AN:
DarkDremora/PhantomGuest: Well, the information that Darlton was going to be with Euphemia in Japan was given by Darlton, who was finishing the sentence of Carine, who was trying to remember the name of the Princess' escort. However, there was no confirmation of the General actually being present during her arrival, so that information proved to be false. (Nah. Honestly, I just forgot about him, but this is the canon explanation why Darlton's in the Middle East and not Japan.)
DarkDremora: So, this whole battle is based off of the information provided in Re;surrection (when Cornelia says Zilkhstan once held off a Britannian army twice it's size), while it most likely wasn't her commanding the force, considering how she spoke of it, I'm taking the creative liberty to have her lead the assault. Of course, the Black Knight's intervention will play a major role in the outcome of this battle, as Zero's presence here is an enigma. Also, the mistake with S.S telling C.C about Shamna being his contractor has been fixed. That was a mistake on my part.
PhantomGuest: I'm looking into including Marrybell, since I actually like the idea of the Glinda Knight's, and wished we could've seen them in R2 (I know they didn't exist as a concept then, but it's still pretty cool.). I also think her interacting with Euphemia, Carine, Cornelia, or Lila would be very interesting.
Chapter 54: Siege of Grablhad
"Princess Cornelia! Just hold on, we'll be there to retrieve you shortly!" a Sutherland pilot shouted as a Bamide hammered its position with seemingly endless artillery shells.
Meanwhile, the Princess in question was pinned down in the middle of a courtyard, which had a small dugout created from the Bamide's artillery. Though, she was unable to move due to the heavy fire she was under, "How shameful. A Princess of Britannia like myself being cornered by such outdated tech."
Due to her cockiness, Cornelia had pushed too far ahead of her allies, leading to her falling into an enemy trap that cut her off from the rest. Luckily, before they could go in for the killing blow, a few Sutherlands managed to break through and cover for her. Though, it wasn't enough to relieve herself from such a predicament. "It's almost like they planned all of this." she noticed multiple Britannian foot soldiers reach her position and hide behind the courtyards destroyed fountain, using it as cover to return fire at the opposing Zilkhstanian forces, "If it wasn't for our superior tactics, we'd have been crushed within minutes of gaining a foothold. It seems I truly did underestimate the Warrior's of Zilkhstan."
"Target lock. Fire!" a friendly foot soldier shouted as his comrade fired a missile toward a Bamide, which peeked from within an alleyway.
"Progress is slow here, so we won't be breaking through any time soon." Cornelia looked at her IFF map and muttered, "Please, Darlton, Guilford, I hope your assaults are proving more fruitful than my own."
"Damn, you're good!" Darlton shouted as he clashed his lance with Mario's Naginata, "If you had joined Britannia, I'd gladly have taken you under my wing as a squire!" the two separated, using the tight spaces of the city as cover to strike occasionally, "Or perhaps, you would've been a good sparring partner for my son. Too bad your life has to end here!"
The two locked blades in another stalemate, angering Mario greatly, "Damn it. Even after all that training, I'm only able to match someone like this." a memory of his fight with the Lancelot Club flashed through his mind, "Just from the way this fight feels, there's no way they're on the same level. If I face the Club again…" the black-haired boy clenched his controls tightly while separating from the General, "No. I will get stronger."
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to mess around with you any longer." Darlton announced while stabbing his weapon into the building behind him, then he drew an MVS blade, "I think it's about time I took this thing for a test drive."
The red blade shimmered as he pointed it at Mario, making a bead of sweat drip down his cheek, "Keep calm. Clear mind." he chanted like a mantra before readying his Naginata.
Of course, his opponent wouldn't let him have this moment of rest, as he rushed his position with great ferocity. Darlton led with a feint, before striking from the right, forcing Mario to block at the last second, knocking him through a building. As the smoke cleared, the black-haired boy launched his Naginata through for a desperate sneak attack. However, the General managed to parry this attack, and countered by slicing the weapon in half.
This movement was something Mario expected, as it had happened to him multiple times. So, to not lose the initiative, he swiftly brought the handle into his sand cloak, and engaged a second revolving blade onto it, creating a shorter, but still equally effective, Naginata, which he followed up with a reverse-grip upper slash, disarming Darlton of his MVS, sending it flying into the distance. "Not bad." the General complemented while backing away, "But that was a one time trick, nothing more." he then drew his second MVS, and said, "You won't get a second chance."
"General Darlton!" a soldier called, "Please allow us to assist you in this battle!"
"No. This one sought out a duel with me regardless of the risks, so I'll happily oblige their delusion."
Mario clashed his blade with his opponents, sending sparks flying in multiple directions, "Maya said she'd take care of the grunts. All I have to do is beat this guy." he repeated to himself.
After backing away, he launched his Naginata forward, to which Darlton was ready to parry the strike once again. To his surprise, this was merely a feint, as the black-haired boy mimicked the General's movement from earlier, and slashed from the right, sending him flying into a mosque, causing the structure to crumble. "Did… did he just copy my move?" Darlton muttered while removing rubble off his Knightmare, "Damn… this'll be bad if I keep getting hit like that."
"We have to do something." a soldier muttered while moving his Sutherland forward. However, he was soon stopped by Maya, who sped past him with two short revolving blades, slashing at his sides before coming to a complete stop. Once she did, the Sutherland went critical, and erupted into a fiery explosion, "Nice." she muttered, "It looks like dedicating myself to full-on speed was the right decision after all."
"What the hell is this!?" another Sutherland shouted while firing upon the light-weight Sougetsu, "Do the Black Knight's really have such skilled warriors on their side?"
Just as he finished his sentence, Maya blitzed past him, delivering several slashes across his body, successfully destroying the Knightmare.
Upon seeing this, Darlton focused all of his attention on Mario, while muttering, "I have to end this quickly. Otherwise, we'll get wiped out by her."
His opponent, on the other hand, had to worry about no such thing. They clashed blades, sending a shockwave that destroyed the windows of the nearby buildings due to the sheer heat being emitted from their weapons. After this, Mario decided to crouch, planting his weapon in the ground to keep his opponent's MVS in place as he grabbed their leg with his hand. Despite this, Darlton managed to lift his straight leg, and slam it into his opponent's arm, stopping them dead in their tracks, before taking a leap backwards, putting a good distance between them.
The General rushed forward once again, causing Mario to raise his weapon in a defensive motion. But this proved futile as his opponent threw their sword at his face, forcing an emergency block, which resulted in his undercarriage opening up for a strike. Of course, Darlton took it.
Once he got close enough, Darlton sent a punch into the Sougetsu's side, causing it to crash into a building. Though, it wasn't over yet, as the Gloucester followed up with a power stomp, which Mario managed to narrowly avoid by rolling out of the way, "What's wrong, boy?" the General taunted, "The fun's only just begun!" he picked up his MVS and clashed his opponents revolving blade, "Show me what you got!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield…
"So fast…" Guilford muttered as he barely kept track of the Guren's movements as it jumped from building to building with flawless execution. "I'm completely outclassed here."
"Don't worry, sir. We've got it from here!" two Sutherlands climbed onto the roof with their harkens and attempted to fire upon the red Knightmare. However, they were foiled almost instantaneously, as their opponent changed trajectory, and cut them in half with her fork knife.
On the ground, foot soldiers watched the spectacle as they got out of their APC's.
"It's like we're ants…" one muttered.
"Enough chit-chat. We have to hurry and link-up with Charlie squad, or else we won't be able to flank the enemies center." their squad leader reported as they moved on-foot passed endless piles of rubble that were created from the ongoing battle of titans overhead.
"Wait… isn't that Foxtrot? Aren't they supposed to be with Alpha squad already?" a soldier asked as they came across another Britannian squad.
Unfortunately for them, there was a caveat that only a select few were aware of, and that was there were two Geass users in Zilkhstan, not just one.
"Kill them!" a member of Foxtrot squad shouted while opening fire at their own troops.
"Wait! We're friendly! Friendly!" an innocent soldier shouted as his body was torn apart by bullets.
The two groups took cover behind opposing rubble, "Return fire!" a member of the first group shouted.
"But those are our own men!" another opposed.
"No they're not! That's the enemy disguised as us!"
In truth, the opposing group was their allies. However, it was due to the Geass of Swaile Qujappat that caused them to open fire on their friends, "Excellent. The defense of our right flank seems to be holding out quite nicely." the man in question muttered to himself as a Sutherland sped past the roof he was on.
"What the hell are you doing!?" the pilot questioned as their own forces fought one another.
That's when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a Britannian soldier aiming a rocket at his cockpit, "Die you son of a bitch!" he shouted with red rings around his eyes.
With a single shot, the massive machine erupted into a fiery mass, crashing into the building behind it.
"Swaile." S.S called over the radio, "Why are you away from the Princess?"
The Assassin rolled his eyes upon hearing those words, "I'm doing as instructed: protecting her."
"No. I told you to stay by her side, and eliminate any threats that may come her way as she's being escorted out of the city. Right now, you're doing the exact opposite."
"What?" Swaile asked with disbelief, "It's because of me that the right flank is still intact, you know that, right?"
"That doesn't matter. I've already got that Black Knight ace protecting the area. Of course, I know she's going to get overwhelmed eventually, but by that time, we'll have already taken Cornelia's head."
The Assassin sighed, "Fine. I'll return to the Princess, since I've known you for so long."
"Thank you for your kindness." S.S replied sarcastically while hanging up, "My lord. Princess Shamna's bodyguard got sidetrack for a brief moment, but he'll be returning to her now. Sorry for the delay." he reported to King Shams in the Bamide.
"It's disappointing that your subordinates disobey direct orders to… frivolously. I hope you'll take disciplinary action the next time you see them." the King replied as they destroyed an opposing Sutherland with a single shot.
"I'll be sure to do so next time." S.S bowed.
A bullet clipped the top of Cornelia's Gloucester as she lowered herself into the crater even more, "Damn it… Darlton and Guilford are being held up? Just who the hell is the Zilkhstanian commander?"
Due to her previous victories, Cornelia thought that by having superior numbers and tech, the Middle East would be defeated with ease, as their Bamides were hardly something that could compete with a Sutherland, or even a Glasgow. This was supported due to the fact that the Federation seemed to have an extremely limited number of these machines at their disposal, as only a maximum of 10 would be deployed each battle.
The Princess clenched the handle of her lance with hanger, "I can't… no. I refuse to idly sit by as our assault comes to a halt!"
Without warning, Cornelia shot up, almost instantly coming under fire from enemy units. Despite this, she dodged the incoming projectiles and sped down a street, where a Bamide was firing at her from the end. "Kill her! Kill the Witch of Britannia!" the commander shouted as they unleashed a volley of lead upon the imposing woman.
However, this proved futile, as she used her slash harken to latch onto a roof, quickly zipping out of the tight space. After that, she sped across the roofs, stopping just above the opposing Bamide as it desperately tried to retreat. "Die!" she shouted while jumping lance-first onto it's cockpit, killing the occupants in one strike. "Push forward!" she commanded while making her way to another Bamide, which just destroyed a Gloucester.
"What the hell!? She's already behind our lines!?" they exclaimed before being destroyed in the next second.
The Britannian soldiers cheered as they pushed toward the palace, using this new momentum to crash through the crumbling Zilkhstanian lines. But it wouldn't be that easy, as their push came across another snag: an ambush set up in the buildings. This surprise attack managed to disarm Cornelia of her weapon, as a stray rocket hit the hand of her Gloucester, destroying its hand. That's when the Bamide of King Shams rounded the corner, and fired a shot into the center of the Gloucester, causing it to be sent flying back into the courtyard, back into the crater. "Damn it… how'd they do that?" the Princess muttered while trying to move her Knightmare, "No good. I need to get out of here."
Upon opening her hatch, a tank that was rolling past was destroyed by a large shell, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. "Princess! Please, follow us to safety!" a random soldier shouted while his friends fired at incoming Zilkhstan troops.
"We're not done yet." the Princess protested while retreating alongside a Sutherland, which was quickly picked apart by two Bamides, who dismembered the Britannian machine arm-first. "I'm ordering a fire mission on my position." she reported to the fleet commander, who was patiently waiting for the Princess to call in her victory.
"Wait… you want a fire mission!?" the captain exclaimed upon hearing the order.
Due to a combination of pride, and wanting to minimize civilian casualties, Cornelia was against calling in heavy ordinance to deal with her opponents. It was her personal belief that a battle should be fought on the frontline, where both sides could showcase their strength, tactics, and will. To her, firing upon the enemy from several miles away was cowardly. Of course, Carine didn't share this sentiment, as she enjoyed seeing destruction from a distance, especially if it caused mass death in the process.
"Confirm, I want a fire mission on my position. Zero in and create a wall of fire that'll cover our retreat."
"They're getting beat that badly, huh?" the captain ordered his crew to do as the Princess said, "Fire mission is two minutes out!" he reported as one of their numerous cruisers fired several rounds into the air.
"We don't have two minutes!" Cornelia shouted as she killed an enemy soldier with her sword-rifle.
"M-my apologies!"
"Cornelia!" Shams called from within his Bamide, "I find it disappointing that you're already retreating. I thought you'd play with us a little longer, but if you're unable to without a Knightmare, then we won't stop you."
The Princess clenched her hand in frustration, "Oh, don't worry, I'll be back soon. For now, enjoy your minor victory to the fullest, because that's all you'll get from here on out."
Just as she finished that thought, the artillery rounds from the cruiser landed in the courtyard, allowing for the Britannian forces to safely retreat without being followed.
Mario slashed at Darlton's weapon once again, causing another shockwave to knock away the foot soldiers fighting below, "This is starting to get annoying." the latter muttered while pushing his opponent away with the handle of his weapon. "If it weren't for his superior specs, this battle would've been over by now."
The black-haired boy crashed back-first into the building behind him, before using his claw to scale it in one bound. Of course, Darlton did the same with his slash harken, making sure his opponent didn't get away. Te two clashed once again, this time, the roof below them cracked as Maya slaughtered scores of Sutherland's in a single swift motion, "Hurry up, Mario!" she called, "These guys are getting annoying!"
"You're telling me!" her brother shouted while getting kicked into a building, causing it to collapse upon impact. "Something needs to change, and quick."
Once the smoke cleared, Darlton steadily approached the Sougetsu, which was slowly getting up, "If there's something I've learned from this fight, it's that his Knightmare is extremely explosive. At any moment, he could burst forth, and deliver a devastating strike to my chest, putting me out of commission. I have to be careful, even when I have the advantage."
Mario lunged forth, slowly putting a part of his Naginata into is cloak, before thrusting it forward. Due to the violent motion, Darlton hardly took note of the retracting, which was bound to be a big mistake. In the next instance, the black-haired boy revealed the hidden half of his Naginata, which now adorned a revolving blade. He used this new weapon to deliver an upper slash to his opponent's weapon, sending it flying away. With that, the Gloucester got on one knee from being overloaded through the sheer power of the strike.
"There it is!" Mario shouted while bringing his weapon down for a final strike.
"I wouldn't be so certain." the General taunted while aiming his slash harkens, attempting to fire them at the Sougetsu's open chest. However, due to the damage he sustained from the earlier battle, his harkens failed to fire, allowing Mario to deliver a clean slash across the Gloucester's chest, leaving a large gash in its wake.
"Damn it!" Darlton cursed while backing away rapidly, "I played with him too much, and now I'm paying the cost."
Just as all hope seemed lost, Maya burst through a building, retreating as a volley of bullets followed her figure, "Time's up!" she shouted while climbing atop a roof.
"Seriously? You couldn't've held them off any longer?" her brother complained while following close behind.
"Hey, Cornelia's royal guard is no joke, okay? They nearly got me like… three times."
"That's why I told you not to slack on your training. But instead, you spend all day in your room with the lights off, playing some kind of boyfriend simulator-"
"It's not a boyfriend simulator!" Maya shouted, "It's an intricate code that-"
"We're gonna use to infect Britannian forces. I know. I was just teasing you."
The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes and muttered, "I hope you enjoy sleeping with bugs in your sheets tonight."
"What did you just say?" Mario asked as he leapt across another roof.
"I said, watch your left." Maya replied before firing her slash harken at an incoming Apache, which somehow managed to survive the initial assault.
Mario watched as it crashed into a building below, allowing for the siblings to properly get away, "Thanks for that."
"No problem, let's just hurry and get to the Palace." the girl responded while avoiding her brother's gaze.
"Wait, the Palace? What's going on there?"
"Lelouch radioed in a few minutes ago, he said he's got something important, and that we're supposed to meet him in the courtyard toward the back."
While neither sibling understood what was going on, they knew that any plan changes created by Lelouch were serious business, so despite their confusion, they headed toward the Palace at full speed.
Kallen sliced a Sutherland straight down the middle, killing the pilot, causing the two parts to explode simultaneously. Guilford watched the display with his MVS drawn, wondering, "Can I seriously beat such a thing? The way they move… the way they strike, it's like nothing I have ever seen before."
"Don't be too starstruck!" the red head shouted while cutting straight through her opponent's MVS with maximum effectiveness.
"Damn it!" the Knight shouted while retreating, "Just who the hell is this woman!? Is she even better than Cornelia? No. That's impossible!"
"Retreat, lord Guilford!" two Gloucesters with anti-KMF lance's rushed forth, "We'll take care of this impudent fool!"
Just as they closed in on the red Knightmare, Guilford shouted, "Wait! Watch out for her right arm!"\But it was too late. In an instant, Kallen deflected the first Gloucester's lance with her fork knife, before grabbing onto it with her claw arm, activating her surger in the process. This caused the machine to bubble up, before exploding.
"Wh-what the hell was that?" the second Gloucester pilot muttered, "Did… did he not eject in time?"
"I'm afraid not." the Knight of the Witch added while taking a step forward, "Let's take care of this once and for all." he drew his second MVS before charging forth with killer intent.
After seeing this, Kallen blitzed past the Knight and attacked the second Gloucester with her arm, destroying the lance with the surger, and sending her fork knife through the cockpit.
To Guilford, he was barely able to keep track of Kallen's movement, despite having so much experience in Knightmare combat. That was the thing that frightened him the most. "It shouldn't be like this. I know the Black Knight's had a skilled pilot on their side, but this is just too much." he watched as the red Knightmare cut through scores of Sutherlands effortlessly, before using her surger arm to stop a Gloucester which tried to attack her from behind, "Just who the hell am I fighting?"
Kallen used her fork knife to disarm the enemy Gloucester, then grabbed it by the cockpit, before activating her surger to cause it to bubble, and explode. The red head turned to Guilford, who moved forward fearlessly despite being in the face of such an adversary. Leading with a thrust forward, the Knight zoomed past Kallen as she barely moved out of the way, then he placed his foot on a building, and used it to push himself back toward his opponent, who stared at him perplexed. After witnessing such a maneuver, the Guren leapt over the Gloucester just as it was about to stab her.
Just as she landed on a rooftop, the red head got a message from C.C, "Kallen. Lelouch had ordered you to disengage."
"What? Why?"
"He said that this is a fruitless endeavor on our part." the Witch explained as she zoomed through the city, dodging shells from Bamides that were advancing after the retreating Britannian forces at the center, "Let's see how well they perform without us."
While Kallen didn't fully understand what that meant, she followed orders and drove toward the palace, which was highlighted on her map, leaving Guilford utterly confused. "Wh-where the hell are they going?"
"Guilford… my Knight." the fragile voice of Cornelia called over the radio, "The center is collapsing… and the enemies cornered us in some kind of plaza." she observed her surroundings carefully. Currently, she was hiding behind the destroyed remains of a Sutherland, which was situated in a large courtyard with a fountain. They were surrounded by slowly encroaching Zilkhstanian forces, which picked off Britannian soldiers one by one. "My Knightmare's been destroyed. I don't know how much longer we'll last… so please… I need you to-"
"Don't say such things!" the Knight sounded while pushing his Gloucester toward the Princess' position, desperately cutting through a Bamide in the process, "Please, Princess, stay right there! It'll only take a moment for me to-" Before he could finish his sentence, an explosion erupted in the distance, causing his heart to drop, "Princess…"
"That wasn't us. I'm still here, Guilford." Cornelia answered, much to the Knight's relief.
"What do you think that was?" he asked.
"I don't know, but… whatever it is, it's got Zilkhstan retreating now." the Witch smiled, before shouting with new-found zeal, "Let's begin our counter push!"
"Sir. I have confirmed reports that Princess Shamna's private vehicle was the cause of that explosion." S.S reported to Shams, who clenched his fist in anger.
"Damn it. How the hell did Britannia get past our lines… how could the prophecy be so wrong?" the King watched as his troops followed the order to retreat, which was given moments earlier, "Is it possible that Zero's presence is the cause of this change?" his eyes then widened, "Wait a minute… where is Zero?"
"His Burai is currently-" before S.S could finish his sentence, he gasped, "The… the Black Knight's appear to be retreating. Sir."
Shams clenched his fist in anger, "Damn it! We've been made a fool of!" he roared. Though, his anger soon turned to a loud cackle, "That Zero! I knew he had something up his sleeve!"
The Palace
"H-how did you know my car was going to explode?" Shamna questioned as Zero led her through the corridors of the Palace.
Moments earlier, he had stopped her escort and demanded that she follow him. Much to her surprise, the guards stepped aside, and allowed such a thing to happen, saying something like "Yes, your highness."
Of course, due to hearing this, Shamna thought it was her father who ordered Zero to protect her, but now she's not so sure. "While I appreciate you for protecting us, it would be much appreciated if you answered my sister's question." Shalio commanded as the masked man pushed his wheelchair.
"If you must know, I saw a strange figure planting something underneath your car. Of course, I didn't know if that was customary or not, so I took matters into my own hands." Lelouch smiled underneath his mask, "I followed my instincts."
"Well, that's the first time I heard instincts being used for the greater good." Shalio commented, "Nevertheless, thank you."
They finally arrived at the Palace's back door, and Lelouch opened it while thinking, "Oh, I wouldn't thank me just yet." In the backyard, the Guren, twin Sougetsu's, and Zero's Burai all stood like menacing guards, awaiting the arrival of their leader.
"For something so improvised, it seems this turned out well." C.C's voice boomed, "So, what are we going to do now?"
As Zero began discussing his plans, Shamna began hyperventilating, "Wait… I never saw any of this in my visions. How could the prophecy be so wrong? Or maybe…" she clenched her eye, "I'm just defective…"
Deep down, Shamna feared suffering the same fate as her brother: being tossed to the side by her father. Because with this power, with this usefulness, she was able to protect Shalio from harm her whole life. So, at that moment, when she felt the fragile hand of her brother touch the back of hers, she felt a jolt of shock and horror, as it made her feel like the hands of fate were reaching out to punish her. Luckily, she managed to contain her reaction, and smiled nervously as Shalio said, "Don't worry sister, if anything happens, I'll protect you."
Lelouch overheard this and smiled, "It looks like King Shams is contacting us." Maya interjected while staring at her screen, "Want me to patch him through?"
"Do it." with one command, the King's voice blared over the headset within the Zero mask.
"Zero!" he called with an oddly zealous voice, "I knew you weren't some fool! So, now that you've captured Shamna, you're going to blackmail me into working with you, right!?"
"That's strange. He's not even mentioning Shalio. And that's not to mention how happy he sounds." Lelouch shook away those thoughts and said, "I'm not here to blackmail you. I just protected the Princess from certain death, nothing more. Although… I will be expecting some kind of… compensation."
Unexpectedly, the King only let out an even harder laugh upon hearing those words, "See! This is the Zero I was expecting! A real leader who manipulates the odds to his favor! Very well, what are your demands?"
"Capture Cornelia, and hand her over to me." Lelouch answered simply, "Show me what Zilkhstan is capable of."
Shams' Bamide pivoted back toward the encroaching Britannian force, "All forces. Halt here and prepare for battle!" the King ordered, "We've got a Princess to catch!"
After that, Maya disconnected the line, "Are we going to help?" Kallen asked.
"Not until it's absolutely necessary." the Prince answered as Mario gently picked up Shalio and Shamna, "I genuinely want to see what the warrior's of Zilkhstan are worth. If it's shown that they can't beat Cornelia, especially in these conditions, then they are of no use to me."
Upon hearing those words, Shalio shivered, "Of course. It makes sense that Zero's like that too. After all, in this world, your worth is determined by how useful you are."
Despite currently being outnumbered 3-to-1, the forces of Zilkhstan had the determination to win, while Britannia's moral was extremely low due to the heavy losses they sustained during the early stages of the battle. However, those losses would pale in comparison to what was about to happen in this final stage.
AN: Next chapter will be the conclusion of this battle, though not the complete conclusion of this arc, as I've still got one last special guest I want to appear here, and their apperance will aid in introducing Marrybell into the story.
