Interlude 31: The Demon's Retort, Part 1: Through The White Blinding Storm! Truth's Blazing Light!
ちくしょ。。 (Damn...) That this happened isn't a surprise, there isn't much a beast like Bradley wouldn't do. But how did the Black Knights find out about it?
The lenses of my mask focus on the screen, security authentication markers in the corner proving that this was indeed internal surveillance footage from the Viceroy's palace in Tokyo, Area Eleven. The time is almost a week after the Black Rebellion.
"Where is the Viceroy, General? I'm not a man inclined to be forced to wait, and a failure like Princess Cornelia has no business wasting the time of a Knight of the Round." Luciano Bradley sneers in the video, bandages on his face, the way he's standing and trying not to hunch over clearly indicating recovery from recent injuries.
"Ah ain't inclined to be a-wasting time either, but Ah dun told ya. She ain't here, Sir Bradley. Y'all gotta talk to me first till she gets back." General Andreas Darlton replies with a dismissive shrug.
Bradley points a finger at the taller scarred man, hissing in anger, "You're lying! Where is she, old man? His Majesty was clear that she was being demoted for her failure in the Black Rebellion, and since I was forced to come here to clean up her mess, the least that bitch can do is grovel and thank me for the privilege! So start talking or-!"
"Or you'll what? You ain't viceroy yet till the official transfer takes place. And Her Highness is doing a last minute security inspection. Can't be too careful after them terrorist made a mess o' things. Heard you had a bit o' trouble yerself out in the middle east, pilgrim. Y'all understand proper security measures, right? Wouldn't want nuthin' to happen to you like there, would ya?"
"My my, General Darlton is in rare form. I've almost never heard him use his accent talking to someone like the Knight of Ten. One would think that he was trying to provoke the man," Lloyd comments, his usual irritating expression of dismissive amusement on his face.
A sound like a yipe issues from his lips as Cecile furrows her brow at the footage, "Be serious Lloyd, this is a public relations disaster. And since we are here in Area Eleven, we have to prepare for the worst because of it. I just don't understand how this happened…"
"You had days to perform whatever inspections or procedures you needed! First you keep my aircraft in a holding pattern for over an hour due to code clearance. Then you make my team go through a full security search of our aircraft and equipment. And finally, we have to take the most convoluted and ridiculous route just to get to this fucking palace! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! WHERE IS THE FUCKING VICEROY SO I CAN TOSS HER FAT ASS OUT THE DOOR!" Bradley screeches, his fingers twitching to pull a knife from his cloak as Darlton stares him down, a no nonsense look of condescension on his features.
It doesn't make any sense. Why? Why is Darlton doing this? He should know what Bradley is like.
"Ah'm still an officer in his Majesty's armed forces, sir. All Ah'm doing is following orders, same as you. So there ain't no call for you to be a-hollering like a bear wanting to rut. Just sit tight, we'll get this sorted out soon enough."
Bradley squares up his shoulders, marching down the hall to stand right in front of the general, poking him in the chest, hateful fury in his gray eyes.
"And I am a knight of the fucking round. Get the hell out of my way, you dried up fossil!"
Darlton's arm shoots across the knight's path as he shakes his head in refusal, "What's yer hurry anyway? From what Ah can tell, you ain't interested in being here no more than we're interested in havin' ya."
What the…why is he smirking like that?
"Heh. Maybe it weren't no terrorist that tried to bomb ya back in Area Eighteen. Maybe one of those poor girls you got a hold of or their relatives thought you weren't being gentile enough with them and slapped your knightmare silly with an IED. Too rough for ya, Vampire?"
The look on Bradley's face, it's obvious what he's thinking. But killing a ranking general of the empire without cause? Even for a knight of the round, that would result in a reprima-
"Arghh…shoulda known a sidewinder like you would try to stab a man in the back…"
One of Bradley's signature daggers is sticking out of General Darlton's side, the height of the wound indicating that Bradley was trying to perforate the man's heart from behind, only failing due to a sudden movement redirecting the strike to the upper left lats, just below the armpit.
"Traitors who impede a knight of the round from their duties don't deserve the luxury of a clean death. Now I'll ask you a question, General. What do men value most?"
The sound of a second dagger splitting flesh apart as it stabs into the man's stomach intersects with Cecile gasping at what we're witnessing. How?
How is a man such as this, a beast in human flesh, given such power?!
Luciano Bradley is almost as bad as Zero himself!
"Gah!" "Ain't time fer askin' dumb questions, boy!" Bradley reels from a headbutt as Darlton grapples with him, one arm holding the knight's right forearm trying to pull the dagger in his gut out, the other wrapped around the other man's neck as the Valkyrie squadron looks on in horror, unable to fire for fear of hitting the wrong target.
Bradley's left arm jabs a knife hand into Darlton's left armpit, breaking the chokehold he had been held in, grappling with the older man's left wrist, blood dripping from his forehead as he snarls like a wild animal.
"I'll enjoy draining your blood till you're a desiccated corpse for the vultures, you dickless bastard! That faggot Guilford I could understand, he's Cornelia's bitch. But you? I doubt she ever gave you a taste, old man. So why are you protecting that fucking whore, huh?!"
"Rather vulgar, isn't he?" Lloyd quips, cleaning his glasses with the usual detached look in his eyes. Cecile meanwhile is biting her lip in worry about where this is going. And I, sit with my hands folded in front of my mouth, gaze fixed on the record of a murder we're witnessing.
"It's called loyalty, not like an ugly mutt like you would know the meaning o' that word. Hell, surprised someone who looks like they came outta the ass end o' a steer can talk." Darlton responds, blood dripping from his mouth, both their muscles flexing, looking for an opening, knowing the next move may spell death for either of them.
Bradley suddenly releases his grip on the left arm, ducking under Darlton's lunge and pulling his arm into an overhead throw, slamming the larger man onto the polished metal flooring. In a single motion, he draws forth a dagger, and slams it down into the general's heart hilt deep, drawing a pained gasp from Darlton's lips as his grip on the dagger in his stomach goes slack.
"The thing people value most is their lives. And yours is MINE, old man. I'm going to enjoy despoiling your corpse after this, gyahahahahaha!" the vampire laughs maniacally, licking the blood dripping down from his forehead that had fallen on his lips.
"Y'all ain't no Knight, Bradley. You're a rabid dog, drunk on blood from people who weren't strong enough to stop you, and calling that glory. Tche, glory mah texan ass. Sonnuvabitch like you disgraces the word by existin'..."
The vampire smiles demented at that, twisting the knife in his victim's heart literally and figuratively, "The weak die and the strong flourish. That is the Britannian way, isn't it? Kill a man normally, it's murder. Kill a thousand men on a battlefield, you're a hero. I'm a knight of the god damn round, I can kill ANYONE I WANT AND NOBODY CAN TELL ME NO EXCEPT HIS MAJESTY!"
Darlton's right arm slowly reaches out, grabbing at the lapel of his killer's coat, spitting a glob of blood on it as he rasps out a retort.
"Heh…then maybe…maybe…it's better Britannia is finally stopped. If..if the country…that I love…and served..all these years..considers a man…like you…as a hero…maybe Zero is right to want to destro-ughh.…"
The last word cuts off as a second dagger stabs into his throat. And General Andreas Darlton, one of the few men who respected me regardless of my origin as an Eleven…dies in a hallway of the Viceory's palace, slaughtered by the Knight of Ten.
Bradley kicks the body in the side, disentangling himself from the death grip, pulling his daggers out as he looks down in disgust.
"Zero? Don't make me laugh. That masked punk ass bitch is rotting in hell, same place as you. Hey, you useless cunts!"
He directs his gaze to the Valkyries, snarling at them as they quiver in fear at his approach, a dagger spinning in his right hand menacingly.
"What was that dog shit?! You're paid to be my bodyguards and squadron, and you let that old fuckhead grab me like that?! I should beat at least one of you to death for being worthless whores!"
Slowly, he wipes the bloody dagger that had previously been in Darlton's stomach on the arm of a girl with light brown hair and blue eyes as she trembles at the flat of the blade on her skin.
"Lucky for you, I've got another toy to entertain me right now. And I'm feeling energized after killing someone. So I'll take my frustration out on that redheaded Eleven bitch. THIS TIME. Next time, it'll be your turn if you screw up like that again, got it?" he hisses at her, hiding the daggers back in his cloak.
The Valkyrie Squad member nods rapidly, fear apparent in her eyes at the clear threat.
"Now get to work and clean up this mess. I don't care where you hide him, just put him somewhere I can get 'creative' later. I'm not finished with this old piece of shit yet."
The screen shuts off, the footage having run out, leaving the three of us to ponder what we've seen.
"Who has seen this?" I inquire, trying not to think about the knot in my heart at seeing Andreas Darlton mutilated and butchered…
Lloyd smiles sinisterly, raising an eyebrow at me, "Oh most of Area 11 by now. It was released on the dark web and various official news portals via hacking. Imperial censors tried to scrub it, but they gave up on trying to remove it completely after several hours of trying, too many people were mirroring it across the internet. Quite clever of Zero, really."
Cecile turns to Lloyd with an aghast look on her face, "Lloyd! We just witnessed a brutal murder that took place here in this palace! How can you praise Zero for releasing the footage?!"
Still smiling, he pushes his glasses further up his nose as he answers, "Quite simple, my dear Cecile. If we are so aghast at seeing this, I do wonder what the state of the garrison troops is having seen their new commanding officer murder the old one. Were a gambling man, I'd be betting that Sir Bradley is going to find them extremely reluctant to follow orders."
With one single video, Zero has cratered morale for all armed forces in Area 11. And that redhead he mentioned in the video and to me..I know her. But from where? Where have I met that woman Stadfelt before?
No matter. I can't stop now. Not when Euphie's vengeance is at hand.
"But...what good is a gilded cage when the world outside will tear the bird inside apart? The Empire is sick, Suzaku. And even though my sister may not understand it, she's wrong. And we were both wrong too,"
Arghhh! When was this?! Why!? Why can't I remember when she said that?! WHY AM I HAUNTED BY THESE GHOSTS OF MOMENTS LOST AND FACES NEVER SEEN?!
"Suzaku-" "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I scream out as I dash from the room, breathing heavily, eyes wide in horror as I dash to the safety of my quarters, locking the door and falling to my knees with a splitting headache.
"Leave me be! All I want is to kill Zero! I can't go to Euphie until I avenge what that monster did to her! PLEASE, LET ME AVENGE THE WOMAN I LOVE! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS TO ME EXCEPT THAT!" I shriek, my head feeling like acid is roiling inside it.
Arghh! Where is it?! Where are my tranquilizers?! I frantically search the dresser, the bed, even the bathroom before finally locating them in a case behind the nightstand.
Hands tremble as I hit the button, activating the jet injector and forcing the chemicals into my veins, sighing in relief as the pain begins to subside, the world beginning to fade into darkness, my body collapsing onto my bed on my side, tears falling from my eyes at what she would think of me now.
"Forgive me Euphie…" I whisper as I drop into blessed unconsciousness.
A day later, a deep breath escapes my lips as I sip tea in my quarters in the early morning, waiting for the inevitable. The time of Zero's assault.
Bradley himself is getting ready along with his squadron to engage the moment the battle begins. A major-general named Rickard something is in command of the palace, one of Bradley's lap dogs.
All I need it is one clean shot. Just one shot from my Hadron cannon VARIS, and…it will all be over. This nightmare of a life will finally end once Zero is gone.
…As soon as Zero actually deigns it important enough to show up. Right now we have no idea where his army is or how close they are to Tokyo. It's obvious he'll come to me, but why…why does my heart ache at the thought of seeing him again?
"He gave me this, just before we crashed. As such, I am ordering you as Zero's wife to get out here and help me save my husband!"
GAAAAAHHHH! Who is that woman?! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! STOP HOUNDING ME!
"地獄へ行け！" (Go to hell!) I scream, throwing my teacup into a wall, panting as my hands clench and unclench, breathing rapidly.
Huh? Was there static on the speakers? No, that's almost like…!
Instantly I'm on my feet, the speakers in my room blaring out the shredding of an electric guitar as I dash out the door, heading to the hanger. That sound, that thundering beat, that shriek of instruments, it can only mean one thing!
Yanking the door open as I rush into the hanger bay, I bellow at the top of my voice at Lloyd swaying along to the music as Cecile rapidly barks orders to the technicians working on the Lancelot Covenant.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
Lloyd turns to look me at me…and shrugs, "Haven't seen hide nor hair of him. Or in this case, mask or cloak. This music started broadcasting for the last minute or so and everyone's been scrambling to get ready since our masked madman is clearly prepping his entrance music. Catchy tune at least."
Tossing my cloak onto a chair, I stomp into the locker room to get my pilot suit on. This is bizarre, he's attacking now? In broad daylight? He almost never strikes when there's light out.
No time to ponder Zero's madness, I need to get airborne!
Technicians scurry out of my way as I run to the Lancelot, leaping into the air to jump from one surface to another, flipping in mid air to land on the cockpit. Come on, come on!
"Open the doors and ready the catapult! That's an order!" I bark out, gripping the controls tightly as my mask synchronizes with the Lancelot Covenant's targeting systems, Yggdrasil drive revving up as Lancelot takes a runner's stance with one hand on the runway.
"Lancelot Covenant, launching!" "Launch!" Cecile announces, with my voice acknowledging it as my knightmare takes off with a rush of air, landspinners rolling as I clear the runway, FLOAT system engaging in mid air as I soar under the blue sky, searching for the source of the Black Knight's transmission.
Hmm? Someone is sending an urgent ping on my comms systems. Tche, the vampire.
"What the fuck are you doing, Eleven?! Get back with the rest of the troops, and stay out of my way!"
Tokyo's garrison forces are deploying along the walls of the palace, throughout the city, and into the air as Bradley berates me for my insubordination.
"-so if you know what's good for you, you'll make sure to give me a wide berth, number scum! Did that penetrate through your mask and your monkey sized brain, you dumb bastard?!"
"The lights go down
You can feel it all around you
Like a razor's edge that cuts through the air"
!
This feeling, this tension, this energy in the air! It's him!
"I don't have time for your pathetic whining, Vampire. ZERO IS HERE."
Before Bradley can curse me out again, there's an explosion out near Tokyo bay. There!
"You can hear the sound
It's coming down like thunder
You don't have to tell me why
You don't have to care"
A series of explosions cause waterspouts to rise up, the ships stationed there going up in blasts of smoke, fire and shrapnel. Damn him! He's taking out the Navy ships to ensure there's no artillery support!
Wait, what's that coming from the water-?!
Suddenly a massive shape breaks the surface, rapidly building up speed as it ascends, heading straight for the palace!
Factsphere can't track it, damn! I unholster my VARIS rifle, ready to take a shot at it, only to realize the faint glow of a shielding system around it, along an enormous amount of gun emplacements around the Black Knight ship, CIWS shooting at me as I cross my arms, activating my Blaze Luminous just in time! I zoom in with the lenses on my camera, and my eyes widen as I notice the prominent figure perched on the bow of the ship, a knightmare with a familiar and haunting profile. One I could never forget, or the fiendish man who piloted it.
"When the lightnin' strike again
And the lights go down
And you might be near the end
When the lightnin' strikes again"
It's only a split second as the battleship passes by the palace, narrowly missing it, a sonic boom following in its wake, perhaps even less. But in that instant, Zero's knightmare turned it's head and looked at me, the jackal-like head nodding as it passed by.
W-w-what? What was that?! Why?! Argh, my head! No, no, NO! NOT NOW! Not when I'm so close!
Struggling with the pain, I grit my teeth and try to see if my factsphere can detect anything. While the ship itself may as well be invisible, the knightmares who jumped off during it's high speed ascension aren't, nor are the missiles that just launched!
CIWS fire streaks through the sky, my slash harken joining it as the palace defenses attempt to stop the enemy assault, only for the missiles to split up into smaller ones, each one landing..in a circle around the palace? A close up of the missile shows a drill on the nose, burrowing into whatever surface it landed on, with a blinking red light on the end of it.
Is it a dud? Why haven't they exploded? Wait, it shifted green-! The palace, it's shutting down?!
"You draw the line
And you leave it all behind you
You lost your mind and then you lose control"
"This is Bradley! Give me a sit-rep, now! What the hell was that?!" the knight of ten snarls over comms channels, his knightmare rising up into the air near my own, his own personal attack squad, the Valkyries behind him, and surrounding them, his personal company of troops, the Einherjar, each piloting the newest knightmare, a newly minted unit known as the Vincent.
Static fills the channel as an officer tries to speak to us, "Sir- jamming- signal- can't-power-emergency-everything offline!"
The channel goes dead aside from the sound of static and the Black Knight's own jamming signal.
"By the time
That you feel the lightnin' strike you
You know you've been holding back
You've got to let it go"
Above us, floating serenely overhead like a black cloud letting loose a torrent of doom, the Black Knight's vessel disgorges more knightmare units, most of which fly into formation, some of them landing on the ground. Hang on, those are Britannians units at the front, the Glaston Knights! And flying at the head of that group, that knightmare, I know that machine! But why?
Why is Cornelia li Britannia fighting for Zero?!
Has she lost her mind with the death of her sister?! Why would she fight under the flag of Euphie's murderer?! This doesn't make any sense!
"When the lightnin' strikes again
And the lights go down
And you might be near the end
When the lightnin' strikes again"
"GOOD MORNING, TOKYO!" a booming voice exclaims on all channels, the source being the clearly rebuilt Gawain as it floats down from the bow of the ship, taking its place at the head of the knightmare formation and giving a stage bow.
A video feed accompanies the proclamation, confirming what I was already certain of, the footage showing Zero himself sitting with one leg crossed over another, a joint in his left hand, his head resting on the fist of his right.
"It's been a long time since I was here, but your long anticipation and restless nights are over! Zero, Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, is back, and here to finish what he started last year!"
You conceited monster! You think you can just waltz back into Tokyo after what you did?!
"What's your game, murderer?! Have you no shame after the atrocities you committed last time?!" I bark at him, fingers itching to draw a bead on him. In response, he…laughs?!
Shaking his head as he takes a pull off his joint, he sits up, "Oh that's rich. Utterly hilarious, honestly. Me, commit atrocities? Compared to the sitting viceroy, the inimitable Sir Luciano Bradley, the butcher of Africa? Why, I'm not even in the conversation! Especially with his merry band of killers, the Einherjar, in the picture!"
A text transmission from Bradley orders me not to fire yet, let him talk while crews try to undo whatever he did to shut down the palace.
"But I'm glad you brought that up, Sir Kururugi! Let's talk about atrocities, shall we? Such as, the murder of General Andreas Darlton by yon knight of the round. Surely that would count as an atrocity, hmm?" he declares, his machine pointing a taloned finger at Bradley's Percival.
"Hah! As if anyone believes your forgery, terrorist scum! You're a traitor to your homeland and your people, Zero! I'll make sure to send his majesty a rug made out of your skin when I'm done with you!" Bradley responds, a sinister hiss in his voice as he leers at the enemy knightmare, a look of madness in his eyes.
Raising it's shoulders in a shrug..since when can a knightmare do that..the enormous knightmare floats backward, "True, my word counts for naught among Britannians. However, would the word of the former viceroy be more trustworthy?"
As the transmission switches to include a second feed, my heart races, for there on the screen, her hair a different style than I remembered, wearing a black cape with the black knight's sword crane on the shoulder pauldron, is the Witch of Britannia herself.
"That footage was not a forgery and I can prove it. Answer me this, Bradley. Where is Andreas Darlton? If the footage is false, then produce him and prove me a liar!"
None of this makes sense! What possible reason could she have to side with HIM?!
The Vampire sneers, curling his lip in distaste, "If you'd bothered to check imperial records, you'd know that the general perished from injuries sustained fighting this masked fuckhead the last time he tried to sack Tokyo, your former highness."
Glaring back at him, she snaps, "You think anyone will believe an obvious lie like that?! The timestamp on the footage is after the siege ended! If he died in battle, then why do his sons say otherwise?! I have the Glaston Knights who will testify their father was alive the last time they saw him, ONE WEEK AFTER THE SIEGE!"
"Start talking, you fucking leech! What did you do with dad?!" one of the Gloucesters yells, pointing a rifle at Bradley, Claudio S. Darlton's voice booming from it.
The Percival holds up it's clawed right arm, Bradley's sneering voice emanating from it, "I don't answer to traitors. And if your father helped that bitch you're hiding behind escape? He deserved a traitor's death. So why don't you join him?!" Suddenly a panel opens at the hips of the machine-a concealed hadron blaster! At this distance he can't miss!
The red and black energy bolt streaks towards Claudio, the range far too close for him to evade as an explosive burst and smoke cloud signals a critical..hit? Wait, that was too soon. What's going on?
"lightnin' strikes again!
"lightnin' strikes again!
"lightnin' strikes again!
"lightnin' strikes again! Lightnin' strikes!"
As the song's chorus rings out, the smoke clears away, an large metallic orb with the character 天 on it floats in front of Claudio's knightmare, a series of pink hexagonal panels like a honeycomb dissipating as the hadron energy disperses.
"Now that wasn't very sporting, Lucy. But I suppose I should expect trick weapons and cheap shots from a mongrel like you. Claudio, are you alright?" Zero's voice announces, the arms of his machine crossed across it's chest as it wags a finger in our direction.
"Y-yeah. Thanks boss," a clearly shaken Claudio states as his knightmare floats back to the black knight lines, the orb shadowing him and then returning to the back of Zero's machine, where it joins the other five orbs, slowly rotating in a circle along the tines of the FLOAT system.
"Well then, since Sir Bradley wants to start the show? BLACK KNIGHTS, PRONOUNCE MY WAR MAXIM AND SAVE THIS COUNTRY!" Zero exclaims, the shoulders of his machine opening up, the tell-tale glow of hadron weapons charging up as I unholster my VARIS rifle in response.
"天下布武! (TENKA FUBU)" the Black Knights respond, opening fire and charging into the fray as the battle starts. None of that matters though. Not Cornelia flying to intercept Bradley, not the Glastons fighting the Valkyrie Squadron, no, none of that is important.
There's only ONE target I see, one person I need to kill!
What the-I pull back, narrowly avoiding a chain sword striking down at me from above, spinning my MVS to deflect a stream of bullets aimed at my knightmare's torso. Grr, of course the Black Knights would see me as a priority target. A hail of bullets, rockets and slash harkens comes at me like an ocean wave in a half circle around me, the enemy knightmares attempting to catch me in a kill zone.
笑わせない！ (Don't make me laugh!)
Switching on my Blaze Luminous Core, I spin the Lancelot to avoid the largest mass of fire coming at me, diving in to strike at the leftmost knightmare, putting myself directly into the enemy group and thereby preventing them from firing for fear of hitting their comrades.
"No, get back-argh!" the enemy pilot screams in terror as my sword cleaves his machine in half at the waist, a second unit joining him with a diagonal cut, and a third with a spinning helm splitter that cleaves him in half. All before the first unit's yggdrasil drive has time to detonate.
Before the enemy can regroup, a slash harken cores through another unit's cockpit, a spinning kick tearing the flight pack off a second, sending him plummeting to the streets below.
"私は白い死神です。自分の罪を反省し。" (I am the White Death. Reflect on your sins.) I say out loud, pointing my blade at the remaining enemy knightmares, now regrouping for a second attack.
"化け物！You'll pay for that!" (Monster!) a black knight yells at me, firing a chaos mine directly at me-only for my maser vibration sword to cut through it and him in a single swing as I charge back into the fray, my second blade coming up to slice off another black knight unit's arm cannon, followed by a kick to the chest, caving in the machine's torso and forcing an ejection.
Damnit, damnit, damnit! I don't need to be fighting an endless swarm of Zero's fanatics! I need to kill the head of the snake! I activate my Core Luminous Cone, letting my shields carry me through the bulk of the remaining units, doing a mid air spin to dodge their fire as I rush towards my true enemy, the only foe I have eyes for on this sorrowful battlefield.
Gah! A concentration of high power rifle fire hits all at once, arresting my forward momentum and forcing me to halt rather than trying to bulldoze past it. Now what?
"Howdy, White Guy! Care to spare a moment for some square dancin', pardner?"
My eyes narrow behind the mask as five familiar knightmares hover before me, blocking the path to Zero, the voice of Bartholomew L. Darlton telling me exactly who this group is.
"Boss Man said he didn't want you dead, but considering that you're Euphemia's knight, we figured the five of us should be enough to entertain you."
Claudio Darlton appears on my video feed after speaking, cracking his knuckles as he continues, "Big Sis is busy trying to stake Bradley's murdering ass, so you'll have to settle for us. Ready guys?"
Why?! Why are they protecting that fiend?!
"All set Claudio!" "Time to do our part." "Let's ground his ass!"
Hands grip the controls tighter as I force myself to breath, to not tear them apart. I respected Andreas Darlton, even if he helped Cornelia and them escape. They don't' deserve my rage, my loss, my sorrow. Only one man does.
"Then go help Cornelia and stand aside. This one time, I will show you mercy out of respect for your father and what Bradley did. If you refuse, I'll cut you down. Move or no mercy will be given." my voice proclaims, brandishing my blades in a cross guard.
Claudio Darlton leans forward on his video feed, scratching his cheek, "Shit, is that really him? He looks like a comic book knockoff of Darth Vader."
"Focus Claudio. You saw what he did to the last group he was up against. We might as well be facing the Red Queen in terms of difficulty."
He grimaces at that remark, "Well horse shit. Oh well, dad always said if you're gonna go, go out like a champ."
All five draw swords, no, judging by the glow, those are maser vibration blades. If Lloyd is watching, he's likely having a screaming fit right now at his technology being stolen. Heh.
"So be it. The River Sanzu awaits you," I announce, targeting systems already designating them for the inevitable clash.
"GLASTON HO!" they all roar as the five brothers charge in, each taking a different angle to pin me down.
Boosted harkens shoot all at once, stopping four of them from advancing as they're forced to dodge the rocket propelled anchors, leaving me to attack the lone man out.
"Woah!" David T. Darlton yipes as he put his sword up to block my overhead slash, which was a feint so I could flip over him, slicing at his flight pack, causing the FLOAT system to sputter as he starts losing altitude.
"SHIT! He got my flight pack! Sorry guys!" he yells out, firing a slash harken at a nearby building to stop his sudden drop, the Glouchester slamming into the side of the office building, his knightmare automatically ejecting the damaged pack, which falls to the streets below, detonating in a small explosion.
Staffen Waffel missiles streak through the skies at me, forcing me to use my blaze luminous to block, giving them a chance to regroup and lay down suppressing fire.
"Fuck, we lost David already?!" "I'm right here Alfred, fuck you!"
Alfred G Darlton snaps back, "Go help the guys on the ground, you're no good against Kururugi without a flight pack!"
The lone Gloucester fires another harken at an adjacent building, swinging itself over with another crash, repeating the process to slowly make it's way to the ground.
"You shitheads better not die against him without me!" David shouts back as he retreats.
I switch off my FLOAT system for a moment, letting gravity drop me out of their range, reactivating it around three hundred feet lower, zipping across the guy in a zig zag pattern to draw their fire as I look for an opening.
"Fuck, how is he doing that?! I can't get a bead on him-argh!" Bartholomew L. Darlton screams as I weave around his rifle, MVS cleaving through it, his knightmare's left arm, and one of his FLOAT system wings, sending him into a downward spiral to the city below.
The remaining three knightmares huddle into a triangular defensive formation, a rapid fire argument taking place as I twirl one sword in my left hand, looking for an opening to get past them.
"What. the. Flying. FUCK?!" "He took out Bart and David in one hit each?!" "Focus! We can't let him get past us-!"
"Hold your positions. Retreat as you are able, this foe is beyond you."
!
I know that voice, but I haven't heard it in…seven, eight years now?
Taking up a chudan stance, I speak with a clear icy tone to the new arrival on the battlefield, a man that makes my heart ache to face, for this is an enemy I never wished to combat, but I have no choice if he stands against me here and now.
"師匠。" I say, addressing the black knightmare with the red hair pieces as it draws forth a large blade reminiscent of an O-katana from it's back, taking up an identical stance to my own. (Master.)
"I never wanted to face you like this, my student. You are the finest pupil I ever taught, to see you reduced to…this, fills my heart with shame and regret that I could not teach you better," Tohdoh Kyoshiro speaks with a heavy and regretful tone, palpable sadness coming off his machine like ripples in a koi pond.
Regret? Shame? Even you…shishou….
"You…how dare you. How dare you, the honorable and heroic samurai, the noble hero of Japan…," I whisper, the speakers amplifying my words as my yggdrasil spins up, thrusters calibrating for a charge.
"HOW DARE YOU CLAIM TO BE A SAMURAI WHEN YOU HAVE ABANDONED THE PATH OF BUSHIDO, MASTER?!" I shriek at him, launching into a flying charge, my right sword gleaming like the tip of a spear, my left held back, waiting for an opening, an opening he denies me with a vertical parry, spinning aside from the follow up attack from my other blade.
Frustratingly, my former master is just as illusive as the last time we fought, twisting his frame to evade my attacks, or using the hair ornaments on his frame as an impromptu shield to parry my blows.
"THE MAN YOU SERVE IS A BUTCHER AND A DEMON! HE MUTILATED AND EVISCERATED THE WOMAN I LOVE! TELL ME MASTER, HOW DOES BUSHIDO COUNTENANCE SUCH EVIL?!" my voice screams at him, rounding him with repeated spin slashes, denying him even a moment's respite, because if I give him time to counterattack, he will surely-there!
Quickly reversing the grip on my left blade, I twist the blade to narrow block a point blank slash harken, forcing me to pull back momentarily, a retreat Tohdoh uses to close in with a rising diagonal slash from below, which my thrusters allow me to evade outright.
"And what of you, my student? Does being at the beck and call of a fiend like Luciano Bradley, or a supreme evil like Charles zi Britannia not gnaw at your honor and your heart? I remember long ago, you believed in the ideals of justice and restraint. Was that all a lie, Suzaku? Or did the need for a vengeance even Euphemia wouldn't wish for-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME!" the Lancelot evades his horizontal slash with a jump, tucking my legs up over it, giving me room to launch a jabbing kick at the headpiece of his frame, following up with a rapid barrage of kick attacks as his shielding flares up, taking the repeated impacts as I force him back.
ちくしょ！ (Damn!) I can't get past him like this, and he'll never let me get close to Zero unless I can-wait that's it!
Halting my attack, I fire a slash harken at a sign off the side of a building, causing it to crash down towards him, my former master parrying it with a swipe of his blade, but that was just a cover for my real attack, a boosted harken aimed at the center of his frame-no! He countered with the harken on his sword! Argh!
"邪魔だ！" (Out of my way!) MVS clashes against his blade, the vibrations and heat causing his weapon to rattle as our frames push against each other, thrusters burning as we circle each in midair, each trying to overcome the other.
A video channel opens, my sensei's grim countenance staring me with a look of…is that pity? Regret? Shame? It's too hard to tell at the moment.
"Suzaku, when this is over…we will speak again. If you truly feel that I have failed you to the degree that you say, then I will offer myself to your judgment, no matter the choice. You are as much a son to me as any I may beget in this world. But as your former master, I ask only that you look within your heart and ask yourself, 'is this truly the path of justice I am walking?' Do that, and I will pass from this world with a clear conscience."
Hands shake at the control, breath passing from my lips rapidly as his words penetrate harder than any sword could.
Is…is this..is this justice…?
"ARGH!" a scream of frustration bursts out of me as my left leg strikes the side of his frame, the blaze luminous drill cutting through his FLOAT system while narrowly missing the cockpit.
Tohdoh's frame spirals to the ground, the sword digging into a nearby building to slow it's descent, as I struggle to regain my equilibrium. Something…something isn't right. Why? Why does everything feel wrong? It's like-
The world grinds to a halt, time itself freezing momentarily, as my eyes widen at what my factspheres and cameras are picking up.
Zero. He's right there, just ahead. And the path is clear.
Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero! Zero!
"ZERO!"
Holstering my blades as I burn the thrusters at maximum power, my bellow of rage echoing across the sunlit skies.
If he hadn't seen me coming before, he clearly has noticed me now, given the head of his machine turning in my direction. But that won't help him. Nothing will save him, not his red queen, god, or even the devil!
"死ね、ゼロ！！！" (DIE, ZERO!) I scream in rage, firing my VARIS at him, closing in on him rapidly, the rounds plinking off that damned pink shield of his! Let's see how it stands up to my MVS then!
Between beats of my rapidly pulsing heart, I close in, shifting the VARIS to my back and drawing out my maser vibration blades in a practiced motion, all as Zero stands there, seemingly moving in slow motion compared to my speed. Soon, soon Euphie. Soon this will all be over, and we'll be together again..
"ユヒの為に！！！" (FOR THE SAKE OF EUPHIE!)
*CLANG!*
But how!? My jaw hangs open under my mask at how the knightmare frame moved it's arms which I can now see carrying their own shield generators, into a position to perfectly block my strikes…
How?! How could he have-?!
"Long time no see, Suzaku. As predictable as ever. You have noooo idea how long I've been looking forward to seeing you again," the diabolical entity masquerading as a man declares, as the image of him in a seated position, fingers in a mudra position, flashes onto my video screen.
おのれ、ゼロ！！！ (Damn you, Zero!)
The left arm of his machine slashes out with a knife hand, my right sword blocking it as I pirouette in mid air to launch a kick at the torso of his knightmare, only for one of those damned orbs to intercept it! A second orb rushes in to retaliate, my reflexes enabling me to kick it upwards and away from me in the nick of time.
"You won't get away with this! Today I will avenge her, and make you pay for everything you've done, you god damned demon!" I howl, my swords humming as I rapidly attack, one stroke after another, horizontal, diagonal cross, helm splitter, an array of strokes, probing for a weak spot in his defenses. As formidable as his guard is, it's not unbreakable, and he can't attack while I'm pressing the assault.
"Heh. Should have known not to underestimate you. Even the Balor isn't a match for your skills and new machine. Guess I really am a 'Char Aznable wanna-be', eh Suzu?" he says with a hint of strain in his voice-wait what did he just say..?
"Wannabe? Piss off, Suzu, you know I'm cooler and sexier than him,"
Argh, my head! Not now! A splitting headache strikes as I recoil in pain, giving him the reprieve he needs to launch a knee at my torso, blaze luminous tanking the hit, the sheer weight behind the blow forcing me back.
"Why? Why do I keep hearing that damned voice?! Why does it hurt so much?! ANSWER ME, ZERO!"
Fighting through the pain, slash harken spring forth at my command, Zero's orbs intercepting them, but the 'Balor' reels back, the harkens a feint to give me an opportunity to snap kick it in the face.
"Gah!" I knew it! He's smart enough to anticipate my moves if I telegraph them, but he can't predict everything and too many attacks in rapid succession will overwhelm him! I can do it, I can win! I can kill Zero!
MVS slice through the air, the arms of the Balor in a crossguard as I press my advantage, FLOAT system revving up to push the larger machine back and keep him off balance. Just a little more, a little more-!
"Give my regards to your pink haired whore, Eleven bastard!" Bradley! You backstabbing coward! He's coming right for my back with his drill and I can't turn or Zero will counterattack!
"Treacherous cur! You have yet to vanquish me, Bradley!" Cornelia shouts, the Reginleif firing off several rounds from it's gunblade, knocking the Percival off it's charge, the former general flying after him in hot pursuit as I continue to grind my blades against the Balor's arms.
Zero's eyes glow red in the video feed as he cracks his neck, "Just like old times, eh Suzaku? You and me at each other's throats, differences of ideals, of vision-" "Spare me your endless fountain of bullshit, Zero! There's nothing you can do or say to stop me from killing you!"
He's stalling, but for what? What's he's waiting for-gah?!
The Lancelot tumbles away from him as a red streak slams into me, forcing me to abandon my position and reorient to face this new attacker- ちくしょ。 (Fuck.)
"You wanna get to him, you gotta go through me, White Knight!" the red queen states, taking up a defensive stance with a dagger that's clearly an MVS derivative in front of Zero. Her machine has changed, but the face and style could only be hers.
"Phew, excellent timing, thank you. Cut it a bit close, Q-1." "Consider it payback for not fucking warning me that he had a new machine! Fuck you for not doing your god damn job and telling me this shit, Zero!"
"Get out of my way!" I roar at her, attempting to get past, only to get shoved backward as our weapons clash, MVS grinding against her claw and dagger as we each look for openings.
Zero meanwhile is getting away and moving elsewhere, damn her!
His voice rings out as he moves, "Strictly speaking, you are fucking m-" "SHUT THE FUCK UP SO I CAN SAVE YOUR IDIOT BRAINWASHED BOYTOY!" she screams at him, kicking the Lancelot Covenant backwards with a mid-air bicycle kick as Zero moves out of my reach. NO!
"Boytoy?! You think I'd ever surrender to murderous contemptible scum like him?! In the name of Euphemia li Britannia, I swear I'll take your head alongside his!" I shout, firing a slash harken at her, causing her to dodge up to the upper left, only for a second harken from me to strike at her, forcing her to drop altitude, putting her in prime position for me to lunge at her with one blade, the other coming in a diagonal angle cutting down toward the FLOAT system on her back!
The Guren, rather than retreating or trying to dodge again, fires a point blank blast barrage from the gun on it's left arm, forcing me to engage my Blaze Luminous and halt my attack rush. Holstering one of my MVS, I pull the VARIS out, switching to burst mode as I let loose my own barrage, preventing her from capitalizing on her counterattack. Damn, damn, damn! I can't get past her like this!
"You can have Bradley, I don't give a damn about that waste of humanity! He deserves whatever you do to him! But for what Zero did to Euphemia, I'll never rest until I see his shattered corpse under my feet! You hear me?! I WILL NEVER REST UNTIL I AVENGE THE WOMAN LOVED!" I bellow at her, launching into the Kururu Kick, her machine crossing it's arms as I impact a red shield, knocking her backwards.
"Gah! You delusional fuckboy! Anybody else, anybody FUCKING else, I'd have torched your ass already-woah!" she squawks as I try to uppercut slash at her, forcing her to dash backwards, giving me the chance to draw a bead on Zero, who's clearly occupied fighting off a swarm of Bradley's Einherjar squadron trying to dogpile him.
The Guren holds up its dagger across its chest in a horizontal guard, the claw held back in reserve as we hover in place, looking for each other's next attack.
"I'm here to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life! If you had any idea what you were doing-!" "I know exactly what I'm doing, Red Queen! You of all people should understand after what Bradley did to you!" my voice verbally parries her meager attempt at reaching out to me as I charge into the fray, launching three slash harkens in turn, cutting off her dodges with the booster function, her left arm with the dagger fending off a harken attempting to stab her from behind as I throw a horizontal slash right for where her cockpit would be, only for the claw to rise up and slap aside my blade, her own harken firing from the chest grazing my headpiece as I barely avoid the attack.
"He's off balance! Get the white knight!" "Tenka Fubu!" "For Zero!" a group of black knight knightmares charge in, guns blazing from three directions, launching a flurry of bullets and missiles at me.
"No, get back you fucking morons! You can't take him!" the Red Queen screams at them, trying to ward them off unsuccessfully.
"This is for Japan, you traitor!" a teal green knightmare yells out, slashing down with a chain blade, only to squawk in surprise as the Lancelot minutely shifts out of the way, a vicious kick to the sternum sundering his frame in half, the brutality of the strike catching them off balance.
Their last mistake.
A boosted harken shatters the limb of another knightmare, a quick cut from my sword slashing a bazooka in half as it's gunner scrambles to avoid the same fate. A third frame attempts to stab at my FLOAT system, the attempt being thwarted by Lancelot flipping upside down in mid air and caving in it's torso with a elbow strike.
Just as I'm about to cleave yet another deluded fool, the red queen is before me, blocking my sword with her dagger, thrusters pushing back against me.
"YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKERS! WHAT PART OF, 'YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM' DID YOU NOT GET?! YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO GET KILLED FIGHTING HIM! GO HELP ZERO, HE'S GETTING DOGPILED! I GOT THIS!"
"Y-y-yes ma'am! Cloud unit, fall back to Zero's position!" The clearly intimidated officer exclaims, the remainder of his group retreating. As if I'm going to let them rescue Zero!
VARIS rounds flash from the muzzle of my rifle as I take shots at them, the Guren moving quickly to intercept the blasts with it's own shield, taking the attacks head on.
"Hurry! I'll hold him off!" she calls out, the blue eyes of her frame glinting in the sunlight as the silver claw at her side flares up with energy.
Fists grip the controls of the Lancelot as I feel the acceleration kick in with my launching into the Kururu Kick, the force of the blow pushing her back, Lancelot's legs lashing out like a whip barrage.
"What have you ever lost, Red Queen?! When did you lose someone most precious to you?! Answer me if you have the guts!" my voice rings out at her, anguish, fury, and aching loss evident in every syllable.
At the last second, she dodges a right foot slicing towards her frame's head, dagger thrusting towards my cockpit, narrowly blocking the strike with the blaze luminous on my right arm.
"What have I lost? Fuck you, Suzaku, you self righteous fucking hypocrite. You were always a stuck up dick, but at least you were a decent guy. Now? Euphemia would be crying if she saw-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME, YOU VILE HANNYA!" my furious voice cries out, swinging both swords in a cross strike to fend off her claw lunging for my torso, a grenade that scrambles my factsphere stopping me from firing a harken through her cockpit.
Lines of rifle fire pierce through the skies, forcing me to evade, my targeting sensors pointing out a line of Black Knight teal knightmares in formation shooting at me. Can't have them shooting at me as I fight her, she's far too good for me to be distracted by having to evade a kill zone. Time to clear the skies.
The core luminous cone engages, creating a protective conical barrier around my frame, FLOAT system output rising to maximum output as I head directly into the middle of their formation.
"散る。" (Fall.)
One, two, thre-my luminous charge stops cold in it's tracks after plowing through two units as the Guren's right arm pulses with energy, the waves of power pushing against me, both of us determined to get through.
"ATTENTION ALL UNITS! THIS IS RED QUEEN! ALL OF YOU STUPID FUCKHEADS NEED TO BACK UP AND STOP TRYING TO FIGHT THE WHITE KNIGHT! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM, HE'LL EAT YOU ALIVE! LET ME HANDLE THIS SHIT! THAT'S AN ORDER! NOW GET GOING!"
Commendable, but?
"Anyone aiding Zero in his crimes deserves to die. The best thing you or anyone else can do is get out of my way so I can end his evil once and for all," I snarl at her, looking for any possible opening in her defenses, formidable as they are.
A scoff greets my offer as she sidesteps my attack, ejecting a cartridge from her arm into the streets below, "Yeah fucking right. I'll make you a counteroffer, White Death."
Her claw flexes, talons twitching as she moves her other arm to…really?
"You can eat my ass if you think I'm gonna let you kill Zero. And you can stand down and come with me, Euphie is waiting for you, she's been worried sick," she comments, her left silver arm raised upward with the right crossing it in a close approximation of flipping me off-...what did she just say?
"...What." "You heard me. Those assholes you're working for fucked your head up, same way they did mine. Or do you not fucking remember what you did to me in the emperor's throne room, you fucking asshole?"
Silence fills my cockpit, breath stilled to a crawl, seconds dragging as my eyes widen, a splitting headache cleaving through my skull.
"Because I love you, you stupid delusional asshole!"
ARGHHHHHH! Pain! Why?! Why does it hurt?! She can't be right! I saw it! I remember it!
"Enough of your lies, argh! I, gah! Won't be swayed so easily, Red Queen!" I gasp out, gritting my teeth through the pain, biting my lip and feeling blood run down my chin.
"Tche. Figured it wouldn't be that easy. You always were a stubborn dumbass. Fuck it, hard way it is then!" she exclaims, her silver claw blazing with energy as a red flare preludes a beam shooting directly at me, the force pushing me back even through the core luminous cone.
A flick of the controls and I'm out of the beam's path, the blast melting part of a nearby building as I draw my VARIS rifle, firing out rapid fire rounds to force her to keep moving. The Guren naturally evades but her attack is halted as she soars upward to try and hold the high ground from me.
If she has a shield and it's close to my own, I won't be able to take her out easily at range. Unless..I use that. It's risky, but I'm certain she can't block an attack of that magnitude.
Gears and pistons trigger as a special attachment to my FLOAT system engages, linking up with my rifle. Target acquired, reconfiguring VARIS to hadron mode. Full burst discharge set, maximum range.
"I'm through with you. さらばよ、赤女王。" (Goodbye, Red Queen.)
Red light streaks through the air, the sound of the discharge a howl of doom for anything in it's way, my finger clenching the trigger tightly as I watch to see her reaction.
Unsurprisingly, she's dodging it with a parabola dive coming up at a different angle. But that won't save her. I dash backwards, moving to get room for another attack, this time setting the hadron blaster to rapid shot mode.
"Nice try, asshole! I know better than to try and tank a shot from hadrons!" she exclaims, spinning towards me like a drill as I try to anticipate her moves, only to barely miss. Damn! She's almost in melee range again!
"Try something new on for size!" she shouts, her claw glowing red hot as she fires a blast wave directly at me, my hadron blaster firing at the same time, both blasts colliding with each other at close range, causing an explosion sending us both hurtling away from each other, argh!
Shaking my head to clear it, I snarl at her, "Are you that delusional that you'd kill yourself for that man?!" Damnit, my hadron blaster attachment is wrecked. I can't use it again in this state without risking it exploding on me. Fortunately, it looks like her right arm is just as damaged.
No choice, I have to engage her up close now. With a single motion, I reholster my rifle, drawing my swords as the Lancelot flies up and then arches down in a power dive at her, both swords ready to strike.
Gah! She ducked under my sword swing and kneed me in the chest, knocking me back. Before she can follow up, I launch an ax kick at her, her own left leg intercepting it. This is going nowhere, if I can't get past her soon, I won't have enough left for Zero! Wait a minute…that might do it.
"Starting to get cold feet, Suzaku? Much as I'm enjoying this, I'd rather face the real you, not some shitty edgelord copy," she grunts out, snapping her leg back and attempting a reverse handed slash with her dagger, which I parry with my left arm blaze luminous shield.
"You've let your guard down, Red Queen!" I yell, two boosted slash harkens flying out, one aimed at her, which she dodges, but that's fine. The second harken wasn't aimed at her and that's the important one. That harken impacts a power transformer on a nearby building, causing a bright flash of light that briefly showers our surroundings in white blinding light. My eyes were closed, so I'm fine. But her?
"Owww! You son of a bitch!" she squawks, her outraged tone indicating I succeeded in blinding her, and thus giving me an opening to finally disengage for my real opponent!
FLOAT system thrusters accelerate to maximum as I fly through the air, making a direct beeline for the one and only enemy I've had my eyes on, my true and hated enemy!
"Zero! Suzaku got loose, he's heading right for you! Watch out!" "THE WHITE DEATH COMES, ZERO!" my voice thunders as I launch into the kururu kick, the Balor's arms barely raising in time to block, the force of my blow still strong enough to send the larger knightmare backwards onto the deck of his command ship.
Three of those orbs of his fly in front of him, projecting a barrier to hold me off, while the Balor adjusts it's stance, lowering it's center of gravity as I twirl my swords, looking for an opening-there! Booster harkens lash out, striking the orbs, temporarily disrupting the shield and giving me an opening to bring my swords down on his chest- his arms have shields too?!
"No more tricks. No more deceptions. No more running. This time…"
Lancelot unleashes several knee strikes to the chest piece, trying to rattle him as I press my advantageous position. This time-!
"I WILL NOT FAIL! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR HELL, ZERO-!" "STOP IT!"
!
No….it…it can't be….
She's wearing a dress more reminiscent of his colors, her hair in a high pony tail, a black rose choker on her neck…but even so….
"Please! Suzaku, knight of my heart! I BEG OF YOU, PLEASE STOP THIS! IF ANY PART OF YOU REMEMBERS OUR LOVE, PLEASE STOP NOW!"
That…that object she's holding up…it's my knight of honor pin, the one with the four wings..it…it really is..
"Euphie.." I whisper, the comms set in my mask picking up the faint audio as I stare in blank wonder and horror, the sight of the woman I love alive and breathing…dead, staring up at me with sightless eyes…tears falling down her face…her face covered in blood and gore….pink hair fluttering in the wind…WHAT IS THIS?! ARGHHHHHHHH!
"AHHH! My head! How can she be here?! Gyahhh!" I shriek in terror, gripping the sides of my head as the reality of what I'm seeing wars with the memories of the last time I saw her, nothing makes sense! What's happening to me?!
"ははは！ 計画通り！オレンジ、今な！Zero crows in triumph as the Balor stands up, cockpit opening up as a figure leaps from the machine to stand on top of the shoulder armor. (Hahaha! Just as planned! Orange, now!)
"Sir Kururugi, your nightmare is over. In the name of Zero, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!" a cybernetic Jeremiah Gottwald proclaims, his left eye opening and a light pulsing from it-...
And suddenly, I remember EVERYTHING…
Ughh…where..where am I?
"Quite impressive, Sir Kururugi."
That voice! I try to stand, only for something to stop me from rising up. Taking a moment to breathe and clear my head, I realize I'm chained to the floor, manacles locked onto my wrists, ankles, torso and neck, my arms crossed across my chest and held there with additional chains.
Looking up with my eyes and as much of my head as I can manage, I see the unmistakable imperious gaze of the emperor of the Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia peering at me with an inquisitive look to his eyes. By his sides, stand Sir Bismack Waldstein, the Knight of One. And…Dame Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six? What's she doing here?
"I can see why Lulu likes him, he is very fetching, oh ho ho ho," the girl says in a tone that feels…wrong. There's something about the way she's speaking-wait, Lulu?!
Glaring at them, I muster whatever reserves of strength I have within me as I respond, "I don't know what you're talking about. Where am I?"
"You are in the dungeons of Pendragon, Sir Kururugi. And I am rather impressed at how difficult it was to restrain you. A testament to your strength and ability. Princess Euphemia chose well in that respect at least," Sir Waldstein remarks, raising an eyebrow on his single eye.
ちくしょ。。 (Shit..) This is bad. If I'm here, then..oh no!
"How long have I been here? What happened at Tokyo? Where is Zero?!" I growl at them, muscles attempting to flex..what the? I can barely control my body!
"You were dosed with muscle relaxants and tranquilizers calibrated to your body and restrained with industrial steel alloy chains. His Majesty was made well aware of how deadly your person was, did you truly think I'd permit you this close to him if you were not suitably pacified?" Sir Waldstein comments with a flat tone, his arms crossed across his chest.
Dame Alstreim swats his arm with a cross look on her face, "Bizzy! There's no need to be rude. Suzaku here is a fine example of a knight and young man. It's not his fault he picked the wrong side, hehehe," she giggles, twirling a lock of hair coquettishly.
"As for your question, we were hoping you could tell us. Most of the brass think Zero is buried somewhere in the rubble of Tokyo. We, of course, know better. Now, where exactly did my little boy go, Sir Kururugi?" Dame Alstreim asks with a sinister leer on her features, one that looks completely out of place from any image or video of her I've ever seen.
What's going on? She's acting bizarre and strangely familiar. I swear I've been around someone who acted like this before. And that voice…who do I know that sounds like that?
"I won't betray him. Or Euphemia. You'll have to kill me first," I pronounce stoically, glaring at her, green eyes meeting red…wait..that's geass! My eyes widen in shock briefly at the familiar burning red before I shut them in a panic, gritting my teeth.
"Oh pooh. You're no fun. I was hoping we'd have a nice little chat, don't be such a bore, Suzaku. Oh oh oh ho," she cackles, a gloved hand cupping my chin firmly before she whispers in my ear in a very different voice from the one she was previously using.
"If you're worried about Geass, then set your heart at ease. Mine isn't the one you need to be afraid of."
Slowly I open my eyes to look at her, really look, and I notice the way she's holding one hand with the back to her cheek, smirking like she's got the world in the palm of her-oh kami! I know that expression! I know where I've seen it!
"Who are you?! You're not Anya Alstreim, she doesn't act like this! Answer me, why do you sound like-?!" "Like my oldest daughter? I heard from Algae head that we sounded similar. Come now Suzaku, you're a bright boy, use the brain behind that pretty face of yours," she observes with a giggle.
Daughter? But that's..no. No no no, it can't be…
"But…how? How are you still..how are you in her…?" I ask, shock easily visible on my face as I suddenly realize just whom I'm really talking to.
The petite knight claps her hands gleefully, "Ah! There we are! I knew you'd guess it sooner or later! So since we're now on the same page, where the deuce has Lelouch vanished to? We have so much catching up to do."
Lelouch…looks like you and I have a long overdue talk too. If I ever get out of here that is. The fact that your mother is still alive and possessing the Knight of Six is something you ABSOLUTELY should have told me! Damn you and your endless secrets, Lulu!
The emperor strokes his beard, looking down intently at me and raising an eyebrow, and then..he lets out a deep breath.
"Why?"
Huh?
"Why side with my son? I would hear your reasons, Sir Kururugi, before I pass judgment upon you. If you reveal his location to us, I may yet show you mercy."
Judgment. So, this is it. I guess it was foolish of me to think I could escape from the center of the empire itself. I'm sorry, Lelouch. I guess I'll be waiting for you on the other side.
"I could never betray the man I love, or the woman who stole my heart. Compared to that, there's nothing you can inflict on me that would come even close," I proclaim, narrowing my eyes in challenge and defiance.
"Like I said to the prime minister, go to hell, your majesty. I'm ready to die for them, so do your worst."
If this is it, my last words, then I'll die as a man and a samurai with my head held high. Better a clean and honest death for something real, than the delusions and sorrows I've been carrying for all these years. Dying for the ones you love, that's worth something at least.
A rumbling sound catches my ears as I blink in surprise as I realize what I'm hearing. He's laughing at me.
"Oh ho ho ho, dearest, did you hear that? How romantic and poetic! A lost knight swearing his heart and loyalty even in the face of death! I can practically see the bodice ripper novels being written. My little boy really does have good taste."
Even knowing who is really speaking, it's still eerie hearing a girl younger than me talk like that.
His Majesty nods, "We have other concerns, my dear. Bismarck, your opinion."
The one eyed man's vision looks me up and down quickly before he turns to his master, "He would be a formidable asset to the plan, my liege. I do question how long we would retain his services on our side given what he's proven capable of doing up to this point."
Marianne twirls a lock of her hair as she sighs, "Someone like him is likely to be unusable eventually given how much we'd have to change, but it's better than nothing. It's a pity, I wanted the other one, but thanks to what I am all but certain is my brother in law's throwing a stupid jealous tantrum, we have to make do."
Other one? Who do they mean?
"Whatever you're planning, I won't go easily. And who's the other one?"
I'm being defiant, but if one of them has a geass even half as bad as Lulu's, this might get very bad..
Kneeling down on her haunches, Lelouch's mother pats my cheek as she smiles in a manner that would be considered sweet normally, but on her, looks strange and unnerving, filling me with dread.
"I suppose it's no harm in telling you, you won't remember this conversation for a long time, dear boy. You, are the backup plan. We wanted your rival, the Red Queen. Or should we say, Kallen Stadfelt. Though I wonder how much of your rivalry was for show considering you were both working for Zero. Oh well!"
Standing up, she kisses my cheek, giggling, "Not that you're the booby prize, mind you! Between the two of you, I think you might be a match for Bizzy here given some polish. That's no small feat in itself. She might be just a bit better, but who knows? Perhaps we were fortunate to get you in our wicked wicked web."
Wait, they don't have her? Brother in law?
"Where's Kallen? What have you done with her?!" I yell, straining against the chains.
Charles zi Britannia chooses that moment to answer me, having remained silent for the past minute or two, "Lady Stadfelt's location is as yet unknown to us. We expect to have her here soon enough. For the moment, we have done nothing to her. It is other parties who may be responsible, but that is not something you should concern yourself with. Bismarck, hold him."
What the, gah! I can't move, my body still isn't responding! Why is he holding my eyes-oh no.
ちくしょ！！！ (SHIT!) The Emperor does have a geass too! Whatever it is, I'm certain it's something really bad!
"Suzaku Kururugi, White Knight of Zero! Charles zi Brittannia condemns you to a false role! A false life, false memories, a false existence!"
No, no, no! You can't!
"LELOUCH! EUPH-!" I scream as everything I've ever known, everything I've loved, everything I was…is erased in piercing red light.
My time was spent recovering from the battle, my mind twisted into…an unrecognizable caricature, my morality ripped apart into a hideous patchwork. Strangely enough, I wasn't left alone in my misery to stew in it. No, my captors had something else in mind.
"Ugh!" I grunt as I fall backwards after an elbow impacts my solar plexus. A few feet ahead of me, Sir Bismarck Waldstein, my opponent in this spar relaxes his guard stance and nods.
"Better. You lasted longer this time. Let us take a few minutes to recover before we continue."
Better he says. Every time it has ended in the same way. Me injured on the ground, gasping for air, and him standing tall, proud, invincible. No wonder he's called the Knight of One…
Grunting as I get to my feet, I catch the bottle of water he tosses my way as I make my way over to sit next to him.
Silence hangs in the training room we're using like a shroud covering a corpse, both of us alone in our own heads, minds racing with-
"You have extraordinary potential, Sir Kururugi. Only Lady Marianne herself was greater. I believe you will even exceed me at some point."
Hmph. So what? Words I never thought I'd say, considering that becoming Knight of One to free Japan was my dream once. A dream..a dream that died with my heart.
"Strength that knows no boundaries is merely violence. You were a man of compassion, of honor once. I believe you might be so again some day."
Not likely. I only have one objective, one dream now. To kill the man who destroyed everything I ever loved.
Taking a sip of water, I respond, "What do you fight for, Sir Waldstein? You know why I fight, why I am part of the Knights of the Round. What of you?"
Closing his single eye, the older man rubs at the left side of his face, fingers touching the stitches on his ruined eye before addressing me.
"I fight for my king, my country, a dream yet unrealized, and the man I call my friend. That is all I have ever fought for and believed in, ever since I met his Majesty in the days of the Emblem of Blood. A lifetime of war has taught me much, Sir Kururugi. Enough to realize that war is one of many options for diplomacy and politics, and the least efficient of these."
Ironic. That I should get this kind of training, this insight, this reach to change the way the world is, and all it cost me was my heart.
"Forgive me Lord Waldstein, but for me, war and violence are all I have left. This world took my hope, my dream, everything good in it, and snuffed it out with the utmost cruelty possible. When Euphemia died, so too did my desire for a better world or a future for my people."
Grimly, the knight nods as he stands up, "Perhaps you will think differently when your task is done, Sir Kururugi. Even in this country, you are a man of exceptional calibur. And I think you know well enough how high the standard I judge people is. Now, take the broadsword from the wall, it is time we resumed."
Months I trained, sweated, bled, suffered. But in the end, it was the best thing I could have done in that state. My skills were honed to a razor's edge. And one day…
"Sir Kururugi, this was developed by Camelot for your use. I am personally presenting it to you out of recognition of your ability, and as a gift to commemorate this day."
Commemorate, does he mean-?
"Then, I am finally permitted to fight?" I ask, my tone neutral but questioning, betraying nothing of the storm of conflicting emotions within.
Nodding as he hands me the package, Sir Waldstein draws his great sword, planting it blade first in the ground of the same training room we've been in for the last few months. My hands carefully remove the wrapping paper to reveal..a mask? It's made of steel and blazoned with the crest of Britannia across the face, the wings below the eyes, the sword dividing the middle and spearhead upon the brow. Hmm, is that circuitry and electronics in the mask, I can see some kind of lens in the eye sockets.
"Put the mask on, and kneel, Sir Kururugi."
Complying, I press the mask to my face, some kind of system activating as it adheres to my face, lights inside in the metal lighting up, a haptic display forming across my vision along with a targeting reticle.
"Sir Kururugi."
Blinking, I realize I haven't complied with his order yet. A sudden weight on my back causes me to look and notice that a cape has been draped across my shoulders, blue and gold, with a golden filigree chain connecting the two sides of the collar.
The clang of Sir Waldstein's sword on the floor grabs my attention as he raises the blade up to shoulder level and begins to speak.
"Doth thou swear to hold true to the ideals of honor, justice, truth, and loyalty?"
This..this reminds me of when I swore to…no. I can't think of her now.
"I do."
"Doth thou swear to honor, obey, and serve thy liege, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, above all others?"
If this is what it takes, if this is the price to gain vengeance upon Zero?
"I do."
Then I gladly pay it. I know he's out there somewhere.
"In the name of God, the Knights of the Round, His Majesty, and the Holy Britannian Empire, I, Sir Bismarck Walstein, the Knight of One, pronounce you, Sir Suzaku Kururugi, a Knight of the Round. Engrave thine oaths to thy memory and soul, Sir Kururugi, and be welcomed to our cadre as our newest brother."
Twice does his great sword tap my shoulders, featherlight despite the weight. And yet, I feel a great and terrible burden upon my soul. One so unlike when I swore to Euphemia. With her, the weight was heavy, but it emboldened and strengthened my heart. Here? I feel as though I have committed a grave and mortal sin. Forgive me Euphemia, for I know you would never approve of this.
"Arise, Sir Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Seven."
But I must do this. I must commit this evil to avenge you. No price is too great for that.
My lungs burn with exhaustion as I gasp for air, hands shaking as everything I've done…everything I've been…all the terrible things…oh god…Euphie…Lelouch…what…what have I done…?
"Tche! So the traitor bitch lives? Didn't think I'd get to kill a princess today, GUESS WHO'S FEELING LUCKY, GYAHAHAHAHA!" the Knight of Ten cackles, aiming one of his hadron blasters at the roof of the bridge, where Euphemia is standing, eyes wide in fear!
NO! NO, NO, NO! NOT AGAIN, NOT THIS TIME!
The sound of a hadron shot goes off as Bradley fires and activates his blaze luminous drill in a flying dash after his attack, the black&red orb of death streaking through the sky at her, seconds vanishing like grains of sand in an hourglass as I desperately push the Lancelot's servos to their maximum, putting everything I have into moving, knowing that I only have this one chance, this one hope, that I CANNOT FAIL HER AGAIN!
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" I scream, blood in my mouth from biting my lip hard enough to break the skin as Lancelot Covenant vaults into position just in the nick of time to deflect the shot with the Blaze Luminous cutter on the leg, and to plant myself directly in the path of the drill, blaze luminous shields at maximum-no! He pierced through!
"I WON'T LET YOU, NOT HERE, NOT NOW, NOT EVER AGAIN, BRADLEY!" my voice resounds with desperate fervor as I use the Lancelot's own arms as a physical shield to hold the drill back, metal scraping and tearing, legs grinding across the surface of the airship, hands shaking at the controls…until it stops, just barely, barely a few meters from her, but stop it does!
Snarling animalistically, Bradley rages at me on the video screen, "What is this?! Are you betraying Britannia, you Eleven scum?! Get the fuck out of my way so I can kill this treasonous cunt!"
"My…my name…"
Trembling, my right hand reaches up to the mask, symbol of my office and deeds as Knight of Seven, and depresses a switch on the side, the optics powering down as the mask deactivates and falls to the floor of my cockpit, revealing a face the world hasn't seen in over a year.
"My name is Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Princess Euphemia and Demon King Zero. And I fight for the sake of justice. I reject the Rounds and my oath to Charles zi Britnania, because Britannia denies the ideal of justice itself!"
The Vampire's eyes widen in incredulity before he bares his teeth like fangs, "Then you can die with your whore princess, traitorous little shit-what the?!"
Six orbs spin into place, a barrier forming between them-Zero!
"GET THE FUCK OFF THE ARCADIA, BLOODSUCKER!" Zero bellows in rage, the barrier rushing forward and slamming the Percival backwards into the sky.
Lelouch…thank Kami…I pitch forward in exhaustion only to fall back into my seat as I feel the Lancelot picked up in a bridal carry by the Balor, joyful laughter emanating from it's loudspeakers.
"Hahahahahahaha! It worked, it worked! Oh Suzaku, it is soooo good to have you back at last! Q-1! HE'S ALL YOURS!"
Q-1-oh. Without my being a target on the field, that means…
A shimmering red comet burns across the sky, a scream of explosive feminine rage heralding doom for it's target, a man whom I can say has more than earned every bit of it.
"BRADLLLLEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY!"
つつく。。。 (To be continued)