AN:
DarkDremora: Well, Suzaku can still mess with Kallen mentally. It's just gonna take a lot more than a few harsh words to get through. Also, that Urabe outcome would've been horrifying, but to say that wouldn't have gotten my attention while reading would be a lie. (Now I can't get that thought out of my mind. lol)
Samurai Seven: You'll see what I've got planned for Carine soon. Very soon.
Chapter 79: Traitors
Ruins of Tokyo Settlement. 12:30AM
"Don't you get it!?" Katase shouted as his Gun-Ru dodged a slash from Tohdoh, who singled him out for a one-on-one confrontation, while the rest of the Holy Swords fended off the swarm of mass-produced Knightmares. "The only way for Japan to thrive once more, is by siding with the Chinese Federation!"
Tohdoh chased the General through a side street, before getting cut-off by two more Gun-Ru's, which he promptly dealt with by leaping over, and using his wrist-mounted machine gun to destroy them. "So what? You're saying that we should trade one master for another!? Or are you saying Japan can't stand on its own!?"
"You're not listening, Tohdoh!" Katase shouted while unloading a volley of bullets toward his opponent, who ducked into a building to avoid being damaged, "We'll be siding with the Chinese Federation, becoming a part of their great nation!" he suddenly pulled back just as Tohdoh crashed through the building on his right, narrowly avoiding the revolving blade, "Are you really that against teaming up with other nations!? Japan cannot survive on its own!"
"That's something I can agree with." the Miracle worker retorted while thrusting his sword forth, only for it to stab through another Gun-Ru that body-blocked for Katase, "Obviously, no nation can stand on its own. We need allies."
"Then why are you fighting us!?" Katase asked as three Gun-Ru's past him, surrounding Tohdoh for a pincer maneuver. However, the Black Knight commander easily dispatched one by shoving his sword through their cockpit, and using their limp frame to slam into another, before finally destroying the last with his machine gun.
"Because, you aren't just suggesting an alliance!" Tohdoh burst forth, cutting off Katase's machine gun, "Don't you know who the Chinese Federation are!? Their people live in poverty! Barely struggling to live with each passing day!" he retreated slightly as a Gun-Ru rammed into his side, sending him crashing through a building. However, before it could fire upon him, he cut its cockpit in half. "The Japanese who live under Britannian rule will be even worse off under the Chinese!" he used his S-RES to grab onto a building, and launch himself toward the General, sending his knee forward, knocking them back, "And don't even get me started on the Federation's racism!"
Katase scoffed, "Oh? Are you trying to give me a lecture or something? You're much too green for that!" the red Gun-Ru drove out into an open area, where all the nearby buildings had been burnt to ash. A perfect kill box, as even more Gun-Rus waited in the shadows.
Of course, Tohdoh was determined to kill his corrupt leader, so he mindlessly charged forth, falling for the trap completely. "Think about who's leading the Chinese Federation! They're only Chinese officials, who have been in power for years! It's never changed!" he narrowly dodged incoming Gun-Ru fire from the right side, before using his revolving blade to pierce through one from the front, using it as a shield from the rest of the force. "China has always wanted to control all of Asia, as they believe it's some kind of birth right! And do you know what they'll do once they have Japan!? They'll battle Britannia for the land they control, all the while slowly stealing away the freedoms of the countries they control. Sound familiar!?"
"And what's so wrong with that!?" Katase argued as he hid behind a line of Gun-Ru's
Getting fed-up, Tohdoh charged forth, tossing his shield into the crowd, causing them to split up. With this move, he swiftly cut apart the opposing Knightmares effortlessly. "After all, if we side with the Federation, they'll give us power! Enough to make Japan a strong country once more! And who cares about the other countries? As a unified Asia, it's up to us to take care of each other! China will surely follow this rule!"
"They can't even take care of their own people! How can you trust them to take care of you!?" Tohdoh questioned as the dust cleared, revealing himself and Katase to be the last ones standing after the ambush. "You called me naive before, but the truth is… you're the one who's naive!"
"How can you say such things about your own people, Tohdoh?" a voice interrupted their conversation from behind. Once the Miracle worker turned to face the new contender, he was met with several red Gun-Ru's, and over a dozen normal Gun-Ru's.
"I remember that voice… you're Atsushi Sawazaki."
"Oh? It's truly an honor to be recognized by someone like yourself, Tohdoh." the Japanese politician retorted as Katase quickly moved to his side, "After all, I thought you were too busy worshiping Zero to care for your own."
"Just what the hell is wrong with you people?" Tohdoh asked while backing away slowly, trying to gain as much distance as possible before the fighting began, "Can't you see that Zero's our best chance at a free Japan? He's facing off against Britannia on an equal playing field, and winning!"
"You call this winning?" Sawazaki gestured to the ruins of Tokyo Settlement, as a bomber flew overhead, destroying a squad of both Gun-Ru's and Burai's combined. "As we speak, Tokyo is being destroyed. Thousands of Japanese are dying due to this conflict, and yet you're saying Zero's right?"
"Were you not going to do the same? Everyone, who's joined in on the fighting, are doing so out of their free will!" the Miracle worker argued, "It's not like how the Chinese Federation forcefully conscripts their people to fight in their army."
"Every man is responsible for serving their country. That's why Japan is weak. We had too many people cowering in fear, and accepting Britannian rule, while they should've taken up arms instead!" Sawazaki cackled like a mad man, "With our victory today, a new Japan will be born! One that closely resembles the one that fought in the first Pacific War! True warriors that wouldn't bow to anyone!"
"Have you forgotten that we lost that war out of pride!? Sure, Japanese Pride is our biggest strength, but there's a time and a place for it! And fighting Britannia with senseless pride won't work! We have to fight for something bigger than ourselves. Don't you understand that?"
"Enough." the Japanese politician shouted, "It's clear that you won't listen to a thing I say, especially when the facts are staring at you in the face. Everyone, feel free to execute this traitor, and erase this scourge from our glorious history!"
Upon hearing those words, Tohdoh turned his Gekka around, and rushed for cover, barely making it in time as the bullets shot at his position, which was built from the corpses of the Gun-Ru's he defeated earlier. "Damn it… I can't win like this…"
Just as all hope seemed to be lost, Asahina and Nagisa both ran out from the left and right, destroying the Gun-Ru's that were in a firing line. The Center turned to face the new threat, only to be attacked from the front by Senba, "Tohdoh!" they called simultaneously, "We're here to help!"
"Sorry for the wait." Nagisa said softly.
"We got a little caught up." Asahina added with a confident smirk.
"Let us take care of the fodder, you just get to Katase." Senba assured the Miracle worker.
Tohdoh nodded, "Thank you." he sped through the fighting, directly clashing with a red Gun-Ru as it tried to stop him. However, resistance was relatively minimal, as it was clear there were no good pilots on the Federations side. Even Katase was painfully average, even Tamaki could beat him. With a single swipe, Tohdoh cut his opponent in half, before taking a step back as another tried ramming him. Then, he followed up by shoving his revolving blade into the cockpit, leaving it behind while firing his S-RES into a Gun-Ru that tried to keep its distance. Once he got a hook, he pulled the machine closer, lifting it up like a WWE wrestler while charging forth, slamming it into another Gun-Ru in the process. Just as two more Knightmares tried surrounding him, he pulled away, firing his machine gun into one, while ramming his shoulder into the other, knocking them over.
Tohdoh looked down at his opponent, and began beating them savagely with his bare fist, tearing the cockpit apart as Sawazaki and Katase watched with horror. Finally, the Miracle worker returned to the spot where he left his revolving blade, picking it up before charging at the politician. Sawazaki desperately tried to move left, but he wasn't fast enough as the leader of the Four Holy Swords shoved his sword into him at full speed, taking the General by surprise.
"W-was Tohdoh always this good!?" Katase muttered as he pulled away, "No matter! I'll kill him all the same!"
The Miracle worker kicked away the politician's Knightmare just as it erupted into a powerful explosion, leaving him alone with Katase as he sped around him. However, a lone Gun-Ru doesn't amount to any challenge, even to the most amateur of Knightmare pilots. After all, while they may be fast, the true strength behind these easy to mass-produce machines, were their numbers.
But the General didn't care. He wanted to eradicate those who have scorn his past, even if it meant foolishly charging into battle alone. Katase fired his machine gun wildly, causing bullets to spray everywhere, as its barrel had been cut off by Tohdoh's earlier attack.
Surprisingly, this actually made it harder to for him to dodge, as no matter where his Gekka went, he would always be hit somewhere by tumbling rounds. And while they didn't do nearly as much damage, it only took one to cause serious damage. In short, the more Tohdoh got hit, the higher his chance of sustaining a game ending hit would be. However… there was an additional penalty for using a Gun-Ru, as opposed to a traditional Knightmare.
Katase's Gun-Ru dumped one ammo box as it's automatic-reloader dinged like an alarm clock, signalling it was ready to fire. "That's one…" the Miracle Worker muttered as he ducked into a building, narrowly dodging a new volley of incoming rounds.
"Stand still, you traitor!" the General shouted as he crashed through a building, sustaining damage to his cannons as he recklessly chased after his prey.
As Tohdoh rounded a corner, he came across two Britannian Sutherland's destroying a captured APC as its inhabitants laid bleeding out on the street. Enraged by the sight, he charged forth, killing one within seconds with his revolving blade, before using the last as a shield, blocking the incoming rounds from his pursuers Gun-Ru. After dragging the purple frame for a bit, he threw it to the side, just as it was about to explode, then he noticed Katase's Gun-Ru reloading for the second time. "You're just eating through that ammo, aren't you?" he taunted while ducking into a side-street.
"Shut up!" the General ignored his opponent's foreboding, and crashed through another building, trying to take a shortcut. However, once he emerged from the other side, he found Tohdoh halfway down the street, just barely within range of his machine guns. "Got you now!" he unleashed another volley, with several bullets managing to hit his opponent's landspinners, causing them to stumble into an alleyway.
The General managed to pressure his opponent deeper into the alley, where the Gekka now had its back against a wall. Of course, Tohdoh wasn't out of options, not even close. He was choosing to let Katase ensnare him. After all, he was counting.
"Any last words, Tohdoh!?" Katase aimed his machine gun with a confident smile.
"Don't miss." the Miracle Worker muttered as he readied his blade.
"Like I'd do that!"
A few seconds went by, and nothing happened, much to the General's surprise. "What's wrong?"
"Sh-shut up!" Katase continued pulling the trigger to his machine gun, only for nothing to come out, "What's going on!?" he eyed the display to his right, which read 'no ammo', "At a time like this!?"
"Looks like your luck's run out." Tohdoh confidently stated as his opponent began to falter, "Zero did the math with me before. If the Chinese Federation hoofed it, they'd be able to easily cut through the Britannian defenses on Kyushu, and even a good portion of Honshu. However, they'd be met with a hard wall upon reaching Tokyo." he pointed his blade at the General, "After all, there's nowhere for them to resupply, so they'd find their assault running out of fuel, ammo, support, or perhaps all of the above."
Katase tried to run away, only to find himself blocked in by the remaining Holy Swords, "You're not going anywhere." Nagisa proclaimed.
"This can't be… but we had everything to win! They said-"
"Those Gun-Ru's require special ammo boxes, ones that, at this point, can only be manufactured within the Chinese Federation. The same goes for the cannons." Tohdoh took a step forward, "Allow me to quote Zero for this one: 'The Chinese Federation is certainly a formidable foe within their own lands, and short-term fights. However, due to their reliance on quantity over quality, coupled with the sheer incompetence of their own commanders, and reluctance to properly equip their troops with the tool necessary to win, there is exactly a 0% chance that the Chinese Federation will defeat Britannia in Japan. They'll have a good run, but it will always end in defeat.'. And considering that you've received zero naval support from the Federations fleet, I'm sure they've realized it too."
In the distance, the Chinese Federation fleet began to retreat, abandoning Sawazaki's force in face of their defeat. On Kyushu, dozens of landing craft that were carrying Gun-Ru's sunk to the bottom of the ocean, while others remained beached, being destroyed the second they landed. Overall, they had lost a good majority of their force taking Kyushu, due to Britannia's defenses being heavily concentrated there. Adding the resistance they faced on their way to Tokyo, and it's no wonder that their assault ran out of steam.
"W-Wait… we can talk about this!" Katase desperately tried to reason with Tohdoh like a weasel jumping ship. "What about Japan? Perhaps Zero truly is the one who will free us! I can totally see that now!"
"The time for talking, has passed." Tohdoh replied coldly, "Don't worry, I'll give you an honorable death, since we've been friends for so long."
"Screw you!" the General shouted upon realizing there was no way to escape, "I'm not dying in a place like this!"
The Miracle Worker quickly leapt forth just as the Gun-Ru turned to break through the Holy Sword blockade. With a single downward strike, he cut the Knightmare in half, causing it to erupt in a fiery explosion, giving a cowardly end, to the one who abandoned his ideals.
"Nicely done, Tohdoh." Asahina complimented their leader as he emerged triumphantly from the alley.
"I couldn't have done it without you three." he responded while enjoying the brief peace they had after defeating their former leader, "Though, I wish Urabe could be here."
"You know… if we hurry, we could rescue him right now." Senba added, "Just say the word, and we'll rush the palace… or at least what's left of it."
"As much as I would love to, we can't risk such a thing. There's no confirmation that he's still being held there, especially with its destruction. The chances of him being moved toward the port are high, but even so, we don't know where he's exactly located. For now, we'll keep an eye out." Tohdoh explained, "But I can assure you, once we get confirmation of where he is, we'll-"
Suddenly, a massive explosion went off in the background, diverting the group toward Ashford Academy, where it was now ablaze, evident of the bombs that had just been dropped. "N-no way…" Nagisa muttered, "Did they really kill the kids… but I thought not even Britannia could be that ruthless…"
"Move!" their leader shouted, "We have to do a damage report, ASAP!"
"Yes, Sir!" the trio followed close behind Tohdoh as he led them toward Ashford Academy
At exactly 12:45AM, the Chinese Federation forces, led by Atsushi Sawazaki, ran out of steam in the ruins of Tokyo Settlement. With this, they were subsequently defeated soon after.
Ashford Academy. 12:25AM.
"Can't believe that shithead jumped out like that." Luciano muttered as he landed the Gawain in the courtyard, "Whatever. I'm sure once I start killing, I'll forget all about-" out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blond boy enter Ashford's Clubhouse, instantly drawing his attention, "Hold the fuck up! Was that-No. It can't. There's no way he could've survived a fall like that. Unless he had a parachute… did he have one? Crap. I can't remember."
"Hey, punk." the voice of Tamaki drew the Knight's attention, "You came to the wrong house!" the Japanese man commanded a Burai squad as they faced down the Black Knightmare, "So, how about this: you give us the keys to that Knightmare, and we'll only beat you up a little."
"Just a bunch of thugs." Luciano muttered, "Boring."
From behind the squad, the twin Sougetsus emerged, followed by the Guren that was missing its radiant wave surger and normal arm. Instead, it had two Sutherland parts in place of its missing limbs. "You shouldn't have come here, Luciano." the red head threatened while bringing for its MVS fork knife.
However, the Knight of Ten laughed in their faces, "What the hell happened to your arm!? Don't tell me… did that bastard Kururugi get to you first? Or did you have a bout with Gino?"
"Just because I'm missing my main weapon, doesn't mean I'll have any difficulty defeating you." she retorted while stepping forth with Mario and Maya.
Suddenly, Luciano stopped laughing, and his tone turned serious, "Oh? Is that so? Then face me one-on-one."
"I intended on fighting you from the beginning, Vampire of Britannia." Kallen motioned her group to form a circle around them, as the two Knightmares prepared to face off against each other. "Of course… I didn't say how I'd fight you…"
"Bring it on!" Luciano shouted as the red head charged forth.
First, the Guren lead by trying to knock the Gawain off balance with a sliding kick, only for it to use the advantage of flight, and escape its attack range. Luciano then fired his finger-mounted slash harkens, forcing Kallen to take a few steps back, dodging the initial eight as they dug into the ground, before deflecting the final two. But she wasn't done yet, as the red head latched her landspinners onto the wires of the stuck slash harkens, and rode them up to her opponent.
This feat obviously surprised the Knight, since he never thought something like that could be possible. However, it was very possible, and it's because of Kallen's creativity, that she was able to land a critical kick on the Gawain's head, knocking it to the side. Of course, she wasn't done yet, as she used her own slash harken to latch onto the frame, and bring herself in for another kick, this time knocking him to the ground just as all slash harkens returned to their owners.
"This thing's way too big!" Luciano complained as his Knightmare slowly got up, "There's no way I can fight her like this."
Just as he got on both feet, Kallen sent a flying kick into his chest, sending him crashing in the Ashford Clubhouse, "I thought the Knight's of the Round were better than whatever the hell this is." she taunted while hopping up and down like a boxer.
"Piss off, bitch." the Vampire spat as he returned to the skies, "I'll wipe this sorry school off the fucking map!" he began charging up the Gawain's hadron beam, only for dozens of S-RES to ensnare him from all directions, slamming him back down to the center of the courtyard.
Kallen took this opportunity to charge in, sending her fork-knife forward, attempting to drive it into his left shoulder, only for it to get blocked by the Black Knightmare's Blaze Luminous. The red head quickly leapt back, only for Luciano to activate the Blaze Luminous all over his frame, severing the wires that kept him down. Just as his opponent was about to land, he activated his hadron blasters, and shouted, "I've got you-"
"Right where." Kallen added to the statement as she landed.
"I want you." Rakshata finished the statement while pressing a button in the distance, activating the Gefjun Disturbers beneath the dirt, creating a field that instantly disabled the Gawain.
"Oh shit…" Luciano muttered as his systems began shutting down, "What's going on?" he desperately tried flipping switches to divert power from the Knightmare's float system to more critical ones, but his effort proved in effective as the Black Knights surrounded him.
"It's over!" Tamaki proclaimed, "Step out of the Knightmare, or we're gonna force you out!"
"Luciano Bradley, please." Ohgi added, "If you surrender now, we won't hurt you, as per the rules of war."
"Rules?" the Knight ground his teeth, "There's no such thing in war… it's kill or be killed. And I know that if I step out of this Knightmare! I'm gonna die! Either by execution by Britannia, or by you fools." he confidently kicked his feet up, "As far as I'm concerned, you have to get to me, and I'm assuming since I can't use my Knightmare in this little ring, you can't either. If I had to guess, this has to do something with sakuradite, since my lights are still on, indicating power isn't the issue. So, good luck-" In the distance, he eyed the Ganymede as it was rolled out for Kallen to use. "Ah shit. That might work."
Less than 5 minutes later, Luciano was dragged out of the Gawain, and thrown to the ground, being guarded by two Black Knight soldiers. "Thank you for hand-delivering this fine specimen to me, Knight of Ten." Rakshata mocked the vampire as he watched his Knightmare getting escorted to the Gym.
"What the hell are the chances of that being here?" he muttered as Kallen exited the Ganymede, and hopped straight into her Guren, returning it to the Gym, where it would receive a few more repairs.
"It is a piece of Ashford technology, so it makes sense that they'd be the ones to keep it." the Indian Woman explained, "And due to its lack of Sakuradite features, it's the perfect retrieval Knightmare for those caught in a Gefjun trap."
"Ashford… I knew I heard that name somewhere before…" the Vampire lamented his defeat, "Whatever… I'm sure Zero's got some things planned for me."
Rakshata shrugged, "It's none of my business what he does with you. I've got what I want, so I'm happy." she tapped her pipe, "Take him away, boys."
The Black Knight guards followed her instructions, and brought the Knight of Ten to the Gym.
However, the conflict was far from over.
"I've got incoming!" Maya announced, "Mount the walls! It's a group of Sutherlands!"
Ohgi's squad tried moving toward the walls, only to be surprised as the group of Britannian Knightmares arrived sooner than expected, "They're in the town!" Tamaki shouted as he opened fire.
On the other side of the street, Villetta returned fire, "Don't let up! We have to take back Ashford! The safety of our youth depends on it!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the Britannian Sutherlands from Carine's part of the army shouted as they fought tooth and nail for every inch of land.
The dark-skinned woman turned to Jeremiah, who seemed to just be watching the battle taking place, "Lord Jeremiah! Have you come up with a plan?"
"Not yet. Just keep fighting." he muttered, waiting from some kind of signal from Lelouch. If there wasn't one in the next minute, he would be forced to return fire, otherwise he'd look suspicious.
"I didn't think they'd take back so much land this fast!" Ohgi complained as he reloaded his rifle, "We have to hold this position no matter what!"
Mario shook as he aimed his rifle at the enemy positions, but due to the injuries he sustained while fighting Rai, he was seeing double, making him practically useless in this situation. "Shit… I'm so useless…" he muttered while firing randomly, hoping to hit something.
"Hey." Maya put her hand on her brother's shoulder as they ducked, "Don't beat yourself up, okay?"
"Mind reminding me why I can't just rush out there?"
"Because, your injuries are far too great. I shouldn't even be allowing you to fight right now." the black-haired girl responded while firing back, "But I know you hate sitting around, so I'm allowing you this one favor."
"You call this a favor?"
"Yep." she teased, "So, you owe me one after this."
Mario rolled his eyes, "Oh. Thank you so much, your majesty. I don't know what I'd do without you." he responded sarcastically while standing up, and spraying wildly at the enemy positions, hitting absolutely nothing.
"Hey!" Tamaki shouted, "It helps if you aim, jackass!"
"Shut up!"
Ohgi's attention was suddenly drawn upward, as his eyes laid upon a horrifying sight, "No… they're not crazy enough…"
Naomi followed the man's gaze, and shouted, "Bombers!"
Everyone, including the Britannians looked up, only to find a fleet of bombers solemnly flying overhead. And while they couldn't tell what their exact target was at first, it became obvious once they heard the haunting sound of bombs soaring through the air.
"Not the kids!" Villetta shouted as she stood on a building, trying to get a better angle, "All units, divert attention to shooting down those bombs!"
At first, the Sutherlands didn't want to follow such an order, considering they had a clear line of fire to their enemy. However, once they heard Jeremiah say, "You heard her! Shoot them down!" they joined in.
"Attention all Knightmares!" Maya's voice came over the intercom, "Divert your attention above. We're currently under bombardment. Please, try your best to shoot at the incoming bombs. The fate of the Black Knights depends on it."
Within seconds, dozens of Burais emerged from several buildings, and began shooting at the incoming shells. The sky illuminated into a blanket of fire as the combined forces of Britannia and the Black Knights created a blanket of lead. However, everyone knew, that no matter how many bullets that expended, they wouldn't be able to catch every last bomb. Their numbers were just too great.
"Watch out!" two Black Knights shouted as a bomb landed right between their frames, destroying them instantly.
The second wave of bombers came, and they piled onto the impossible tasked the Knightmares were already faced with, "We can't let them get through!" Tamaki shouted as a cluster of bombs hit the Clubhouse, obliterating it.
"Form a defensive wall around the gym and auditorium!" Ohgi ordered as he slowly moved back while continuing firing upon the incoming threats.
Then, the unthinkable happened, Naomi's Knightmare got hit square in the cockpit, giving her zero chance of survival. "Fuck!" another Black Knight shouted as he was destroyed. The lines slowly began breaking down as more and more Burais were obliterated by the bombs, giving a hopelessly feeling to the ones that were barely surviving.
"Final wave!" Maya announced as she grabbed three spare magazines from a magnetic rack, "Keep it up!"
The last wave was the roughest one, as with nearly all of their frames gone, most of the bombs got through, striking multiple buildings, causing massive damage. But, not a single one had hit the auditorium, or the gym yet. A bead of sweat dripped down Ohgi's brow as his reloaded his weapon, "We're almost there… almost there…" he thought to himself as he blew through his ammo within seconds.
"Just a little more…" Tamaki heard Ohgi's gun run out of ammo next to him, but before he could offer him a spare, he pushed him away, "Hey! What's your-"
Out of nowhere, a bomb struck Ohgi's Burai, killing him instantly, and leaving Tamaki in shock as a red bandana gently floated through the embers. The Japanese man tried to grab it, only for the garment to turn to ash before he could. "O-Ohgi…" he muttered with disbelief as the bombs seemed to stop, "Hey… where'd you go…" he shakily stood up, "Dude… this disappearing act ain't funny…" his eyes darted toward the auditorium, which was completely intact, except for some shrapnel protruding from the side. "Ohgi!"
Maya suddenly put her hand on the Burai's shoulder, "Tamaki! Snap out of it!"
"Don't tell me to 'snap out of it'!" he retorted while scouring the wreckage of his friend, "Ohgi! Where are you!?"
"He's dead." the black-haired woman stated coldly, "You have to accept the facts, and move forward."
"Accept the facts?" Tamaki muttered, "Why are you so cold? He was our friend… Ohgi was…"
"I understand that you must be hurt." No. In truth, Maya didn't feel anything for the man's death. In fact, she hardly knew him. Despite that, she needed Tamaki to be functional, "But we can mourn his death later. For now, get up. We're leaving." suddenly, the woman heard a few sniffles coming from his comms, "Are you crying?"
"No!" Tamaki lied, "Manly men don't cry! They never cry!"
From behind, Mario tapped Maya and the shoulder, and gestured her to go help with the defense. Once she left, he approached the Japanese man, "Hey, Tamaki. Go help with the packing."
"No. I just need to grab a few items, then I'll join the defense."
"No you won't." Mario responded sternly, "You're angry, I get it. But, this battle is lost. We need to evacuate. I can't afford to have someone as heated as you are running rampant in a Knightmare." Silently, Tamaki rose up, and guided his Knightmare toward the gym, much to the boy's frustration, "Crap. The only one who could possibly rein him in is Kallen. But… she's been missing for the past 10 minutes. Where'd she go?"
Ashford Academy Clubhouse. 12:25AM.
"Follow me, Master V.V." Rolo stated while taking out his pistol, which had a silencer. He approached the door, and shot the lock off, before entering the room. In the background, the Immortal watched as the Gawain landed, in the courtyard.
"Oh good. He made it. I was afraid he'd get distracted." V.V casually headed inside, where Rolo was cautiously checking the rooms for any inhabitants. "She's upstairs." the blond stated, "I can sense her."
The Geass assassin nodded and headed down the hallway toward the main entrance, where a massive staircase leading upwards was being guarded by none other than C.C and Clara. "I figured you'd try something as low as this, V.V."
The blond's face contorted with confusion, "How did you-No. That's a stupid question. It's obvious." he smirked and approached the staircase, "So, why keep Nunnally here if you knew I was coming?"
"Wait what? Why's he so calm about this?" C.C's heart skipped a beat, "And what does he mean, 'it's obvious'?" the green-haired girl shook her head, "I simply kept her here so you wouldn't suspect anything was up."
"Is that so?" the boy pulled out a gun, "Well… do you even know why I'm trying to take her?" he was probing for an answer. After all, he could see from C.C's expression that she was confused.
"Seriously? Threatening me with a gun?" the green-haired girl pulled out her own, "How original."
"Just answer the question. Don't make this difficult."
"You think I'm here for your convenience?" C.C scoffed, "I'm here to make your life as miserable as possible."
"The mere existence of your code has been a pain to me for years now. You don't have to stand at the top of some staircase to make that proclamation."
"Master V.V." Rolo called the blond as fighting broke outside, "We should speed things along."
"I agree." V.V glared at the room where he could sense Nunnally was hiding, "She's on the move."
"Precisely." C.C smirked confidently, "Even if by some miracle you beat us, Nunnally will be long gone."
In the background, Sayoko carried the Princess out of the clubhouse by jumping out the window, before returning to retrieve the wheelchair. "So annoying." the blond muttered as he moved to fire his gun, only to be interrupted by the crashing figure of the Gawain, which landed directly on his body. Luckily, Rolo and Clara moved out of the way just in time.
C.C couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune, "Oh my. I think eating dirt suits you, Vincent."
"Don't call me that." the blond muttered as the Gawain quickly rushed back into battle.
"Why not? I think it's a sweet-" before she could finish her sentence, a bullet pierced through C.C's skull, causing her to stumble back, while muttering, "Ow."
V.V tapped his gun against his head as his wounds healed, "A battle here is utterly pointless. Not only is Nunnally out of my grasp, but the chances of me getting captured are…" his eyes wandered to Rolo, who used his Geass to freeze Clara in place. However, before he could finish her off, Alice rushed in with her super speed, and kicked him into a wall, "Way too high. Though, I doubt she'll let me go." V.V's gaze returned to C.C, who suddenly lunged herself at him with a flying kick.
The blond narrowly dodged the strike and began running down the hall, only to be interrupted by Alice, who threatened him with Rolo's gun, "That seems like cheating." he muttered as the boy got up in the background. His eyes then wandered toward the Gawain, looking for an exit, only to find the Black Knightmare getting captured, "Figures." he rolled his eyes and swiftly ran into a room. Once inside, ran toward Clara to help with Rolo, while C.C intercepted V.V.
The green-haired girl launched a kick toward the boy, only for him to duck, and run under a desk, emerging from the other side and kicking it at his opponent. However, C.C hopped over the projectile, before slamming the blond with a punch, "His size might cause me some problems…"
V.V ran between C.C's legs like a gremlin and grabbed her by the hair, before slamming her to the ground. The girl groaned as her opponent straddled her, attempting to rain down punches. But, she easily kicked him off and tackled him into another room, "Damn! Now I wish I was in C's world!" the blond rolled under another table, only to have it collapse on him from a kick by C.C.
The green-haired girl dug through the textbooks, and grabbed her opponent by the hair, before tossing him into a bookcase, causing the contents to collapse onto him. She followed up by stomping on his head repeatedly, only for her assault to come to a stop when he grabbed her foot. Using all his strength, V.V pushed her back like a giant, before running into the next room, where a hundred of paper cranes were lined up on a table, "What the hell is this?" he muttered while looking in all directions, only to find crane after crane. "This can't be real…" he deadpanned at the ridiculousness of the situation.
C.C ran into the room with her gun drawn, she emptied the entire magazine into her opponent, only for him to hunch over in pain. Though, she was looking for an opening, and this was it. She rushed forth and sent a knee into the blond's jaw, sending him crashing through a table, causing cranes to fly in all directions.
The two stood to face each other once again, but just as they were about to launch their fists forward, a bomb destroyed the roof, causing it to collapse. Then, another landed directly on C.C, blowing V.V away.
Meanwhile, Rolo wasn't fairing any better, as he resorted to only using his powers to stall Clara, as he faced off against Alice in hand-to-hand combat, "They're trying to capture me!" he coughed violently as his power wore off, allowing the girls to deliver a synchronized strike to his head. The force from this attack sent him flying through a window, gasping for air on the other side, "I can't do this… my heart can't take this. But if I don't…" he slowly stood up, "V.V will kill me anyway…" the boy narrowly blocked a strike from Alice, and threw her into a tree, before entering a scuffle with Clara, where he deflected her incoming palm, and countered with his own. In terms of skill, the two were equally matched. The only reason Rolo was a superior agent, was because of his Geass. Sure, Clara's could make people bend to her will in certain situations, but what's the point if she can't even get her ability off?
That was the sole reason why he never lost to her. However, the added factor of Alice makes this fight impossible to win. She barely stays out of range of Rolo's Geass, and anytime he tries to extend it, she just speeds away. Not that it's worth doing such a thing anyway. The boy narrowly ducked a kick from behind as Alice practically flew past them with her speed, crashing through a window in the process.
Rolo continued taking steps back as he blocked attack after attack. Eventually, he reached a nearby tree and began using it to pivot around Clara's attacks, while keeping out of Alice's sight. Now that it was a proper one-on-one, he went on the offensive, grabbing his opponent by the arms, and slamming her into the tree, before sending punch after punch into her gut, lifting the pink-haired girl off the ground. Finally, he began sending punches straight into her face, trying to cause as much damage as possible. Luckily for him, he caught Alice approaching out of the corner of his eye, and activated his Geass, catching both at once.
"Finally." he swiftly grabbed Alice's gun, and shot her in the head. But before he could get to Clara, his Geass wore off, and she sent a mean right hook into his face, causing him to tumble through a bush just as several bombs hit the clubhouse. The force of the blast sent Clara and Alice flying into Rolo's body. From the force of the bombs, the brick wall surrounding Ashford collapsed, sending the trio tumbling into town.
Rolo was the first to recover, and he gasped for air as his heart beat erratically, "No…more…" he muttered while hobbling away as Alice got up, recovering from the wound he inflicted on her. However, she didn't pursue, as she checked on Clara first, as per her agreement with C.C.
In exchange for allowing her to protect Nunnally, she would work with them to fight V.V.
Upon realizing the pink-haired girl wouldn't wake up, Alice hoisted her onto her back, and looked toward Ashford, which was still under heavy fire. So, she opted to visit Nunnally and Sayoko, as they should be safe underground.
12:43AM.
"Oh… this is just comical, ain't it?" V.V muttered to himself as his half burnt body escaped Ashford, "Luckily those bombs came in at the right time. Perhaps I should actually be grateful for Carine's reckless behavior. I'm sure I'll repay her later." he chuckled, "Ah, who am I kidding? I'm not going to do anything like that." he continued walking aimlessly through a town, hopefully to a safe space where he could lick his wounds. If he came across anyone from C.C's squad, they'd surely use this moment of weakness to capture him. Speaking of C.C… V.V learned something interesting today. She's not aware that he's from the future. That's something he could use to his advantage.
12:45AM. Ruins of Ashford Academy.
"C.C! C.C!" Kallen shouted as she dug through the remains of the Clubhouse. Eventually, she turned over a piece of charred wood, where a mushy pile of blood and guts laid, "Oh god… is that you?" she muttered while plugging her nose. Honestly, it wasn't the guts or blood that caused Kallen to hesitate, it was the question of, what now? Was she supposed to transport C.C's remains to someplace safe? Would that even work? Does she just have to take a small piece, or all of it? "If only C.C were here to say something…" she stood up and dusted herself off, "I'll just leave the healing to you, C.C."
That was probably for the best. After all, if she did nothing, there would be a 0% chance of her messing up. C.C was going to heal her injuries anyway, it would just take a lot more time now. Still, it was a shame that Lelouch's room was gone now. Though, Kallen didn't mourn the loss too much, since Nunnally's still alive. That's all that matters. Besides, the Prince would have more rooms in the future.
"Kallen!" Maya rode up in her Sougetsu, "Where the hell have you been? Actually, that's not important. Listen, we've got orders to pack it up!"
"Pack it up? We're leaving?" Kallen asked with slight disbelief.
"Yep. Zero just made an announcement. We've taken way too many losses, and with the arrival of Britannian reinforcements, we're completely outmatched." the black-haired girl checked their position, "Apparently, we're supposed to head toward the port. There are two subs, big enough to transport our remaining Knightmare's to India."
In the background, a Zero Kagero scanned the destruction brought upon by the bombers. As if dissatisfied, they quickly left. Heading toward the Viceroy Palace, "Was that Naoto? Why didn't he stop to say anything?" she turned her attention back to C.C's remains, which had now been replaced by head.
"Let's get out of here." the Immortal muttered in a frustrated tone.
"What happened to you?" Kallen asked as she picked up the head.
"I got a bomb dropped on me! What do you think happen!?" C.C exclaimed as Maya rubbed her own temple in confusion.
"Where'd V.V go?"
"Probably ran… After all, I'm the one who got hit. Seriously, what kind of luck is that?"
"Well, I've got some good news, we're going to India." the red head reported with a fake smile, clearly she was disappointed at how things turned out.
And C.C could obviously see this, "Well… I heard India's pretty this time of year-"
"You don't have to cheer me up." Kallen responded solemnly as Maya moved to join her brother, "I just… I need to think for a while."
The Immortal looked toward the sky as it turned black with smoke, with streaks of red flames, if the reason for it existing wasn't so tragic, the sight would almost be beautiful. Despite being distracted by the display, C.C couldn't help but be reminded by the fact that they were in uncharted territory now. Well, they have been for a while, but this time it felt different. She just couldn't put her finger on the reason why. Then, V.V's face flashed in her mind. "Could he… no. There's no way. When would he even have the time?" she threw away those thoughts, in favor of focusing on regenerating her body, speaking of which, "Kallen, I'm gonna need some clothes once my body comes back."
The red head rolled her eyes, "I can't exactly do anything about that now."
"You're right… maybe I should approach Lelouch later and ask him for some clothes?" Kallen stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing those words. She then eyeballed a trashcan the Black Knights were using, "Don't even think about it!" C.C shouted upon realizing what she was thinking.
AN: Honestly, killing off Ohgi was tough. Part of me wanted to keep him around, and honestly, I still kind of do. I planned for him to die a few chapters prior, but now that I'm making it official, it kind of hurts. His death will be mourned later once Naoto finds out.
Onto V.V, there was no way he could've won that confrontation, especially with Alice around, who's basically a cheat code for these kinds of fights. I mean, Rolo is the only person who could counter her, and even then she can't die due to her immortality. Speaking of which, we're not done with Rolo just yet. He'll appear later.
Also, I'm pretty certain the Ganymede wouldn't be affected by the Gefjun disturbers, due to the lack of Sakuradite.
Finally, we still have at least two chapters worth of things to go through before the Black Rebellion comes to a close.