AN: Damn, this is a bit long, so feel free to skip if you don't care.
DarkDremora: I should've tried to explain the situation better, so that's on me. I will be updating that last chapter in the future with the information provided here, but for now, here's why those events went down like that:
What Schneizel knows: Zero has four Knightmare's, two of which are damaged to the point that they won't be combat effective (Mario's Sougetsu was taken out by Darlton when he stabbed him through the chest. While it can still be operated, in Schneizel's mind, it's as good as destroyed. Maya's Sougetsu was obviously taken out by Guilford.), so that's two of the Knightmare's that would cause Cornelia problems out of the picture. Then there's the Burai, which Schneizel doesn't know C.C is using. There were no feats of it performing well, so as far as the blond Prince is concerned, Zero is the one piloting it, and he's trying to stay out of direct combat for a reason. Schneizel also knows that Zero is trying to leave Zilkhstan, meaning he'll try to avoid confrontation as much as possible, especially with two of his four Knightmare's being badly damaged.
Now, why send Cornelia alone? Because to Schneizel's knowledge, she's the best pilot they've got, and if it's a 1v1 against the Guren, she might've been able to last long enough for the rest of the forces to arrive, leaving the unit in a precarious position. That goes without saying that all the information that Schneizel knows, Cornelia knows. Which, by extension, they know that the Guren was the one who captured Guilford, so they knew to be extra cautious. It wasn't until Euphemia was brought up, that she started losing her cool. Also, Schneizel's vehicle could only transport one Knightmare fast enough to reach Zero, so that's why she was sent alone.
Finally, why didn't Lelouch have Cornelia captured? The thing is, Lelouch didn't know that was Cornelia. It was never stated that he knew, and considering that she's in a standard Gloucester (her special Gloucester was destroyed by King Shams, but Lelouch never found out, because the two people who knew about it are dead as hell.) That's why he commented 'It was just one unit', he thought it was just a standard Gloucester. Only Kallen knew that was Cornelia because she faced off against her.
As for C.C trying to win NT Lelouch, it's a mix. She knows NT Lelouch is set on Kallen, but she wouldn't mind trying to get Kallen to agree to sharing. Though, at the same time, she knows that this Lelouch isn't her Lelouch, so her teasing Kallen is just being playful.
Chapter 57: Blood of the Samurai
February 8th. 7:00AM. Blood of the Samurai base.
"It looks like Carine's here." Zero radioed in from his Knightmare just outside the hollow Knightmare. "Just like we said before, we'll be awaiting her to go in for the attack, then we'll spring the trap."
"We understand. Thank you for your support." the Blood of the Samurai leader answered with a confident smile.
Naoto rolled his eyes from beneath his mask, "Hopefully Tohdoh will be able to pull his weight. After all, the Kagero seems pretty hard to handle from the manual."
"Hey, Naoto!" Tamaki called over the radio, "If it makes you feel any better, I think the role of Zero fits you pretty well!"
"Don't shout my name like that!" the Kozuki shouted, "What if someone's listening!?"
"Oh c'mon dude. This is a private channel. There's no way anyone's listening in!"
"Just take this seriously!"
Ohgi sighed as the sounds of battle waged heavily outside their large foxholes, "This is gonna be a long day…"
"Please don't act like this is some kind of normal day in the office…" Naoto muttered, "We could seriously die in this encounter, especially if the Lancelot's here."
"Oh yeah! That's the White Knightmare, right?" Tamaki asked, "Oh boy, we'll be so screwed if we have to face him!"
"Way to boost our confidence!" his friends shouted simultaneously.
That's when Tohdoh's name suddenly appeared on Zero's dashboard, causing him to take on a serious tone as he hung up on his friends, "What is it?"
"Zero, it seems Carine's forces have split into two sections. One side is crowing the western front, while the other is on the east. It's just as you predicted."
Naoto smiled, "Damn… is this what Lelouch feels like? Man… it's good to be right."
"I'm assuming we'll proceed with your plan?" the miracle worker asked as Nagisa readied her blade.
"Correct. We'll cut them off into sections, and slaughter them from there." Zero explained, "It's a simple tactic. After all, there's no doubt that we're outnumbered here, so we have to make every life count. That means guerilla tactics are more important than ever!"
Carine crossed her arms as she watched the battle unfold from her G1, "I can't believe I have to fight these guys normally. Why did Lila have to confiscate my artillery!?"
Dasko calmly bowed, "My lady, perhaps it was Princess Euphemia's fault?"
"You think it was little Euphie? Honestly, that's probably more likely, as she's the only one with the guts to suggest such a thing."
"She's truly becoming a problem, isn't she?"
"Yeah… I just wish there was something we could do about her." Carine slumped in her chair, "Though, we can't kill her, because Cornelia's gonna come running over the hills screaming her head off. We also can't injure her, as she'll only tattle to Cornelia, inciting scenario 1 all over again."
Dasko's eyes turned red upon hearing the name Cornelia, but quickly faded after a few seconds, "I suppose you're right, my lady."
Just as the two began to relax, a staff member shouted, "Team 3's been wiped off the map!"
"What!?" Carine's Knight shouted in disbelief.
"Same with Team 15!" another reported.
"Team 18's gone too!"
"So is Team 16!"
The red-haired Princess watched as her forces started disappearing in mass on the G1's command screen, "What the hell is going on…"
"Keep pushing!" the team leader of Team 4 shouted as his forces ran through the forest.
Though, just as they exited the lush landscape, the ground beneath them caved in, causing them to fall into a pit of several metal spikes, which pierced through their Knightmare's without issue.
"Jeez, that was brutal." Naomi commented with a solemn look, "I mean… it's effective, but still…"
"We have to whittle down their numbers somehow." Zero reported as he stopped next to the woman, "This is our best bet."
"Even so… it's just too cruel."
"Oh c'mon, Naomi!" Sugiyama shouted, "Those Brits deserve it! After all, they're the one's conquering-"
"No one deserves to die, simply because they think differently from us." Naoto cut him off, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it isn't until they take actions against us that we'll have to put them down. And even still, we should treat their deaths with respect."
"Oh… you're right, Zero. I apologize for speaking out like that."
"Hey… that was pretty good. Maybe I really am suited for this role…" Naoto nodded proudly, "If you understand, then don't fight with bloodlust. Instead, fight with your heart. Stand up for what you believe in!"
The Kagero then rushed through the forest, zipping past numerous Sutherlands in the process. "What the hell was that!?" one pilot exclaimed as he brought up his rifle.
"Speed's not the only thing this guy's got!" Naoto shouted as he raised both of his arms, and fired his dual custom handguns into the opposing Knightmares. In only a matter of seconds, he shredded the squad apart with a barrage of bullets, leaving him victorious. "Oh man… I've got a headache from that…" he muttered while moving onto the next target.
Meanwhile, Tohdoh was seeing similar success, "Cut them down!" he shouted while thrusting his revolving blade through a Sutherland, "If we keep moving like this, Carine will be within our grasp!"
Nagisa cut the arms off a Sutherland that tried to sneak up on the miracle worker, before delivering a final slash through his cockpit, "I can't believe it. Zero's plan is actually working." she muttered while zooming passed a Sutherland, bisecting it in the process.
"Not bad, Nagisa!" Senba shouted as he joined her in defeating a pair of purple Knightmares.
"With this kind of momentum, victory is assured!" Asahina proclaimed as he stood back-to-back with Urabe.
"Don't go jinxing it!" his partner shouted, "After all, we're still far from the G1!"
Carine's eyes filled with despair as her formation crumbled, "Wh-what kind of cruel joke is this? How could those filthy Elevens possibly mount such a defense?"
"Keep calm, Princess. As long as we stay with the G1, we'll be alright." Dasko answered, "After all, we still have Lila and Euphemia to aid us in this battle."
The red-haired Princess clenched her fist in anger, "Don't remind me…" she said through grit teeth, "It's already humiliating enough to be used as bait… but just knowing that they were praying on my downfall makes this all the more painful. I'll get them back for this, I swear."
Princess Euphemia's Hidden G1.
"Suzaku, are you ready?" the pink-haired Princess asked through the radio as the White Knight entered the Lancelot.
"Yes, ma'am." he responded briefly as Rai got into the Lancelot Club beside him, "We're ready to launch at any second."
"You know the plan, right?" Cecile chimed in.
"Could you please go over it one more time? I don't think I've got a full grasp of the situation." Rai added as his Knightmare was transported to the G1's left launch chamber.
"Of course." the indigo-haired woman cleared her throat before continuing, "Now that Zero and his forces have appeared to aid the Blood of the Samurai terrorist group, a special task force led by Euphemia Li Britannia and Lila La Britannia will be tasked with capturing the infamous masked man, ending the battle in one strike." a picture of the map overtook Suzaku's display as the Lancelot was transported to the G1's right launch chamber. "As you can see, thanks to Carine Ne Britannia's efforts, her forces were split into two sections. One on the East, and the other on the West side of the mountain. To maximize the effectiveness of this mission, we have Viceroy Lila's forces posted on the East with aid from the Britannian Special Honorary Foreign Legion, while Princess Euphemia's are on the opposing side, with Suzaku and Rai."
The Knights nodded upon hearing their names, "We won't fail you, Princess."
"I know you won't." Euphemia said with a gentle smile, "We have word that Zero and the Black Knight's are fighting along the western front, while Lila's dealing with Tohdoh and the four Holy Swords."
"I still can't believe Zero and Tohdoh are working together like that." Lloyd commented while checking the Lancelot's systems, "Considering how different the Black Knight's are from the JLF, I wouldn't expect such a partnership to work."
"Regardless of what you think, it's happening. And this is something we have to stop." Suzaku answered coldly as he straddled his Lancelot's legs, preparing for launch, "Lancelot, prepared for launch."
Lloyd narrowed his eyes upon hearing such a response, "I've never heard him use that kind of tone before."
Nevertheless, he shook away those worries, believing it to be just a fluke. Meanwhile, Rai mimicked Suzaku's movements, and said, "Lancelot Club, ready for launch."
"Alright! They're almost gone!" Tamaki shouted as numerous Sutherlands began retreating to Carine's G1.
"Zero's plan worked once again!" Sugiyama shouted with joy.
"I wonder what happened to Naoto…" Naomi worriedly looked over the battlefield for the Kozuki, only to come up empty-handed, "He said he was going to join us today, but I haven't seen him ever since morning."
"Don't drop your guard!" Zero shouted, "They could still mount a counter-offensive if they tried!" Of course, the masked man didn't let his subordinates know his other thoughts, "This is strange… why isn't Carine using her bombers by now? It's one of her most powerful weapons, so it doesn't make sense for her to be holding them back." his eyes then wandered to the hollow mountain, "Unless… they know the Blood of the Samurai have AA emplacements. But how could such information be leaked?"
"What the hell-" Ohgi shouted before being ejected out of his Burai. Upon hearing this, Naoto pivoted left, only to come face-to-face with the Lancelot, which sent a punch toward his face. On instinct, the Kozuki blocked the strike, only to be sent flying into the mountain, leaving an imprint.
"What is that Knightmare?" Suzaku scanned the Kagero with intense eyes, "It looks like the Guren, but… it's drastically different."
"Suzaku." Rai reported, "The Guren and Sougetsu's don't appear to be in the area."
"What? First that strange Knightmare, and now Zero's personal guard isn't around?" the White Knight muttered as he destroyed a Burai with his slash harkens, "There's no way that's Lelouch. He wouldn't dare travel without Kallen. Even in my past life, he was obsessed with being protected at all times. I don't see why that would be any different here."
Naoto desperately used his harkens to climb up the mountain, trying to avoid a direct-confrontation with the Lancelot, "There's no way I'm beating that guy."
As if things couldn't get any worse, he got a transmission from Tohdoh, who said, "Zero, we're facing heavy casualties on the eastern front. It appears that Britannia has laid out their own trap, of which we've been caught in."
"Same here. I suggest a tactical retreat for now. We don't have the man power to take these guys on."
"What about the Blood of the Samurai?"
"A good commander knows when a battle is lost. And if the Blood of the Samurai is too foolish to see such a thing, then they aren't wise enough to be our allies." Zero answered as the Lancelot chased him around the mountain.
"I agree that this battle is lost. Even so, I still think we should warn them that we're retreating. After all, it'd be cruel to ditch them despite agreeing to help them."
"Very well. I'll inform them of our-" before Naoto could finish his sentence, the Lancelot fired a slash harken at his feet, tripping him up, "What the hell!?"
Suzaku leapt off the mountain as the Kagero crashed into the ground below, "I don't know who you are, but get out of that Knightmare." the Knight ordered while approaching the opposition.
"Does he know I'm not Lelouch?" Naoto questioned, "No… that can't be possible."
In an instant, the Kozuki shot up, and fired his slash harken toward the Lancelot, forcing him to instinctively duck the incoming projectiles. Luckily, the harkens latched onto the mountain, allowing for a quick escape, much to Suzaku's dismay.
Naoto latched his landspinners onto the railing that the Blood of the Samurai used to transport their AA guns, while his opponent did the same. As they circled the mountain, the Lancelot projected where the Kagero was going to be, and preemptively fired its slash harkens over the peak to meet them. However, much to his surprise, the Kozuki rounded the corner for a head-on collision with the White Knight. As soon as the Black Knightmare got close, Suzaku ducked an incoming strike, "There's no way Lelouch would pull off such a maneuver. This has to be someone else."
"Shit!" Naoto shouted as his opponent sent a kick into his chest, sending the Kagero through a set of large metal doors built into the mountain. As he tumbled through the large corridor, the Kozuki finally found his footing and recovered, only to come face to face with two slash harkens aimed for his head. In the knick of time, he managed to duck the attack, and back into a large storage site where numerous Blood of the Samurai members were ducking for cover, "Everyone this is Zero! The battle is lost! I suggest we commence a tactical retreat for-"
"Fraud!" Suzaku shouted while sending a flying kick into Naoto's chest, only for it to be blocked successfully, "I'll crush anyone who dares put on that mask in Lelouch's name!"
Despite successfully blocking the attack, the Kagero was pushed slightly back, nearly toppling over as it reached a gap in the center of the room. Though, the combo wasn't over, as the Lancelot practically danced around the black Knightmare, before sending a devastating punch into its back, knocking it to the ground.
Naoto rolled back onto his feet without issue and quickly escaped into a corridor, shooting the roof to cover his escape. Of course, this wouldn't stop the White Knight, as he crashed through the dust and debris, tackling the Kozuki through another large metal door, knocking them back into the battlefield, where Black Knight Burai's were retreating.
"Zero!" Naomi shouted as she watched her 'leader' getting pummeled.
"Hands off my best bud!" Tamaki shouted while firing a barrage of bullets into the Lancelot's side, only for all of them to successfully be deflected by the Blaze Luminous.
"Pitiful." Suzaku muttered while firing a slash harken into the Japanese man's sternum, activating his auto-eject. "Damn… my targeting system must've been damaged from crashing through those large doors. I meant to kill him in one strike."
Just as the White Knight let up his assault, Naoto sent a punch into his head, knocking him away. Then, he followed up by using his twin arm-mounted machine guns to unleash a volley of bullets unto his opponent. However, just like Tamaki's these were deflected by the Blaze Luminous. "Looks like I'll actually be able to test out the Anti-Blaze Luminous weapon again."
While retreating through the forest, Naoto reached toward the back of the Kagero, and pulled out a compacted rifle with a similar design to the Lancelot's VARIS cannon. However, this one was black and only had one firing mode. With a push of a button, the rifle extended, allowing it to closely resemble a sniper rifle.
24 hours prior to the battle.
"Would you mind explaining again why this would be able to disrupt the Blaze Luminous system?" Naoto asked as Rakshata showed off the rifle on a cart.
The Indian woman sighed, "Do you even know what creates the shielding in the first place?"
"Uh… I don't know… nanotech?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Such a thing doesn't exist yet." Rakshata tapped the rifle with her pipe and explained, "The Blaze Luminous system creates a shield by super compressing a coulomb field. This tightens the particles, allowing for nothing to pass through, unless it can disrupt the field first."
"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. What's a coulomb field?" the Kozuki added as an assistant handed the Indian her blueprints for the rifle.
"Honestly, do they teach you people anything in Japan?" she shook her head while spreading out the piece of paper, "In simple terms: a coulomb field is the electrostatic field surrounding an electrically charged body or particle." upon seeing that Zero had no questions, she continued, "Now, in order to super compress the coulomb field, the Yggdrasil drive has to spin at an increased rate, meaning a lot of energy is being put in to create this 'shielding'. Of course, that means Lloyd has to install another power source to make sure the Blaze Luminous can actually have a suitable operation time in battle, otherwise, the Knightmare will run itself into the ground."
"Just like in Shinjuku…"
"Correct. Exactly like in Shinjuku." Rakshata twirled her pipe before pointing at a drawing of an ammo cartridge on the blueprints, "So, to disperse the field, you have to combat it with an even greater amount of energy. In this case, we'll use the easiest source: heat. By super heating these bullets in the chamber of the rifle, you should be able to cut through a Blaze Luminous system effortlessly."
"That sounds incredible! If something like this had been perfected before, then we'd-"
"I'm not finished yet. There's still one major drawback to this weapon, and that's the heating itself. Since these bullets are going to be supercharged due to the heat, the firing mechanism will eventually melt, making the entire rifle useless."
"Then… how many shots do I get?" Naoto asked with narrowed eyes.
"We've calculated that you'll get three. So make them count."
Out of the corner of Naoto's eye, he noticed the Lancelot Club sneaking up on him through the trees, "I don't want to use it against you first, but if it comes down to it, then-"
"Surrender!" Rai shouted as he flew past Naoto with a kick.
Once the Club landed across from the Kagero in an open field, Naoto wasted no time in aiming his rifle at his opponent, who activated their Blaze Luminous instinctively. Of course, this would be one of their biggest mistakes. Upon pulling the trigger, the weapon's digital thermal display jumped from 150 to 999, with the full number only being displayed on Naoto's personal screen.
As soon as the super heated bullet made contact with the Blaze Luminous, the shield began fading, before completely shattering, allowing the projectile to graze the Club's face as it melted the trees behind it. "What the hell was that…" the silver-haired boy muttered as part of his machine's face began melting.
"Rai. Are you alright?" Suzaku asked. While he disliked the boy at first for resembling Lelouch a little too much, he eventually grew on the Knight, and they developed a relationship similar to master-student. Of course, it wasn't nearly as intricate as the old Suzaku's relationship with the boy.
"No. My Blaze Luminous… it's completely offline." Rai reported as his arms began to short circuit.
"What… they developed something to counter the Blaze Luminous? But how?" the White Knight questioned while staring down Naoto, "I never heard anything like it being developed in my past life, so why? Why is it here? Who developed it?"
Naoto watched as the Club retreated with its damaged arms, leaving the Lancelot to face him alone, "My best bet is to escape using my chaff smoke, but to do that, I have to get an opening." he clenched his controls harder, "To do that… I have to hit him with one shot."
"If I want to get my answers, I have to capture whoever this pilot is. Luckily, I know it's not Kallen, since we should've been equal in that scuffle earlier. So I know I can beat this person if I…"
"Have to get in close." the two thought before charging forward.
Naoto slid under a punch as the two passed each other. Suzaku quickly pivoted his Knightmare to grab his opponent by the arm, and slam him into a tree, causing minimal damage. As the Kozuki tumbled through the forest, he managed to catch himself on a trunk, before boosting off it. Still sliding on the ground, he managed to land his sights on the Lancelot, who was leaping from tree to tree trying to reach the black Knightmare. Of course, he used this opportunity to fire a single shot, hoping to get lucky.
Though, for Suzaku, he saw the gun's barrel heat up, so he instinctively dropped to the ground, dodging the super-heated bullet as it flew into the sky, scorching a few leaves in the process. The White Knight then hit his opponent with a spinning kick, knocking him through several more trees, before following up by firing his two slash harkens. Naoto narrowly dodged the projectiles while recovering from his fall, and chose to activate his chaff smoke, much to his opponent's confusion.
"Seriously? I know you're there!" the White Knight zoomed into the smoke and sent a kick into the Kozuki's Knightmare, knocking him out of the black cloud, shattering the center panels in the process. However, as the Kagero was sent flying away, it managed to aim its rifle at the Lancelot, and fired its last shot. On instinct, Suzaku raised his arms to activate his Blaze Luminous, but this proved futile, as the bullet effortlessly sailed through his shielding and tore off his head. "Damn it! I underestimated my opponent." he muttered as the Kagero escaped through the forest, activating the remainder of its chaff smoke in the process. "I'll have to speak with Lloyd about having the Lancelot operate without its head. I swear… if I could still chase him, I'd capture him in seconds."
"Well, that went great, all things considered." Naoto muttered while taking off the Zero mask, allowing for the sweat to drip down his brow, "If that fight had continued any longer, I would've died for sure."
Suddenly, his intercom rang, and Rakshata appeared on-screen, "Ah, Naoto. How do you like the Kagero? Does it suit your needs?"
"Yes. It's fantastic." the Kozuki responded as he met up with the rest of his group, "Too bad I'm not skilled enough to bring out its full potential."
"I'm sure with time you'll get better at it. Now, how about the rifle?"
"Ah… well, after firing the third shot… it melted in my hand, so I don't have it with me right now." he looked at the Kagero's right hand, which was covered in a sticky black substance, "Also… we're gonna need a cleanup on the Knightmare."
The Indian woman sighed, "That's to be expected, I suppose. I'll be sure to look over your battle data later. Though, I think you'd like to know that Zero's group is returning to Japan today. So, if you're going to prepare a return party, you'd best get back to base."
With those words, Rakshata hung up, allowing Naoto to be alone with his thoughts, "Lelouch… I hope you're happy with the progress I made… even if it's not much. Hopefully you saw better success in the Middle East. Though, I'm sure Kallen will tell me all about it afterward. But for now, I should meet up with Tohdoh, I'm sure he wants to discuss our next move. Especially after the Blood of the Samurai's defeat."
AN: This is a bit of a shorter chapter, simply because I wanted to show what Naoto was up to. Next chapter will be the Valentines day one.
Also, I know Karma Suzaku might seem like a chump right now, but he'll have his moments in the future.
Finally, I've seen some reviews saying they enjoyed the Zilkhstan arc despite the hiccups, and I just wanna say I'm glad.