"If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise."
- William Blake
Chapter XXXVIII: Operation Fubuki
Location Unknown
October 9, 2025
With projected impassiveness, more so than what he was usually characterized for, Charles made his way through the interior, his eyes staring straight ahead, calm but unwavering. At the opposite end of the chamber, V.V. also moved, managing to keep lockstep with his apprentice despite his more diminutive size, his own eyes unwavering yet serious and driven. If the Grandmaster held any apprehension or ill-feeling toward his student over their previous disagreements, he did not show it now. Far more was at stake than their conflict over Lelouch vi Britannia, and as infuriated as V.V. remained with the prince turned revolutionary, now was not the time to see him dealt with. The Twilight of God was close at hand, as was all that would follow. All that was meant to follow.
Eventually the Emperor and the Grandmaster reached a designated point in the chamber, where they both stopped, neither drawing their eyes away from the other. No sooner than when they came to did the eleven monoliths form around them, encompassing them in a loose circle, each positioned to countdown clockwise from II to XII. They, and only they, would bear witness to what was about to occur, as the Grandmaster of the Eildons effectively granted the Emperor of Britannia the ultimate form of power. The very source of power that had generated wars and revolutions, formed nations and orders throughout time innumerable. The same source of power that V.V., and V.V. alone, had wielded for millennia, since an all to certain beginning.
"And so, after two thousand years and the countless ages therein, it begins," V.V. called out, beginning the ceremony, though namely speaking to his pupil. "Though there remain but three more to obtain, it shall be through this passage, here and now, that Ragnarok shall at last initiate."
None of the figures behind the monoliths spoke as Charles, in equal silence, knelt before the Grandmaster.
"Charles zi Britannia. Emperor of Britannia, Sovereign Head of the Dominion and Defender of the Faith," V.V. declared. "What does thou seek?"
"Salvation," Charles recited.
"And what does thou require to obtain Salvation?" V.V. continued.
"Power," Charles once again answered.
"And how does thou intend to use this Power?" V.V. questioned once more.
"To destroy God," Charles continued to recite. "And to bring about the promised land."
Hearing that, V.V. moved to final part of the ceremony. "Do you, Charles zi Britannia, swear to utilize this Power for that which you have professed?" he called out, not unlike with a traditional knighting. "To put aside selfishness and act for the benefit of all? To do battle against our enemies, Spiritual and Temporal? To ensure our survival and our future?"
"I do," Charles answered with as much solemnity as he could muster. "Unto the days of Judgment and Tribulation, I shall stand in defense against that which has betrayed and forsaken us. I shall do battle against Him and any and all that He may send against me, until He is no more and we are at last free."
Charles then finished with. "Until we are at last saved," he declared in open oath before the twelve masters.
Nodding in acceptance and approval, V.V. slipped the glove off his right hand, revealing the Code underneath. The Code, which he had bore for seemingly eternal, now to be passed to his worthy heir. The one who would see Ragnarok, his great work, complete and a great new age born for all. The one who would ensure God's long awaited death, before the coming of Armageddon.
"Then, Charles zi Britannia," V.V. commanded as he reached his hand out to the Emperor. "Take this Power, and claim Salvation."
V.V.'s expression then become even more unreadable as he added. "Salvation for us all."
Speaking no more, Charles slipped the glove off his own hand and reached to take his master's in turn. All while the monoliths remained silent and motionless, observing as the Power was transitioned from one to the other. The Power that, upon completion, would bring about their great enemy's end and the new world's beginning.
Black Knights air cruiser Tsuru
Kara Sea
Soaring through the darkened skies as gracefully as one would have hardly expected for a "bird" her size, the Tsuru, alongside her Taka fighter escorts, continued on her flight due northwest, drawing ever closer to the Franz Josef Archipelago and what awaited therein. In some ways Lelouch wished he could have made the trip aboard the Izumo, but for obvious reasons the Black Knights' flagship was grossly inadequate for Operation Fubuki. Besides the fact she would have had to travel through warzone that was the Eurasian Far East, it would have taken her much longer to reach the Arctic Circle from much distant Ryukyu; for all he knew, Britannia really could have conquered the world by the time she would have reached Alexandra Land, which obviously would not have been acceptable. Even so, as Lelouch stood on the relatively large bridge of the air cruiser, he could not help but feel that the Tsuru, in spite of her elegant sounding name, lacked some of the grandeur that the Izumo held. To say nothing of the Devil's Den, which Lelouch, now having to do without, was sorely missing.
Overall however, it was of very little concern. What mattered was that the Tsuru – the first of the Black Knights' air cruiser fleet, reverse engineered from Britannia's Griffin-class – was bringing him and his forces into an otherwise unattainable area of the globe, where their enemies surely believed themselves unreachable. There could be no other reason to set up a base, or more specifically reactivate a leftover installation that the Eurasians had long abandoned, in the far north. Just as Lelouch doubted that the Eildons were there to gather data on the weather and the local wildlife.
If all went well, Operation Fubuki would catch the Eildons completely off guard. Yes they had to be aware that the Black Knights were coming, but surely they did not expect the Black Knights to possess their own airships. Thus while they would be prepared to defend Alexandra Land on some level, the Demon King's arrival would be expected to happen much later, possibly after Bloody Marry had been defeated and passage through the Far East was permissible. Following that line, the Eildon forces would be inadequate to repel Lelouch's three knightmare squadrons – a total of thirty-six knightmare frames, not including the Mordred and one other – and support craft. Alexandra Land would then fall in short order, whatever databanks she possessed mined in similarly quick and efficient fashion before the entire facility was then put to the torch. Into the north and out again, in other words.
Unfortunately Lelouch doubted it would go that well. Much less that V.V.'s minions, in spite of the lesser amount of time, had not properly fortified Alexandra Land for the Black Knights' arrival. Even if their forces were but a third the size of Lelouch's, they still held a considerable edge, namely with their superior technology. The former prince inwardly shivered at that last thought, as well as the near shell shocked expression Rakshata had possessed upon her briefing him and the rest of High Command on her analysis of the recovered Eildon helmet. For the first time in her professional career, the Black Knights chief scientist and researcher could offer no adequate explanation. The helmet had been so far removed from any semblance of modern technology that she knew and had learned nothing on its function, its composition, and much less where it had originated. All she knew was that helmet, itself a part of a much larger whole, was far more advanced than anything the Black Knights – and the Britannians, Eurasians and Chinese with them – possessed in the present.
Somehow managing not to shake his head, Lelouch again could not help but wonder what exactly he was about to face. The Britannians were simple enough, and if he had to fight the Eurasians again at some point he knew he could and would. The Eildons, however, were another force altogether, such that, had Lelouch possessed the option, he would have at least waited until Britannia had been finished before. Much like with Rakshata's explanation, V.V.'s legion was just too far removed from any adversary Lelouch had ever conceived of. Even the most abstract he had faced, which had been Mao and his telepathic Geass power, at a time when Lelouch ignorant of Geass outside his own, was a pale comparison to what he may or may not be walking into now. Anything and everything could be out there in the north, a prospect that did Lelouch very little comfort.
Even so, it was what it was. As much as Lelouch would have preferred to wait and gather as much data as he could before facing V.V. again, the fact remained that option was not available to him. Like it or not, he could no longer ignore the Eildons, especially if they were to decide to support Britannia in the open. They needed to be destroyed as much as the Empire, just as V.V., if he himself could not be destroyed, needed to be sealed away permanently. Final victory would not be achievable otherwise.
Thus, he, and those others aboard the Tsuru, were set on his course. Alexandra Land would not spell final doom for the Eildons, but it would certainly allow the Black Knights some measure of equal footing against them. Only when it was conquered and mined could Lelouch come up with an adequate strategy against them. Until then however, all he could do was remain where he was, all the while doing well not to openly dread.
It looked like a Guren, but somehow wasn't quite. And not simply because it was coated in a rather unconventional white scheme; the entire frame somehow evoked the image of the machine Charmelle and the rest of Zero Squadron were thoroughly in love with, yet still managed to be completely different altogether. Though the main chassis was very much a Guren's, its head, rather than possessing the familiar beak carapace, now held a giant "horn", not unlike that of a rhinoceros beetle's. Likewise, instead of the ubiquitous radiant wave surger that served as the Guren's trademark, this knightmare had a simpler looking appendage, which comprised of a golden, rectangular shell attached to a somewhat thickened right arm. From what Charmelle had heard, this device supposedly contained seven individual weapons, which it could switch between automatically, even in the course of battle. Beyond that, there were some more minor differences, such as the lack of built-in cannon in the left arm, but all in all, this bone white knightmare still retained its original impression. A white flame instead of a crimson lotus.
In the end, it was not that big of a concern to Charmelle, or any of the others in the Tsuru's hangar that were otherwise interested. What mattered was that they had the Byakuen and its devicer – regardless of his own origins – with them, which gave them that much more to throw at the Britannians when the time came. And despite all the assurances Zero, the Major and others likeminded had given her and her fellows, Charmelle couldn't help but feel disconcerted with this northern drop operation. As though, somehow and some way, it was not all that it seemed to be.
Part of it had to do with the uncharacteristic remoteness of their target, she knew. Even if the Britannians had managed to reactivate a Soviet War era facility a mere two thousand kilometers or so from the northernmost Eurasian states, the question was why had they? The official explanation, as stated by the Major herself, had claimed that it was a testing ground of some sort, likely for a new kind of weapon, but that still answered very little. Surely the Britannians could have chosen a better place to play with their toys than an island within a proverbial stone's throw of enemy territory, even if Marrybell was set to turn it into another Area in the near future. And then there was the fact that it was within the Arctic Circle; unless the weapon in question was meant specifically to be utilized in sub-zero conditions, Charmelle still would have suspected there were other potential proving grounds out there, even within Britannia itself. Really, wouldn't it have made more sense to setup shop in, say, Sunderland or Northumberland? And if not, there was also Area 4 – formerly Greenland – which had similar conditions while still being out of relative Eurasian reach. It just didn't make any sense, no matter how much she tried to rationalize it.
Sighing, Charmelle ultimately decided the more she tried to make sense of the enemy's choice to reactivate Alexandra Land, the less it seemed so to her. And it wasn't as though that were the only thing that bothered her. Even more than usual, there were too many unknowns and ambiguities about Operation Fubuki than she would have liked, a fair portion of which was in regard to the expected opposition. Though it was claimed that the enemy garrison was fairly well armed, up to and including their own knightmares, the fact remained Charmelle and her cohorts were practically going into battle blindfolded. With a conventionally placed facility, they may have been able to estimate the enemy composition and numbers, but here, well away from anything "conventional", there could be anything out there. Up to and including the aforementioned weapon being tested, which Charmelle actually shivered toward. What sort of new madness had her former homeland come up with now? Such that it necessitated aligning with Peace Mark of all things – even a remnant of it – for support?
Overall, Charmelle had a feeling she was being kept in the dark, though intentionally or not she could not quite ascertain. Granted, Zero had always been secretive, and as the Major was his bodyguard – his knight – that necessitated her to be secretive as well. Normally that didn't bother Charmelle so much – so long as her efforts paid toward Zero and his objectives, she did not need to be privy to the full "truth", whatever that was. This time however, as with much else, was different. Now Charmelle could only wonder what was being kept from her and the other Black Knights outside High Command and Zero's own inner circle. And why they had all deemed it necessary, assuming they were doing it willfully, to keep much of Operation Fubuki as obscured as its name would otherwise allude to.
Again however, as Charmelle looked over the white knightmare for that much longer, still marveling at how much it seemed like a Guren, and yet wasn't, she answers alluded her no matter how much she sought them. In the end, Zero Squadron had its mission, and that mission was to capture an enemy facility. That part of the operation wasn't so obscure. It didn't matter what was defending it, or where it was even, but that its defenders would be cleared away so that Colonel Chawla and her entourage could take it apart. That assured Charmelle on some level, such that she eventually turned and began moving back to her own waiting machine, knowing that it would not be much longer before they were all sent out.
Before the oncoming snowstorm truly reached its peak.
Once again, the melodic tones of Empress filled her ears, effectively calming away her weariness before she and the rest of the Black Knights, at least those aboard the Tsuru with her, would step back into the battlefield. Though "The Show Must Go On" probably wasn't the most ideal choice of music to listen to before an operation such as Fubuki, it was solemn and dynamic enough for Kallen's needs; after all, it had been written to evoke the lead singer's oncoming demise from disease, itself brought on by his rampant and misguided hedonism. And though the Red Dragoness hoped that such a song wouldn't prematurely mark her own death – which she intended to be well into the far flung future – it still emphasized the feelings within her. That, regardless of her fear and ever present turmoil, the show must go on. The battle must be joined.
Even now, within literal striking distance of the target, she could feel her insides clench and churn with anxiety and near terror, as though the music were the only thing that could keep it all at bay. It was strange to have such fear, for this kind of enemy. The "regular" Britannians had been one thing; the only thing Kallen feared of them was their willingness to take any form of life, even and perhaps especially random innocents that could not defend themselves, for any kind of reason. Otherwise she could fight them, and she could do so without feeling anything whatsoever, least of all fear. As she could the Eurasians, Chinese and any other conventional faction or organization if it ever came down to it.
The Eildons were different however. And not simply because they possessed Geass and other arcane arts and technology; they were a far more capable adversary to fight and to defeat if at all possible. From what she and Lelouch had learned from C.C. and Orpheus Zevon, they had existed for a long, long time, pursuing their secret agendas through countless ages, while removing every obstacle along the way. They had fought and defeated innumerable enemies of their own while the outside world remained occupied with its own affairs, well before the current age. And most important of all, they had been incepted from the beginning to destroy those like Kallen, like Lelouch. Those who held the Power of the King and Queen.
Kallen need only recall her previous encounter to know how much of a threat they represented, far more than Britannia itself could ever hope. She had seen their power and capability then, with and without her Geass in effect. Everything from their aforementioned usage of advanced technology, for such things as their own knightmares and their soldiers' armor and weapons, to their ability to effectively incapacitate Code Bearers to their sheer specializing of hunting down people just like her, it all terrified her. Had this order not been content to remain in the background while the world moved around them, Kallen could well believe that they could have conquered it for themselves. God only knew why they hadn't done so, despite the explanation that that was what Britannia was meant for. While the Empire moved in the open, the Eildons remained well within its shadow, fighting and besting those within.
And of course, there remained what they had nearly done to Lelouch. Kallen feared that especially would be a fixture in her mind, all the way to her own death. The sight of her love dead before her, his body frozen and immobile as his blood pooled out from under him. Not simply defeated, but slain. Taken beyond where she could reach him. Where she could follow him, or stand beside…
Suddenly sensing the nearby doorway shift open and a presence – one that did not belong to any of her comrades – attempt to enter, Kallen's eyes snapped open, Geass active. Before she could attack however, she found Orpheus Zevon standing before her, his hands held up in disarm. "I mean no ill intent," he assured.
Dispelling her Geass, but otherwise not dropping her guard, Kallen settled back in her place while disengaging her music player. "What do you want?"
The terrorist shrugged. "A moment of your time Major Kouzuki," he responded, then moving to sit down yourself. "A simple moment of your time, and perhaps answers to some questions I have."
Upon Kallen's eyes re-narrowing into a glare, Orpheus chuckled. "Nothing pertaining to the Black Knights and its organization, I assure you," he said. "Rather, they have more to do with Zero. And you."
Exhaling through her nostrils, Kallen closed her eyes again. "Let me guess," she started. "You want to know what our real relationship is."
"On the contrary, that's been well established by this point," Orpheus resounded. "It's pretty clear what your feelings are. Both of your feelings."
Kallen's ears perked up on the word 'both', but she chose not to dwell on it. No matter how much it stuck out in her mind.
"Instead, my curiosity is toward the apparent gulf that lies between you two," Orpheus went on, somewhat observingly. "While said feelings are pretty clear, even to someone like me, you both remain very distant from the other."
"Some would call that professionalism," Kallen retorted.
"And others would claim it as something else entirely," Orpheus countered. "Apprehension."
He learned forward, his gaze inquisitive. "As though you are both afraid," he went on. "That, despite whatever you may or may not be doing in your free time, both of you are terrified of admitting the obvious."
The Peace Mark insurgent then tilted his head. "Or are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"
Kallen frowned at that, knowing better than to try and conceal the truth. While she couldn't speak for Lelouch – no matter how much the man before her believed otherwise – she was afraid of precisely that. "Dare I ask why this matters to you at all?"
Again the terrorist shrugged. "No particular reason, other than my being a romantic," he admitted. "After all, my whole vendetta against V.V. and the rest is because they killed the woman I loved."
Minor surprise emerged on Kallen's face, causing a flat smile to emerge on Orpheus'.
"Ah right, I forgot I only told Major Cathcart," he responded, as though just then remembering. "Well, it's not much of a secret I guess, if you're so interested."
Upon receiving a nod of confirmation from Kallen, Orpheus explained. "As explained before, my family sent me to the Eildons after I and my twin sister were born. From there, I was brought up to be one of their soldiers."
He frowned as certain memories began to reemerge. "For obvious reasons I didn't have a pleasant childhood and later years. Whatever time wasn't spent on training and respite was probably spent against some megalomaniac of a Geass user and his or her army of the damned," he smirked a little at that. "Had this all been eight years ago or so, they probably would have sent me and others like me after you Black Knights and Zero."
Wisely not mentioning that was when the Zero had first gained his own Geass, Kallen simply waited for Orpheus to continue.
"Regardless, I ended up connecting with another," he said, bringing up a locket and opening it, revealing the picture of a beautiful woman therein. "A fellow soldier in my unit, who, in spite of everything our masters had drilled into us, ended up helping me regain my humanity, and vice versa."
Just as quickly he withdrew the locket back from whence it came. "One thing led to another and, in our desire to live as humans, we fled," he went on. "And ended up settling in some village in Central Eurasia, whose name I can't recall now."
Again Orpheus smiled, though this time there was warmth. "We were there for less than a year, but the time spent was the most worthwhile of my existence," he admitted, allowing those memories in now. "More than anything I wish I could go back to then and remain there."
"And then they came for you," Kallen surmised.
Orpheus nodded, his visage darkening as a result. "It didn't take them very long to track us down," he said. "And the Eildons' intentions are very clear to any who dare break from their ranks."
Sighing, Orpheus could only press on. "Long story short, the village was destroyed overnight, but I made it out," he said, again taking on visible solemnity. "She did not."
Somehow managing not to dwell on that set of memories, he moved to the end. "After that, I ended up joining ranks with Peace Mark, a little before its own destruction," he explained. "To which I am here now. About to carry out vengeance for my beloved wife's murder."
He leaned forward again, staring Kallen straight in the eyes. "Which brings me back to you," he stated with directness, which Kallen only remained unflinching toward. "From one man who fights out of love to a woman who clearly does the same, why are you so hesitant?"
Orpheus then emphasized. "Why are you, and he, so afraid of what drives you both, Kallen Kouzuki?"
He remained in the great distance, the advanced sensors on his frame – no, fortress he reminded himself – keeping his sights on his target. As large as that air cruiser was, Jeremiah saw that it would still be a difficult shot, and not simply because of the rather unpredictable nature of his main weapon. To say nothing of the rather unpredictable nature of the fortress itself.
Even so, he still lined up his sights upon the cruiser, managing to keep them away from the escorting fightercraft. With any luck, his shot would cripple the giant aircraft and cause it to plummet to the ice below, the crash finishing his real target in place of his shot. With a little more luck however, he would obliterate the entire thing, and all within, altogether, and therefore ensure that nothing survived whatsoever. Obviously Jeremiah was banking on the latter, if only to save himself further trouble.
Eventually did his target reticle light up, indicating the cruiser was now within firing range. Without any hesitance or real thought whatsoever, Jeremiah pulled the trigger and watched his killing shot lance out. Which was when an event even had not foreseen did occur…
Black Knights air cruiser Tsuru
Franz Josef Archipelago, Arctic Circle
"Why are you, and he, so afraid of what drives you both, Kallen Kouzuki?"
Kallen was no more than seconds away from answering when she felt her Geass light up, once again involuntarily. And this time it wasn't entirely random. In the great distance, well away from the Tsuru's current position, she depicted a shadowy form, hovering and waiting. A great and quite familiar light at its center, building up until…
"What is it?" Orpheus demanded, suddenly aware something had happened. Or worse, was about to happen.
Without answering him on that front either, Kallen tapped the nearby intercom switch. "Major Kouzuki to bridge!" she called out in warning, praying that the Tsuru's bridge crew would believe as much as the Izumo's would have. "Bank hard right! Now!"
Immediately acting upon the Major's warning, the Tsuru's helmsman brought the massive airship into a sudden right bank. No sooner than this occurred did the hadron blast – a much larger and more powerful blast than standard – fire out, lancing through the exact position that the cruiser had previously been. All while the ship shuddered from its sheer power, with shock and fire following moments later.
Watching as the burning, but still flying air cruiser continue, Jeremiah could only curse his luck. He had an inclination toward what had happened. Somehow the Red Dragoness' Geass had been active at that precise moment, and she had identified him right as he was about to fire. An great oversight on his part; he should have taken a chance and brought his machine closer in, all the while keeping his Geass Canceller active.
Well, no matter her surmised, even as his warning indicators lit up with enemy fire control; both the cruiser and the escort fighters were attempting to target him. Knowing better than to press what little apparent luck he had further, he withdrew his fortress back and moved away, as fast as it could move in its present ungainly form. The airship was still a fair distance from Alexandra Base, but no doubt Lelouch would have his knightmares deploy on VTOLs regardless. Thus, as he continued to move back, Jeremiah signaled the rest of the defenders to prepare for ground assault.
Black Knights air cruiser Tsuru
Franz Josef Archipelago, Arctic Circle
Damn it! Lelouch cursed as he reoriented himself with the rest of the Tsuru's compliment. He should have known better. The enemy had not only anticipated his attack but had obviously set up a defense, complete with at least one long-range hadron cannon. Only sheer stroke of luck – and unfortunately Kallen's Geass – kept the Tsuru from crashing down if not exploding altogether. "Distance to drop zone!?"
"Approximately seventy-five klicks!" an anonymous bridge operator answered.
Again Lelouch cursed. That was a lot of open air to cover to target. The more his knightmares remained airborne, even if they were using Hayabusas to fly, the more ample time did the Eildons have to shoot them down. And Lelouch doubted that hadron cannon was the only extraordinary weapon in their arsenal.
The all too familiar feeling of all eyes on him, waiting for orders, Lelouch took a moment to adjust his strategy. Alright, dropping well on top of the base was out. In that case, they would at least make it to the island itself and proceed westward on the ground. Undoubtedly the Eildons would move to meet them upon doing so, but that suited Lelouch just fine. As the enemy was clearly aware of the Black Knights' presence, it was only fair that they meet them head on, in traditional battle. Besides, even if the Tsuru herself could not remain, he could still have his air units strafe the base itself if it came down to it.
And if the enemy army is away from the fort… Lelouch considered a little further, just before giving the awaited order.
"We go now," he announced, before looking toward the Tsuru's captain. "Begin Phase III the moment we launch."
Though visibly uncertain, the captain nodded in compliance regardless. "Yes sir."
With that, Lelouch turned and made his usual dramatic exit. While another bridge operator sounded through the intercom. "All devicers! To your knightmares!"
Through a sheer whirlwind of alarm and motion did Benio Akagi at last reach the cockpit of her Guren, which sealed over her as soon as she had entered. After few more moments of checking over her systems, she brought her machine up from its dormant seiza position, its beak carapace opening up and allowing the head to extend out as it did, in turn followed by many of her comrades' own machines. From there, she felt the familiar clang of a Hayabusa VTOL drone latching onto the Guren, from which she wasted no further time in taking her appointed launch position.
This is going to be a bumpy ride, Benio thought disparagingly as she stood waiting, the Tsuru's rear launch bay opening just behind her. She didn't know what had hit, or nearly hit, the Tsuru, but if the enemy had more like that in their arsenal, then she knew it was going to be a long, hard drop. Even worse, they were greatly off target, practically on the other side of Alexandra Land from the enemy base. That only meant they would have to fight their way to through the ground, something that Benio was not very appreciative of. Not that there were many things to appreciate about Operation Fubuki at this point.
Taking in one final breath of air, Benio waited a little longer for the appointed signal, only then reversing on her machine's landspinners and effectively dropping away out of the launch bay, in the manner of a conventional paratrooper. Within seconds did her Hayabusa unit go active and allow her Guren to achieve flight, from which she fell in line with the rest of Zero Squadron, who themselves fell in line around the Mordred as usual. Up ahead, even through the darkness, Benio could depict the Guren Nishiki off of the black and gold knightmare's side, as was that weird white Guren wannabe that their "guest" was using. Benio paid little mind to this however, instead leveling out so that she was beside Captain Finlay's unit, after which she proceeded with the rest of the force. Straight into the dark unknown directly ahead.
"Anti-air fire incoming! All units evade!" an operator from the Tsuru warned after but very few minutes since launch. Sure enough, Benio's warning systems lit up as she picked up multiple fire control radar angling on her and the other knightmares, accompanied by traditional unguided ack-ack fire. Though she was no fighter pilot, she threw her machine into an evasive pattern, maneuvering around the shells and projectiles as effectively as she would have on the ground, all the while the Tsuru fired her own missiles in support. That seemed to have some effect, as Benio noticed several of the enemy fire control dissipated, but more than enough of the anti-air guns kept firing, to which she could only dance and evade with the rest. For a very short moment she wondered if she would even make it to the shoreline, but she forced that uncertainty back. It would serve her no purpose.
At the very least they don't seem to have fighters of their own, she thought, noticing no oncoming air contacts on her radar beyond the missiles. That wasn't much of a surprise, since the target's location was than ideal for maintaining a fighter garrison. Just as Benio had no desire to take her machine into aerial combat; knightmares should stay on the ground period.
And speaking of the ground, it came up well before Benio realized it. Upon sighting the wave of the Guren Nishiki's surger arm, Benio proceed with the rest of the force into a steep descent, now apparently transitioning from fighter pilot to dive bomber. Keeping an eye on her altimeter and her main camera simultaneously, Benio again waited for the mark, all the while fighting the strain of the oncoming g-forces. The fire only seemed to intensify around her, but so far it seemed unable to touch her Isshiki. She could only hope it was the same for the rest of Zero Squadron, as well as Hannya and Kyosha Squadrons with them. And Zero of course. It especially wouldn't do well if he got shot down; again Benio forced back the thought and looming dread before it distracted her.
Yet again did the next stage of the drop come up before Benio realized it, her altimeter flashing that she had reached drop altitude. Acting before realizing, Benio disengaged her Guren from the Hayabusa and proceeded to freefall. It was an unnerving feeling, but fortunately quite short as she landed all very quickly. Not at all bothering to kiss the ground – even if she were in the position to – she reextended her landspinners and drove westward with the rest of the Black Knights. Where the Britannians were undoubtedly moving toward them on their own.
Between its advanced sensors complimented by its Druid System, it wasn't long before the Mordred picked up oncoming enemy movement. Without looking at the exact number, Lelouch could tell that prior estimates of Alexandra Land's defenses had been premature. What had to be five, maybe six or seven squadrons worth of knightmares – at least – were moving straight at him and his meager three squadrons now. And though his sensors identified the enemy machines as otherwise standard Sutherland and Gloucester types, he did well to remember his last encounter with the Eildons to know that these were far from standard opposition. That he and his soldiers were in for the long haul.
Hopefully they'll only be as skilled as the average Britannian devicer, Lelouch thought in bemusement. There was always that possibility he knew. As skilled as the Eildon devicers may or may not have been, they would still be fighting against three squadrons of battle hardened Black Knights, up to and including himself and Zero Squadron. That should amount to something he thought while drawing his VARIS. Just behind him, the other Black Knight units followed his example, from the Gurens engaging their surgers and taking hold of their fork knives and the Gekkas bringing up their katen yaibatous. The Byakuen also engaged its curious weapon system, a serrated red blade extending from its right arm assembly.
Now indeed set, Lelouch raised the Mordred's left arm up, readying to signal his army to advance. However, right before he could draw the arm downward and forward, the ground lit up before him with an all too familiar crimson beam from overhead. Out of sheer reflex did he bring his knightmare to an immediate halt, from which he signaled the rest of the Black Knights to do the same. Once again he should have anticipated what his sensors and Druid System were now telling him.
"Welcome Zero," the voice of Jeremiah Gottwald called out as a strange machine – clearly a knight giga fortress – hovered downward, just ahead of the main Eildon formation. There wasn't really much to describe of it beyond its black and red box-like structure. The only true detail Lelouch could take note of, without reading too deeply over his Druid System's technical readout, was the greatly enlarged hadron cannon at its center, which glowed with destructive malevolence. "As you can tell, we have been anticipating of your arrival."
"So I see Orange," Lelouch called back out as Kallen marched the Guren Nishiki up to stand beside him. Another hand signal from his part kept his knight from taking a shot with her surger. "I suppose you want to begin where we left off?"
A short, cold laugh exited the cyborg's lips. "From where specifically? Narita? Or the Black Rebellion itself?" Jeremiah inquired, deliberately not mentioning their latest encounter. After all, there was no point in tipping off the other Black Knights on it. "To be honest those previous battles do not matter to me. No more than the Orange Incident before them all."
It was then that the center hadron cannon's glow increased substancially. "Rather, the only thing that matters to me now is your death," he stated in his executioner's tone. "Only then can…"
"Jeremiah?" a new voice suddenly commed in as one of the Gekkas moved forward somewhat. "Is that you?"
It took a moment for Lelouch to recall that woman's voice as Chigusa Ohgi's. And it took another moment to remember what he had read on that woman's service record, as well as their own impromptu encounter back in Japan.
"This voice…" Jeremiah let out in unguarded surprise, the glow of his fortress' main weapon receding. "Viletta?"
"Yes, yes it's me Jeremiah," Chigusa responded while somehow managing to keep the first semblances of tears under control. Though she had heard, and hoped well against, Zero's claiming her former superior having joined ranks with the Eildons, it was only now, with him directly in front of her, that she verified it as fact. And understood. "Though I go by Chigusa now."
To that, the strange box-like machine turned to "address" hers. "I see," Jeremiah observed without hostility. "You survived as well."
"I did," Chigusa confirmed, as though her physical presence didn't make it obvious.
Though she couldn't see her former superior's profile, he knew he had nodded approvingly at that. "That is fortunate. When I first heard of possible survivors, I had wondered if you were among them," he admitted. "I trust you have made a fair life for yourself in all of this?"
"I have," Chigusa assured. "I married a good man, and have two children waiting for me back home."
Again without having to see him directly, Chigusa knew that a smile now enfolded Jeremiah's lips. "That's fortunate as well. Such happiness suits you, even more than some meaningless title."
And then, just as quickly, the smile dissipated. "However, you did not intervene for simple conversation."
"No, I didn't," Chigusa exclaimed, now just as serious. "Join us."
A sudden cold swell moved throughout the field, such that both the Eildons and Black Knights felt that. "What?" Jeremiah could only question.
"Join us," Chigusa implored, even having her Gekka reach out to the knight giga fortress, its left hand open in invitation. "I don't know what you have been led to believe, but Zero is not your enemy," she assured. "We are not your enemy."
Though she knew that many of her fellow Black Knights, to say nothing of Zero himself, were fixing her with questioning glances, Chigusa kept her focus well past them. In that small instance, the only thing that mattered was the response she would gain from her former comrade. Her friend.
"Join us Jeremiah," Chigusa Ohgi – originally Viletta Nu – further implored. "And fight for the justice you once dedicated yourself toward."
For what it was worth, Jeremiah Gottwald actually seemed to consider her offer, at least for a moment. Though Grandmaster V.V. himself had recruited him, he had no true loyalty to the Eildons; they were only a means to an end that served both of them. Likewise, even he, a once self-proclaimed purist, had found the events of September 13, 2017 utterly reprehensible. Such that the Black Knights were no longer terrorist rabble in his eyes; they, perhaps more than any other, fought for a just cause. A cause well worth fighting for in itself, no matter who in fact led them.
It was with that last thought that Jeremiah turned back to face the Mordred, which seemed to await his answer as well. He could only sneer at what he saw within, closing his right eye in open remorse.
"I'm sorry Viletta, but that is not possible," the former Britannian knight responded, almost apologetically. "Today, I fight for a different brand of justice,"
Somehow and some way, he could almost feel the ghost of Empress Marianne before him, though with an expression even he could not read. Ultimately however, Jeremiah decided he was beyond the point of concern. "Justice for slighted honor."
It was only then that his eye then snapped back open. Clear and concise determination showing through.
"It is for that justice, as well as the world to come," Jeremiah declared with finality, reengaging his main weapon. "That Zero must die!"
Once adequately charged, he triggered the mega hadron cannon, the resultant beam firing straight at the black and gold knightmare. Unfortunately devicer within had more than anticipating the attack, and so he, and those frames around him, scattered well before. The beam impacted thereafter, leaving only a great, burning crater where it struck.
Even so, Jeremiah Gottwald's course was now firmly set. There would be no turning away from it.
"Forward Eildons!" Jeremiah called out to his forces, now firmly resolved. "Today we destroy the Demon King! Once and for all!"
With that declaration, the Eildons advanced with their commander. As did the Black Knights with their Black King.
So much for an easy finish, Kallen bitterly thought as the Eildons swept toward her and the other Black Knights as an arctic tempest, their white knightmares moving faster than their "regular" Britannian cousins could ever hope. Regardless she raised her surger and fired a shot, as did the other Gurens beside, managing to take out a number of the frontline, with the Gekkas moving in with their handguns just after. The enemy knightmares were just as quick to return fire, but by then Kallen and her comrades had entered evasive maneuvers, and so were not so easy to track. That assured the ace considerably. Advanced tech the Eildons might have possessed, but their devicers were not all that different from the usual opposition. With any luck they would fall just as easily.
Of course, Kallen knew better than to rely on luck for anything, especially when she was grossly outnumbered. As she half-expected from reading her sensors, the Eildons were attempting to encircle them, taking immediate advantage of their superior manpower, while C.C. and Chigusa directed Hannya and Kyosha Squadrons to head them off from the flanks. That left her and Zero Squadron to charge on through the main formation, which Kallen made straight for, the eleven Guren Isshikis and the Byakuen falling in with her as more Sutherlands moved to intercept. More oncoming bullets and explosives soon followed, the thirteen seventh generation frames maneuvering all around while responding in kind, taking out any and all opposition that they could reach. A good start, but the battle had just begun, Kallen knew all too well.
And of course, there was her liege, which Kallen was only able to steal a glance of from her radar display. As she had expected, if not quite hoped for, the Mordred was moving away from the main battle with Orange in hot pursuit, that giant knight giga fortress giving chase after the lone knightmare, hadron cannon firing repeatedly. For a moment Kallen was tempted to break away and move to support him, but she forced herself down from doing so. As much terror as she felt within, she knew Lelouch could take care of himself for the time being, and his moving away drew Jeremiah Gottwald away with him, allowing and the rest of the Black Knights to fight the regular Eildons. They, even more than that apparent wonder weapon, needed to be removed from the fight, lest they prove bothersome when the Tsuru moved around and deployed the rest of the assault force on the base itself.
Thus, biting back the temptation – as well as the ever present imagery of Lelouch dead by Orange's blade – Kallen focused on her immediate opposition. Brandishing her fork knife, she leaped and moved between two more white Sutherlands, executing a spin slash that bisected them from their right and left legs respectively. After that, she planted a grenade in one and then grasped onto the other, triggering her surger and boiling the enemy knightmare in all too familiar fashion. It exploded the moment she released it, to which she then reversed and rejoined with Alfred, who was in the process of firing his own surger in its rapid mode into another formation, which included an ubiquitously caped Gloucester. Once more a good start, but as Kallen knew to the point of feeling anxiety well in her stomach, it had all only just begun.
Another hadron beam generated, forcing Lelouch to bank left and evade while returning fire with his VARIS. Unfortunately while his shots landed on such a large and bulky target, they did not seem to have any noticeable effect on the enemy fortress, which all but visibly shrugged away from the attacks. To that, the Demon King gritted his teeth as he dodged another hadron blast, already knowing the answer. The damned thing had electromagnetic armor like the Siegfried before it.
The question is how do I crack it? Lelouch thought, taking another glance over his Druid System readout, even as Jeremiah fired another hadron shot after him. Even with the in depth scans, he could not find any particular weaknesses within the armor, though Lelouch knew better than to believe that meant it was invincible. There was a crippling weakness somewhere, especially if the knight giga fortress was a sixth generation machine as he suspected. He just needed to find and exploit it, while staying alive long enough to do so.
Regardless, Jeremiah continued his barrage, firing yet another beam that swept across the tundra, with Lelouch having the Mordred reverse and then dodge left. One obvious weak point, Lelouch long since noted, was the thing's lack of maneuverability; it was all too easy for Lelouch to maneuver around it. Another was that it only seemed to have one weapon – even if the Druid System hadn't indicated as such, Lelouch knew it would have used something else by that point – which made it just as easy to be aware of. Granted said weapon was an overly powerful hadron cannon, but Lelouch, obviously, was very familiar with that kind of weapon. Certainly enough that he could tell when and how it would fire, allowing him to continue evading each shot as though they were being made in slow motion.
And of course, there was the third weak point. Its devicer. "I'm disappointed Orange," Lelouch called out as he dodged yet another hadron stream, only to fire a snap burst shot from his VARIS. Despite the damage being negligible from that as well, he continued his taunt. "Surely you can do more against me than this paltry display."
"I could say the same for you Zero," Jeremiah called back, charging and firing another blast while continuing to float about. "Perhaps you're merely lying in wait to employ your latest 'miracle'?"
Lelouch frowned from behind his mask on that. Had he possessed the time and capability, he would have indeed setup one of his patented miracles to shift the battle in one swoop. Alas however, Alexandra Land had remained too far out of his reach before the present. "I have no need of such against you," Lelouch countered, not about to let Jeremiah see his frustration. "No more than I had at Narita or the Black Rebellion."
Another small, cold laugh on the cyborg's part. "I told you those prior confrontations mean nothing to me," Jeremiah proclaimed, firing another hadron blast that the Mordred naturally dodged. "I am nothing like the weak, foolish man I once was."
"No, you're not," Lelouch stated, deciding to make his move. Withdrawing his VARIS for his MVS and putting all power into his landspinners, he dashed up and fired his hip-mounted slash harkins, clamping down on the enemy machine. Then, in an imitation of the maneuver Cornelia had used against him eight years prior, he launched upward at the floating fortress. With a loud clang as metal impacted metal he landed atop, raising his sword high to strike.
"You're even weaker!" he declared, right as he moved to plunge his blade through. Himself smiling at the characteristic brazenness of the attack, Jeremiah decided it was time to show his true hand.
All at once, the fortress shuddered, then twisting about to throw the Mordred aside. Lelouch landed back on the ground easily enough, cape and sword sweeping as he did. However, that was of secondary concern as he watched what was now occurring in front of him, understanding and dread now emerging from within.
As the "box" began to loom once more against its adversary – the latter now reversing back for distance – a pair of giant arms unfolded and emerged from its sides, from which an equally pair of giant hands also extended. Simultaneously, two massive legs shifted out from the center, moving downward to ground level as feet and knee joints locked into place. The center also moved, forming into an apparent torso and a causing the fortress to "upright" itself, gradually shifting from its original box shape into the familiar humanoid form of a knightmare frame. Only, as Lelouch now understood, this was no mere knightmare frame. And it was indeed sixth generation as he had suspected.
Then, at the seemingly final stage of the transformation, the pyramid-shaped carapace up top folded away, a humanoid head soon emerging to replace it. The latter looking down upon the Mordred with crimson eyes sensors, which flared vehemently.
"I see," Lelouch observed with a deepened frown. He had heard rumors of this particular unit – a "giant knightmare frame" of unrivaled power – but had not believed even one had actually been produced. Once again he should have guessed V.V. and his cronies would obtain such a beast for themselves. "Vortigern."
"A gift from the Grandmaster," Jeremiah confirmed, smirking down at the "lesser" knightmare frame and its devicer, the former being but a third of his steed's size. "So that I may properly deal with you."
At that, Jeremiah extended his right arm forward, the tips of all five digits already aglow with energy. Realizing what was about to occur next, Lelouch again reversed, right before the five hadron cannons therein fired. Once more the ground was scorched before him, but Jeremiah was not about to let it end there.
"Have at you Zero!" Jeremiah called out as he drove the Vortigern forward, moving much faster now than in its prior form. "For Britannia, for the greater good, you shall die! Here and now!"
Gritting his teeth as he maneuvered back, Lelouch could only redraw his VARIS and return fire, despite the fortress' electromagnetic armor remaining in effect. All the while inwardly scrambling for a new strategy to employ against this newfound monstrosity.
These are…different, Charmelle thought as she evaded another Sutherland's lance attack. Indeed, as she and Benio held against the enemy forces, Charmelle once again felt much amiss about the Operation Fubuki. Not simply because the opposing knightmares were performing rather differently from their "standard" configurations, but also the tactics and fighting forms that their devicers employed. If Charmelle hadn't known any better, she could have sworn she and her comrades were fighting an entirely different force from the Imperial Army.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, however, she was too deep into the fighting to wholly concentrate on that thought. Thus as she dodged the white Sutherland's follow up slash harken attack, Charmelle circled around and promptly fired her surger in rapid shot, spraying the enemy's cockpit block in a concentrated burst. For whatever its technological differences and potential enhancements, the Sutherland exploded as well as any other, especially against the darkened background. That suited Charmelle just fine, especially as a Gloucester came charging in its comrade's place, its own lance raised to impale. When that didn't work, it raised its assault rifle and fired, forcing the Black Knight to reverse and zigzag away. She then retaliated just as quickly with a grenade shot, but once more she was not quite used to the enemy's difference in movement, and so the Gloucester itself veered off just as smoothly, then firing its own rifle mounted projectile. To that, Charmelle was forced to raise a barrier to deflect.
Capitalizing on her defensive motion, the Britannian machine renewed its charge, only to bank right as Charmelle dropped her barrier and fired a snapshot from her surger. Gritting her teeth as she put more speed into her Guren, she just managed to dodge that lance attack as well, and then follow up by quick firing her chest mounted slash harken. This time the Gloucester was struck on the right arm, effectively depriving it of its lance, but it still retained its assault rifle, which it quickly turned after her. This time Charmelle dashed right herself, evading the stream of bullets, and at last managing to catch the white knightmare on the flank with a full powered surger shot. As with the Sutherland, it detonated like any standard Gloucester would have, though that did little assuage Charmelle's lingering doubts. Especially when she considered how much more of a fight they were putting up than average.
"Rei Three, your left!" Benio called out in warning, causing Charmelle to maneuver her Guren away out of reflex. Rather than a stream of bullets or grenades this time, the oncoming shot was much faster, and much, much more powerful. Such that, had she not evaded it or engage her barrier at the right moment, it would have easily blasted her to kingdom come.
That was a VARIS! Charmelle realized, quickly turning her eyes toward the origin of the shot. As she had expected, and very much not hoped, the oncoming knightmare, which swapped its rifle out for an MVS upon drawing toward her, was not a fifth generation Sutherland or Gloucester. Instead, its profile was that of an all too familiar type, with only a differing visored face-plate and single eye camera on its forehead indicating that it was a different machine from what one would have assumed. Regardless, that did not stop Charmelle from feeling alarmed as the enemy knightmare moved in, bringing its sword against her fork knife.
"Rei Three to all units, be on guard!" she called out in warning, right as she threw back the maser vibration sword and reversed again, firing another radiant wave beam that was dodged in equal fashion. "The enemy has Exeters!"
Sure enough, her opponent was more than able to keep up with her Isshiki, firing one of its armed mounted slash harkens to try and catch her side. Again fortunately, while the white knightmare was a dead ringer for the Mordred or the Lancelot, the devicer within was in no way in league with Zero or Suzaku Kururugi, and so Charmelle easily evaded that attack, and then the follow up from the opposite arm. She fired another surger beam after, but the Exeter remained just as fast, boosting and narrowly dodging the blast, redrawing its VARIS in the process. Sneering at that, Charmelle mirrored its maneuver and put her Guren at full speed, evading the resultant shot.
It was then that Benio made her appearance known, entering the scene and firing her own surger in its rapid fire setting, forcing the doppelganger to veer off from her as well. Upon doing so, it moved to turn its rifle toward the interloper, only for Charmelle to burn the weapon, and the arm holding it, away with her surger. From that, it twisted around toward Charmelle's Guren again, firing both hip-mounted harkens after her, but the Zero Squadron ace was more than able to dodge, even knocking away one of the rocket anchors with her fork knife. All the while Benio attempted to strike at the cockpit block with her own knife, only for the eighth generation machine to dash away before the blade could impale. Not that it really mattered, as in that movement, Charmelle was able to plant a grenade into its right flank. Once again the enemy knightmare blew up as well as one would have expected.
However, that was far from the end of it, both Charmelle and Benio knew. Especially as more Exeters were soon identified among the enemy forces, dangerously close to their position.
"What are we really fighting here?" Charmelle found herself whispering as she and her wingmate moved onto another set of targets. Even now, as focused upon fighting and winning as she was, she could not help but still wonder.
Having finished cutting down another Sutherland with a running slash, Orpheus was just able to depict the Gloucester move against his left with an MVS poised to impale. Sneering at the strike, it was all too easy for him to reverse his Byakuen back and away, the right arm shifting into its cannon form as it did. By the time Eildon machine was able turn to face him again, the white knightmare fired, generating a fresh new hole through its opposite number's center. It exploded not long after, only for two more Sutherlands to race out in its place, one with its own lance poised to impale while the other fired its assault rifle as it closed. Switching out the cannon for the arm blade, Orpheus had his knightmare zigzag around the bullets, and then renew its charge at the lance wielding Sutherland. Once again eliciting a running slash against its left side, which caused the newly rendered pilotless knightmare to topple over dead.
After that, Orpheus switched his right arm over again, this time generating a second blade – forming a serrated pincer of sorts – while closing in on the second Sutherland. The enemy machine continued to fire, but Orpheus was more than able to dodge; after all, he, more than anyone present, was well used to fighting those he once fought alongside. As such, it took a near instant for him to come upon the hapless Sutherland, bringing his vice claw up to separate the Sutherland's forearm, and assault rifle, from the whole. The enemy devicer responded by firing his or her slash harkens point blank, but Orpheus evaded this just as neatly, veering around while keeping the two arm blades enclosed. Upon reaching his intended position, he drove the combined blade straight through the cockpit block, and then removed it in as short an order. Again the enemy knightmare didn't explode, but somehow it didn't fall over either. Not that it really mattered to Orpheus, who moved away from the still standing corpse all the same.
He was just about to search for another target when a hyper powered shot launched passed the Byakuen. "Ah yes," the former terrorist exclaimed, watching as an Exeter came straight at him, more shots firing from its VARIS. Even before Captain Finlay's warning, he had known his former organization had procured some eighth generation knightmares for themselves, so it wasn't all surprising to see them there with Jeremiah Gottwald. In any case, he launched up to the enemy frame, vice claw open to snap around the VARIS rifle. Somehow anticipating the move however, the Exeter reversed right as the claw closed shut, retaliating with its two hip mounted harkens, and then following up with its left arm harken. Orpheus dodged all three, even firing his own harken as well, but the Exeter was just as quick to evade. Through the process, the latter swapped out its VARIS for one of its MVS, to which it then shot straight after the Byakuen, which raised its reformed arm blade to parry. A quick exchange of blades then took place, though Orpheus was noticeably more relaxed and less elaborate in his technique than his opponent, which was exerting quite a bit of effort to overcome his defense.
In the end, it was an all too simple matter for the Peace Mark insurgent to reverse as the advanced model knightmare made an overhead attack, overcompensating itself in the process as it brought its sword blade down. Moving fast before it could recover, Orpheus, while veering around to his enemy's right flank, withdrew the arm blades and switched out for his main weapon's drill setting. No sooner than when the rather bizarre weapon emerged from its golden forearm housing did Orpheus engage it, piercing right through the cockpit block and out the other side. Upon withdrawing and disengaging the weapon, the terrorist was just able to depict a fair amount of blood across the length, at least before he swapped it out for his cannon again.
With that enemy out of the way, the Byakuen turned and began firing its single gunnery weapon, one shot after another. With at least one Eildon knightmare falling with each blast.
Compared to the previous stage of the battle, Lelouch found himself expelling much more effort in his movements, as well as keeping the Mordred well ahead of the opposing machine. This was emphasized as the Vortigern – again moving much faster than one would believe twelve meter tall "knightmare" should have been capable of – came upon him once again, its arms raised and hands clasped together for a pile driver attack. Reversing his own unit, Lelouch dodged left, the behemoth slamming into the tundra as a result. The revolutionary countered with his two hip mounted harkens, but as he had expected, the giant's electromagnetic armor remained in place, neither anchor able to do so much as ping against the Vortigern's side. In turn, Jeremiah swung its left arm out and fired the fingertip hadron cannons there, forcing Lelouch back on his landspinners even further. All the while the giant rose again to pursue.
Dodging another blast from that center mounted hadron cannon, Lelouch was really start to feel pushed to the breaking point. It would have been one thing if the enemy fortress was a slow and lumbering beast as one would have otherwise expected, but the Vortigern was actually quite fast and agile, such that it banked away from his countering VARIS shot as easily as a regular sized knightmare would have. According to the Mordred's Druid readout, this was due to the thing actually possessing a body mounted float system, which, while remaining ineffective in making the Vortigern an efficient flyer, certainly allowed it to move as well as a landspinner equipped knightmare at ground level. And even worse, despite his previously claiming it as a weakness, Orange remained as skilled a devicer as he had eight years ago.
"You seem to be wavering Zero," Jeremiah called out over the comm. Circuit, again firing his right hand mounted hadron cannons at the Mordred, forcing Lelouch to dodge left this time. "Don't tell me this is all too much for you."
"Not in the least Orange," Lelouch found himself responding, in spite his exhaustion. He fired another VARIS shot, this time at the Vortigern's head. Unfortunately the armor extended to that as well, with the hypershot all but visibly bouncing off, much to the Demon King's aggravation. "You know what they say about giants and hard falls."
Jeremiah laughed a little more at that, vaunting over and moving to strike the Mordred with a football-styled kick. The smaller knightmare dodged that attack as well, as well as the follow up blast from his left arm cannons, but it all hardly mattered. It was only fitting that Lelouch give him a real fight – especially compared to the one they had eight years ago – before the bastard's execution was carried out.
"Indeed I do know what they claim," Jeremiah responded back as he then raised both hands up, firing all ten hadron cannons in a spray formation. To his surprise, Lelouch evaded by closing in, effectively moving under the beams, while simultaneously switching out his VARIS for an MVS. Unfortunately for him however, the blade was no more effective at breaking through the Vortigern's armor, and Lelouch was only able to make a running slash against its left leg before Jeremiah forced him away with a backhanded sweep. He then followed up with another mega hadron cannon blast to keep the Demon King on his black and gold toes. "Though as you can see, I'm hardly in a position to fall."
Again the giant charged, as though it were going to shoulder tackle the Mordred, only for the smaller machine to reverse and move left to dodge. Lelouch then attempted to strike at the behemoth's right flank, only for Jeremiah to again raise the right hand and fire a hadron cannon snapshot, which Lelouch was only just able to keep ahead of. All the while the former prince felt the strain set in more and more while maneuvering.
"You, on the other hand," Jeremiah declared as he again pursued, this time firing his arm mounted hadron cannons in rapid succession, forcing Lelouch to weave around the blasts with extra effort. Both the attack and the dodging almost reminded the former purist of an old western, in which the antagonist fired his gun at the victim's feet, forcing him to "dance". "Your fall will be as hard as tungsten, and just as swift."
Involuntarily did Jeremiah feel his visage darken as he harshly whispered. "To her honor, such shall be your penance," he declared as he again drove the Vortigern after its much smaller opponent.
Despite the low audibility, the Mordred's communication system, and Lelouch's ears, picked it up regardless. And though he was otherwise preoccupied, a part of him could not help but wonder about that statement. As well as any significance it held, which, due to missing a key piece of information about his enemy's background, he was unable to realize.
Veering around another VARIS shot, all the while keeping her machine aimed straight, Chigusa all but vaulted her Gekka after the offending Exeter. Upon her closure, the Eildon devicer attempted to reverse, but his reflexes proved not fast enough, with the Black Knight cleaving apart his or her rifle before proper distance could be gained. Not that it slowed the white knightmare down much, which simply withdrew its own MVS and came back at her, the hyper-oscillating blade grinding against her own chainsword. Chigusa held her own katen yaibatou in place for a bit, until at last finally breaking the contact and firing her slash harken into the Exeter's face. The freshly removed head easily fell to the frozen ground, as did the rest of the Eildon frame when she ran it through.
The newly rendered corpse wasn't even cold when her warning indicator went off again, three Sutherlands now moving after her. As her wingman moved to intercept one, she raised her handgun to fire at the remaining pair, only for them to break away and advance after her in a standard, though much faster, evasive pattern. Reversing and evading their own assault rifle shots, she moved her Gekka around to flank, with the left positioned Sutherland meeting her first and firing its harkens to attempt dissuasion. As powerful as her present enemies were, it was quite clear that they were Britannian in origin, in tactics if not service record. That granted Chigusa and the rest some leverage, as she banked right to dodge the dual rocket anchors, and in the process managed to snapshot her handgun into the exposed cockpit block. The enemy pilot was easily killed with that, though there was still the wingman to deal with, which made its presence known again with a rifle mounted grenade, which was banked away from as well.
More bullets flying after her, the former purist again found herself nearly cursing her "friend" of eight years prior. What the hell was Jeremiah thinking to align himself with these bastards? It was a rhetorical question of course; there could be only one answer toward the former Imperial Guardsman having signed on with V.V. and his entourage. And it wasn't simple vengeance upon Zero over past events, at least not for Jeremiah's personal benefit.
Even as she drove her Gekka after that enemy Sutherland as well, slashing it down with a quick pass, Chigusa felt her blood boil at the prospect. It was obvious that V.V. had used the late Empress Marianne's name and memory to pull at Jeremiah's strings, and Jeremiah, in his desire to live up to Her Majesty's memory, had gone along with it all too willingly. Even if that desire had been corrupted toward killing the Empress' only son. Again Chigusa could not help but question her former comrade's thinking, and perhaps his sanity as well.
"Do you really think you're serving her through all of this, Jeremiah?" she harshly whispered to herself, before being forced to drive her Gekka into a right bank again. Another Exeter had picked her out of the lot and was gunning after her, both MVS drawn to strike this time. Readying her katen yaibatou once again, Chigusa mirrored the charge and drove after the opposite eighth generation knightmare frame, which crossed its blades as she swung her chainsword down from overhead. All the while, not far from her position, did another battle – between her "friend" and her commander – continue to wage.
As cliché as it sounded, it was all proceeding well. Though Lelouch and his forces remained insipient, the latter dodging yet another hadron cannon spray in the present, Jeremiah could see that it was all shaping up toward his and the Grandmaster's intentions. Not simply to slay Lelouch permanently of course, but also to destroy his dark works just as permanently. Up to and including his army in the present, and elsewhere.
Thus, as he continued his pursuit of the lone Mordred, which again fired its slash harkens in a poor attempt to dent the Vortigern's armor, Jeremiah knew it would not be much longer before the real weapon was fired. Yes, the present Black Knights were technically well within range of it, and to utilize it now would certainly spell their immediate doom, but there was no need to hurry yet. If only out of personal inclination rather than tactical soundness, Jeremiah wanted Lelouch exhausted, beaten and battered before the trigger was pulled. All so that he could witness the end of his army and his ambitions. As well as his slighting her honor.
"Such shall be your penance," Jeremiah again whispered, this time even more harshly, as he envisioned Lelouch vi Britannia's visage from within the Mordred's cockpit, from behind that mask. His execution had been stayed before, but not here, not now. In fact, in a strange way Jeremiah was appreciative that Lelouch had not died so quickly then. Had he done so, he would not have been able to witness the decimation of his Black Knights, the enslaved army that, through the will of another, had brought so much injustice upon the world. Though one could argue that it was not been of the pawns' own will, the fact remained they had carried out their master's orders regardless. And for that, they too would serve a penance, though theirs would not nearly as be damning as Lelouch's.
Having redrawn its VARIS, the Mordred fired off a burst shot that landed square upon the Vortigern's torso. This time actual damage had been made, as Jeremiah's indicators detected, but it remained overall negligible. Even if he was a far better fighter than he was eight years prior, Lelouch could not, would not, defeat him here. A fact that Jeremiah reinforced upon dodging a following burst shot, then retaliating with his right hand cannons, forcing the Mordred away again. He pursued of course, not about to let the smaller frame out of his sights. Much less allow its devicers recuperate, even if only a little.
Yes, it would not be for much longer. Once Lelouch was pushed firmly to the brink before him would Jeremiah play the last hand. After which, the Black Prince turned Demon King would watch it all fall around him. Just before he would suffer his fall, hard and just.
"Such shall be your penance," Jeremiah again repeated, still keeping up the pressure, the Mordred all but running ragged now. Just a little more he knew, a little more before the guillotine fell. And with it, his Empress' honor regained.
