Lelouch looked solemnly up at Zenobia's resting form, her eyes dark, and form hunched in her seated position. He wasn't lying to the others when he said he didn't have a plan going forward. As a matter of fact, he barely knew where to even start. But he also knew that if he did nothing, Zarkon could still take Zen away, and that was something none of them wanted to happen.

So, he would trust that his Lion would know what to do.

"We have some work to do, Zen," Lelouch muttered softly.

Approaching closer, Zen instinctively lowered down and let Lelouch inside, though she was still not responsive.

As Lelouch was pulled forward in his seat to the front of the cockpit, he took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, closing his eyes as he set his hands on top of the main levers.

"Look, I know you don't want Zarkon taking control again any more than I do," he said after a moment, "We can't let that happen, so work with me. What do I have to do to strengthen our bond? Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'll listen."

Instead of speaking back like she had last time, Zen's eyes flashed open and got to her feet, purring aggressively.

This action made Lelouch jump in alarm as Zen suddenly turned around, facing the hangar opening.

"Whoa, hey! What are you doing?!" Lelouch exclaimed before Zen rocketed out of the hangar and into the red cloud of Jupiter's red spot. Zen quickly shot out of the hurricane's eye and into open space before blazing off, away from the planet.

"Stop! Zen, stop!" Lelouch shouted, pulling on the levers, trying to at least deter her course, "Zen! We can't just go flying off on our own right now!"

Despite Lelouch's protests, the Lion didn't so much as slow down and Lelouch barely noticed the other outer planets flying past them in the blink of an eye.

Lelouch growled. Yes, he knew he said that he would listen to Zen and try to strengthen their bond however they could, but this was no time for a random flight in unknown space, especially without telling anyone, and with Zarkon not too far away on Earth.

Finally having enough, Lelouch glared up from his seat, "Look, can you at least tell me where we're going?!"

Almost like magic, Zen actually did slow down. Seeing this, Lelouch let out a sigh of relief. "...Thank you…"

He glanced around, trying to see if he recognized anything, whether it be a planet, constellation, or something that the castle had flown past or he had come across browsing a random holopad in the ship's library.

He gasped when he finally processed what he was looking at.

Gliding at a much slower pace, Zen brought them slowly to the ruins of a planet. That had to be what it was. This was far too large and clustered together to be an asteroid, or a group of asteroids even. The brown rocky structure in front of them was definitely a planet, or what was left of one.

"Zen, where are we?" Lelouch asked cautiously, "Why did you bring me out here?"

Lelouch gasped again when Zen's familiar purr seemed to vibrate through his soul, her intentions and request clear.

"So you want me to use your eyes… very well," Lelouch consented, closing his own eyes.

Zen's eyes flashed with a growl and the landscape around them shifted. Suddenly, the planet was no longer in ruins, but a rich red, wispy purple clouds gliding in the atmosphere, and large, metal structures rising above the ground. In the blink of an eye, Lelouch was suddenly on the planet's surface, and looking up, he beheld the silhouette of Zen standing alongside two figures overlooking the city.

Lelouch's eyes snapped open with a gasp, realization creeping in.

"This was your home... Zarkon's home... Daibazaal..."

Once he said it out loud, Lelouch couldn't help but feel strange. He honestly wasn't expecting Zen to take them all the way back to a home that was long destroyed. The home of a being she would call a friend and a comrade. A comrade and friend that would betray her.

But at the same time, this was also the birthplace of Voltron. Or well, where the comet that Voltron was made from had landed. Like Coran had said, Daibazaal was quite literally where it all began.

"...Okay.. alright," Lelouch eventually says in a 'please help me understand' tone, "You brought me here for a reason. Please, show me."

Closing his eyes once more, Lelouch found himself submerged in his Lion's memories once more. Again, he was looking at Daibazaal, a healthy, thriving Daibazaal, from a sky view. Suddenly a flash of light raced past him before impacting the planet below, the fiery landing he could see even from his position.

The scene faded and he was again on Daibazaal's surface, around a crash site and crater, where at the center was a gigantic meteor, glowing with blue energy from within its ore. He saw several Galran sentries jogging towards the center, followed by, at a slower pace, by two caped figures.

"King Alfor... and Zarkon..." Lelouch said softly, recognizing the Altean king despite his younger appearance.

"That's the Quintessence comet…" Lelouch said as he saw images of a younger Alfor taking and shaping pieces of the comet in what he assumed was his Altean lab, "...the one you and the other Lions were built from… and you fought beside them all for years..."

The dark and familiar sensation came out of nowhere and Lelouch gasped as his eyes snapped open again. His heart was racing like he had just awoken from a nightmare. He knew that aura. One that he'd felt too many times already.


"...You…" Zarkon growled from where his main base was still positioned above planet Earth, the power of Haggar and her druids coursing through his being.


Lelouch swallowed, taking a breath to calm his beating heart. He knew that this was likely inevitable. He knew that Zarkon was still hunting for his Lion, despite still being in the same solar system. But this had to be done if they wanted to keep going.

"...It's too late to turn back now," Lelouch eventually said, to both himself and his Lion. He felt Zenobia purr in agreement, though her tone was one of tense anticipation. "Show me more, Zen."

Lelouch once more closed his eyes and Zen dragged him once more into her memories. When his vision cleared, he was no longer above Daibazaal, but in the middle of a battle, far out in open space, just above the atmosphere of a planet. Lasers were blasted from all sides, both from the Lions and the enemy ships surrounding them.

What amazed him the most though, was when he caught sight of Zen.

"Are those... wings?!" Lelouch exclaimed, incredulously, "You... you have powers I haven't unlocked...!"

Zen, or at least the memory of Zen, was facing an enemy battleship head-on. She then swiftly, faster than Lelouch had ever seen her move, shot forward, phased through the ship, spun around, and with a single blast from her mouth, blew up the ship, along with two others by its side.

"Amazing... You're amazing!" Lelouch nearly laughed as the memory Lion turned toward him, almost like she was preening from the praise.

"I've got you now, boy." A dreadingly familiar voice broke through the memory and Zen suddenly shot a blast of energy directly at him.

Lelouch barely had time to gasp in shock before he felt himself flung out of Zen's cockpit, and free-falling until he landed with a pained grunt on a hard surface below.

Wincing, Lelouch sat up, panting, taking in as much of his surroundings as possible. He saw almost nothing but an endless expanse of stars of all sizes and colors in all directions. One thing he did notice though, was that not only was he clad in his Paladin Zero uniform, cape and all, but everything, himself included, was tinted in a purple indigo.

He didn't have time to observe further as his eyes fell on a familiar, hulking figure not far off in front of him.

"You were a fool to face me here," Zarkon stated, his dark cape flapping behind him as Lelouch struggled to his feet, "When you die in this realm, your body dies as well. And I will take control of Voltron."

Faster than Lelouch could blink, the Galran leader was suddenly in front of him and delivered a powerful punch to Lelouch's torso. The ex-prince gasped as he was thrown far backward off his feet, feeling the wind knock out of him. He then felt a painful blow from behind and he was thrown away again, flipping several times in the air before crashing to the ground, rolling several times before eventually coming to a stop.

Lelouch gritting his teeth against the pain, Lelouch pushed himself up, head still lowered.

Zarkon tisked, disappointment and disgust clear on his face. "How disappointing, I would have thought my successor would have offered more resistance, but I should expect nothing less from a child. No matter, this means the Lion will be mine sooner than expected."

"...You think so, huh?" Head still bowed, Lelouch felt a small smirk stretch across his face as he finally got to his feet. One hand brushing over his face, his eyes flashed as his Geass blinked to life in both of his eyes, "I am Zero, the man who makes miracles!"

Holding his hand out to his side, Lelouch felt the weight of his mother's knife appear in his hands. He knew that if he was here in full uniform, this weapon would also be by his side. In a flash of light, the knife extended, forming the sword that had briefly appeared at their battle on Earth, the blade flickering and surging with red electric energy that quickly spread across the rest of the rebel leader's body.

Invigorated, Lelouch leaped forward, practically flying across the battlefield, striking a stunned Zarkon hard with his blade with a roaring battle cry. The Galran leader barely managed to block the attack as he and Lelouch flew backward from the force.

Pushing Lelouch off, the prince followed up with a kick, blocked once more before ducking under Zarkon's punch before using that momentum to leap up and swing the sword downward, a swipe that Zarkon dodged before jumping away.

Lelouch leaped at the Galra once more, sword swinging with an arch, only for Lelouch to gasp in surprise when Zarkon vanished. He soon learned that he didn't disappear when he felt a hard elbow plow into his back. Lelouch was shocked that that didn't break it as he was thrown forward, hitting the ground hard enough to bounce up, flipping rapidly before feeling a fist to his face from Zarkon's teleport again, sending careening back to the ground below.

Lelouch was so glad he put himself through those late-night training sessions, whether with Sayoko present or not, because he was positive that it was thanks to those, and the endurance and slight muscle he had finally started to develop, that he was still alive. He was certain if his pre-Voltron self was in his shoes currently, he would have been a bloody splat on the floor of this… place upon Zarkon's first punch.

That didn't help that Zarkon's attacks still hurt like hell though as he coughed and got to his feet again.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that, boy. However…" Zarkon's own eyes flashed before the familiar, ominous symbol that Lelouch's eyes also bore, this time in black, appeared in the Galra's glowing orbs. A shockwave of energy burst from the Galra and Lelouch would have been thrown back again if he had not dug his sword into the ground to anchor him.

Something appeared in Zarkon's hands, and Lelouch's heart sank just a little when the Black Bayard's form morphed into a simiter saber shape.

Zarkon charged once again.


Shortly after Lelouch had left the room, mostly everyone, save for Allura, Nunnally, C.C. and the other Paladins had left the bridge themselves, to either attend to other duties or get some sleep. Coran was one of them, saying in an apologetic tone that he needed to check on the cryopods, which only grimly reminded everyone of Lelouch's statement that the war was far from over. The Paladins knew that they should probably be doing something too, whether resting, training or whatever besides just waiting. And waiting for what exactly? Wait for Lelouch to come back? Wait for Coran or someone else to call for them over the intercom? What?

"So… did anyone happen to snatch a card deck while on Earth?" Rivalz asked after an awkward silence.

"A card deck?!" Kallen said, looking at the Blue Paladin incredulously.

"What?!" Rivalz said in defense, "We're all sitting here doing nothing while Lelouch is off doing his thing with the Black Lion and… and…"

"We're still worried something bad will happen," Shirley said quietly.

"We get it, guys," Suzaku said, "We all feel the same. But worrying about what's going on isn't going to change anything."

Before anyone could say anything else, C.C. suddenly went rigid. Her eyes widened and her Geass symbol flared to life. She then fell back and screamed, clutching her head in pain.

"C.C.?!" Milly exclaimed as she and the others rushed over.

"ZARKON!" she screamed, nearly pulling her hair out of her scalp.

"What?!" Kallen gasped, "What do you mean, what's happening?!"

"I…" C.C. gritted her teeth, "I don't know! But, I can feel Lelouch, feel his mind."

"Well, what's happening?!" Shirley exclaimed in near panic.

"He's… he's in the Black Lion's mind… or his consciousness is…"

"You… you can do that?" Nunnally asked, anxiously.

"We've talked mentally or psychically to the Lions before, but actually going in?!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"And Zarkon's there too!" C.C. continued before any other speculations could happen, "They're fighting for control of the Black Lion… and Zarkon's winning."

"No!" Allura gasped, "Zarkon will kill him and take the Lion if he's victorious!"

"Th-there's got to be something we can do-"

Suzaku was cut off by the sound of someone falling to the ground. Turning, the group hadn't even noticed that Nunnally had rushed to the bridge's entrance, only to trip over her feet.

"Nunnally!" Shirley gasped as she and Suzaku ran over and helped her up, the others trailing behind them.

"We… we have to help him!" the princess gasped, tears in her eyes, still trying to reach the doors.

"Allura! Come on, you must know some way we can help Lelouch!" Kallen shouted, her eyes shaking and heart pounding.

"I-I don't know!" Allura exclaimed frantically, "The Paladins have only ever connected with their own Lions! The only time I've heard where they connect with the others is when Voltron is formed!"

Suzaku bit his lip and looked around, and finally, his eyes landed on C.C. An idea, a crazy idea, formed in his head and he had no idea if it would even work, but they had to try!

"Well… we do have her," Suzaku said, pointing to C.C. Everyone looked at the Purple Paladin dubiously, including C.C. herself, "This may sound crazy, but maybe there is a way to get to Lelouch, through C.C.!"

"What do you mean?" Rai asked, not quite following Suzaku's reasoning.

"Well, we're all connected to the Lions in some way, yes, but almost all of us are connected to C.C. too. Except for Rai, we've all gotten a Geass from her. And if she can feel Lelouch right now, she's probably connected to the rest of us as well. Meaning we're connected to Lelouch too!" Suzaku emphasized.

"And since Rai is connected to us through Voltron, we can still connect to him too!" Milly realized, "Suzaku, you're a genius!"

"It's worth a shot," Shirley agreed.

"What are we waiting for then, let's go!" Rivalz shouted, jumping up.

"C.C., you think you can do it?" Kallen asked, turning to her.

"I… I'll admit, I've never done something like this before," she hesitated, "There's no telling what this could result in."

"Even so, we have to try something," Rai spoke up, "and besides, I think there's a way you can connect to me besides Voltron. When you were still out, I was able to use my Geass to pull you out. That has to mean that I'm connected in some way, right?"

C.C.'s eyes widened and Rai could have sworn a small flicker of fear crossed her face, but it disappeared a moment later, "I suppose so."

"Perhaps I can help as well," Allura said, stepping forward, "I may not be in possession of this Geass, but I'm not going to simply sit by while my family risks their lives like this."

"I'm going too!"

The second that proclamation left Nunnally's mouth, everyone was up in arms to stop her.

"No way, Nunna!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"It's not safe!"

"Lelouch will kill us if you get hurt."

"I think it would be best if you stayed here, Nunnally."

"Nunnally, you haven't even seen Zarkon before," Kallen spoke, "Much less know what he's capable of-

"I DON'T CARE!"

Nunnally's outburst silenced the entire bridge as everyone stared in shock. Breathing hard, frustrated tears in her eyes, Nunnally glared at the Paladins with such intensity that they were immediately reminded that Nunnally and Lelouch were actually related.

"Do you have any idea... how hard this is...?" Nunnally finally said, fists clenched and shaking, "After so long... I'm able to see again... I'm able to walk again... But, despite that... I'm still helpless! I can't do anything while my brother... my friends... My family is risking everything! The thought alone is killing me!"

As Nunnally spoke, the Paladins' faces all shifted from surprised astonishment to shock and sympathy. They were so used to interacting with the Nunnally who was confined to a wheelchair, the Nunnally whom Lelouch fought tooth and nail to shield from the cruelties of the world. But that Nunnally was long forgotten in the past now, and continuing to treat her as such wasn't fair. Now putting themselves in her position, they only imagine how scared and powerless she felt now, despite being physically better. Only now did they realize that they hadn't really taken the time to really think about how Nunnally was feeling about this. About everything.

Allura could certainly relate. All of those times she had asked her mother and father if she could join them on a mission with Voltron, but they turned her down almost every time. She knew deep down that it wasn't out of malice, but the hurt was still there. She could remember how useless she felt as she witnessed her planet being destroyed and torn apart by the Galran fleet, even the feeling of betrayal as she watched her father's face fade from her vision as he put her to sleep, promising to see her again soon, only to wake up 10,000 years later and learn even that reassurance had been a lie.

Yes, she knew exactly how Nunnally felt.

"I'm not a Paladin... I don't have a Geass or any kind of special power…" Nunnally went on, "But I know I can do something other than just sit and be safe! Please! You have to let me help! Not just for my brother's sake, but all of yours! I want to be a part of this just as much as everyone else on this ship! I want to help defend the universe too! Please!"

Everyone kind of shifted and looked at one another, not quite sure what to say.

The silence was only broken when C.C. finally nodded, "Alright."

Various exclamations of surprise, even from Nunnally followed. The younger girl looked a little shell-shocked that her desperate plea had actually worked.

"While it's true you're not a Paladin, nor possess a Geass, Nunnally still important to the team. She remains the center of Lelouch's world, even if that has grown to truly include more people now. If Lelouch can at least feel her, it might be the fighting chance Lelouch needs."

"That's true," Milly pointed out, "The team doesn't just include the seven Paladins. It's everyone on this ship. And we made a vow to stand beside each other no matter what, remember?"

"Yeah… no Paladin or friend gets left behind," Rai nodded in agreement.

"Right…" Suzaku said, Shirley nodding as well.

"...Okay, but if Lelouch tries to skewer one of us for putting his sister in direct danger, we're passing the blame onto you, seeing that the rest of us only have one life. Got it?" Kallen asked the immortal, making direct eye contact.

"Noted…" C.C. deadpanned despite the situation.

"Okay, enough chit-chat!" Rivalz exclaimed, face grim and tone rushed, "In case anyone forgot, we're in a bit of a hurry here?!"

"Right! Everyone follow me!" Allura ordered, swiftly leaving the bridge, "I know a shorter way to the Black Lion's bay!"


Lelouch panted as he charged at Zarkon again, swinging his sword-knife in a wide arc that Zarkon easily evaded. Another quick swipe followed before he followed it up with a punch, but Zarkon caught the fist easily.

"A weak child such as yourself could never take my place as the head of Voltron!"

Lelouch cried out as Zarkon crushed his fist then kicked him back hard. But Zarkon wasn't finished, as he summoned the Black Bayard in whip form. With a lash, the whip caught Lelouch's ankle, yanking the youth back and hurtling him into the air before Zarkon jerked it down and Lelouch slammed hard into the ground below.

The younger Paladin was honestly shocked that he didn't break his back (again) from the impact as he gasped for breath, the air knocked from his lungs.

"You…" he coughed, struggling to his knees, "You think you… can call yourself that… after what you did to them?"

The human lifted his head and glared darkly at the Galra, but it was what he said that made the emperor pause if only in curiosity. Them?

"Alfor... Melenor... Blaytz... Trigel... Gyrgan... Iris... I know about all of them. What you've done, with them and against them," Lelouch spat out venomously.

"What of it?" Zarkon said dismissively.

"They were your friends! Your family! You were their leader!" Lelouch shouted desperately, though he knew, in reality, this would fall on deaf ears, "You ate with them, laughed with them, bled with them! They trusted you! And you threw all that away just to gain more power! You destroyed everything they worked so hard to protect! Everything you worked so hard to protect! You had a team and a family that trusted and respected you! And you threw it all away like garbage! You have no right to call yourself the Head of Voltron after all that! You are no longer the Black Paladin... just an empty shell of the man who was."

Zarkon growled, something inside him roaring in fury as he charged the young Paladin again. This boy… He reminded him too much of another that he would want nothing more than to be rid of forever.

Lelouch was barely able to lift his arms to block once again as he was sent flying across the starry plane.


The sound of Lelouch hacking up blood was what greeted the group as they sprinted into the Black Lion. The Black Paladin was trembling in his seat, his eyes squeezed shut, and eye flickering rapidly under his eyelids.

"Jesus... he's killing him!" Kallen exclaimed as the blood dribbled down Lelouch's chin.

"What do we do?!" Shirley asked hysterically, her heart rate rising in panic.

C.C. swiftly positioned herself directly behind Lelouch's seat. "All of you, make physical contact with me or someone who is. If this is going to work we'll need direct contact with him!"

Everyone quickly scrambled to obey as Kallen and Suzaku each placed a hand on one of her shoulders, followed by Shirley touching Suzaku, and Milly touching Shirley. Rai grasped Kallen's shoulder, with Rivalz touching him. Nunnally and Allura both came around the sides and grabbed C.C.'s arms.

Seeing that everyone was in position, C.C. placed her hands on either side of Lelouch's head.

"Remember, this has never happened before. So I have no idea what's about to happen. Brace yourselves," she warned before closing her eyes.

Everyone closed their eyes and C.C. reached out like she had done numerous times before, trying to reach Lelouch's mind. The Geass symbol on her forehead manifested and began to glow a bright red. At the same time, she reached out separately to the two hands fastened to her shoulders, Kallen and Suzaku, before snaking out further, threads thinning but not breaking as she connected with the other four too, even Rai despite no prior connection being established.

Meanwhile, as the Paladins felt the admittingly bizarre presence course through them, another presence was also felt, one that they were each much more familiar with. The strong purrs and growls from their Lions broke through, intertwining and strengthening the bonds further.

At the same time, Allura's own body began to glow as well, but with a bright blue, similar to that of the Balmera that she helped heal what felt like a lifetime ago. Whatever C.C. was doing was drawing this power to the surface, and she simply couldn't hold it back and allowed it to spread further, faster. The blue glow jumped onto Nunnally, engulfing the girl in its aura before quickly spreading to the rest of the group. Finally, C.C. was also covered in it, the Geass on her forehead shifting in color from a blood red to a healing blue.


Lelouch struggled for breath as he braced himself on his hands and knees. The sword in his hands feeling like heavy lead as he struggled to lift it up. Whatever he had said triggered the Galran leader heavily, and Lelouch was beaten down harder than ever. He wasn't sure how, though he suspected the landscape played some role, but he was still alive, or at least breathing, even if his body felt like it was one massive bruise all over.

He struggled not to flinch back as the dark Galran stood over him ominously.

"If you admire Alfor and the others so much, I'll introduce you to them now," Zarkon said, Lelouch barely catching the glow of the Bayard shifting in the corner of his vision.

He had to move. He knew. He knew if he got hit by this strike, he was dead. He'd fail. He'd leave everyone to Zarkon's mercy. Zen, Allura, Coran, C.C., Suzaku, Kallen, Shirley, Milly, Rivalz…

...Nunnally.

No sooner had her name graced his mind that Zarkon let out a guttural roar of surprise as something bright and blue suddenly slammed into the Galra, sending him flying backward.

It takes Lelouch another couple of seconds to realize that the light is also hitting him. But unlike Zarkon, it was completely encompassing him, and he found he finally had the strength to lift himself to his knees. He felt his wounds healing, his vigor restoring itself. No longer was the violet blade in his hand a burden weighing him down.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the light faded and Lelouch gawked in surprise at who appeared at his side.

C.C. and Nunnally both had hoisted him to his feet from the side. Meanwhile, Allura, now clad in a pink-colored Paladin armor herself, and other Paladins all appeared before him, all of them dressed for battle in their armor, their own auras glowing with the color of their Lion.

They all stood steadfastly between him and the monster in front of them.

"Get the hell away from him, you damn monster!" Kallen snarled sharply.

"Impossible…" Zarkon muttered, unable to hide the surprise on his own face.

"How... How are you...?" Lelouch gasped, looking around in shock.

"We learned we connected not only through the Lions but through Geass. We used that connection to follow you here," C.C. explained briefly.

Lelouch nodded before he finally registered who else was there besides C.C., Allura, and the other Paladins as his face soon morphed into fearful horror when his eyes landed on Nunnally.

"Before you say anything brother, I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not going to leave you to face this monster alone!" Nunnally exclaimed before Lelouch could say anything in protest, "None of us are!"

"You might be the only one who can pilot the Black Lion, Lelouch," Rai spoke, "but you don't have to bear this burden alone."

"We've got your back buddy," Rivalz grinned at Lelouch, "either in the real world or in this freaky place!"

"We're your friends Lelouch, no matter what." Shirley said, hands gripping her Bayard so tight her arms shook, "We will never leave you."

"Whether it's up against Britannia, the Galra, or even those dark creatures Alfor and the others fought before," Milly proclaimed, though her eyes did flicker slightly in Zarkon's direction, a drop of sweat running down her face.

"I was unable to help my family before," Allura said, her eyes disdainfully glaring at Zarkon, "I have no intention of letting this one down too!"

"Whatever happens... whatever darkness we face... we'll face it together," Suzaku said resolutely.

"Because we're all part of Voltron. Right, Zero?" Kallen said with a smirk, winking back at Lelouch.

Lelouch blinked again in surprise, but the expression soon morphed into a smile. Not a sneer or a devious smirk, but a genuine curve of his lips as he straightened, his sword held low, but firmly at his side. He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped when we saw the still shocked expression on Zarkon's face.

"So that's what you look like when you're shocked?" Lelouch laughed before a solemn expression replaced it. "Look familiar, Zarkon? This is what it means to be a Paladin. Even when one is stronger than the others, we're strongest together."

Almost on cue, everyone raised their weapons, Bayards morphing into their respective weapons. A large broadsword appeared in Allura's hands as well. Lelouch brandished his own sword as he stepped forward, Nunnally and C.C. staying back as neither one had weapons.

As they all turned to face Zarkon, his face morphed into a furious glare.

"Stand together…" he sneered, materializing his own Bayard, "Then die together!"

Zarkon charged straight ahead, heading straight for Rivalz, but Suzaku managed to jump in the way and block Zarkon's strike with his own katana.

Rivalz jumped back and shot several times at the Galra with Shirley shooting arrows at him as much as she could. Throwing Suzaku's strike off the Galra was suddenly in front of Shirley and she barely raised her shield in time to meet Zarkon's fist. Even with the barrier, the Orange Paladin went flying backward with a yelp. In retaliation, Milly managed to wrap her kusarigama around Zarkon's extended arm, except the Galran then yanked the chain, and with a gasp, the Yellow Paladin went flying across the field. Allura quickly leaped over and caught Milly before brandishing her sword and charging at the Galra with a roar.

Swords clashed with a deafening clang, the two royals glaring at the other, all the hateful emotions spilling over into the strikes. For several minutes, the Paladins were frozen as they watched the duo dancing this deadly waltz between swords.

Finally, at last, Zarkon managed to twist the Altean's sword out of her grasp, and Allura was forced to dodge to avoid being cut in two from the swipe that followed after.

Rai was next to rush forward, swiping furiously at Zarkon. While he only recently remembered his time in the arena, the muscle memory was still very much still there. And he especially remembered this very monster's throne positioned at the very middle of the audience, with a perfect view of every single bloodbath that took place there. He remembered every alien, old, young, strong, weak, adult… and child that he forced Rai to kill for his own amusement.

"Every time you threw me into that pit... and I saw your face…" Rai gritted out as he pressed his katar to Zarkon's blade, "I wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of you myself!" His mouth morphed into a smirk, "Guess I got my wish, huh?"

Zarkon sneered in reply, but before he could retort he bellowed in pain and jerked back, batting something away from his face, stumbling a few steps back. Rai blinked in surprise before he finally registered that Kallen had managed to move up next to the Green Paladin and slammed her gauntlet into Zarkon's face with the surge function fully active.

"Consider this payback for Galra Central Command!" Kallen shouted, grinning vengefully.

Zarkon snarled before the Black Bayard shifted into a cannon and fired at the duo. Eyes widening, the two of them leaped out of the way as the shot zoomed past them, disappearing in the distance before exploding farther away.

"Holy quiznack…" Milly muttered, seeing the explosion from her position.

Zarkon narrowed his eyes. From this short battle so far, he could tell that these young Paladins were skilled, he would not deny that. Still leagues below his level, but he would admit, they didn't work too badly as a team along with the princess.

Then he spotted the two other women that had accompanied the Paladins into this place. He recognized the taller one from when Princess Allura had been taken captive at his base. Haggar had developed a keen interest in her, though she was retrieved before any further experiments could be performed.

The other he'd never seen before. She was clearly much younger than the Paladins and he wondered why she had decided to come here knowing there would be danger.

However, he did see how close Zero was standing next to both of them. Quite close in fact.

Reforming the whip in his hand, he threw it directly toward the two girls.

"NO!" Lelouch shouted, turning and running, hoping to intercept.

That would not be necessary, however.

To everyone's initial horror, Nunnally stepped forward then held her hands out.

With a resounding clang, the whip bounced off and away from Nunnally like it had collided with a metal wall rather than a person.

"What…?" Rivalz gasped as everyone stared, gobsmacked as they noticed the translucent barrier in front of Nunnally.

"Nunnally, how did you…?" Lelouch muttered in equal shock.

Zarkon sneered in fury.

"A child... an insect... no Paladin... no warrior...!" he raged.

Nunnally just smirked, an expression quite similar to her brother's, "I'm the sister of Zero, what did you expect?"

"Wow… Lelouch, watch out, your sister could give you a run for your money on surprises!" Milly called out.

"So it seems…" Lelouch murmured, still partially processing what he was seeing. When did Nunnally figure out how to do that?! They were going to have to have a conversation later.

Zarkon growled again but before he could attempt to charge at any of the Paladins again, a beam of white energy suddenly hit him dead center of his chest. Tumbling backward, his glowing eyes widened as he spotted residual energy coming from the other female standing near the young girl.

As he got back to his feet, Zarkon actually paused in surprise when he saw a trio of glowing white claw marks on his chest, in the same place the energy had hit as well.

He narrowed his eyes. Haggar also had a similar ability to this. He was beginning to understand why the witch was so intrigued by this Earthling.

This distraction cost Zarkon, as he felt one arm being jerked back. Looking up, the Green Paladin had thrown the katar, wrapping it around the Galra's arm and yanking it back as hard as he could.

Just before Zarkon could jerk his arm back, he felt his other arm jerk back as well. Looking to the right, the Yellow Paladin's Bayard had captured his other arm and was restraining it with the two hooked ends of her weapon.

"Hit him!" Rai shouted, "Him now!"

Not wasting this chance, the Paladins all charged at Zarkon. Shirley, Rivalz, and even C.C. repeatedly shot at him from behind, while Lelouch, Kallen, Suzaku, and Allura all slashed and cut into him with their own bladed weapons.

Zarkon could only roar in pain and rage as he took the entire barrage of attacks that rained down on top of him.


Haggar's eyes widened, as Zarkon's prone form jerked. Waves of pain flew up through her energy waves. Throughout the connection, she had caught faint glances of the battle happening deep within the Black Lion's psyche. It couldn't be possible! Was her Lord actually losing?!

'Impossible... All the Paladins... and even those who aren't... are in the mindscape together!? How?!' she screamed mentally as her eyes widened. There, off in the corner, she spotted the girl. The Earthling with the marks on her skin. The one with the unusual energy emitting from her form. She scowled. 'I underestimated that child. It will not happen again!'

With a shriek, Haggar lifted her hands and pushed as much energy as she could muster toward her emperor. Following the head Druid's lead, the others also propelled more energy into Zarkon, his form practically glowing as bright as a star from the amount of energy coursing through his body.


Zarkon grunted again as another arrow pierced into his shoulder when he felt a surge of energy from within. A thin black aura enveloped his skin.

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed as the power burst out, blasting all of the attackers back.

As the Paladins tumbled backward, Zarkon didn't waste another second and with a burst of speed, charged straight toward C.C.

The immortal's balance was thrown off from the outburst of malicious energy, and she had no way to dodge. All she could do was try to block the Galran with her arms held up defensively.

This small barrier proved futile, the Galran thrust his Bayard, now formed into a battle dagger, deep into C.C.'s stomach.

With a single gasp, and horror in her eyes, C.C. slumped and her form flickered from existence.

Followed shortly by everyone else but Lelouch.


With a zap of blue electric light, everyone in Zenobia's cockpit collapsed to the floor. Lingering energy still sparked along their skin as they struggled to regain control of their surroundings.

"What the…" Rivalz muttered, shaking his head.

"What the hell just happened?!" Kallen exclaimed, getting to her feet quickly.

A terrified shriek from Nunnally had everyone turning their heads. To their horror, they saw C.C., eyes wide and staring into nothing, lying dead on the ground, blood pooling around her prone form from a stab wound on her chest.

"C.C.!" Shirley shouted, kneeling next to her.

"Calm down, she'll be fine!" Milly reminded them, "She can heal herself, it'll just take a few minutes."

"Yeah, but…" the Orange Paladin stuttered, heart still pounding.

"Did you all feel that? Right before we woke back up here?" Suzaku asked. "It was similar to when…"

"When Voltron was torn apart," Rai finished, "It had to have been Haggar. She must have been helping Zarkon from the start. That damn witch!"

"But… but if Zarkon has help we have to get back in there!" Rivalz shouted.

"I don't believe we can…" Allura whispered in despair, "C.C. was the link we needed to reach him. With her unable to respond now…"

"Brother's on his own…" Nunnally gasped, tears gathering in her eyes.

Kallen clenched her fists, blinking back hot, stubborn tears of her own, "Come on Lelouch... don't you dare die on us…"


Lelouch stared in shock at the spot where Nunnally once stood. The moment Zarkon had struck C.C. down, she had vanished as well. Everyone had.

He turned back to his enemy with a feral growl.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" he shouted, running up to Zarkon, his sword dragging behind him. Swinging widely, he clashed his sword as hard as he could against the Bayard. But with the additional strength from Haggar, it wasn't long before Lelouch was overwhelmed once more, his blade flying out of his grip and several yards away. A single punch to the face sent Lelouch flying backward, landing hard on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs.

The Black Paladin struggled to regain his breath as he felt an iron grip wrap around his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Pathetic," Zarkon mocked. Lelouch struggled to pry the hand off his neck as the Galra held him high in the air, "This is why Alfor and the others fell. They may have stood stronger together, but they weren't strong enough. Now you will die as Alfor did... alone."

Lelouch, through gritted teeth, lungs still burning, glared down, "I'm not alone... there's one other still here... And she doesn't belong to you... or anyone else... not even me. I trust Zenobia... I trust her with my life!"


On another further plane of existence, Zenobia's eyes lit up.


"Only a child relies on trust," Zarkon declared darkly, "The Lion is mine. Forever."

Lelouch cried out as Zarkon's grip tightened further. His vision just began to fade when the ground suddenly thundered below them.

The Black Lion had leaped down from above, yellow eyes shining in the darkness.

Zarkon gasped in shock, dropping Lelouch in the process. The last thing he saw was a stream of blue light erupting from the Lion's mouth, and blasting him out of the astral plane.


"NO!" Zarkon exclaimed as the power that had previously clung to his form blasted out, sparking dangerously in all directions. He collapsed to his knees.

"Sire! What is it?!" Haggar gasped at the state her emperor was in.

"My connection grows weaker," Zarkon stated, tone full of disbelief, "We must hurry if ever wish to reclaim Voltron!"


Lelouch's eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath. Blinking a few times he finally registered that he was no longer on that strange starry plane, but back in Zen's cockpit.

He just barely processed his surroundings when a significant weight leaped on top of him, nearly knocking the air out of him a second time.

"Brother!" Nunnally shouted, hugging him tightly. Lelouch's arms automatically wrapped around his sister as she buried her face against his chest.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku exclaimed in relief, coming up from behind along with the other Paladins as well.

"Buddy!" Rivalz shouted afterward.

"Hey, welcome back, Lelouch!" Rai said warmly as everyone embraced Lelouch any way that they could reach him.

"We are relieved to see that you're alright," Allura said, her body visibly slumping in relief.

"That means it worked right?" Shirley asked anxiously, "You won?"

"He had to have!" Milly exclaimed, "Otherwise he wouldn't…"

Milly didn't bother to finish her sentence. It was clear what Zarkon's intentions were in there.

"Don't scare us like that again, got it?!" Kallen exclaimed, glaring down at Lelouch, hands on her hips.

Lelouch let out a tired chuckle as Nunnally reluctantly pulled away from him, "I'll do my best… Now then, would you please explain to me how in the hell you all ended up here at Daibazaal?"

There was a long confused pause.

"Daibazaal? Lelouch, we're still in the castle," Kallen informed him, quirking an eyebrow.

Lelouch blinked, taken aback, "What? But we're…" Looking back out the window of Zen's cockpit, he gasped as the illusion faded, revealing that they were indeed still seated in the Black Lion's bay. After another moment, he smirked, "Are you sure you're a lion because you seem more like a troll."

Lelouch was certain that if Zen had been a real person, she would have been laughing out loud if he was reading the emotions correctly from the bond.

Shaking his head, Lelouch turned back to the others, smiling despite his exhaustion. "Apparently Zen has a flair for the theatrics."

"Can't imagine where she gets it from," Milly smirked knowingly.


C.C. had just begun to regain consciousness as everyone departed from the Black Lion.

"What…?"

"C.C.! Shirley exclaimed, causing everyone to turn around, "You're awake! Thank god!"

"What happened?" the immortal muttered before spotting Lelouch. Despite looking a little worse for wearing, specs of blood still on his uniform, he was clearly alive. "Lelouch, what happened? Did you succeed?"

"Yes, I did… somehow," Lelouch muttered, shoulders sagging in both exhaustion and shocked bewilderment that he actually went up against Zarkon and lived to tell the tale.

"So that means your bond is strengthened, right?" Suzaku asked, "And Zarkon's is… gone?"

"No," Lelouch shook his head, "I honestly don't think it's possible to completely destroy the bond, but I did weaken it enough that it's no longer the dominant bond between us. It will have to do."

"I guess that's better than nothing…" Kallen reluctantly agreed as everyone nodded.

"At the very least, you will not have to worry about Voltron falling apart in battle anymore," Allura added.

"Yeah…" Lelouch nodded.

"What's wrong, Lelouch?" Nunnally asked, noticing that despite the fatigue, his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

Lelouch smiled at his sister's concern before sighing again, "There's… Actually, it's something that's been on my mind for a while. Ever since we met Ulaz, actually."

"Ulaz?" Rai asked, surprised. A cold silence fell over the group as they remembered the tragedy that had happened when they had first met the rogue Galran. That felt like it happened such a long time ago.

Lelouch grimaced. It honestly wasn't sure now was a good time to even bring this up. But like with knowing he was Zero, or that Zarkon was his predecessor he knew this shouldn't be something that they found out on their own.

Seeing that he now had everyone's full attention, Lelouch sighed again before slowly removing his mother's knife from a sheath he attached to his back.

"...Wait, isn't that…?" Rivalz said softly as everyone stared at the knife Lelouch was holding out. A faint memory from a few years prior, of a well-dressed Britannian noble down on his knees in front of Lelouch, begging for a compromise to the winnings as giving the full sum would leave him bankrupt. After a few minutes of some gabbling, one of his aides rushed out of the building, returning about twenty minutes later with a small chest. Opening it in front of the boys, and looking over Lelouch's shoulder to see, Rivalz could make out a wicked-looking purple knife resting in the velvet casing. The noble insisted the knife was worth far more than the winnings, claiming that all the blacksmiths and metallurgists he brought it to couldn't identify the material it was made from. He hadn't thought much of it since, as Lelouch never brought it up again after agreeing to the deal.

"Where did you get that, Lulu?" Milly asked.

"That looks like the knife Ulaz had," Kallen said.

"Lelouch…?" Suzaku asked slowly.

"But it's not Ulaz's knife, right?" Shirley asked, "It looked... different."

"It was different," Rai said, "This is a knife. His was more like a dagger."

"It's not Ulaz's," Lelouch shook his head, "I'm not a hundred percent sure where it came from, but I do know that my mother owned it at one point in her life."

"Mother's?" Nunnally asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Lelouch nodded, "She got it from her father, our grandfather. He was a firefighter. Other than that, I don't know anything about it otherwise."

"Lelouch," Suzaku said carefully, "I don't want to accuse you of anything, but why haven't you brought this up before?"

Lelouch shrugged, "It didn't seem significant at the time. All I knew about it was that it belonged to our mother, and it still remains one of the few things that still exists that she owned. Just having it with me was enough at the time. But… with everything that's happened, I have been developing a theory."

Everyone waited, seeing if Lelouch would continue, but when he didn't everyone turned to one another awkwardly. Allura especially looked alarmed.

C.C. was the one that said it out loud, "You're suspecting that you yourself might be part-Galra."

Lelouch grimaced again, "There's no proof, but yes…"

"Lulu…" Shirley murmured.

"...Before all of this began, my biggest fear besides losing Nunnally was becoming like my father. But since learning the truth about Zarkon, and even just toying with this possibility of my heritage, now I fear becoming like him. And after hearing the story of how Zarkon became what he is…" Lelouch paused, "...I can't help but think that if I had been in his shoes 10,000 years that I would have the done the same things he did, before his corruption."

"You're not like Zarkon, Lelouch!" Rai protested fervently, "There's no way you would have done what he did!

Lelouch looked at the Green Paladin, "How can you be so sure?"

Rai went to answer before stopping. Biting his lip, he found he didn't have an answer, despite wanting to reassure Lelouch that that wasn't the case. The other Paladins in the room shared similar expressions.

"I will confess, Lelouch," Allura finally spoke up, "For a long time, I have noticed the similarities that you and Zarkon both share. But when I say Zarkon, I don't mean the tyrant we face now. The Black Paladin Zarkon was once a courageous hero, whom I did admire alongside my father."

Allura walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You do have your flaws, Lelouch, but at your core, I see a person who wants nothing more than to protect what he loves, and bring peace to the world, to the entire universe… just like my father."

Allura paused again, an uneasy crease forming on her brow, "I'll also say, I've had my own fears of becoming a monster like Zarkon as well. After the Galra not only destroyed Altea, but most of the universe for the past 10,000 years, I harbored nothing but hatred for the Galra. I've even wished to completely wipe them out," Allura stopped, restraining a shiver, recalling Mao saying this exact same thing to her in their encounter. "But… being reminded of my past history with the Galra before the war, the good history, and hearing about Ulaz and this Blade of Mamora, if it were not for his actions in freeing Rai… when I took the time to put aside my prejudices, we have him to thank for bringing this team together. And that doesn't begin to describe all you've done as well, Lelouch. If it's true that you're part Galra, in my eyes, you're every bit of the hero that Zarkon once was, and are a worthy successor to Voltron's legacy that my father and mother, and all the Paladins of old would be proud of."

Lelouch felt something grasp his hand and he looked over to Nunnally, who was smiling up at him.

"Lelouch, if it's true you're part-Galra, then I'm part-Galra too. And I'm fine with that. We can be part-Galra together!"

"Lelouch, honestly, I don't care if you're part rabbit," Kallen said, "You're still our leader, and… and you've taught me that we shouldn't judge just because of ethnicity, it's about character and skill, and I'm not making that mistake again."

"I've said it before, Lelouch, you have my support to the end," Suzaku reminded him.

"Same here," Rai agreed.

"Yeah, same!" Shirley nodded.

"If this does change anything, it just makes you more awesome, Lelouch!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's show Zarkon what a real Galra Paladin can do!" Milly cheered.

"If you were expecting different results, Lelouch," C.C. said, "You'll find you're sadly mistaken. Thought…" C.C. turned to smirk at Kallen, "A rabbit-human hybrid would be quite the sight to see.

Kallen flushed red as everyone giggled a little at the silly comment.

After everyone had calmed down, Lelouch looked down at the blade, smiling, "Thank you… I know. It doesn't matter where I come from... Whether I'm Britannian royalty or even part-Galra... I already know who I am. I am Zero... Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron. And that's enough for me."

The second the words left his mouth, the knife in Lelouch's grip suddenly glowed brightly. Alarmed, the Black Paladin held it out and away from him as the light temporarily blinded him and everyone else in the room.

"Whoa! What's happening?!" Suzaku gasped, shielding his eyes.

He got his answer as the light faded and in the place of the knife stood a large, curved saber form of the weapon.

"Okay, so that just happened," Kallen commented.

"...How did you do that, Brother?" Nunnally asked in wonder.

"...I don't know," Lelouch admitted, similar awe in his tone.

"Wait, I thought it could only do that with your Geass on, Lulu," Shirley said in surprise.

"Well, I mean… it did glow, so…" Milly pointed out.

"Okay, you know what? Zarkon can keep the Bayard. That thing is way cooler if you ask me," Rivalz said, a sparkle in his eye.

"No kidding! That thing looks awesome!" Rai nodded.

"I've heard of ores that can do similar things," Allura observed, "the immediate one that comes to mind is luxite. But according to the castle archives, the planet that mineral is mined from hasn't existed in decaphebes."

"Perhaps there is a way we can get some answers," C.C. suggested, "From a place that likely has more of these blades, maybe?"

Lelouch couldn't help the small smirk on his lips as he heard C.C.'s suggestion. But he quickly hid it and addressed the group once more.

"Let's get some rest for now. Once we're all fully rested, we can start finding a way to take back Earth. But even with Voltron and the Black Knights working together, it might not be enough. We need to expand our coalition."

He gazed down at the blade beside him, "And I know just who to start with..."


"We've just received reports of System X-Y-9 being absorbed into the empire's territory."

The figure at the head of the bridge spun around to the radio upon hearing this news.

"Replay that!"

The general to his immediate right blinked, stunned at his reaction. "Sir, what's-"

"Do it now!" he barked again, suddenly sounding frantic.

Alarmed the generals scrambled to rewind the broadcast, turning it up a couple of notched as well.

"...reports of System X-Y-9 being absorbed into the empire's…"

He didn't wait for the broadcast to finish as he suddenly slammed the radio off, hand trembling against the controls.

"Sir…?"

"...Set a course for System X-Y-9," he finally ordered.

"...But sir, that system is in the exact opposite-"

"Do not make me repeat myself! Do it!"

Stunned once more, the crew proceeded to do as he commanded, though a couple couldn't help but glance back at their leader. It had been decaphebes since they'd seen that look in his eyes.

It was a look of sheer horror.

As his generals plotted their course, the commander of the vessel sank into his seat with a wavering sigh, his heart hammering in his ears. This was his worst nightmare. He had to get back as soon as he could. He couldn't let them find it.

Find her…

'Cera…'


AN: And done! Still suck at writing battles but hopefully, this suffices. Who would think that not having a set schedule and doing one project at a time would give you more motivation to write more often, hm?

So, not much to say here. Lelouch has strengthened his bond and unlocked his Malmora blade, even though we still don't have real evidence of his (and Nunnally's) Galra heritage just yet. And it looks like Nunnally's got a few tricks of her own up her sleeves. How did she do that exactly? You'll find out soon enough. Also, Allura's prejudice against the Galra has been tamed a little bit. I always thought her suddenly being cold to Keith was a bit unfair since she'd clearly known Keith long before finding out he's Galra. I get that she has trauma, but you'd think she'd trust a friend that she's known since the whole adventure began whatever his heritage is, no? Don't get me wrong, the trauma isn't completely erased, but she's smart enough to not let that blind her judgment in regards to Lelouch, considering Earth is already dealing with problems like this already, despite getting slightly better. That and Nunnally is simply too pure and innocent to be angry with for long.

And that ending. Hmm...

Anyway, R&R and see you next chapter!