Throne of Glass

Part Two: To Wage a War

So I recently finished rewatching Code Geass for the (uncountable number)th time. However, this time it was along with my friend whom I've been trying to get to watch it for some eight years now, ever since I first saw it back in high school. It's the first time I've paid as much attention to it as I did in a long time as well. And man, I don't think I'll ever get over just how much this series means to me. Nothing will ever come close to surpassing how much time and effort I've gone into understanding everything about what I love in Code Geass. And I genuinely hope Throne of Glass can capture even a fraction of the greatness that I know you all appreciate as well, it's why we're all here after all. This is my tribute to a story that I hold above everything else.

Chapter 29: One Day More

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The wake of the battlefield was not a pretty sight. As Emilia began to route the forces sent against her, a deep rumbling rocked the very ground beneath her. Earth shattering explosions tore through the very mountainside, flinging massive chunks of earth. Crushing trees and a few unfortunate knightmares both friend and foe. She stopped in awe as the land before her imploded on itself, before becoming enveloped in a cloud of dust.

"What the hell just happened?" Emilia muttered to herself before calling for her forces to withdraw from the collapsing terrain. She watched with anticipation for the smoke to clear, to see what the purpose of such destruction was.

"Lord Ashford, do you have any idea what just happened?" She asked, hoping the G1 provided a vantage greater than hers.

"All we can determine is that sort of explosion detonated within the mountain itself." Allen told her. "There's no way of determining what caused it or why, proceed with extreme caution."

That much was obvious, but she still had no explanation at the moment. Eventually, the smoke cleared however, and she was given a full view of the catastrophe before her.

The entire mountainside had collapsed on itself, leaving behind a sizable crater.

"Someone must have detonated an explosion from within the base." She concluded. "It couldn't have been any of our forces. A suicide strike?" A poorly timed one at that. None of her allies had reached the mountain, much less the base inside. Nevertheless, whatever enemy forces remained would not last long.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Black Knights FOB, Area Eleven; 2017 ATB

Todoh was completely shocked by the news delivered to him just moments ago. It was unthinkable that such an outcome, that General Katase would be killed as a result of this. No, in reality this is exactly what he should have expected. Despite the plans laid out to rescue the general, it was perfectly simple to understand. That Lelouch, the boy who took the life of Genbu Kururugi, would also kill Tatawaki Katase as well. As much as he hated to admit it, he should have seen this coming.

The old colonel recalled the conversation he once had long ago with the exiled prince. Should the boy stray from his path, Todoh would cut him down as retribution.

He was far past that point now.

Steadily but surely the prince had walked a path far beyond the horizon where Todoh had remained all this time. He was completely out of the man's reach, both figuratively and literally. Not even accounting for the boy's own learned prowess, any time Todoh would be capable of nearing him, that shinobi woman would be watching. Her, or someone else equally as deadly.

That was why he had no reservations in removing the general. Lelouch knew perfectly well he had nothing to fear from him, or anyone for that matter. He had outgrown them, acquiring many more useful allies than them. Honestly, it was a surprise to Todoh that he wasn't in that base as well. He supposed he still had some use yet, enough to keep him alive despite knowing Todoh would be the first to suspect foul play. He understood the difference between serving a nation, and its people. And the Japan Lelouch wanted was not the one they lost years ago, and anyone who harbored any disillusions over that would never get the chance to see it at all. He had come to terms that Japan was dead, but his people had a future yet. Such was the price they had to pay when they chose to make a deal with the devil known as Lelouch vi Britannia.

"The general is dead?!" Chiba cried out, to which Todoh did his best to keep a neutral face. "And what about Zero, are we not going to do something about this?!"

His four subordinates did not know the identity of Zero, having been unimportant before he took them under his command. And now, he was grateful for that. Had they known, that would have made them a problem that would have been dealt with in the same manner as the general.

"We have received no orders for any sort of retaliation." Todoh said. "The plan we have in place cannot be interrupted, no matter what. We have our own parts to play, and must trust that everyone else will do the same."

"But sir, with the Narita base lost, what else is there left?!" Chiba argued. And to her, it was a valid point. Ever since Clovis joined him, the prince's plan had begun to change. Lelouch had phased out the involvement of nearly the entire old Japanese army. Once they were no longer useful to him, he left them to sit beneath the earth well out of his way. Even if it wasn't what he planned, he probably didn't lose any sleep over letting Emilia Strauss remove them for him. He probably saw it as a silver lining.

"The Black Knights have spread across all of Japan, our success ever since the first operation against the OSI won't be deterred because of this."

Kusakabe got himself and many of his former allies killed, and now Katase and the rest of them were gone as well. He was all that was left, and his four loyal soldiers. All he could do now was keep them alive, and pray he could see a free Japan once again.

Whatever form it took.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kota, India; 2017 ATB

A long sigh escaped Kaguya as Cornelia's forces broke through her last major defensive line. She had it set up in a way that made it difficult for the princess to actually determine her progress, but all the same her supplies were exhausted. She was finished here now then, and all that was left was the capitol. Lelouch would be returning from Area Eleven, having dealt with an unfortunate situation in Narita. She was informed almost immediately of General Katase's passing, and she honestly wasn't too heartbroken over it. She had long since come to see the fatal misgivings of her nation that led to its downfall. An archaic and foolish culture that had no place in the new Japan. Lelouch wanted something more for them, and for all the world. Some were not deserving of that new world, and they weren't just Britannians.

Along with the news of the general's demise, she received orders to purge Kyoto's remaining assets. As all of them save Kirihara were to be removed by the week's end. The old man still had invaluable access to the Fuji mines, and until the final stage of the plan, that resource warranted keeping around the last remnant of the old Japan.

She had no hard feelings over that decision. The other members had never accepted her, and she knew deep down they never would. They were the very embodiment of the old Japan and it was time they were rid of them.

And it was time for them to move on with this farce of a war as well. One more battlefield, one more stage before the main act.

"All forces begin evacuation along the primary route." She ordered, bringing the Megumi down from the sky. Cornelia would be in a momentary state of confusion at her retreat, and she would use that time to pull her remaining units to New Dehli. "We're leaving, everyone disengage at once."

One more battle before she could see Lelouch again

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Cornelia could tell this battle was coming to a close. She was a veteran of many campaigns, and had a strong grasp of the moment her foes were about to be routed. Megumi did well to disguise this, but the lull in their counterattacks told her well enough. The Black Knights possessed a disturbing technological advantage unlike any other military on earth. How they had managed to develop weapons like a flying knightmare or that gefjun disturber was beyond her. And she wasn't looking forward to finding out what was still waiting for her at the capitol. It was even more worrying to think about what might be lurking in the ghettos of Area Eleven, especially considering Lady Strauss found no such weapons at Narita. She seriously doubted their most advanced tech was deployed to a foreign land, it was a poor strategic move, and Zero was no fool. It was confirmed to her by Megumi herself: they had cutting edge knightmares here as means to keep her out of Area Eleven. They knew conquering half of India was too good an opportunity to pass up, as a foothold into a full scale war with the Chinese Federation. Cornelia was beginning to suspect Zero had a bigger hand in the events unfolding here than they initially suspected. A lot of things were still unclear, and she hoped the answers were to be found in Area Eleven.

"Princess, the enemy Templars appear to be retreating again." Guilford told her.

Did they intend to continue fighting, or was this a full retreat? The tactics they employed had left her wary of pursuing fleeing enemies, especially now in a city they had ample time in to prepare any number of traps within the inner sanctum.

"Do not pursue them. We have no reason to route them here today, it's not worth the risk." She ordered.

Cornelia held her forces back as the Black Knights' own knightmares left the Indian defenses to fend for themselves. It was clear Megumi no longer influenced the battle as well, as those left quickly lost any sense of cohesion. So she held back, waiting for any surprises left behind. Soon enough, the roar of engines rang out overhead as several large cargo planes soared out from within Kota. Megumi followed closely behind them, heading toward New Delhi where they would stage their last defense.

When Cornelia was confident Kota was safe, she ordered her forces to secure it. They would need some time to organize before moving toward the capitol. She had to admit however, she was feeling eager to put an end to this.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lelouch felt like he had removed a weight from his shoulders he didn't even know he was carrying. Killing Katase had been a difficult decision, but having gone through with it he had no regrets whatsoever. Japan was his to shape, and the world his to take. Katase, and all the others who he used to rebuild Ashford had played their role, and for that he was grateful. But the simple truth of it was they were no longer useful, and were in fact a liability. All this time he was trying to hold together allies whose motives were contrasted to his own. The Japan they wanted was not what he would build. Even if they claimed to be allies of like mind, they were not. And they were firmly stuck in their old ways, centuries of honor and tradition that had no place in the modern era. But now he had genuine friends, family who he could trust in and rely upon. Suzaku and Kaguya; Clovis, Jeremiah, Kallen and now Euphy. They each knew who he was, and what he had done. They all accepted him despite that and chose to believe in the future he fought for. With comrades like that by his side, he had no need for fair weather friends who would turn on him like Kusakabe did the moment they understood their desires led them somewhere else.

So he turned on them first.

Many would call that hypocritical or cowardly. Lelouch didn't care. His was a path that would lead him toward the salvation of the entire world. Whatever sacrifices he needed to make he would do so without hesitation. Because even though he betrayed many a former ally, he never once saw their lives as worthless. Their ambitions perhaps, but not their lives. So he would use them toward his own ends, using and discarding lesser men. In that way their lives would have more meaning than they ever would have otherwise.

He would not stop, he would not falter. If for even a moment he hesitated it would mean that everything he had done up until this point was meaningless. His grand design was what validated those betrayals. Without that, he was no better than them, and no better than his father.

Their aerial transport finally touched down in Britannia's makeshift airfield. His earlier ploys had forced Cornelia to scramble together a new supply chain to reinforce the occupation forces as soon as possible. Even now ships and planes made near daily deliveries of supplies and ground units to supplement the great swathes of advances she made. Lelouch stepped out of the vehicle along with Euphy, and was greeted by Suzaku who came to meet them once Kota was secure.

He turned to the princess as they stood just outside the transport. "I'd like for you to go on ahead, Euphy, I will join you later. Tell Cornelia I'm checking on the condition of Ashford's assets in the territory we've captured."

"Alright. But I'm guessing that's not actually what you'll be doing?" The pink haired princess responded.

"I'll be going to pay my friends in the Federation a visit. I'm making sure they understand they're not invited." He answered.

"I'll see you later then, Lelouch." Euphy said as she returned to the transport.

"Does she…" Suzaku began as the vehicle departed.

"Kusakabe said a little too much in front of her." Lelouch explained. "It wasn't my intention, but it's alright. Euphemia was…is the closest of my siblings, from when we were young."

"And that won't cause any problems? With Cornelia that is." His friend asked.

"No, on the contrary having her on my side might just make Cornelia easier to sway. I've since decided my enemy is not Britannia's people, nor my family. It is one man, and everything he has built that plagues this world. Just as Clovis has understood that, so has Euphy. I believe Cornelia will see it too."

After a moment, Suzaku respoded. "Alright, I trust your decision."

They looked up as another, larger cargo transport descended down toward them. It's unique design bearing the Ashford logo was meant for one thing in particular.

"You're going to use that?" The Japanese boy asked.

"I want to test it at least once." Lelouch told him as it landed. "Such a show of force will make it quite clear to Xingke he is not welcome."

"You're not worried word of it will get out to Cornelia?"

"Even if it does, it won't matter all that much. She may wonder why it's not present at New Dehli, but she won't make the proper connection about it." He replied as he approached the ship.

"If you say so. Do you want me to come with you then?" Suzaku said.

"Under the pretense of protection to Cornelia. Just watched from the transport out of the Federation's radar."

"Alright. And about what happened at Kawaguchi, I-"

"I don't want to hear about it." Lelouch cut him off. "It was my choice not to bring you, you can't blame yourself for that."

"Even still, I should have been there." He argued.

"But you weren't. And that's all there is to it. So stop worrying about it."

"I…fine." He knew pushing it further was pointless. Lelouch knew he was going to bring it up, he understood Suzaku that well.

"I trust Kaguya got out of Kota without issue?" The prince moved on, dropping the subject.

"Yeah, she should be in New Dehli by now. Cornelia is taking a few days to prepare before she moves on." Suzaku explained.

"Then let's hurry and deal with this before she does." Lelouch answered while boarding the vessel. "I'm sick of this place."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Indian defenses were utterly spent. As Xingke pressed ever closer to the capitol, the persistent opposition began to wane into a token resistance that all but collapsed at a mere rattle of sabers. He had not seen those monstrous knightmares since their first encounter with them. And whatever reason the Black Knights had for being in India, it seemed they no longer had any interest in sticking around. Whatever reason they had in the first place was beyond him. This entire operation was profoundly wrong from the beginning, and that feeling had never dissipated. But looking at what was directly in front of him, the result was simple enough, and in his favor. If only he could ignore the sinister undertone crawling beneath him.

It was nearly over though, and he imagined the worst was behind them. So long as he reached New Dehli before Britannia did, victory would be his. The reinforcements he received from the Eunuchs had proved extremely useful in securing the ground they had already covered. Without any need to stop at every location, he was able to make a unperturbed push straight to the Capitol, and to end this war. He hoped he would be ably to get some answers out of Allen Ashford after all this, if the boy didn't slip away without a word. Though the Britannian implied he intended to make their relationship more long term. How that would turn out he didn't know, only that he would be wise to treat the young lord with extreme caution. Allen was as cunning and manipulative as the Eunuchs, but infinitely more competent, with a deadly charisma that served his ambition toward an unknown goal. The High Eunuchs were predictable, and easy to manage, but Allen was not motivated by greed as they were. That made him far more dangerous. If he knew just a little bit more he could make the decision to work with with the boy, since Ashford would undoubtedly be an invaluable ally outside the Eunuchs' sphere of influence. He supposed he'd just have to wait and see.

"Lord Xingke, we're picking up an unknown signal dead ahead of is." Xianglin informed him as he glanced back at the radar.

"Do we have a visual on it?" He asked. It was certainly odd, there wasn't any defensible positions anywhere nearby. There wasn't much of anything between them and New Dehli.

"We're getting it now." She replied. After a moment she continued. "That's odd, where is it?"

Xingke frowned. He couldn't see anything outside of the Longdan's bridge. There was nothing at all on the horizon, and nothing to obstruct the view. "That can't be!" Xianglin cried out. And as soon as she did he finally saw it, he hadn't been looking in the right place.

A small speck of black, suspended against a clear blue sky. It couldn't have been a plane, it didn't have the right shape. A clear picture was soon brought up, of a knightmare unlike anything he'd ever seen before. The mere fact that the machine was flying aside, it was clear the frame was at least six meters tall, much larger than any other knightmare. It was painted black like those he faced before, accented with gold details. It stayed a ways from his vanguard, a single unit barring his path. Despite common sense, it's presence was overwhelmingly ominous. Both his instinct and experience warned him this single knightmare was a grave threat leagues greater than anything before now.

"Xingke, what do we do?" Xianglin asked, an edge in her voice that told him he was not alone in his wariness of their opponent.

A few moments of tense silence passed, neither his forces nor the lone knightmare moved an inch. He glanced at the status monitor, as the IFF signal that once displayed 'Unknown' changed. It now read 'Fukushū', a designation given to them by the unit itself.

"Withdraw all forces immediately." Xingkordered, his eyes locked on the picture of the knightmare Fukushū. "Establish our borderline across all secured territory. We're done here."

The message sent to him was perfectly clear. And he was absolutely certain he knew exactly who sent it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-