Chapter 51: Prison Battle

A plan set in motion, the actors gather for the performance. But what this could lead to, will not be what anyone thought possible, but first, the 2 dogs must battle, for crown, one for rebellion.

The 6 houses of Kyoto didn't regularly meet at Mt. Fuji; it would be too obvious, too predictable. Instead, they had meeting locations spread across Japan; it was just a design choice that each shared such similar décor and design that one could be forgiven for not being able to tell them apart.

“Is this accurate?” One of Kaguya’s colleagues, Kubouin Hidenobu, asked. The 5 men were seated around a small fire, on which a kettle was placed, yet none had served a cup of tea.

“Yes, though I can’t believe it myself.” Another, Munakato Tōsa, grumbled.

“Jugo captured? Charged for aiding our people’s efforts for liberation? Preposterous, the man is a traitor.” Osakabe Tatsunori would have shouted if he were a man of lesser manners and common sense. Yet, they could feel his anger over the report.

“Unless he’s changed his tune, Lady Kaguya.” Yoshino Hiroyosi questioned, the room turning its focus to the screen, where, as always, Kaguya sat.

“He has not. In fact, he goes to great lengths to ensure that when we discuss things, Kyoto, the NAC, and these days, Zero and the Black Knights never come up so he can plead ignorance.” Kaguya replied that, as she could admit, she didn't spend much time with her uncle; things between them had soured, not just because of his choice, but also, in some ways, because he refused to take a larger role in her life after her parents died.

She could maybe have accepted him trying to claim the seat of clan head, that was to be expected, but he wouldn't even help her try to organise and lead their 300-year-old family because he knew her parents had gotten involved in Kyoto. If not for Kirhara stepping in and helping her…

“If that’s the case, why go after him?” Munakato asked, as if the man was innocent and had no means to gain anything from them, why arrest him?

“Isn't it obvious, Marrybell is just as bloodthirsty as Clovis and Cornelia, she's failed to capture or kill Zero, and now is going for easy pickings.” Kubouin pointed out, as one didn’t need to be a genius to spot how Marrybell’s record was not pretty, she was like Cornelia-only where the Witch laid waste to nations, Marrybell

“Is that the answer? It feels lacking to me,” Finally, Kirihara spoke, his eyes looking at each member. “Either way, we must act. Kaguya, have you sent word to Zero about this?”

Kaguya didn't know if Kirihara had figured out that she had already brought this up with Lelouch because they went to the same school. Still, she did appreciate that his question didn't imply anything unseemly between the masked man and her…well, it was as unseemly as it could get when she had already declared herself his bride to be. “I have, and he’s agreed to move in to rescue my pacifist uncle, though there is the issue of his daughter...”

Line break

As Kaguya sat with Kyoto for a meeting, Kallen entered the student council building, finding Lelouch and C.C. seated in the living room, with her currently unmasked and on the phone, as was she. However, those on the other end had no clue she and Zero were in the same location. “This is a direct request from Kyoto?” Ohgi asked, zero having just explained things.

“Indeed.” Kallen found it so odd that she could hear his phone without issue in one ear, but thanks to whatever gadget and programs he had on his phone, what she and the rest heard was the same mechanical, inhuman voice Zero had.

“Pardon, but why is this guy so important? Is he a member of Kyoto? A backer?” Inoue asked.

Katase, on the call as well, hummed. “Neither of them, Jugo Sumeragi in many ways, is the Suzaku to the Sumeragi family.”

“What?” Tamaki asked, confused by the statement.

“Kururugi joining the Britannians saw his family cutting all ties with him; he's dead in all but name to them. It was why they didn’t lift a finger when he was charged for Clovis’ murder.” Katase remarked that, because of Genbu’s death and Suzaku's decision to join Britannia, the Kururugi family had lost much prestige and influence, including their seat in Kyoto.

“He’s never mentioned it around campus," Kallen muttered, as they all knew she was a classmate of Suzaku; she had never hidden it, but she never thought about how the soldier's family would have taken his choices, as his father was dead. Still, he had been a patriotic man…till he took his own life.

“Understandable, such things must weigh on his heart, but if he's remained with Britannia, then I would go with the belief he's either a fool or truly believes in whatever goals he has," Tohdoh remarked, not insulting his student’s choices, but also not approving of them either.

“It better be a good one, as the ungrateful ass rejected my buddy, Zero's offer to join us after we saved his life," Tamaki grumbled.

“Moving on, Jugo is in a similar situation with the Sumeragi family because of his choice of wife.” Katase focused the topic more on the issue at hand.

“He married a Britannian?” Yoshida inquired, almost as if it were a joke.

“He married the eldest daughter of Emperor Charles, and remained with her till she passed almost a decade ago. As far as I know, he's remained distant from his family since.” Yoshida, and presumably anything else someone would have said, died on their lips.

“Oh shit,” Ohgi broke the silence with a stunned gasp, Kallen glancing towards Lelouch, who remained calm, despite… no, he probably always knew.

“You can’t be serious; he couldn’t have married a royal.” Chiba voiced doubt, as even before the invasion, Britannia had the numbers system and looked down on foreigners. Commoners, she could understand not caring about a hat, but a princess, someone raised close to the racist powers at be? Hell, why hadn't she or anyone else heard about it?

“He did, and Emperor Charles was quite displeased. His eldest daughter is a pariah within the imperial court because of it, and most hardly know she exists; the royal family works hard to imply that Princess Guinevere is the eldest daughter.” Through the phone, the rest heard Zero speak and probably assumed he just had contacts in Pendragon. But for C.C., as she leaned against Lelouch on the couch, and Kallen, who stood at the living room entrance, they both knew why he knew.

“Perhaps that was why Jugo was chosen,” Urabe mused. “A means of revenge for tempting a princess away from court into marriage with him.”

Lelouch took a quiet breath, but his tone didn’t shift. “It is…a possibility, Princess Marrybell is one of the more protective of Charles’ children, but what this is more likely is a trap for us.”

“Wait, if it's a trap, then why should we go?” Tamaki asked another question, and Kallen ignored the fact that he wasn't adding much.

“Should we just leave an innocent man to die then?” Senba questioned, despite his personal feelings about Jugo.

“We’ve done it before.”

“This is different, Tamaki, and you know it.” Ohgi quickly shot that down, as Saitama was still a sore spot for them, and one of many reasons none wouldn't have lost sleep if they could take a shot at Cornelia and do what they couldn’t at Narita and Port Yokosuka.

“The decision has been made, the Black Knights fight for the cause of justice. Regardless of what awaits us, we won’t falter in that.” Lelouch put an end to that particular chatter, getting confirmations from the rest, who assumed that he would hang up, but he had other business.

“Deputy Commander, Chief of Military Affairs, I’ll be arriving soon to discuss the finer details of things. For now, use assembly method C-32.”

“Understood.” With that, the call ended, and Lelouch tossed his phone to the side, sighing as the stress of the week came right back onto his shoulders.

“Isn’t this…personal for you?” Kallen asked him, stepping and taking the seat next to him.

“When is it not?”

Kallen rolled her eyes and, in full view of C.C., leaned close to him. “You know what I mean, asshole. This guy’s basically your brother-in-law, and if you could marry your sister, he can’t be all bad…I hope.” What were the odds that Jugo was one of those people who hated their kind and bonded with Sherry through that?

“I wouldn’t know, he married Sherry when I was roughly 6, and even before then, after that, her name was taboo and not even my mother would bring her up." Lelouch hardly knew what she looked like, having seen just the one picture in his youth, something Cornelia had, but she didn't advertise it.

“She was kicked out?” Kallen asked, as that seemed like something Lelouch’s bastard of a father would do.

Lelouch snorted, a slight smile on his face. “Self-exile. She was given the choice, love or her titles…she chose the former." Maybe that was proof of how much she loved him. It certainly made her superior to Clovis and what he was willing to do to keep some claim to the throne. If only he could have seen the face that father made when she threw away her royal title.

“Must have pissed off old Charles.” Kallen chuckled, as she had similar thoughts.

“Undoubtedly so, but I haven’t heard much about her since. She and Jugo lived pretty quiet lives away from the attention of Tokyo even before the war.” Lelouch noted that, after she left Pendragon, he didn't hear a thing about her. Even after he came to Japan and asked the Prime Minister about it, the Prime Minister would just insist he had promised not to talk about it. He would only confirm that they lived in Hokkaido.

Kallen nodded, but then there was the other issue. “Do you believe Marrybell planned this?” She glanced at him, spotting how Lelouch frowned in thought.

"Based on her playbook, it's highly likely. So, we can expect the Glinda Knights to be present in force for this." Lelouch surmised.

Kallen didn't seem worried about that; if anything, she was excited. “Well, this time we know their game; if they think they can handle us, they're in for a rude wake-up call." She was ready for her rematch against that bloody Princess, and this time, she’ll send her to meet Clovis in hell.

Lelouch didn’t seem all too happy about this as he got up, placing a little kiss on C.C/s forehead as he walked to the entrance to head to his study to grab some things. "You should get going; we'll meet on location."

"…Are you going to tell Nunnally we're…you're going out," C.C. asked, worry clear in her voice, but Lelouch didn't respond. He paused at the doorway, his back to them, before, after a few seconds, he kept on walking.

C.C. frowned, as this was just getting ridiculous. How did this place, which was meant to be filled with warmth, become so tense? Well, she'll need to do something about it when they get back, even if she has to bring Mao for help. But for now, they had work to do, so she turned to Kallen and nodded towards the door. “See you there.”

Line break

Euphemia wished her return to the Viceroy's palace hadn't been temporary. Even better, she wished she had never agreed to attend this art museum's opening, as, from the curator's behaviour to the news that her sister Marrybell was plotting a trap for her brother, she wished she had time to think. She needed to get the word out, but how?

Suzaku was out, as he didn't know, and even if he did, he didn't have a phone, and her seeking him out would only draw attention. She could call Lelouch or Nunnally, but she had been so excited during their reunion that she had wanted to ask. She couldn't just visit Ashford, as with Marrybell watching her, it could do more harm than good.

Yet, with time running out, here she was, seated before a crowd of journalists and reporters covering the art museum's opening. She couldn't even take joy in how confused they were by the abrupt name change, or in how worried she was.

“Princess Euphemia, is it true that no Eleven companies were used in the construction of this museum?” One asked.

‘Why would that matter? The settlement you live in was built by their unpaid labour.’ That was what she wished to respond with, oh, she so badly wanted to, but she had to hold her tongue. “This would not be something I would know, as I was only given details about the design and the pieces on display.”

Question addressed, the man sat while another rose. “Perryman from Innerstate, your highness, what would be your opinions on your knight of honour, Dame Sapphire Kalas? Rumour is that she didn’t serve under your sister, Viceroy Cornelia.”

Euphemia glanced to her right, where Sapphire stood, the woman alert and ready to act should danger arise, even in a place like this. It was because of the discipline that she didn’t flinch or allow her gaze to drift despite the attention on her.

Euphemia didn’t remain silent long, as moments after the question was raised, she responded. “I apologise, but how does that question relate to this museum? Please keep your questions on task.”

Her response, polite it might have been, carried an undertone of bite, which proved to be enough of a slap for the reporter to quickly sit, cowed under her gaze as another stood. Gabriella from Sunday Chronicles, there is an event later where you'll choose the best piece here. Have you had time to survey the pieces on display? Do you have some favourites?"

Well, at least this one wasn't trying anything. Despite the fact that she knew the museum curator was watching her, she pointedly ignored him. “I was indeed given a private tour of the museum earlier today, though I can't say I have any 1 or 2 favourites, considering the quality of many pieces.”

As she fielded more questions, she first thanked herself and Sapphire for going over practice runs for things like this; otherwise, she would have floundered. But she would have happily screwed this entire thing up if it meant she could get out and to the prison. ‘Time is running out, Marybell…Lelouch, I beg of you, don’t kill each other.’

Line Break

At that prison, Marybell walked down one of its cell blocks, the place, seemingly, so empty that their footfalls echoed without challenge. At her back, Oldrin kept pace just a few steps behind her. While leading them was the warden, who had been surprised when she walked into his office, but he wasn’t dumb enough to deny her request.

A request that had him leading them to the VIP prisoner. “Here he is, your highness.” He presented Jugo Sumeragi, in all his glory.

A mockery of glory, as the man was dressed in Britannian prisoner white, the restraint jacket undone, if only because the overweight, middle-aged man was no threat to even a rookie soldier. He was also not a suicide threat.

His cell didn't match his station, not when he would have never been granted it for his blood. 3 bland steel walls, no windows, and a single light kept in a reinforced glass fitting. Furniture was nonexistent, with only some blankets in the corner and a toilet opposite.

Yet with all that, when Jugo looked up at her, she saw something interesting.

“Leave us.” She ordered the warden, who didn't question, as he bowed and left.

It was only as the warden’s footsteps fell into the distance that Jugo spoke. “Princess, I wasn’t expecting visitors.” He joked, though his smile didn't reach his eyes, Marrybell could see a strength in those eyes, not in form but in spirit. "Though I don't think this is a friendly visit from the in-laws, is it?” His smile diminished, as he was no fool, not when he had been arrested, and certainly not now.

“I wished to see you, up close." Marrybell kept it short, her face a passive mask, revealing nothing.

Jugo sighed, tired and yet still hammering away at this because he just refused to do anything else. “Your highness, I must continue to insist that I’m not a terrorist, nor have I supported them.” He had hardly slept; he hadn't even gotten a full night's rest, when his villa was raided and he was marched out.

After that, it was interrogation after interrogation, evidence mentioned, demands that he confess, turn on the Black Knights, but he couldn't, he didn't know anything, or as he claimed.

“And yet, the evidence says otherwise, and now I look at a man who seemed to have aided the very rats who killed my brother, your so-called in-law.” Marrybell 's face remained passive, yet Jugo could spot the fury in her eyes and how her hands twitched as if she held back the urge to strangle him.

“But I am an innocent man,” he said again, as he had since he was arrested.

“Then how would you explain your signature on documents, bank transfers, and filings? An autopen, perhaps?" Marrybell pulled out a key, one she got from the warden. Opening up his cell, she calmly walked in. “But we didn’t seize one when we raided your residence, which happened to be where you conducted all your business.”

Jugo frowned at that, as it was true, he didn't have an autopen. He never needed one when he could handle most documents and business by hand. He liked to think it added a bit of authenticity to everything he said, but now it was being used against him.

Marrybell walked behind, her hands to her back as she continued, the man left feeling like a sailor on a raft, while a hungry shark prodded and pocked at it. It seemed innocent, perhaps playful, yet he knew that if so much as a limb entered the water, he would lose it.

But he didn't turn away, doing his best to track her as she walked around him, each step as slow as ice forming, yet her heels were on the concrete like shattering glass. "What about photos showing you in clandestine meetings with known criminals and terrorists, including ones where you hand off money which just so happened to be on days when funds were transferred from accounts you control."

Again, he bit his tongue.

“Maybe a fake, an impersonator, and yet, those transferred would need clearances, and when we investigated the banks, there wasn’t a hint of fraud or issues. The money was moved through regular means ” He didn’t need to speak, as Marrybell raised the same suggestion he had when he had been told they had pictures of him, as he could account for most of his days, but as a private man, he didn’t regularly leave home with an armed escort, Hokkaido was safe, and he was well liked so he never feared for his safety.

Unfortunately, that also meant there were days when he could rely on his staff to confirm his whereabouts. And now that was biting him in the butt as Marrybell laid a hand on his shoulder. A hand that squeezed him, her face remained calm, so did her tone, yet he could see it in her eyes.

She was furious, as to her, he was the man who married her sister, and then went and aided the same people who killed her brother. But he could look at the silver lining, as if this was Cornelia, he would have been beaten till he admitted he killed the Emperor before being shot.

“And to top it all off,” She retracted her hold, though his eyes traced her nails as if there were claws as her hand passed her face, close to his eyes. The reason for this was her mask cracking, her fury bubbling to the surface as she pulled out a picture and showed it to him.

Glancing down, he paled when he saw the smiling face in it, the young girl who looked so much like her mother, with the same shade of purple eyes which carried that same love and compassion Sherry had, yet her long hair was the shade of black his family was known for.

"You hid this from me. Did you think it would work?" Marrybell asked as she dropped the picture of his daughter on the ground, the same picture that had once sat on his desk and should have been destroyed before it could be recovered.

Marrybell grabbed him, and despite her size, had the strength to lift him and slam him against the wall, the Princess looking so close to being murdered by him. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out I have a niece? A niece you squirreled away as he tore the place apart, and found no sign of her, so where is she?”

That only made her blood boil. All these years, all this time, and she had a niece. She didn't know that; she didn't think anyone in the royal family knew that. Sister Sherry had never mentioned it; hell, she didn't even know Sherry was dead till lord Kirkwayne approached them with the damning evidence.

When they raided the villa, 2 rooms appeared to have been ransacked, with everything of value missing. For a time, she worried that he had been sheltering terrorists who had just managed to escape. Instead, they found just one picture, and with it, the entire staff confirmed it. Those 2 young girls had been staying there, and that one was Jugo and Sherry's daughter…

A half-Japanese, Britannian princess. And she was nowhere to be found.

Jugo coughed, chuckling as he faced what could be his death with as much dignity and humour as he could. “Somewhere safe, somewhere I could be sure she wouldn’t be dragged through this.”

He thought his wife was a tad paranoid early on, wishing to create all manner of contingency plans. He thought it a consequence of the world she was born into, but even when illness took her, he kept his promise to design one for their daughter. It was only with hindsight that he was glad he did, as none of them made sense, but his chances of making it out of this alive were already slim; at least Sakuya and Sakura could escape the snake pit that was the imperial court.

“You must be eager to die if you can say utter nonsense, Eleven.” Marrybell snarled.

“Hey, I got my honorary citizen years ago.” Jugo chuckled in the face of her fury, but she didn’t do what he thought.

She didn’t kill him; instead, she dropped him, turned on her heel, and walked for the door.

“Enjoy your laugh, your time is up.” She didn’t bid him goodbye, merely closing the door behind her, sealing him back in his cell, confused but grateful he wasn’t dead as she walked off, her knight of honour at her side.

“Belle, your thoughts?” Oldrin asked, as she didn’t believe Marrybell would have just lost her temper like that, not when she had spent so long mastering it.

Indeed, she was correct to believe in her friend's control as Marybel was, in reality, quite pleased with herself. “It’s as you bet, he’s innocent. Those eyes, those weren’t the eyes of a guilty man, but a man truly confused and yet, not afraid…”

Marrybell sighed as they reached the elevator, but her pleased smile didn’t fade. "As much as I hate to admit it, sister Sherry didn't pick a completely terrible man; he has more of a backbone than most, at least."

He lost some points for keeping her niece from her, as she could have done so much to spoil the little bean sprout, but he regained some since she couldn't fault his logic. If that bitch Guinevere learned about Sakuya, much less what the Emperor may do.

“So we’re moving under the assumption that Lord Kirkwayne set them up?” Odrin’s question drew her away from potentially treasonous thoughts.

"No, he lacks the subtlety for it. More so, his rage when he handed over the evidence was far too intense to be fake.” Marrybell replied, as the older man seemed to be of good character, a must considering all he and his family would have given up to follow her sister to Japan then.

"Perhaps he just hated serving under Jugo, seeing how Princess Sherry passed 6 years ago." Oldrin floated the possibility as the elevator rose higher.

"Maybe…but I believe it's Kirkwayne who set this up.” Marrybell checked her nails.

“His wife?” Oldrin asked, to which Marrybell chuckled.

“His eldest son, Greede.” She stated.

“Him?” Odrin sounded sceptical, as lord Kirkwayne's eldest son was only 18, she just couldn't see him plotting something like this.

Marrybell, on the other hand, knew the man's age wasn't as much a limiting factor as it would be for commoners. After all, Lady Anya was named a Knight of Round last year, and look at what Marrybell herself had accomplished.

No, 18 was old enough for someone with the means, but more importantly, the drive. "Him, that boy reminds me far too much of some nobles back home, didn't you notice how he was looking at Jugo when we arrested him? How did he look at the Eleven staff?"

“I admit, I don’t notice such, not like princess Cornelia hides her opinions…” Oldrin paused right as the elevator dinged, and they walked out down the hallway, her knight realising what Marrybell was suggesting. “Wait.”

“Correct, young he may be, he managed to set things up where the man he was sworn to would be executed for no more than just hate against the Elevens." Marrybell was actually impressed. As with his position, he would have been close to Jugo, enough so that he could study his handwriting, enough to copy his signature at least. He would also know the man's schedule and be able to create a believable lie. Lastly, she saw how trusting Jugo was-he wouldn't have thought much of it if Greede had access to his accounts and other important assets.

Shame that trust turned out to be placed in the wrong man, who Marrybell believed would no doubt attempt to move their family back to the homeland, after renouncing whatever oaths they’ve taken to her sister, but that left Sakuya. Lord Kirkwayne, regardless of his opinions, wouldn’t leave her, not the only child of his Lady and Lord.

Marrybell paused, her heels clicking against the tiled floor, the hallway clear except for them as she wondered…what if that snake Greede was already hunting Sakuya? If she died, his father would have no reason to remain in Area 11.

Odrin caught on to her friend’s brewing anger, though she suspected it wasn’t towards Jugo. “But if you believe him innocent.”

Marrybell took a deep breath, held it, and breathed out. It wouldn't do to make moves unprepared and with so little evidence. But she would make plans to locate her niece, as for what came next?

She'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. "What I believe doesn't matter anymore. He's been charged with treason against the crown, and the evidence is still damning. Unless you can get Greede to admit on record to any of this, I can't stop this, and I'm not in the mood for it anyway, not when the trap's so close to being sprung." At least she had Zero’s death to look forward to.

Line Break

“Should we…be here?” Suzaku asked. Night had fallen over the settlement, but instead of being back at the barracks, he, the Glinda Knights, and it looked like 3 or more platoons of Cornelia's forces were all stationed at some prison. Why?

“Not a fan of an execution? I hear you, better for someone to die on their feet.” Tink commented.

“Well, Lord Guilford, the one who's going to hold the axe, so it would at least be clean.” Sokkia, riding in her Sutherland Eye, added.

Suzaku, who, like the rest, was in his cockpit as they acted as glorified and, if he was honest, unneeded security, shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m confused about, it’s why we’re here, or you guys? Aren’t you meant to be hunting Zero and the Black Knights?”

Answering his question was an explosion, followed by a second as panicked chatter came through the radio of the twin blasts not too far from them. “Well, looks like they arrived.” Sokkia smiled as she fired her Slash Harken onto a high wall, pulling herself up it to get a better view as the rest rushed in to investigate the breach.

Line break

Closer to the breach, Sutherlands and Gloucesters were already on the move. They had been informed of a suspected attack and were ready to act. Their determination wouldn't make up for other shortfalls as, through the flames and smoke, a VARIS was fired, impacting with the chest of a Gloucester, with its pilot not even having time to scream.

The rest froze, stunned for a moment before more gunfire ripped through their ranks, taking out several others and forcing the rest to scatter and retreat. Out of the flames rode the Nemesis Kagero, its main cannon tracking a target, a Sutherland, but Asahina's Gekka handled it before Chantal could fire. Allowing with them came Kallen, directly behind Zero, along with Tohdoh, Chiba, and units from the first and fourth squads, who, unlike earlier days, where they would have been equipped with Burai, all rode in Sutherlands painted in the Black Knight's colours.

“We’ve breached.” Zero called as he kept his eyes on his scanners, tracking the enemy as he led the charge. “Asahina, you secure our exit point. Chiba, you're right. Tohdoh, the left is all yours.”

“Understood.” Tohdoh broke away, taking 5 other units with him as they raced to secure their left flank, which at this time meant clearing up the remaining units before reinforcements could arrive.

“Look at him, giving orders.” Asahina chuckled.

“Focus on your job, take out anything that’ll bother us later.” Chiba was already shifting left, and, like her true master, she took 5 of their infiltration team with her.

“What the-” One of the Gloucesters fighting Tohdoh called out, as the samurai easily evaded their lance thrust, his giant blade revealing itself to have a rocket attached, as he was able to quickly capitalise on his enemy’s opening carving through his unit with ease before moving onto the next, being backed up by his men that his swords had done a excellent job training.

Zero used a more direct approach, as he could be dodging around the Britannians' gunfire. Still, with his shields, he thought it would be best to show them the other side of the power divide. With Kallen behind him, nothing got through to blaze. “It’s not going down, our guns are-!” As they started to panic, Chantal picked out the ones who remained calm. She fired their autocannons, ripping through their armour and forcing ejections.

“How quaint,” She mused as Kallen, seeing the distance close, leapt out from behind them and latched onto one Sutherland, she didn’t fire the RWS, instead she slammed them to the ground, jumped off and as she was moving towards the next, she fired her grenade launcher at the down and dazed unit, with the following the explosion handing it.

It was joined by another as she grabbed onto the head of a second knightmare and then roasted it, the unit swelling up like a pustule-filled bubble before she kicked it into 2 others, where it exploded, bringing her kill count to 4.

Zero dodged a wall of gunfire, keeping them in motion as Chantal kept up suppressive fire. “Britannia is far too used to being the side of superior technology, match or surpass them, and they show themselves to be…unreliable soldiers.”

A warning came through, and Lelouch raised the shields to their right, turning their attention. They saw a Gloucester with a family finish and cape racing towards them, gun and a familiar red blade in hand. “Looks like those ones wish to prove you wrong.” Chantal chastised.

“Quite the opposite, no matter how much of a dung heap, there's always a diamond.” Zero gripped the controls tighter, as they were in a fight.

Guilford knew the attack was coming, but it was still amazing that Princess Marrybell’s plans had worked so well. She had even predicted that Zero wouldn't be able to bring a sizable force for the operation, else he risked giving himself away.

For that, he was ready, and despite his personal preference and experience with a battle lance, he had seen how Narita and Port Yokosuka had gone and requested an MVS. “All forces, I have eyes on Zero, don’t let them escape.”

“Yes, my lord!” Zero matched his charge, not firing but choosing to ram him. Still, at the last second, Zero pushed his unit, with its improved servo motors, gear assembly, and suspension, to jump over Guilford, who lashed at with his blade, only managing to deal a minor cut to the unit's underbelly.

“Q-1.” Zero called out as Kallen rushed it, having closed the gap with Guilford focused on Zero.

“Right!” She called as she lashed out, Guilford quickly choosing to pull back, having heard from his Princess what that red machine’s right hand.

“The red machine?” Guilford asked, but saw Zero shifting to his rear, his turret shifting to get him in its crosshairs. “Dammit, I’m pinned.”

“Look out below!” Leonhardt called out to his allies. The Bradford came screaming out of the sky, firing its linear cannon like a chain gun. Kallen saw the attack coming and immediately shifted, as did Zero. However, the blasts blew apart the ground, throwing rubble across the front of the Nemesis.

“The flyer!” Chiba called out.

“Take it down!” Some of the Black Knights yelled, pointing towards the sky, but that left them open as a shot from the Zetland destroyed 3 of them. At the same time, another suffered a direct hit to its side from a VARIS, fired not from the Lancelot, but from one of its red cousins.

“Zero,” Marrybell spoke via the radio, the Princess geared in a pilot suit which left much exposed. “Fitting you would break into a prison and execution grounds. You saved us the trouble.”

Her arrival heralded the arrival of the rest of the Britannian reinforcements. Guilford now faced off against Kallen. Tohdoh stared down the original Lancelot. Asahina found his efforts to secure their retreat hampered by Oldrin. At the same time, Chiba needed to worry about the Bradford, which still flew overhead.

Zero, well, he had more than his fair share of problems, but the biggest was the Princess who wanted his head on a platter. If he felt fear, he didn't let it show as he calmly replied. “I am nothing if not a gentleman, but I'm afraid all you'll get out of me is that. If you want my head, then prove yourself capable of taking it.”

“Oh, I will, tonight my brother will be avenged!” Marrybell brought her VARIS up in a snap and fired on him, with the skirmish bursting back into life from there.

Line Break

“What in the blazes…” Jugo asked as the place continued to shake. Walking to the cell door, he looked down either end of the hallway, but didn't see anything. That was, till a couple of soldiers came marching towards him.

“Sir, what seems to be the issue?” Jugo asked, as one of them opened his cell door, but instead of walking out, he stepped back as the second pulled out his rifle and aimed it right at his chest.

“Looks like the Black Knights are attacking to bust you out,” his executioner explained, which made Jugo frown for several reasons. Still, one of the biggest was that it was about to get him killed. “Unfortunately, you’re not leaving here alive.”

“Not if we can help it.” A voice came through the wall, before it was blown to pieces, the collapsing concrete and steel crashing into the two soldiers, Jugo being spared because it didn't spill much into his cell.

“What the…” He coughed as the dust got into his lungs, but when he looked up, he saw something he had never seen himself, but had seen plenty in the news. “Knightmares?”

The two units, one a Gekka and the other a Sutherland armed with a rocket launcher, looked down on him. “That’s him all right. Now let’s get him out of here and link up with the others.” Tamaki called out to Senba.

“Terrorists, what do you want?” Jugo demanded, as he hadn’t gone years avoiding such people only for them to bust in now.

“Ain’t that obvious?" Tamaki asked as Senba opened his cockpit to address the man properly.

“Respectfully, we’re honouring a request from Kyoto," Senba told him. By this point, well, it didn't really matter whether he was connected to them or not. As far as Britannian seemed to care, he was a criminal and a dead man.

“Kaguya…” Jugo sighed, as he figured his niece had a hand in this; no doubt that she had much to say to him, but he couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it were a war horse.

“Sir, you might not like us, but you really don’t have any options if you plan on living. Come on, let’s get out of here.” Urabe reached Jugo, who reluctantly walked onto Gekka’s hands, stopping to offer a quick prayer to the 2 men who had died right before his eyes.

Closing his cockpit, Senba shifted to hold his precious cargo close as he and Tamaki rushed to meet up with Senba and the rest of the second squad. Things looked like they were going according to plan. With all the attention on the flashier entrance and Zero’s presence, they were able to use a quieter means to enter the base, and now they just needed to reach the exit.

Tamaki, being unburdened by human cargo, got ahead of him. It also meant that when they got a corner, Tamaki took it first and was hit without warning.

“Crap!” Urabe, who saw it from their hidden position close to their exit, cursed.

“Dammit, why is it always me?!” Lucky for Tamaki, the shot hadn't been lethal, but Senba and Urabe both recognised the shot. As Tamaki's cockpit was sent rocketing off, they tried to peek out the corner, only to dive back into cover when a second shot nearly struck Senba, who pulled further back to use the building as cover.

Off to the far side of the prison, atop the tallest tower, Sokkia had taken up position. She had been watching things on the main battlefield when she picked up their second bunch of intruders. Sadly for them, the buildings weren't nearly as effective a defense against her unit’s superior sensory equipment; even her screens displayed a much more detailed picture of the base, including the positions of friend and foe.

With that, she could track where the bigger group was and decided to handle them; she fired on them.

Her surprise shot through 2 walls wrecked the knightmare to Urabe’s side, forcing him to order them to scatter and keep on the move. As he raced to avoid being the next one taken out, he sent out a call to the rest. “We have a problem, we have a sniper, they got us pinned down.”

Line Break

“Rescue is being delayed?” Chantal asked, though she could hardly give it attention as they battled against Marrybell, the woman proving why she hadn't been defeated by Kallen during their last engagement: she knew how to fight and had developed a fighting style that brought her strengths to the forefront and minimized her weaknesses.

As they pulled back, Lelouch had to lean slightly to one side to present more of the blaze to the Sutherlands, who peppered them with shots. One of Marrybell's strengths was her ability to utilise her troops. They didn't get close, and she didn't give them the chance to land; she just blew on them.

An alert sounded, and Lelouch pulled back hard on the controls, leaping back to avoid a shot from the Zetland. He didn't doubt his blaze could absorb the damage, but he had to be careful about energy consumption.

Tohdoh was too busy to lend him or anyone help, trapped in a fierce sword battle against the Lancelot. His larger blade proved to be an advantage against it, but he hadn’t allowed himself to leave openings. Batting aside an attempt to take his unit's head off, he flipped the blade in his hand and fired his pommel-mounted slash harken at the Lancelot, striking it across the line. Firing his blades rockets once more, he swung the blade, aiming to shear the Lancelot in two, only for the edge to crash into its blaze.

Knowing his chance was gone, he pulled back and held his blade at the ready, his eyes narrowed on his opponent. “We don’t have the numbers for a prolonged engagement.”

Suzaku had handled 3 of the knightmares, but this blade, one with a large blade, was proving to be trouble, almost as much as the red one. “Just who is this? Their skills are incredible.” Was it Zero? No, that couldn't be; he saw a unit matching the masked man's style engaged against the Princess and Tink. He just had to do his part, keep them pinned as they whittle down their numbers. Not even Zero could escape if he was surrounded, but dammit, why couldn't the masked man see that and surrender? Why would he let his soldiers perish in this meaningless battle?

“We can't offer any help; we're boxed in as is," Chiba called as she was zipping around the place, having dealt with most of the ground knightmares; the flying one was constantly on them. Using a mix of ranged weapons, and in one case, which caught 3 of them by surprise, descended where it shifted forms and defeated those closest before it returned to the sky, before Chiba could try and press it.

Flatting out, Lelouch made them just barely evade a slash from Marrybell, quickly spinning around to give Chantal the chance to fire on her as they pulled back. “Senba, Urabe, what is the sniper’s location?” Zero asked.

“We’re too far to make a move," Senba replied, keeping his focus split between protecting Jugo and not being shot.

“Yeah, no offense, but these Gekkas weren’t designed with ranged battle in mind," Urabe commented, prompting Rakshata to get on the line.

“I designed them to fit the client, don't blame me, none of your preferred ranged combat.” She defended her work.

Chantal fired on the Zetland right as it would have fired; she couldn't use the VARIS, but their duel autocannons were enough of a threat that the hulking unit pulled back. “Send me the targeting data; we can handle it.”

As the line cut, Chantal couldn’t resist the urge. “Careful, boyo. You’re not the only one who's going to have to take that shot.”

Lelouch turned them fully, Marrybell, who came down to try and impale them on her blade, onto to hit their blaze, her Lancelot Trial straining to pierce through, but Lloyd's work wasn't to be written off. “You haven’t disappointed me yet, my love. I doubt tonight will be when you start. I’ll give you an opening and you can work your magic.”

As Lelouch pushed forward, they threw Marrybell off balance. Still, fire from both sides forced them to abandon the initiative, allowing Marrybell to recover and put some distance between them.

"Magic, he says, shall I also turn them into a toad?" Chantal joked.

“That would be appreciated. We could keep them in a little enclosure.” Zero, despite how things weren't looking good, could only feel his blood racing, his mind running like a supercomputer.

He could never have known that his sister was the same. She hated him, she loathed him, but she couldn't deny this thrill, the danger, and the struggle to see Zero dead at her feet while evading his attempts to do her as he did Clovis.

Marrybell knew what she was, who she was, and right now? Right now, she was having the time of her life.

Shifting, she crouched her Lancelot, her blade held to the side, and VARIS aimed dead centre for the Nemesis, which almost seemed to hiss and growl like a beast from fantasy, its fangs dripping with poison, its claws sharp and ready to tear her to pieces.

The Nemesis raised its hind legs, giving its turret a wider field of view while keeping its autocannons primed. The red Lancelot's gold finishes remind one of the disgusting decadence of Pendragon, its red the blood spilled by this false knight whose blue eyes shone with nothing but malice and blood lust.

That was what they saw, and that was how the dog unchained, and the Emperor's hound rushed at one another once more with the screech of landspinners as the battle raged on around them.

Line break

“And now for the highlight of today’s events, Princess Euphemia shall collect the grand prize winner.” “The work that you place this flower on shall be deemed the winner, your Highness.” Nunnally was barely paying attention to the news, it being some fluff piece about sister Euphemia.

“Wonder which she’ll choose?” Rivalz asked, as he, along with the rest, was at the council building, seated across the living room as they watched, though many felt little engagement.

“Seeing which painting they stuck front and centre, it’s obvious there is a favourite.” Sancia pointed out, as they had just happened to place a portrait of the Emperor's dad centre.

“Seems a bit on the nose, wouldn’t you think?” Dalque mused on the girl lying upside down on the couch.

“Not really…” Alice muttered, as she had been in the worst mood since all the shit went down, if for no other reason than because Nunnally was in a bad mood. This…this wasn't something she knew how to handle. Alice was a fighter; she embraced that, but this wasn't an issue she could punch or prank her way out of.

Nunnally was more focused on what she wanted to talk to her brother about, having reached a decision thanks to Suzaku. But when she went looking for Lelouch, he and Chantal were already gone, Sayoko informing her they had stepped out.

She didn’t need to be a genius to guess what they could be doing.

“We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a news bulletin. As we speak, a terrorist attack is underway at Prince Andrew prison, which the authorities are working to contain. We now go to the scene with our own Christine Fall.” The news changed, catching their interest.

“Terrorists?” Nina asked as the feed changed, showing a prison in flames, as knightmare wrecks dotted its courtyard. Still, others remained locked in battle, including one that looked more like a spider than a man.

Dalque nearly fell in surprise as she scurried to be right-side up, pointing at the TV. "She called out. “Wait a second, I know that, but it looks really different now."

“An upgrade to what we last saw.” Lucretia frowned, as she and her sisters could never forget that machine, on which Zero... piloted, and now he was trapped in a battle against, taking blows that she wasn't sure how he wasn't taking out.

“The Black Knights…Brother.” Nunnally clenched her hands, only to feel Shirley’s hand on her shoulder, the older girl trying to offer what support she could.

Line Break

And we've made it, the last regular chapter of the year and…I gotta say, it's been a real fun time writing this. I got to get a lot done and explore ideas that were always just that. I even got to work on other stories throughout the year, and read many others, which really made me happy. And to top it all off, my day didn't start with something to piss me off, or did I need to worry about stuff through it, though I was a little preoccupied, and because of that, this chapter was delayed.

With the chapter, we got some juicy set-up last chapter to begin with Jugo and possibly Sakuya, as I've been talking about them, and other characters from Rose a lot on the Discord. Despite how rushed Rose's job was, Rose was a popular character. I already have plans for Norland, but for obvious reasons, he's not gonna appear for a while, so don't be surprised by that. I also had the council still very much trying to reconcile what they thought they knew with what was with Lelouch, Kallen, the Black Knights, and Britannia, which I aimed to kinda settle now.