“Well then… Shall we talk?”

  elia looked up to the floating figure of the bd silver knightmare frame in the sky.

  Although chaos still enveloped the battlefield, everything around her seemed to fall silent as the familiar voice resounded.

  “Zero…”

  The bd silver knightmare frame slowly desded before finally nding on the ground a few distance away from her, and a pregnant silence fell upotlefield as the two leaders of opposite sides stared down each other in a tense moment.

  With but a gnce, she could see its resembo the crimson knightmare. But instead of o had two cwed hands that resembled the main on of the Guren. She could assume it to be capable of the same thing.

  However, with Zero’s skills in piloting a knightmare, even if his knightmare was far more advahan her, she believed she could still take him on and win… If the Excalibur wasn’t present.

  With him present, the crimson knightmare frame not far away, and her knights all but fallen, she knew she wouldn’t have a bsp;

  Despite knowing this, the warrior princess of the Holy Britannian empire still raised her rifle and aimed it right towards Zero.

  “... Do you think such a thing could harm me? Do you think your bullets could reach my body before he cut you down?”

  With the Tsukuyomi’s advanced defense system utilizing the Radiant wave shielding teology to automatically block attacks from any dire, Zero knew elia had little to no ce of actually harming him. And the moment she even tried, he knew Yuuji would immediately ralize her by removing all of her ons.

  And elia khat the bight could easily achieve such a thing as well.

  She gowards Excalibur, who was standing absolutely still with both swords still in hand. He stood quite a few distance away from her, but she had no doubt he could reach her in a blink of an eye, sidering everything she had seen that demon do.

  “They may not. But I’d rather die trying than cede or flee.”

  Her words were firm aermined, and spoken in a grave tohat dispyed her resoluteness, despite standing before death itself in the form of the jet-bck “Grim Reaper” of the battlefield.

  “I will never cede…”

  Zero remained silent for a moment and stared at his proud, brave… yet foolish half-sister in silenbsp;

  But, he soo out a quiet sigh, knowing this was simply just the kind of person she was.

  “So you would rather die miserably in this fn nd… Theurn to your home and protect your little sister, who is currently suffering alone?”

  elia flinched and her body instantly froze as Zero’s words struck her deeply in her heart. Her hands trembled, before she quickly ched onto the trol handles of her knightmare frame to prevent it from shaking even more.

  “Do you think… the young, kind, ale princess… could hold on if she lost even you?”

  “You…”

  Sadness, anger, worry, desperation, ay… His words evoked the emotions she had been trying her best to ceal and bury deep within her heart. No matter how hard she tried, her heart simply wouldn’t listen to her as she stared at Zero while images of a broken and g Euphie fshed across her mind.

  “Leave this nd, fn princess. Return to your home, ahat elder brother of yours establish a better retionship between Japan and Britannia.”

  Her trembling hands stopped as shock quickly repced all the emotions she felt in her heart upon hearing his words.

  Her eyes widened, staring at Zero in disbelief.

  “Whatever Seizel is pnning to do… Whatever he will try to offer this nd as repensation, Japan will not agree to it until Britannia leaves this nd aurns it to them. Not after all the Japanese blood spilled on the nd that you promised to be that of peace.”

  elia ched her teeth in frustration.

  The nd of peace her precious little sister dreamed of having and almost succeeded iing… All but marred by the blood of the people she had promised pead prosperity to.

  The tears of pain, anger, sadness, and despair she shed as elia watched her take off in her pne ride home. The heartbreaking cries she heard on the nights leading to her departure.

  If Japan had no power… Then they might be able to easily disregard this tragedy and use force to quell any riots and uproar.

  But iy… They couldn’t.

  With the strength Japan has now thanks to the Bights and the rec Japan Liberation Forothing Seizel could offer to pensate and apologize for the tragedy would be satisfactory to the Japanese.

  “Princess elia… Let this be the st war fought between Japan and Britannia… A’s start this over from zero.”

  Silence fell as elia mulled over his words.

  Deep inside, she knew what he said was the only choice she has now.

  Ever sihe tragedy, Britannia had been struggling to hold any sort of influend trol over Area Eleven, even the areas around Tokyo Settlement.

  The “Elevens” who were previously just trying to live through every day, trying to live through the discrimination, and holding back their urge to simply end it all themselves and break… The tragedy lit up the ahey thought they'd lost.

  Riots, assault, and chaos began happening all over Area Eleven. And with the JLF and Bight’s abs them into their forces and supp them, she khat Britannia was slowly being overwhelmed.

  And now… In this battle… Even if Darlton’s army somehow won their side of the war, it would be for naught.

  They won’t be able to face the Bights… not with such differen firepower.

  And even if they could, they would be too te by the time they arrived here.

  What a mess…

  With the Bights, Japan was noable of defending itself. And in all hoy… it wouldn’t be worth it to try and quer it now.

  The price they’d have to pay would be too much… and there wasn’t even a guarahey’d be able to win even if they poured their entire resources here.

  At best, Britannia would win after suffering irreversible damages. May it be to their ey, their military, the royal family, the people… or all of them.

  And at worst… She and the ruling members of the royal family might be killed off by the many enemies Britannia had created over the years of quering after their colpse, and Britannia would only be a nation in name.

  As it stands now… Seeing as the Bights were willing to seek peace between them, it’d be more beneficial for Britannia to somehow reach a mutual cooperation with Japan.

  elia lowered her rifle and spoke to Zero from within her Knightmare frame.

  “Having pushed me this far into the er… Why don’t you just take my head and end it yourself now. With me gone… You’ll be free to take this nd back from Britannia.”

  “My princess!!!”

  Guilford shouted in shod panic upon hearing his princess’s words. But he was uo move due to Excalibur still looming above him.

  “Because killing you would not result in peace.”

  Zero responded.

  “It would simply plunge everything deeper and deeper into the cycle of hatred, war, death, and revenge once again.

  What we all wish for… is peace.”

  Silence fell betweewo once again as elia fell into a deep thought once again.

  Images of Euphemia’s look of hope, determination, and vi when she proposed to her the pn for the Special Administrative Zone.

  The figure of the naive, i, little princess w day and night to make sure she could realize her dream of creating a pce where everyone be happy and live in peabsp;

  Her smile. Her wish. Her dream…

  elia could not help but let out a sigh before making her decision.

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

  Arriving at the hangar within Amaterasu, Yuuji leaped down the cockpit of Excalibur after parking it in its spad headed towards the Guren, who had just arrived.

  And when she exited her cockpit, Yuuji weled her with open arms and caught her as she leaped into his embrace.

  They shared a brief, yet passionate kiss before separating.

  “Good work. Are you hurt?”

  Karen shook her and smiled softly at him, her heart feeling warm and fuzzy from his worry and care.

  “No. I’m fine. How about you?”

  “I’m fine as well. It went much smoother than I expected.”

  “Uhn… I thought we’d fight against more of them, but it seems like the rest of the troops were doing a good job pinning most of elia’s soldiers down elsewhere.”

  With the newly developed and mass produced knightmare frames and the surprise attack they unched, most of Britannia’s troops were succesfully surrounded and pressured by the bined forces of the Bights and the JLFs, preventing them from circumventing and making their way to protect the princess.

  Lelouch’s strategy went well. Even though he had prepared a pn B of having Yuuji deal with any reinforts elia would receive and having the Guren stay with him to prevent elia from attag or esg, he didn’t even have to resort to it.

  “Well, I’m gd this is over…”

  “Yeah… With this… We finally regain our nd… And be free from Britannia’s rule.”

  Tears began to pool in the er of her eyes before Kare and embrace her beloved once more, burying her fa his chest.

  “Thank you… Thanks to you… and everyone… we finally live in peace…”

  “And you helped make it happen, Karen. It’s your victory too.”

  Yuuji returned her embrace, and she ed her arms around him even tighter.

  He had truly… utterly ged her life.

  From helping her with her fight, brightening her dull daily life in the academy, supp her in her lowest point, reuniting her with her mother… and loving her when she the most.

  The love of her life… It was truly a miracle that they could meet each other. Or perhaps… It was fate.

  Either way, now that he’s here with her… she would never let him go.

  Just then, they heard a series of footsteps rapidly approag them.

  They separated slightly and looked at the source, and they saw Cecilia running towards them and leaping into Yuuji’s embrace.

  She hugged him tightly, wordlessly, before she began patting him all over.

  “Are you hurt?”

  Yuuji smiled softly and pulled her into his embrace more.

  “I’m fine… And I’ve returo you… As promised.”

  “Mm…”

  Yuuji kissed her head and stroked her beautiful, long, light green hair.

  And then, they heard another set of footsteps ing from behind them.

  They turo look, and saw Lelouch, still donning his Zero outfit and mask, walking towards them with a rexed gait.

  “How did it go? I assume everythi well?”

  C.C looked at Zero and asked him as she stayed in Yuuji’s embrace.

  And to her question, Lelouch simply nodded.

  “Everythi well. We mao vince elia, and she had giveroops the order to retreat. I’ll be inf Tohdoh, General Katase, and the Kyoto House of elia’s decision ter so they begin the phase of the pn.”

  The three nodded in unison.

  With this, all that was left was to up the aftermath of the battle, re-establish the gover and military, and begin building back Japan from the ground up with the Bights supp it.

  It would take years… perhaps even decades. But it was the first time the Japanese had ever received this ce to recover and rebuild their home in more than a decade of war and suffering.

  “Well you guys go ahead a for now. We leave the aftermath of the battle to the JLF and the Kyoto House for now.”

  Yuuji nodded.

  “Mm. Then, we’ll go back to our home. tact me if you need any help. Also, don’t fet about Shirley.”

  “I know. Thank you.”

  Zero walked away and made his way to the bridge, leaving Yuuji, Karen, and Cecilia by themselves.

  “Well the’s go to the celebratory party I’m sure they’ll hold, aurn home.”

  Cecilia and Karen nodded before ing their arms around Yuuji’s, and followed after Zero slowly, enjoying the walk there.

  VergsX