AN:

Samurai Seven: Honestly, if Suzaku does find out what V.V did, then he'll instantly turn on the boy, and try to kill him all the same. But, since Karma Suzaku doesn't actually know about V.V, he's probably going to be surprised when he meets the boy in this timeline, especially if he shows him a surfire way of dealing with Lelouch. However, even if he finds out that V.V was the one who killed Nunnally, it doesn't change what Karma Lelouch did. So, it's honestly a coin toss whether he'd allow this Lelouch to walk away free. I suppose we'll find out if we reach that point.

Chapter 70: To Live

Suzaku effortlessly slid beneath the Kagero's fist, and sent it flying with a single strike, causing Kallen to scream in agony, "Damn it! This thing's too slow!" she shouted while crashing into a tree.

"Kallen, please. I don't want to hurt you. Just let me get to Lelouch." Suzaku stated while facing the Gloucester once more.

"You keep saying that, but you keep hitting me!" the red head burst forth from the forest, equipping her MVS and using it to clash against Suzaku's arm, which he reinforced with the Blaze Luminous, "And besides… by killing Lelouch, you'll be hurting me!" she pulled away and took up a Knight's stance.

"Unfortunately… that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Suzaku drew his MVS blades, "I'm sorry, Kallen."

"If you were sorry, then you'd stop trying to reason with me!"

"I just… I just want you to see reason." he pushed forth, clashing his first blade with the red heads, "I hope… that maybe, one of these times, I'll be able to get through to you." he kicked her to the ground, before driving his weapon through her chest, missing her cockpit by a few feet. "And I'm sorry, but I won't stop trying." out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Zetland and Glinda Knight's run out of the JLF reinforcement tunnel, "I can't let them catch Lelouch. Not before I get there."

"H-hypocrite." Kallen muttered as he walked away, "You were fine killing me on that roof, so why the change in heart?" The Knight ignored her question, and quickly headed toward the captured Gloucester. "If things keep up like this… we'll be crushed." a tear streamed down the red head's cheek as Suzaku's words echoed throughout her mind, "I'll fail again…"

"Don't cry so soon!" the voice of C.C crashed through the forest. There it was, the hope of the Black Knights. The Guren . A destructive Knightmare that created so many miracles in the past. Now, they needed another. More than ever. C.C hopped out, trading places with the red head, as she took her rightful place as the machine's one and true pilot. "You got this, right?"

Kallen wiped away her tears fearlessly. With this machine, her dreams would be realized once again. "As long as I have the Guren, Suzaku's going nowhere!" she proclaimed while rushing after the Knight.

The Immortal gave a slight smile as Ohgi and Tamaki ran past her, "Retreat! The battle is lost! We'll regroup at escape point 13!" the latter shouted, while JLF troops joined them in fleeing.

"I have to stay here in case Kallen needs backup." C.C looked at the Kagero and shook her head, "Nope. That won't work. I have to come up with something else."

"AGH!" Mario and Maya screamed as they tumbled across the dirt.

"That hurt!" the latter proclaimed while standing up, she reached into her cloak and pulled out another Naginata, before attacking it to her broken handle, "What now?" she asked as Naoto zoomed past them.

"We have to beat those two." the Kozuki stated while looking at the other destroyed Kagero, where C.C was standing, "Ah. Maya, help me out here." he ordered, ignoring the green-haired girl.

The black-haired girl instantly knew what he was talking about, and in a matter of seconds, salvaged the arms of Lelouch's Kagero, attaching them to Naoto's. "Good as new."

"We've got incoming!" Mario announced while trying to clash with Alice, only to get kicked to the ground, where he had to narrowly dodge Dalque's enormous foot.

"Pest!" the dark-skinned girl shouted while pivoting to the right.

Maya came in with the assist, and dragged her Naginata across the Knightmare's waist, intending to bisect it. However, it barely made a scratch in the GX's thick metal. "Damn! That's so not fair!" the black-haired girl shouted while taking a step back.

Alice quickly zoomed in, and sent a punch into Maya's Knightmare, sending her flying away. Meanwhile, Naoto was playing catch-up, trying to keep Alice focused on him while the Disel siblings as they dealt with Dalque. Though, he ended up failing as the blonde was way too fast. That's when a Gloucester came crashing next to him. The group turned to their right, where the Lancelot Club approached, "What? You again?" Rai focused on Mario's Sougetsu as he spun his revolving blade around.

The Gloucester from earlier got up and noticed C.C off to the side. It quickly moved to her, allowing Mario and Rai to face each other properly, "Naoto, Maya! Zero needs yours help! The Knight's of the round are closing in fast!"

"Clara? Is that you?" the Kozuki questioned.

"Clara?" Dalque and Alice faced the Gloucester upon hearing that name, "Didn't she go missing?"

The blonde nodded, "She did. I haven't seen her in Ashford either."

"My disappearance is none of your business." the pink-haired girl stated while opening her cockpit, allowing C.C to enter. "Naoto, Maya, get out of here. We'll take care of these two."

"In a Gloucester!? You're kidding right? You don't stand a chance!" Maya shouted.

"Don't worry, I'll be in complete control here." the Immortal stated as Clara sat in her lap, "Just remember to do your job. Understand?"

The former Geass assassin nodded and faced forward, "These two are extremely dangerous. Their Geass' can extend not just from their bodies, but from their Knightmare's. Those GX's are specially made to support them."

"Seriously? What are their Geass'?"

"You see the big one? Her name is Dalque, and her Geass is called 'the power'." C.C narrowly dodges an incoming strike from said Knightmare, and strafed into the forest, "She can amplify her physical strength to insane proportions. If we get hit by even one of her strikes, we're basically done for."

At that moment, Alice appeared behind the Immortal, and tried to stab the cockpit with her wrist blade. But, C.C was fast enough to notice this, and spin away from the blonde, "And what about her?"

"The skinny one is known as Alice, and she has the Geass ability known as 'the speed'." The Immortal narrowly dodged another strike aimed for her head, before spinning her KMF lance, and thrusting it into her opponent's chest, forcing them to instantly pull back. "They don't have landspinners, so you should have the advantage in acceleration. So, make sure to keep your distance."

C.C nods and escapes the forest, only to come face-to-face with Dalque's large fist, so in response, he ducked, allowing her lance to get obliterated. "You know the fun part about all this? I still have to capture you, but because you're immortal…" the dark-skinned girl spun on her heel, before entering a boxing stance, "I don't have to hold back like everyone else!"

The immortal narrowly side-stepped a punch aimed for her head, grabbing the arm in the process, then Dalque used her other hand to try and grab the Gloucester's cockpit. However, C.C rolled over the captured arm, sending two swift kicks to her opponent, doing little damage, "I've been around for hundreds of years, did you really think…" she dodged another attempt at grappling her Gloucester, before sliding back, preparing a punch, forcing Dalque to raise her arms defensively, "I haven't learned to take care of opponents larger than me?" However, C.C's attack was a feint, and she used the blind spot her opponent created, to force open the guard by spreading their arms open, and using those same arms like a slingshot, to launch both of her feet into their torso. This unexpectedly powerful attack knocked the dark-skinned girl off her feet, and onto the ground, where Alice swiftly took over the initiative, by blitzing in front of C.C, sending out a right hook with her wrist blade already protruding.

Despite the quickness of this attack, C.C managed to stop the swing with her arm, before punching the blonde in her chest, causing her to be knocked back a bit. Alice shrugged off this attack, and quickly moved behind the Immortal, where she launched a swift jab. However, the green-haired girl managed to grab her opponent's wrist, and pull her forward, before sending a knee to the GX's chest, causing Alice to grunt in pain as she was continuously dragged around. Once she regained her footing, she escaped C.C's grasp, and pulled back, only to have her loose arm grabbed, and pulled toward the Gloucester, where she got kicked in the chest once more, sending her flying into the forest. To recover, she rolled onto her feet, where the Gloucester was already approaching rapidly, so this time, she chose to take a defensive approach, noticing C.C hardly attacks unprovoked. Though, just because C.C mainly plays defense, doesn't mean she can't attack.

"How'd they get these abilities?" C.C asked Clara as she sent out two left jabs, "I've only seen a handful of Geass' that are similar, but even those pale in comparison to the sheer ferocity these possess."

"Well… let's just say the Geass Order gave these girls some extra 'Juice' to make them far more potent than any other Geass user. That juice? Your DNA." Clara explained, as Alice's defense remained firm against the incoming jabs, so C.C quickly moved to the side, and tried to send a kick into her side, only for it to fall short. "By doing so, they obtained unique Geass abilities that enhanced their physical attributes. Also, much like yourself, they're immortal."

Upon hearing that information, the witch's eyes widened, "You're kidding. How am I supposed to defeat them?"

"Well, their immortality is conditional, so as long as they don't come in contact with the drug that Maya injected Dalque with before, they can heal any injury, albeit, at a much slower rate than you."

C.C sent two more jabs, before opting to grab her opponent by the wrist on the second, pulling them forward. Using the momentum, she sent a knee into their head, before following up with a strike to the back. Finally, she drew her MVS, and aimed to decapitate the opposing Knightmare.

However, before she could reach, a large hand grabbed her from behind, pulling her out of the forest. It was Dalque, and now she was pissed. But, the immortal wouldn't remain trapped forever, as, upon realizing what happened, she cut off the hulking frame's fingers, freeing her from its grasp. Then, once she hit the ground, she drove her sword through the center, before using her landspinners to do a full 360 around the Knightmare, bisecting it.

"Damn! That hurt!" the dark-skinned girl shouted as the GX laid powerless on the ground.

Alice suddenly ran out of the forest and tried to catch C.C off-guard. Luckily, Clara noticed her approach, and shouted, "On your right!"

Thanks to her warning, the witch narrowly blocked the attack, but not without getting pushed back significantly. Since her arms were occupied blocking the strike, to counterattack, she used her slash harkens to try and dismember Alice. Though, this only opened opportunity for the blonde, as she disappeared once the slash harkens were sent flying. She appeared behind the immortal, and sent her fist into their cockpit, crushing it slightly.

While it didn't look like a lot of damage, on the inside, C.C had her arms bent at an uncomfortable angle, trapped between two pieces of shrapnel. The injury wasn't an issue, not in the slightest. It was just the angle her hands were positioned in. "Damn it… I can't fight like this." she stated as the Gloucester was knocked to the ground.

Clara banged her head against the display, and held her face, "Want… want me to take over?"

"You think I trust you? For all I know, you could still be some Geass spy, sent here to keep me in check."

"That's not what I'm here for!" the pink-haired girl shouted while taking the controls, moving out of Alice's incoming strike, "I know it seems odd. Why would I turn my back on the people who gave me everything? My life. My power. My hope. But, it's because they gave me such things, that they could easily take them away." she pulled away from Alice, making sure to maintain her distance, while simultaneously ducking strikes, "And now, Rolo's hunting me down because of my failure. I'm not fool. I know that means the Geass order… V.V, they know I'm useless. They believe me to be defective, and will take back the life they gave me!" she blocked another attack with her MVS, causing the blade to crack, "I just… I just…" the blade shattered after maintaining the pressure for too long, sending Alice's wrist blade into the Gloucesters chest. However, she was now stuck.

"Crap." the blonde muttered while trying to pull away, only to be held in place by her opponent.

"I just wanna take back my life!" Clara shouted while delivering a headbutt to the GX, "I'm tired of living in fear, knowing I could be killed at any second for not being useful! Even now… it's the same while living under the Black Knights. Serving Zero. I've merely traded one cage for another!" she pulled back her fist, and punched Alice in the face, causing her entire Knightmare to shake, "And I know I don't deserve your trust, Master C.C! I hunted you down. Kidnapped Lelouch. Used him as bait to lure you out. But most importantly… I hurt Kallen." she threw another punch, causing the blonde to hit the back of her head on the roof, "So, I don't deserve it. I know that. But please… let me try."

C.C looked down, realizing that Clara's words echoed her own in the Original Timeline. "Much like Clara, I was lost for so long. Just looking for an escape. Looking for a way to just… die. So when Charles and V.V approached me with such a prospect, I jumped at the opportunity. Though, that clouded my judgment, and once my head cleared, I fled. Once again, I was on the run, and stuck myself in another cage. Another set of shackles. It wasn't until Lelouch came along, that he finally presented an opportunity to be free. But I was stupid, and didn't realize it until it was nearly too late." she looked up at Clara, as she fearfully kept punching Alice, doing next to no damage, "I get it now… what you want. What you desire, is something you and I share…" she smiled, "Clara, what do you want?"

The former Geass assassin's eyes widened, "What… do I want?"

"Yes. What do you want the most? You said you wanted to take back your own life, but what do you want even more than that?"

Clara looked at the GX with shaking eyes, "I want… I want…" throughout her mind, hundreds of voices were screaming at her the same thing, "Die… Die… Die…" but that's not what Clara wanted. Deep within her heart, her very soul, she bestowed upon herself what she truly desired… "I want… I want…" her eyes hardened with resolve, as a red ring appeared around them, "I want to live!"

There it was. She may have needed to bestow a Geass command on herself to find it, but Clara finally figured out what she wanted most. Her true desire was to live. Not just in the physical sense, but in the sense that would make Clara. Not the Geass Assassin. But make Clara Lanfranc, truly happy. She wanted to live her life. Live it to the fullest. Travel to different countries. Try exotic dishes to her content. Make memorable moments that would last a lifetime or two over.

Upon hearing her resolve, C.C smiled, "If that's what you truly want, then I will help you achieve it!" she shouted, "Just like Lelouch did for me."

It might have seemed simple on the outside. And in truth, it was. But for these girls, this shared desire, would create an unlikely bond, that no one could've expected.

With her command taking hold of her mind, Clara ripped off Alice's arm, using it to bash her head in, before doing a sweeping kick, knocking the blonde to the ground. Once there, she slammed the dismembered arm into the GX's chest cavity, jamming it in like a sword. If it had been anyone else, this would've been a lethal blow. But because Alice was invincibility, she managed to live. However, it was still painful. In fact, it was the most pain Alice had ever experienced. "Agh!" she screamed, "Where did this strength come from? How… how did she move like that? To my knowledge… Clara never had any Knightmare training, so why? Why do her abilities surpass my own?"

The pink-haired girl heaved in and out, staring at her hands in disbelief as red alarms beeped across the Gloucester, "Did… did I do that?"

C.C giggled, "Yeah. You did." Clara turned around, only to see the witch give her a bloody smile, "Mind cutting my hands off? I don't think we'll be able to remove this shrapnel anytime soon."

The former Geass Assassin obeyed, and used her knife to cut off the immortal's wrist, opening the cockpit and dragging her out. "Did… did you really mean what you said?" she asked once they got out, "Are you really going to help me?"

C.C smiled as her hands healed, "I meant every word."

"But… how do you know I wasn't lying?"

The witch shrugged, "I'll keep that to myself~"

Clara sighed heavily, "Does… that mean you trust me?"

"Maybe~"

"Maybe!?"

C.C laughed heartily upon hearing the girl's disbelief. Though, the two were suddenly brought back to reality upon hearing an explosion in the background, "As much fun as this is, we have to cut this laughing session short." she ducked into the forest, and tried to see what was going on at the base of the mountain.

That's when a JLF truck stopped behind her, "Hey! You're the secretary, right? Zero sent us to pick you up!"

"Really? What for?"

"He said that they'll take it from here, and that there's nothing to worry about."

Clara looked to the immortal for guidance, to which she sighed, "Get in, Clara."

"Wait… we're leaving them?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"There's nothing I can do like this. We don't have a Knightmare, and all the ones we could steal are at the mountain." C.C explained while getting into the passenger side, "Don't worry about Zero. With Naoto, Mario, Maya, and especially Kallen guarding him, he'll be alright. I can't think of a better team."

Clara sighed before taking one last glance at the battlefield, "I… hope you're right…"

Naoto ducked a strike from Gino before backflipping away, landing with his back facing Maya and Lelouch, "Oh boy. We sure are screwed." he said as the Knight's of the round approached them from all sides. "Any solutions?" Suddenly, Dasko appeared out of nowhere, and tried to attack Zero. This forced the Kozuki to shift left, pushing the Prince out of the way, and intercept the Knight. In a few moves, he sent the Knight of Carine flying away, much to the Knights of the Rounds surprise.

"Whoa. We gotta watch that black one." Gino reported, "He's got some moves."

"Then it's a good thing I'm facing him!" Luciano shouted with glee as he felt his wound send a pang of pain throughout his body.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Bradley." Anya calmly stated, "We don't want you to die."

The Vampire shook off his injury, "I'm fine. Just charge up your hadron cannon. We'll force 'em to disperse."

Lelouch shifted left, changing his opponent to the Zetland, which he noted didn't have any landspinners, "I'll take that one. It'll be easy for me to escape that way."

"Got it." Naoto confidently drew his blade and faced Luciano, "Then I'll take this one."

Maya sighed, "And you're just gonna leave me with the guy who was kicking your ass? Great." she said in a monotone voice.

The Kozuki chuckled, "Sorry about that. Wanna switch?"

"Nah. I can't be left behind!" the black-haired girl shouted as the Zetland fired off a hadron beam, forcing the trio to scatter, "Beware of that beam, Lelouch! I don't know what they're calling it, but from what I can tell, it's essentially like the Radiant Wave Surger. If you get caught in it, you're dead."

"Thanks for the info!" Lelouch shouted while zigzagging toward Anya, not allowing her to lock onto him.

"Little mouse." she muttered before pressing a button, activating her shoulder-mounted rocket pods, sending a flurry of explosives toward Lelouch, tracking his location. Of course, upon seeing this, Lelouch took evasive action, steering a sharp right, avoiding the initial bombs. However, his troubles didn't end there, as they continued following him through the forest. Fortunately, most were taken out by the trees, but that didn't change the fact that he was still on the back foot, as he narrowly dodged another hadron beam, decimating the forest. "Clearly, collateral damage isn't on this one's radar." he stared down the Zetland through the opening as it shifted to the right, "I have to do something about it… but what?"

"Zero!" the voice of Dasko broke through his thoughts, intending to crush him right there.

The Prince smiled, "Perfect timing." he opened his intercom and said, "Dasko. I order you to take care of that Knightmare." he pointed at the Zetland. "Do it at once."

All hostility dropped out of the Knight's presence, as he landed just inches from Lelouch's face. "It shall be done, my lord." he responded while spinning his KMF lance to face Anya, "I shall make mince meat out of them for you!" he fearlessly charged forth, much to the Knight of Six's surprise.

"Dasko. Please. Move out of the-" her words failed to reach the Knight, as he leapt high into the air, and sent his foot into her head, "Dirty shoes." she stated while backing away.

Gino noticed this from afar while clashing blades with Maya, "Dasko! What the hell are you doing!? We're on your side!"

"No!" the Knight proclaimed while thrusting his KMF lance through the Zetland's left arm, narrowly missing their chest. "I will destroy this Knightmare!"

Zero watched the battle with a smile, "I'll be losing Dasko as my contact after this battle, but at least I still have the Margrave. Speaking of which… I hope he'll be meeting me at the rendezvous point, just as promised." he began speeding away, shouting, "I leave this in your hands, Dasko!"

Suzaku and Kallen landed in front of Lelouch, each clashing their respective MVS weapons, "Where do you think you're going!?" the former shouted like a mangy dog.

That's when the red head kicked him away, "Don't worry! I've got him, you just focus on getting out of here!" she then chased after the White Knight, continuing to push him through the forest, piling on the pressure.

Though, Lelouch would have something else to worry about, as the red Knightmare's from the Glinda Knights were closing in from all sides. "Shoot… this isn't good." he pushed through the one in front, killing the pilot with his slash harkens, "I can't get caught."

Naoto got pushed to the ground, and watched as Zero escaped to safety… hopefully. "Great, now I can focus on you." he stated while blocking a strike from Bradley's MVS.

"You Eleven scum don't know anything about true swordsmanship!" the Knight taunted while sending his opponent's blade into the ground, before driving his shoulder forth, disarming the Black Knightmare, "You may have the weapons, but you're too stupid to use them!" he tried to deliver a final strike, but froze when his injury flared up again.

Naoto used this chance to hit him with a front kick, sending him tumbling away, then he picked up his MVS, and pushed the advantage. He first sent one powerful slash into Luciano's MVS, before pulling back slightly, driving the tip of his blade into his opponent's shoulder, before dragging it to the side, severing the connectors for the Gloucesters left arm. "Tohdoh taught me that one!"

Luciano took a few steps back, "Punk…" he muttered as his injury flared once more.

Upon seeing his friend getting beaten, Gino quickly pushed Maya's Naginata up, and drove his blade across her chest, leaving a deep cut that she was forced to kneel, "Bradley!" he rushed between the Vampire and Kozuki, "I got you!" he easily pushed Naoto back with a few swift moves, proving Weinberg's skill as a Knightmare pilot. "You need to pull back now."

"Don't be silly. I can take care of… small fry like this." he tried to stand, only for his Knightmare to collapse, almost as if it was feeling the same exhaustion he was.

"Not like this. Get out. I'll beat him for you."

While Bradley would've normally protested, he was too tired to even move his controls forth to slash the blond's back, "S…screw you…" he collapsed, "I don't… need anyone's help…" he muttered before falling unconscious.

Gino rushed forth, pushing Naoto's blade to the side, before driving his leg into their chest. The Kozuki groaned while tumbling back, "Despite being in a vastly inferior frame… this guy's still able to do significant damage to me! I guess that's just what makes him a Knight of the Round."

Due to his relatively playful exterior, many forget that Gino Weinberg is the Knight of Three for a reason. He didn't get there through sleeping with countless consorts, or gaining special favor with the Emperor behind the scenes, like some may tell you. No. Gino earned his position purely through his Knightmare talent, even besting the likes of senior Knight's mere months after his promotion as a pilot. And those talents were on full display now.

Naoto tried to fight back the best he could, but the onslaught from the prodigy proved to be too great, as his defense was easily picked apart. Gino delivered two quick slashes to his opponent's MVS, causing it to shatter on the second strike, then he drove his blade into their chest, only to be blocked by Naoto's blaze luminous on his right arm. Despite this minor set back, the blond pulled away, before rushing in once more. With no more weapons, the Black Knightmare had no means of fighting back. Or so it would seem…

"Naoto!" Todhoh shouted as he and Asahina joined in, "Everyone's been evacuated! It's time to pull back!"

"Three versus one? How shameful." Gino taunted while pulling away, only to feel two slashes hit his back. The Knight of Ten abruptly woke up to the sound of chain blades moving past him rapidly.

"No. It's a five versus one." Nagisa taunted as she, the four holy swords, and Tohdoh encircled the Knight of the round, "Spinning life or death formation!"

The blond watched helpless as the Japanese encircled him like sharks in the water. He tried to move his Knightmare forward to break out, but due to the damage he sustained earlier, it was no good, "Crap! This ain't good!"

"Gino!" Luciano shouted uncharacteristically as the Gekka's, and Burai, converged on one point, delivering several slashes to their target. For a moment, Gino's Gloucester stood unwavering, but soon toppled under the immense damage he took, "Son of a bitch. Eleven scum…"

"Remember, don't kill them." Tohdoh ordered as Naoto joined him in pulling back.

"What!? But we can take out two Knight of the Round right here and now!" Nagisa shouted.

"And what? Bring the entire Britannian army down on us?" Asahina answered, "Listen, I would no more than to kill those bastards too, but… the repressions would be vast."

"That's right." Naoto cut in, "It's better to deal with only three Knights, 10."

They'd most likely not face off against all Knights of the Round, but that wasn't the point of the statement. Any more Knights showing up would surely spell doom for the Black Knights, as they'd only pile on to the already full plate Zero was dealing with. And pretty soon, it'd overflow, and spill onto the Black Knight in a bloody mess.

"Fine. Maya, get over here!" Nagisa called, allowing for the black-haired girl to obediently follow.

"Wait!" Gino called, "What's your name?" he pointed at the Black Knightmare.

"We have no obligation to-"

"Naoto." the Kozuki answered abruptly.

"Hey! Why'd you tell him!?" Nagisa asked.

"I must agree with her. That was… unnecessary," Asahina added.

"Ugh. You guys have no honor." Urabe answered, "Don't you know, that in a showdown between manly men, it's common place to share each other's name?"

Gino smiled, "Naoto… I'll remember that name." he leaned back in his Knightmare, surprisingly calm, "My name's Gino. Knight of Three. Nice to meet ya."

Naoto took a step forth, "It's nice to meet you too."

"Man, it sure is a shame that we have to be on opposing sides like this." the blond said while kicking up his feet, "I have a feeling you and I would be very good friends."

The Kozuki nodded, "I can tell you're not a bad guy, Gino. If understand correctly, you were the one who fought in Harajuku, right?"

"Yep. That's me. I see my work has impressed you?"

"Don't make idle conversation with the enemy!" Luciano shouted in protest

"Exactly. I admire how you chose not to harm the innocent Japanese who resided in there, despite how easy it would've been to level the place. That alone, has garnered my respect. Thank you" Naoto ignored the Knight of Ten.

"I was just doing my job. You don't have to thank me." he tapped his foot on the display as he saw Tohdoh's Knightmare turn to the right, "No… don't look… please don't look… not yet."

Unbeknownst to the Japanese, Anya had dealt with Dasko's Knightmare by stepping on it, restraining him permanently, while simultaneously using him to steady her aim, "Here it comes, Gino. Be careful."

The blond took a deep breath as he grabbed his controls, "Don't worry about me… I've got this. Just do it, Anya."

With Gino providing enough time for Anya to charge up her large hadron launcher, she finally fired off the largest beam she could produce from her Knightmare. This one took her entire energy filler, and nearly caused her yggdrasil drive to overload from the heat. But it didn't matter, they just needed this one chance.

"Watch out!" Tohdoh shouted as the beam approached them. He pushed Naoto and himself forward, leaving the Holy Swords and Maya to back away. Once it was just the two of them, Gino released a few damaged systems from his Knightmare, including his arms. Leaving him with a functional, but fragile, fighting machine.

"Now that we're alone!" he shouted while nearly kicking Tohdoh into the beam, only for Naoto to save him, "I'll take both of you out here and now!"
"Oh! I see… Gino… you're not as stupid as you look…" Luciano laughed while slowly getting up, "You… you… were causing a diversion, hoping to separate these bastards into sizable pieces." he felt his bones creek and his body ache, but he didn't care, "But you can't do this alone! You piece of shit!"

Tohdoh desperately moved to block the incoming vampire, but his revolving blade broke upon making contact with the MVS, forcing him to activate his slash harkens, and take out their arms. But, the Knight was persistent, and used his own harkens to decapitate the Burai, activating its auto-eject, sending Tohdoh toward the massive hadron beam. However, once again Naoto saved him by grabbing his cockpit, and fighting the thrusters by planting his feet and harkens into the ground.

"How admirable, but you'll both be dying together!" Luciano sent a kick into the back of Naoto, forcing him to drop Tohdoh on the ground, as he got sent into the beam. In that second, he activated his Blaze Luminous to full capacity, and tried to block the damage. But… upon entering the destructive attack, all of his defenses were automatically destroyed, and he took the beam in full. Or… that's what would've happened if he had caught it from the beginning. Luckily, because it had gone on for so long, Naoto only caught the tail end of the attack, meaning he had only sustained it for less than three seconds. Even so…

"Augh!" Naoto screamed in pain.

It was two seconds too long. He sustained massive damage to his frame, and physical body.

"Naoto!" Maya shouted while ripping open his cockpit, where she was greeted by a bloody sight, "Oh god… don't worry! I'll get you out of here!" she picked the man up, and got him in her cockpit, where they quickly sped off. Meanwhile, the remaining holy swords bisected Luciano in half, sending his cockpit flying.

Meanwhile, Gino watched helplessly as his systems have given out after his initial attack. If Bradley hadn't stepped in, all of his work would've gone to waste. "But now… I know what Naoto looks like…" he told himself as the Japanese people retreated, leaving only the Guren , and Sougetsu as the last two remaining opposing Aces still battling. Though, their opponents were just as monstrous. It was just… the spectacle of watching the Knight's of the Round battling was too much to pass up.

Rai and Mario separated alongside Kallen and Suzaku as the hadron beam came dangerously close to hitting them, "How are you holding up?" the silver-haired boy asked his former mentor.

"It's going well. If things keep up like this, I'll win."

"I can't help but feel like you're playing some mind games with her." Rai stated while taking out his VARIS.

"Of course. I need to weaken her mentally so that I can give chase to Zero later."

"It's unfortunate that we got stuck on the wrong side of the blast, otherwise we'd be off." the silver-haired boy joked.

"You got that right." Suzaku laughed while pulling out his own VARIS, "Let's just make quick work of these two, alright?" he glanced at his former student, "You're not having trouble, are you?"

"Of course not. This guy may have the power advantage, but I can tell I still outclass him in skill. Not to mention that my Knightmare's far superior."

"Someone's getting cocky."

"Shh. The blast is ending."

They simultaneously aimed the rifles at the last known location of their opponents, hoping to catch them off guard. Little did they know, Kallen had already leapt over the blast, and since they were talking too much, they failed to notice, "Crap! She got me!" the White Knight activated his four slash harkens as the red head tried to grab him, "Is what I would've said if I hadn't seen this move before." due to the amount of projectiles, Kallen barely dodged the attacks, with one of them taking off half her face, forcing her back. Then, Suzaku fired a VARIS round into her chest, which she forcefully blocked with her surger, forcing her to stay there until the attack dissipated.

Rai and Suzaku stood back-to-back, facing off against their respective opponents, "Good luck, Suzaku."

"Same to you." With that, they separated, commencing the final battle that would take place on the fiery Nikko battlefield.

AN: I read Gino's wiki, and it says he only became a Knight of Round five months before Suzaku. But... I'm gonna ignore that, in favor of making him sound cooler. Because honestly, and I don't know if this is because Anya looked more threatening, but Gino felt underwhelming as Knight of the Round. I mean, Anya felt like an unstoppable force whenever she appeared on screen. The Mordred really made her seem like an unbeatable ace on the battlefield, while Gino was absurdly average. Even the tristan, sure it was impressive when it was first showcased, but after that, it didn't really do anything. At least, nothing I can remember.

Also, next chapter will focus on Kallen versus Suzaku, and Rai versus Mario.