AN: Bet you weren't expecting a chapter so soon, huh?
hotkillerz: She'll definetly be on Britannia's side at first, then we'll go from there.
M: It's good to see I was able to get that kind of effect out of Clovis' death.
Also, this was supposed to be posted on Kallen's birthday (March 29th), but I'm a bit late, so let's just pretend that I did post this on March 29th, okay? A little fact nobody probably cares about, but I actually share the same birthday as Kallen.
Chapter 55: Tactics Vs Instinct
"This is too easy!" Shams shouted as his soldiers easily slaughtered the Britannian forces as their counterattack began to slow down.
"Keep moving forward!" Guilford on the opposing side called, "We have the numbers advantage here!"
Currently, the Knight had ordered his troops to throw away all forms of tactics, as every single one of his plans had been effortlessly countered by the sheer ferocity of his opponent. That's why he came to the conclusion that there must've been some kind of mole leaking information to the enemy. So, he's permission to each squad leader to delegate as they see fit.
"The tight corridors make it nearly impossible to attack those Bamides… it's like a turkey shoot." Guilford hid behind a corner as a Sutherland was taken out by a large shell. "Then there's the roof, but those are being covered by cannons from the Palace. Any attempt to scale them has been an utter failure."
Just as he thought this, a Sutherland used its slash harkens to launch itself onto higher ground, only to be shot through the head in an instant. "Hey! What the hell did I just say!?" another Sutherland pilot shouted, "Don't get on the roof! It's a death sentence for us!"
"We just have to hold out until the Princess gets here with her replacement Gloucester!" Darlton announced while grabbing a dropped anti-KMF rifle from the ground, "In the meanwhile, fight in the name of her majesty!"
With a single shot, he obliterated a Bamide, sending shrapnel flying into its escort troops below, creating an opening for Britannian forces to rush through.
S.S watched on the map as a chunk of their forces disappeared with that maneuver, "Sir, our line's breaking."
"How unfortunate." Shams muttered while rolling past the fiery remains of Britannian Gloucesters, bloody remains of Britannian soldiers, and destroyed buildings, "Because their line has broken too."
"It appears that they're now encroaching on the palace. Do you want us to redirect our push to answer them?"
"No." the King smiled while looking at the dot on their map marked as 'G1', "We'll cut off their only way of escape, and slowly begin to snuff them out. And even if they do succeed in reaching the palace, Zero's group is there to put a firm stop to them, so there's nothing to worry about. Let's just focus on capturing that G1."
Guilford and Darlton sped toward the palace, simultaneously cutting down a Bamide, which dared to stand in their way, "If we capture the palace, this battle's as good as ours!" the former commanded while taking the lead, as his partner's frame was still damaged from his battle with Mario. "Are you sure you want to continue? After all, your Gloucester's not at full strength."
"Guilford, my Knightmare's injured, not destroyed. I can still keep going. Just worry about what's in front of you." Darlton responded with a confident smile.
Multiple Sutherlands followed behind the duo as they crashed through the enemy lines, until they finally reached the palace grounds, "Alright! We'll set up here-" before Guilford could finish his sentence, he was forced to move his Gloucester down, dodging a shell that was aimed for his cockpit.
"The cannons are still here." the General commented while destroying one with his rifle, "Clear the area first, and allow our foot soldiers to dig in. As far as they're concerned, the battle isn't over until we've been defeated."
"Sir!" a Sutherland called, "We have an enemy detachment gunning for the G1."
"Seriously? Those fools think they can take on the Princess in open combat? Very well, they're free to try. In the meantime-"
"Watch out!" Guilford shouted while jumping between Darlton's vulnerable back, and the Naginata of a Sougetsu.
"Woah, you really are fast!" Maya's voice boomed as she pushed off the Knight's Gloucester.
In the background, Mario's Sougetsu stared at the General's Gloucester, "Shall we continue our duel?" he asked while spinning his double bladed Naginata, "Meanwhile, my sister will take care of Cornelia's Knight."
"A challenge?" Guilford stared down Maya, "Is this some kind of game to you?"
"Don't underestimate them." Darlton fired a single shot at Mario, who easily dodged the incoming round, "They might not look it, but they've got some serious talent when it comes to Knightmare combat."
Upon hearing this, the Knight smiled, "So what you're saying is… that we should snuff out that talent here and now?"
The General drew his MVS, "Correct. If we allow these guys to live, then they'll become a problem in the future."
"Woah! You're gonna try and kill us!?" Maya shouted with fake surprise as her brother stopped by her side, "Well… you could try, but it won't be easy."
The duo's stared each other down, allowing for the sounds of battle to fill their ears, before charging forward. Maya was the first to reach her target, thanks to the speed modifications on her Knightmare. Bursts of air came out of her leg as she sent it flying into Guilford's face, causing him to be sent flying away. In response, Darlton attempted to deliver a counter slash to avenge his partner. However, that's when Mario sent him away with a kick to the chest, causing dozens of red messages and alarms to blare within his cockpit.
"Damn it!" the General called while turning off the alarms with a single button press, "I need to end this quickly."
"Don't push it!" Guilford shouted as he watched his friend rush headlong into battle, tackling Mario into the palace in the process.
After watching such a display, Maya rushed toward the Knight, dispersing more air from her legs while sending another kick forward, "Ah, I see. She's using air displacement to enhance her movement." the Gloucester blocked the kick, sending him sliding back slightly, before countering with a swipe of his sword, which was parried by his opponent's Naginata, "It's a good method, but it surely has its limits."
Maya stumbled back as her opponent unleashed a volley of strikes, which threw her off her guard numerous times. With one final upward strike, she was thrown off balance, and on the brink of crashing into the ground. Though, due to this over extension, Guilford wasn't able to commit to a follow-up, so he was forced to watch as his opponent tumbled away. Of course, this was good news for Maya, as it gave her a moment of rest, before she was forced to block a downward strike, which buried her knee into the ground.
Now, they were locked in a stalemate, unable to break free through pushing the other back, so both pilots logically turned to their slash harkens to gain the upper hand. While Maya only thought of the possibility after getting locked down, Guilford was already setting the trajectory for his projectile, and now that it was set, he fired. With a single shot, the Sougetsu's left arm was torn off, allowing for the Gloucester to break through the stalemate, driving its MVS into the enemies left shoulder.
Maya cried out in pain as her systems began shutting down, leaving her helpless as Guilford withdrew his blade, and prepared for a final strike. Or at least, that's what would've happened if the Guren didn't kick him away, sending him tumbling down the hill that led up to the palace. "K-Kally!" the black-haired girl cried in joy.
"Are you alright?" the red head asked while readying her fork knife.
"My Knightmare's a bit banged up, but other than that, I'm fine."
"Can you move?"
Maya felt a bead of sweat drip down her forehead as she said, "Uh…"
"I'll take that as a no."
"Please don't tell Rakshata! I really can't deal with another scolding session!"
Kallen rolled her eyes, "She's going to find out anyway, regardless of what I say."
The black-haired girl groaned in frustration, "Whatever… I suppose I'll deal with the consequences later." she then began pouting, "Jeez Kally, I thought friends were supposed to stick together."
The red head chuckled upon hearing those words, "Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't punish you too bad for ruining her precious machinery. Just let me take care of this guy first."
With menacing eyes, Guilford stood up and said, "It's that Knightmare again. The chances of her being even faster than the last one are high, and… if she's as skilled as me… then I'll surely lose this bout. However…" he sped up the hill, hoping to gain some kind of initiative to overwhelm the red beast before him. "To be better than me, is to be as good as a Knight of the round! And I refuse to accept such a fact!"
The Gloucester launched off the crest of the hill, and as it flew over the Guren, it attempted to deliver an overhead slash, which was easily dodged. Then, Kallen quickly pivoted herself to face Guilford just as he landed, allowing for a quick launch that allowed her to get a firm hold on the Knight's arm. In a matter of seconds, the surger arm activated, destroying the Gloucesters arm in a fiery explosion, shocking the pilot as he clenched his teeth in pain. After that display, Guilford attempted to cut the surger arm off with his MVS, but failed to do so, as Kallen used her fork knife to capture the blade, and pin it to the ground.
Once that was done, she lifted herself off the ground using her fork knife as an anchor, and sent a kick into the Knight's head, knocking it clean off as he collapsed into the luscious bushes of the palace. Due to being put on his back, the Knightmare's ejection seat failed to activate, leaving Guilford completely helpless as the top half of his cockpit was ripped off, allowing him to come face-to-face with the Guren's built-in machine gun on the left arm, "Step out of the Knightmare, I won't ask again."
"D-damn it… you're good. I'll give you that." with those final words, the Knight passed out due to hitting his head on the dashboard.
Meanwhile, Darlton tossed Mario into the backyard of the palace, taking out a statue of King Shams in the process, "I'll show you the true might of Britannia's best!" he added while clashing his blade with his opponents.
The Sougetsu felt its entire body rattle with the strike, "Damn… his fighting style has turned desperate. I have to either match his intensity, or-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Gloucester grabbed his weapon's handle, and tossed him into a pillar, thankfully not breaking it. Then they followed up with an upward slash, which was promptly avoided with a roll to the side. With an opening available, the black-haired boy took it. Using his Naginata, he attempted to slash at the General's arm, but much to his shock, his attack was caught midair. "Hey… you know what I noticed about your weapon?" Darlton asked as his fingers held onto the revolving blade itself, "It takes a while to actually kick in."
Just as Mario tried to pull away, Darlton shoved the MVS through his chest, causing numerous red alerts to blare in the boy's ear as he pulled away, "Looks like we're even now." he muttered while getting on one knee.
"Nope. Not even close." the General said menacingly while spinning his sword, "I'll be taking you into custody, so enjoy the last moments of your freedom."
"Is that so? To do that, you know you'll have to win first, right?" Mario added while readying a button.
"Enough of your blabbering." Darlton raised his sword to the sky, "You put up a good fight, but it's over now!"
Just as he was about to bring it down, Mario pressed the button, activating his chaff-smoke dispensing system, allowing for smoke to cover his escape. Of course, the General didn't stop with his slash, as he thought he could clip the boy with it at the last second, but failed in doing so. Now, he stood in the middle of the smoke, utterly confused as to what was going on. His only clue to Mario's location, was the sound of his Naginata as its revolving blade sped up before a strike, which was imminent.
With a lightning fast turn, Darlton blocked an incoming strike, which made contact with his MVS briefly, before disappearing into the smoke, "Shit… it's cracked." he thought while looking at his sword. That's when he heard the familiar rumble of the blade behind his back again, so he pivoted to block it, only for the result to be the exact same, and the crack in his sword growing. "Was he always able to increase the rotation speed?"
Finally, a third strike came in contact with his weapon, causing it to shatter upon impact, leaving the General completely defenseless. Thankfully, the smoke began to clear, allowing Darlton to watch Mario attempt to deliver an overhead slash to his chest. Though, with his new vision, the General managed to stop the attack by grabbing the blade with his hands, "It's only a matter of time before you're torn apart." the boy warned as his weapon inched closer and closer to the Gloucester, "I'd advise you to give up now."
Darlton clenched his teeth and shouted, "In the name of Cornelia Li Britannia, I'll keep fighting to the bitter end!"
Mario sighed, "So be it."
In one motion, the blade went straight down the Gloucester's chest, causing it to fall over lifeless. Inside, its pilot watched helplessly as the top half of his cockpit was ripped open, allowing him to stare into the cold metal eyes of the Sougetsu, "Capture complete." he heard before passing out.
In the outskirts of Grablhad
"Cornelia!" Shams' voice boomed throughout his Bamide, "I demand you to face me here and now!"
The Princess in question launched herself out of the G1, adorning a standard Gloucester equipped with sandboards that, while not nearly as advanced as her own, was still an effective Knightmare. "I understand the delusion you had in being able to defeat me in your own city, but choosing to combat me in open ground is even more ridiculous." she then scanned the area and realized that it was only Shams' Bamide who came to face her, "And alone too… you're making this too easy."
"If that's what you think, then so be it!" the King shouted as his Bamide opened fire.
However, Cornelia effortlessly dodged the attacks, and twirled her anti-KMF lance as she approached the enemies position in a zigzag. Once she was close, she moved behind the false Knightmare, and thrusts her lance through its chest, isolating the cabinet. "Looks like I've won-"
Before she could begin gloating over her victory, the voice of Zero blared over her radio, "Princess Cornelia. It's such an honor to make your acquaintance." he was currently in the throne room of Grablhad's palace. Though, while it looked unassuming, the second he turned the camera around, she realized what was going on, "As you can see, I've captured a good amount of your forces, including your Knight, Guilford, and General Darlton." the two men in question were brought forward by Maya and Mario, who wore Black Knight visors to 'conceal' their identity. "If you want them alive, I welcome you to the negotiation table. Not that you have anything of value to begin with, though."
"Is that so?" Cornelia muttered as she ripped the cockpit of the Bamide open, revealing Shams and S.S, who were still recovering from the attack, "As you can see, I have some prisoners of my own, and these two seem to be critically important."
Lelouch clenched his fist just below the camera, "Damn it. So much for fighting with instinct."
"Princess!" Guilford called, "Just leave us! We'll be alright!"
"I agree! Don't worry about us! We'll join you very soon!" Darlton added reassuringly, "Just give me a minute to break free of these binds, and I'll carry Guilford to your-"
"Do you ever shut up!?" Mario exclaimed, "After beating you, I thought you'd finally shut up about all that Britannian loyalty stuff, but it seems the opposite has happened."
"Please don't remind me…" Guilford muttered as he looked off to the side.
"Are these guys even prisoners?" Shamna questioned from the throne as she witnessed the display.
"That's enough!" Zero boomed, "It seems you've procured some interesting bargaining chips. Perhaps you and I might be able to-"
"Fat chance!" Shams interjected, "Zero! If you dare to negotiate my release, I'll kill you myself. And afterward, I'll kill myself!"
"What!?" Shalio exclaimed.
"Why the hell would you do something like that?" Cornelia questioned with a look of disdain.
"In my country, victory is everything. I trusted my instincts, and lost. Now, I have no right to be King." the King looked down at the sand, "Shalio! Do you hear me, boy? That means you're in charge now. I'm counting on you to lead the Kingdom to a successful future."
"That's enough out of you." Cornelia ordered while tightening her grasp around Shams' fragile body, "Zero, in exchange for the King and his assistant, I want you to release everyone you've got captured."
"As if I'd listen to such an absurd deal."
"Well, it's the only one you're getting. Either take it or leave it."
"Oh great… she called me your assistant." S.S muttered with a sigh.
Shalio rolled forward and pleaded, "Zero, please take this deal."
"Are you serious?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow, "Do you understand what we had to go through just to push back the Britannian forces? By releasing everyone here, we'll be giving them a second chance to attack us." he then looked at the hundreds of Zilkhstanian soldiers, who were guarding their prisoners, "Not only that, but the moral impact on the soldiers would be devastating."
"Even so… we can't just stand idly by as the King is taken into Britannian custody."
Zero stared at the young Prince, "Ah, I see. You're scared of ruling, huh?" he sighed underneath his mask, before saying, "Very well. If you wish to go through with this deal. So be it. But know this, I better get some kind of compensation for this, whether it be through military support, or perhaps a favor in the future."
While Lelouch didn't have any obligation to surrend the twwo most valuable pieces he had to get to Cornelia, right now wasn't the best time to confront her. If Charles found out Cornelia was defeated in the Middle East by Zero, then he'd most certainly send Schneizel to deal with the problem himself. And while he did want to confront Schneizel, after getting beat by Carine, who only primarily used heavy ordinance in her battles, it helped Lelouch realize that if he faced off against the Prime Minister with the Black Knight's as they are now, it'd spell certain defeat. So, as much as he didn't want to, he handed over the prisoners to Shalio.
"Thank you so much." the boy responded with a head bow.
The rest of the soldiers groaned under their breaths, muttering things like, "A King shouldn't bow to a foreigner." or, "He's only been King briefly, and he's already got us indebted to someone."
Once the exchange was complete, Shams burst into the throne room in a rage, "Where are you, Shalio!?" he bellowed, causing the boy in the wheelchair to shiver as he awaited his father next to the throne.
"F-father, I'm overjoyed by your return."
"Don't you dare call me father!" the former King slapped his son across the face, causing him to fall out of his chair, and onto the cold ground, "You've disgraced this whole kingdom by bending a knee to Britannia! Do you have no shame!?"
"B-but I did it for you…" Shalio muttered while tears streamed down his face, and blood began to seep from his cheek.
Meanwhile, Zero, the Black Knight's, and Shamna watched the display in the background. Each of them were deeply disturbed by the sight. "Who cares about me!? Huh? I'm just another King who would rise and fall! But you wanna know something?" he then kneeled to the boy's level, "I'm actually leaving behind a legacy that will be looked upon fondly, yet so far, all you've done is-"
"Stop!" Shamna shouted while holding her eye. She had finally had enough of seeing her brother getting bullied, "Please… he hasn't done anything yet, he just wanted to protect you… that's all. Why can't you just be thankful of that?"
"Thankful? He's put shame on our people!"
"This… it's way too similar to how he talks." Lelouch thought as images of Charles flowed throughout his mind, "I think you should listen to your daughter." he stepped forward, not wanting the same kind of scene to play out against Shalio as it once did to him. "You've granted him the ability to rule the kingdom, and his first decree was to free you of your imprisonment. You may disagree with it, but it's the King's will."
S.S watched the scene, or rather, watched as Shamna writhed in pain while tightly clenching her eye, "And who the hell are you to speak of such matters? You're just some rebel who wants to fight against Britannia, not someone born of royal blood!" Shams shouted ironically, "So, stay out of such matters. Your transport should be ready in a few hours. Until then, feel free to roam the Kingdom, but stay out of our personal business."
"Is that it? Is that all my 'instinct' gets me?" Lelouch questioned while taking a step forward, "Am I seriously leaving empty-handed after saving the Prince and Princess of this Kingdom?"
"As far as I'm concerned, all you did was what was expected of you."
This comment made the Black Knight's all clench their fist in outrage, "How dare he say something so… pretentious." Kallen attempted to step forward, only to be stopped by C.C, who shook her head.
"Let them handle this." the Witch whispered while S.S made his way over to Shamna.
"I believe, as your ally, I have some kind of obligation to include myself in any affair which may have to do with the ruler of the Kingdom I'm entering a partnership with."
"Partnership? What a joke. We've made no such agreement." Shams put a finger on Zero's chest, forcefully shoving him back, "Also, matters regarding Zilkhstan's ruler are none of your concern, regardless of being an ally or not. Understand?"
Before Lelouch could continue, Shamna suddenly shouted, "Just leave me alone!" S.S fell to the ground as the woman began to scream in agony, "Why is this happening to me!?" in her eyes, a second Geass symbol formed. However, unlike Lelouch's, they were yellow.
"N-no way… is it evolving?" S.S muttered as his contractor sprawled out onto the ground.
"So, she's your contractor. But evolving… seriously?" C.C's eyes narrowed, "I haven't seen such a process in so long."
"What are you on about?" Lelouch asked as the tan man desperately tried to calm the girl down.
"Well, as you know-"
"I don't know"
After pausing briefly, the Witch continued, "Or should know, everyone's Geass is different, with the deciding factor of what your Geass is, being your will. Of course, this means it can also change somewhere down the line if your will changes."
"So… is that what's happening right now?" Kallen asked as Shamna punched S.S in the face.
"No. Her Geass… she's achieving mastery."
"Mastery!?" Lelouch exclaimed.
"It's complicated. But I'll explain it later."
Unbeknownst to the group, a mysterious figure entered the palace from an open door, and they quickly ran toward Shams, who was busy staring at Shamna with disappointed eyes. Unfortunately for him, it would be his demise, as the figure grabbed him by the back of the head, and slit his throat. S.S heard the gurgling sounds of the former King and instinctively turned around, only to find Rolo standing over his body, "W-who the hell are you!?" he exclaimed while drawing his spear.
"R-Rolo!?" Kallen readied for battle, "D-damn it. This isn't good. I can't do anything about his Geass! Not here!"
C.C stepped forward to meet the boy, "Now that's rude. Barging in on such an important conversation unannounced. I suggested you see yourself out."
"Unfortunately, I can't do such a thing, Master C.C." the assassin surprisingly answered, "I must take you into custody, I must ask that you don't resist too much."
"Well, I can't do that either."
"Enough!" S.S shouted while charging forward, "Just die, you heathen!"
Heartlessly, Rolo pulled out a pistol, and emptied an entire magazine into the approaching immortal's body, causing him to stumble backwards, falling into the lap of Shamna in the process, "I don't need you around. And, thanks to her mastery, that should be more than enough to deal with you."
"N-No… S.S." Shamna muttered while holding onto the man's head, "Please don't go…"
The tan man stared at the ceiling with fading eyes, "Damn it… the process has already begun… then again, it's not like I'm opposed to this kind of end…"
Kallen rushed toward Rolo, only to be stopped by his Geass. Then, he tried to run away, only to come face-to-face with C.C, who cut him off, "I thought you were trying to capture me?"
"I am. You're just the fool to come running into my trap." the boy calmly explained while attempting to drive his knife in the immortal's chest. However, she managed to knock away the weapon, and countered with a palm strike to his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards.
"Shamna… you want to protect your brother, right?" S.S asked as he felt the life leaving his body, and the code began transferring to the Princess, "Please, make sure he becomes a strong ruler, who will be able to stand on his own. One that fights for his people with as much zeal as his father once did." a tear dripped onto his cheek, causing him to smile warmly, "Please don't cry. My death's nothing to worry about. After all, I'm not the one leaving this life unfulfilled." his eyes darted over to Shams' lifeless body as it bled out horridly, "Just promise me you'll stay strong for your brother."
Shamna nodded as tears streamed down her face, "I… I always will."
"That's good to hear… that's excellent to hear."
After those final words, S.S closed his eyes to the world permanently. His code had been transferred to Shamna, though due to the special property of her Geass, there was an issue with it fully assimilating.
Regardless of what happened, C.C and Rolo continued to trade around the throne room as Kallen helpless watched from afar, "There's not a single opening for me to exploit. If I try to jump in, I fear I'll only cause problems for C.C."
Meanwhile, Maya and Mario, who had no idea of the boy's ability, tried to help C.C, each in their own way. For the latter, it was recklessly rushing in without any real plan. To no one's surprise, this ended horribly for him, as he was instantly delivered a swift combo by Rolo, who led with a punch to the throat, followed up with a strike to the chest, before using a leg sweep to knock him to the ground, and ending it with repeated punches to the head.
Maya, on the other hand, tried to keep track of the assassin's movements, as he rolled away from C.C when she tried to attack him on the ground, "Just stay here." Kallen commanded the black-haired girl, "I'll take care of things from here."
With a burst of energy, the red head rushed forward and delivered a surprise kick to Rolo's back, sending him flying straight into C.C's lariat, causing him to spin midair before crashing face-first into the ground. "Not bad." the immortal complimented, "Though, you could've joined in sooner."
Rolo recovered from the strike and began cartwheeling away. However, in the process, he felt a strange pain pulse throughout his body starting from his ribs, "She broke my ribs… three to be exact. Continuing this battle would be unwise. Forgive me, Master V.V, I'll have to postpone the task you've given me."
Just as Kallen attempted to give chase, Rolo activated his Geass and slipped away, "Don't worry about him, Kallen." the Witch said reassuringly, "We won't be catching him, especially in the city where the people are starting to file in again."
While the red head and C.C were relatively calm, Lelouch was currently shaking from the scene, "What the hell even was that? I couldn't even keep track of what was happening… that was a Geass too, wasn't it? Not only that, but mastery? C.C, you've got a lot more explaining to do-"
Before he could finish that thought, Shamna's cries drew everyone's attention, even Shalio who was desperately trying to crawl to her aid, "Sister… what's wrong?"
"Wh-what is all this!?" images of C's world began flowing through the failed one's mind as her consciousness began to fade.
?
"Who the hell are you?"
AN: So, while I don't know the actual process for having a failed one be created (and since this is the only one that will ever appear in this series) I'm not going to touch on it too much. Though, Shamna's connection to C's world is a combination of being a failed one, and her Geass. Also, don't expect me to go in depth when explaining failed ones, because I'm honestly not here to fix Re;ssurection. Also, also, the special guest will appear next chapter. (Hint, they're not from C's world, but they are apart of the Royal family.). Finally, if you want a brief explanation as to why Shamna's a failed, I say it's a combination of her Geass changing properties, and being immortal directly contradicting what she wants. So, while she did accept the code on the surface, her will stopped the process from being completed.
