Evolution Geass: Uzumaki of the Retribution

by SoulEmbrace2010

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

15. STAGE 14: Battle of Narita - Part 1

Naruto: "Well, we are here where they asked us to meet, so where are they?"

Luciene: "Not a clue."

Naruko: "They better not keep us waiting long."

A nearby office door opens and Soul, Castle, and NSG walk out in suits and briefcases.

Soul: "It is wonderful that you and your party have agreed to star in our next collaboration, Miss Igawa." Soul says as they turn the woman exiting the room behind them.

Asagi: "It will be a pleasure. Honestly, it will be a breath of fresh air from our….usual adventures."

Naruto: "Wait a minute! Asagi?! Is that you?"

Asagi: "Oh! Naruto! It's been some time! I haven't seen you since the last chapter of 'Le Fox Din' came out."

Soul: *Cringing* "Guuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!"

Naruko: "Seriously Soul, get your brain under control!"

Castle: "The muse of an author is a fickle thing…by the way, Naruto. It appears you will be, once again, starring as the lead man in our next collaboration story featuring the beautiful Asagi Igawa here."

*One-Winged Angel starts to play…*

Naruko: "The fuck is THAT!?"

Castle: *Cringing* "That…would be our next appointment."

Soul: "You guys might want to become scarce. This could get a bit intense."

Naruto: "Don't have to tell us twice!" {Bolts}

NSG: "Fuck's sake, you had to bring him along? Really?"

Castle: "We need someone that can scare even the biggest of baddies. I'd say he fits the bill, considering where we are pulling much of our resources from."

Soul: "Let's hope he likes the idea. Otherwise…running might be our only option to survive."

Castle: "Good thing I'm wearing my running shoes."

NSG: "Best break 'em in, 'cause he's here!"

The three look up to see black feathers begin to float down around them and a shadow descends upon them.

Soul: *Gulping* "So nice of you to join us, sir."

?: "A pleasure, I'm sure. Now then, who would you like me to show despair…"

Lelouch: …Nope. Not messing with him. Nope!

-Review Responses

XenoBlaze: I say Lucienne sounds like Tohsaka Rin. NSG says Nick sounds like Aki from Chainsaw Man. And Castle says Nines' voice is similar to William Martin from Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy.

Raidentensho: About Isane…she and the others might cameo during the full tour of Uzushio. But yeah, she's unused.

P0k3d4th: I believe that is part of the plan for NIna's tech, among other things.

.3950: Funny you should mention that story, heh heh heh…

ShaDoWrAVen15: A Lancer? Yes. Eresh? Nope.

Italian sniper: Trust me when I say that I have learned more than I bargained for when looking up WW2 war crimes. Special thanks to Castle.

Guest 12/21/2022: I didn't completely know about war crimes, but I've heard little inklings here and there. Also, I would really love to remake my old stories with my certain style. I went ham back in the day, but I tried looking back at them and I cringe.

Vegito Uzumaki: I glad I executed that arc well. It was a way to curb her racism, especially with Nina coming on. But yeah, we're all learning together, and wild how Japan is in the clear to a degree unlike Germany.

With that, on with the show!

And special thanks to Castle and NSG beta-ing and co-writing this crazy adventure!

---

Hey there, piggies! It's been a while since the last mech battle, eh?

…Let's fix that, but first~

Oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~

---

In the bunker…

Everyone was staring with wide, white eyes as C.C. and Nina made out, lips and tongues interlocked with each other. Well, it was more of C.C. doing the dominating while poor Nina was trying to keep up. For a first kiss, it was too intense for poor Nina, who was nearly out of breath when C.C. finally released her. The curly-haired girl slid to the floor in a daze, while C.C. gazed at the girl with bedroom eyes, licking her lips.

"Thanks for the meal, girlie," C.C. said teasingly.

"...That was hot." Milly finally said, realizing that she got cheated. "I want round two now."

"Better you than me," Kallen mumbled, hiding behind an amused Aki.

"Earth to Nina. Are you okay?" Naruto asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Are you with us?"

"Ah. Wah. Am I straight? Or still a lesbian?" she moaned, swirly-eyed with her Geass sprouting in her left eye.

"Definitely bi. Hell, maybe even pan. There's this jutsu I want to try out-" Naruko started to say.

"Naruko, focus!" Naruto cut across her, clamping her mouth shut. "Save it for the bedroom-" Nina suddenly got a nosebleed before fainting, Naruto quickly darting forward to catch her. "Dammit."

"I thought we were supposed to find out what Geass Nina would get, not embarrass her six ways from Sunday," Nick said dryly. "Like Naruto said, focus."

Naruto gently shook Nina awake. The girl blushed a light red as she was helped up, avoiding his eye.

Aki giggled. "I never would've imagined Nina taking a shine to Naruto. It just goes to show that when you're an Uzumaki, anything can happen, right?"

"You don't know the half of it. Now then," C.C. gestured to Nina. "Let's see what the girl has. I have a strange feeling that it's going to be something special."

"All right. Here I go." Nina mumbled, the bird sigil appearing in her right eye as she activated her Geass.

…But nothing happened.

"Anything?" Lucienne inquired as Nina looked around in confusion.

"N-nothing yet," Nina replied. The power was there, but no reaction. She touched Naruto on his shoulder, much to his curiosity, but still nothing.

Nines was looking at Nina as he scratched his chin, thinking back to what his Emmie told him about Geass. "Hmm. Nina, what would you say your most inner desire is? What do you strive for?"

Nina blinked as she thought about the question. "Um, well…I want to know things. Honestly, I enjoy reading and studying more than talking to people. It's why I enjoy my position on the student council. It gives me time to read and use what I've learned."

Milly pouted at the girl. "Aww. I thought it was because you liked me and our eternal friendship…"

Nina sputtered while Nines chuckled at the byplay. "A pursuer of knowledge. Respectable. Though I notice you seem to prefer computers over books."

Nina nodded. "Yes. Computers are much easier for me to use, and they offer much more information than books. I understand them very well."

"And that's why she is our resident computer expert." Rivalz grinned as he praised the shy bookworm.

Nines tapped his chin in thought. "Computers, eh?" He glanced at the terminal near him. "Perhaps humans aren't the real target of your Geass, then. You obviously don't have anything like a mind-reading Geass-" The slight flinch from C.C. went noticed by most of the people in the room. Most of them. "-So, perhaps it would respond to something you are familiar with. Step over here for a moment." Nines gestured to the terminal. Nina obliged as he presented the screen to her. "Try using your Geass on the computer instead of us."

Nina blinked but complied. At first, she simply looked at the screen with her Geass activated, but nothing happened. Then she touched the screen and…her body suddenly jerked and went slack as she seemed to fall unconscious. Nines quickly jumped into action to catch the falling girl while everyone rushed to them.

"What just happened?!"

"Is she okay!?"

"Nina!"

Nines tried to shake her a little, but the girl was unresponsive. Panic was about to ensue before a voice sounded from the terminal speakers.

"Oh, my!"

Everyone instantly recognized the voice and turned to see the digital image of Nina being displayed on the screen. She was without her glasses and everything from her bare shoulders up was visible. Nina was looking around in awe before she looked at the assembled group through the screen.

"This…this is amazing!"

"It appears I have a visitor…"Bagley says with some surprise in his voice. "But I don't think this is a normal occurrence for humans."

Nina started looking very giddy as a smile crossed her face. She eyed Milly for a moment before her image blipped out. Everyone gasped just before Milly's phone rang. Milly retrieved it from her pocket and looked at the screen, and nearly jumped when she saw Nina waving at her on the phone screen. Her image blipped again and she reappeared on the main screen. Her laughter rang through the room as she began to teleport around on every computer screen in the bunker. She was having the time of her life.

"Okay seriously, what in the Matrix Cyberpunk Tron is going on?!" Naruko squeaked, using her own Geass to see that surprisingly she couldn't affect Nina.

"Interesting, I've never encountered this before," C.C. commented as she watched the phenomena. "I thought she was able to transfer her mind at first, but after she bounced around the electronics in here, it has to be her soul."

"Her soul?" Naruto asked, checking her pulse. Her Geass was active, seeing her aura in the same red color-scheme as the Geass symbol. "Hmm. Her heartbeat has slowed down. So has her breathing. Yeah, her body's okay for now."

"Thank goodness, but she's bound to have limitations. Of all of our Geasses, hers is definitely the most dangerous," Claire said, even as Nina bounced around the devices again.

"Yeah. Calm down, Nina-chan. I know it's fun, and it looks fun, but it's best not to overdo it," Naruto told her sternly. "Chill."

Nina finally returned to the original terminal in front of the group. "This is unbelievable! I can feel the flow of data all around me! I can fully understand all the information! It's like my mind is absorbing it like a sponge! It's spectacular!"She exclaimed before concentrating for a moment, a window suddenly popping up. "Ah, I found and summoned a digital copy of our physics textbook from the web! And…I just downloaded it all into my brain! I can see every single word from every page!"

"I wouldn't try downloading an entire library, Nina. Your digital self might be able to hold all that knowledge, but your physical brain might not be able to handle that sudden information dump. You're probably going to need time to 'digest', so to speak." Nines said, gently placing Nina's body in a chair. "Otherwise, a migraine from hell might be the best-case scenario."

"I second that." Nick concurred with a nod.

Nina nodded before staring at Nick. "I wonder…"

"I wouldn't recommend it. My own systems are not like the ones here in this world, so I suggest you don't risk jumping into my Key." Nick said seriously, "Not to mention, if it's your soul that's being transferred, you probably can't occupy a device that already has one, like me."

Nina groaned, relenting for now. "I understand," she said, before floating about to look around in cyberspace.

"...Nina, dear?" Milly suddenly squeaked as the boys looked away, with the girls already moving to block their view. "You know those censor bars we see on TV? Any chance you can make some?"

"Mmm, I could. Why?" the girl asked, noticing that the girls were keeping the boys in check. She looked down at herself to see if there was any wrong- "..."

She was naked.

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed, now flying around in fright and embarrassment."DON'T LOOK!"

"Which one of us is able to code her some clothes?" Rivalz asked jokingly.

"Do you have to ask?" Nines responded in deadpan.

"Ugh, just do it before she dies of embarrassment," Kallen suggested with a sly smile.

"Ufufufu! What have we here!? A little cyber exhibitionist? What fun! Let's you and I have a little chat, in my private studio, of course!"

"Oh no no no! Bagley, get Nina!" Naruto suddenly shouted, with a bright orb now zooming towards Nina.

"Eh?!...Eeeeeep!"Nina looked like she was pulled through a pink vortex and blipped out of existence, with the orb that was Bagley missing her.

"Oh, dear…My bad?"

"NINA!" Milly screamed in distress. "B.B. you bitch!" she snarled, her Panther side slipping out.

"Crap!" Naruko snapped, stomping her foot, "We need to get Bagley a body. That orb won't cut it! Nines! Stop her!"

"Damn it, B.B.…alright. Knowing her, she won't let Nina go without having her fun. Only one choice. I'll have to go in and pull her out myself." Nines said as he marched to his own terminal and sat down. He typed some keys until a compartment opened up next to him revealing some devices. One looked like a large earpiece with a slot at the front, the other, a half sphere-shaped box with ports.

"Wait a second! I thought B.B. was on our side!" Kallen yelped, pointing at the screen. "What's going on? Why'd she take Nina?"

Lucienne grimaced. "B.B. is on our side. It's just that…" she ruffled her own hair nervously. "She's a self-proclaimed Wicked Little Devil who tends to have her own brand of fun, whether for good or bad. She knows everything, but keeps key information to herself, leaving us to find out for ourselves. Oh, and she's a prankster like the twins, but to a dangerous degree."

"She won't hurt her…right?" Aki asked, voicing everyone's concern.

"I'd like to say no, but since Nina is such an innocent soul, we can't take any chances," Nines said after retrieving both his items, affixing the earpiece on his head after removing his glasses while plugging the box into the terminal. Typing in another command, the box hummed to life and the earpiece lit up.

"Just get her back!" Milly demanded, worried for her dear childhood friend.

"Synaptic Net Dive, initiated. Set destination." A synthetic voice sounded. Nines typed in a series of numbers into the computer. "Destination, set. System, activated. Synaptic Net Dive commencing in 5…4…3…"

"I'm going in!" Nines said as he pressed the earpiece and a bar of blue light slid across his eyes from the slot.

"2…1…Virtualization."

Nines's body jolted as the bar across his eyes fully lit, and he felt his mind drawn into cyberspace, rapidly traveling through the digital network.

…

"BB! CHANNEL!"

"Oof!" Nina grunted as she hit the hard floor, not ready for the jolt as she was just floating in digital ether. "Ow…where am I?"

"Hello, little piggy~" B.B. called out to her, walking across her studio towards her guest.

"Eep! Miss B.B.?" Nina yelped, now seeing that she was in her studio. "Uh? Um? Hi?"

"I must say, the ability known as Geass is quite the thing." B.B. praised as her clothing disintegrated. "Allowing a human to insert their soul into cyberspace? The possibilities are endless. Such an amazing ability, I had to pull you in for a little…experimentation~" she hissed as she was now donning her signature white nurse's outfit.

"Uh, p-pardon?!" Nina squeaked, her face red at momentarily seeing B.B. naked. "What do you mean by that? W-What are you going to do to me?!"

"Oh, a little bit of this," she snapped on a rubber glove. "And a little bit of that." She snapped on another glove. "Take you out into the depths of the cyberworld, see what makes you tick. You're only human after all."

"Eh? Uh, I don't think the others will like that, and I don't know my limits ye- IS THAT A GIANT SYRINGE?!" Nina screamed, pointing a shaking finger at said giant syringe being pulled out from between B.B.'s boobs.

"Yep! Now let's see how much that tiny, flat bod of yours can take, Nina-senpai~!" B.B. cooed before raising the syringe to stab Nina with it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"That's quite enough, B.B. Stop scaring the poor girl."

B.B. gasped in delight as a pillar of light appeared in the room. It quickly faded to reveal a man wearing a long black cloak and hood with glowing white tron lines along the trim. The man looked up to reveal the face of none other than Nines looking at the two. Nina looked in awe, not believing that the boy was actually there, in cyberspace.

Nines opened his mouth to speak- "DARLING!" -but was cut off when a purple and white missile collided with him.

"Oof!" Nines grunted as he was tackled to the floor. "Hello, B.B.…"

"Oh, Darling~ Welcome home! You've been gone for so long!" B.B. coo'd as she rubbed herself against the hacker.

Now Nina was really confused. Here she was kidnapped and about to be stuck with a giant fucking syringe by a killer A.I., only for said killer A.I. to turn into a lovey-dovey underclassman using her boyfriend as a pillow. At least she was safe…for now.

"Yes, yes. I've missed you as well. Now, care to tell me why you yeeted poor Nina? You nearly gave Milly a heart attack with this stunt." Nines questioned the girl sitting on his lap.

"C'mon Darling, just look at her. Nina has the most extraordinary ability I've ever seen! It's like going into Seraph without Rayshifting! I just wanted a taste, just a little!" B.B. said, reaching out to her.

"And you couldn't have waited until I got in to introduce her to you properly? You know that you would have been apart of the grand tour once we were ready to explore her abilities."

"And where's the fun in taking it slow, Darling? But I must say," she placed a hand on Nines' chest. "The chaos was all worth it!"

"...You knew I would come in after her. That's why you pulled her in here!"

"Guilty~" B.B. sing-songed. "Now c'mere, you!"

"Awawawa, is this what being a third wheel feels like?" Nina whined as B.B. tried to get at Nines.

"Gah! Okay, okay! I'll give you some sugar after I take care of Nina. Just hold your horses, woman!"

There was even more struggling between the two until Nina meekly raised her hand. "Um, if it's alright, can I go back to my body now?"

Nines finally managed to wrangle B.B. off him and stand up. "Sure thing, but first, we need to do something about your…appearance. I'm pretty sure you are not in the mood to give everyone who sees you a free show," he said while B.B. was whining.

Nina blinked and looked down. Her face was now an atomic red as she covered herself and screamed. "WWAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~! HHHEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLP~!"

Nines sighed before waving his hand. A digital display appeared in the air, filled with complex lines of code running across it. He tapped his fingers against the screens and slid the lines around before pressing his hand to the main one, making it glow. Nina was surprised to see tron-lines beginning to appear on her body before everything from the neck down glowed briefly as a skintight black suit with white lines of light appeared on her body.

"There now, that's better. You won't have to worry about appearing in the buff in cyberspace again." Nines assured her, with Nina nodding gratefully.

"Unless you are into that kinda thing~" B.B. teased the girl. "Ah, I remember that deserted island simulation we played with that one time. You, me, endless beach and not a thread of clothing separating us as we explored the island and each other~ Our own little paradise, you as Adam, and I, your beautiful Eve…"

Nina's head was literally steaming now.

"Okay, B.B. I think Nina's lobster imitation is getting a bit old here." Nines chuckled as he walked up to the girl. "So, how's the fit?"

Recovering from her embarrassment, she looked over herself. "Amazing. It's a perfect fit…Almost too perfect…" she mumbled, some embarrassment returning again.

"That's the wonders of cyber-coding. I'll start teaching you how to do it the next chance we get. For now, though, I think we should get you back to the others as they are quite worried about you after our little devil here pulled you away."

"I'd really like that." Nina agreed, taking Nines' hand. She had more than enough of B.B. for one day but was grateful that she was an ally.

"Excellent! B.B. I promise I will be right back after I get her back in her body. I know how you get when you feel neglected."

"Mou! Come back soon!" B.B. said as the two disappeared from her cyber-area, before spotting a plush on the floor. "Hey wait! What is this she left? A plushie? And it looks…familiar…?" she said, picking up the black and red object.

"Nobbu?"

"Uh, Nobu?"

"Nobbu!"

"...Oh crap. Her Servant is-!"

…

"I swear, I will learn how to write code that'll have a spiky dildo shoved up B.B.'s ass if she harms a hair on Nina's head!" Milly shrieked, looking absolutely feral. "And lava will be the ejaculation fluid!"

"If it wasn't for B.B.'s nature, I'd be making fun of you right now." Nick drawled, placing a hand on Milly's shoulder. "Just chill out. Nines should be out at any moment."

"Agreed. When B.B. becomes a handful, Nines is the one to chill her out. The reason Bagley exists is because she barely listens to our orders." Naruko grumbled in annoyance.

"I never thought that there'd be a more troublesome girl than Milly," Claire muttered to herself.

Naruto grinned at that. "I can't wait to take you to Uzu. You'll change your tune real quick."

"...I feel terrified for my sanity now."

Before any more could be said, Nina suddenly gasped and sat up, back in her own body. "Wow. That felt like a fever dream!" she gasped, trying to calm her beating heart.

"Nina!" Milly cried, scooping her up in a hug. "Oh thank god, you're alright! Are you okay? Did she hurt you anywhere?"

"N-No, she didn't! She nearly got me with a giant syringe, but Nines got to me in time." Nina replied, just as Nines returned to the real world as well. "It was a close call. Way too close."

"Nines, code a slipper and hit B.B. with it for us. One time for each of us," Naruto growled, "No amount of mind-fucking us with multiversal facts is going to keep away her disciplining. It's been too long coming."

"Not to worry, my friends, for I left a little present! No so-called naughty little "kouhai" shall harm my Master and get away with it!"

From Nina's shadow came her Servant; a young woman in a black Japanese military uniform with a flowing red cape and a hat with a gold crown attached. Her weapon, a katana, was strapped to her waist.

"I am the Demon Archer, Oda Nobunaga, the Demon King of Sixth Heaven! Very well, I will allow you to be my Master!" the Servant introduced herself. "Prove yourself to me by never giving up and believing in yourself, and I shall leave the Archer class to take over the Avenger-class, where I am at my most powerful!"

Kallen's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" she screamed as Aki sank to the floor, howling with laughter.

"This is Oda Nobunaga?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh…the irony…" Nines muttered as he realized Nina, the girl who feared the Japanese had just summoned one as a Servant.

"Well uh…this is…one way for Nina to get comfortable with the Japanese," Rivalz said with a chuckle.

"But of all the Japanese Servants, Oda Nobunaga, and as a woman too?" Naruto said in disbelief, just the rest of the Servants appeared from the shadows. "You pulled someone amazing, Nina."

"But how is she an Archer?" Naruko wondered.

"Must be the guns she has." Naruto guessed with a shrug.

"Hmmm, I see, I see! By the lack of fighting among you, I can see that we are all comrades-in-arms. I shall remember your faces! Sadly, I don't see Okita yet. Oh well! I'm sure she'll appear eventually! Since I'm amongst you now, it can't be helped!" Nobunaga said with a haughty laugh.

"Um, nice to meet you, No-Nobunaga…san?" Nina squeaked, holding out a shaking hand. "I'm Nina. N-Nina Einstein!"

"Nina-chan, huh? I look forward to working with you, my Master!" Nobunaga said excitedly and kissed her hand.

"So far, so good. Nina's with us, bringing with her a unique power and Servant to our cause." Lucienne declared and looked at the screen. "Don't worry, Bagley. You are still not out of a job."

"Oh, good. Between the samurai cyborg, Naruko's Geass, B.B., and now Nina's Geass, I was beginning to worry despite the assured job security," Bagley replied sarcastically, "I'll just put this here resume in the bin…"

"I'm happy to contribute!" Nina said, with Nobunaga nodding. "But if it's alright, can we leave the stress tests for later? That incident with B.B. was too much."

"We'll move it up to tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time between now and our first official campaign as the Crimson Suns." Naruto said, before taking out his phone. "But for now, let's get some takeout."

"You do that. I have a little wicked devil to calm down." Nines said and went back into his machine.

"If you're ordering takeout, then let it be pizza-"

"NO!" almost everyone yelled, causing C.C. to pout.

…

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WIDE WEB?!" Nines yelled, seeing the state of B.B.'s studio.

"Darling! Help me~! Nina came in with a Trojan horse! Her Servant's that stupid lil' dummy from Owari!" B.B. cried as Nines witnesses the scene of a literal army of chibi women in oriental military uniforms swarming the studio.

"Nobbu! Nobbu! Nobbu! Nobbu! Nobbu!"

"This literally takes 'Cyber-warfare' to a whole new level!" Nines groaned as he rushed in to assist.

---

Stage 14: Battle of Narita - Part 1

---

It was nighttime, and our heroes had the school pool all to themselves. The rooftop was open, revealing a full moon that illuminated the water. The Sound Barrier Jutsu was activated for obvious privacy. The girls were all swimming laps, apart from Lucienne, who was looking over some files with Naruto and Nines, and C.C., who was on an elevated platform and about to dive into the pool. As for Nick and Rivalz, they were having a casual game of Magic the Gathering on a beach table, with the Servants looking on intently, intrigued by the ongoing game.

"I summon my Commander, Isshin, Two Heavens as One. Now I'll swing with my Etali, Primal Storm, which gains the power of all of my creatures that have Exalted," Nick declared, turning his creature sideways.

"I block with my squirrels! Hang in here!" Rivalz urged, even as Nick's dinosaur laid havoc on his field. He'd questioned why the man had included a Dinosaur in a Samurai deck, but now he understood, and it was hell.

"Hold the line!" Anne Bonny cheered with him, while Mary Read waved some little flags in support.

"We're practically part of Uzu's forces, but there are those from Uzu that are looking to directly join the Crimson Suns. I find it weird, but I guess that they want to put their training to good use and try their hand at fighting Britannia first." Lucienne guessed, going through the files. "Let's fast-track them. You agree, Naruto?"

"Sure. I suspect there are those who are tired of waiting around and want to take action. After Shinjuku, I can't exactly blame them. As long as they don't cause issues, it should be fine." Naruto said.

Lucienne nodded and added them to the list.

"There's one guy here that's ringing alarm bells. We have an applicant here who's a Britannian." Nines said, showing them the file. "One Diethard Ried, a Hi-TV journalist, part of its Press Bureau Staff. He was demoted after B.B. hijacked the airwaves while you were rescuing Suzaku. He's a graduate of the Imperial Britannia Central University Faculty of Law."

"Hmm, looks too confident to be a spy, or even seeking revenge for costing him his job," Lucienne noted, getting a look at his picture. "He could be an extremist, or he just wants a good story."

"Or the guy wants to be our historian of sorts. These journalists working for the state get the same material every week. Sounds like this is one of the first to break away. Who knows, he might end up being useful. To the list, but on probation. We'll need to keep an eye on him. Lucienne, send Orenji and Villy to get a read on him." Naruto said, making Lucienne nod.

"Ditto," Nines agreed, just as C.C. dove into the pool. "On a side note, another few Forward Operating bases have gone online; construction of FOBs in the countryside is proceeding on schedule, and the training of the new recruits at our existing FOBs is going well."

"We all like to hear that. As for Kyoto, they keep hounding me with calls and complaints about the Burai being used as simulators for the recruits, and the lack of action the Guren and Kokuren are getting. It makes me want to reveal ourselves to them early." Naruto grumbled, prompting Nines to give him a look. "I didn't tell them about our little hiking trip, don't worry."

"I don't get why we can't tell Ohgi and the others either," Kallen said as he swam up to them. "They already trust you all enough because of me and Aki-nee, and bringing Naoto-nii home."

"True," Naruto agreed as he sat on the edge of the pool. "But it's all about keeping things close to the chest. I promise you that by the end of the campaign, they will join our inner circle, just like you and Aki-chan."

"If you say so," Kallen mumbled with a pout.

"And afterward, you and Naruto can go on a date," C.C. drawled as she swam past.

"What?!" Kallen shrieked, getting red. "But we don't have time for that!"

"Counterpoint, yes we do. Don't be such a baby and try to get further than me, imouto." Aki said, hugging Kallen from behind. "He'll treat you right."

"But," Kallen looked at Naruto, who just smiled at her. "I signed up to fight Britannia, not be in a harem…"

"Milly and I had another threesome with Naruto the other day, having been in the simulators beforehand. It's possible to do both." Lucienne said teasingly, Kallen looked scandalized as she continued, "I think we're close to dragging Aki along for the ride."

"The only way it's happening is if Kallen here gives into her real feelings," Aki said, suddenly fondling her sister. "I know what your dreams of made of~"

"Can this wait until we finally kick Britannia out?" Kallen whined, trying to get free of Aki. "There's so much we have to do first! We don't have time for relationships!"

"But Kallen, that's the thing." Naruko cooed, joining in holding Kallen still. "Sexual relations keep us from becoming chuuni edge lords."

"And running the school as the Student Council. Can't forget that!" Naruto hurryingly said as C.C. laughed at the havoc she caused. "And to be honest, I would love to go out with you, Kallen-chan."

Kallen was now Nina-style atomic red, and hid herself under the water in embarrassment, with Naruto laughing.

Claire tried swimming over to give the twins a piece of her mind, but a laughing Milly kept running interference by grabbing at her boobs. Poor Nina was once again steaming red, her body and face submerged up to the nose.

As for Nick and Rivalz…

"This game…I can only imagine how the tension would be if the fate of the world was on the line playing this." Artoria mused.

Nero laughed. "That's one way to spice this game up!"

"It feels like shogi with extra steps," Ushiwakamaru added. "I wanna play!"

"Wait your turn. Wait until Master wins." Mary Read scolded her.

"I'll be impressed if he manages a comeback in this scenario. He has just one squirrel token and his Commander on the field, and 10 Life left," Nick reminded her, unfazed by the small woman's glare. "I won't fault you if you surrender."

"It ain't over until the last card is drawn! I draw for turn!" Rivalz said and suddenly looked giddy. "Oh yeah, this is a good draw! Time to get smoked, Nick, ol' boy!" Rivalz declared with a dramatic point.

"Do your worst." Nick drawled but looked forward to the challenge since he had Rivalz on the ropes.

---

After receiving a call from Lucienne, Jeremiah and Villetta visited the person of interest, Diethard Ried, who had a modest office with books, videos, and posters all around.

"You know, even I admit that it was pretty unfair how you were demoted when B.B. hacked Hi-TV's systems," Villetta said to the disgraced reporter.

"Well, someone has to take the fall in case the military came calling, and my name came up on the shortlist," Diethard mused, shrugging unconcernedly. "Still, I guess it didn't help that I have shown dissatisfaction at the continued propaganda machine for the Empire, as history came to a standstill." The officers raised their eyebrows at this admission. "That is until Shinjuku and the Crimson Suns. The latter isn't like the usual terrorist groups we see every year."

All he was interested in was the story that the former Phantom Thieves were making with their rebellion, so different from the usual rebel stories that all ended in Britannia's victory. It had all been so… boring. Diethard became a reporter to make news and document history, not to fabricate it for the benefit of the wealthy and corrupt. He knew these two soldiers were fishing for information, most likely to clear their names in light of the Crimson Suns' first miracle.

"It's because they're actually winning. The other groups haven't got as far as they have." Jeremiah said, while trying to keep the pride and gloating out of his voice. "But their luck will run out soon enough. They got lucky in Saitama. They won't be so lucky the next time they show up."

"Don't be so sure. They might show up at our deployment in the Narita Mountains. They're no friends of the Japan Liberation Front, but…" Viletta trailed off with a side-eye at Diethard, who looked interested.

"Narita?" Diethard repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that where the Japanese Liberation Front's headquarters are rumored to be located?"

"You may be a bit too clever for your own good," Jeremiah noted with a suspicious glance.

Diethard smirked. "You overestimate me."

For Diethard, it was the perfect info to get into the good graces of the Crimson Suns. He knew being a Britannian would make it difficult to get into the Crimson Suns since the group was no doubt mostly Japanese and would naturally be suspicious of him; as the idea of a Britannia helping out sounds ludicrous.

But for Jeremiah and Villetta, they did what they needed to do to see if Diethard would take the info they already knew to Lucienne and the twins. They saw the ambition in Diethard, the desire to be part of history, and judged him to be okay…for now. As long as the Crimson Suns weren't slate, there would be no chance of Diethard ever betraying them.

---

"The Grid…a digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer. What did they look like? Ships? Motorcycles? Were the circuits like freeways? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see…And then one day…"

"You got in."

"Hehe. That's right. I got in."

The world they were in was a dark but orderly void, with the faint glow of a white 'star' shining above. The ground was flat and smooth like glass, with small nodes of light laid out in a grid pattern stretching as far as the eye can see.

It was a perfect representation of cyberspace.

Standing in the center of this void were Nines and Nina, with a transparent topographical model of the Narita Mountain and its surrounding area floating between them.

"It was an incredible discovery, Nina. To see how computer programs operate in real time. It's just like seeing everyday people, like you and me, going to work and living lives just like real humans. It was mind-blowing." Nines smiled as he saw Nina's eyes sparkle with wonder.

Nina was amazed at the story. She had no idea that cyberspace contained so many deepening layers that were worlds of their own. It was far more complex than she had imagined. "Can we go see it?!"

Nines laughed. "A little later, after you've gotten the hang of cyber-coding. As a 'User', you have at your disposal abilities that normal programs lack, such as the ability to control the very environment of cyberspace. We are the creators of this world, even if we are vastly ignorant of what exactly we created. But it is not a world we can take for granted. The 'Deep' can be a dangerous place, Nina. Programs don't recognize us as users when we walk in their world, and I have encountered hostile programs that sought to destroy me simply because their routines told them to. Until you are ready, we stay in the 'Shallows' of cyberspace."

Nina pouted a bit. "Awww."

Nines shook his head. "None of that now, you'll see it soon enough. For now, let's focus on your lessons. You've learned the basics of cyber-coding, so now let's apply them. We are going to simulate our offensive against Britannia at Narita using this model. For that, we need to apply all the information we have gathered to the model. So, let's start by incorporating the latest real-time survey data. If you would?"

Nina nodded and brought up her virtual screens, showing lines of data flowing across them. She began manipulating the data at a rapid pace, showing her exceptional talent in computer programming.

"It's amazing that your SND gear worked so well with my Geass. I don't feel as much of a mental strain on my mind as I did when I used my Geass the first time."

"The gear was designed to allow a person like myself to project their mind and consciousness into cyberspace. In this case, it simply helped you transfer your soul more easily by sliding through than brute forcing your way through, kinda like lathering your body in oil."

Nina's face went incandescent red.

"Focus, Nina. You can fantasize about your threesome with Euphemia and Naruko later."

"Awawawawawa! Nines!" Nina whined.

"Hey! Who got caught using the table while moaning their names, huh? Poor Table-kun…"

"...Meanie!" Nina pouted again, hitting him with pow-hammer-esque punches. It was kinda cute to see her like that. He understood why Milly and Naruko teased so often.

"Just messing about. I don't judge the preferences of others. You gotta have an open mind, especially when dealing with the twins, you know."

Nina recovered and nodded, understanding his reasoning.

They kept working, feeding more data to the model.

"You said the Deep worked on a different time wavelength compared to reality, right?" Nina asked the more seasoned cyber-diver.

"Indeed, on a factor of 50 to 1. Time flows much faster in the program layer of cyberspace, to where for every one second in reality, fifty seconds pass in the Deep. So that translates into 7.143 weeks in the Deep for every 1 week outside."

Nina paused in her work to take that all in. "Incredible…but…wouldn't that mean we age faster if we stay in the Deep?"

"Not at all. Our bodies are still outside, so we age normally in accordance with our own time. You could spend hundreds of years in the Deep and still look like you did when you first entered. And since programs are created rather than born, they don't age at all. So you won't see people inside aging and dying. It's almost like a perpetual world."

They kept working for a few minutes until they imported the last of the survey data and the model rippled as the new information was displayed.

"Excellent. That takes care of the environmental data. Now let's incorporate the battle data. Fortunately, Euphie was kind enough to smuggle out the latest Brittanian battle plans for the offensive, so that takes a lot of the guesswork out."

Nina smiled as she thought of the Princess she had become enamored with while loading in the data. Soon symbols began appearing showing troops and equipment.

"Very good. Now for the JLF." Nines said as he too inputted the data. Within the mountain a yellow structure appeared showing a vast network of tunnels running through the mountain.

"Is that all accurate? How did you get that intelligence?"

"We've had insiders and spies in the JLF for a long time. Do you honestly think we would let loose cannons like them run around without keeping one eye on them?" Nines rhetorically asked the girl. "Over the years, the information we gathered gave us a clear picture of their headquarters's layout. What you see is the result. Now, only a few pieces are left to add."

Nines feed in the last few pieces of data; the Crimson Sun's battle plans and the information pertaining to the weapon installed on the Guren: the Radiant Wave Surger, a microwave weapon that could cause any liquid inside an object to instantly vaporize and expand, not to mention cause certain metals and materials to melt. The result of these extremes are rather…explosive.

Per Lucienne's plan, they intended to use this feature to deal a mighty initial blow to Britannia. There just so happened to be a rather large underground water table, located two-thirds up the mountain. With the right tools, one could use the power of the Wave Surger to boil that water into steam instantly. And since that water is contained under tons of rock and dirt, the effect would be very catastrophic for anything below that area due to the massive blowout. That rock and earth would come flowing down in a massive mudslide, sweeping and burying anything in its path.

An effective strategy for wiping out a force in a single stroke. Too bad the JLF will likely end up as collateral.

"And done. That should be the last of it. And now, let's see what we got. Nina, would you like to do the honors?"

The girl nodded, then pressed a key on her display. The model came to life as the Britannian forces pushed up the mountain that was encircled from all sides. They watch as the JLF defenses spring into action and fight back, but are quickly overrun by the superior force. The mountain began turning purple in areas taken by Cornilia's forces as they ascended the mountain, drawing ever closer to the headquarters hidden in the mountain…and closer to a red line drawn just under the JLF's third and final line of defense.

"And here is where the fun starts." Nines commented as the Britannians breached the red line on all fronts. The sides of the mountain near the top flashed red and separated from the model, starting to slide down the topography in a rapid wave that wiped out everything in its path.

"Wow, it looks so real, like a miniature avalanche," Nina commented as she watched the simulation unfold.

Nines nodded, "That's what we were aiming for. A completely realistic simulation of actual conditions. With this, battlefield simulations can be far more accurate." Nines watched carefully as the mudslide took out the bulk of the Britannian units. "Excellent! Predictions are better than expected. With this, most of the enemy will be eliminated and all that's left would be the clean up. This battle is going to be an overwhelming victory if everything goes-" he was cut off when an alert sounded from his display, indicating that variables inside the simulation were moving outside predicted parameters. Nines and Nina looked to where the alarm indicated, and their faces became one of horror at what they were seeing.

"No…no, no, no, no no no no no no no!" Nines cried out as the simulation finally stopped. "This…I didn't think it would do this…"

"Are you sure we didn't make a mistake!?" Nina asked, hoping this was the case.

Nines quickly checked all the data, running through and double-checking everything used in the simulation. "Everything checks out. It's all accurate and running on the most likely parameters. This is what will happen if we go through with this plan!"

"But…that means…" Nina looked at Nines with tears in her eyes.

'"Damn it! I should have thought this was a possibility! Bagley!" Nines shouted to the sky, and a white orb materialized above them.

"You called?"

"Call a meeting in the bunker, ASAP! The others need to know about what we saw! Innocent lives could be on the line! We need to find a solution, immediately!"

"Begging your pardon, Master Nines, but what problem are you referring to?"

Nines looked solemn. "Narita…is going to become a disaster zone."

---

"Sorry to call you guys in on such short notice, but we have a problem," Nines informed the Crusaders.

"When it's a Code Kyubi, we drop everything and come. What's going on, Nines?" Naruto asked, sitting down with the rest.

"It's about the Narita Operation and the plan to use the Radiant Wave Surger. I've been running a simulation with Nina to see just how effective it will be on the mountain."

"What's the problem? Will it not be effective enough to cause a landslide?" Claire inquired.

"Quite the opposite. It's too effective! Watch." Nines said, tapping a key to reveal a detailed digital topo-map of Narita Mountain.

Displayed on the mountain were several clusters of green arrows grouped into three areas where the 'land' underneath them is colored to show their respective affiliations. The largest group was highlighted red, indicating the enemy units belonging to Britannia. Scattered across the mountain were yellow spots, showing neutral units belonging to the JLF, and an intense blue concentration on the summit showing where the Crimson Suns would be positioned.

"This map shows the most likely positions and conditions during the battle. Cornelia will have most likely wiped out most of the JLF defenses by the time they reach the point where the landslide can take them out." Nines informed them.

"We've already figured that out, Nines. What's the problem with the plan?" Lucienne spoke out, a slight irritation in her voice.

"The problem is this!" Nina squeaked, hitting the play button.

The map suddenly became animated. A large swath of the mountainside turned red and began to 'flow' down the mountain at a very high speed, indicating a landslide. The flow quickly overcame the vast majority of the red area, turning all the green arrows to red, representing destroyed units. None of the units could move fast enough to avoid the flow other than those near the affected area's edge. A number near the top of the screen quickly rose, showing the percentage of predicted enemy casualties. An impressive 75-80% of the enemy was eliminated by the landslide.

"So far, so good, so what's the issue-?" Naruko started to ask until things started to turn away from the plan. "...Oh."

The flow continued down the side of the mountain, blowing right through a line showing the originally predicted point where the flow would stop. Instead, it crashed right down the side of the mountain to the bottom…and straight into the small city of Narita.

The group looked on in horror as the flow connected with several blue buildings, turning them red. The more time passed, the more buildings turned red as the flow spread across the city. Eventually, the flow finally stopped after overtaking almost the entire city. Another number above shows the destruction wrought by the landslide.

85-90%.

"Well, that happened." C.C. mused, seemingly not surprised by the outcome.

"No fuckin' way…" Naruko said as she stared at the image.

"Son of a bitch!" Naruto growled out as he leaned back in his chair.

The rest weren't doing much better, as Nick, Milly, Rivalz, Kallen, Akiza, and Claire were left speechless at the sheer destructive scale of the model. This would be a catastrophe if it were real.

"Are you sure this is what will happen? Maybe your calculations are off?!" Kallen asked, hoping this was just a mistake.

Aki was of the same thought. "Maybe a mistype?"

"I didn't mistype anything, and do you think I haven't thought of that? I've tried numerous variables, and they all showed the same result. Yes, we destroy the enemy, but the city will get caught in the attack as collateral. We will be condemning Narita to destruction."

"What if we try to lower the power of the Wave Surger? Surely we can avoid destroying the city that way." Lucienne suggested but Nines shook his head.

"I've already tried that! The plan won't work at all if we pull back on the power. There won't be enough pressure for the water and steam to breach the rocks. It might cause some landslides, but not near enough to do the damage we need."

The map reset and restarted the animation; only the flow was much smaller and slower. So much so that by the time it reached the enemy position, most of the arrows had already moved away from the effective area. Once the flow stopped, only 5-10% of the enemy had been lost.

Far too low to be useful for the following counterstrike by the Crimson Suns with their low numbers.

"Dammit! This sucks! What are we supposed to do then? The plan hinges on using the landslide to destroy most of 'Nelia's forces. We can't proceed without it!" Lucienne raged as she slammed her fist into the table.

"But we would be condemning everyone in the city to death! There's no way we can go through with this!" Milly cried out, with Rivalz nodding his head in agreement.

"This is a pickle. We'll have to try something else," he said grimly.

Nick frowned, drumming his fingers while trying to go over in his head how difficult it might be to carve trenches into the ground outside the city to slow down the landslide. Then he grimaced when he realized that any trench he dug would be too shallow to affect the flow. "Can't put up a barricade, can't just stop it with brute force…"

Naruto growled as he stewed over this information. If they proceeded, they would kill thousands of innocent people. If they didn't, they could lose everyone in the Crimson Suns and all their efforts would be for naught. If they abstained from the battle, then Cornelia would have the manpower to launch a crushing assault against them on her terms.

No matter which option they chose, it would end in disaster.

Until a thought occurred to him.

"What if we remove the problem?" he wondered, with everyone now looking at him.

"What do you mean by that?" Lucienne asked with a frown.

"Get everyone out. Evacuate Narita. That way, only the buildings are destroyed and the civilians are moved out of harm's way." Naruto said, with everyone gaping at him.

"But, Naruto, we don't have the manpower or the ability to evacuate an entire city! At least not yet," Rivalz said, speaking up for everyone. "Not to mention that an evacuation would tip off both Cornelia and the JLF!"

"True." Naruto agreed and grinned, "But you forgot two things. One, Britannia has the manpower, and two, there is a certain individual who Cornelia can't say no to, eh?"

That got everyone thinking. "Euphemia!"

"She is the Sub-Viceroy," Naruto said as he stood up. "I'm sure she can convince her sister to allow her to call for a subtle evacuation. She can say she's worried that the JLF could try to take the city hostage during the battle. Orenji and Villy can even help her in coordinating the evacuation."

"That could work. If she can get everyone out, then there will be no issue if the landslide destroys the city. They can always rebuild everything afterward." Nines agreed with the idea. "Not to mention it will also keep any potential reinforcements too occupied to help if Cornelia calls for it."

"Remove the problem variable, and you eliminate the problem. That's quite ingenious of you." C.C. said with a grin.

"I'll contact Euphie-chan later. Hopefully, Nelia won't be too stubborn to not listen." Lucienne said as she stood with the rest of the council.

Naruko grinned. "As we know, Nelia-chan has always had a soft spot for her sister. If anyone can convince her to act, it's Euphie."

Naruto nodded. "Right you both are. Once we confirm the evacuation plan is in place, we'll proceed with our own plan. Nelia's forces won't know what hit her."

"Then everything is in order. Nina and I will run a few more simulations. Since an evacuation will be in play, we work on maximizing the effect of the landslide against the Britannian forces." Nines said with Nina nodding.

"No innocent casualties. Just those who fight for Britannia." Naruto reminded everyone as the screen went dark.

The Crusaders then hashed out the details of the plan in light of the new information.

---

"Welcome to Gamma Base. Please stand clear of the doors."

The leading members of the Crimson Suns moved away from the large metal doors as they closed behind them. They were waiting for the Kozuki group, who had been notified by Aki and Kallen to meet at one of the established pick-up points and then transported to a location outside the Settlement, another hidden base that their leaders had apparently established from their Uzu benefactors. As the outer doors closed and locked, the inner doors opened to reveal an expansive hanger bay with multiple Knightmare Frame cradles containing what were obviously Knightmare Frames covered by large tarps. There were also numerous crates of varying sizes stacked around with giant ones stacked along the back wall.

"Who's ready for more show and tell hosted by Odin?" Joker asked, tossing what looks to be some kind of power core container up and down.

"Ugh, do we have to?" Kallen grumbled, wearing her Red Queen armor while yawning under her helmet.

"Yes, because it's important. What we're using isn't in your typical Knightmare Frames." Joker said, now twirling the container on top of his finger.

"Plus, it's useful to know because we just found out that the upgrades the Guren and Kokuren have undergone weren't authorized by their mom. If we don't explain how satisfactory the upgrades are, she's going to make our lives a living hell." Cypher growled in annoyance. "Starting with Odin while the rest of us barricade in a bunker!"

Aki, wearing her Black Rose armor, giggled. "That bad, huh?"

"That's what I love about you guys. Always admitting to someone's face how you're going to throw them under the bus literally." Odin drawled.

Athena smirked under her helmet. "You get used to it."

"Question. Who is the aforementioned 'mom?'" asked Ginkaku.

"Rakshata Chawla," Odin answered as he walked up with a data pad in his hand. "And I do appreciate that you guys would be so willing to stand by my side to help quell her fury if she were to come after me, Joker," he started, pointedly, "No hiding while I'm forced to answer to her."

Cypher scoffed. "Do we have to? You have Frigga and Freya to protect you, right, Joker?"

Joker tossed up the power core high and shrugged. "Chill, Cypher, we might as well. I am first-in-command of the Crimson Suns, so I'll take…some of the responsibility."

"Sounds like you don't want to capture her," Panther noted with mock sadness.

"Eh, she's hot, but…" Joker trailed off, catching the container.

"If you've seen how she acts, you'll know why. Plus, she's more like a big sister to us than anything, despite us only meeting and working with her on one occasion." Rei chuckled while flipping a page in the files she was reading. "Let someone else have a go at her in the bedroom, ne?"

"To think the Ice Queen herself would be so vulgar," Ravel mused, only to whistle innocently when Rei stared at her. "Speaking of vulgar, where are Frigga and Freya anyway?" she wondered.

"They're at a stake-out in Narita. We're making sure that there are no unpleasant last-minute surprises." Panther informed her.

"Smart. " Aki said as the blast doors opened again. "Looks like Ohgi has arrived with the others."

Ohgi, Tamaki, Inoue, and the rest filled in, leading the new recruits inside. Most of them looked intimidated by the room until they spotted the Knightmare Frames. They looked in awe at Raiser, Artorias, Guren, Kokuren, and some models that they'd never seen before stood tall, and looked more flashy than the Burais. And speaking of the Burais, they were nowhere to be found except for her cockpits that have been remodeled into simulators. Funny enough, the simulator designs weren't looked out of place in an arcade.

"Welcome everybody. I won't bore you with a pep talk, so I hand the floor to Odin to acquaint you with the Gears and Frames you'll be using in the field." Joker said while placing the container down. "Spared at no expense of course. Odin."

"Yes, Mr. Joker, sir," Odin said cheekily as all eyes were on him. They watched as he put down the tablet and picked up a remote. "First, I would like to announce that as of right now, you will no longer be piloting Britannian Knightmare Frames!"

"Britannian Knightmare Frames? But the Burais you've been refusing-" Ohgi started to say.

"Are nothing more than repurposed Glasgow Knightmare Frames. They're 4th-Generation, unlike the 5th-Gen Sutherlands." Cypher said while patting one of the simulators. "And from all the combat data we've looked over, Sutherlands trounces Glasgows every time. Well, except if you're a damn good pilot." she gestured to Kallen and Aki. "But you're with the Crimson Suns now, and we got better shit than those training wheels."

"Hmph! Trying to compare the Burai to what we came up with would be an insult. In fact, you can't even call it a Knightmare Frame anymore. What we have is a combination of two combat machines merged into one. A true revolution in Knightmare technology! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first generation of a new type of weapon. The Mighty Knightmare Gear!" Odin threw his hands up over his head as he pressed the button on the remote. The tarps covering the hidden Knightmares fell away revealing Knightmares that looked nothing like what they had ever seen. The bodies still had the humanoid appearance with the cockpit on the back, but everything else was different. The armor contoured more naturally than the sharp edges of other Knightmares, and the limbs looked more humanoid than the mechanical limbs from Nightmares past. Indeed, they looked like a giant person in armor with a box strapped to their back.

"What in the world…?" Ohgi asked as his jaw hung open, with the rest of the group copying his expression.

"Why does it look so freakin' WEIRD?!" Tamaki yelped, pointing at them.

"Because these beauties were constructed using Metal Gear technology, kindly donated to us by our friends from Uzu. I did say they were Knightmare Gears, remember?"

"Metal…Gear?" Inoue whispered, repeating the name of the legendary machine that delivered Britannia's first major loss.

The new recruits murmured amongst themselves, sharing stories of Metal Gear from word of mouth until Joker raised his hand to quiet them.

"Anyways, meet the Ashigaru, a General-Purpose Combat Model," Odin announced to the audience.

"Ashigaru…that means 'Footsoldier' during the time of the Warring States," Ohgi spoke, using his knowledge from when he was a teacher.

"Correct. The Ashigaru will form the bulk of our combat force. It has five times the power of the Sutherland and ten times the operating time. It can also jump without the aid of Slash Harkens to boost it. They can run circles around Knightmare Frames with their enhanced omnidirectional Land Spinners, allowing you to 'slide' like you were on ice rather than the ground."

"Oi, oi, that doesn't sound like a fourth-generation Knightmare or even a fifth!" Yoshida called out.

"Didn't I say it was a new type of weapon? A Fourth-Generation?! Perk up your ears, please!" Odin yelled, getting frustrated that they were not listening to him when he first said it.

"It's alright, Odin," Rei assured him. "They're just newbies entering our world now. They only know what they experienced. Jamming weapons, hand-me-down vehicles, broken down Knightmare Frames, and-" Rei stopped there, not wanting to be unnecessarily cruel. "They'll know what we know soon enough. And all of you will start believing in miracles again. So pay attention, and hold all questions and comments until the end, lest you want to be Cypher's chew toy for the week."

As Rei addressed the troops, Medusa appeared next to Joker from her Spirit Form, shocking a few, with the woman whispering in his ear. "I bring news from Jeremiah and Villetta…"

Joker nodded. "Go on."

Odin sighed. "Alright, Rei. I get your point. Anyways, I guess I should start by explaining the difference between a Knightmare Frame and a Knightmare Gear. So, I assume you all have heard the phrase 'Man and Machine', right?"

A collection of nods answered in the affirmation.

"Well, Knightmare Gears blur the line between them and create 'Machine Men.' These machines are completely modeled after the human anatomy in form and function. Instead of hydraulics and actuators, they use synthetic muscles to move."

"Say what!?" Minami blurted out. "Such a thing should be impossible, right?"

Odin motioned them over to a table nearby with a large display along with a large object covered by a sheet. "It'll be easier to explain by showing you." Odin waited until everyone gathered before pulling the sheet away to reveal what looked like a gray artificial human arm attached to a box. There were small plates covering parts of the arm, but they could see cords of 'muscle' covering the arm. "What you are looking at is a Cybernetic Arm. Knightmare Gears utilize cybernetics in place of moving machine parts. They operate under the same principle as organic muscles. They absorb fuel and metabolize it for energy. A small electrical signal from the 'brain' causes the muscles to contract and relax, generating motor function. Now, the bone of the limb is made of reinforced tempered titanium while the muscles and ligaments are made of Carbon Nanotube fibers, or CNT Muscle Fibers."

Odin activated the machine and the arm came to life, wiggling the fingers, rolling the wrist, and bending the elbow like a human would. It then waved at the assembled group in greeting.

"Such fine motor movements…it's like a real human's…" Inoue said as the crowd murmured.

"Indeed. But while it acts human in every detail, it is fifty times stronger than a human. Watch." Odin pulled out a masonry brick and placed it on the table. The arm moved and lifted the brick before crushing it with frightening ease, like a superman.

Eyes widened in shock.

"The poor brick never stood a chance," Athena joked. 'Neither would I…'

"Anyone wants to arm wrestle?" Cypher asked teasingly, wiggling her fingers while the arm moved into the 'wrestling' pose. "Don't be shy!"

Everyone vigorously shook their heads. They liked their arms in one piece, thank you very much.

The arm swatted at them as if to silently communicate 'You're no fun' before returning to a resting position.

"Hmm, I see. So the journalist is genuine. Good to know." Joker muttered as Medusa sank into his shadow.

"The CNT fibers give the arm the strength to crush stone and hit like a jackhammer. Scale that up to a Knightmare, and you have a machine that can tear a Sutherland to pieces. How do we know? Well…" Odin turned on the display and a video played of an Ashigaru squaring off against a Sutherland. The next few minutes could only be described as a massacre as the Ashigaru literally tore the Sutherland apart piece by piece.

Ohgi sweatdropped and raised his hand. "...Okay. It's beyond powerful. But that power has to have a drawback. I'm no technician, but a Sakuradite Filler would have to drain rapidly to keep up with the machine."

"Yes, that was an issue…until recently. Thanks to intelligence gained from The Lancelot-"

"You're very welcome," Ginkaku added with a nod.

"We have developed a new power generator for all our machines. It's called the GN-Drive. Joker here just so happens to have a sakuradite fuel rod that runs it. Joker?"

"Hai, hai," Joker mused, now juggling the container like a soccer ball. "Here ya go!"

"Think fast, boys!" Odin said as he ducked out of the way.

"What, what, wait! Hold on!" Tamaki cried as Joker kicked the container towards them, causing everyone to freak out, as that container was no doubt the new power source Odin was talking about. "Wait, I have so much to live for!" he wailed, his hands up.

He caught it as the grunts hit the deck, but nothing happened.

"Ahahahahahahaha! C'mon, Tamaki-san! It's empty!" Joker laughed as Tamaki took a close look at it. "Have some faith!"

"...Actually, Joker, that wasn't. It was a full fuel rod." Odininformedhim with humor in his voice.

"..."

"..."

"Huh…" There was a beat as everyone stared at Joker, with Tamaki finally seeing the glow of the indicator. "Would you imagine that?"

"What the fuck, bro!" Tamaki snapped, shaking his fist at him before noticing something. "Wait, if this is the real deal, wouldn't we have gone boom by now?" He shook it, to everyone's shock. "No reaction?"

"Just proving a point of how stable the fuel rods are compared to normal Sakuradite is. You could shoot the damn thing and it wouldn't go off."

"So no rolling them like bowling balls and shooting them like in the movies," Panther said, waggling her finger.

"I thought rom-coms would be more your speed." Ravel mused.

"Now, you know how Sakuradite Fillers have to be changed out after they empty out, right? Well, Fuel Rods don't need to be changed. The GN-Drive consumes the rod whole, ensuring that the machine draws one hundred percent power from the fuel. You can also add more than one rod in at a time so there would be no need to stop and refuel during an engagement. That is the key to the Knightmare Gear's longer operation time."

"Such a thing is revolutionary," Ohgi said. "It'd change everything about Knightmares!"

"Now with the main dish out of the way, let's move on to the support vehicles you will be working with."

"What?! There's more?" a newbie called out.

"Oh, yes. Much more."

The next hour left Ohgi and his group speechless as they were shown various new machines they would be using in this conflict. They felt truly humbled by the vast recourse they now possessed thanks to their leaders. As Odin concluded the presentation, Joker got everyone's attention with a few snaps of his fingers.

"Now that you all know what you'll be playing with, you'll have plenty of time to get used to your new Gear. I hope you all haven't made any plans for the weekend. Because we are all going hiking into the mountains for a little…training exercise." Naruto declared to the group at large.

Everyone could practically feel the vicious grin radiating from Joker, as Ginkaku chuckled.

"Time for the real deal…huh?" Ginkaku muttered to himself.

---

In the Uzumaki-Lamperouge wing of the Student Council building, there was a knock at the door. Roberta, who had set down a tray of tea, strode over to the door, her finger twitching as to draw a knife. She looked through the peephole, relaxing when she saw who it was, and opened the for Sayoko.

"My mission is complete. All FOBs are online," she whispered.

"Good work. Lady Nunnally is fine. I plan on staying until needed by Kushina-sama." Roberta whispered back.

"For any possible Geass Assassins, I take it?"

"You can never be too careful. We have to operate as if Charles may know about everything because of his plan. That immortal girl may have scrambled Clovis' brains while killing him, but it might be a temporary measure."

"I understand. We should also inform Lord Jeremiah and Lady Villetta, but they're halfway to the Narita Mountains.

Roberta nodded. "Operation Sundering will soon commence." She quickly relaxed her features as Nunnally came rolling from her bedroom. "Lady Nunnally, Sayoko has returned from her vacation."

"Sayoko, welcome back!" Nunnally greeted her happily, wheeling over to give her a hug. "Looks like there'll be enough breakfast for all of us."

"Indeed. I was just telling Sayoko here that Lucienne and the twins have just left on a three-way trip." Roberta informed her with a wink to Sayoko.

"Ah, I see. I did hear that they've been going out a lot lately." Sayoko mused as she went to go put her luggage away. "Think it's a card tournament? Or finding another girlfriend?"

"Probably," Nunnally giggled, as she wasn't clueless about her dear sister's relationship with the Naru twins.

As she already had a conversation about the 'birds and the bees,' she knew that her future would be filled with many nieces and nephews.

---

Narita Mountains.

It was a mountain region with a surrounding forest and a small town down below. The town was mostly occupied by Britannians working jobs that supported the main Settlement. But unknown to them, the Japan Liberation Front was hidden within the mountains. It was only a rumor, and an unconfirmed rumor at that, yet the people lived on.

But that rumor was reality, as shadows maneuvered themselves through the trees, targeting the huts surrounding the main JLF base. The soldiers stationed at the huts were having another boring day until they were knocked out with hard chops to the back of their necks.

"I don't get why we just don't kill them," Medusa Alter growled out.

"Our Master's orders. But I agree. We could've just taken a head or two," Ushiwakamaru murmured with a dark gleam in her eyes.

"Must you two be so bloodthirsty?" Artoria complained, tossing a stick. "Fetch."

Eyes now shining, Ushiwakamaru zoomed off, making Medusa Alter sweatdrop.

"You know, blue me," Nero called out as she jumped down, "You could use your Noble Phantasm. Why haven't you offered it for this plan?"

"Because Kallen's body has not generated enough mana yet. If I deploy it, it will wipe her out." Artoria replied, looking straight at Nero. "It's the same with you and Lady Milly, right?"

Nero nodded even as Ushiwakamaru returned with the stick in her mouth.

"I don't have that problem, and neither does my vanilla self thanks to our Masters. But we don't even need Noble Phantasms, do we?" Alter gestured to the mountains. "Not for these ants. Not for what's about to happen."

"Not yet anyway," Medusa joined the others. "All of the observation posts have been silenced. Let's return to our Masters. They've just arrived in Narita."

---

Joker felt the pulse from Medusa. "I got the signal from Medusa. All targeted observation posts are offline."

"Good. Scathach just signaled me as well. Let's move to Waypoint 2." Rei instructed.

The Crimson Suns were using their Knightmares to ascend the Narita Mountains. A few of the Ashigaru were dragging large wooden carts filled with large metal cylinders that are vital to the plan. Others were carting larger crates of varying sizes. Near the front of the convoy rolled a rather large, black, and sleek armored truck and trailer with Odin in the driver seat. There were also several smaller trucks carrying troops loaded down with weapons and gear.

"Uh, Hey! The Ashigaru that Inoue's piloting just leaked something like really bad!" Tamaki called out, alarming the troops.

"Did it look like it just took a piss?" Odin inquired lazily.

"Uh…well, yeah."

"Don't worry, it's supposed to do that. As I said, the machines are designed to emulate the human body, including creating metabolic waste from the muscle fibers. It has to come out somehow." Odin said, waving it off.

"You mean it really did just take a piss!?"

"Precisely."

"When you gotta go, you gotta go!" Cypher giggled, trying to lighten the mood.

This led to the other Ashigaru pilots nervously looking over their mechs to check for any leakage.

"Calm down. You lot won't blow up or anything…I think." Joker chuckled, getting sour looks as the new members of the Crimson Suns finally got how much of a trickster Joker was.

"Well it's a good thing this is military training, or else we'd be screwed," Tamaki said with a nervous laugh.

"I'd like to know what these excavators are for," Yoshida said.

"Maybe we're gonna find a hot spring?" Inoue wondered.

Kallen and Aki, wearing their armor and having their helmets off, tuned out the conversation in favor of reading their Knightmare's manuals, trying to make sure all of their gimmicks were memorized.

"What do you think, Kallen, Aki?" Tamaki asked, finally catching their attention.

"You'll see soon, Tamaki."Aki drawled, flipping a page.

"Very soon," Kallen added, picking up one of the Phantom Thieves treasures, a magenta Progrise Key with the words 'Dynamiting Lion' and 'Ability: Burst' "You'll get have to wait to find out."

"Still, this is an awful amount of equipment to bring to just a military exercise," Ohgi commented and looked at Joker. "I wonder what this really is…"

---

At the G1 stationed in Narita…

"We're certain the Japan Liberation Front's headquarters are in this area. We've already split four battalions into seven units and hidden them in the vicinity." Darlton reported as the G1 slowly moved to the base of the mountain. "We've only to wait for the Viceroy's signal and then we'll surround them in one fell swoop and wipe them out."

"And you're confident that the enemy won't show up outside the encirclement?" Princess Euphemia questioned with a hint of skepticism.

"You mean the Crimson Suns?" Cornelia asked with a smirk.

"Have no fear of that. As the operation begins we'll be blocking off the surrounding highways and mountain roads also." Darlton answered.

"Plus we have reserve units, and if those upstarts are stupid enough to show up it'll be the end of them," Cornelia said confidently. "And I will not be as merciful as I was back in Saitama."

Yet Euphemia didn't share her sister's confidence, her eye twitching. 'Merciful? You underestimated them and got embarrassed!'

"But about your request, Euphie, I'm not a fan of what you're proposing," the violet-haired woman said curtly.

"I understand Sister, but this is necessary, and you know it. You're the one who wanted me involved in military operations like this, so this is my compromise." said her younger sister, not backing down from Cornelia's disapproving stare. "The town has to be evacuated before you assault the JLF HQ."

"That will tip them off." Cornelia countered.

"Then let's do it when you start your operation. Once you start shooting, they'll be tipped off anyway," Euphemia pointed out, "You've brought more than enough troops for this assault, so let me have some of them."

"Euphie, by the time you finished the evacuation, I'll have finished off the JLF. This is pointless."

"No, it is not. You saw what the JLF are capable of at the hotel. What if they decide to turn their artillery on the town?" Euphemia stated bluntly, making Cornelia blanch. "We'll have another preventable bloodbath on our hands. With or without your blessing, I'm clearing out the town."

Everyone shivered as Cornelia and Euphemia stared each other down. As much as Cornelia wanted to give Euphie her fiercest glare, she couldn't.

"...Fine, but I'll have Jeremiah and Villetta assisting and watching your back." Cornelia sighed, standing up. "I still think this is pointless, but I shall entertain your request. Britannia's in enough hot water as it is."

'You don't have to put your mask on in front of me, Cornelia. The things that you do…are not for Britannia at all.' Euphemia thought as her sister headed to the launch area. 'And that arrogance of yours will be your downfall.'

---

In the bunker, Milly, Rivalz, and Claire had on specialized cyber-esque suits, overseeing the operation. Nina was still in her uniform, but her body was laying on a bed while her mind was in cyberspace.

"This is amazing. It feels like everything got an upgrade." Milly said as they looked through the different camera views of the soon-to-be battlefield in Narita thanks to Nines' drones.

The drones were the newest batch developed for observing active battlefields. To prevent the drones from being spotted, they were equipped with optical stealth camouflage that rendered them invisible.

"It feels easier to navigate, too," Rivalz agreed, using his hand to switch through the screens that showed different areas. "And look, there's the G1. No need for spider-bots, eh?"

"Ah, they still have some use in the field," Nina reported through cyberspace, "Some connections require direct physical access, but we won't need them for this."

"There's Lucienne and the others, right there. They're on schedule," Claire pointed out, pointing at one spot on the 3D map. "Cornelia and her troops are fanning out along the mountain. All according to the data."

"Most of the roads are blocked off too. How are you gonna block off the roads and not evacuate the area for a military operation?" Rivalz wondered. "The last thing Britannia wants is civilian casualties."

Milly nodded. "That's why we have Euphemia, the only one Cornelia will listen to."

"Imagine if Cornelia didn't have a little sister to coddle. It would be a very different story." BB giggled, to which Nina floated away from her carefully.

"Well it's a good thing there's Lucienne and Nunnally to consider, so the scenario would not be so different," Bagley replied.

"Uh, Bagley, Cornelia was suspended and placed on house arrest after Marianne vi Britannia was assassinated. She was unable to get to Lucienne and Nunnally when they were shipped off. In hindsight, it would've made her a true Witch of Britannia that would need to be offed."

"She was trained by Lady Kushina. I doubt she would've been that evil. Better than the other nameless children of Charles if you ask me."

"Please don't fight," Nina begged.

B.B. readied her crop. "No! Lemme threaten him with a personality change if he keeps on talkin'!"

"If we find your daughters, I'm going to be the least of your worries." Bagley drawled.

"Nina, can you put them on mute?" Milly requested, a tickmark on her head.

"Table," B.B. said, causing Nina to freeze. "Smart girl."

'I don't even know how to mute you!' Nina wailed in her mind.

---

"Joker, some privacy please?" Athena requested as she suddenly appeared sitting on the back of Raiser.

"What for?" he asked, but Athena continued staring at him. "Fine. Sound Barrier Jutsu," he chanted waving his hand. "What is it?"

"Is something the matter?" Naruko asked with Rei catching up to them, and Nick sitting cross-legged on Rei's Ashigaru.

"I've been wondering how you all do it. How can you be school kids and resistance fighters at the same time? One of those is not like the others." C.C. said, kicking her legs up. "I've seen people try to balance their dual lives, but with no success, as they eventually succumb to one side, so how do you do it?"

"…There's a lot that goes into it, but it's thanks to a good support system established by Milly-chan and kaa-chan," Naruto said, leaning back in his seat. "In the beginning, we were pretty destructive and unseasoned but effective in what we did. Heists, assassinations, if it hurt Britannia, we did it, even if it meant our school life suffered. We were all lacking sleep until Milly-chan put a stop to it by going to kaa-chan."

"That's the point where a normal human would break and give up everything," C.C. noted.

"Milly…she was technically our second mother for a time," Lucienne mused, "I can't count how many times she threatened to veto a mission for Uzu agents to take over. Hell, when we were in school, we were forced into the Student Council."

"We got better before that, especially when the hormones kicked in." Naruko giggled, making Naruto and Lucienne groan. "We have experienced a lot and learned enough to know that a revenge motive wasn't enough to free Japan and get back at Charles."

"Sound minds were needed too, so we begrudgingly threw ourselves into our school lives. We met many different people from many walks of life, shaping our experiences and who we are. And what we've learned from all of that? Innocents dying from our fight with Britannia is not worth it, and takes away from our overall goal." Lucienne said and looked to the sky. "We made a promise to never lose sight of who we are as we fight the good fight."

C.C. nodded. "And here I thought you changed your names to separate yourselves from your alter-egos."

"It's called staying in the shadows, and our codenames help us do that. Eisner was our father's parents' surname in the homeland. We could've used genjutsu so people wouldn't recognize that our real names were Japanese names, but we wanted to honor our grandparents somehow. Lucy-chan and Nunna-chan adopted their mother's maiden name, for they're no longer Princesses." Naruto explained while looking over at Rei.

"But they're our Princesses now!" Naruko giggled, with Rei whacking her on the shoulder.

C.C. smirked and looked over at Nick. "And you, Mr. Opposite? What's your excuse?"

The gold-armored Samurai sighed, rubbing his head. "As I have alluded in the past, living through multiple lifetimes without an end in sight is most certainly not conducive to one's sanity," he replied, "I've been mad, you know. Broken down by endless repetition and seemingly pointless tasks. But there's nothing that can be broken that cannot also eventually be fixed. Eventually, I came to the realization that it simply doesn't matter if my actions don't matter. Significance is something that you must assign yourself. It is you who must decide how your life goes. What causes are worth fighting for? What form of right and wrong do you believe in? Decide those for yourself, and you may yet live a life of satisfaction."

"Well, that's deep," Nines commented over the private comms, to which Ginkaku scoffed at his irreverence.

"Hmm, looks like we've been all mad at some point, but you've all grown from it; and now you're here. I may be in the thick of it, but I look forward to seeing more from you all." C.C. said before whispering. "Maybe life is worth living, with people like you all in the world…"

"Just for that quip, it's a date, my dear Immortal Witch," Naruto said, having heard what she said.

"Damn you and your sensitive ears…" C.C. muttered with a pout.

"He has ninja training. What did you expect?" Nick drawled, shaking his head in resignation.

"Regardless Joker, there's no place you can take me that will find my way into your bed."

"All-you-can-eat Pizza Hut."

"You son of a- I'm in."

"Drones are showing Britannia has completed the encirclement. Jeremiah and Villetta have also confirmed this. No turning back now." Nines reported.

"Indeed," Joker said, bringing down the jutsu as they approached the checkpoint.

---

"All units are in position."

"Understood. In addition to the evacuation of Narita, Euphemia will provide logistical support and command the medical group from the G1 as planned." Cornelia instructed, wanting to make sure her sister was as far from the battle as possible.

"Yes, your Highness!"

"Princess Cornelia," Guilford radioed Cornelia.

"Guilford. Let me guess, This is about Euphy, isn't it?" Cornelia said softly.

"Yes. She really should be in a government agency, but-"

Cornelia smiled at that as she prepared to launch. "Yes but remember, I wanted her here so she could experience combat for herself. She is to take over as Viceroy once I bring Area 11 under complete Britannian control. She's being unusually stubborn about this evacuation, but I cannot deny her logic. The Elevens are capable of anything; the hotel jacking at Lake Kawaguchi proved that." she murmured with a dark look on her face. "Maybe I shouldn't have put off her basic combat training…"

---

As Euphemia looked over the digital map, she noticed a unit far away from the battlefield.

"What's that unit there? Holding to the rear?" she inquired, pointing at the spot.

"Our reserve force with the Eleven pilot." one of the Royal Guard officers replied curtly.

"Wait, you mean…that's the Lancelot?!" Euphemia asked, her eye twitching. "He and the Lancelot have proven how valuable an asset they are. Why is our most powerful Knightmare not on the front lines?"

"Princess, you must understand. The only reason they're even close enough is because Cornelia allowed them to be. As a rule, Numbers aren't allowed to operate Knightmares. That particular unit is an exception due to the Lancelot being an experimental Frame."

"The Second Prince is the patron of that unit; we have no say over their personal selection. But he said he wants them to have as many chances at combat as possible."

Euphemia could only shake her head. It was truly backward thinking that would be Britannia's undoing. Not that she cared anymore, now acting as an insider for Uzu and the Crimson Suns; her focus was on using Britannian resources to keep innocents out of harm's way. And speaking of…

"The Viceroy has left their deployment in your hands, but its matter's not- Princess?" the Royal Guard leader asked as Euphemia pressed a button on the console.

"Camelot Unit, are you there?" she asked, with Lloyd and Cécile's faces appearing on the screen.

"Princess, what are you doing?" the Royal Guard asked, but Euphemia raised her hand, not in the mood.

"Ah, Princess Euphemia. This is a pleasant surprise." Lloyd said with an interested look. "And here I thought we were going to be bored to death waiting for the go-ahead. You are giving us the go-ahead, right?"

"Yes. I want you to launch Suzaku and the Lancelot to assist with the evacuation of the town." Euphemia instructed him to the shock of the Royal Guard. "And if anyone complains?" she gave an eerie smile with a miasma-like aura leaking from her. "They can talk to my sister. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to explain to her why they're being difficult in following my orders as the Sub-Viceroy."

The Royal Guards wisely shut up at that.

"Oof, that's some fire there, Princess! I'll take it as the go-ahead. Let's go, Cécile, Suzaku!"

"Yes sir! Thank you, Princess!" Cécile said with a bow.

"No problem," Euphemia said, waving it off.

Cornelia may have left her the Royal Guard to advise and assist, but a bunch of ass-kissing blowhards will not walk over Euphemia. After all, as the younger sister of Cornelia, Euphemia has quite the mean streak herself.

"Seriously. The Britannian policy of discriminating against Numbers makes no sense. And they wonder why the people are rebelling." She sighed in frustration.

"But Princess, it is necessary for-"

"Quiet." she growled, rubbing her temples.

"Yes, My Lady."

---

"You all sure took your sweet time." Yoko mused as the crew finally caught up.

Cypher shrugged. "C'mon, it couldn't be that boring. You three were in the woods, surrounded by nature, the trees, the singing birds-"

"And my foot up your ass if you say one more word," Frigga (Kan'u) warned her coolly.

"...Ryomei rubbing off on ya~"

"You walked into that one, Cypher." Joker drawled as Frigga started chasing Cypher around. "But seriously, anything to report, Freya?"

"According to our spies, the JLF has been holed up here intentionally. They've been packing everything to leave after the hotel jacking. Their transport trucks were to come tomorrow, but-" Freya pointed at the hostile Knightmares around the base, "That's not happening anytime soon."

"Yeah, and I don't think my baby's going to cut it here," Yoko added, slinging her rifle on her shoulder. "I can provide support from the town, routing any foot soldiers I see."

"About that. Odin." Joker called the tech wizard over. "You have something for Yoko-san here, yeah? A little…upgrade."

"Indeed I do. Yoko, you remember our little conversation about that gift I promised?" Odin asked, walking over with a very large case.

"You don't mean…." Yoko suddenly had stars in her eyes as she started to bounce up and down, doing wondrous things to her bikini-clad chest.

"Yep! Got it right here." Odin plopped the case on the ground and opened the clasps. Flipping the case open, he turned it towards the snipper. Everyone swore that a bright glow emanated from the case and a faint sound of choir singing filled the air as Yoko's eyes grew wide. "Now, remember the VR training you went through to use this weapon. It will come in handy."

"Where's that music coming from?" one of the recruits asked.

"Yes! Yes! Finally!" Yoko squealed, listing her anti-Knightmare weapon, the Man-Portable Railgun, out of its case. It had the word 'Mjölnir' laser etched into the side. "Come to Mama!"

"Don't forget the new AR shades that link with the network. You'll be able to use them to spot targets that others see."

"You got it!"

"What is that thing!?" Tamaki yelped, pointing at it with envy.

"Wouldn't she need a powered-exoskeleton suit to lift that?" Ginkaku wondered.

"Nah, she's that damn strong. Those abs she has aren't for nothing. Don't go into the gym with her, or you'll be even more jealous." Joker chuckled and looked around, seeing that everything was going smoothly with the excavators drilling into the ground.

"I'm going to test this baby out right now!" Yoko cheered, pointing at a random Knightmare.

"Yoko, no!" Joker chided her. "You'll give us away early! Wait until the operation starts!"

"Booo…" Yoko mumbled, hugging her weapon. "Soon, my pretty~"

Ohgi frowned. "Operation? I thought this was a training mission."

"It is…to an extent," Rei answered him. "And for this training op, our opponent is Cornelia li Britannia; and her forces consist of the best of the best in Britannia. At least by their standards. Still, nothing wrong with evening out the playing field."

"Wait, we're fighting Cornelia? The recruits are still rookies and we've only dealt with drug dealers and Knight Police!" Ohgi gasped in shock. "If that's the case, shouldn't we cooperate with the JLF for this?"

"We are, in a way." Rei chuckled darkly as Frigga finally caught Cypher and started strangling her. "We've made it clear that the JLF's time has passed. But we can still save them…and have them in our debt should they survive."

"And c'mon, ye of little faith, Ohgi?" Joker said, clapping the man's back. "Eh?"

Ohgi looked a little reluctant and very troubled. "Well…"

---

"Viceroy, it's time," Darlton called over the radio.

"...Right. Commence operation!" Cornelia declared and launched her Gloucester from the G1.

The Sutherlands rolled out of the supply trains and across the town, armed with giant spears. In the forest, the tanks rolled forward, crushing trees and foliage. From the sky, Sutherlands also dropped from VTOLs, joining their fellow troops already holding their positions around the mountain.

"You, the Japan Liberation Front…you, who time has left behind…you, who have forgotten basic human decency…you and your dream of a bygone age shall rot into nothingness!" Cornelia whispered in disgust, "It's time to pay for your sins. For endangering my sister with your meaningless drivel, you shall pay with your lives!"

It was time to bring these nuisances to a well-deserved end.

---

Inside the JLF HQ, alerts blared all around the base as their radar lit up like Christmas trees thanks to the hostile forces now detected.

"We're under enemy attack?!" General Katase asked as he quickly entered the war room.

"Yes sir! The Britannian forces have completely encircled the Narita Mountains! We counted over a hundred units!" one soldier said.

Katase grimaced. "So…our reckoning over Lake Kawaguchi has begun…."

---

"Okay, looks like my sister has started her assault. Now it's my turn! Special Evacuation Corps," Euphemia called over the radio. "You will now go into the town and evacuate every single individual! Either Britannian or Japanese, it doesn't matter! Every single person must leave, no matter what! Lord Jeremiah and Lady Villetta will head the operation! Don't let me down!"

"Yes, Princess Euphemia!" The Special Evac group responded over the radio.

---

Several black cargo trucks rolled into town with sirens blaring, escorted by Sutherland Frames and tanks. The people in the streets looked alarmed as the troops began filing out.

"By order of Sub-Viceroy Euphemia, an emergency evacuation has been issued for this zone! All citizens and Elevens must drop everything and come with us. This is non-negotiable. You are all to leave with us immediately." Jeremiah declared from his Knightmare, "Our soldiers will escort you all to the evac trucks. Repeat-"

The soldiers all entered the buildings and knocked down the doors, urging everyone to come with them. Some tried to resist, but the soldiers threatened them at gunpoint as a last resort, forcing the habitants out.

"Scan the buildings! Make sure everyone is accounted for!" Villetta ordered. "Move! Move! Move!"

Unbeknownst to the soldiers except for Jeremiah and Villetta, the Servants were there in Spirit Form to assist, creating convenient hazards to force the residents out for the troops.

---

"Look alive!" Joker declared to the Crimson Suns as almost all over them looked on in shock at the full might of the Britannian forces. "The party has begun, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Huh? What the hell! Now's not the time for one of your jokes, Joker! Those troops coming in have this whole area totally surrounded! There's no way out! What kind of training mission is this?!" Tamaki asked angrily, voicing his fellow countrymen's fear.

"One that is your final interview," Rei replied calmly and eerily. "In this scenario, we've been cut off, and our only chance of surviving is to stick it to Britannia with the tools you have been given."

"What?" Inoue yelped in fright. "We can't fight the Britannians!"

"Lemme get this straight, we're surrounded but you want us all to fight them head-on?!" Tamaki demanded angrily.

"We're fighting against Cornelia! Her forces are far stronger than any we've encountered!" Sugiyama added.

Odin shook his head. "If you truly wish to free Japan, then you cannot hesitate. You can't just wait and engage only when conditions favor you. Sometimes, to claim victory, you must throw yourself into the jaws of death itself and fight tooth and nail with everything you have, even if it looks like suicide!"

Ohgi looked flabbergasted. "Odin, what are you saying?"

"You all can't be serious right now. After all the training, the stuff we gave you? There's no way we chose wrong, did we?" Rei hissed, with the remnants of the Kouzaki group flinching. "I didn't know we brought on a bunch of pusses."

"What she said! What is the matter with you all?! This is what we've been training for!" Kallen shouted, flabbergasted at her crew getting cold feet.

Odin pointed at everyone. "Where is that Japanese resolve your ancestors had in the warring states? When their lords called upon them to fight, did they run because they were afraid to die in the face of overwhelming odds, or did they take up the sword and run straight into Hell? You always talk about the Pride of the Japanese, well, here is the time to prove it all was not lip service! Show us the pride that runs in your blood! Show us the warriors that survived from the time of your ancestors! Show us what being Japanese means to you all!"

"Damn straight! We know you all, especially you lot from the Kozuki group! You all had the resolve to fight back against Britannia the right way, without stooping to low measures! It's alright to be scared, but don't let that fear win out over that pride. Years ago as the Phantom Thieves, we were in your position, afraid to take that first step to turn the tide. And now, we're helping you to do that. It won't be a walk in the park, nothing ever is; but together, we can create the miracle that will turn the tide in this war! So drop that flimsy resolve and fight!" Joker roared at the group.

"What he said!" Aki agreed from her Kokuren. "What is the matter with you all? Look at us, decked out in all this armor and gear. Equipment that we dreamed of getting for years. Joker, Cypher, Rei, Odin, they gave them to us to help take back our country!"

"Yeah!" Kallen piped up. "They showed all of us what they could do in Shinjuku and Saitama. We were there on the grounds in Saitama, where our leaders and Kinkaku took it to Cornelia without an army! And now they're giving us the opportunity to join the fight! And from everything I've seen, as long as we have Joker and the others, we will win!"

"Besides, even Messiahs need to perform miracles to be acknowledged," Rei said, taking out her gun. "So tell me, my Crimson Suns. Do you want to run around like chickens?" She loaded her gun and cocked it. "Or do you want to get a little reckless?"

Tamaki wanted to shoot his mouth off, but paused when he appraised the AA-12 Automatic Shotgun in his hands; the one he called dibs on. Like Aki said, guns like the one he had were hard to come by, and here he was, holding a powerful weapon given to them by the former Phantom Thieves, and Odin.

He and the Crimson Suns were given the tools to survive. Now it was up to them…

"As a final test…" he murmured and sighed. "This has got to be the worst idea of all time, but what the hell. We're too into the weeds now! Let's bust through these Britannians and show them how the Crimson Suns roll, eh guys?!"

A resounding cheer rose from the assembled rebels, their morale soaring, much to the approval of the leaders.

"Then man your machines and positions!" Joker yelled, clapping his hands. "And prepare for battle! We got a Viceroy to spank! LET'S FUCKING GO!"

"Damn it, we have no choice!"

"I don't want to die! We'll make a miracle happen!"

Odin began shouting orders. "Get those crates unboxed! Move the excavator into position! The pilot hole needs to be five meters deep before the drill digs down another twenty to reach the water veins! Prep the Transmission Rod for insertion! Let's go, people! We don't have time to waste! Everything must be ready before Britannia gets too far up the mountain!"

Everyone rushed to follow his orders, getting a move on as their leaders overlooked the battleground. The Ashigaru activated and stood up, with infantry loading their weapons and starting up their D-Walker Battle Gears; the latter being one of the Gear provided by Odin.

Odin then turned to Joker. "I'll be in the ASC with Frigga and Freya to monitor the intel and help coordinate the offensive. I'll give the signal to use the Wave Surger at the optimal moment."

"Understood." Joker nodded and mounted his Raiser. "We can only hope that Euphemia comes through for us. If Cornelia and her troops manage to enter the base, then it's Plan B."

Odin stared at him. "...We don't have a Plan B."

"Yeah, I know," Joker grumbled. "We'll just have to wing it."

"…Yeah…wing it," Odin muttered as he walked towards the Armored Special Carrier he drove up the mountain. "If it was anyone else but you, I'd be terrified of the idea."

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END OF CHAPTER 14

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The Crimson Suns vs. Britannia. Let the humbling of Britannia continue!

Soul: Part 2 is already done, and will be released this Friday June 30, my birthday! See ya there!

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Next time - Stage 15: The Clash at Narita - Part 2

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[References and Explanations]

C.C. kissed Nina with the intensity of a certain famous scene from a certain magical girl show from the Nasuverse franchise.

Yes, Naruko was referencing the Futanari Jutsu.

Nina's Geass is the same as the one from The Black Emperor story by Primordial Vortex. All credit goes to Primordial Vortex. It suits her perfectly. And go read The Black Emperor. It's one of many inspirations for this story.

Mao is coming…

B.B. does B.B. things as a wildcard. Poor Nina.

Cleavages are anime pocket dimensions.

Nina's got Tron-verse clothing, and yep, her Servant is the one and only Oda Nobunaga. Also, IRONY. Credit to ShaDoWrAVen15 for the idea.

I'm getting into Magic the Gathering thanks to the 'Presidents play Magic the Gathering' AI series. Hence the squirrels Rivalz has.

The cyberspace is from Tron, courtesy of Castle.

The Knightmare Gear: Ashigaru, general purpose combat model Knightmare Frame constructed with Metal Gear technology. More versatile than the Battle Gears from Metal Gear Solid 5; the brainchild of Castle.

Limitation on Servants are now being established. Those that become Masters now have magical circuits forming within them. At this point for the main characters, any use of Noble Phantasms will completely drain most of them. When Mao comes around, more will be known.

Metal Gears are weird (i.e. the taking of the piss). I look forward to the full experience with the upcoming Metal Gear Collection.

The Progrise Keys are last seen in the very first chapter. Now they'll be used a lot more here.

Euphemia taking charge and having a more active role in the battle is inspired from The Black Emperor story as well.

"Final interview" is from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

Lucienne/Rei channel Sarge from Red vs Blue with her 'reckless' quote.

Plan B. Bad Boys 2. Still a great move.

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Released: Sunday, June 25, 2023