Lie and Seek

by draconichero21

On Planet Earth, there are multiple superpowers that oversee the global populace, most prominently are those that follow the Church of Seiros: Adrestia, Faerghus, Leicester, and Britannia. A chance meeting interlocks the fate of Lelouch and Edelgard, unknowingly putting the fate of mankind in their very ambitious hands.

10. MagDREAD Way

(A/N: I don't know what has me still writing this story and churning out chapters like clockwork. The feedback certainly isn't at the level I predicted and lord knows I hate writing fight scenes, but maybe I just love these characters. Anyway, let's continue)

---

Morning of the 24th Day of the Garland Moon

Ashe Ubert felt lucky to belong to the class he did. Not the Blue Lions, he'd be in the Blue Lions no matter where in Faerghus he'd been raised. No, he was more thankful for the friends and classmates he'd come to cherish and respect. Dimitri, for a prince, was down to Earth. Dedue was easy to get along with. Annette and Mercedes were sweethearts. Ingrid and Leila were amazing, pretty, talented and very easy to talk to. Felix could be rude, but Ashe knew he was reliable. And while Sylvain had some…less than pleasant traits, he had his good points. For one, he was an excellent conversationalist…when the subject wasn't women. And all eight of them were sympathetic towards his situation, Leila and Mercedes standing top among those most concerned about Ashe's own emotions.

Annette also showed great concern, but didn't know how to put on a bright smile the way Leila and Mercedes could while also being supportive the way the delicate blondes could. And, surprisingly, it was Sylvain fourth among the Lions who did not envy Ashe's position in the slightest. He'd been constantly offering small assistances if the redhead had the slightest indication that Ashe was suffering from the anxiety about today.

But…there wasn't anything he could be worried about now. Ashe was standing in the hangar, waiting for the "All Clear" from Catherine so the group could take off. It would be a four hour flight. He wasn't nervous or anxious. Now…now Ashe was simply concerned not for his sake, but for Lonato's. He was masking his negative emotions with steeled determination and last minute preparations to his custom Long-range rifle.

"Hey, Ashe, you doin' all right?" Sylvain asked, walking up to him.

Ashe let out a deep breath. "Just…no matter how much I try to strengthen my resolve, what's to come isn't getting any easier."

"Hey, I get how you feel. I'd be pretty bummed out too if my old man turned his back on the church."

"Yes, so you've told me, multiple times," Ashe replied.

"Sorry, guess I'm not very good at the whole comforting guys thing," Sylvain said with a bit of tongue in his cheek.

Ashe grunted, unable to completely stifle laughter. "Seriously, Sylvain, I appreciate the support."

"Hey, man, it's gonna be a free-for-all out there," Sylvain said, putting his hands up behind his head. "Me? I grew up near Northeastern Faerghus. You always get rowdy folks from just offshore thinking they can pick a fight with us mainlanders. I'm used to watching chaos unfold practically in my backyard. So, while I've never been on a battlefield, I've certainly lived close enough to them. I hear my father tell stories all the time. My point is, I've got your back, okay? I may not be Ingrid, Felix or Dimitri and seen live combat, but I know a thing or two. I'd hate to see someone's selfishness hurt a friend."

You should take your own advice, Ashe thought.

"All clear!" Catherine called from across the hangar.

"That's our cue," Sylvain remarked.

Ashe nodded firmly and the two set off and got into the airship that would be taking them to where they would be setting up camp. After that, ground zero awaited them.

Lonato…I hope I can at least find out exactly what you wanted out of all of this.

---

When it came to landing in Faerghus right behind Lonato's line, Zero made sure he and the wolves flew in low enough that Lonato was sure to spot them. Since the Neverland didn't sport the colors of the church, it looked more like a rogue vessel.

A few of Lonato's mages raised their arms to think to blast it out of the air, but Lonato acted precisely as Lelouch predicted. "Halt! And all troops cease your advance!"

The Humvees and other military vehicles slowly came to a crawl, along with the Faerghusian KMFs and tanks. The infantry also ceased advancing formation as Lonato ordered his driver to turn around and head to the back of formation. He'd seen the Neverland's guns. If the pilot wanted an airstrike, they'd have already opened fire.

Eventually, Zero, the revolutionary, and Lonato met face to face. During his time on board the ship, Lelouch had crafted a proper uniform and a helmet he'd had custom forged. Now, unless combat brewed, he didn't have to worry about an energy crisis. Sure, the Zero Matrix looked way more like armor and offered far more protection—and was the much better choice if he was at Garreg Mach—but for now, not draining the battery of his trump card was an important course of action.

Lonato gazed not only at Zero, but also the other wolves in his midst. "Who are you people?"

"Just some rebels looking to join a worthy cause," Zero commented. "I am Zero and these are my subordinates. If your enemy is the church, you'll need our help."

"Help? You're a bunch of children," Lonato remarked.

"Hey, pal, I'm not exactly a snot-nosed teenager," Balthus remarked.

"Oh and we are?" Hapi asked rudely.

"Lord Lonato, the church has dispatched the Blue Lion house and Thunder Catherine and will be marching on your position soon. Your forces are poised to be wiped out. We're lucky we got here before you ran into House Charon," Zero remarked.

"House Charon…that battle was yesterday," Lonato remarked.

It was yesterday?

"My men stayed behind so that I could charge forward," Lonato remarked. "I will see that witch's head roll to my feet."

"With all due respect, Lord, if your target is Rhea, why not mount an offensive with airships?" Zero asked.

"What? And be blasted out of the air by Garreg Mach's defenses? With my current actions, I am sending the church a message as I make my way to join forces with the Federation, which has their own reasons for wanting to see the Seirosian faith wiped out," Lonato told him.

That was when Yuri stepped in. "I'm surprised to see you turn your back on the faith, Lord Lonato. How unlike you."

Lonato blinked, shocked. "You're…Count Rowe's…" His face grew stern. "I see. I think I am starting to understand. March with me, young ones. I shall explain all I can about the wool Rhea has pulled over the eyes of the people."

From within his Zero outfit, Lelouch grinned, Excellent.

---

Still flying across the air, Ashe was in the simulator room of the ship taking practice shots with targeting ammo at the provided targets on board. He was approached by Suzaku.

"Ashe, right?" Suzaku asked, approaching him.

"Oh! Suzaku," Ashe replied, surprised to see him. "Is there something I could help you with?" He smiled amicably. "Though I'll admit were that the case, I don't see how someone like me could be of use to a Knight of Seiros." Ashe, a man fascinated by knights and their codes of honor, had nothing but the utmost respect for the Knights of Seiros.

"Actually, I was just checking up on you. I know Lord Lonato is your adoptive father, so…I wanted to make sure you were doing all right," Suzaku said to him.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I…" Ashe started and then sighed. "I'm going out there not because I want to fight Lonato, but because I'm hoping I can convince him to surrender. The Lonato I know wouldn't do this, Suzaku. He was always such a kind man."

Suzaku gave Ashe eyes of sympathy. "A man can be an excellent father, Ashe, but harbor distinct and terrible political policies."

"I know that!" Ashe responded, glaring. "But that's just it! Lonato was always teaching me about the Goddess! He's the one who gave me my faith when I had none! If he didn't believe in the church, that would be one thing, but he's the one who taught me everything I know and he's spitting in the face of all of it!"

Suzaku was a bit taken aback. The picture Ashe painted of Lonato was strikingly different from the one Suzaku remember of his own father. Genbu was never the best policymaker, and he was as stubborn as any man with a military family legacy could be, but Suzaku knew, against all odds, that the man loved his wife and son. Even when Mrs. Kururugi passed away from illness years before Suzaku met Lelouch, Genbu soldiered onward. But that was what set Genbu apart from Lonato. Genbu kept politics and parenting in separate rooms. However, from the sound of it, Lonato combined them. He never preached, to how Ashe remembered, what he didn't practice.

"If you think you can resolve this without fighting, Ashe, I'll be right there beside you," Suzaku said, face full of resolve. "I'd hate to see a boy and his father come to blows."

Ashe nodded. "Thank you, Suzaku."

---

While this was happening, Lelouch and the Ashen Wolves marched at the front with Lonato, hearing the man speak of what he knew about Rhea and falsehoods. "Rhea has deceived the people," he began to explain. "She claims to have the people's best interests at heart, while using her position to undermine the economy across the world. Do you know how much of the proceeds of many business go towards paying the Church of Seiors."

"More than I suspect I'd wager," Lelouch stated.

"A lot more. Nearly seventeen percent of the entire world's economy lines the Archbishop's coffers. Rhea claims to be a descendant of Saint Seiros, but this too is a lie! She is as fraudulent as the faith she claims to devoutly propagate!"

"And where did you hear this oh so wonderful news?" Yuri asked, chiming in.

"From Faerghus's Southwestern Church, near Arianrhod, the one closest to Arundel territory. They are the true believers of the Goddess. I have seen it!"

Arundel territory? As in Volkhard von Arundel, Edelgard's uncle? Granted, Lelouch thought as he imagined the geographical layout of Adrestia, Faerghus and China, Gaspard territory sits near the border of Adrestia and Faerghus, so it shouldn't be too surprising, yet it still sounds striking that a church closest to another country's border seems to be the man behind the curtain. I don't trust this for a second. Still, we need to stick to the plan.

Constance suddenly blurted out, "Oh! That's the church owned by the Holy Western Lantern Church Association, is it not? Commonly referred to as simply The Western Church."

"You've heard of them, Coco?" Hapi asked.

"But of course, back in Adrestia, they were seen as fanatics towards the Goddess. They are, without question, devout to the Goddess, even among Faerghusians," Constance said.

"That pure devotion is precisely what shows me how fraudulent the Church of Seiros at its core has become and why Rhea must fall!" Lonato exclaimed. "That organization cost me my son despite my faith. What so-called perpetuated Goddess would have a father bury his own child?!"

Instantly, Zero could read Lonato like a book. Now it's all starting to make sense, a grieving father swayed by the words of radicals preying upon his misery. There is doubt plaguing his heart, and that's why he hasn't spoken to Ashe, uncertain of his own devotion. But his grief and his anger cloud him from doing what he knows could be right by the people. Lelouch's Geass glowed behind his helmet. I could try using my Geass on Lord Lonato to try and put an end to this charade before it becomes a tragedy… It stopped glowing as Lelouch glanced all around at the black robed mages scattered about Lonato's forces. They worry me greatly. They're masked, so I doubt my Geass will be of proper effect and with only the nine of us and no real intel on the enemy's strength, I don't like our chances getting between them and Lonato. Still…no reason not to use this tragedy for my own advantage, "Lord Lonato, who are these mages in robes that fly no flag?"

"Oh, them? Devout allies of the Western Church, willing to throw their aid to the cause!"

Is that what he was told or something he believes? Dammit! If I misuse my Geass on Lonato, I won't have it for when I really need it, Zero complained. Still, one thing is for certain, those men are NOT devout members of the Church. There's something sinister about them. A private militia perhaps? No. They look too well organized and armed. They don't appear to be Chinese or Almyrian either. So what exactly are they? For now, I feel it's best to stick to the plan, Zero said and gazed forward towards the horizon. And pray that Ashe doesn't lose the father he cherishes in the chaos.

---

On the other end of Magdred Way, with their backs to a lake, Catherine, Suzaku, the Knights of Seiros, and the Blue Lions emptied out of the exit ramp from the transport ship.

"Our reports say that if we start heading Southwest, we'll meet up with Lonato before he has a chance to cross into Chinese-owned Mongolia," Catherine explained. Gone was the laid-back lady knight one could have drinks with around the Monastery at no judgment. The blonde was presently all business. She turned towards a member of her squad. "You! Work with a regiment and get us a base camp we can return to and secure a resupply for the transport from local areas. Charon and Galatea territory aren't far from here. Pick one."

The knight saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

With that, Catherine and the men and women under her employ marched off.

Suzaku marched near the front, alongside Dimitri and his vassal, Dedue. Among the members of the Blue Lions, Suzaku thought it prudent to protect the person seen as most politically valuable among his peers. His training led him to believe that was what Rhea would want.

"Suzaku, you do not possess a crest, correct?" Dimitri asked. "Yet I've heard your skill in battle is quite unparalleled."

Suzaku nodded in response to Dimitri's question and then smiled. "Honestly, I just make sure to train both mind and body every day. Martial arts. Meditation. Those kinds of things were drilled into me as a kid."

"A training regimen, I imagine, no doubt similar to what his highness performs on a daily basis," Dedue commented.

"Similarly enough," Dimitri agreed. "Drills. Technical practice. I can't say I have a taste for meditation though."

"Why's that?" Suzaku asked.

"The point of meditation is to remove yourself from worldly thoughts and bring yourself to peace. But the thing is…I never know what it's like to be at peace. When I am alone with my thoughts, I am haunted more than if I am focused on something else," Dimitri said.

"Guess that makes us kind of similar," Suzaku replied.

Dimitri looked stunned. "You as well?"

"Yeah, but…it's precisely because of that disquiet that meditation is so important to me. I'm able to confront those uncomfortable feelings and push past them a little. It gives me strength," Suzaku said, balling a fist.

Dimitri's eyes got wider. "You will have to share with me your meditative techniques. Having peace of mind, if only for a little bit might actually—"

BOOM!

The explosion came without warning and rocked the landscape so fiercely, that it felt like an Earthquake.

"We're under attack?!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"How does the enemy know our position? They shouldn't be able to see a thing in this mist!" Dimitri shouted.

"Stay together!" Catherine shouted, but her shout was lost in the chaos. The Blue Lions, each with their own idea of how to fight an ambush, began to break off in different directions.

And across the mist, floating from high above the mist with his Zero Matrix, Lelouch watched alongside Yuri's Violent Swan. They watched Constance's Magnificent Peacock rock the landscape without another feather mine from her HLKMF.

"How long do you think it'll take them until they start fighting back?" Yuri asked.

"That depends on Catherine," Lelouch responded.

Then, from out of the mists to Lelouch and Zero's altitude, an all white HLKMF emerged, carrying a bone-like sword with seven "branches". The HLKMF was slim and compact, bearing neither the helm of a knight, nor the mask of a warrior. The helm of this hard light weapon resembled a dragon with crested fin-like horns, a closed jaw and bright blue eyes just like its wielder. It was propelled into the air on bright blue energy wings.

"There you are!" The owner shouted and took a swipe at the Zero Matrix and the Violent Swan, causing them to scatter. They then held the strangely shaped in their right hand down at their side. The wings fanned out and the blue-eyed, white dragon-like matrix was shown for all to see. This was the HLKMF labeled as one of the few rivals to the infamous Ashen Demon. With a Swordmaster certification empowering it, it was one of the strongest, fastes and most enduring HLKMFs in the world. It belonged to none other than the Church of Seiros's absolute strongest Holy Knight: Thunder Catherine herself. Codename: White Lightning.

Over a secure comms channel, Zero radioed Yuri. "Looks like our cover's blown. Remember, don't engage Catherine directly."

"Don't worry, I think our friend just made herself a big target," Yuri stated.

And indeed, Catherine was already being pelted with fireballs, miasma blasts, lightning blasts and rifle shots.

Good, Catherine's going to be held up with pawns, Zero thought.

And then, from the treetops below the mist, another figure leapt out and aimed to strike Catherine out of the air. She swat it into the ground with Thunderbrand, only to pursue within the misty battlefield. She'd come face to face with the Wyvern Revenant and Akito at the helm.

"This is Wyvern Revenant to all allied units. I have the primary threat in my sights," he remarked with the utmost seriousness.

"That's our Akito," Ryo replied with a smirk. "Show no fear!"

"Don't go dying on us, you hear?" Ayano asked.

"Die?" Akito asked as orange rings formed around his irises.

"Bad word choice Ayano," Yukiya sighed.

"Die?" Akito repeated as he then began to engage Catherine in close quarters, throwing hard light hands with Rome's strongest knight. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" He roared, a manic, crazed grin plastered on his face.

"Okaaaaay, let's stay out of Akito's way for a little bit, but maybe I'll monitor him so he doesn't actually go to meet the Goddess," Balthus remarked.

"Got it, we'll leave Akito to you B," Hapi said, directing the Demonic Hellcat through the mist. With an infrared scanner, she could see through the mists no problem. She was trying her best to follow the plan. Hit and run tactics. She let loose back mounted turret shells onto the enemy, missing the live bodies, just harassing them. Zero's instructions were to avoid casualties, but to give the illusion of very real danger. It was a fair decision, she felt. In thick mist, it would be hard to know if she was targeting nameless Seirosian soldiers or the Blue Lions, the latter of which would have been far more difficult to justify. In war, death was inevitable, but there was a big difference, especially to Hapi, between killing someone who had a hand in compliance with her time spent suffering in Abyss, and someone she could potentially become friends with under different circumstances.

As Hapi raced across the battlefield, her HLKMF crisscrossing with the Howling Timberwolf, she found herself thinking, You better keep your promise, Zero. I don't want to be stuck in a cage anymore! I want to be free and have…even more friends! "HAAAAAAAAAGH!" Putting peddle to metal, Hapi knocked aside some soldiers into trees with her claws and tail.

"That's enough!" Ingrid shouted. "I don't know who you are, but this cannot continue. Prepare to be punished!" With a crystal flashing from a custom-built energy lance, Ingrid activated her HLKMF. It bore a passing resemblance to Shirley's Blue Marine, but it was a far deeper, more royal blue. And, rather than shark fins, the fins were replaced by elegant feathery, white wings. And, unlike Shirley, whose HLKMF used no real weapons to speak of, Ingrid had managed to calibrate her HLKMF to size up her energy lance to suit the battlesuit.

Codename: Cerulean Pegasus.

Ingrid charged forward to attack Hapi as feline warsuit took a step backwards to barely avoid Ingrid's charge. The energy lance landed in the wet roadway as Hapi's Demonic Hellcat bit down on Ingrid's lance shaft and began to try and try and bite straight through it.

Taking one hand off the lance, Ingrid released two wrist mounted Slash Harkens from her left arm as the weapons penetrated the forelimbs of Hapi's mech. But these were no ordinary Slash Harkens. They came equipped with a taser feature, zapping Hapi from the inside.

Fortunatley, it was Ryo to the rescue, recognizing that Hapi had been compromised. He fired targeted missiles at Ingrid, intending to blow up and damage the HLKMF. He reasoned the pilot inside would not be hurt if the Slash Harkens could pierce the Demonic Hellcat's armor. Ingrid, fortunately, with her lance free—Hapi had stopped biting when she got zapped—retracted her harkens and began to weave back and forth backwards like a figure skater in order to avoid the incoming projectiles as missiles bombarded the battlefield.

"Let's see how you like this then," Ryo stated and activated the homing property on a few missiles he sent out. Ingrid, unaware of this added property nearly found her usual evasive maneuvers getting her trouble.

No time to evade and too fast to cut down!

Fortunately, all of the incoming missiles were suddenly cut down in a flash. A new mech had entered the fray. The HLKMF stood even with the Cerulean Pegasus sporting a midnight blue color scheme, with parts of the "armor" looking like they'd been ripped from a Samurai's padding. Even the energy sword they were wielding had a bend like a katana.

"Take better care of yourself, Ingrid." It was Felix's voice. And this was his HLKMF. Codename: Immortal Ronin.

"Yes, sorry," Ingrid apologized and then used some willpower to produce energy wings. She then flew towards the Howling Timberwolf, but not to impale it with her lance. The last thing she needed was to have a missile flying at her point blank. Fortunately, the HLKMF came equipped with dual gatling guns on the shoulders. Minor damage was still damage and the Howling Timberwolf, while agile, lacked vertical maneuverability that the Cerulean Pegasus possessed.

BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM!

Fortunately, the turret fire and a loud, big cat growl from the Demonic Hellcat saw Ingrid forced to retreat from her current position. Hapi directed her Hellcat to dive in on its prey. Taking a running leap, she made the claws on its right forepaw glow brightly, intending to end this in one slash. The Immortal Ronin got in her way, blocking the claw strike with its energy sword.

"Heh," Hapi smirked and brought out another trick. With a fiddling of the controls, a cannon barrel erected out of the mouth of the Demonic Hellcat, intending to blast the Immortal Ronin at point blank range.

"Hapi, watch out!" Ryo suddenly called out.

"Huh?"

The Demonic Hellcat was suddenly pierced from the side by a shield with three horns protruding from its front arranged like the skull of a Ceratopsian. The HLKMF it belonged to looked rather stony in its design. It looked like it was built to last with how heavily plated and armored it was.

This was the HLKMF of Dedue Molinaro. Codename: Stone Ceratops.

Wounded in the side, the area around the midsection glitching, the Demonic Hellcat was thrown from Felix's position and rolled on its side multiple times before landing upright, the gaping hole visible into a black void and crippling movement.

Ryo immediately radioed Zero. "Zero! We've got a problem!" Ryo called to him. "Hapi's injured. Pretty badly. And the Blue Lions look like they're out for blood."

"Fall back and use the mist as cover," Zero said. "Constance, give them covering ordinance!"

"Roger that, Zero!" Constance exclaimed and locked onto Hapi's location. "Take this!" With a push of a button, the Magnificent Peacock rained down more mines in front of Hapi's location so that her hampered HLKMF could retreat into the mist.

"Grab a Wallace unit and get back out there!" Zero told her.

"I know!" Hapi shouted. "I'm on it!"

As Constance's feather mines exploded in Ingrid, Felix and Dedue's faces, the former two believed they were goners. However, when the smoke cleared and all that was left was mist, Dedue stood in front of them, shield up. A spherical shield then dismissed itself from around all three.

"D-Dedue," Ingrid stuttered, "You protected us, not once but twice."

"I am his Highness's shield," Dedue stated. "It would cause him no amount of grief if something were to happen to either of you. He went charging off and I lost him in all this mist. I am fortunate to have been able to protect at least the two of you."

"Don't get so full of yourself," Felix commented. "I didn't ask for your help."

"I didn't expect you to," Dedue said solemnly.

"But thank you," Felix stated. "My father doesn't need to bury a second corpse because of his only remaining son's brashness."

Dedue smiled.

"It looks like the enemy retreated in the confusion," Ingrid noted and then frowned. "I wasn't aware the enemy was fielding HLKMFs. Our scouts didn't report this at all."

"Nobody also said we would be attacked today either," Felix complained. "This is one giant mess."

"Mess or no, we should move forward," Dedue commented. "If something to happen to his highness—"

Felix sighed loudly, cutting Dedue off. "All right. All right. We get it. One tracked mind with you, I swear."

The three headed deeper into the battlefield to locate Dimitri.

---

On the subject of the crown prince, he had yet to deploy his HLKMF. In the fog of war, staying a small, hard to see target seemed like the more prudent decision. This allowed him to sneak up on unsuspecting mages and simply impale them from behind. Despite Dimitri having less than laudable stealth skills, he still had the skills of a hunter from the days of his youth. The training of his mentor, Gustave, was firmly at work here.

"Your highness!" Ashe called out as a rifle shot rang out and took out a magic blast that nearly hit Dimitri in the side of the skull.

"Ashe, thank you," Dimitri commented. "Have you seen anyone else? I lost them when the first mines fell?"

"No, I made for a tree as soon as I could. I may not look it, but I have good climbing skills. This mist is so bad though, I can barely see two feet in front of my face."

"Indeed. This mist does not appear to be natural. Some kind of spell, or a curse perhaps? That's why I've been targeting mages, hoping to get the right one."

"Mages?" Ashe asked, raising his eyebrows. "Oh! Yeah, I did recall seeing strange mages in black robes mixed up with Lonato's men. But…who are they, exactly?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," Dimitri responded, "And that frustrates me."

Another explosion rocked the landscape. Dimitri and Ashe nearly lost their footing.

"These earthquake level explosions are doing nothing for morale. The enemy must be coming from above. Ah! Of course!" Dimitri tapped his ear piece. "Ingrid, can you hear me?"

"Ah! Your highness, you're all right!"

"Alive and well, thank you," Dimitri continued. "I guess we're still a bit green if we're forgetting something as simple as wireless communication."

Felix joined the conversation. "Being alive and knowing where you are happen to be two different issues."

"Ah, Felix. Forcing death to take you kicking and screaming today I see," Dimitri commented, taking a jovial jab at his childhood friend.

"You as well, it would seem," Felix responded much more sourly.

"Ingrid, the explosions appear to be coming from above," Dimitri commented. "Do you think you could…"

"I understand what you are asking. Leave it to me!" Ingrid declared.

Ingrid's feathery energy wings glowed brightly and she shot up into the air, higher than the mist lay upon the ground. She then spotted the Magnificent Peacock flying around. "Got you!" She opened fire.

"Eeeep! Zero! Mayday! I'm being fired upon!" Constance exclaimed.

"Numbers, Constance!" Zero exclaimed.

"Tis one HLKMF it would appear," Constance said.

"Handle it yourself," Zero told her. "Or are you not Constance von Nuvelle."

"Am I to understand you wish for me to stop raining terror upon the battlefield and deal with this interceptor of my glory?" Constance asked, perplexed.

"Yes, those are your new orders," Zero told her.

"AHAHAHA! Then this shall be a pebble in my path!" Constance exclaimed and righted her mech so that, like the Cerulean Pegasus, its feet were aimed at the ground. By beating the wings rapidly, blasts of lightning released from energy they produced at the Cerulean Pegasus.

"Just my luck," Ingrid commented, taking evasive action. "She's a long range fighter. No matter, if I keep her busy, no one below me will get fired upon by those explosions. I don't know who you are, but your literal rain of terror ends here!"

---

While Ingrid dealt with the situation above the mists, Mercedes and Annette were running around helping the injured. As Mercedes healed yet another wounded soldier, an HLKMF zoomed up and offered his hand to cart the soldier away.

The HLKMF in question had a dark purple color scheme. It was extremely slim and had six wheels and looked like what happened when science put the top half of a centaur on top of a tank, but with wheels instead of treads. It had a flat bed back like a pick up truck that could also be modified to launch manner of nasty weapons, rockets and the like, or sideways shooting turret guns. This was the HLKMF belonging to Sylvain Jose Gautier: The Desert Python.

"I'll get this man back safely," Sylvain told the ladies. "Keep your eye out for more injured."

"Thanks, Sylvain," Annette smiled.

"Indeed. You're such a gentleman," Mercedes said happily.

"Of course. I gotta protect two of my favorite ladies," Sylvain said with a smile.

"Suddenly less of a gentleman," Annette grumbled.

"Hey come on now, saving a lady is part of a knight's duty," Sylvain said with a wink, not that the girls could see it.

Suddenly, a frantic message came over the group radio. "This is Leila Malcal! Mayday! Home base compromised! Repeat! Our home base has been compromised! We've been—"

The signal went blurry.

"Leila!" Annette exclaimed.

"This is bad! Mercedes! Annette! Hop on!"

Sylvain rushed with the Desert Python, built for speed, back to the encampment where, indeed, everything was on fire. The cause seemed to be right in front of everyone's faces: a dark purple HLKMF resembling a ninja.

"Hey! These people were sick and injured! They didn't do anything to you!" Annette shouted.

"Relax," A distorted voice commented as a figure emerged from around the ninja-like HLKMF. It looked like a king from a game of chess. "I deliberately avoided injuring your injured any further, but the fire certainly brought you all running, didn't it?"

"Who the hell are you?" Sylvain demanded. "Start talking or I'll poke you full of holes!"

"Who am I?" The strange man in the HLKMF asked. He turned and crouched, pressing his fingertips to his helmet as he then suddenly pivoted and threw his arms out wide. "I am Zero! I am the man who makes miracles!"

"Zero, huh? Well then, you're about to go from a zero to a negative!" Sylvain shouted. Emitting hard light work from the flat bed of the Desert Python, Sylvain created missile beds and then let loose rockets and missiles that launched into the air and then crashed down towards Zero, but never made it. The nearby HLKMF didn't move either.

No, Sylvain's artillery was swat down by what appeared to be metal tentacles. The Cosmic Gyro had entered the fray.

"Where's Leila?" Annette asked.

A limp Leila was shown in the grip of the Cosmic Gyro. She appeared to be unconscious.

"I happened to take this one by surprise," Zero explained.

"Let her go!" Annette shouted.

"Pardon?"

"I SAID LET HER GO!" Annette roared and activated her own HLKMF. This HLKMF was short but stocky, the fantasy dwarf of HLKMFs. With broad shoulders and thick legs and a far from narrow torso, Annette's periwinkle mecha could almost be taken seriously as a threat…if not for the rabbit-ear like horns atop the head. But this was the design she'd cultivated using her own idea of aesthetics. Codename: Royal Dustbunny.

Without even needing to move from her position, Annette clapped her hands together and a shockwave of wind magic tore through the air, damaging the Zero Matrix and hurling the Starlight Shinobi away. It also put out the nearby fires. The Cosmic Gyro was also rattled about to and fro, the tentacles whipping in the air like blowup dolls at a car dealership.

"Relinquish the prisoner!" Zero shouted. "We have already completed our objective here!"

"Understood," Yukiya stated, rattled by the sudden surge in power.

Zero, the Starlight Shinobi and the Cosmic Gyro all scattered as the latter put Leila safely down on the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Annette shouted and leapt with her HLKMF's powerful legs at Zero. Her fist was poised to strike with a fist resonating with wind.

Zero did not like the readings he was seeing on this. Annette was poised to strike with Critical Magic. An attack like this was certain to cripple the Zero Matrix, despite its advanced model, and he could not have that. Worse, HLKMFs covered the user's face. The Geass was useless here.

Lelouch did the calculations in his head. Annette was going to strike in seconds and he lacked the maneuverability to decisively avoid her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. He saw Mercedes out of the corner of his vision. She was plenty close enough—less than 50 meters—but he needed to think of a good command. Mercedes was sweet to Nunnally. He hadn't the heard to command her to kill herself or do something horrible.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. The Royal Dustbunny suddenly had a chakram of energy latch onto its legs and its dominant arm and caused it to tumble and roll to the ground, zapping it.

"Whew, close call," Yuri stated as the Violent Swan appeared through the mist.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack," Zero admitted.

"Hey, you told me to stand by in case something unexpected happened. Looks like you're the brains behind this operation for a reason," Yuri chuckled. "What now?"

"For right now, follow me," Zero stated. He floated forward with the Violent Swan at the same speed. "Lonato is alive, so we don't have to recover his corpse. We also know exactly who our real target is."

"The Western Church, right?" Yuri asked.

"We'll regroup at the Neverland and make for the Western Church. In all this mist, the church is sure to think that we could be lurking at any moment. Catherine is also certain to fall back."

"What about the battles we're already engaged in?" Yuri asked.

"Let's help out those who need it. And I know where to start," Zero stated. "This is Zero to Hellcat. What's your status?"

"Still wandering around, but I've got a good sense of direction," Hapi replied. "Got a charge about 30% if you need me to jump back in."

"Negative. Make your way back to the Neverland, but blare me your current location."

"Roger that," Hapi stated and used an encrypted frequency distress beacon.

Using his own interface, Zero reverse engineered the GPS using the Zero Matrix to find where Hapi and the Howling Timberwolf got caught up with the Blue Lions. "Perfect," Zero said with a smirk. "This is Zero to Gyro and Shinobi, approach the target area and then move north northwest."

"Roger that, Zero," Yukiya said.

"Understood," Ayano commented.

"If we disable the Blue Lions's fighting power, that will put Lonato on the front foot and force Catherine to take him out herself," Zero said.

"So we're abandoning Lord Lonato?" Yuri asked. "Shrewd."

"He can't be saved. He's too stubborn. We just have to hope that—"

Incessant beeping of an incoming unknown projectile alerted Zero to an enemy attack as he floated backwards up and then back to avoid what was otherwise an energy javelin.

"There you are, villain!" A valiant, but deep voice rang out.

Zero groaned internally. Ohhhhh just my luck.

Standing before Zero was a regal looking HLKMF complete with long, flowing blue cape, Lion-like pauldrons and a curved spear that resembled a boar's tusk. The blue and white intercross of colors gave the mech a design resembling a proud, but ancient mountainous king. This was the HLKMF of Dimitri Alexandre Bladdiyd. Codename: Azure Lion King.

"Prince Dimitri," Zero remarked, doing his best to stay in character, "At last we meet face to face. I am Zero, the miracle worker."

"Miracle worker? Quite the ego from a villainous rebel," Dimitri commented.

"Well, I wouldn't expect a law-abiding prince to understand. In fact, I imagine my vision for an ideal world would come across as delusions of grandeur to one such as yourself," Zero said, almost mockingly.

"You presume that I would even hear you out. You are pointing your weapons at the church and at my classmates," Dimitri stated. "For that, you are nothing more to me than a mere terrorist fooling themselves into thinking they are a righteous hero."

"Sometimes the most righteous heroes come from the unlikeliest of sides," Yuri commented, forming up next to Zero. "But we're here to aid Lord Lonato in overthrowing a corrupt regime."

"Then I must stop you," Dimitri stated. "For Faerghus! For Rome!"

"No," A new voice said entering the fray as the white and gold Lancelot Shogun formed up next to Dimitri. "We will stop them."

"Suzaku," Dimitri said, looking on at the white HLKMF. "I thank you, my friend."

"Swan, mind the prince's manners for me, would you?" Zero asked as he fanned his arm out, taking aim at the Lancelot Shogun. "This one's mine."

---

As a tag team battle consisting of Lelouch, Yuri, Suzaku and Dimitri began to rage, Leila was slowly waking up under Mercedes' care.

"Ah! Leila!" Annette exclaimed, hugging her.

"I am relieved to see you unharmed, Annnette," Leila said with a smile.

"Don't scare me like that you big dummy," Annette said, hugging her tighter.

"Can you stand, Leila?" Sylvain asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little shock to my system tis all," Leila said and got up. She stumbled a bit, but then had enough coordination to brush dust off her skirt.

"What happened here?" Mercedes asked.

"It vas basically un ambush," Leila explained. "Our supplies have been absolutely wrecked. I was stalking that man in the mask when I was attacked from behind."

"Huh? You didn't use your HLKMF?" Annette asked.

"I was hoping to resolve things with words. I overheard him talking about how he wanted Catherine to retreat by attacking our base," Leila said. "From what he vas saying, I don't believe he had any intention of killing anyone today. Every knight you brought back here is still alive und well."

"Awesome, so we managed to catch him before he could set his trap," Sylvain said with a laugh.

Annette gasped. "No! He's already set the trap!" She darted a few paces away from her friends to avoid nearby wireless interference and tapped her ear piece frantically. "Come on! Pick up! Pick up!"

"Whoever this is! I'm in the middle of something right now!" Catherine exclaimed as she found herself on the defensive from a flurry of furious blows from the Wyvern Revenant.

"Catherine, it's Annette! Look! Our camp got attacked, but it's just our supplies that got damaged! Whatever you do, stay where you are and don't retreat! We'll come to provide you support."

Catherine nodded. "I could use it. Hard to see in all this mist."

Realizing there was a group call, Ashe chimed in. "If I may," he said.

"If you've got something to contribute, feel free to share," Catherine said as she fended off the feral Wyvern Revenant.

"His Highness was targeting those mages in the black robes. He said something about how he believes that they're the cause of all this mist. If we target the correct mage, we might be able to get rid of it," Ashe told everyone.

"That sounds like a new objective," Annette said. "Let's split up and do this!" She exclaimed.

"The explosions have stopped," Ashe said. "Ingrid's on that."

"Then let's go after this mage," Annette said and got back into the Royal Dustbunny. "Company! Charge!"

Sylvain got into the Desert Python.

Mercedes now used her HLKMF crystal. Hers was pure white and a bit puffy, almost like a marshmallow. It carried a staff in its right hand and floated without legs. Codename: Holy Ghost.

Leila too now was prepared to go to battle, despite preferring peace to war. Her HLKMF was very well-balanced in its design with Landspinners like the standard KMFs usually not found on the HLKMF models. However, this was enhanced by the addition of rocket propelled jets along the base of the heels and along the back/dorsal area shaped like small wings. The helmet was diamond shaped with a band around the head that had little wingtips above where human ears would normally be. Combined with the armaments on the HLKMF being a very large, rounded shield and a well-crafted energy sword and it, were it not for the blue color palette, the hard light armor would bear a passing resemblance to Saint Seiros. As it stood, the more feathery wings and the bluer paint job just made it seem more Valkyrie-like in nature. This was the armor Leila had cultivated over the past two months. Codename: Sapphire Valkyrie.

Leila sped off into the mist, splitting up with her current allies in different directions. The four of them began taking out black robbed mages one by one, or in groups. A surprise rocket fired from Leila's back, a powerful wind-empowered fist slamming into the ground from Annette, or just an energy lance thrust from Sylvain.

Meanwhile, Akito was still throwing himself aggressively at Catherine. With an insane cackle, he began throwing magic empowered fists at Catherine's mecha. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" It was on this fifth declaration that his fist was finally caught by Catherine's open palm, surprising him.

"Uh oh," Balthus uttered, noticing Akito's peril. He revved up into sphere mode to prepare to charge Catherine.

The toughest knight in Rome proceeded to pull the Wyvern Revenant forward, lopping off the hard light arm and breaking the forearm of the pilot beneath. Akito screamed. In pain as Catherine's Thunderbrand smashed into the cranium of the Wyvern Revenant, decapitating it. Fortunately, Akito was much shorter than the placement of the Wyvern Revenant's head. However, this did come at the expense of losing visually functionality since most of the radar and cameras were in the head's eyes.

Hacking off a leg, Catherine was now poised to strike downward into the chest. The impaling strike would not only destroy the Wyvern Revenant, but also kill the pilot. Fortunately, this was when Balthus was able to strike. The Rolling Thunder barreled into the White Lightning, sending it flying. Fortunately, Catherine was able to stabilize herself in the air, just in time to see the Wyvern Revenant short out and reveal Akito for all the battlefield to see.

"It's…it's just a kid," Catherine said, surprised. Granted, child soldiers were not uncommon, but Lonato's rebellion had mostly been comprised of adult villagers and very few actually skilled soldiers. For someone putting up such a spirited defense, Catherine was all but certain it had been one of those skilled soldiers.

"Uh, Zero! We've got a problem!" Balthus exclaimed.

"Got my hands full over here!" Zero exclaimed.

Balthus groaned. "Just my luck. Welp, guess the Enduring King of Grappling has to get in there. I've had bouts with Holst and come out on top. How tough could Catherine possibly be in comparison."

Catherine's first strike gave Balthus his answer. She rushed in far, far faster than he'd anticipated and the passing strike shredded the Rolling Thunder up the front and then once again down the back.

"ALREADY?!"

Balthus was in trouble. Among the Ashen Wolves, he was the one with the most easily recognizable face. However, just before the Rolling Thunder shorted out, another unit slammed into the ground and then shorted out: Ingrid's Cerulean Pegasus.

Catherine, recognizing the danger threw herself on top of Ingrid to prevent the damage from a nearby feather mine from affecting the prone Ingrid. This not only resulted in the White Lightning taking minor damage, it also gave the added bonus of allowing Balthus and Akito to escape across the battlefield.

"Zero!" Constance radioed, down a wing, a leg and an arm. "I managed to fling off my pursuer, but she proved quite stubborn. I will need to fall back. Power at less than 15%."

"You did expertly, Constance," Zero told her.

"I will perform maintenance on the Neverland and bring it into battle. Fear not for I shall not allow our ride to be damaged in the ensuing conflict!" Constance exclaimed.

"An astute improvisation. Get it done," Zero remarked.

"Ahaha! But of course. You are dealing with a Nuvelle. Now then…let's hope I can make it back without crashing," Constance said and took a moment to rub her sore left shoulder.

Hapi then radioed in. "Zero! I've got a Wallace unit! Where am I needed?"

"Head for the center to cover Akito and Balthus's escape and then fall back. We don't want to keep Catherine too busy," Zero stated.

"Understood," Hapi said.

As she sped forward across the landscape, Akito and Balthus found themselves spotted and targeted by members of the Knights of Seiros. Akito's energy sword, set to stun, ripped through armor and knocked people out. Having lost the use of the Wyvern Revenant, his disposition had returned to normal.

Balthus knocked people out with his fists if they got too close, taking moments to heal Akito's soreness and fatigue with magic on the go.

"You doin' okay pal? You really stuck it to Catherine back there," Balthus told him.

"It's all a blur, really. How much damage did the White Lightning suffer?" he asked.

"Eh, you got a few good licks in, but I was busy keeping you from getting shot at," Balthus said.

Suddenly, the wind blew fiercely as the pair noticed an HLKMF zip right by them. Screams were heard as mages fell.

"They're gonna find the right mage soon," Akito commented.

"Let's hope it's later rather than sooner," Balthus said, only for that very same HLKMF to pull up in front of Akito and Balthus, blade drawn.

Akito held up his energy sword.

The HLKMF was Leila's Sapphire Valkyrie. She looked at Balthus and Akito, the latter looking young enough to attend Garreg Mach.

"Ah, c'mon, gimme a break!" Balthus exclaimed.

He and Akito were prepared to take Leila on as her fact sphere examined both of them.

"Pardon me," she said. "You don't look like Faerghusian soldiers. Are you mages, per chance?"

"Is she serious? What kind of idiot would answer that question honestly?" Balthus asked, shaking his head.

"We're not. We're actually retreating from the battlefield," Akito said with a stern stare.

Balthus was floored when Leila's mech pivoted and allowed a path forward to the two wolves. "Then go. I have no interest in spilling needless blood this day."

"Hard to know whether or not to call her naïve, or just too nice for her own good," Balthus remarked, sighing as he massaged his forehead with one hand. "Hopefully she doesn't shoot us in the back."

"No, she doesn't seem the type. That frame's too agile. If she wanted to kill us, she would have already," Akito said. "Come on."

He and Balthus ran past Leila. Akito looked at her fact sphere's, the equivalent of looking the pilot right in the eye. "One day," he told Leila. "I hope to repay your kindness."

"Live a fulfilling life, should we never see each other again," Leila told him. "That will be repayment enough."

"Hey, Romeo, you're slowing down. Come on!" Balthus encouraged as he leapt forward and punched a knight in the head.

Leila watched the two go and then turned her attention to behind her to scout for more mages.

With chaos abound on the battlefield, Ashe Ubert was the only one not locked up in a major battle, and the only one who had not activated his HLKMF. Even as Hapi began harassing Catherine with her Wallace unit, it was only a temporary measure. Dedue and Felix now found themselves locked in combat with Ryo and Ayano while Yukiya was now harassing Sylvain's Desert Python, and presently winning with his greater mobility.

Meanwhile, Zero and Yuri were having great difficulty to fling Dimitri and Suzaku from the battlefield, as Mercedes covered Ingrid's retreat with her Holy Ghost. Using a spherical barrier around itself, it protected Ingrid from harm. Mercedes was keeping an eye out for additional enemy mages she could pick off in the meantime. While Ingrid certainly wasn't helpless—and Mercedes was healing her injuries on the way—the enemy had proven that they could be crafty and underhanded. Ingrid didn't want to take any chances that more enemies could attack their rear position.

As for Yuri and Zero, while the former was simply avoiding Dimitri's attacks while offering very few in return, Suzaku and Zero were in a truly heated battle.

"So, you must be Suzaku Kururugi then!" Zero exclaimed, pelting the parallel moving Lancelot with dark energy blasts, "The only prominent Japanese to join the ranks of the Knights of Seiros!"

"Better than a rebel vigilante like yourself!" Suzaku shouted, deflecting the shots. He then zoomed in close to Zero to attack him with his energy sword, but missed as Zero floated above him, tucked into a roll over his head and took a passing shot at the back of his head. This allowed Zero to float safely behind Suzaku and pelt the back of the Lancelot with more attacks, forcing Suzaku to quickly pivot and defend himself.

"By certain definitions of rebel, I could call you one as well!" Zero shouted. "You turned your back on your country in order to facilitate the church's tyranny. Japan is a mess and you're aiding in its slow destruction!"

"So it's okay to facilitate the Church's destruction?" Suzaku asked. He charged in close at Zero, only to be rebuked by a diamond prism shaped black energy shield that surrounded Zero's entire person. "One poor handling of annexing a country does not justify erasing centuries of history and culture!"

"So it's okay to erase Japan's history and culture instead? Think about what you're doing!" Zero shouted.

Suzaku took another swing at Zero's energy shield and shattered the barrier. He then took a swing at Zero, but the Zero Matrix came equipped with its own energy sword. Zero was able to block Suzaku. The difference in model power more than made up for Lelouch's weak constitution compared to how in shape Suzaku was.

"I know exactly what I'm doing! The church's message of peace helps keep truly awful wars from breaking out across the world," Suzaku said. "The teachings of the Goddess are beneficial to the people of the planet."

Zero and the Lancelot clashed blades multiple times as if they were conducting a baton in front of an orchestra. Sparks flew from their swords, batting away each other's weapons until they landed in a midair blade lock. Suzaku began to push down on Zero's sword before Zero choked up the cutting of his blade up on Suzaku's, heading above the midpoint of the weapon. Despite this, Zero was still on the defensive of the clash.

"So when the time comes to genocide Almyra and the Chinese Federation, will you act as Rhea's lapdog? Are you so blinded and brainwashed by faith that anything the church does is gold to you?!" Zero asked angrily.

"The Goddess is real!" Suzaku shouted. "And even then…even then I can change the church. The faith isn't corrupt, it's parts of the establishment and only parts!"

"The church isn't the future for humanity! It's a cult!" Zero shouted.

"How dare you call the church a cult!" Suzaku shouted.

Zero suddenly pulled back from Suzaku's blade as the two began flying away from, at each other and then slamming back into each other. Zero then began deploying underhanded tactics such as releasing dark energy blasts and fireballs from his hand or cape, or upheaving pillars of darkness if the Lancelot dared to float too close to the ground, Suzaku getting caught in at least a few of these tactics.

However, the Lancelot's sheer ferocity put Suzaku and Zero on even footing. While the Zero Matrix, compared to the Lancelot, would be shown to have superior specs, an HLKMF was one part specs, one part willpower. This allowed Suzaku to hit the higher efficiency ratings of his own frame far more easily than Lelouch, who was continually struggling, due to his lack of experience.

This meant that Lelouch's dirty tactics only worked whilst he could force Suzaku at range. This was far from an easy task. Additionally, while the Lancelot was surpassed by the Zero Matrix in terms of energy efficiency, the Lancelot had superior endurance. This meant that hits against the Zero Matrix counted more towards that larger energy pool than hits against the Lancelot Shogun.

As a result, Suzaku could afford to attack more ferociously. True to its name, the Lancelot Shogun used all manner of Samurai weapons, not just the trusty katana. Swapping one out for a Naginata, Suzaku increased his range on Zero, twirling the elongated weapon to create sparks flying off the weapon to land glancing blows on his enemy.

Zero only had his sword and his magic so he had to now play defensively. Fortunately, the mist proved to be his advantage. Lelouch was a man who could adapt to any environment and he was well-versed in calculating distances and compensating for low visibility situations. Suzaku was more direct, unable to properly take environmental factors into account, but that suited him just fine. Swapping out his Naginata for a massive energy bow, Suzaku began taking long range shots at Zero.

Pinned down and unable to retreat, Zero could only hope that things would go according to plan. He kept himself in tune with the situation. There were a lot of moving pieces he had to keep track of, but Lonato was on a collision course with Catherine.

Unfortunately, even the best laid plans of the best laid tacticians found themselves run afoul by either bad luck or improperly calculated factors. For Zero, he vastly underestimated, just how badly Ashe wanted to confront Lonato in person.

Running through the mists, Ashe spotted Lonato's personalized military vehicle and shot out a tire with his rifle.

"LONATOOOOOO!"

Lonato quickly became aware of Ashe's presence. He could never mistake the boy's voice. His vehicle came to a spinning stop, even as his men shot from the rear mounted gatling gun. While rifles were preferred for infantry combat, other types of heavier guns were still mounted on vehicles.

Ashe ran out in front of Lonato and held him at gun point, cocking his rifle.

"ASHE!" Catherine shouted, only to be held at bay by Hapi.

Whoops, that's my cue, Hapi thought and began to put her Wallace unit in reverse.

Catherine, mistaking Hapi's retreat for an attempt to go after Ashe and aid Lonato cut her off. "Oh no you don't!"

The White Lightning cut off the Wallace unit, Thunderbrand clashing with the much larger vibratory sword of Hapi's KMF.

No! You idiot! I'm trying to retreat so YOU can fight Lonato! Hapi tried to break away from Catherine, but the wielder of Thunderbrand kept pursuing her.

While this occurred, Ashe and Lonato spoke to one another.

"Stand down, Ashe!" Lonato commanded. "I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary!"

"Please surrender, Lonato!" Ashe pleaded. "Whatever your reason for doing this, we can still talk this out!"

Lonato looked scornfully at his adopted son. "Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the Goddess! We have virtue and the Goddess herself on our side!"

"Even if that's true! Dragging the townsfolk into your war isn't right!" Ashe shouted. He was referring to the fact that the majority of Lonato's army was made up of farmers, middle-class businessmen and other people loyal to Lonato's governance and only had purchased PMCs to round out his army, not to fully supply it.

"Enough!" Lonato shouted. "If that is how you feel, prepare yourself! I'm putting an end to this!" He took out an HLKMF crystal.

"Lonato, no!" Ashe shouted. He took aim to try and shoot the crystal out of Lonato's hands, but his reflexes paled in comparison to a man with decades of experience in live warfare.

"Empower me so that I may purge these sinners!" Lonato shouted. The energy smashed the front of the vehicle and forced the soldiers behind him to get out.

Lonato then began to transform with the power of the HLKMF. Instantly, a small cyclone of ice surrounded him and thick hooves smashed the ground before him. Upon touching the ground, the flora beneath and near it frosted over. Back legs kicked away the remnants of the jeep, sending it careening across the battlefield, killing a member of a Knight of Seiros on impact.

When the frosty winds died down and stopped howling, Ashe bore witness to the true power Lonato kept with him at all times. An equine beast of hard light and metal appeared in front of Ashe. Spikes of ice jutted out from where the limb joints were and upon snorting, bits of frosty wind came out the nostrils. It looked like a horse and an ice elemental had merged. This was the personalized HLKMF of Lord Lonato Gaspard. Codename: Frostmare.

"Lonato…" Ashe uttered and felt dismay. He'd failed to reason with Lonato, watching him charge off to smash his hooves and frostbite throwers in the face of Catherine's White Lightning. Using that as her cue to get away from Catherine, Hapi sped off back towards where the Neverland should have been parked.

This emphasis was on should as a rail cannon blast descended from the sky and got a direct hit on the White Lightning.

"OHOHOHO! Witness the glory of House Nuvelle!" Constance exclaimed. With the much better targeting computers of the Neverland, she had had much more precise control of its weapons to make sure she only hit what she wanted to.

Catherine looked at her energy levels. Between the time spent using White Lightning and the damage sustained by it, her battery was below fifty percent and falling fast. No good. She couldn't sustain a prolonged battle here.

She charged forward to attack Lonato, but Frostmare was very quick and the frosty winds it emitted in its wake slowed down the already hampered White Lightning.

Catherine took quick stock of the battlefield. She could only think of one solution. "Ashe!"

"Ma'am!" Ashe responded.

Catherine floated and fanned out her wings. "I leave Lord Lonato to you."

"M-Me, b-but…"

"Do your duty as a knight!" She roared. She sounded dismayed as she said. "Sometimes the cause doesn't give us the freedom of choice and sometimes we live and die in ways we never wanted. Christophe understood that. And I want you to as well."

"HOW DARE YOU BRING MY SON'S NAME INTO THIS!" Lonato roared. He charged head first at Catherine, Frostmare barreling its skull like a battering ram into Thunderbrand, as Catherine had used it to block. "This is all your fault, you blasted zealot!" Lonato roared. "Your zealotry cost me the death of my SON!"

Catherine did not defend herself with words, or even push back against Lonato's charge, even as wintry blasts of cold air blew at the White Lightning.

"Why don't you tell Ashe the truth! Tell him what your wretched church DID TO MY SON!" Lonato shouted.

Catherine still remained silent.

"When the dust settled on the Tragedy of Duscur, out of nowhere, you people accused my son of treason and put him to the sword!" Lonato shouted from inside the Frostmare, his saliva spitting all over the controls from underneath his bushy mustache. "You needed a scapegoat and you chose my son! MY SON!"

"Lonato…" Ashe uttered weakly. Now it was starting to make sense. Lonato's grief had consumed him. Now it made sense to Ashe why Lonato had kept him out of it. You didn't want me caught up in your personal struggle. You…never wanted me…to see you like this… Ashe clutched his rifle. To preserve my memory of you. But…

Ashe reflected on the years he spent with Lonato and Christophe. He recalled how Lonato picked him up off the streets, how he and Christophe treated him as if Ashe had been born to Lonato and his late wife as naturally as the air they all breathed.

The battle continued to rage as Ashe shut his eyes. I…I could never have accepted such an outcome. Lonato…thank you for thinking of me. But…but…

"Christophe believed in the church! He was so proud when he became a member of the Holy Knights! And I was never more proud of my body! And what did that life get him, accused of treason he didn't commit and an execution he didn't deserve!" Lonato shouted. "This is all your fault: THUNDERSTRIKE CASSANDRA!"

Taking a deep breath, Catherine hardened her resolve. No trace of the jokey, laid back knight of knights could be seen in this moment. "If there wasn't probable cause to accuse him, Lady Rhea and I would not have had him arrested. And I'm done entertaining your inability to cope with the loss of Christophe. He may have been your son, but he was also my partner!"

Thunderbrand then began to glow red.

"And another thing," Catherine said angrily as she broke away from Lonato and pulled back from Frostmare. The wings of the White Lightning and its eyes then began to glow red as Catherine's crest of Charon began to glow. Like an angel of death, she floated before Lonato who hardened his determination, but determination alone would not be enough to withstand what was about to come. "I only answer to Catherine now."

With those six words spoken, Catherine executed White Lightning's ultimate technique, the attack that made Thunder Catherine, and her trusty Thunderbrand a true force to be reckoned with.

"No, don't do it!" Ashe shouted, worried for the life of Lonato.

"FOUDROYANT STRIKE!" Catherine shouted. Putting both hands on Thunderbrand, she swept forward, lightning arcing off of her blade as if crackling with the same energy used to activate the power of the critical magic phenomenon. Then, taking multiple sweeping strikes at the Frostmare, Catherine knocked it airborne, slashing away at it like she was trying to rend it into pieces. Then, with one more, powerful, overhead strike that saw Thunderbrand glow and grow to three times its size, she smashed the Frostmare into the dirt, rupturing an earthquake that was felt across the battlefield and much, much hardier than Constance's Feather Mines. At this, gazing at the shattered broken Frostmare, watching it disintegrate, she then took to the air to deal with Constance.

"Lonato!" Ashe shouted, running towards him. He saw the old man laying in a heap of mud and what appeared to be a small pool of his own blood. However, before he could get close, Lonato rose to his feet. It appeared the attack had caused him to cough up some blood. His armor was broken and chances were high his bones were battered, and maybe a broken rib or two, but the old man was a stubborn one.

"Ashe…" Lonato said. "You heard what I said, will you not yield?"

"I cannot," Ashe said, holding up his rifle. "You taught me the virtues of being a knight. Serve the people. Uphold the law. Always choose to be righteous. You've abandoned those principles, Lonato. You've deceived your own people, you've turned your back on the church and you've chosen to fight the people you care about! Why? Why did you never tell me how you felt about Christophe?!" Ashe asked, heartbroken. "It needn't have come to this!"

"Ashe," Lonato said and got down on one knee. Ashe had hoped that Lonato's actions meant that he was surrendering. However, he missed that Lonato was reaching into his back pocket for something in all the mist. "You are a softhearted boy. My apologies, but even when it comes to you, I CANNOT BACK DOWN!"

He pulled out a remote and a massive shadow suddenly loomed over Ashe. The boy had the sense to get out of the way.

A massive crate hit the ground, shaking it, though not even at half the power as Constance's mines. The crate burst open, revealing a Faerghusian Knightmare Frame with a centaur-like body. It was blue and white and was designed to look like it had little ice spikes coming out of the flanked legs.

"A little gift from House Hyuga-Shaing. I had hoped to keep it a secret," Lonato said as he took a small lift up onto the beast, "But I will use it now to crush all resistance! I will have my revenge!"

This was a prototype KMF not yet put into full production. It stood up roughly 15 meters tall and had a crossbow energy bow arm for one arm and a powerful looking energy lance in the other.

"Lonato…" Ashe said. "Apologies…" he took out his HLKMF crystal, "But I cannot back down!"

Clutching the item to his chest, Ashe transformed into his HLKMF. The machine looked like it was one part warrior, one part figure skater, one part insect. Two sickle-like protrusions extended off the shoulders like mantis claws whilst the head of the frame resembled a Hercules beetle. From the back of the neck, a tube ran down and split like wings, increasing the insect vibe. This was also reflected in Ashe's weapon, a very long tube that defaulted as a scythe resembling a mantis' claw, but could also transform into an axe, or be flipped around and used as a rifle. This was Ashe's HLKMF: The Indigo Mantis.

"Lonato!" Ashe shouted. "As part of my knight's oath! I will stop you!"

"And to avenge my son, Ashe," Lonato said. "Forgive me for being rough with you!"

The prototype centaurian Knightmare charged at Ashe as he evaded and threw his scythe at Lonato with a spin on it like it was a boomerang. Ashe meant for the attack to strike the leg, but Lonato was too fast, flanked the now defenseless Ashe and tried to whack him in the face with the energy lance his KMF had equipped.

True to its figuring skating legs, Ashe weaved backwards across the battlefield, catching his weapon as it sailed back to him, using it to cut apart Lonato's slash harkens.

It's big…but normal KMFs lack the maneuverability and versatility of HLKMFs, Ashe told himself. Remember your training! Focus! FOCUS! Turning his primary weapon to rifle form, Ashe began to weave around the battlefield, even as Lonato began pelting him with machine gun fire from a distance.

Up in the air, Catherine was having a difficult time doing meaningful damage to the comparatively gargantuan size of the Neverland. With the damage White Lightning took from Lonato, she couldn't just shout Foudroyant Strike and be done with it. She needed to have enough power to have a safe landing back to the ground. And the armaments on the Neverland were no joke. It was littered with turret guns, ten on each side, plus five laser cannons on each side and the main slugs in front. It was cruiser class to be sure, but it was armed to the teeth. And despite Catherine's smaller size, the Neverland was more than capable of making tight turns to try and help it keep up.

"Now, now, you pesky fly! You may be the unparalleled knight of knights, but you aren't designed to take on a foe many times your size without an army!" Constance bragged from the bridge with the main microphone off.

Catherine tried flying under the massive ship, but it was equipped with very sturdy shielding. The flank and front was a no go, but attempting to get behind it was tricker than it seemed at first glance.

At this same, Dedue clutched his energy axe while using his shield to deter the heavy fire from the Howling Timberwolf. Felix also found himself matched in sheer speed and even swordsmanship by the skill of Ayano's Starlight Shinobi.

"How fitting," he said to her from inside his HLKMF. "A samurai fighting a ninja."

"You mock us Japanese by stealing our design?!" Ayano shouted. She took a swing at Felix, only to be parried. He thrust forward and got her shoulder. Fortunately for Ayano, it was a glancing blow.

"You're mistaken," Felix said, swinging his katana at his side. "House Fraldarius has been proudly half-Japanese dating back to the end of the Shogunate era when Japanese explorers made landfall in Faerghus. Many of my forefathers and mothers are half or even full-Japanese. Of course, our culture has largely remained Faerghusian."

The clink of Felix's sword with Ayano's echoed across the battlefield as they seemed to dance around the soldiers and knights around them. "How shallow. We are not a bloodline for your amusement!" Ayano shouted and began unloading energy shurikens and daggers with the hope of tagging Felix.

But the Immortal Ronin was too fast, dodging them all. "You're correct," Felix said with the utmost seriousness. "It probably is seen by the Japanese as culturally treasonous. However, I believe that what little culture is passed down through House Fraldarius gives it that extra brand of uniqueness." He smirked. "I've actually thought about doing the opposite, leaving my old fool of a father and settling down in Japan."

Felix's sincerity temporarily took Ayano off-guard and he got a clear strike on her torso. She quickly corrected herself by taking a swing at close range with her katana, inflicting the same damage. Both backed off before their HLKMFs could suffer further damage and become destroyed.

"If you see the Japanese as an ally, then why not abandon the church and join the rebellion. I'm sure Zero would take you in," Ayano said, trying to pitch the idea.

"The prospect sounds intriguing. But…no, not at this stage. I have my own path I am carving for myself and betraying Rome and Faerghus isn't something I would consider at this juncture. But, perhaps, you have given me an idea when this is over," Felix stated.

Well, it's a start, Ayano thought. She would report this to Zero later.

Meanwhile, Yuri continued to play keep away with Dimitri. "Come on, Mr. Crown Prince, I thought you were better than this," Yuri complained sarcastically.

Dimitri grew more frustrated. Can't see a blasted thing in this mist. Annette! Leila! Hurry up!

All this, plus other factors, left Ashe in a scenario where he was the only one who could bring Lonato down.

Skating across the landscape, he took multiple shots with his hard light rifle at the back of Lonato's frame. These shots had plenty of penetrating power against the purely mechanical KMF, which bore no special defenses like the newly created HLKMF. Yes, despite how fiendish it looked and how powerful it probably was, even the toughest standard KMF was not a match for a properly trained soldier in an HLKMF.

As Lonato fumbled with the controls as his unit slowly lost some of its mobility, Ashe got to work as he changed the makeup of his primary weapon to its polearm axe variant. With a deep breath, he shouted, "I'VE GOT YOU!" Landing atop the back of Lonato's KMF, Ashe then leapt in the air and spiraled sideways and downward, splitting the mech in half, causing an explosion that propelled the forward half of the mech forward and caused it to tumble on the ground. Prone and with the energy lance—and its respective arm—destroyed in the explosion, Lonato took aim with his energy crossbow at Ashe.

With blood pouring down his forehead, forcing him to close one eye, he charged the weapon up, "I WILL NOT FALL!" Lonato roared.

"I WILL PROVE MYSELF!" Ashe shouted. Neither man could hear the other's motivative declaration, hence the comments not really being connected to each other, but that wasn't the point. Lonato was giving one last roar of defiance while Ashe was re-affirming his desire to become a Knight of Seiros.

Charging up his rifle, Ashe prepared to counter Lonato's energy bow with his own energy. While KMFs were not meant to fight HLKMFs one on one, there was typically one aspect where they surpassed their smaller counterparts: power. The idea of trying to outshoot a KMF with an HLKMF in a contest of raw energy was insane. One was powered by a Sakuradite engine and the other was powered by the human spirit. But overcoming this disadvantage was exactly what Ashe Ubert planned to do!

For this was the other advantage of the HLKMF. As Marrybell had once explained to the Violet Tigers, an HLKMF grew with the user. The power of the human spirit brought the HLKMF to its next stage of evolution throughout its user's lifespan and that was exactly what was happening with Ashe as he charged up his rifle. The Indigo Mantis began to glow. Possessing neither crest nor prestige, despite this being the Indigo Mantis's only taste of live combat, the crystal it was powered by could sense the will of its user and evolution was but a step away now.

The sickle-like appendages on the Indigo Mantis became an extra set of arms and a second weapon now found its way into Ashe's hands. Simultaneously, the insect-like wings on the back of the mech split to form much stronger looking, much sharper looking wings.

Ashe was too caught up in the moment to notice the readout on his display screen.

Codename: Indigo Mantis X2

"LONATOOOOOO!" Ashe shouted and fired his attack back into the face of the blast of Lonato's attack. The double energy blasts penetrated the blast from Lonato's bow and the remnants kept sailing forward and struck Lonato's KMF in the worst possible spot: the energy filler.

Ruptured, the Sakuradite engine exploded in the midst of Lonato attempting to ejected with the escape pod. This caused the escape pod to burn and twist as it went spiraling through the air. A stray fireball struck it, knocking the backdoor open and causing Lonato to start to fall a good six meters from the air.

Mid-descent, the Blue Lions began to hear a triumphant shout from Annette, "I GOT IT! I got the mage!"

The fog of war began to disappear from the battlefield, but the celebration was premature.

At the same time that the mist began to clear, White Lightning was shot out of the air by the main cannons of the Neverland. Catherine went careening into the ground, her HLKMF destroyed.

Now able to see much further than before, Suzaku saw this. "Catherine!" He shouted and sped towards her side. Zero let him go. Dimitri, seeing the straits Catherine was in, also began to speed towards her, leaving Yuri behind.

Lonato hit the ground, breaking his left shoulder on impact. The stubborn old fool had scars all over his right eye and his left foot could barely be walked on.

"Lonato!" Ashe called for him, but his cry fell on deaf ears.

Lonato took out a long rifle. The prone, battered form of Thunder Catherine wasn't one that he was willing to let slip by him.

"Lonato, no!" Ashe shouted. "Don't do it!"

"I MUST!" Lonato shouted. "If Thunder Cathrine falls here, the Church will never recover!"

Zero's complacency in the situation had led him to mark a crucial error. Suzaku wasn't heading to attack Lonato outright, he was moving in to intercept the attack on Catherine. The problem was, he'd never make it. While this was good news at first glance, Zero and the Violent Swan were also too far away from the battlefield to meaningfully influence what came next.

He had begun his retreat when he saw Ashe raising his cartridge rifle. In that moment, Zero felt a chill run through his body. "ASHE, NO!"

But he was too far away and even if Ashe had heard him, he wouldn't have listened.

Gnashing his teeth, tears running down his eyes, Ashe raised his rifle, loading it. His lip quivered. He didn't want to do this, but there was simply no choice. He pulled back the slide on his rifle as he watched Lonato stumble to shoot Catherine, still woozy, still off-guard, still shambling to her feet.

"I'll send you to hell and mail your mangled corpse back to that witch Rhea in a box!" Lonato shouted.

The world seemed to freeze.

What was a knight? What was a hero's duty? Was it family, or something far more important that mattered?

Ashe rested the back of his rifle against the inside of his shoulder, clenching his teeth. His crosshairs showed him Catherine's head as he moved it clockwise so that Lonato came into view. His finger hovered over the trigger, trembling spastically.

Lonato was far less hesitant as he raised his rifle to Catherine and showed virtually no emotion as pulled back the slide on the rifle after loading it. He immediately went for the trigger and prepared to fire. He'd get her in the neck. She'd die near instantly. It was what she deserved. Lonato pulled his finger back on the trigger.

BANG!

And in the next instant, he couldn't breathe. He gazed down at the blood now pouring out of his chest.

BANG!

BANG!

Two more shots penetrated his torso from behind. He spun around in a daze and, very briefly, made eye contact with Ashe, rifle lowered, but smoke billowing from it. The boy looked horrified. Lonato could feel the muscles in his body losing strength rapidly as his eyes began to droop and then…he tumbled to ground.

"Lord Lonato has fallen!" Yuri shouted to the Ashen Wolves over comms. "Make a hasty retreat before we're caught up in this!"

Zero shook his head. What was done was done. He never intended to save Lonato in the first place, so he wasn't saddened by his death. But…he didn't want to see what he'd just witnessed.

The image still haunted him, Ashe shooting his own father figure. To Lelouch, a few times as he tried to wipe what he saw from his mind, it would get mangled with the haunting image of Lelouch shooting Marianne in the same way. This was why Lelouch had wanted Catherine to be the one to ultimately finish Lonato off. No child should have to murder the parent they loved.

We still managed to uncover the truth behind Lonato's actions, Lelouch thought. I'll take that as a win. It's just unfortunate, he thought as it began to rain. That today's victory…wasn't perfect.

Ashe sunk to his knees as he reached Lonato's corpse. The old fool was smiling peacefully. In a way, perhaps Ashe's actions had freed him from the shackles of his revenge, but that didn't matter. To the boy who'd been taken in by the old lord's kindness, that didn't matter at all.

Pressing his nose to the dirt, Ashe continued to cry before he screamed to the heavens. "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

---

On board the Neverland, staring out the window, Lelouch, in his custom uniform resembling the Zero matrix—stared at the rain. Yuri put a hand on his shoulder.

"You gonna be okay, Zero?" he asked.

"I'll recover. We failed our secondary objective," he said. "Not exactly what I'd call a reason to celebrate."

"Yeah, well, sometimes that happens." He pat Zero on the back of his cape. "Ashe isn't your concern though. The Blue Lions will have him covered."

"Will they?" Lelouch wondered aloud. "I honestly wonder."

"And don't worry about our poor showing today," Yuri said, patting Zero on the back of the neck this time. "Our time will come."

Zero nodded. "Mhm. I agree. For now, we should act like nothing is amiss when we arrive in Garreg Mach. The fewer questions asked, the better."

Yuri smirked. "I couldn't agree more."

---

Lelouch had every reason to be concerned. Ashe spent the majority of the ride back to Garreg Mach in a catatonic state. Dimitri didn't know how to talk to him. Dedue lacked the social capability to even approach the guy. Felix and Ingrid felt it best to give Ashe space. And Annette couldn't stop crying into Mercedes when she found out what happened.

Eventually, Leila and Sylvain sat down on either side of Ashe as he sat on a bench inside the transport ship in a hallway. He was staring at the backs of his hands, lost in his own sorrow.

Leila put a comforting hand on Ashe's left hand, while Sylvain gave him a smile and a shoulder pat from his right. Both felt a little responsible for not getting to Ashe to help with Lonato sooner. Both could only imagine what their friend was going through. It was one thing for Lonato to have died, that much everyone in the Blue Lions had expected when they woke up this morning, but for Ashe to have done the deed himself…

Still, Ashe was lost. Despite the sympathy from his fellow classmates, he felt truly lost on the inside. Had he done the right thing? Had he acted in the manner befitting of a knight? He couldn't find those answers.

So, upon returning to Garreg Mach, he offered the Goddess prayers for her guidance, while crying his eyes out. His hands were trembling. He knelt before the statue of Saint Seiros, eyes shut tight, head bowed.

Oh Goddess, he prayed, forgive my sins. I wanted to be a knight in your servitude, but now I'm lost. I don't know what to do. Tears splashed the ground of the cathedral floor.

The biggest sticking point to all of this: Ashe didn't know how he could go on with everything he knew and felt. He believed what Lonato said in the end, even if he disagreed with the methods. He'd chosen to keep the faith and protect Catherine. He'd gone for the kill. Maybe he could've shot Lonato in the leg, or the back of the shoulder. Maybe buy a little more time so it didn't have to come to this.

But…even if the Goddess could forgive him, Ashe couldn't forgive himself. No knight would ever murder their own father, no matter the circumstances. That was what he kept telling himself. He needed a new perspective, a new way to see things. If only someone would tell him that he did the best job he could, to assuage his fears and guilt. If only…if only…

"Ashe?"

Ashe gasped, picked up his head and turned it. Stepping between moonlit shimmers of the stained glass windows on the cathedral ceiling, Kallen Kozuki stepped forward.

A new perspective.

A different culture.

A fresh start.

Yes, maybe this was what he needed.

Kallen had heard about what happened. The knights spread the story like gossip and it had finally reached her ears. She looked so concerned about him. She knew he didn't deserve this. Nobody did.

And…although it went against part of her culture, Kallen stepped through the multi-colored window light shining upon the floor and held her arms out, wrists at waist level.

Ashe stumbled towards her and hugged her around the waist, face pressed into Kallen's stomach. He howled in sorrow as she massaged his shoulders and head.

The battle was won, but so much more…had been lost.

---

Afternoon of the 25th Day of the Garland Moon

While sipping tea in the garden, Edelgard was not the least bit affected by the news of Lonato's passing, nor who caused it. Far as she was concerned, if the church hadn't wrongfully convicted Christophe, none of what transpired would have transpired in the first place. She knew this wouldn't shake the foundation one bit. Like Catherine had said, if the church hadn't had reason to suspect Christophe of wrongdoing, they never would have executed him.

Hubert then stepped towards her. "I bring you today's paper, your majesty."

Edelgard put down her teacup to read it. While Lonato's death was front page news, it was an article on the third page that caught her eye.

The headline read: "Mysterious Masked Man Zero Appears in Faerghus"

"Zero?" Edelgard questioned.

"That's what he called himself," Hubert stated. "Apparently he was aiding Lord Lonato, but didn't seem to have the man's continued survival in his best interest. As soon as Lonato passed, he retreated without a trace from the battlefield."

"And my uncle?" Edelgard asked.

"Denies any involvement whatsoever. And unlike the dozens of times I'd cut out his lying tongue, this time, I believe him." Hubert then grinned. "It would appear a new force has entered the fray. How intriguing."

"Do we yet know if this Zero is friend or foe?" Edelgard asked.

"No, not even a little bit, but I'll be endeavoring to find out for you, of course," Hubert responded.

"Keep up the fantastic work, Hubert," Edelgard replied. "Inform me immediately of any developments."

"Of course, Lady Edelgard," Hubert said with a bow and then watched his liege have her tea.

---

Morning of the 26th Day of the Garland Moon

Within the halls of the Green Pheasant Classroom, Kaname Ohgi crossed to the front of the room to his desk. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "I got called in early this morning by Director Seteth."

"What? You in trouble or something?" Tamaki asked.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Ohgi said. "Two students will be transferring to the Green Pheasants today from different houses."

Two? Kallen questioned. She knew one of them, but the other surprised her.

"You can come in now," Ohgi said.

From around the double doors at the entrance to the lecture hall, two students crossed the hall to stand next to Ohgi at the front of the room.

"If you'd be so kind as to introduce yourselves," he said.

First was the one Kallen wasn't expecting, "My name is Felix Hugo Fraldarius, the heir to House Fraldarius of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. After careful consideration, I have decided I would like to continue my studies under the banner of the Green Pheasants."

Kallen then looked to the other newcomer, the one with gray hair and green eyes. Clapping his hands to sides, he bowed at a precise right angle, "Uh, konichiwa to all of you," he said and stood up. He looked to Ohgi. "Did I get that right?"

"Yes, well done," he told the young man.

The young man nodded back. He gave the Green Pheasants a stronger look than he had sported in a day or two. "My name is Ashe Ubert. I am…was the adopted son of Lord Lonato Gaspard. A lot has happened to me in the past two days, but I've made up my mind of what I'm going to do about it. I don't feel comfortable currently walking the path of the knight, but the Japanese Green Pheasant house brings with it a completely different culture, a culture I feel could put me down a different path entirely. If you'll have me, I'd like to learn from you all. And no matter what fate has in store," he balled a fist, "No matter what destiny decides for me." He put his fist over his chest. "I will not fail you all."

"I am humbled to make your acquaintance!"

---

(A/N: The decision to have Ashe kill Lonato was factored in by how he is one of few characters with special dialogue to face Lonato in-game and the most affected by his death. More fallout from Lonato's death to come before we roll into the Blue Sea Moon, but I felt that this chapter was best closed out by Ashe's resolve to join the Green Pheasants. And it also looks like Felix took his chat with Ayano on the battlefield to heart.

If you'd like to see specific characters reacting to the chaos that was this chapter, leave your requests in your review/comment. And I'll see you next time. But until that time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)