Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.
The battle froze in place. Even the AI running the drones froze up, as if recalculating the odds of winning with the arrival of the new Knightmare. The rest of the wZERO tensed up, Kallen using the distraction to make distance for herself. The duel between Jeremiah and Ashley was put on pause as well. Everyone waited for the black Knightmare to make its next move.
"What is that machine?" Leila's eyes widened at the destruction from a single attack. It hadn't managed to take down as many drones as the Guren had near the start of the battle, but they hadn't been grouping together like they had earlier, and the reading from their ships scanners clocked its output as even higher than the Radiant Wave Surger. It looked strikingly familiar to the famed Shinkiro that had been the flagship Knightmare of Zero, but that made little sense. She had made contact with Zero in person before, and while she never did find out the man's identity, the conversation they had was enlightening. She learned of the existence of more Geass users, and the potential dangers they brought with them. Considering the announcement he had made long ago, him attacking her forces was practically an impossibility.
"We're getting the specs from the allied Black Knight ships..." Sophie scanned the screen quickly, and her eyes bulged. "Ma'am, it's the Gekkoei! The Knightmare Lelouch vi Brittania was reported to use in Zilkhstan. The specs aren't one to one though. It seems all of its weapons systems have been completed."
Leila cursed under her breath. The former Emperor showing up to the battlefield was the last thing she needed. "Tell the others to disengage and split off. Have the drones act as cover, we don't need our core units to act as sitting ducks. Tell the Black Knights throw up a barrage with their ships. The target is the new enemy Knightmare!"
The wZERO unit began to pull back, and the Black Knights' Asuka-class ships circled around the battlefield to prevent the escape of the Knightmare. On Leila's command, they primed their arsenals. The weapon systems hummed to life and the turrets took aim at the Gekkoei.
"How cute, they're all retreating. Just like you predicted." C.C. tilted her head to the side, clearly amused. "I wonder what their next move is?"
L.L., formerly Lelouch, smirked to himself. "Simple. They're going to test the waters." Almost lazily he began typing away on his controls as all the enemy ships locked onto the Gekkoei. As they opened up fire, the Absolute Defense System flared to life, the multi layered barrier intercepting the enemy fire. Several explosions rang out as they impacted, leaving a heavy smokescreen in the air.
Kallen's eyes widened. She had been saved right as she was beginning to get overwhelmed, and by Lelouch of all people in spectacular fashion. Her inner celebration had been short lived however, as the enemy ships opened fire on him almost immediately after his arrival. The smokescreen blocked her line of sight, and her eyes desperately scanned for any signs of survival. "Lelouch! Answer me Lelouch!
"It's good to hear from you again Kallen." Lelouch appeared on her comms screen, alongside C.C. as well. Relief flooded her features, and she slumped back into her pilot seat.
"Why are you two here!?" While she was grateful for the rescue, their sudden arrival seemed too good to be true. part of her wished they had stayed in hiding. The desperate state of her group's struggle warred with that feeling however.
"Simple, we've been tracking your movement since shortly after all this started, and since my brother decided to make moving around far more difficult, now seemed to be the best time to intervene."
"Originally we weren't going to get involved, but that headache Schneizel forced our hands. By the way, he goes by L.L. now." C.C. smiled suggestively.
"L.L.? What kind of stupid name is that!?" Kallen scoffed, and blushed fiercely as C.C. stood up from her seat to wrap her arms around Lelouch. She moved in as if to kiss him, but suddenly paused.
"Good to see you too Kallen. Oh you know, the kind of name a husband takes as a symbol of dedication to his beloved." Lelouch winced slightly as Kallen gawked mouth wide open. This would certainly cause a headache for him in the long run. He didn't need the distraction right now. He palmed his face as he could tell C.C. was definitely aiming to coax a gut reaction from the fiery redhead.
"Married!? What do you mean married!?" Her temper started to flare, but Lelouch quickly interrupted.
"We'll explain this later. Kallen, return to the allied ship alongside the others. C.C. and I will cover your retreat."
"Retreat? The enemies are in disarray right now. We can push forward while they're caught off guard."
"We will. Have the maintenance crew cannibalize Chiba's and the other non custom Knightmares for parts. We need that wrecked right arm of the Guren's replaced."
"On it!" With that the Guren sped off to the Meiyo's hangar. The others fallowed behind quickly, presumably catching on to the same idea. The smokescreen from the barrage finally dissipated, the Absolute Defense System unblemished.
"Time to see what our new toy can do." The shields disappeared, and the Hadron Blasters popped up from Gekkoei's Wrist. The enemy ships opened fire once again, and the Gekkoei began its engagement.
The retreating Knightmares all sped into the hangar. The pilots quickly dismounting. Kallen wiped the sweat from her brow, and gladly accepted the fresh bottle of water Nina handed her after the girl had come running over, other members of the cobbled together maintenance crew following. After drinking greedily, she glanced around. The Guren was in rough shape, damage littering its armor, and the Wave Surger was absolutely wrecked. She winced, and noticed the other Nightmares were in equally rough shape, save for Chiba's Sutherland II. Turning back to Nina, who was now busying herself with the the Nightmares alongside Cecile and the others, Kallen offered her thanks. "Thanks for the water. It's a living hell out there. How long for the repairs to be finished?"
Nina shook her head. "They won't have proper repairs. Between our spare parts, and cannibalizing Chiba's Sutherland, we'll barely have your Knightmares up and running in five minutes."
"What about Chiba, what is she going to do?" The woman in question walked up in response to hearing her name called out.
"I'm reporting to the bridge. I'm the least skilled pilot among the five of us remaining, and Lelouch made a judgement call. I'm not happy about it, but it's better to consolidate our strength where we can best make use of it."
Kallen balled her fists for a second before nodding. From an objective point of view it made since, but they would miss having another body on the battlefield. Chiba had more than pulled her weight in the battles so far. Hopefully in the future they would come up with a solution to get her back into the swing of things.
The other three pilots joined the women, and Cornelia was the first to speak up. "I should be, but I can't say I'm surprised to see my brother here saving our sorry asses. It's pathetic we've been pushed this far, but he gave us the breathing room we needed to regroup." She palmed her face, the disgrace she felt in herself coming off in waves. It would take her returning to battle to work off the irritation she was now feeling.
"As dishonorable as it is to admit it, I was on the losing end of my duel. I promise to avenge that disgrace twofold. Although, the thought of my Lord throwing himself into battle to save his friends delights me to no end. I won't rest on my laurels now that my loyalty has been proven righteous once again." Jeremiah placed his hand over his heart solemnly, clearly anticipating his own return to battle.
"The taste of this near defeat isn't going to wash away anytime soon. The only thing we can do to prove ourselves is turn this battle around once we're ready to join Lelouch again. This probably won't be the last time we'll be saved by him, but I don't want this debt to go unpaid." Tohdoh narrowed his eyes, fire lighting up his gaze. He slammed his fist to his chest. "Let us finish this battle in glory!" The other pilots did likewise. The weariness that had been defining their features bleeding away with fresh determination.
Kallen turned to Chiba, and placed an hand on her shoulder. "You might not be going out there with us right now, but Ill make sure to kick enough ass for both of us!" Chiba met her gaze and cracked a wide grin.
"You better, or I'm taking the Guren for myself if you die out there." She lifted her fist, and the two pilots bumped them before Chiba addressed Tohdoh. "You better come back you hear me? I'm not losing the man I love just because I'm not going to be able to babysit him on the battlefield." She leaned in, and quickly kissed him on the lips. The others relished a bit at the display of affection.
Tohdoh blushed furiously after she pulled away and he coughed into his fist. Jeremiah clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man. It would be poor form to leave a maiden heartbroken. You would surely rot away in the afterlife if you did."
"I promise I'll return. I won't leave you alone Chiba." The women he swore his loyalty to smiled beautifully before she nodded, and parted ways. She was needed on the bridge to help take some of the burden off the others.
Cornelia cleared her throat. "Enough of the pleasantries. Our Knightmares are almost ready to return to battle. We have a fight to win." The group turned to the machines, each having been patched up to at least combat readiness. The damaged or missing limbs had all been replaced with fresh appendages, and Cornelia's Knightmare had even been equipped with a new EM Lance.
Kallen eyed the Guren, its Radiant Wave Surger was now gone, and in its place was the arm of Chiba's Sutherland II. A fresh assault rifle now the unit's main weapon. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. Cecile finished running the diagnostics and gave Kallen the green light. "I've replaced the energy fuller, so you have plenty of juice, but without the gauntlet, the Guren isn't going to pack much more of a punch than anything else. I think you'll be fine though. You're still flying the fastest machine out there by a long shot."
"Thanks, I'm gonna pay them back for damaging the Guren." Kallen climbed into the cockpit and the other pilots did likewise. The maintenance crew quickly cleared the way as they readied the Knightmares to be launched from the catapult. Everyone's anticipation spiked. Things were about to come to a head.
Leila was beginning to grow restless. The Gekkoei was proving to be untouchable with the way the battle was unfolding. The rest of the drones even with support from the Asuka-class carriers were being taken apart systematically. The wZERO unit had temporarily withdrawn due to the BRS starting to overwhelm the pilots. It was a powerful tool, but it couldn't be used for extended periods of time due to how taxing it was on the mind.
Sarah and Olivia fired off reports of more losses as Lelouch continued his assault on their forces. Presumably he was buying time for his allies to regroup, and she had ordered Akito and the others to do the same. The rest of the drones were likely going to have to be a sacrifice just to give them an opportunity to have a fighting chance. The biggest dilemma Leila was facing was if she wanted to rely on the remainder of the Black Knight pilots to even the score again. She winced at the thought of more lives being carelessly lost. It was best to leave them as a last line of defense.
"Ma'am. I would like to sortie as well." Leila flinched for a second before turning to Captain Oscar Hammel. He used to guard their main headquarters, Castle Weisswolf, before permanently joining under her command aboard the Gallia Grande. He had piloted her own personal Knightmare in the past when Shin had launched a major attack on Weisswolf.
"Are you sure? I can't guarantee your safety. I know you're a fine pilot, but you're just as valuable as a commanding officer here on the ship." While having another skilled unit in play might be a small windfall, he wasn't on the level of Wyvern Squad.
"I'm sure. All the rabble has been cleared from the board it seems. With only a handful of pilots remaining, I know I can make a difference out there." The two stared each other down for a few seconds before she nodded her approval.
"Confirmed. Hurry and join the Wyvern Unit before they return to battle. Good hunting." They saluted one another before he was off. The decision didn't sit well with her, but she wasn't going to turn down another pilot in the air that she had faith in. Her trust in him wasn't misplaced. She was sure of it.
"Ma'am, the last drones are down!" Sarah's warning caught Leila's attention, and she let loose a curse. It had barely been five minutes since the Gekkoei had shown up, and it had shot down over twenty machines. Even worse, if the time it was taking for Wyvern Squad to rearm was any indication, the enemies were likely finishing up their own preparations to return to battle as well. Things were coming down to wire, and it seemed like anyone's battle currently. They were going to need to rush things a bit it seemed.
"Tell Akito and the others to scramble on the double. Captain Hammel will be behind them shortly. Things are going to get even more hectic."
"Yes ma'am!" The orders were relayed, and Wyvern Squad sortied. Akito led the small unit of pilots, and Leila knew the battle was mostly in his hands now. She would offer as much fire support with the Gallia Grande as possible.
As the last drones erupted into flames, Lelouch lowered the Hadron Blasters. The drones had put up a decent fight, but still fell fairly quickly. The cannons on a number of the Asuka-class had been devastated as well, rendering them harmless unless they decided to relaunch the remaining Sutherlands into battle again. Only the enemy flagship was untouched, but it had remained farther away, out of the heavier parts of the battle. Smart, considering if they had been shot down the battle was as good as over.
"How boring, I was so excited to see how much she had grown, but so far I'm not impressed." Lelouch eyed C.C. with annoyance, quickly putting together what she meant. Considering the reputation of Leila Malcal as a battlefield commander, her performance so far had only been merely adequate. While she was facing a technologically superior foe, the numbers advantage skewed heavily in her favor. The main point of credit he could hand her was none of the famed Wyvern Squad had been shot down yet, however that said just as much about their own combat proficiency as it did Leila's battle acumen.
"That aside, if I'm not mistaken, the Aces on both sides are about to return to battle. Kallen and the others are in much worse shape than the enemy, but now the numbers are mostly evened out. It will come down to pure piloting skill now. That's the one area I'm sure we have the edge in."
"You're placing your faith in Kallen again. Should I be jealous? " It was obvious she was trying to get a reaction from him, so he paid her no mind.
"I am actually. With the board in such a simplified state, it makes sense to bet on our strongest pieces. Alongside Tohdoh, Jeremiah and Cornelia, I'm certain they can come out victorious." C.C. frowned at his deflection, annoyed that he seemed to be immune to her teasing.
"You're no fun if you don't react at all. It's obvious from her reaction earlier that she still has feelings for you." That got a small twitch from one of his eyes. It was a small victory, but it improved her mood noticeably.
"Not the time," he frowned, but then quickly refocused as the enemy Knightmares flew into the battle again. "That was quicker than I had hoped. It seems the enemy commander is at least somewhat competent after all. Let's see how their pilots stack up now."
Akito led the Wyvern Squad, and they quickly dispersed as the Gekkoei opened up fire with its Hadron Blasters. Akito kept going straight, and deflected a shot with his Blaze Luminous. He narrowly avoided another shot before closing in and attempting to end the fight with the Liberte's Katana. The MVS was about to strike true when two auxiliary arms flicked out from the Gekkoei's skirt armor and twin blades of purple energy flared to life and barely managed to deflect the attack, using his Knightmare's own momentum to make him overshoot his target. "Those weapons are the same as Shin's!"
Ashley quickly followed up with the Reg Ogre, and the Heat Swords came crashing down, only to bounce off the Gekkoei's multiple shields. "Hard! Those shields are strong. I don't know if I'll be able to break them."
Several rounds from Yukiya's Linear Rifle bounced off the shields as the layers rearranged themselves to account for the impacts. He tksed in annoyance. "It's like it's predicting our movements. Ranged attacks aren't going to accomplish anything here. We need to surround it."
Ryo activated his Alexander's axe, and closed in to pressure the enemy alongside Akito and Ashley. "Then we'll crush him up close!" The axe was stopped just as easily, and he redoubled his attacks. With three enemies surrounding it, the Gekkoei was forced to turtle behind its shields. The pressure they put on kept the layers constantly rearranging themselves to avoid being overwhelmed.
"There, a gap!" Spotting a small hole in the defense, Ayano tried to slip her Augus Londray sword between the gaps in the shield's layers. She narrowly ducked out of the way as ten Slash Harkins only just missed beheading her Knightmare. "How many weapons does this stupid thing have!?" She backed up the Valiant and circled around to scan for another opening.
"Not bad, your teamwork is making it impossible to counterattack properly. Leila's pet project seems to have borne some fruit." A female voice mockingly praised the Wyvern Squad, which caught Akito off guard, as he had been told they were fighting against Lelouch vi Britannia. The appearance of another pilot could mean any number of complications. In the worst case scenario, another opposing Knightmare could show up from nowhere.
"Who are you? Where is Lelouch?"
"Oh no worries Ghost of Hannibal, I'm here too. This unit requires two pilots to operate at full capacity. One for offense, the other to operate the extensive shield system." His tone was slightly mocking, which got under Akito's skin more than he would like to admit.
Akito backed the Liberte away from the Knightmare, as the others did the same. They would have to find another way to approach the fight. "Why would you tell us such important characteristics of your Knightmare?" It likely wouldn't make the fight easier, but the information would lead to them being more cautious when approaching melee range.
"Quite simply, because you've lost your opportunity to overwhelm us with numbers." Just as Akito was about to question what he meant, the Guren appeared quickly in his line of sight, an assault rifle aiming at the Liberte's head, he narrowly ducked the assault, and quickly gave ground. He backed away, giving the 9th Generation Knightmare a healthy separation from his own. The rest of his unit quickly followed suit. No one wanted to face that thing close up, even if its main weapon was out of the picture.
"That's right, I'm back. You might have had the upper hand when I was taking you all on at once, but now the tables have turned!" The Quinn Roses, Sutherland Loyal, and Zangetsu appeared in succession, clearly having the same rushed patchwork repairs the Guren sported. The condition of the Knightmares didn't put Akito and the others at ease however. They had already experienced what they were capable of when the numbers were heavily in their favor, and now it was five on five.
"Kallen, C.C. and I will keep their leader busy, the rest of you should pick from the lot and force a series of one on one battles. That's our best bet moving forward."
"Roger. I'm on it." The Guren sped toward the sniper in the distance. She was still annoyed from how often it had taken pot shots at her throughout the battle. "You're done for you annoying bug!"
"Oh shit!" Yukiya panicked as the Guren almost immediately caught up to him, but was saved in the last second when support fire directed at the Guren caused the pilot to peel away at the last second.
"I'm here to back you all up." Oscar Hammel arrived right on time in Leila's Alexander to prevent another casualty. Yukiya quickly thanked him before they both turned to face the Guren, who was maintaining its distance for the time being.
"Fine, I'm game to take both of you on. I'm used to fighting you in groups now anyway!" The Guren raised its assault Rifle, and began spitting fire at Oscar who narrowly dodged.
"Oh great why am I stuck fighting the fucking Guren?!" Yukiya whined as he opened fire with his Linear Rifle, forcing the Guren to dodge now that its energy shield was missing. The Gallia Grande aimed its own suite of turrets towards the Guren as well, picking it out as the largest threat. Kallen avoided a rain of fire, and maneuvered the Guren to try to find an opportunity to go on the offensive.
Jeremiah beelined towards the Red Ogre, eager to finish his duel with Ashley from earlier. "Time to finish things from where we left off! It's a shame I have no martial weapons to meet you head on with." To his surprise the opposition non threateningly tossed one of the Heat Swords to him. The Sutherland Loyal deftly caught the proffered weapon in its hand. "Hoh, what is this? Do you consider me so unthreatening that I'm in need of charity?"
"Parish the thought. There's no honor in facing an unarmed foe. Such a farce could hardly be called a duel." Ashley grinned manically. His blood was boiling again at the thought of facing Jeremiah. Such battles were the type of thing he lived and longed for.
"Well met. And once again, en garde!" The twin blades clashed, sparks flying around the two Knightmares. They broke away again, before continuing their battle.
Ryo's axe clashed with the Break Sword of the Zangetsu. Both pilots were satisfied merely feeling one another out so far. Ryo wasn't thrilled to be duking it out with a war hero like 'Tohdoh of Miracles', who had been responsible for the miracle of Itsukushima. However, he'd rather that than be in Yukiya's shoes. The Guren was a far more fearsome enemy by comparison, not that the Zangetsu was lacking in any way. He was pretty sure the Ace custom had slightly superior specs in comparison to the Alexander Valiant.
"You're not half bad, but your movements are unrefined. Show me the fire that troubled Kozuki so much earlier." The Zangetsu easily paired another series of attacks. Tohdoh slowly started gaining the upper hand. Ryo tried to catch him off guard with a salvo of missiles, but they were either narrowly dodged or deflected with the sword of the Zangetsu.
"You're even better than I've heard. Even Akito wouldn't have an easy time with you." Ryo grunted as his Valiant took a glancing blow which separated the missile launcher from his Knightmare. "Damn it, I was using that!" The Linear Chaingun spit out rounds in retaliation, but they were easily dodged. The Zangetsu closed the distance again, as Tohdoh seemed intent on keeping the battle up close.
Ayano wasn't having much greater luck. Her own Valiant was being chased down by Cornelia, and even though she tried to shake her off with repeated rounds of fire, they were easily intercepted by the Blaze Luminous from her EM Lance. The Quin Roses zipped through the line of fire, and its thrusters came alive, shortening the distance between the two machines.
"You're not getting away. Face me!" The EM Lance thrust forward, and Ayano barely evaded it. She readied her Valiant's own sword, and prepared to engage in melee. She wasn't thrilled considering the disadvantage in reach. Lances were designed to hold an edge over swords.
"Honestly you're kind of terrifying. I've heard the rumors, but you're relentless." Ayano had to wipe away the building sweat from her brow. Things had turned around so quickly. Now that they were forced into a series of duels, the skill of the enemy pilots could finally shine. The Wyvern Squad were incredibly skilled in their own right, but the caliber of the enemy pilots was world class. Among her peers, she'd only peg Akito as their equal.
"I'm touched you feel that way, but I don't let my prey get away so easily." Cornelia swiped the lance, and Ayano was forced to block instead of parry, and the impact sent her Valiant reeling backwards. On instinct, launching her replaced Slash Harkin narrowly saved her from being run through by Cornelia's follow through. She regained her balance, and managed to brave herself for the next onslaught.
Shiro Sazanami watched the battle play out on his feed. He was heading one of the Asuka-class carriers, and was hypothetically in charge of this fleet of Black Knight ships. He had conceded control of the operation to Leila Malcal out of respect for her reputation. Unfortunately what had started out as a simple capture operation had quickly devolved into a pitched battle. The amount of lost resources could easily lead to his being discharged. The wZERO unit had been about to end the battle, when Lelouch himself decided to pull them out of the jaws of defeat.
"Shizuka and Sakai, this is a disaster. I pulled out our officers as a favor to Leila Malcal because she wanted us to avoid anymore casualties. As of now however, things have taken a turn for the worse. Dispatch our remaining forces. We need to avoid this from becoming a complete failure."
"Right away sir. Sending the order out now." Kaoru Shizuka, Sazanami's second in command complied, and the remaining pilots who were already on standby inside their Knightmares began to scramble.
After a few tense moments, they reengaged into battle. Immediately, the Gallia Grande hailed their ship. Leila's visage appeared on screen, clearly annoyed with the situation. "Captain Sazanami. What is the meaning of this? Why have you sortied your forces again?" The man visibly grimaced for a brief moment before he schooled his features. He wasn't going to let himself lose face to a younger officer, no matter who she was.
"As you can plainly see, the wZERO Unit is fighting a losing battle. I made the executive decision to take matters into my own hands. Taking down the enemy forces as expediently as possible is our sole remaining course of action. More specifically the Guren and the Gekkoei have been marked as priority targets."
Leila uncharacteristically bit her nail in response. Her eyes narrowed. "Fine. I have no authority over your own decisions, just make sure my own officers don't get caught in the crossfire." Before he could respond, the line of communication was cut. Sazanami sighed in exasperation, and closed his eyes. He didn't want to tread over the young lady's honor like this, but he felt he had no other option. Things were spiraling out of control. Only decisive action would prevent their total destruction at the hands of the enemy forces.
Just as Kallen managed to force the pilot of the Knightmare who had interrupted her chase earlier to eject, her sensor suite blared to life. Dodging several streams of incoming fire, the Guren banked sharply. The remainder of the Sutherland II from earlier had apparently returned to the fray. "Oh great, more interruptions. Why do these small fry keep getting in my way?" She turned around to engage the forces, some of which split off in the direction Lelouch was fighting." She immediately intercepted them. "I'm not letting you distract Lelouch!"
The Guren accelerated, and managed to intercept the other group of Sutherlands. In a panic the Knightmares opened up fire on Kallen, who weaved easily between the hail of bullets. "Learn to aim!" Closing in, she fired off her Slash Harkins, which maimed a pair of enemy Knightmares, taking them out of the sky. A quick burst of fire from the assault rifle she was carrying took down a third. Dodging more enemy fire, she noticed there was only a little more than a dozen Sutherland II remaining. Kallen scoffed. This wasn't going to take her long to mop them up. These mobs weren't half the threat the Wyvern Squad were. Even without the Radiant Wave Surger, they posed little in the way of opposition.
Akito's movements continued to grow sharper as he deflected another shot from the Hadron Blaster with his Blaze Luminous. Moving in close was proving difficult, but he was making progress. The Gekkoei had fired off its main cannon again, forcing him to make space or risk being annihilated. The Liberte was the more agile of the two units, but its middling ranged weapons proved completely ineffective against his opponent's absurd shield system.
"He's dangerous. Any normal pilot would have been blown to pieces by now. He might even be close to Kallen in pure skill." Lelouch continued to intercept the well timed burst of ranged harassment coming from the Liberte's only gun. The aim was pinpoint, and the pattern of fire kept him too busy to be able to fire off the Gekkoei's main weapon again.
"He's annoying is what he is!" C.C. scowled. She had been taking pot shots with the Hadron Blasters whenever their shields lowered, but even otherwise dead on hits were always blocked or parried. One had even been slashed apart with the Liberte's MVS Katana in an absurd feat of swordsmanship. C.C. frowned as another shot narrowly was avoided. "I hate persistent men."
Akito, desperate to end the fight, shook off a particularly well aimed shot that clipped the Liberte's head. Armor was boiled off, and the head was peeled down to the optical units. The Liberte's green eyes flashed menacingly and the red ring of Geass began to shine in Akito's own. His movements became more aggressive as his impulse control died completely. The BRS began to forcefully spike as the feedback from Akito's mind bled into the other pilots through their connection. The battle once again turned in an instant as the Wyvern Squadron tapped into Akito's latent potential. "Die! I'm gonna kill you!"
The Liberte burst forward in a flash of speed, its propulsion system overheating. C.C. barely managed to get the Luminous Cone Swords up in time to intercept the sudden attack. "This sudden shift in style, he's like Suzaku! He's under the effect of a Geass, but he's using it as a tool to increase his combat strength." The Gekkoei was rocked around, as the ten Slash Harkins were launched just to try to buy some time. The switch in tactics was alarming. He no longer seemed to care if his Knightmare was damaged brutally in the process of taking them down.
Throughout the battlefield, the tables had turned. The Zangetsu had sacrificed a leg just to avoid a lethal attack. Cornelia was slowly being overwhelmed by expertly placed thrusts. Jeremiah had been forced into a contest of strength, both his and Ashley's Knightmares in an intense blade lock. Even Kallen was forced to dodge Linear Rifle fire from the enemy Sniper while she was distracted by the remaining Sutherlands.
Tohdoh finally bisected the axe that Ryo's Valiant was wielding. The two halves shattered apart, and Ryo threw the handle at the Zangetsu, which nimbly dodged to the side. Both of the Urina Edge Knives flicked out from the Valiant's wrists, and it lunged forward. Down a limb, Tohdoh fired off both his Slash Harkins, which were then sliced off from the cable.
"This sudden spike in ability. This is from some outside interference." Tohdoh scowled as he was forced on the defensive. He was quickly running out of options as his opponent became quicker and more precise with his attacks. He narrowly avoided his cockpit being run through as one of the knives broke off in the Zangetsu's armor plating. The thrusters of the Brake Sword flared to life, but failed to land a critical blow.
Cornelia's Quin Roses gave ground as Ayano pierced her EM Lance's Blaze Luminous generator. An explosion went off as the Lance blew apart partially, and Cornelia was forced to use the remains of the weapon to parry more attacks. "How am I letting myself be pushed around by these lightweights!?"
"Die!" Another accurate thrust was partially dodged with a narrow margin, and the tip of the Valiant's blade impaled the left palm of Cornelia's Knightmare. The mechanisms blew apart, the limb blowing out smoke.
The Quin Roses Magic Jet kicked to life in an attempt to end the battle, the remains of the EM Lance thrusting forward. Ayano's Valiant impossibly dodged the attack, and countered. The Quin Roses head was sent flying. Cornelia's head slammed into the back of her pilot seat, a streak of blood flowing down her forehead. "Damn it!" She maneuvered the Quin Roses to catch another thrust, and flipped the Alexander Valiant with an over the shoulder throw. Luckily she had managed to snap one of the elbows of the Knightmare in the process.
Jeremiah finally lost ground when the Red Ogre slipped through his guard and landed a rough kick on the Sutherland Loyal. Ashley followed through and tried to gut the opposing Knightmare which forced Jeremiah to throw his assault rifle. The gun promptly exploded when the Red Ogre's Heat sword cut it in half. Jeremiah launched a flurry of attacks with his own borrowed sword and failed to land any decisive blows. "It's a shame to see you and your companions lose yourselves to violence like this. While you're surely strong, the way you fight now lacks any honor!"
"Shut up trash! I'm gonna murder you!" Jeremiah ejected the legs of the Sutherland Loyal to avoid a debilitating strike, and self destructed them to gain some breathing room. The intense blast launched the Red Ogre backwards, and shredded its armor in several places. Jeremiah caught the Knightmare in one of its joints with the Heat Blade and removed its off arm.
"That's payback for the arm you took earlier!" A cry of outrage escaped Ashley, and the two mechs clashed repeatedly, both in equally rough shape.
Lelouch scanned the progress of the other battles. Initially it had been going well, but now only Kallen seemed to be having a easy time of things. "The feedback from the Geass command is affecting the other pilots. It must be a side effect from the BRS. I never was able to find out all the details, but that means any phenomena that directly affects the mind will in turn work on the whole group."
"Geass won't be a solution. As long as you can't make direct eye contact it's useless!" C.C. was jostled about and had to avoid biting her tongue as Several of the Gekkoei's Slash Harkins were sliced apart at the cable.
"I'm not referring to Geass. As long as you can touch the enemy Knightmare, you can send shock images through indirect contact. All we need to do is create a situation where that's possible."
"Oh like that's so easy! If you couldn't tell we have our hands full with trying not to die right now!" The Gekkoei continued to be slowly overwhelmed by the Alexander Liberte. Every second another gash appeared on the Gekkoei's armor.
"Die! Die! Die!"
"Creating an opening won't be a problem. Now! Kallen!"
"I'm on it!" The Guren blurred away from its own engagement and appeared behind Akito's Knightmare. At the same time C.C. fired off the Hadron Blaster up close forcing an awkward dodge. While the Alexander was at an awkward angle, the Guren fired off its two Slash Harkins, the Harkin Boosters rocketing them forward at blinding speeds. They pierced the Knightmares shoulders, tearing away both of its arms in a shower of shrapnel and sparks.
"I'll Kill You!" The Liberte flew forward from the force of the impact, and Akito attempted to maneuver it to deal with the Guren, but the Gekkoei's remaining Slash Harkins entangled around the machine. While Akito continued to struggle, it proved fruitless now that he was disabled. The cockpit of the Gekkoei opened up, and C.C. precariously climbed down to make contact with the enemy Knightmare.
The Guren intercepted sniper fire as Yukiya attempted to intervene. "Not on my watch!" She superimposed the Guren in the line of fire, and continued to keep an eye out for any other interruptions. The handful of remaining Sutherlands continued to slowly close in, but they refrained from firing due to Akito being effectively in a hostage situation.
Just as C.C. was about to place her hand on Akito's Knightmare, Lelouch stopped her. "Wait. Don't C.C. I'm getting a direct connection from the Gallia Grande." Her face appeared on his feed, and the two opposing commanders finally met face to face for the first time. Leila Malcal looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Why? Why is that woman here? Why is she working with you!?" Lelouch was a little caught off guard from the woman's demeanor. She seemed thrown off by the appearance of C.C. and wasn't acting completely composed. He didn't blame the girl. Presumably while she was known for preferring to work things out peacefully, C.C. and him appearing before her had thrown her usually calm nature. Being a prior contractee of C.C. likely had something to do with it.
"It's simple, I've sold my soul to a witch. This woman is my partner in all things. We promised to never part from one another again." Lelouch smiled as he closed his eyes. It wasn't the type of answer he knew she was looking for, but it was certainly the truth.
"A contract? Why would she make a contract with someone like you?" Leila's gaze unfocused for a moment before C.C. made herself known again, having climbed back into the Gekkoei's cockpit.
"It's because I didn't want to be alone. L.L. is the reason I live. I'm in turn the reason he lives."
"It really is you. I don't know the reason behind why you're involved in this conflict, or how Lelouch is alive, but I won't let my friends die!" A blue Geass symbol manifested in her left eye, and suddenly Lelouch felt his mind start to open up. Phantom images of places and people he didn't know appeared in his mind. It was overwhelming, and he began to lose himself in the sensation. One by one, every other participant was exposed to the same phenomenon. Only C.C. as a proper Code bearer was properly immune to the effects of Leila's Geass. Feeling a sensation from off in the distance, she noticed the Sutherland Loyal was still operating as if Jeremiah was lucid.
Panicking, C.C. sent out a line to Jeremiah. "Orange Boy, stop her from using her Geass! She's on board the enemy flagship!"
"Yes, Lady C.C.!" Being the only other person unaffected by Leila's Geass, he quickly flew over to the Gallia Grande. His Geass Canceler activated, and the sphere of its influence grew until it affected Leila directly. The Geass forcefully ended, and everyone snapped back to reality shortly after. The battlefield was deadly quiet as people took stock of what had just occurred. Everyone had seen images of events from the perspective of their enemies. Their pasts shared with one another due to the power of Leila's Geass.
"All forces stand down. It appears we have much to discuss. Not everything is as we have been led to believe." At the words of Shiro Sazanami, the tension in the air finally dissipated. Finally, the immediate conflict was at an end. "I would like to speak to Lelouch vi Britannia face to face, or should I refer to you as Zero?"
A/N: Sorry for the hiatus. Real life got in the way, and I had to place this fic on hold. Then Roze of the Recapture was scheduled to start airing, and I wanted to wait to draw more inspiration from it. Anyway, after six months here is chapter eight. The largest scale battle so far has finally ended, and it looks like things might be able to come to a peaceful conclusion. We'll take a peak at what Schneizel is up to next chapter. The upload schedule should be every couple weeks. Thanks for reading. Until next time.