Two hours after the Zeon retreat, the jungle above Jaburo burned again.
The flames hadn't even died before the sky split open — a rain of re-entry capsules streaking down like angry comets. The Federation base trembled. Metal screamed. And from deep within the underground fortress, alarms echoed through every corridor.
"Zeon forces detected! Multiple heat signatures approaching from orbit!"
In the command center, Revil's voice remained steady despite the chaos.
"Deploy defensive lines C through F. Keep the main hangars sealed. We can't afford another breach."
But even he couldn't hide the shadow that crossed his face. The Zeon were back — faster than expected, and this time, they weren't testing defenses. They were here to kill.
---
"Two hours…" Hikigaya muttered, fastening his pilot suit inside the Blitz Gundam's cockpit. "They didn't even wait for the coffee machine to cool off."
"Stop talking and focus," Mikazuki said calmly beside him, sealing his own helmet in the Duel. His tone carried no tension, no nerves — just that flat, eerie calm Hikigaya had learned to associate with people who lived too long on battlefields.
"Easy for you to say," Hikigaya grumbled. "Some of us still haven't gotten used to people shooting laser beams at our faces."
Komachi's voice crackled through the comms from the control room.
"Big brother, you better not die, okay? I didn't survive being drafted into a war just to lose you now!"
He sighed. "No promises, Komachi. If I die, you can have my snack stash."
"Not funny!"
It was a bad joke. But jokes were the only shield he had left.
The ground shuddered — the enemy had arrived.
---
Outside, in the chaos of Jaburo's upper tunnels…
Lelouch's Black Zaku II landed like a dark angel, dust and debris exploding around it. His mono-eye swept across the cavern walls, data flashing in his visor — heat signatures, movement, power lines, enemy density. All processed, categorized, and weaponized within seconds.
"Rezen, status," Lelouch ordered, voice sharp.
Rezen's Gogg waded through the flooded corridors ahead, claws glowing with residual heat. "Resistance thicker than expected. GM units entrenched in every choke point."
"Johnny, take your Dom squad and sweep the left flank," Lelouch commanded. "Shin, hit their rear with the Z'Gok. Disrupt comm lines and make them panic."
"Roger that!" Johnny's voice boomed, full of confidence. "Let's make these Feddies regret digging holes!"
Liam's voice came through comms next, calm but strained. "Multiple Federation reinforcements en route to your position. Estimated time: three minutes."
"Three minutes?" Lelouch smirked. "Then three minutes is all I need."
He pushed his Zaku forward, black armor reflecting firelight. "Our goal is Revil. Cut the head, the body will crumble."
His mind was already six moves ahead — escape routes, ammo counts, weak points in Jaburo's labyrinthine tunnels. Every second, the battlefield reshaped itself in his brain like a grand chessboard. And Lelouch moved first.
---
Hikigaya's radar pinged with incoming hostiles.
"Multiple units… underground, moving fast," he said, narrowing his eyes. "That's not normal GM movement."
"That's Zeon," Mikazuki replied. "And they're serious this time."
The Duel raised its beam rifle, stance steady, emotionless. Mikazuki's voice stayed flat, but there was an edge under it — something darker. "We hold them here."
Hikigaya exhaled. "Yeah, because we have no choice."
The first explosion came from the western shaft. Then another. The walls trembled, and out of the smoke, Johnny's Dom burst through with a thruster roar. Its heat saber slashed downward, missing Hikigaya's Blitz by inches.
"Fast bastard—!"
Hikigaya's counter came instinctively — Blitz's Mirage Colloid activated, cloaking the suit in a shimmer of invisibility. He vanished from Johnny's sensors, circling like a predator.
"Coward trick!" Johnny snarled, firing wildly into the shadows.
"Not cowardice," Hikigaya muttered, locking onto Johnny's back. "Just… good life insurance."
A beam dagger extended. One clean strike — Johnny's thruster was sliced open, erupting in fire.
Meanwhile, Mikazuki's Duel clashed head-on with Rezen's massive Gogg, sparks flying as metal met metal. The smaller Duel weaved between the Gogg's claws, each motion precise, brutal, and unflinching. Rezen roared, but Mikazuki didn't respond. His eyes were empty — only focus remained.
"Who taught you to fight like that, kid!?" Rezen shouted.
"Orga," Mikazuki replied, before ramming the Gogg with full force.
---
Lelouch's Zaku cut through a corridor of smoke and fire, his mono-eye glowing crimson. Every move of his subordinates reached him through comms — every heartbeat, every death. His plan was holding. They were within one kilometer of the central HQ.
And yet…
Something's wrong.
The instinct whispered in his skull like static. He stopped his Zaku mid-step — just as the machine beside him exploded.
The blast rocked the tunnel, sending debris and heat washing over him.
"Ambush!" Liam yelled over comms. "Invisible fire source—!"
Lelouch's eyes darted to his HUD. For a brief flicker, a shimmer moved through the dust — there, and gone again.
Invisible? No… cloaked.
"Blitz Gundam," Lelouch muttered. His mind replayed Rezen's earlier report — the "coward boy" who struck from nowhere, who disappeared without warning. "So, that's the coward."
He fired a burst toward the distortion. The beams missed — but the shimmer flinched. A shadow danced between the debris.
The Blitz retreated, vanishing again.
"Smart pilot," Lelouch whispered. "Knows when to retreat. Knows when to strike."
For the first time in the battle, Lelouch smiled faintly. Not mockery — respect.
"This battlefield has two minds at play," he murmured. "One of them… might even be worth meeting."
But his radar told the truth he couldn't ignore — Revil's HQ still stood, and his forces were thinning. Shin's comms were fading. Johnny's Dom was down. Rezen's Gogg damaged. The tide was turning, fast.
Lelouch exhaled, voice low. "All units… withdraw."
"Commander—!?"
"That's an order," he said, calm but final. "We lack the manpower. If we stay, we die. Pull back to the upper caverns and prepare for orbital return."
He turned his Zaku, the battlefield burning behind him.
As his screen dimmed, he caught one last glimpse — the Blitz Gundam, standing in the smoke, watching him silently.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "Next time, boy… I'll be the one waiting."
The comms cut to static.
---
Inside Blitz's cockpit, Hikigaya sighed, leaning back. "Well… that went better than expected."
Mikazuki's voice came through, calm as ever. "You didn't die."
"That's my baseline for success," Hikigaya replied.
The Duel stood beside the Blitz, armor scorched but still functional. Around them, Jaburo's defenders cheered faintly, exhausted but alive.
"Hey," Hikigaya muttered, looking at the distant smoke trails of retreating Zeon ships. "You think they'll come back again?"
"They always do," Mikazuki said.
"Figures." Hikigaya smirked tiredly. "Guess the next episode's already in production."