Right after dealing with the reinforts elia sent to deal with the fleeing JLF ship, Yuuji made to the rendezvous point he and Lelouch had agreed upon before.

  Soon, he saw Lelouch’s knightmare, a burai with a dark crimson horned mask on its head, and several other buraise who served as his guards while waiting for him.

  “Zero.”

  “Good work. You came right on time. Let’s go. elia’s just up ahead.”

  Yuuji nodded and turowards the others in their burai frames.

  “Patrol the area and duct a seard destroy of any Britannian forces. Work together with the others so none of elia’s forces could e to her position in time.”

  ““Yes!!””

  With a resounding affirmative, all five burais immediately set off and began patrolling the area, following Yuuji’s order.

  Just theiced a crimson light, followed by an explosiohe shore.

  “Ah, that must be the Guren. It seems like she’s doing well for herself.”

  Lelouch, who noticed the same, ehrough their private unication liween their knightmare frames.

  “Yeah. She should be winning easily, especially since La seemed to be unsure about the iven to him.”

  Knowing Suzaku’s inner feelings and psyche through the anime, Yuuji and Lelouch could easily predict the clusion of a fight between an unsure Suzaku, and a determined Karen.

  Karen and Suzaku were depicted as an equal, the most powerful knightmare frame pilot of their respective sides. But iy, Karen was even more powerful, given she was capable of fighting on par and, in the end, winning against Suzaku despite him gaining a boost in his fighting capabilities thanks to Lelouch’s geass for him to “live”.

  Now, without Lelouch’s geass and his doubts in his orders, Karen, who had renewed her determination and had improved her piloting skills tremendously thanks to Yuuji, would be able to defeat the La without any problem.

  “Let’s go, Mordred. It’s time.”

  “Yeah.”

  Yuuji led in front while Lelouch followed from behind, both of them making their way towards elia’s position.

  Don’t lose, Karen. Or you won’t hear the end of it from me.

  His lips curled into a soft smile as he recalled the time they’ve spent together.

  Karen was never someone who’d take a loss so easily. She was extremely petitive, and would always try her best to wihough she knew she was at a disadvantage.

  It art of her that Yuuji greatly admired and loved.

  Though, he loved her “angy” expression when she lost against him just as much. It was simply too cute.

  That’s why he would never hold back when teag her and peting against her. This way, she’d be able to improve more than if he would hold back. And, when she lost, he’d get to enjoy her pouts and expressions.

  Yuuji enjoyed his musing, imagining the various expressions Karen had made wheeased her.

  That said, he was pletely alerted about his surroundings. His Elemental Sight allowed him to grasp every single inch of the battlefield, and he could clearly see the Britannian forces trying their best troup or make their way to elia’s position, only to be halted and disrupted by the Bights.

  Even the La was under Guren’s mercy as it fought without its left arm against the best pilot of the Bights after Yuuji.

  Thus, Leloud him were making their way towards the ander of the Britannian forces without ao halt them.

  Turning ers, going iween warehouses, the two soon came face to face with the iic ized Gloucester that beloo the rincess of the Holy Britannian Empire.

  She was alone.

  No knights by her side. Not even soldiers, as they’ve bee by elia herself to reinforce her forces that had been ambushed by the Bights.

  Yet there she stood, high, mighty, and dignified, with her massive nce by her side, its hilt crushing the crete grouh it from its weight.

  She stood in an impossibly imposing manner, despite fag the Grim Reaper of the Bights, who could defeat her easily without even drawing his swords, and Zero himself.

  Ahe voice that resounded out of the imposing violet knightmare frame sounded… exhausted.

  “So you’ve e after all…”

  “Of course. We’ve made a deal, and promised that we shall appear before you once again if you fail to keep your side of the deal.”

  “...”

  elia was fident in her army’s prowess. They were her soldiers, men who had overe adversaries along with her and prevailed numerous times before.

  But after experieng the battle of Narita, she knew she couldn’t sider the Bights so lightly. And she didn’t, yet, they still went beyond her expectations.

  However, even if they didn’t, elia truly thought over her decision in attag the final remnants of the Japan Liberation Ford pletely snuff out the fire of the Japanese military.

  Her dear little sister, Euphemia Li Britannia, had given her proposals to create a special administrative zone where “Elevens” could be referred to as “Japanese” once again and be given a pseudo-autonomy uheir rule.

  She had read them… She had read them all and put them under serious sideration, especially after her meeting with Zero in the mountains of Narita.

  But in the end, she couldn’t simply throw away all the blood and tears her and her soldiers had spent in pletely ralizing the Japanese military and attaining plete rule over Area 11.

  She thought that perhaps… After she was doh pletely erasing any hostile forces in Area 11, she could give it to Euphemia a her rule. Knowing her little sister’s personality, elia khat peace would e onto this nd.

  But…

  “Why do you stand in my way?”

  elia raised her arm and aimed her spear right at Zero, ign the Grim Reaper by his side.

  A, even at the obvious act of hostility, the Excalibur didn’t move and simply stood here unmoving, as if implying that such a mere act of hostility from her won’t be enough to be a true threat for Zero while he was there.

  “Do you think that snuffing out the final pilr of the Japanese Military will be enough t peace to this nd?”

  “Of course. It will be! Without the JLF, this nd will no longer bear any threat to the Holy Britannian Empire!”

  “A here we are. You, the rincess of the Holy Britannian empire who knew , pushed into the er by a newly formed rebel group.”

  “...”

  elia ched her teeth and luowards Zero with her hrusted. But, the tip of her opped just a few inches off of the chest of Zero’s burai.

  A creaking sound of metal being crushed echoed throughout the area as the Excalibur’s cwed left hand held onto elia’s nce, preventing it from going any further.

  “Then I will defeat you! I will crush you here and then the Japan Liberation Force!”

  “Even if the Japan Liberation Force disappears, anroup of rebels will form. And another. And another. Until orong enough to oppose you appears, and pluhis nd into war once again.”

  “Then I will keep on crushing them one by one!”

  “And when will it end?”

  elia, who had been trying to push the nce forward and pierce Zero’s cockpit, stopped.

  “Will it end until you have no more army? When every single one of your men had died? Or when you die and leave those who care about you?”

  Euphie’s figure fshed across her mind, and elia pletely froze, stunned by his words.

  The Excalibur let go of the nce, and it lowered down to the ground as elia’s arm lost its strength.

  “You will never be able to pletely snuff out the fires of rebellion, oh princess of the Holy Britannian Empire. For war begets war, and the cycle of suffering and revenge will never break if you try to end it with even more suffering.”

  elia fell silent, for she khat Zero spoke the truth.

  She had seen it tless times… She had attained many victories. Defeated armies. Nations. Yet, every siime, no matter how thhly and pletely she believed she had won, there would always be an incursion from a rebel group.

  No matter how many she snuffed out, they would always appear. And they would tio appear, prolonging the war, and plunging both sides deeper into the cycle of suffering and hatred.

  She k all too well. For she had seen it and experie more times than she had victories.

  “Do you think I wish for war? Do you think I revel standing on a ground soaked with the blood of my enemies and allies?!”

  “No. That is why you stand here now, alive.”

  Zero’s burai took a step forward and faced the slightly taller ized Gloucester head on.

  “You wish for peace. That is why you fight so hard. To ehere would be peace after quest. You believe you’d be able to do it, even though no one in history could have do, because you are powerful.

  But you’re wrong, elia. No matter how skilled you are with a knightmare and anding an army, you are, in the end, still human. And the peace you seek will not e if you seek it by waging wars.”

  Zero turned around, exposing the most vulnerable point of a knightmare frame in front of elia. Yet, elia stood unmoving even though she was given ample opportunity to strike down the ander of her opposing army.

  “Peace is built not by a mountain of corpses and bullets. They could only be built upon passion, sideration, uanding, and willio accept differences.

  If you don’t have supassion, find someone who does. Ahem realize their wish t peato this nd.”

  Zero began to move away, and the Excalibur followed closely behind as elia stood there frozen.

  “The ime we meet, I sincerely hope that we stand together side by side, not as enemies, but as allies, trying te a path towards peace.”

  --------------------------------X--------------------------------

  A small, bright ball of red flew to the sky and burst into a small, red firework, lighting up the dark, night sky with a crimson hue.

  Karen looked up from within the cockpit of her Guren and saw it through the top monitor s. It was the fre Zero fired to signal all participating members of the Bights that they’ve succeeded in their objectives and to retreat to their designated rendezvous point.

  She looked back down, ah the feet of her Guren was the La with its head within the grasp of her right hand.

  She was just about to pull the trigger, her thumb already right above the button to unleash Guren’s lethal Radiant Wave Surger. But she stopped when she heard the fre and recalled Mordred’s words.

  “Don’t kill the pilot of the La. He’ll be needed for the sake of pea Japan.”

  She looked at the La once again. The White Knight who had defeated many of her friends and pushed them to the brink multiple times before they meet Zero and Mordred.

  But in the end… She let go of the La’s head, stepped off its body, a.

  You better expin to me in more detail why I should spare the white knight ter, Mordred.

  She let out a sigh ahe strength leaving her body as the tenseness of battle left her with the end of the operation.

  Instead, a feeling of happiness and relief that they’ve safely pleted their objectives filled her. She couldn’t wait to report back, meet everyone, and rub her victory over the La to Mordred’s fabsp;

  Now, he’s not the only one who has defeated La anymore.

  Kare with a light heart, leaving La and Suzaku on the ground, fused, rattled, and disappointed.

  I lost… Again…

  First to the Excalibur. A masterpied on of destru though lost to history, now found and wielded by a monster.

  And now… to the Crimson Knightmare, aremely advanced knightmare frame created by the Japanese and wielded by a simirly skilled pilot.

  Even with La, the supposedly first ever seventh-geion knightmare with teologies surpassing most existing knightmare frames in the world, he still lost.

  Utterly.

  Anger, frustration, and disappoi filled his heart as he recalled the battle he had with the Excalibur and the Crimson Knightmare.

  And by the end of it, emptiness was all he felt.

  He was a soldier… What use was a soldier if he couldn’t defeat his enemies and protect the people whom he swore to protect. What use was a soldier who kept on losing… over and ain…?

  “Suzaku…”

  He tilted his head up and looked forward, towards the s. There, he saw Cecile’s figure, looking at him with a soft smile and worried eyes as she spoke with a warm, gentle voice.

  “The operation is over… The Bights have made their retreat. An order for retreat has also been announced. You should return now and take a rest.”

  “...I uand.”

  Suzaku nodded and raised the La back to its feet, and began making his way babsp;

  “There’s o worry… Although you could’ve doer, you were too distracted from your previous order and too worried about the Viceroy’s safety. You would’ve won if you could put all your focus otle.”

  Her gentle, f words resounded within the cockpit of La. Yet, it only served to make Suzaku more frustrated with himself as she ched onto his trols harder.

  “That’s no excuse, Miss Cecile… I lost… No matter the reason, I lost…”

  He shook his head lifelessly, and silence filled his cockpit as Cecile simply looked at him worriedly without a word.

  A few moments ter, Suzaku smiled softly, helplessly, towards Cecile and lowered his head.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Cecile. But… May I be allowed to get a few days off to clear my mind. I would like to return to school… It has been quite a while since I’ve gone.”

  Cecile smiled iurn and nodded softly.

  “Of course. You may go after you’ve given your report and pass your postoperative health examination.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  VergsX