Code Geass Megiddo

by Wing Zero Alpha

After the Black Rebellion, the world became a different place from what people knew it for. But in spite of that, there was still one who wished to change it for the better. This is the story of his crusade...

18. Chapter XVIII: Second Act

"Let him that would move the world first move himself."
- Socrates

Chapter XVIII: Second Act

He opened his eyes, only to find himself standing in the middle of that all too familiar darkness. All around him there was nothing but void, which in turn was punctuated by the strangely angelic hymns of that mysterious choir, which continued to sing out through the scope. For a moment he listened intently on the choir to see if he could pinpoint their source, but found the sound coming from all directions; for all intents and purposes, the choir was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

As he looked down, he saw he was once again on a stained glass pedestal, only now the design had changed from last time: the glass was now primarily sweeping red, like the light of a dawn, in turn segmented by magnificent dark lines. At the center of the field was the Sigil, grand in its size and power, while surrounding it at the outer edges of the field were various images. The letters, in turn, only encircled the Geass sigil in all but the four cardinal angles; those particular points contained a different set of imagery, which in turn drew ornate silver lines toward the Geass, forming a cross of sorts. At the top, the "north" as it were, was the image of a beautiful oriental woman, while toward the "east" was the visage of a great general, his eyes gazing outward as a predator beast observing his domain. Further on, he saw another image toward the "west" - that of a broader faced man with a prominent beard and less intense eyes - while toward the "south", in direct opposition to the woman, was a dark haired man who held a much similar gaze to the man in the east. That of a predator bird having locked on its prey.

He considered that for a moment. Four representatives for four separate lines, all intersecting upon Geass. Or perhaps it was Geass that was reaching out and exerting its influence upon the four. He probably would never know the truth.

...And so, the tribulation begins anew...

He felt himself frown as he felt those words appear in his head and then disappear just as quickly. Again there was no voice speaking those words or syllables; they just came into his head as if he were subconsciously reading them.

...T'wards the apogee of all affairs, kinder steps taken...

...Humanity's march toward the tomorrow that is to come...

...On hill upon distant shores, fate of all realms to be jubilated...

...As was forsae aeons upon aeons ago...

...All placed into motion by your hand Young Prodigal...

He held his breath as it all came and went, obviously not understanding most of it, but knowing one key fact: much more than he was able to perceive was now in work, and a good portion of it was riding on his shoulders. At that, he considered requesting the opposite side to elaborate on its claims, but something inside told him that would not occur. Along with that, there was another question that was on his mind. "How will this end? Will the new world that I have long strived for come to be? Or will all be lost forever?"

...Weight of thy sceptre rest verily upon thy palms...

...And the rhapsodial tune conducted in your crusade...

That response did not inspire much hope in him. "That's a large burden to lay down on one human being," he stated with a frown. "Especially one as flawed as myself."

...Yet it is a crown you have long acquiesced for yourself...

...You and fellow kin of ages long forgotten...

...All upon your acceptance of the Power of the King...

"And look what came about it the first time," he muttered with a sneer.

...Fear not the future for the advents of the past...

...From such timid heart you self impose a wall standing adamant from fulfilling your quest...

...And lead to the destruction of yourself and your chosen path...

He noted some irony on that last line, but chose to remain silent as the opposite end continued.

...You now stand at a crossroads Young Prodigal...

...A junction in time wherein you may take whatever course you wish too...

...And whatever course you wish will indeed hold sway over your journey...

...Yet to fear the very choice...

...As well as to take but a single step...

...Will only end your journey at the beginning...

...Bringing about the very fate of creeping dread most high...

He could only sigh at that, as in spite of his reservation, he knew it to be true. To fear advancing over repeating the same mistakes as the past would only cause do as much damage; the same cataclysms would repeat themselves and even more would perish in the wake of his indecision. Besides, he had already come so far and done so much, that there was little point in stopping where he was anyway.

And then, deep inside, he realized the right question to ask. "What must I do?"

...March onwards in your advance...

...Never halting...

...Never fleeting...

...Eyes gazed upon the road that lies bare before you...

...Alongside the endless horizon that lies beyond you...

Again, he let those words come and fade from his mind before stating another question. "Will such focus be enough?" he asked, feeling certain hope weigh inside him. "Will focusing on the road in front of me bring me to the paradise I seek?"

When the next words came into his mind, he felt as though they were accompanied by their speaker's smile.

...Once again such will depend on yourself Young Prodigal...

...But at least you will have taken a step...

...T'wards the hour the heavens align...

...And the stars once more made lucelent...

---

Urasoe Castle
Urasoe, Okinawa, Ryukyu Republic
June 20, 2025

"...confirmed six additional suicide bombings within the latest round of Number riots in Baghdad Settlement. The combined number of casualties is now estimated to be in the hundreds, though as of yet, only twenty-seven have been confirmed Britannian. Imperial forces have since reestablished order in the city, but to what degree remains uncertain..."

With the fluttering of his eyes, Lelouch felt himself awaken from an apparently deep slumber. For a moment he forgot where he was or what he had been doing, but after a few more blinks, he finally remembered: he was now sitting in the living room of his new dwelling, Urasoe Castle. At the far end of the room was a big screen television that he had left tuned to IBN, while in front of the couch he had been laying on was a center table, which in turn held an empty bowl and glass that had once contained his breakfast, and a chessboard. He himself was dressed in the copied Ashford Academy uniform that he had been provided after his liberation, which he preferred to wear when not in his Zero ensemble.

For a few more moments, Lelouch tried to go a bit further and remember when he had fallen asleep and, perhaps more importantly, what he had dreamed. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, as his mind only drew a blank at both points. As such, he decided to focus on the present.

It was now the near end of June, just over two months since the Battle of Pearl Harbor, as well as his declaration of war. Pearl had ended as a hammer blow to Britannia, destroying over thirty percent of its Pacific Fleet and severely crippling its presence in the region. Since that grand victory, the Great World War continued on at a heavy pace, but now the Black Knights were recognized participants of it, and certain hope was returning to the beleaguered masses. As a result, resistance against the Empire was continuously growing with each passing day, and alongside it Britannia's grip on the world lessened ever so marginally. Even the Eurasians were beginning to regain their initiative, though Lelouch himself had mixed feelings on that.

For their continued part, the Black Knights had not engaged in any elaborate operation since Pearl. The reason for that was simple enough; with the whole of Britannia now aware of their existence, the odds of pulling off another offensive of that magnitude were slim to none. Instead, under Lelouch's direction, they had momentarily returned to the guerrilla-style tactics that they had used in the beginning, namely hit-and-run strikes and interdiction. And while these operations were far less damaging to the Empire than Pearl, they were enough to keep the Britannians fearful of their unseen enemies as well as guessing at where they may strike next and when, once again similar to when Lelouch had first formed the organization from Kaname Ohgi's minute resistance. And above all else, it also gave Lelouch the time he needed to make his next move.

Of course, the war wasn't the only thing that had changed in the last few months, as Lelouch's living conditions had also shifted greatly. As comfortable as the Devil's Den on the Ikaruga were, it was generally agreed that they were improper as permanent dwellings for Zero. As such, the Okinawan government had leased him Urasoe Castle, the former Okinawan based residence of the Japanese Prime Minister, for his new home. Lelouch himself was very much aware of the castle's history: it had originally been the ruling seat of the Principality of Chuzan before its reformation into the Ryukyu Kingdom, wherein the capital was transferred to Shuri. That in itself only lasted until the Shimazus' invasion and the annexation of Ryukyu into Japanese domain, where the castle had nearly been destroyed during the event. But somewhere down the line, it had been rebuilt into the form of a traditional Japanese castle, and from there, it eventually transitioned into a secondary residence of the Prime Minister, when Japan became a Republic and Okinawa one of its prefectures.

Ironically, Lelouch had already visited and stayed in the castle long before. Fifteen years ago, Genbu Kururugi had taken his family, Lelouch and Nunnally included, here on a summer vacation of sorts. Lelouch had come away with many fond memories of that time, and was more than appreciative that Urasoe would again serve as his home away from home, especially when he was very much unable to return to Aries.

Moving on, he looked down at the chessboard in front of him. It was an effective mishmash, as both the white and black pieces were scattered across the board spaces. Even so, the only piece that was removed was a white rook, which now lay on the right side of the board.

Reaching out, Lelouch picked up the white rook and gazed at it in his hand, contemplating. Yes, his opening play had removed the white rook, and going by what he saw on the TV, his adversaries were scrambling from its loss. But even so, the game had still only begun, and Lelouch was far from checkmate; there were more pieces to strike down before reaching the white king after all. The question remained however, where would Lelouch move next? He already had an elaborate plan on how strike down his opponent once and for all, but where would he make his next offensive?

After a few more minutes of consideration, Lelouch, evidenced by his smile, found his answer.

"Master Zero," someone spoke up from the door. Lelouch quickly looked up to see a Japanese man, dressed in an elaborate butler suit, addressing him. "Majors Kouzuki and Cathcart are here to see you."

Lelouch simply nodded in response. "Please send them in."

The butler bowed in acknowledgment and then went on his way, Lelouch watching him carefully. Like all of his other attendants, the butler was a member of the Black Knights Special Forces Group - or "Iga" as it was officially designated - and had been placed at Urasoe for both Lelouch's service and protection. Or at least that had been the official claim. The other, which was as obvious to Lelouch as Britannian foreign policy, was so Iga could keep tabs on him when he wasn't out fighting a war. Sure, their loyalty had been reassured to him, multiple times in fact, but that didn't mean they weren't going to watch his every move from then on.

Lelouch sighed at that; he really wished Sayoko were still there to run interference on that, but unfortunately he had already sent her to Kumejima, Iga's pocket domain, on a special errand. As such, he had to make do with this little band of killer house staff. That last phrase alone caused him to inwardly chuckle; his life was quickly turning into an anime character's.

The next thing Lelouch knew, Kallen and C.C. had entered the room as if they had also lived in the castle, with C.C. looking at Lelouch with certain bemusement. "Well, I can see you're working hard at winning the war." she spoke in her usual chiding tone.

Lelouch looked back at her mildly. "I suppose you'd rather see me in an underground war room, complete with maps strewn over the walls and a center table topped with a mock-up battlefield and soldier figurines?"

C.C. shrugged, looking down at his Ashford uniform. "At least you're fully dressed." she replied. "I've known too many generals who made their battle plans in their morning robes..." she smirked as a memory came up. "...or nothing at all, as Napoleon liked to do."

Kallen's eyes widened a fraction at that. "He really did that...?"

"...until Josephine threatened to run off with some Hussar if he didn't stop." C.C. explained.

"Well, I'm glad I'm ahead of the curve then." Lelouch spoke dryly.

The Guren pilot sighed. "Frankly, I wouldn't care if you planned your battles in a Tabatachi costume, so long as you did." she walked around the table so she could sit next to Lelouch, who was staring absently at the chessboard. She smiled, as she knew that look. "What do you have in mind now Lelouch?"

Lelouch smiled back. "Many things, Kallen. Many wondrous and terrible things." he spoke ominously, almost villainously. "With Pearl, we pulled off the opening spectacularly; what was once a guaranteed victory for Britannia has now been laced with doubt, while those who were resigned to defeat are now slowly regaining hope." this time he picked up the black king. "The emotional tone is established; now we need work to maintain and reinforce it."

"In other words, we're going to begin our first campaign in liberating the Areas." C.C. summarized simply, causing Lelouch to look at her as if she had just taken away all of his fun. To emphasize, if only for her own amusement, C.C. continued. "Couldn't you have just said that? I know you love your monologues, but when there's only the three of us here..."

"Fine." Lelouch replied sharply, absently twirling the black king piece between his fingers. "Yes, we're going to liberate an Area. And we're going to do so in such a way, it will make Pearl Harbor look like 'just' another Orange Incident."

Kallen's smirk quickly disappeared, as that easily brought Suzaku to mind and she wanted to make sure Lelouch was okay with it. Fortunately, Lelouch didn't seem bothered by the memory, nor the accompanying memory of his last encounter with his best-friend-worst-enemy, or at least he didn't show it. Taking that for what she could, Kallen asked. "And which Area will we be going after?"

That malevolent smile returned to Lelouch's face. "Area 22." he stated, slapping the black king back onto a chess square. "China."

C.C. raised an eyebrow, realizing the significance alongside Kallen. "That's certainly a bold move, even for you." she acknowledged. "But are you sure we have the strength and capability for it?"

"Too sure." Lelouch replied. "During my time in Britannia, I was privy to certain information regarding the Chinese Federation, as well as my brother Odysseus' marriage to Chairwoman Jiang. Information that was never released to the public, purposely."

"What kind of information?" Kallen replied, growing ever more curious.

Lelouch raised his hand. "All in due time." he replied, much to her disappointment. "But I'll say this much: Area 22 is ripe for the picking. Anti-Britannian opposition was always high there, even before the war, yet the focus in Eurasia and Africa kept the garrison there from receiving substantial reinforcements. And just like Japan, China never exhausted its military strength; in fact, it never went to war to begin with. Thus we have the CLA, the largest resistance movement in Asia as well as the perfect ally to affiliate with. Combine that with the inept leadership on the Britannian end, and we have the perfect scenario."

Kallen considered that for a moment. "I don't know Lelouch. As much as I want to think of China as another Japan, Devastation aside, I think even that idea is a bit of a stretch." she explained. "Besides, as bad as Britannia is, the Chinese Federation wasn't exactly a utopia itself, and that's what the CLA is fighting to reestablish."

"A valid point. The former Chinese Federation, despite their claims of being the 'People's Republic', was far from the ideal government. To reestablish such a regime would certainly be counterproductive to our cause." Lelouch acknowledged, again staring out in thought. "But that's something we can worry about after we force the Britannians out."

The Guren pilot nodded in response, but soon enough another thought came to mind. "And what about the EU?"

Lelouch paused, not sure where Kallen was going with that. "What about them?"

"Well, with Russia right next door..." Kallen pondered. "Wouldn't it be advantageous if we enlisted their aid?"

Lelouch slowly nodded. "I considered that, and rejected it." he spoke evenly. "We're already having to oust one tyrannical foreign government from China's soil. I don't want to install another."

Kallen arched an eyebrow. "I thought the EU was supposed to be everything Britannia's not, as well as what the Federation was supposed to be. A democracy for the people, by the people and all that."

The former prince understood where she was going. "Before the war, Schneizel visited Eurasia to reassure diplomacy between the EU and Britannia in the wake of China's annexation. And what he wrote back to me on Friedrich Kessler's administration...was not very flattering." he explained, looking directly at Kallen's eyes now. "If anything he said was true, which I do not doubt, then I find the EU even worse than Britannia on certain levels..."

The Red Dragoness chilled at the sound of that. How could anything be worse than Britannia? And yet, if Lelouch thought so...

"Either way." Lelouch said. "Just like with liberated China, we'll deal with the EU when the time is right. But for now, we need to keep everything in perspective."

Reaching to a side table, Lelouch picked up a phone receiver and then tapped a button. After a few moments, the phone picked up on the other side. "Ohgi, it's me." he said simply. "In two hours, have the High Command assemble at HQ. It will be in regard to our next move." After a confirmation reply, Lelouch nodded. "Thank you Ohgi. Until then."

He then promptly hung up the phone, and then turned to Kallen and C.C. "With that, I suggest you two head back to Naha yourselves."

The gaze Kallen gave him spoke volumes of belief. "But we just got here!"

"I understand that, but we have work to do; I have to get my briefing together and you need to make sure your uniform is proper." Lelouch stated. He then turned to C.C., fully ignoring the heated glare on Kallen's part. "And yes, I want you to be there as well."

C.C. shrugged. "I'm not complaining." she replied. "I just hope whatever your strategy is, it will be worth my showing up to hear it."

Again, Lelouch smirked. "I doubt you'll be disappointed."

---

Capitol Palace
Pendragon, Grand Duchy of Pennsylvania, Area 1 (North America), Britannian Empire

Another day, another meeting of the Imperial Senate. Schneizel inwardly frowned at that thought as he exited the Capitol and began making his way toward his waiting limousine. He was no stranger to them; he was the Chancellor after all. However, ever since the siege on Pendragon, Senate deliberations had almost become as much a constant as death and taxes, something that the Prince did not appreciate.

The latest Senate meeting had been nothing less of a headache than those before, but for different reasons. This time however, both Houses, the Lords and the Commons, had come together to discuss issues within the Realm: general fear and panic among the populace, the growing number of terrorist acts in the Areas, equally growing dissatisfaction with the handling of the war as of late and, of course, the emboldening of anti-Britannian factions across the world to name a few. Unfortunately, what had been meant to be a discussion had turned into a near shouting match between equally panicked and frustrated politicians, most of which was aimed to blaming political rivals for these issues more than it was toward finding solutions to these problems. Needless to say, Schneizel had spent much time diffusing as he did adding his own proverbial two shillings to the debate, acting more akin to a schoolteacher looking over children than as the elected head of the Britannian government overlooking an equally elected forum. He sighed, as if he didn't already have his siblings to act that way around.

Fortunately though, the meeting was over and everyone had gone their separate ways. Schneizel was appreciative of that, and though he still had work to do himself, at least he would find some small measure of sanctuary for the next few hours. That thought made him relax more and almost forget his frustrations when he finally reached his limo, from which his chauffeur came up and opened the door for him.

Upon the opening of the door and his looking inside, he felt his lips fold into a smile. "Well... This is certainly a pleasant surprise." he spoke as genuinely as he usually did, getting in and allowing the chauffeur to close the door behind him. "I wasn't expecting you to be here, waiting for me."

Sitting right beside him, Helena looked back at him nonplussed. "When I heard about the Senate meeting, I figured you were going to come away frustrated." she replied. "So I thought you could use the company."

Schneizel smile grew. "Is that an invitation I hear?"

Now it was Helena's turn to sigh. For Schneizel, that was the closest thing to outright flirting. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Your Highness," Helena shot back. "I still haven't forgiven you."

Schneizel only chuckled in response. "And what must I do to return to your good graces, Dame Helena? As well as to return to the point where we didn't call each other by our respective titles?"

The knight felt herself bristle at that inquiry; she hated it when Schneizel turned his diplomatic charm onto her, the same charm that had been known to defuse potential wars and turn vaunted enemies into dedicated allies. And the worst part was she knew that he wasn't doing it to manipulate her into compliance like he did with others; he legitimately recognized the rift between them and wanted to fix it, as she was the one person he wanted to have absolutely no conflict with. Such was their relationship, which had existed since the two had been children, when the Rowes had been political allies of Schneizel's late mother.

However, that didn't mean Helena was going to let him off easy. For the last two months or so, she had held onto that rift by intentionally focusing on her official duties as her liege's Knight of Honor and little else. Now that she was within his presence again however, her willpower toward resisting her prince was running out. In fact, it was just as difficult for her to simply be with him now, to even look into those crystal blue eyes of his. That in itself made her question what possessed her to come here and wait for him in the first place, even though she full well knew the answer, much to her further discernment.

As such, she closed her eyes and finally let it all go. "Dinner, at the Majestic," she said. "Seven o'clock."

Upon her answer, Schneizel's smile took a much warmer tone. "I'll be there." he said. It took all of Helena's discipline to keep herself from turning red.

Soon enough, the limo had started moving again, but silence reigned between the Prince and the Knight. However, despite the present boundaries between the two, the silence wasn't born out of hostility; they were simply comfortable enough around each other that no awkwardness or serious need of conversation existed between them. In that regard, Helena was content to let it last somewhat longer, before finally spoke up again. "So, what happens next?" she questioned. "Will we be going back to Eurasia? Or will we be joining the hunt for the Black Knights?"

At that, Schneizel expression turned serious. "We won't be returning to Eurasia. At least, not any time soon."

Helena didn't like the sound of that. "So we'll be headed for the pacific then?"

"Unfortunately, no," Schneizel let out a breath. "His Majesty has commanded me to remain in the Homeland to maintain order. And as you are my knight..."

"That means I am to remain here as well." Helena summarized.

Schneizel was quick to notice her disappointment. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry."

Helena only shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter much," she spoke evenly. "One knight, even Schneizel's Sword, won't be missed on the frontlines."

She looked back at Schneizel. "That being said, Schneizel himself will be a different story. Regrettably."

Schneizel acknowledged that. "Perhaps."

"Who's going to command?" Helena inquired.

"My brother Hannes has been named commander of the Eurasian Theater in my stead." Schneizel replied.

Helena raised an eyebrow. "Hannes?" she questioned with clear disbelief and even clearer disgust. "After that whole mess with Operation Market Garden?"

Schneizel nodded. "He is a capable commander. I believe he will maintain the war effort."

But not win it. Helena thought but didn't say aloud. "Horatio or Richard would have been better choices. Hell, I'd even send Cornelia in, if she ever gets out of her stupor," she stated bluntly. "At least they all care more about doing the job than personal glory."

The Prince again chuckled. "Some of the best military leaders in history were renowned for their pride. Our own Emperor Richard I was a grand example, which was one of the reasons people saw him as the Lionheart."

"In my experience, pride has a bad tendency of influencing stratagem, and that for every Richard the Lionheart, there's at least ten George McClellans and twenty Custers," Helena countered with a bit of an edge. "After all, wasn't it for pride alone that Hannes sent those forces across the Rhine to be slaughtered? Pride and what he thought was an opportunity to show you up?"

Schneizel let out a 'heh' at that. Indeed, it was not a secret, not even in the Imperial Court, that Hannes despised him. It was only natural, as Hannes' infamous ego dictated that he in some way hate anyone above him, whether in ranking or in capability. Schneizel, being both the Prince and the Chancellor as well as holding an understanding of stratagem that his lesser ranked sibling could never hope to gain for himself was near, if not on, the top of that list. Of course, that ranking depended on whether Hannes held loathing toward the Emperor. It wouldn't have surprised Schneizel or anyone else, but Hannes wouldn't have held his position if such feelings were made public.

Even so, he waved off Helena's point. "Regardless of whether you approve or not, he has been chosen. As such, all we can do is hope he succeeds in spite of his past failures."

Again, Helena sighed. "If you say so Schneizel," her gaze quickly fell toward the limo floor. "But..."

"Yes?" Schneizel asked softly, curiosity showing in his seemingly eternal pleasant expression.

Helena took a moment to choose her words carefully. "Sometimes, it feels like this war has gone on longer than it should," she said. "We've annexed China. We have the EU in a death grip. But we have yet to actually win, and it feels like whenever we come close to victory, the war continues on anyway."

Schneizel said no response to that. Instead, his mind once more returned to Pearl, where his reinforcements had been delayed on the Emperor's orders a full half hour into the fighting. Out of reflex, he reached his hand up to his chin in thought.

The woman knight sighed, looking back toward the prince with concern. "Or am I exaggerating, because I want this war to end?"

Looking back at her, Schneizel could see the hesitance in her eyes, which was there for good reason. Helena was essentially questioning the Britannian leadership in its direction of the war, which could have easily gained her ultimate contempt. In fact, just like Hannes' possible views of the Crown, it could have cost her entire career had she spoken about it openly.

Even so, Schneizel gave an answer all the same. "Most in the Empire would see that as such; some would even claim it a result of combat fatigue," his eyes then took a grimness of their own. "However, I have come to a similar conclusion as you some time ago."

Helena blinked in minor surprise, realizing all too late that she had touched a nerve. Schneizel continued regardless. "Though there have been many setbacks, the war really should not be going this way. China has been annexed as you noted, and Marrybell has gradually marched through the Far East one victory at a time. All that merged with our gains in the Western Front, we've all but entirely conquered the whole of Eurasia itself. Even the British Isles are ours once again because of it."

His eyes then took on a certain ferocity underneath, causing Helena's to widen. "And yet, the war continues on regardless of these things. And worse, we've been hampered with our own poor decision making, such as the withdrawal of all officers and soldiers of noble status for Crown Day, or as you've stated, the warrantless charge to Berlin that never got past the Rhine."

The prince looked down, as if regret. "Sometimes I wonder if we want to win this war at all Helena. If my father really wants to defeat the EU and have Britannia encompass the entire world. I honestly can't tell anymore."

It was then Helena saw something that she rarely saw on the prince, something he would not have shown anyone else: fatigue. Despite the almost absolute willpower he displayed to those around him, the war and recent events had taken their toll on him just as it would any other human being. In fact, they were only augmented by Schneizel's continued frustration with the Emperor, which was also something only Helena and very few others knew the prince held in the first place. Overall, the Schneizel she saw before her now was a far sight from the Schneizel el Britannia that was renowned throughout the Empire if not the world, and it terrified her on the inside that even he had become weighed down by all that has happened.

As such, Helena slowly reached out and grasped Schneizel's hand, her fingers slipping through his and tightening softly.

"It will be alright," she spoke reassuringly, or at least tried to. "We might not have won yet, but at the same time we're far from losing. And despite all that's happened, I have faith that you, if no one else, will see us through."

Alongside that, she gave a soft smile. "You always have."

Schneizel nodded back, his lips folded into a small smile of his own. "I hope so, Helena." he replied, having his fingers enfold hers. "I sincerely hope so."

---

Vauxhall Castle
Pendragon, Grand Duchy of Pennyslvania, Area 1 (North America), Britannian Empire

Overlooking the rest of Pendragon like a perched hawk, Vauxhall Castle was an imposing yet grand sight for all to witness. As the official headquarters of the Knights of the Round, the castle had existed almost as long as Pendragon itself had, at least when it took on its new identity as the Imperial capital. As such, it looked more akin to a castle back on the original Britannian homeland of the British Isles than to any of the imperial residences further on, holding thick stone grey walls and towers, as well as a distinct lack of any glamour or flashiness on its exterior. Instead it was built as a fortress, with focus on integrity and resilience. While this made it less appealing as an imperial residence, Vauxhall's construction only made it perfected as the meeting place of the highest chivalric order of Britannia, a symbol of the collective strength and power of the Rounds.

Inside however, Vauxhall was just as luxurious as any other palace in the Imperial Capital, but at the same time it retained its military focus. The grey walls remained, but they were complimented by marble flooring and carpeting, alongside various decorations adorning the walls such as ancient weapons and portraits of various past battles, ones that took place from Caesar's invasion of ancient Britannia to Washington's Rebellion to the Second Pacific War itself. Alongside these was a special section of the castle, which held marble statues of previous Knights of the Round who had distinguished themselves with particular honor and chivalry, ranging from Sir Richard Hector, the original Knight of One and founder of the order, to Dame Marianne Lamperouge, the Flash herself.

But perhaps the most brilliant and awe-inspiring feature of Vauxhall was the object located in its center most chamber: a large, wooden round table engraved with the golden Britannian cross at its own center, an object that had existed since the reign of Empress Elizabeth III and taken from the Isles themselves upon her exile. It was around this table, sitting in each of the twelve chairs, which were marked by a specifically colored jewel that corresponded to their respective cloaks, that the Knights of the Round met and deliberated.

"What do you mean we're not going back to Africa?" Gino blurted out. "I know Lelouch is still recovering, but all the same we were on the verge of total victory before Crown Day hit! Now that it's the only theater where the Eurasians are regaining momentum, surely the Knights of the Round would be needed there most!"

"In spite of your objections, Gino, these are His Majesty's explicit orders, and we can only obey," Bismarck stated from the head of the table to the rest of the gathering. "You, Suzaku and Anya will be transferred to Western Eurasia, where you will aid our forces, acting as field commanders and advisers to His Highness Prince Hannes as you had with Lelouch. Luciano, you will be sent to Russia to aid Princess Marrybell in her march west. Monica and Nonette, you two will be sent to Scandinavia. And of course, Dorothea and myself will remain in the capital. Any questions?"

From his area, Suzaku looked even more displeased about that assignment than Gino. "With respect Sir Bismarck, I request a change of assignment," this caused the Knight of One to look toward him, as did the others. "I would like to join the hunt for the Black Knights in the Pacific."

At that, Gino resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "Damn it Suzaku, not again," he stated with annoyance. "We've already gone over this. The regular forces have spent the last month or so searching that regionand they've come up with nothing. Like it or not Black Knights just aren't there."

"They're there Gino," Suzaku stated, an unnerving determination in his expression. "I can feel it."

Bismarck himself closed his eye on that, sighing. "Regardless of your feelings, Suzaku, the Emperor's orders stand and they are not to be contested, especially by a Round. The Black Knights will be dealt with, but in the mean time you will focus your aggression toward the Eurasians."

"Personally I see the wisdom in His Majesty's decision," Dorothea spoke up from her position. She looked Suzaku square in the eye. "Your obsession with Zero will be your undoing Suzaku, just as Pearl has shown us. Therefore it is better to let those not personally involved continue the hunt, while you display your skills in France or elsewhere."

Suzaku felt his composure start to slip from that, but he managed to hold onto it. "I still have my sworn duty to avenge Princess Euphemia and bring Zero to justice. Something even the Emperor recognizes."

"And yet he's sending you off to Eurasia anyway," Luciano spoke up nonchalantly, as he continued lounging back with his feet on the table. "Apparently he also recognizes that Princess Massacre isn't worth fighting for."

That one hit home as Suzaku felt his blood begin to boil, and this time it showed. "Speak of her name in that fashion again Sir Bradley," he began, standing up in challenge. "And you will face me in a duel."

At that challenge, Luciano flashed a vicious smile, not even bothering to stand up himself. "Oh, it seems you have forgotten that I am very well known as the Genius of Homicide," he stated, casually flicking his right hand up to reveal one his daggers. "Perhaps only being a Number without any true bloodline has..."

"Enough!" Bismarck barked, stalling both Knights before either could continue. Though usually taciturn, internal conflicts were something the Knight of One was famously intolerant of. "We can all go on without fighting amongst ourselves. Continue this squabbling and I will personally settle things between the two of you."

The sheer fury of the Knight of One's voice was enough to silence the growing feud, with Suzaku sitting back down slowly and Luciano, who in spite of his own valiant effort couldn't keep the nervousness off his face, slipped the dagger away and took his legs off the table. It was probably a little bit more forceful than necessary, Bismarck admitted, but it got the job done.

Besides, the last thing the Knight of One wanted was Suzaku repeating his performance at Pearl and falling back on his rage. he still remembered the footage from his duel over Pearl, and how it actually terrified him enough to have it sealed. Even the other Rounds, save Dorothea as always, were unaware of how exactly the Knight of Seven fared in his fight with Zero, even more so the behavior patterns he displayed during.

"If I may enter in Sir Bismarck..." Monica spoke up in her usual softer tone, though it was enough to gain everyone's attention to her. "What are the Emperor's orders regarding Sir Johann, Sir Michael, Dame Nena and Sir Wilhelm? You failed to address them in your explanation to us."

"I would like to know as well," Anya spoke up from her end in that dull tone of hers.

"As would I," Nonette stated, her chin resting on her knuckles.

Bismarck opened his mouth to explain, but stopped himself. Instead, he turned to the man that was sitting directly to his right. "Perhaps you would like to explain, Sir Johann."

Inquisitively, the other Knights of the Round looked toward the one sitting on the left of Bismarck. This man was a tall, extremely handsome individual, possessing the same skin tone and hair color as Dorothea, but alongside a more passive expression as well as a narrower facial structure. Besides these features, this man projected an aura of calm authority that was unlike any of his compatriots, as if a meteor could fall from the sky and obliterate Pendragon all around yet do nothing to unnerve him, yet retaining the will to command whenever he deemed it necessary. It was from such traits that this man was regarded as the highest authority within the Rounds next to Knight of One, as well as its most skilled tactician and field commander.

As such, Johann Ernst, Knight of Two and Owl of Britannia, leaned forward to answer. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you a direct answer to your questions. All I can tell you is that Sir Michael, Dame Nena and myself have been given a special mission by His Majesty, and that by his same order we are to remain silent about it, even to our fellow Knights of the Round."

He then looked toward the fourth Round mentioned by Monica, who looked back with a smirk. "And while I am personally unaware of Sir Wilhelm's assignment, I surmise that he has been given similar orders."

Needless to say, the rest of the Rounds, save for Bismarck and the previously mentioned, only gaped at that declaration. "Assignments that are secret even from the Rounds?" Gino sputtered, disbelievingly. "Since when does that happen?"

"If that is a joke, brother..." Dorothea began, looking toward her sibling with certain disturbance of her own. "...then I'm afraid I do not find it funny."

"This is no joke, dear sister," Johann replied in near monotone, closing his eyes to his younger sister's gaze. "His Majesty's orders are quite clear in this matter."

"Yeah, so you will all just have to live with it!" spoke another Knight of the Round, who was sitting between Dorothea and Anya. This particular Round was noteworthy for his muscular build, dark blue hair and pale brown eyes. But most defining however was the near belligerent presence, which projected a temperament and naked force of will that was nominally absent in the other Rounds. Indeed, this one seemed to lack any passive nature at all, even among his fellow knights. As if to emphasize that last point, the knight slammed his right fist into his open left palm, as if he really were challenging the rest of the Knights of the Round to take him on. "Otherwise I can't guarantee what will happen next!"

Nonette shot back an unimpressed leer at that particular Round. "One of these days fledgling, you're going to enrage someone a lot bigger than you with that attitude..."

"Hah! That's impossible Nonette, because there's nobody bigger than me!" Michael Raleigh, Knight of Five and Paladin of Britannia, declared with utmost confidence. The confidence held until certain realization dawned on him. "Well, except for His Majesty, and Sir Bismarck of course. But aside from them, everyone else is as good as dead next to me, and...!"

"That will do Michael," Johann stated with a bit more force, immediately silencing his comrade. He then turned back to the rest. "All I can tell the rest of you is, should our mission succeed, we will be removing a potentially dangerous thorn from the Empire's side. One that could be equally dangerous as Zero."

Suzaku looked back at his fellow Round with peculiarity. "So from that statement, we can surmise you are not being sent after the Black Knights?"

Johann only looked back expressionlessly. "As I said, I cannot reveal any details."

"Oh come on, Johann. What's the harm in telling them?" spoke the chiding voice of another Round, who was coincidentally sitting between Suzaku and Nonette at the round table. As opposed to Johann and Michael, this Round was quickly notable for being an attractive looking woman, one with vibrant red hair, golden colored eyes and pale skin. Childishness seemed to be the dominant trait of this individual, as if in entire spite to her clear adult stature, she held a playful and impulsive nature that primarily sought amusement and intrigue in her surroundings, especially if it involved destruction in some way. Not the most "knightly" of personality traits, yet it somehow fit into the present company all the same.

And now that all attention had turned to her, Nena Carmine, Knight of Eight and Reaper of Britannia, continued on her tangent. "I mean, seriously, we're all His Majesty's finest here. I don't think anyone is going to leak our mission to the enemy."

She then looked over to Luciano and the Round sitting to his left. "In spite of how some of us got to be Rounds in the first place."

Johann only shook his head. "Any other day, I would agree to that sentiment Nena. This time however, we are to keep silent."

"Yeah yeah, I know," Nena replied, looking somewhat unhappy. "Shame really, because it's definitely going to be one hell of a fight. Even more than Suzaku's bout with the Desert Lion."

Suzaku cringed slightly at that, remembering how that battle went. This caused Nena to turn and look over at him. "Oh come on Suzaku, it wasn't that bad," she spoke teasingly. "I mean sure, you got your ass totally handed to you by Rommel, and you barely got out of it alive. But it was definitely an awesome duel!"

The Knight of Eight then looked back toward Anya. "Especially when you got involved Anya! That was the first time I saw you take the Hector into a swordfight!"

Despite the praise, Anya herself seemed to fidget as well. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that again."

"Huh?" Nena looked back with confusion.

Ignoring the dumbfounded Knight of Eight, Gino looked over toward the second to last member of the Knights of the Round, who up to this point had remained entirely silent.

"So I guess that means you have to keep your mouth shut too, huh?" the Knight of Three spoke, his tone unnaturally even and a far cry from its usual casualness. "As Nena said, that's a shame, because I'd like to know just what kind of trust His Majesty has invested in you, if any."

The Knight of Three was quickly greeted with a smile and a small laugh, causing the attention around the table to shift to the originator. "Even after all I have done, Sir Gino, you still suspect me?" the Round spoke with a particular accent that immediately signified a key fact: he was not Britannian. "Have I not served the Emperor for so long? Is my oath to the Crown so insufficient that you still question my loyalties?"

"More than ever Sir Wilhelm," Gino shot back, not at all phased by the opposite Round's manner. "Unlike Suzaku, you have yet to prove that you're actually trustworthy, or that you won't sell us out for greener pastures. Just like you did your former country."

Again the Round laughed, his dark brown eyes gleaming with seemingly amiable amusement as if the Knight of Three had stated a joke to be laughed at and not to be taken seriously. Of course, this was counter to the gazes the other Rounds, once more save Bismarck, were giving off, which spoke similar volumes of trust as Gino's. Even Suzaku, who himself wasn't Britannian and would have easily appreciated another outsider in the Rounds, couldn't bring himself to invest any manner of trust or faith in this man sitting four seats from him. It especially didn't help that this particular Round was not only aware of his fellow knights thinking so little of him, but that he seemed entirely unconcerned about it and, much like he was doing now to Gino, treated their disposition with amusement. And just as Gino had said, he had yet to change any of it, or even attempt to.

Such was the character of Wilhelm Sibrand, Knight of Eleven and Krieger of Britannia, who continued to look relax in spite of the chilling atmosphere in the room. "You have no need to worry. Britannia is my home country, as much as it is for any of you, and to betray it it is utterly unthinkable."

The former Eurasian smiled disarmingly. "His Majesty knows this, otherwise he would not have allowed me into my grey cloak, much less given me a mission so vital that I must keep it from the rest of you," he stated. "Think of me as you wish, but these facts only remain."

The air seemed to only grow colder in the next few moments, as did the stares the other Rounds were giving toward their comrade. Luciano even started to thumb one of his knives from underneath the table. Despite the hostility however, Wilhelm's point remained, and so long as His Majesty backed him, there was nothing the others, not even Bismarck, could do. Much less gain any knowledge about his own mission.

As such, the Knight of One spoke again. "Now that you all know your assignments, I suggest you make whatever appointments you need to. Britannia has been setback in this war long enough, and the Knights of the Round being out of the action is a part of it. As such, you will all deploy in the next few days, again per His Majesty's orders."

He then stood up and snapped his fist over his heart. "May the glory of victory be yours," he called out. "All Hail Britannia!"

The other Knights of the Round were quick to stand up and place their fists over their hearts as well. "All Hail Britannia!" the replied unanimously.

They then went their separate ways, with only Bismarck and Dorothea standing by and watching the others depart. Both wore impassive facial expressions, and both held the same unease underneath.

---

Kunigami Proving Ground
Kunigami, Okinawa, Ryukyu Republic

As literal hell on wheels, the five Guren Isshikis exit the hangar and speed into the proving ground. From that, the several dozen Burai drones quickly detected their approach and began to open fire with their machine guns and bazookas. In response the five machines increased their speed, zig-zagging around each burst in almost perfect synchronization, before responding in kind with their own radiant wave surgers. This in turn caused the Burais to go into the evasion as well, and sure enough, the proving grounds became a full melee between the automated drones and the five newcomers.

As he dove into the melee with great spirit, Rai couldn't help but feel impressed at how efficiently his Isshiki moved under his control, and he was sure his fellow devicers were too. In truth, the purpose of this exercise was to test out the latest round of innovations Rakshata had done to the Isshikis' internals, which she claimed would bring them closer to the Nishiki's level. While Rai wasn't sure if that would ever happen, he had to admit that their current performance and control were above and beyond that of any other knightmare he had piloted. He could only imagine how well those upgrades would work in a literal battlefield.

So smooth was the ride that Rai had no trouble running up to a Burai drone, from which he waited until the very last second before sliding aside from its machine gun burst, then moved behind it and took hold of its head with the three fingered claw. From there, it was no issue blasting radiation through the chassis, causing the brown tinted frame to turn a bright and gooey red, before jumping away and allowing it to explode. Rai grinned with certain malice at the explosion. That never gets old.

The others were having just as much fun with their units. Alfred bagged himself a pair of Burais with a radiant wave blast, while Charmelle herself performed her trademark Hunchback Strike on another unit, leaping onto its cockpit pod and causing it to kneel under the strain. From there, she had also no had no issue utilizing her own surger and incinerating the unit whole, before jumping away just as the now thoroughly boiled unit exploded. Further on, Liliana and Marika boxed several more Burai into a kill zone, and then rained grenades upon them all with coordinated attacks of their own. For the ones that managed to survive their initial onslaught the two quickly drew their "Ryogo Otsugata Tozantous" and moved into cut down.

"Damn are these things a dream!" Alfred called out as he gunned down another Burai himself, then drawing his own fork knife to make a running slash at another. Since this was only a mock battle, he wasn't wearing his Glaston mask, and so his eyes shown with bewilderment toward his machine. "It's like driving on a cloud!"

"I didn't think these machines could get any better!" Charmelle replied as she unleashed a surger beam through a trio of Burais, causing them to melt and explode in seconds.

"Hmph. So easily impressed," Liliana stated as she fired her slash harken into another Burai, then retracted both it and the ensnared knightmare. From that, it was all too simple to bring up her surger, grasp the helpless drone and incinerate it in one go. After the explosion, she gazed at the glow emanating from her claw, smiling almost demonically. "Although even I have to admit, these latest upgrades will make the slaughter all the more interesting."

Some distance away from her, Marika, as always, remained more subdued, preferring to let her actions taken against her targets speak her opinion. Reaching out with her surger, she fired a machine gun-style burst of radiant wave shots, which rained over several Burai's at once. Each individual shot was less powerful than a traditional beam, but yet still enough to puncture through the target knightmares' armor and turn them into melted scrap. Obviously, Marika was just as taken with her machine as her comrades were with theirs.

The battle naturally lasted but a few minutes. Amidst the ruined and oft melted remains of the drones, the five Gurens stood in warrior fashion, their orange sensor eyes each gazing out over their handiwork. Looking over such destruction through his cockpit monitors, Rai himself nodded with satisfaction at what he and his comrades had done to their mock opposition. "You've really outdone yourself this time Shakti."

"Not at all," Rakshata replied nonchalantly, as if only barely interested. "I just needed something to use those leftover Nishiki parts on, and your Isshikis were obviously the only choice. And just to spice things up, I upgraded the drive systems a little further. Hardly my best work."

Charmelle chuckled from her end. "Even so, we definitely appreciate it," she spoke. "Almost makes me look forward to our next assignment."

"Eh, I wouldn't go that far," Alfred replied. "Though personally, I can't wait to see how the rest of Zero Squadron performs with these innovations."

"I'll say this much, you people are always a spectacle," Rakshata replied, then taking a soft puff from her pipe. She then looked toward Rai. "Shame I can't go into mass production, it would certainly be an awesome sight. An army of Gurens charging down from the sky like the Vanara Sena, burning their way through the Britannians in a manner that would make Shiva proud."

"Can't be helped," Rai entered in. "The Guren is a specialized unit and not many are able to pilot it. Even these older model Isshikis would be more than most could handle."

The Major then gleamed a smile. "Even so, I'm grateful you modified my unit as well. I haven't piloted a knightmare this efficient since my old Gekka," he then smirked as he thought of a Hindu reference of his own. "In fact, I could almost say it's been reincarnated into this form."

Rakshata actually laughed at that. "And it didn't even have to go through the Samsara to do so. I really am the Great Mother."

Before Rai could reply, another voice came over the radio. "I don't know about that. I see you more as Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Suddenly Rakshata became more far more serious and attentive as the five knightmare pilots became fully alert. "Who is this?" Rakshata demanded. "What are you doing on this channel?"

The mysterious voice only laughed in response. "My apologies. I have heard many things about the great Zero Squadron as of late, so when I learned of this little evaluation, I just had to see them in action."

And then something strange took form in front of the five: two transparent scarlet "eyes", floating in midair and looking toward the Gurens. With the open sky behind them, the eyes looked very much supernatural, as if an evil spirit were staring upon the arena and the five warriors within. "And I must say, you have all performed spectacularly, far beyond my expectations even. This is not easily done as I am a harsh judge, even to fellow Black Knights such as yourselves."

Despite the warm summer climate on the outside, the air seemed to chill between the five and Rakshata, each of whom looked upon the strange "eyes" with equal discomfort. "If you are one of us, then you should have no reason to be hidden," Liliana stated firmly, looking ready to bring her handgun on the phantasm before her. "Show yourself."

Even though there was no video image, one could tell the owner of the voice smiled as he said. "As you wish."

No sooner than had that sentence been uttered did the shroud around the eyes fall, taking complete form upon the widening gazes of the assembled Black Knights. The form was obviously a knightmare frame, one not far removed from the design doctrine of the Chawla Design Bureau, but at the same time a far cry from an Gekka. In point of fact, it seemed more akin to the Guren in overall lineage.

The body structure was relatively thin, with a fair sized torso attached to long and slender arms and legs, the arms holding clawed finger that were held upward and gathered together into a Hitsuji (Ram) hand seal. Covering the torso were segments of angular armor, which rounded, all colored in the standard black but with grey and red highlights. And there was the head, which rather than the standard mono-eye, held dual eye camera units and a helmet piece that contained a factsphere sensor in its center, covered over by a purple "orb" not unlike the one on Zero's mask. Even now those eyes glowed in malevolent crimson, while the orb "flashed" as the factsphere underneath scanned the surrounding area.

"Kagero...!" Charmelle muttered out loud with growing fear, instantly recognizing the knightmare and what it represented.

"Iga!" Alfred called out after, quickly redrawing his knife and bringing his surger up to bare. The other units were equally quick to the same, Rai included.

"Yare yare, that's more of a reaction than I wanted," the Kagero pilot stated, though sounding more amused than put off. "I assure you all I didn't come here for a fight. And even if I did, I'm still on your side."

"Are you?" Alfred barked, his gaze speaking volumes of belief.

"Enough." Rai stated, silencing the others before an argument, or worse, could erupt. He then turned back to the opposite knightmare. "This is Major Rai Hitsugaya of Raiden Squadron. May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

At once, a video image appeared, displaying a young man with black-grey hair, yellowish brown eyes, pronounced tear troughs under his eyes and a disarmingly friendly smile. "A pleasure to make the acquaintance of the Blue Thunder God himself. I am Major Setsuna Shinozaki, and as I said before, I am here only to observe. I mean no harm to any of you."

Rai arched an eyebrow. Colonel Shinozaki's son is it? "Quite a peculiar way of observing us Major."

"Peculiar but necessary," Setsuna replied in that smoothened tone of his. "If I had come out in the open before, it would have surely disrupted your battle, and there was no guarantee that you wouldn't have mistaken me for an enemy."

His lips folded into a knowing smirk. "Friendly fire incidents have been known to happen, unfortunately."

"I can't imagine why," Alfred spoke again, teeth grit. "Just how many people have you 'disappeared'? How many of your 'fellow' Black Knights have you attacked without provocation?"

This caused the shinobi only to laugh somewhat. "I've heard many things about you Captain Alfred Gaius Darlton, formerly of the Glaston Knights, but I've never taken you as being the ungrateful sort."

"Ungrateful!?" Alfred replied viciously, his Guren's twin eyes flashing as if angered. "I should be thankful to you and the rest of your corps for all you've done!?"

Despite the rage behind the Zero Squadron pilot's response, Setsuna remained undeterred. "Yes, as a matter of fact, you should be. Those 'disappearings' you refer to removed internal threats, namely Britannian loyalists, before they could report back to their masters. Meanwhile, those Black Knights you mention either wished to launch insurrections or to breakaway for whatever reason, and were therefore attacked and neutralized to prevent such action."

Setsuna's smirk increased. "Really, why do you think that, even after eight years, neither Britannia nor the rest of the world remembers Ryukyu being separate from Japan's sakuradite network? Why do you think that, up until Pearl Harbor, they believed that nothing survived the Devastation? Surely even you would have realized that there was another hand at work, ensuring that this island and its inhabitants remain secret from the rest of humanity. All so that the Britannians never return to finish what they started."

As Alfred again felt tempted to take a potshot at the Kagero, Charmelle had her unit step forward. "Is that why you're here to observe us then? To determine whether or not Zero Squadron will be a threat in the future?"

"Of course not," Setsuna laughed a little at that suggestion, as if it were a good joke. "I am here because I wanted to see what I would be working alongside with in the future."

All five pilots gaped at that while Rakshata and her team, who were still listening over the radio, remained silent.

"Now that the Black Knights will be taking the offensive, Iga has been tasked to operate with the main forces in the field." Setsuna explained, deliberately ignoring the obvious shock he was causing. "Thus, I and my unit will be fighting alongside the rest of you from here on out."

While he didn't know how the other four were taking it, Rai himself couldn't believe his ears. Up until this point, Iga had worked autonomously from the rest of the Black Knights proper; they might as well had still been the Shinozaki Ryuu, the renegade ninjitsu school that fought against the Britannian occupation on its own. Sure, he knew that Iga reported to the Black Knights High Command like every other BK unit, but that didn't mean the High Command was directing it. Indeed, Iga remained unofficially separate from the rest of the Black Knights chain, even when it had first been established from the Shinozaki Ryuu. As such, Iga had pretty much done whatever it wished for the last few years while the rest of the BK and Ryukyu were forced to live with the results of their actions.

But now that all changed. Now Iga would truly be integrated with the main Black Knights forces, and would operate alongside them in the field, for better or worse. And that still didn't guarantee that they would follow orders from above.

"I don't believe you," Alfred spoke up once more. "There's no way Zero would allow this to happen."

Setsuna's smirk suddenly took on a diabolical tone. "Who do you think gave the order?"

Even greater shock erupted among the five at that, with Alfred's face becoming somewhat whiter. All the while Setsuna continued. "Yes, even Zero recognizes the necessity of the shinobi. But you have no need to worry. On our end, Colonel Shinozaki also recognizes Zero's authority in the Black Knights, and has so ordered Iga to the same. Thus we will be taking our orders from Zero from this point forward, just like all of you have done."

"This is insane," Liliana growled, moving past the other five and angling her surger at the Kagero.

"Liliana!" Charmelle shouted in turn.

"Stand down Rei Five!" Rai yelled as well. "That's an order!"

Ignoring her comrades, Liliana's eyes narrowed back into Setsuna's. "Unlike Alfred, I don't much care about your past activities. In fact, I actually admire your organization for them," she said simply, causing Setsuna to bow a little, as if he were accepting a compliment. "But that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to work with the lot of you, so that you can stab me in the back at the first opportunity."

Once more, Setsuna took the reply lightheartedly. "So what are you going to do then? Kill me instead?"

Now it was Liliana's turn to smirk. "The thought had crossed my mind, ninja," she spoke with certain jackal-like vehemence. "Give me one reason why we shouldn't."

The shinobi grinned again. "Well for one thing," he began, his eyes now giving back a challenging gaze. "You're outnumbered."

With that, two more quadruple red eyes flashed on either side of Liliana's Guren, just before dropping their respective cloaks and revealing the rest, both of which held an fully extended, arm mounted blade over the knightmare's cockpit pod. Then, just as the other four were about to react, more eyes flashed around them, one after another, right before the accompanying Kagero would decloak and reveal itself, wrist mounted hadron blaster properly aimed to strike any one of the Gurens at the given order. In all, there were eleven Kageros present besides Setsuna's, and each and every one of them had the Isshikis dead to rights in a perfect kill box.

When he saw that all five Isshiki pilots knew they were trapped, much to their myriad reactions, Setsuna gleamed triumphantly. "We are the 1st Special Forces Squadron 'Hokage'. For hundreds of years, the force that we represent had defended Japan from her enemies, both those outside her borders and within."

Setsuna then looked away slightly, as if in remorse. "Today that Japan is no more, but her people and her spirit live on, as does our creed. An so we shall again take up arms against the enemies of the Rising Sun and fight from within the shadow to serve the light, all for the day that our nation may be born anew."

The deliberate obnoxiousness returned to his grin. "And nothing, not even our misunderstanding comrades, will obstruct our success."

This earned him further hostility from the Isshiki pilots, who were quite powerless to do anything but glare at that point. Exactly the way Setsuna wanted it, at least for the time being. "For we are Iga, hellhounds from the depths of Yomi, inugami summoned to cast as shadow to a glorious nation. One whose name was lost to history, but with dread soon verily remembered. Remember Japan."

---

Black Knights High Command
Naha, Okinawa, Ryukyu Republic

With a purpose in his step and the Crusade in his eyes, which were now shielded by his mask, Lelouch wasted no time in walking down the long hallway to the briefing room, Kallen and C.C. walking beside him. He felt invigorated, not unlike when he first accepted being Zero again. After two months of keeping to the shadows, he would finally be able to advance in his plan toward worldwide liberation, even if only in a few more steps. Of course, that didn't mean it would all smooth sailing; even with the success of Pearl still lingering in worldwide affairs, chances were there would be more than one setback waiting for him in his next operation, but that didn't stop Lelouch from feeling the rush of anticipation.

After a few more moments, they reached the double doors at the end of the hall, where uniformed guards stood by. The guardsmen were both quick to salute upon Lelouch's approach, but once more Lelouch had to refrain himself from returning it, instead letting Kallen and C.C. - or Major Cera Cathcart as far as the guardsmen knew - do just that. Following this, Kallen nodded to them, giving the non-verbal command, and in response the guardsman quickly opened the doors and revealed the inside to the trio.

Upon the sight before him, Lelouch allowed himself to smile. The room itself wasn't anything noteworthy, aside from it taking after Britannian standards for interior design rather than Japanese. White and gold lined walls, purple curtains, large windows, faded blue carpeting, a fireplace on one side and other features that seemed more along the lines of who the Black Knights were fighting against than anything else. However, at the center of the room, sitting around the long horseshoe shaped wooden table, was what made Lelouch grin: men and women all dressed in Black Knight uniforms, each holding the collar tabs of General rank. The same men and women who had been conversing with each other until his entry, from which they quickly turned to meet him all the while becoming silent.

For a moment, he glanced at the officers before him, among which were Ohgi and Tohdoh, Lelouch couldn't help but again feel amazed at how the Black Knights had grown. When he first formed the organization, he knew it would develop past the shadow of the late Naoto Kouzuki's resistance as time went on, but he never thought it would develop to such a size and complexity that it would require its own General Staff to regulate.

Quickly, his mind flashed over the mental notes he had made for each of them, all the while his mask was busy displaying the appropriate records and data of any his eyes laid on. With the exception of Ohgi, the present High Command staff were each highly reputed veterans of the Second Pacific War. The Japanese officers were former upper echelon officers of the JSDF who, upon the orders of the late Taizo Kirihara, fled to Ryukyu after the war's end, while the Britannian officers were former Imperial Forces commanders who were unlucky enough to be in Japan when Operation Nero was initiated, but lucky enough to survive it. They were each aware of Zero's true identity and cause thanks to C.C. and Ohgi, yet both had assured him of their loyalty, whether to the aforementioned identity or cause if not both.

Overall, they were exactly what Lelouch would have wanted in a command staff. Experienced in war and decisive in their respective fields, such that they had earned their original ranks and posts through their skills and successes instead of whatever noble title or pull with the Kururugi administration any of them may have possessed. They would definitely give him tactical advantages in the near future, especially against enemy commanders who had moved up through the latter methods.

After a few moments, Lelouch began speaking. "General Ohgi, how soon will we be ready for full deployment?"

Anticipation gleamed in Ohgi's eyes, as with the other Generals. "I am happy to report we may deploy at any time sir."

Lelouch acknowledged with a nod, then turning to Tohdoh. "Is this your conclusion as well, General Tohdoh?"

"Our forces are fully replenished and ready for combat. You may only give the word sir." Tohdoh replied as well, managing to hold his own anticipation in a little better than his compatriots.

"Good, then it is time I inform all of you of our second campaign," Lelouch stated as Kallen and C.C. both took to opposite corners of the room, leaving him to stand alone for a second.

From there, the revolutionary moved to the side of the room and inserted a dataclip into a nearby slot. Another moment later, part of the wall slid away to reveal a giant monitor, which quickly flickered on, displaying a full map of lower Asia, with a certain segment distinguished in red. "Our target is China, currently Area 22. Our objective is its complete liberation from Britannian occupation, followed by the reestablishment of the Chinese Federation."

He let a moment pass to let that sink in before continuing. "Despite Eurasia holding most of the public's attention in this war, Area 22 and the other ex-Federal states are still considered vital territory to the Empire, if only because they represent a third of the world and are lined out alongside the southern Eurasian border. On the other hand, like Japan, China had been annexed into Britannia proper before its military power could be exhausted. Yet unlike Japan, China never went to war to begin with, and so the CLA remained almost completely intact when it was forced to go underground. Because of this and other key factors, Britannia has invested a considerable amount of resources in retaining control of those Areas, but have yet to totally pacify them, all the while local resistances remain as fervent as ever."

Lelouch smirked from behind his mask. "In other words, we are presented a perfect opportunity to further change the course of the war without having to invest too much of our own resources. As I have told you all before, our modus operadi will be to aid local resistance and representatives of former governments, and outside those of the Eurasian Union, which are still at war, none are as large nor as far from defeat as the Chinese Liberation Army. We need only reach out to them."

"If I may Zero," Hijikata spoke up. "If the Chinese are as willing to fight as you say, and hold so much manpower and equipment, then why do they have yet to repel the Britannians themselves?"

Lelouch's smirk increased. "A reasonable question General Hijikata. The answer is simple: while the Chinese Federation held one of the largest military forces in the world, it was also one of the most poorly trained and equipped. The majority of their soldiers were conscripts that were given little in terms of proper training, while their commanders, with certain exceptions, were mostly political appointees who held little tactical skill, much less actual combat experience, to speak of. Indeed the survival rates in the Chinese Liberation Army were quite low compared to those of the EU and Britannia, though their higher level leadership has become far more capable since going rogue."

He then flipped tapped a switch on his hand remote, which caused several images of Chinese vehicles, including the Yaoguai knightmare frame, to appear on the screen. "Meanwhile, it has been surmised by Britannia that Chinese military technology is ten, in some cases twenty, years behind that of Eurasia and the Empire. Their main forces comprise mostly of obsolete armor and vehicles, as well as a small number of the somewhat newer landships. Their air force utilizes older model fighters and transports, while their navy, at least when it was active, comprised of antiquated destroyers and frigates with some submarines."

A few more images popped up of Chinese vehicles and soldiers popped up as Lelouch went on. "Suffice to say, while the former Chinese military forces possess much in the way of quantity, it is their lack of quality that has kept them from victory for so long. Fortunately for them, we hold more than enough in technological advancement to cover for those weaknesses. It is this trait above all others that will make us invaluable as allies to them, when the time comes."

Lelouch waited to see if anyone had more to inquire. When no questions came, he moved on. "Now that we've covered the reasons for this operation, I will now move onto those who will be involved."

He tapped a switch again, causing the current images to disappear and be replaced with a profile shot of a stern looking man with swept back and faded red hair, a prominent Imperial mustache, tanned skin and some of the coldest looking eyes one could ever find on a human being. Underneath, one could see the upper portions of an Imperial Army uniform, the rank markings of a Lieutenant General visible on the collar.

"This will be our main adversary in the region: Lieutenant General Reginald Calares, Viceroy of Area 22 and commander of the Seventh Army," Lelouch introduced. "Calares is more or less a stereotypical Britannian commander. Stems from a noble family out of Argentine, entered the Imperial Army at an early age and steadily rose up the ranks, mostly through political connections. He holds some combat experience from the conquests of Indochina and the Philippines, the latter during which he was promoted to Brigadier, but nothing substantial compared to the Cornelias and Darltons of the world. In fact, it was long determined he made a better occupational commander than anything else, which is one of the reasons he was selected to administer the Area."

The Generals all nodded, as they knew what that last sentence really meant. Calares was a buffoon who couldn't make it as a fighting general, yet wasn't valued enough to gain a higher echelon posting in the Imperial Homeland, so the brass sent him to the military equivalent of the "old generals home". The fact it was during war time also didn't help his image either.

Even so, Lelouch continued a little longer on Calares. "As a strategist, Calares is... adequate at best. While not particularly creative, he is capable of analyzing the situation and responding accordingly; he particularly likes to use overwhelming force against his opponents, whether they be actual combatants or just rebellious Numbers. For this and several other reasons, he has held the CLA at bay for seven years, but has yet to defeat it." Lelouch turned back to face the others. "As such, it is best not to underestimate him... but all the same do not expect too much competence on his part."

That earned him some light laughter from those assembled, and even smirks from hard-faces like Hijikata and Jackson. Lelouch himself grinned at the notion, before moving on. "Now, in spite of his position and title, Calares is not the true administrator of Area 22. Instead he functions more as the Britannian overseer, while functional control lies in the hands of these men..."

The next image was of a group of elderly Chinese men, all dressed in dark red renditions of the infamous "Mao suit", standing over a young white haired girl, herself dressed in more vibrant garb, in a meeting room of sorts. The men were fairly indistinguishable from each other, save for one toward the center that held a larger than average girth and was completely bald, while the others had some semblances of grey or white hair. Of the group, which counted to thirty-five, the fat one and seven others had red circles around their faces.

"Those circled are the infamous Luoyang Eight, the members of the Chinese State Council who conspired with Prince Schneizel in arranging political marriage between Chairwoman Tianzi, pictured center, and Crown Prince Odysseus, which of course led to China's annexation. In exchange for their supporting Schneizel, these eight councilors were spared imprisonment with the rest of the Chinese government and were instead given de facto control of the land they betrayed. While Calares ensures military control of the region for Britannia, these eight handle the day to day administration of Area 22, where they divert whatever little resources China has left to their own possession, all the while more and more of their former countrymen suffer in ever escalating poverty."

"I thought the State Council already held functional control over the Federation, after the position of State Chairman was reduced to a de jure position," Stuart asked with a narrowed glance toward the eight. "Why would these eight turn to Britannia when they already had power over the country?"

"For the same reason most countries and causes are betrayed over: wealth," Lelouch replied. "Beside administrative control over the Area, Schneizel gave each of the eight personal territory and warranting titles within the Imperial Court, as well as equally fair amounts of money. For example, the large one in the center, former Premier Zhao Hao, now holds the title of Duke of Henan, as well as a estimated sum of ten million pounds in his estate. The man next to him, former Vice Premier Gao Hai, holds the title of Duke of Hunan and eight million pounds in his own estate. The other six themselves hold similar titles and monetary gains."

At the image of the eight, Lelouch flashed a small sneer behind his mask. "It's just as Orwell predicted if you think about it. The pigs first enslave the other farm animals, then after learning to walk upright and wear clothes, seek out the humans and become part of their company."

Lelouch turned back to face his commanders. "That being said, it is these eight, most of all, who we are seeking to overthrow. Through their greed, they are exactly what I created the Black Knights to fight against: tyrants who endlessly prey on the weak and corrupt the world around them with their very presence. Compared to them, Calares and his forces are merely a sideshow; they are the ones, above all others, who must be removed from power!"

Silence dawned for a moment as the High Command staff considered their leader's words, but Lelouch, after taking that time to compose himself, soon spoke again. "And remove them we shall, but not without support, which now brings me to the CLA and its own leading commander."

The image of the State Councilmen (and Tianzi) was quickly replaced with a profile shot of a striking Chinese man dressed in a green military uniform and possessing noticeably long black hair and hawk-like eyes. "General Li Xingke. Or as he is referred by his Britannian opponents, the Chinese Tiger."

Adding onto that image, another one was produced, displaying Li walking down an outside corridor in the Vermillion Forbidden City with several other CLA officer. It was quite noticeable that those other officers were at least twenty years older than Li himself. "While there is little available for his background, it is known that as a boy, Li was taken in by former Chairman Jiang Jintao, who would raise him as an adopted son. Then when he reached the right standing, Li would enter the CLA's National Defence University, from which he would graduate at the top of his class, then gradually rise to the rank of General and gain a seat within the Chinese General Staff. He held this position all the way to the annexation, from which Li, then the highest ranking General not yet apprehended by the Britannians, would successfully take command of the CLA and go underground. He's been leading the fight against the occupation ever since."

Lelouch nodded to the other Generals. "Now, I know what your first impression is. Since Li is likely half the age his rank usually warrants, the only way he gained the position was due to his prior connection to Chairman Jiang."

Once more behind his mask, the prince turned revolutionary would smirk. "I will tell you now that is only half-true. While his rank is partly due to the late Chairman's influence, as well as that of his daughter's, Li indeed deserves it alongside his nickname. Whereas Calares is merely an adequate commander, Li is the ideal prodigy, perhaps the best military commander China has produced in over a century. He is skilled in both offensive and defensive tactics, is able to make the best of what resources he possesses, is knowledgeable on most modern weapons including knightmares, and above everything else, he is a creative and unorthodox strategist."

Lelouch paused for a moment. "Though he can be overconfident with his plans at times."

"In other words," Longstreet spoke up with a smirk of his own. "He's just like you."

That caused Lelouch to again pause and consider for a second, before nodding. "If you put it that way, I would say that he is as good a tactician as I am and as strong a warrior as Suzaku Kururugi."

That caused Hijikata to look up with peculiarity. "By that you mean he can pilot a knightmare?"

Lelouch nodded. "From the reports I've received of him, he can perform similarly to Suzaku... in a Yaoguai."

"Intersting," Okita murmured. "That's rather difficult to imagine, somebody piloting a Yaoguai like the Lancelot."

Ohgi shivered at the thought. "It certainly makes one wonder how Li could use a seventh or eighth generation knightmare."

"Yes, but how good of a politician is he?" Saito suddenly spoke up bleakly.

In response, Lelouch crossed his arms behind his back. "What are you implying, General Saito?"

That inquiry caused Saito to eye the phantom before them. "That is your strategy, is it not? Remove the Britannians and these eight traitors, and then place Li as the new Chairman once the Federation is reestablished."

He then repeated. "So I ask Zero: how good is he as a political leader? Because as much as Li might be a military commander, he doesn't strike me as the type who would fit into a government position."

That caused Stuart to raise an eyebrow. "You can tell that just by looking at a picture of him?"

"More his choice of universities," Saito replied, folding his arms. "Most who aspire a place in the People's Government would have gone to Peking University, since that was 'Great Leader' Mao's old haunt. Instead, Li went to NDU, which guarantees him a military position for life instead, unless he were to become so valuable to the Party that they would allow him to transfer to the government sector."

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't make a good Chairman," Hijikata pointed out.

"No, but it does show where Li's priorities lie, and it isn't becoming the next Chinese head of state," Saito summarized. He then looked back at Zero. "That is unless you command him."

Lelouch knew perfectly what Saito was insinuating, as did everyone else at the table, much to their discomfort. But much to his surprise, Lelouch answered. "That would be an option, General, except for one detail: Li isn't the one I'm after."

"Eh?" Saito looked up with a raised eyebrow, echoing the rest of the command staff's thoughts.

"It is as you said, Li is an excellent military leader, but lacks the political skills necessary for any head of state. Nor do I think he aspires the Chairmanship himself," Lelouch stated knowingly. "Fortunately, there is another."

With that, the image of the State Council flickered back upon the screen. Only instead of it remaining in full, the image zoomed past the various councilman and centered to the center, upon the singular albino girl with regal clothes and near emotionless eyes. Needless to say, the majority of the High Command gaped at the image, while the rest held inquisitive stares.

"Tianzi!?" Ohgi stammered.

Lelouch continued, looking at the image himself. "If her official records are to be believed, she would be twenty three years old at this time, six of which she would spent as Chairwoman. Logically, she would have extensive knowledge of China's political workings."

He then looked back at the Generals. "But more importantly, to the Chinese people, she is not merely a leader. She is a symbol of purity and hope, a true Child of Heaven. It is for this reason that the State Council used her as a figurehead after her father's death; the same reason that, upon her taking the mantle of Chairwoman once more, the people will follow her."

"Even so Zero, she is out of our reach," Stuart stated in turn. "After she was wed to Prince Odysseus, Tianzi was taken to the Homeland. We would not be able to liberate her, even if we did know her exact location..."

"That is unless," Kondo began to speak for the first time, a knowing smile crossing his face. "Tianzi never truly left China."

Lelouch smiled in turn. "Indeed," he answered, causing everyone to look back at him. "Officially, it is just as General Stuart has said. Tianzi was wed to Odysseus, and then promptly transported to Britannia, where she now resides as a Princess. Unofficially, things turned out far differently."

He tapped the remote again, causing Li's image to reappear. "Just as the wedding was taking place, Li staged a coup and attempted to seize Luoyang. Obviously it failed, but in the confusion he managed to liberate Tianzi and flee with the remainder of his forces. The pursuit force followed him up to the Shentu Ravine, but was cut down in a well placed ambush."

From his side, Hijikata found the explanation dubious but not all that surprising. "How do you know this, especially when the wedding was closed to public view?"

Lelouch had no problem answering this. "Because I was there," again looks of surprise and dubiousness appeared over certain Generals' faces.

"I thought you were attending West Point at the time," Saito spoke gruffly.

"I was, but by coincidence the wedding was to take place during my spring break. Schneizel invited me, and I accepted," Lelouch explained, then pausing as he recalled those events with familiarity. "'We ask this question: by the Voice of Heaven, the Roar of the Land and the Hearts of the People, how does this marriage represent the will of the Chinese Federation?' That was what Li proclaimed just before he and his troops took the wedding chapel, in which he himself fought off several of Schneizel's guards. Both Schneizel and I found him awe-inspiring to witness, even though his interference nearly cost Britannia's claim to the land."

"'Nearly' being the key word," Jackson summarized himself. "Knowing Prince Schneizel, the first thing he did after Li was chased out was alter the records to show that the wedding proceeded as scheduled, and then had his collaborators produce an imposter to take Tianzi's place at the altar."

"Exactly," Lelouch confirmed. "Thus, among everything I have said to you, Tianzi's reinstallation will not only free China, but also expose the truth behind Britannia's subterfuge. In other words, we will be doing damage to them in nearly all areas."

He again paused to allow the assembled to consider that last line, alongside everything else.

"And so..." he tapped his remote, causing all the displayed images to disappear and be replaced by another map of the former Federation, this one holding several red arrows and dots lined out. "...I present to you Operation Akatsuki, the battle plan that will liberate a third of the world in one fell swoop."

---

Imperial Palace
Pendragon, Grand Duchy of Pennsylvania, Area 1 (North America), Britannian Empire

The silence was overwhelming, as impossible as that sounded. The dusk only seemed to amplify its effect, as if the setting sun not only removed light from the world, but sound as well. It was in this setting that Emperor Charles zi Britannia, the most powerful man in the world, remained in his office, alone and undisturbed. He had been so for what seemed like hours now, yet could not find it within himself to retire to more stimulating dwellings. The reason for this was obvious enough. The Emperor deep in consideration, and his current domain served as the perfect haven for him and his thoughts.

It was moments like these that Charles well and truly felt the weight of time on his shoulders, through a combination of his age and his years of being Emperor. He was now seventy years old, in which twenty-seven of those years were spent sitting upon the Britannian throne. All throughout he had struggled to survive and maintain control, following the same Social Darwinist ideals that the Empire had built itself around since its beginning. Yes, he presented the grand image of an invincible monarch to his followers, but this was only for show. In reality he had labored, and at times lost, as much as the rest of them, and every so often it would all come rushing back to him and cause him to pause. Such was the current time, in turn amplified by outside events like the war in Eurasia and his "wayward" son once again rebelling against him and the rest of the Empire as he did eight years ago.

Charles sighed at the thought of all of it. Yes, it had been a long road for him, far longer than he would have imagined. This in itself was amazing to him, especially as he had been born and raised during the Emblem of Blood era, perhaps the one time in Britannia's history in which the aforementioned Social Darwinist ideals grew out of control. That time had been the closest he came to death, namely when his parents were massacred only eight years into his life. He himself wasn't expected to survive much longer, and if it weren't for the support and guidance of his Master, he doubted he would have lived past his father and mother himself. Compared to that, the following decades were much easier to contend with, though once more it had still been a long journey.

And yet he was still a long way from the end of it. Ragnarok was still incomplete and several of the Code Bearers, whose Codes were required to enact it, remained unaccounted for. As long as that remained, he still had an agenda and a reason to remain upon the throne: so that he could allow his Master and the rest of the Order to work in the background toward its completion. All for the Salvation of Man, and the coming of a peaceful and just world to replace this long corrupted one.

With that line of thought, his mind flashed toward his rebellious son once more, who, as Charles gazed out the nearby windows, was somewhere over that distant horizon and likely planning his next step toward changing the world. The irony was not lost on Charles. For all of his hate toward his father, his family and his country, Lelouch was fighting for the exact same thing, and had placed value upon the exact same things as Charles had, just with a different way of accomplishing it. This in itself was part of Charles' plan as well, and Lelouch, again ironically, was performing that part valiantly, even if he did so unknowingly. Charles himself did not know how far Ragnarok would be able to advance if it weren't for Zero and his Black Knights rising from the dead and presenting a new challenge to Britannia, thereby extending the war and retaining mankind's focus upon it. And the Emperor was just as thankful that he wouldn't have to find out now.

In that same thought however, Charles had to admit that it was truly regrettable Lelouch had become his enemy. Of all of his hundred or so children, there was no other that he could relate to so much in mind and spirit; even Schneizel was not as close to him on those levels. There were times where the Emperor even considered what could have been if he had not exiled Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan. Could Lelouch, and by extension Nunnally as well, have truly grown into one of Britannia's most favored and gifted imperials? Could he have been brought into the fold as a knowing contributor to Ragnarok and worldwide salvation? Would he still be Charles' pawn in all this, or could he have advanced into a bishop or a rook, following his father's will out of choice instead of being manipulated? All reasonable questions to consider, yet Charles had no way of gaining any answers for them. After all, they were all tied to event that occurred fifteen years ago, one that was brought forth from Marianne's untimely "death".

That made Charles pause as his mind turned from Lelouch to a less desirable subject: V.V. Ever since Pearl Harbor, his immortal master had all but completely disappeared, leaving his order's administration to the Masters' Council and only relaying direct orders to the three branch leaders. He had not even made contact with Charles since that time, and Charles knew why that was all too well. The Grandmaster had officially lost his patience with Lelouch, and not even Charles' reassurances would stay his wrath now.

The Emperor had mixed feelings about this, but then he always had those when regarding his master. On one hand, it had been V.V. who had taken him, an orphan unfit to survive in the cruel world, and raised him up into a man of power and authority, as well as given him a purpose that transcended mediocre affairs between nations and ideologies. On the other, it had been V.V. who had betrayed him in the worst possible way, stripping him of the one light and happiness he had in his whole existence and forcing him into the darkness completely. And here he was again, circumventing his apprentice's wishes for his own ambitions, even if he claimed to hold legitimate reasons for doing so. Charles was very much beginning to hate him for it, perhaps even more so than he had after his first betrayal.

Just like brothers. Two petty, squabbling brothers. That had been Marianne's assessment of the relationship shared between Charles and V.V., right before she had "died". Now that Charles recounted those words, he had to admit there were some similarities there, perhaps even more than he wished there to be. Yet Even so, when it truly came down to it, the connection between master and apprentice couldn't be any more different than what had been described, summarized by Charles' response to Marianne's inquiry. He is anything but my brother.

He shook his head at the memory and stood up from his chair, moving closer to the window. When the time came, he would deal with V.V., just as he would also deal with Lelouch. For now though, he could only wait for either of them to move, and had no more reason to consider them any longer for the time being.

As such, he instead concentrated on what he saw before him. Below, the cityscape of Pendragon sprawled out as undeniable proof of Britannia's accomplishments and superiority over all other nations, all brought upon by the efforts of Charles' ancestors over a span of millennia. To simply stand over those towers of light and their inhabitance, to simply gaze upon them and know that they were your subjects, was the singular dream shared by every Britannian citizen who aspired the throne, as well as the very incentive for many to fight and struggle. And yet to Charles, who stood and looked there now, there was nothing else so empty and meaningless, as well as devoid of light and hope.

Again there was irony, and Charles did well not to let it pass unnoticed. His entire life had been dedicated toward gaining the throne, such that it had been a defining part of his existence. It was only now, when he had achieved that dream and held onto it for over two decades, that he realized how worthless it, alongside the country that it was meant to rule, truly was. Only the throne's instrumentality to Ragnarok, his sole purpose at this point, kept him from giving it up. Had it not been for that, he would have gladly given it up to Schneizel and embraced a life of retirement from then out.

And yet in spite of that meaninglessness, he could not deny Britannia's advancements and progression into the greatest nation conceived by man, nor could he deny his integral role in all of it alongside the many Emperors and Empresses that came before him. He need only look out at the night lights of Pendragon to see it, yet there was so much more beyond this city. Entire crafts that spanned across the whole Western Hemisphere and beyond spoke of the Empire's grandeur before all others, such that no man could deny them. The legacy of the greatest of rulers, etched into the Earth and the memories of their fellow man for eternity.

The irony of that as well was far from lost to him.

---

Black Knights High Command
Naha, Okinawa, Ryukyu Republic

The meeting was long over now, with the chairs at the U-shaped table empty and all the senior staff having gone their separate ways. Only Lelouch, still Zero in all manner and appearance, remained, standing in the exact same spot he had given the briefing from and looking back up at the giant video screen, which still displayed the plans for Operation Akatsuki. He would have left with the others, but had decided to take a few more minutes for himself, to pass the time if nothing else.

As he continued to look over the map's various lines and markings, Lelouch couldn't help but feel truly pleased yet at the same time weary. This was the first large scale operation he had devised, such that even the battle plans he had employed in Africa were much less elaborate than this one. And with the size of the operation, the complexity and risk factor also increased. It wasn't just the fact one mistake could ruin the entire plan, but that one mistake was now also likelier to occur too. That in itself wasn't helped with the success of the operation depending not only on the collective skills of his Black Knights and the ineptness of the Britannians, but also a third force that he had no prior experience with. And then there was always the present risk of Suzaku and the Lancelot showing up from out of nowhere and ruining everything, just as he had done throughout the Insurrection, from Shinjuku to the Black Rebellion itself.

As such, Lelouch could feel certain nervousness well up in his gut at all the things that could go wrong, yet all the same was proud of his work. If all of the past events, from his liberation to Pearl Harbor, could be considered the first act of his newest production, then China would undoubtedly be the second act. And if it was successful, he knew his audience would fall even deeper into his influence, for better or worse.

Fortunately, he wasn't so concentrated on the map that he didn't hear the doors open once again, admitting a newcomer into the room. Still, he didn't turn around, instead allowing his mask's sensors to identify the individual, who in turn began speaking after a few more moments.

"Akatsuki, is it?" the man spoke with mild amusement. "Interesting name for a military operation regarding China."

"I liked the irony in it," Lelouch replied as Tohdoh came up next to him to gaze at the map himself. "So what do you think? Do we have a shot, or am I putting us in another Narita?"

Tohdoh considered that for a moment. "I do not see the comparison. Narita would have been won had it not been for the Lancelot's appearance."

"When it appeared, everything fell apart," Lelouch replied with bitter remembrance. "That whole operation turned into a disaster because of one unforeseen element. That is not something I want to happen here, where we have far more to lose."

The General only shrugged. "Your caution is understandable, but what you describe is always a present risk," he smirked. "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy after all."

That caused Lelouch to slightly turn and regard his Field Commander curiously. "I did not know you studied von Moltke."

"Helmuth von Moltke, Carl von Clausewitz, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee and many others along their line," Tohdoh confirmed, smirking as he knew what Lelouch was thinking. "Unlike some of my former countrymen, I did not believe the fundamentals of war ended with Sun Tzu."

Lelouch found himself nodding at that, not really finding it all that surprising that the man responsible for the Miracle of Itsukushima had studied such famous historical generals. In fact, Itsukushima itself fit neatly with von Clausewitz's On War now that he thought about it.

Meanwhile Tohdoh continued. "And to answer your question, I believe we have a chance here, so long as we gain the CLA as allies," he then looked knowingly. "But considering your power, that's more or less a guarantee."

Lelouch pursed his lips at the mention of his power; even after all this time, he was still unused to others outside of C.C. knowing of it. That in itself caused another question came to Lelouch's mind, which he voiced after several more moments. "There's something else I've been meaning to ask you for some time now," he stated with some hesitance. "When C.C. revealed the truth with you and the others, you were among those who supported my return."

Tohdoh gave a small pause himself before answering. "I was."

"May I ask why?" Lelouch continued. "Especially when she obviously told you about Yokosuka?"

The General did well to remember that one, as evidenced when he minutely closed his eyes and sighed. That battle had entailed the final destruction of the Japan Liberation Front and its leader, General Katase Tatewaki, all thanks to the slap mine Lelouch had secretly attached to the JLF tanker beforehand. Granted, the alternative would have been them being killed or captured by the attacking Britannians, but that did little to excuse Lelouch's actions, as it still came down to him using the JLF fighters as bait for his own advance. Needless to say, he did well to force that knowledge back, lest his leftover emotions over the event gain the better of him.

"I can't say I was pleased to learn of your... tactics during that battle," Tohdoh replied, letting it all drain away. "Yet at the same time I've learned accept them, and even forgive you, in light of everything else that has happened."

"But that's what I don't understand," Lelouch said, confusion beginning to enter his voice. "I expected Diethard, and maybe even Ohgi, to come to my defense, but not you." that's when he turned to look at Tohdoh directly. "I thought you of all people would condemn me, for who I am and what I have done."

Much to Lelouch's surprise, Tohdoh's response was a soft, barely audible chuckle, as if Lelouch had uncharacteristically missed a singular point. "I knew your true identity well before Miss C.C. told us everything."

That caused Lelouch to raise an eyebrow. "When?"

Tohdoh again allowed himself to smirk. "I had my suspicions as far back as Narita, but was only able to confirm them during my prison break," his smirk deepened. "Simply by hearing your voice over the radio."

Now Lelouch was even more thrown. "At what point?"

The General's knowing smirk again deepened. "When you called our retreat, in light of seeing Suzaku in the Lancelot's cockpit."

Upon that answer, Lelouch's confusion quickly drained away and was replaced by a frown. Like Tohdoh's remembrance of Yokosuka, his memories of that battle were not his favorite. Up to that point, he had not known nor ever suspected Suzaku was the pilot of Britannia's premiere weapon, as well as being his main adversary throughout the Insurrection. As such, the sight of Suzaku inside the Lancelot's cockpit had overwhelmed him, to the point that he had been unwilling to continue the battle and, only after he had composed himself from his shock, called an immediate retreat. The other Black Knights had believed he had done so in light of mounting Britannian reinforcements, but Tohdoh had apparently been sharper than the others.

"You seem to forget, Your Highness," Tohdoh continued. "That we met long before the war and following insurrection, when you and your sister were 'guests' of Prime Minister Kururugi."

It took Lelouch a bit to remember that one; so much JSDF brass and higher up members of the Kururugi administration had visited that estate before the war that it was almost impossible to discern all of them. But soon he managed to recall Tohdoh's time there.

"That's right, you were Suzaku's martial arts instructor at that time, and you were at that dinner party for the Kururugi cabinet," he replied, not being able to quite keep the sudden recognition out. "I have to say, I'm rather surprised you remembered us from that one occasion."

"Well, you did leave a lasting impression," Tohdoh remembered with seeming fondness. "The frail Britannian prince and the blind Britannian princess, left with nothing but their names and taken in by the leader of their homeland's enemies as hostages. To say you two were odd fixtures at that party, much more in that entire household, would be putting it lightly."

"But that was only one dinner party." Lelouch pointed out. "So once more, why...?"

Tohdoh allowed a few moments to pass before he answered, the question seemingly floating in the air throughout. And when he did answer, he closed his eyes. "At the time you and your sister first arrived in Japan, Suzaku had been my student for three years."

Lelouch listened quietly. "As a boy he was... hardened in body and soul. Both the early death of his mother and life as the Prime Minister's son had all but forced Suzaku out of childhood at the age of seven," Tohdoh looked over to the prince. "Not unlike what your own mother's death had done to you, I would imagine."

When Lelouch said nothing, Tohdoh went on. "Because of that hardness, he was dutiful and hardworking, never doing any of the things a child his age would have done, such as playing with toys or journeying outdoors. Instead he focused on things like chores, his studies or his lessons with me, relaxing only when he slept or meditated. And when he did have contact with other children, he was unable to form bonds with them; not even Kaguya could get close to him, despite her own efforts to do so."

Tohdoh sighed. "He was, for all intents and purposes, an adult within a child's body, too adjusted to the ways of the world than anyone his age should have been."

Lelouch took all of it in with a grim notion; he himself had a tough time getting close to Suzaku early on, though that wasn't helped by Suzaku forcing him to the ground and beating him for being a 'dirty Britannian' upon their first meeting. He also remembered how Suzaku's room was suspiciously barren of toys, how he had little knowledge of the wilderness behind the Kururugi Shrine, and how he never so much as complained about his vegetables at dinner.

Then he looked up again when Tohdoh said. "It was only when you and Nunnally arrived that I noticed things began to change. While Suzaku was still dutiful, he started to smile and laugh, and seemed to become more at ease with his life. He also became more outgoing with others, and no longer had issue talking at length with others."

This time he smiled a little. "If I could summarize it, it was as if Suzaku remembered that he was still a child, and that he did not need to rush growing up."

He turned back to Lelouch, his mind looking past the black mask and seeing the child prince he once was. "I didn't understand it, but then came that dinner party. Seeing the three of you interact throughout the evening, I realized that you two had, for the first time in his life, given Suzaku the bond of friendship and returned to him his humanity," he explained somewhat sadly. "Two things that even I could not do."

He then turned back forward and looked thoughtful. "It is for that I follow you. Or more specifically," he said, staring back up at the map. "I follow not Zero, but the Britannian boy who made friends with my wayward student."

Silence again reigned after that, as Lelouch could not find any way to respond to that, amidst his myriad of emotions.

All this time... he thought, completely amazed at the explanation; that he and Tohdoh, who he originally regarded as only a subordinate and comrade-in-arms, held such a connection. One that predated their meeting in battle.

But then, Suzaku came back to mind, causing Lelouch to look down in regret. "You do realize the next time I see Suzaku," he started, hesitance in his voice. "I may have to kill him. And not just because he's fighting for the Britannians."

Knowing exactly what Lelouch meant, Tohdoh also looked regretful. "I know," he replied. "But at the same time, I do not believe him entirely lost. One of us just might be able to reach him."

The General then let out a small 'heh'. "After all, we are both men of 'miracles', are we not?"

Lelouch actually laughed at that himself, all the while finding certain reassurance. At least in that one aspect of the war, he was not alone.

---

"Somehow it figures you personally knew Sun Zhongshan." Kallen stated as she took a sip of her coffee, looking toward the immortal "witch" at the other end of the table in the lounge area. "I suppose he was one of your 'partners'?"

C.C. only shrugged, her own coffee in hand as well. "No actually he wasn't," she replied. "After that whole ordeal with John Brown, I stopped making contracts for a while."

Kallen inwardly groaned at that mentioning. "Really, are there any famous historical figures that you didn't know?"

The immortal considered for a moment, as if she had to dig deep in memory to find one such individual. "I didn't know Tsar Nicholas, but I did witness the Revolution as it came about," she replied. "Then again, I did get to meet Anastasia as she was fleeing west."

Kallen was in the middle of taking another sip when realization occurred to you. "That took place only a few years after the Xinhai Revolution. How could you be in Russia at that time?"

"Simple, I only stayed in China up to Xinhai. As soon as the revolutionaries took power, I fled to Russia and then spent the next few years making my way through Eurasia," C.C. replied knowingly. "Even I knew Zhongsan's republic was not going to last, not with China's chaotic state at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to convince Sun of that notion."

"Even though Bonaparte managed to make his work?" Kallen questioned.

C.C. nodded in concession. "Bonaparte made the Eurasian Union work because, under my suggestion, he essentially united all of Eurasia with a set of common goals and enemies," she smiled sardonically. "And even then, the nations that eventually comprised his 'Empire of Liberty' were far more stable and civilized than early 20th century China. The results speak for itself, as they say."

"Yeah, funny how that worked out," Kallen rolled her eyes, seeing how the former Chinese Federation had turned out all the way to its annexation. Not that Sun Zhongshan could have known way back then of course.

C.C. took a bite of her danish while considering. "Still, Sun's heart was in the right place, and he was legitimate in his ideals. It was his followers who were far less noble."

"Not that the Eurasian Union that he idealized didn't have its own problems of course," Kallen surmized.

"Tell me about it," C.C. sighed a little. "There are times I wish I kept my mouth shut and just let Napoleon be the 'Emperor of the French' as he originally wanted. Maybe Eurasia would have been less of a headache that way."

"More like it would have become another Britannia," Kallen replied cynically. "Or just divided up further."

The witch nodded. "Those would have been likely possibilities, yes."

Another thought occurred to Kallen then. "Okay, I've been throwing this idea around this for a while. Let's say for a moment that, through some miracle Washington's Rebellion had succeeded. Benjamin Franklin not turning traitor, the French or Spanish joining the war effort, Washington not dying at Yorktown, take your pick."

She said as she put down her coffee on the table, eyes looking more intense as she went on. "Do you think the United States of America, as you call it, could have done a better job with democracy than the EU?"

C.C. paused in thought at that inquiry, not giving an answer straight away. She had many times wondered what would have happened if the American Revolution had succeeded. Washington himself had told her the United States would eventually become the most powerful nation in the world, and by eclipsing Britannia lead the world to its destruction, but he had never elaborated on whether the ideals he and the other revolutionaries had conceived would live on as well.

George... she thought, remembering the young, handsome Virginian with whom she had formed a contract with long ago. She closed her eyes and forced the memories back before they became an issue. "I don't know. I would like to think they would, but there's no way to tell."

Kallen nodded as she began to lift the coffee back to her lips. However, midway into the arc, the Guren pilot could only watch as her arm suddenly seemed to slow down, moving from normal speed to a snail's pace in the space of a moment. With that, the world around her also seemed to faze and grow fuzzy, such that even her own breathing seemed long and drawn out, as did when she inadvertently tipped her coffee cup and let droplets fall from the tip. What should have taken only a second for the droplets to fall felt like hours, as did the sight of their impacting the carpet and splattering...

"Kallen? Is there something wrong?" C.C. spoke up, causing her second contractor to suddenly blink. Kallen looking down at the spot on the ground was all C.C. needed to understand, as well as cause her face to adapt a more serious expression. "It happened again, didn't it?"

Kallen closed her eyes to hold back the emotions churning inside of her over the last event. "Yes," she said, then looking back up. "I knew accepting Geass would have consequences, but..."

She tried her best to stifle the fear from her voice, but failed. "I never thought it would be like this."

C.C. frowned herself. "They're becoming more frequent, which means your Geass' power has increased again. I don't know how long you have before it turns Runaway, but it's even less time now..."

"You don't think I know that!?" Kallen inadvertently barked in response.

The immortal let that slide, considering the circumstances. "Have you told Lelouch yet?"

"Of course not!" Kallen nearly stammered. "The last thing he needs is another problem he can't solve!" she then looked away. "Especially when he hasn't accepted my having Geass in itself..."

C.C. had to hand her that one; she had eavesdropped on that little chat between Lelouch and Kallen and listened intently as it devolved into a shouting match, during which Lelouch called Kallen a fool over her choice to accept Geass at least three times while Kallen called him less endearing titles for his "not understanding anything". They then refused to speak to each other for some time afterward, and it had only been through C.C.'s subtle efforts that they made up.

She closed her eyes and resisted the urge to grit her teeth at the memory. The things I do for my partners. "Well, I can't disagree with that," she replied, opening her eyes again. "But for the time being, I recommend you don't use your Geass as much. That will at least slow it down."

"But not stop it," Kallen replied flatly.

The "witch" nodded. "Once Geass is acquired, nothing can stop its growth. Even if you didn't use it at all, it will still grow in power and eventually Runaway."

She then got up from her side of the table and came over to Kallen, where she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've done a great job not overusing it these last eight years. But even so, what you are experiencing now is Geass' very nature. It is as much a curse as it is a gift, and nothing is going to change that."

Kallen took a long drawn breath at that, inwardly thankful that it only lasted a moment instead of 'hours'. "I know it's a curse," she looked up, her eyes more determined now. "That was why I wanted it for myself, remember?"

C.C. smiled approvingly in turn. "Yes."

---

Xiaopei Fortress
Duchy of Jiangsu, Area 22 (China), Holy Britannian Empire

Through a combination of the confined metallic walls and the polished floor, Li Xingke's boots rapped loudly as he marched down the corridor of the deepest level of Xiaopei. Ahead of him was his destination: a fairly large metal door that seemed as unmovable and indestructible as the Great Wall itself, or at least as the Emperor Qin Shi Huang would have envisioned it. And though Li couldn't see them, he knew a large number weapons and sensors were hidden throughout the corridor, from machine guns concealed in the ceiling to anti-personnel mines within the floor and even flamethrower within the walls, all run by a centralized surveillance system that was totally separate from Xiaopei's computer network. Had that surveillance system not identified him, he knew he wouldn't have made it two steps past the elevator, just as he knew that such security was absolutely necessary. After all, what laid beyond that door was likely China's final hope, even more than he and the rest of the CLA were considered.

Coming up to the door at last, he stopped for a moment, looked up at the metal portal and sighed; he wasn't looking forward to this in the least. Even so, he quickly tapped the intercom panel on the side of the door. "Yes?" the voice on the other end started.

"It's me, Your Excellency," Li replied. With that established, the intercom quickly switched off and the door just as quickly slid open. Li again sighed at the opening; he really wasn't looking forward to this in the least. Even so, he proceeded into the domain, the door quickly closing behind him.

Compared to the otherwise sparse corridor, or much more the rest of Xiaopei, the area that the CLA general had just stepped into might as well had been on a different plane of existence. Cream colored walls with reddish tint, carpeting, ornate furniture and the highest end electronics available within the former Chinese Federation were all obvious features of the sanctum, or at least the part Li had entered in. As far as he knew, the sanctum split into several different rooms, including a bedroom, a kitchen, a personal library and a shelter. All of it meant to be comfortable and relaxing for any and all occupants, just like a room in the Vermillion Palace.

Li, being a lifelong military man himself, chafed at that same comfort, but that was okay, as the sanctum was not meant for him. And the one who lived here, at least when she was not attending business in the upper levels of Xiaopei, was not a soldier herself.

Naturally, Li did his best to ignore the comforts, as well as the opposing discomfort in his stomach, as that very same individual entered the room. He did well to notice the amused but welcoming grin on her face.

"Well, this is rare," the woman spoke up again as she entered the light, her pigeon blood red eyes holding certain warmth toward Li's entry, though this was countered by more realistic expectation. "It's not like you to come here unless summoned. That can only mean two things: either we've won the war and it's safe for me to come out of hiding, or something has gone so horribly wrong that you felt the need to report it directly."

Li resisted the urge to sigh, as doing so would be in bad form, even if the one before him would have let it pass. "I'm afraid it is the latter this time."

Having fully expected that response, former Chairwoman Jiang Lihua, better known worldwide as Tianzi, also resisted the urge to sigh. "When is it not?" she replied as she mentally readied herself for the bad news.

Before he answered, Li allowed himself a moment to restudy the one before him. It was hard for him to believe that the originally powerless but kind and considerate albino child he had spent much of his life protecting and guiding had grown into a truly beautiful woman, one who held a slender but not unhealthy figure, long white hair with two bangs (which were each kept by a gold and red band) framing the sides of her head, and an unmarred, unbroken face that seemed to speak of innocence and purity in a time of chaos, but at the same time held certain strength. As usual, she was wearing her trademark purple dress, which emphasized her regality even more, though Li had long established that her clothing choices mattered little to her spirit.

The latter point made him regret what he was about to tell her even more. "The Britannians have just launched ghetto purges in Shandong, Henan and Shanxi."

For a moment, Tianzi looked as though she had just taken a hit with a sledgehammer. Then, after that moment passed, she closed her eyes to push back the heightened emotions. "Is there anything we can do to stop them?"

"I've already ordered our forces in those regions to move in," Li stated, trying to sound reassuring.

"Will that be enough?" Tianzi almost demanded.

Now it was Li's turn to close his eyes. "I cannot say Your Excellency. It will depend on how much has committed to that operation. All that we know is that the purges were ordered by Zhao Hao and the others."

Certain disdain seemed to eminate from Tianzi's eyes toward that name. "Bēibǐ xiǎo rén," she murmured. "They won't stop until there's nothing left."

"I know," Li nodded in agreement. He then offered another option. "If you wish it, I can take Tianshou and head out to one of the provinces myself."

Tianzi looked back at him peculiarly. "Is that wise, General?"

"Not very. In fact, I believe the purges were instituted for the very purpose of drawing me out." Li replied. "Even so, if you give the order, I will go."

That was enough to make Tianzi shake her head. "As much as I want to give that order, I can't," she replied with some resolution. "I will not risk losing you Xingke."

"With respect, Your Excellency, you risk losing me every time I go into battle." Li pointed out.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I should throw you away either," Tianzi replied. "I can't do this without you Xingke. You know this as well as I do."

She gave off a narrowed gaze. "The day the Chinese Tiger perishes is the same day our people will completely lose hope."

Li's brows furrowed. "Again with respect Your Excellency, I believe you are more our people's hope than I," he stated with certain humiliation. "I am only a soldier."

Displeasure flickered within Tianzi's features. "You are more than that, General, even if you believe otherwise," she stated firmly. "As far as the whole of Zhongguo is concerned, it is Li Xingke, not Tianzi, who is fighting this war against the Imperials. As far as they and the rest of the world believe, I was flitted away to the Britannian homeland long ago."

Li nodded in acknowledgement. "Even so, this war will end someday. And when it does, our people will no longer need a General, but a Chairwoman to lead the nation back into prosperity."

"Maybe." Tianzi replied dryly. "But for the time being, the war is still on, and so you remain China's last hope."

Having stated that, she then turned and moved over to the side, her back nearly turned to the general. Li was half-tempted to approach her, but he remained where he stood as the former Chairwoman spoke again. "Seven years, Xingke. We've been fighting the Britannians for seven years. Two years longer than the EU, and the Black Knights have only just started. Yet we're still no closer to winning than the day we declared it, while our people are no closer to liberation."

The general clenched his teeth before answering. "I know Your Excellency. All too well do I know," he stated with sympathy. He then looked at her questioningly. "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"My taking you from Luoyang and starting this war in the first place," he surmised.

At that, Tianzi turned around, frowning at the very idea. "Of course not," she stated directly. "If you had not chosen to fight, our nation would be doomed as an Area forever."

She then looked down again. "And by taking me from Luoyang," she paused to formulate her words, a smile starting to return to her. "You fulfilled your promise. You brought me to the outside world."

Again Li held back his emotions, retaining his monotone. "I only brought you to Xiaopei, Your Excellency. There is much more to the outside world than this fortress."

"I know. But all the same you fulfilled your promise to me," Tianzi stated, her smile taking a sad tone as she again looked away. "I suppose that presents even greater incentive for us to win this war. So that you can take me beyond this fortress, no, beyond China, and show me the world I have only dreamed of."

The general was wise not to respond to that, especially with the terrible truth that he had kept secret for so long. Instead, he watched as Tianzi's smile faded away, and she again adopted a serious tone. "The question remains though: can we defeat the Britannians at all?" her eyes again shown with hesitance. "Do we even stand a chance?"

Li crossed his arms. "We still have adequate forces to carry out our fight. So long as we have those forces, we still stand a chance. And so long as we stand a chance, we can defeat the Britannians," he stated in turn. "Will we defeat the Britannians however? That I cannot answer, Your Excellency."

Tianzi nodded, holding an expression that showed Li had answered acceptably. Deep down however, she only felt all the more uncertain...