'

…

Near where the former hotel stood, Lloyd and Cecile could see the Lancelot standing, without a scratch on it as it gazed at the smoldering wreckage.

"He's alright!" Cecile exclaimed, happy and relieved that Suzaku wasn't hurt.

Lloyd sighed in relief as well, though he was happy that his precious Lancelot wasn't damaged. Of course, Suzaku was not harmed; at least he was not physically harmed.

As for Suzaku…

"I couldn't rescue them." Tears formed in his eyes at the loss of his friends. "They're dead; I couldn't save them. Not again!" he cried, slamming his fist on the control panel.

Because of his tears, Suzaku didn't notice the dust clearing across the lake, and a yacht that was coming into view with lifeboats surrounding it.

…

Suddenly, all the screens around the world were compromised, whether they be TVs, computer screens, mobile devices, or even active video game consoles and Knightmare monitors; they all went blank until everyone heard the sound of-

"BB! CHANNEL!"

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]

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 there was BB with the most mischievous (and sadistic) smile on her face.

"Hello, humanity! Did you miss me? I bet you have if you're not subscribed to all my socials! Yes, your lovely little devilish kouhai, BB-chan is here!" she cheered, jumping up. "With a sweet, little magic trick!"

Relishing the taste of rage and despair she sensed aimed at her (especially from Cornelia and Suzaku), she materialized a cover that she put in front of her camera.

"Alakazam, Abracadabra, Truck-kun is dumb, so just rent a boat-"

"OH FOR FUCK SAKE, JUST SHOW THE BLOODY FOOTAGE!" Rei's shriek echoed at her.

"All right, all right, geez! Take the fun out of it…" BB whined as she withdrew the covers. "In any case, have no fear, little Britannian piggies! All of the hostages are safe and sound. The former Phantom Thieves and their new friends return them to you unharmed! Ta-da!"

When the cover was removed, the screen shifted to show the hostages in lifeboats that were slowly floating towards the Britannian military.

"T-They're alright!" Suzaku cried, glassy-eyed.

…

'Heh, no surprises here that they succeeded.' Rivalz thought with a smirk as he served his girlfriends Grace and Gloria their drinks at his place of employment.

…

"Of all the brazen audacity." Cornelia glared at BB when she saw the hostages on the lifeboats. "If we attack you, the people become your hostages, won't they?"

"Why would we do that after we went through the trouble of saving them?" BB asked in mock confusion from the screens of Cornelia's Gloucaster. "In case you need a refresher of their power, they don't need hostages to take you behind the woodshed."

"You little brat- Wait a minute," Cornelia breathed after scanning the lifeboats. "I see Laila there, but where's Euphie?!"

"Oh, she'll be along in a second…" BB said before taking out a switch and pressing the big red button.

The light came down on the yacht, illuminating the masked vigilantes Joker, Cypher, Rei, Athena, Odin, Frigga, Freya, Ravel, Ginkaku, Red Queen, and Black Rose; as well as the Kouzuki Group dressed in their Founders outfits. In addition were the Servants, Medusa, her Alter, Artoria, Nero, Scheherazade, Scáthach, and thankfully fully-armored Ushiwakamaru; all wearing visors over their eyes (except for Medusa for obvious reasons).

And standing between Joker and Rei was…

"Euphie!" Cornelia cried out in happiness at seeing her younger sister alive.

Euphemia looked unharmed and made herself look slightly afraid to be standing next to the masked vigilantes; reason being that some of them were her loved ones.

"This is all possible through the cooperation of all of us and Princess Euphemia Li Britannia herself," Rei gestured to Euphy, who flinched minutely in shock at the attention being drawn to her. "In an act of pure courage and selflessness she voluntarily gave up her identity, risking her life to negotiate with the terrorists for the release of the hostages. I, Rei, and my friends witnessed this act of bravery and so I offered my support to ensure that all hostages were saved, even the one hostage that the Japan Liberation Front tried to execute."

The camera zoomed in on the man the terrorists tried to execute; proving to everyone who had seen him fall was still alive and quite happy to be alive. Then the camera zoomed in on the masked crusaders as they started to speak.

"The date was August 10 in the year 2010 in the Imperial Calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire had just declared war upon Japan. Confronted by Britannia's newest weapons, the formidable Knightmare Frame, Japan fell to its enemy in less than a month. The conquered nation we stand upon was stripped of its freedoms, rights, culture, and dignity. Finally, even its name was taken away. Eleven, the name of Japan and its people were replaced with a mere number…" Athena began somberly.

"Before then, the people of Japan were living their normal, everyday lives; not knowing of war, but working to support their family and future generations. But as we all know, everything changed when Britannia came calling, gifting them with political prisoners to let their guard down. As a result, Japan was engulfed in a sea of flames, and the people's lives were upended as Britannia colonized Japan, just as they've done with the nine areas before it." Rei added with a chilly bite to her voice.

"For seven years, Britannia has occupied Japan per right of conquest, all for the Sakuradite that brought about a new age of technology and advancement. While Britannia brought prosperity to the land, they practiced the way of the strongest keeping the weak underfoot. The Japanese suffered as they were forced into the ghettos to live off the land, and the only way they could gain any shred of normality is to become Honorary Britannians. But even that wasn't enough for those in power." Cypher said darkly with her mask being blank.

"Shinjuku, Japan. The place and the meaningless massacre that triggered all of this. The event that began this rebellion of ours, the crusade of liberating the world of Britannian influence, and Japan is just the first step. But don't mistake us for a mere resistance group or blasted terrorists like those JLF idiots we ended, oh no. We, my friends, are an Order of Black Knights for Justice, patent pending!" Joker declared with a fist out.

"Black Knights for Justice?" Cecile repeated, confused at the loaded title.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Lloyd commented with his signature smile. "Terrorists calling themselves knights."

"Unlike terrorists, we stand with all of those who have no weapons to wield, Britannians or Japanese be damned!" Joker continued.

"The Japanese Liberation Front cowardly took innocent civilian hostages, Britannians and Honorary Britannians alike, and they mercilessly attempted to execute them. It was a wanton and meaningless act; therefore, they have been swiftly punished!" Rei declared, using her Geass to lift up one of the JLF rifles, and slowly crushed it.

"There's nothing I can do, sir! BB has every one of our systems compromised!" Diethard was talking into his headset from inside Van 1. "Liable?! For something out of my control?! You're out of your mind!"

It's not like he wanted to stop them anyway. This was history in the making!

"Just as former Viceroy Clovis la Britannia was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless, unharmed Japanese, we could not stand by and allow such cruelty to be carried out, and so we made him pay for his actions. Joker made sure of it, just as I made sure of the former Viceroy's demise." Athena chimed in, grinning under her mask as the implication of her words set in around Japan. "That's right. Joker, Cypher, and Rei were instead responsible for the death of Clovis la Britannia, because the one who truly ended his miserable existence…was myself, Athena!"

Most of the civilians in Japan and Britannia gasped at the shocking admission. Cornelia's face twisted into a snarl as her gaze zeroed in on Athena. Laila's expression was unreadable as she stared at Athena, taking in every detail of her mask.

"And she was well justified in doing so. The crimes of Clovis run deep, all thanks to the conquerors of this world. But no more!" Rei declared, brandishing her arms dramatically. "We will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but a one sided massacre of the innocent shall not be tolerated! For the only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed!"

Those words resonated with Cornelia, despite her sour mood towards the vigilantes for still holding Euphemia in their grasp. Though privately, she actually agreed with that part of the speech, as she had no patience for sniveling men calling the shots from their comfy chairs from a safe distance.

As for Suzaku, he frowned at those words, as he didn't know how to feel about it. But in his mind, it didn't excuse their self-righteousness and their 'license to kill,' as they'd be nothing but a major disruptions to the peace.

'The Order of the Black Knights…for Justice…' Kallen thought as she stared at her leaders' backs.

The resistance formerly known as the Kouzuki Group now understood what their masked leaders meant, their doubts about them slowly vanishing as their speech reached the home stretch.

"Wherever oppressors abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again. No matter how formidable our foe may be. We shall continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves! This is the way!" Rei shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

Euphemia couldn't help but shiver from their speech. 'The way they speak, even people who denounce them as terrorists will be forced to acknowledge them- huh?'

On cue, the yacht and the lifeboats were rocked by two explosions of water behind the yacht, making the hostages and a few of the Black Knights cry out in shock. The water cleared away revealing two Knightmares that positioned themselves on either side of the boat. They were away from the spotlights, hidden in shadow and hiding their features.

'Those Knightmares…' Euphie thought as she stared at both Knightmares, seeing how advanced and powerful they looked, even in shadow.

Suzaku's eyes widened when he saw the two Knightmares that he faced in Shinjuku. "Them- wait a minute, why do they look…taller… and?" His shock was amplified as he saw them standing on the water. 'What kind of Knightmares are those two?!'

As this was going on, Nick, who was on a lifeboat with Hakari and Meme, was breathing heavily, his skin heating up. 'Shit…I hope we don't have to actually fight. It's taking everything I've got to maintain Cicada Puppetry without overheating,' he thought, leaning against the edge of the lifeboat, vision blurring.

"Nick, are you okay?" Hakari asked, seeing him hunched over, and put a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up!"

"Heh, I'll live." he muttered as he struggled to keep himself together. However, his legs seemed to be growing increasingly reluctant to support his weight, as he kept his Ginkaku armor stable with the rest of the Black Knights.

"Those are the Knightmares from Shinjuku! They came out from under the water and they are floating on top of it!" Cecile gasped. "Are they flying…no!"

She knew the Knightmares were advanced but they kept on surprising everyone with each appearance. And the way they were standing, it was like they were literally standing on the water!

"They're not even floating! They're standing on the water!" Cecile exclaimed, her instruments detecting a foreign energy leaking from the feet of the Knightmares. "And their pilots are there! Are they being remote controlled?!"

"That's… that's not fair! Even Rakshata isn't capable of this!" Lloyd complained childishly. "They can transform, move through water, literally stand on water, and are running pilotless?! Who came up with all of this?! Who is their creator?! WHOOOOOOO?!"

Odin felt the urge to sneeze in his mask.

"Those of you in power, fear us! From the lowest-ranked soldier, to the bloody Emperor himself! Those of you without, rally behind us as you see fit! We shall be the ones who break the chain of never-ending hatred and pain!" Cypher proclaimed.

"And we shall guide this world into a new era of peace." Athena stated serenely.

Joker took out his sword and pointed it at the Britannian army. "We're not terrorists. We're not mercenaries. We're not a resistance group. If you're lookin' for the Japan Liberation Group, they're on borrowed time. We're about principles. We're about honor. Where honor no longer exists, we're going to step in. We're a shield from injustice that speaks for the dead; the Order of the Black Knights for Justice that shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world! We are…the Crimson Suns!"

"Sun, as in the big fiery ball in the sky that'll go supernova in a billion years." BB added cheekily, making Odin grumble.

"We were going to call ourselves the Crimson Comets, but we didn't think anyone was going to get that." Cypher drawled.

"Joker, what about her?" Ohgi behind Joker asked, looking at Euphie.

"She is not to be harmed. I promised her sister she would be returned." Athena answered lazily as Joker and Rei stood next to Euphie like bodyguards.

"Time to go, Princess." Joker stated softly as he took Euphie's hand and slowly led her to a lifeboat.

Euphie watched as the boat she was on was lowered into the water, staring up at the masked Naruto. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, yet she felt that she already knew the answers.

"And now we depart." Rei announced as he held up a switch with a red button.

A blast of smoke shrouded the yacht and the Knightmares that faded a moment later, taking the people on the boat and the Knightmares with it. All that was left was the flag of Japan, symbol of the Crimson Suns on the boat, and a message on the deck saying.

'Let the Games Begin!'

"And there we have it! The Crimson Suns is the name, and destroying Britannia is the name of the game! Some bird suggested Comet in the name, but this is an alternate Earth!"

"Crimson Sun~ Crimson Sun over paradise~ Darn it, it doesn't roll off the tongue!"

So yeah, we have the Crimson Suns in Japan and the- Oops! No, keeping it zipped from you piggies!

We hope you enjoyed the fun! Totes later~

And someone get Nick some ice!

END OF CHAPTER 11

With their resort trip ruined, the Student Council are invited to the opening of a new resort that was going to be named after the former Third Prince. But oh boy do the leaders of the newly christened Crimson Suns have a lot of explaining to do to Euphemia…

Along with an unexpected loose end from the last person they didn't see coming…

Milly: Vacation time, the remix!

Soul: I want a vacation.

Cornelia: Don't we all?

Euphemia: Please stop drinking, Sister.

Cornelia: Never~

Kallen: Who is this 'loose end' we missed?

Naruto: No. You are not shanking them!

Kallen: We can't have any witnesses!

Soul: Still no, ya crazy fire crotch!

Claire: How are we not dead yet? *petting Ushiwakamaru*

Next time - Stage 12: The Turn of the Tide (tentative title)

[Debuting Character(s)]

FGO ] Ushiwakamaru

…

[Reference and Explanations]

We're allowed by Lord Maximus to use stuff from the Six-Paths of Rebellion.

The Code Geass girls are dressed in swimsuits from those official mobage-ish cards. They're easy to spot on the image hosting sites.

The Artoria in the tube scene is from the Fate Emiya Gohan show.

Hakari's mother is Hanazono Hahari, who'll also be appearing soon.

While writing how the JLF was infiltrating the hotel, I had Die Hard playing in the background.

The Shadow Clone Rebellion will be explained in the future, think of it as a situation similar to what Twice went through in My Hero Academia but with an outside influence. Also I thought about it when I realized that Naruto and Naruko were barely using Shadow Clones throughout the story so far.

Nick's Kamakiri technique grants him the Mantis Blades from Cyberpunk 2077 (keep fixing it, CDPR!)

C.C.'s Athena suit is her Gawain pilot suit with her mask being influenced by Kamen Rider Knight/Wing Knight and Femme/Siren.

'Fottage Taken by the Perpetraeor' is from the actual show. I don't know why they spelled it like that unless Britannian English is different from American/British English.

Claire's Ravel suit is her Hundred variable suit with her mask being a mix of Kamen Rider Ryuki/Dragon Knight and Ryuga/Onyx. As for her Ravel codename, the wikia said that her appearance, hairstyle, and initial personality mirror that of Ravel Phenex from High School DxD.

Claire's Servant Ushiwakamaru was chosen just this week. And Ushiwakamaru can be a handful unless you give her headpats.

Ryofu and Kan'u's Frigga and Freya suits are from Star Wars.

The uniforms Ohgi and the others are given are better than the ones they get in the actual show. And Kallen (and Akiza) getting distinctly different suits is from The Prepared Rebellion V2 by SeerKing, an awesome story that you should check out when you get the chance.

"What's the sitch?" OGs will remember Kim Possible.

"Dude…uncool." I've been binge-watching a lot of Oversimplified. Expect a lot of people to be punished severely.

In order to keep suspicion off of himself, Nick uses Daiitoku Style: Cicada Puppetry. It's a technique that allows him to remotely puppet an entire suit of Holder armor. However, at his current level of power, it is extremely strenuous to keep it going.

Kan'u shutting up Kallen when mentioning the bomb is inspirated by Barret saying "The hair." to Cloud in Final Fantasy 7 Machinabridged episode 2.

A random YouTube clip from the Wanted movie appeared out of the blue, hence why Milly has that ability. She has trained with the others over the years.

"When faced with an enemy such as the Britannian Empire, every option is preferable!" Not the same, but similar to the Leonard Church quote from the Red vs. Blue series.

Special thanks to Reaper of Balance, KuronoDono, and Racon Omega from Discord for the quotes Naruto says when executing Kusakabe.

"Might Controls Everything" is the classic Vergil quote from Devil May Cry 3.

The start of C.C./Athena's speech is from the first intro of Code Geass, as well as her admittance of being Clovis' murder.

"This is the way!" The Book of Boba Fett is great so far.

Raiser and Artorias got major upgrades that you'll see in a few chapters.

Naruto/Joker's ending the speech is from The Shield in WWE: "We're not renegades. We're not mercenaries. We're not The Nexus. If you're lookin' for the nWo, go buy the DVD. We're about principles. We're about honor. Where honor no longer exists, we're going to step in. We're a shield from injustice... we are The Shield."

The group was going to be called the Crimson Comets, the Comet part being suggested by UnitedOsprey as throwing shade at how Modern Britain started. But since it's an Alternate Earth, things are different and most people might not get that. That particular part comes from Zero Punctuation Subnautica review closer: "I was going to paint it pink and call it the Blake Edwards, but I didn't think anyone would get that."

And since we have the Metal Gear series front and center, we went with the Crimson Suns. You know, Red Sun over paradise~ Fuckin' awesome song from Metal Gear Rising Revengance.

Full name: The Order of the Black Knights (for Justice): The Crimson Suns

Suggested terms for the Discord (which is open for business, link in the profile for the next week) includes: Aries, Orion, Hercules, Coalition, Celestial Bring, and Comets, with the placeholder name being The Crimson Crusaders.

Released: Friday, January 28, 2022

"Damn that Kusakabe!"

"Thanks to him, the Japan Liberation Front is no longer reliable."

"It's been that way for a long time now. Even with Tohdoh in their ranks, they've failed to produce a miracle for years."

"But… there's one group that has been producing miracles since their arrival." a young female voice said.

"You mean those Phantom Thieves now going by the Crimson Suns? You heard them. They fashion themselves as vigilantes instead of a resistance group!"

"We are not in the position to be picky about who we support." an old man grunted. "The momentum is on the Crimson Suns side. After this debacle, Cornelia will focus all her resources into finding the JLF HQ."

"What do we do now? And don't say we should start supporting the Crimson Suns-"

The girl giggled. "We should support the Crimson Suns and give them the Guren. Oh, and Uzu too!"

"Dammit, Kaguya! Now is not the time to be fangirling over them!"

"She has a point." the old man said with a tap of his cane. "For now, we shall continue to watch what they do. And give them the Guren."

"Kirihara-san!"

"Taizō-sama, you can't be serious!"

"Calm yourself. It'll be a test for them, as I'm sure they'll be tangling with Cornelia again soon enough. And once they pass, I shall meet with them personally and judge them for myself…"

Kaguya giggled behind her fan as the other old men grumbled to themselves.

"Now then, about the Refrain situation…"