Chapter 261: The Unpredictable Situation
"I say, Your Highness Princess Cornelia, why go through all this trouble? With us Knights of the Rounds here, wouldn't a direct frontal assault be the best option?"
Just then, an untimely, flippant voice quietly chimed in.
The speaker was the Tenth Knight, Luciano Bradley—a tall, orange-haired male knight with an orange cape draped over his shoulders.
Frivolous by nature and bloodthirsty, he did not get along well with the other Knights of the Rounds.
As it stood now, Anya, Gino, and Monica were gathered together, while this fellow sat alone in a chair, legs crossed, enjoying the attentions of his War Goddess squad. A throwing knife twirled deftly between his fingers.
Even as he spoke words of deference, his tone held not a shred of respect.
"..."
Seeing Luciano's disrespect, Cornelia's aide was about to flare up but was stopped by Guilford.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Guilford calmly analyzed:
"Sir Bradley, the primary objective of this operation is to ensure Princess Euphemia's safety. At present, all bridges connecting to the hotel except for one main roadway have been destroyed. The enemy also possesses anti-air and underwater equipment. Even the underground cargo passage linking the conference center hotel is blocked by a linear cannon modified from a Glasgow.
"If we launch a forceful assault, there is no viable route to storm the hotel. On the contrary, it would only provoke the terrorists."
"So, you're all just a bunch of fools."
Luciano's mocking words rang clearly in everyone's ears. Instantly, the command center fell silent, the atmosphere growing heavy and tense.
All eyes were fixed on Luciano.
"You bastard!!!"
Cornelia's aide could no longer endure this frivolous man's provocation and insults. Just as he prepared to strike—whoosh!—a throwing knife whizzed past his cheek.
A drop of blood welled and fell, leaving a distinct red line on his face.
The man broke into a cold sweat on the spot. Had the knife been ten centimeters lower, it would likely have cost him his life.
"Luciano, what is the meaning of this?"
Cornelia narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke coldly.
"My apologies, Your Highness Princess Cornelia. I meant nothing by it—my hand simply slipped."
Luciano used a respectful tone, but a scornful smirk played at the corners of his lips.
War Goddess? In his view, this Cornelia was nothing but a mediocre woman, merely privileged by her royal birth—no different from that vase Euphemia...
Thinking this, Luciano leisurely drew another throwing knife from beneath his cloak and began to toy with it.
Spinning the blade, he swept his gaze over the group and said:
"But Your Highness Princess Cornelia, I don't believe I've said anything wrong."
Luciano's mockery persisted as he looked over everyone with equal derision, finally settling his eyes on Guilford.
"You just said the enemy has anti-air measures, making an aerial approach impossible? That's nothing but outdated junk. If we used a Knightmare, are you certain we couldn't break through?"
"Lord Luciano, you make a valid point, but where can we find a flying Knightmare? Even if Lord Weinberg's unit can fly, it's only one machine. So how..."
Guilford swallowed his anger, suppressing his inner dissatisfaction as he continued calmly.
If Princess Euphy weren't currently in danger, even if Princess Cornelia tried to stop him, he would have challenged this man to a duel!
"Even if it's just one machine, it can be done. Don't lump us Knights of Rounds together with small fries like you. Isn't that right, Gino?"
"Oh my, you flatter me, Lord Brandley. I was once just an ordinary knight myself, only fortunate to receive His Majesty's grace to become a member of the Knights of Rounds. Honestly, I'm no different from them."
"Tch, bastard..."
Luciano curled his lips in disdain at the golden-haired bastard with that gentle smile on his face.
He never expected a fellow Knight of Rounds to show him so little respect!
However, just as he was about to say something more, Cornelia spoke up:
"Enough. Lord Brandley, I cannot accept your suggestion. This operation must not only guarantee Euphy's safety but also protect the lives of the other hostages!"
This was nearly an impossible mission.
To rescue the other hostages without compromising with the terrorists...
It was somewhat fanciful thinking.
No one present could fathom what Cornelia was actually thinking.
"Just as expected, a woman remains a woman—forever naive."
As everyone fell into silence, Luciano sneered and stood up.
"You've gone too far, Lord Brandley! If you want a knight's duel, I'll accompany you!"
Guilford spoke coldly.
The emotions he had been suppressing for the greater good finally erupted.
As the Empire's spear, he now directed his point toward the lofty Knight of Rounds before him.
Yet Luciano couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him, instead bowing to the already furious Cornelia: "In that case, my apologies, Princess Cornelia. I'm afraid I can no longer continue playing along with you all. I shall take my leave now."
As the Emperor's direct subordinates, only the Emperor could punish or command them. Otherwise, even imperial princes and princesses could do nothing to them.
Thus, he could essentially come and go as he pleased, with no one able to stop him.
But before leaving, Luciano left Cornelia with one final remark:
"Oh, by the way, I recall your teacher was that legend—Mahiro Zi Britannia, wasn't it? I never expected that person to teach such a naive student. If he knew, he'd probably weep, hehehehe..."
The morbid, arrogant laughter echoed through the silent operations command room.
After leaving the operations command room, Luciano didn't return to his quarters to rest. Instead, he went to the hangar, gazing up admiringly at his exclusive Knightmare—the RZA-10JS Percival.
The claws embedded in its arms glittered brilliantly under the lights.
Despite using purple coating, it emitted an eerie blood-red glow.
The Empire's Vampire—that was the title he earned on the battlefield.
But before that, there was another name: the Empire's Executioner, belonging to Mahiro Zi Britannia.
It could be said he made his name in a single battle, slaughtering every enemy on the battlefield like an executioner, leaving none alive. Luciano.
Luciano had practically grown up listening to the battlefield legends of Yotsuba Mahiro, and he was filled with admiration and reverence for this Empire's Executioner.
To what extent did he admire him?
Luciano wished he could find Yotsuba Mahiro, drag him onto the battlefield, dismember him piece by piece, and strip him of his life.
After all...
"The blood of a legend, the screams of a legend... must be quite exquisite, right? Hehehehe..."
A twisted, arrogant smile gradually spread across Luciano's face.
Not long after, an officer suddenly burst into the operations command room.
"What is it? Why the panic!"
"Governor, ZERO... we've received communication from ZERO."
"ZERO?!"
Cornelia frowned.
What could he possibly want at a time like this?
After a moment's thought, Cornelia promptly left the command room with Guilford and her other advisors.
Meanwhile, Diethard, who had been fishing by the lake out of boredom, received news that their news department's camera truck had been stolen.
"What? Truck number three was stolen! What was Jimson doing?"
"Well, he said when he came to his senses, the truck was already gone!"
The person in charge of truck number two replied with a bitter smile, an explanation even he found hard to believe.
But Diethard didn't press the matter, instead asking about the current status of truck number three.
"So where is truck number three now?"
"That... it's right in the middle of the military formation!"
Indeed, the number three camera truck, seized by Lelouch using his Geass, was now filled with members of the organization he was about to establish—former associates of Kallen, led by Kaname Ohgi.
And ZERO, the new leader, stood atop the number three camera truck, facing the Britannian army head-on.
All the spotlights were trained on him, as if welcoming the grand entrance of a protagonist.
Or perhaps, they were afraid ZERO might vanish into the darkness and escape the very next second.
At the same time, accompanied by an earthquake-like roar, several Knightmares painted in a deep purple blocked their path.
It was Cornelia's personal guard, and the mech at the forefront, with a white cape fluttering, was naturally Cornelia's own unit.
"We meet again, ZERO! Are you a member of the Japanese Liberation Front? Or are you trying to assist them? Regardless, settling the score between us takes priority now!"
Opening the cockpit, Cornelia stood up inside, gazing at ZERO, whose true face was hidden behind a mask on the opposite side.
A calm, murderous voice flowed from her pale purple lips.
"The debt from Shinjuku, from Clovis, will be repaid here and now!"
Cornelia drew her sidearm, a sword-like weapon, and aimed it directly down at ZERO on the camera truck, targeting the mask.
A single pull of the trigger would take ZERO's life right then and there.
This sight terrified everyone inside the truck.
If ZERO were to die here, wouldn't that mean they're walking right into the lion's den, with no way out?
"See? I told you we shouldn't have listened to ZERO! Charging into the enemy's stronghold like this is just asking for death!"
Tamaki started whining again.
As usual, he was ready to back out.
This time, however, no one else spoke, because the panic on their faces betrayed their inner thoughts.
They remained silent, enduring it, still holding onto the belief that ZERO could work a miracle.
But the next moment, ZERO on the roof of the vehicle spoke up.
"Is this really the right choice, Cornelia?"
"What do you mean?" Cornelia said, puzzled. "Are you still bluffing, ZERO? You won't be as lucky as you were in Saitama to escape this time!"
As she spoke, Cornelia prepared to pull the trigger, but at the critical moment, her hand stopped.
Because ZERO opposite her uttered words that forced her to halt.
"I'm not bluffing. I just want to ask you, which will you choose? The dead Clovis, or the living Euphemia. In other words, Cornelia, you don't want your sister Euphemia to end up as a cold corpse like Clovis, do you?"
"..."
Cornelia's face darkened.
These words had struck her weak spot completely, leaving her utterly cornered.
Euphemia meant as much to Cornelia as life itself—nothing was more important than Euphy's safety!
It was precisely because Lelouch knew Cornelia was a devoted sister that he dared to appear here.
That's why you can't take action.
"Choose, Cornelia."
ZERO slowly spread his arms toward Cornelia, as if putting on a show.
"You can kill me here, or you can use my power to rescue your sister Euphemia, along with all the other Britannian hostages."
Cornelia hesitated.
And this moment of hesitation became the first condition Lelouch needed to achieve.
"ZERO, I don't know what you're talking about!"
Cornelia was still putting up a desperate struggle.
"I can definitely rescue them, along with the hostages—if it's me!"
Lelouch repeated with certainty.
After a long silence, Cornelia, along with Guilford and the other royal guards behind her, stepped aside, clearing the bridge leading to the hotel, and simultaneously issued the order to let them pass.
"All forces, stand down! Let ZERO through!"
The camera vehicle started up again, slowly driving across the bridge toward the hotel.
However, as they passed each other, Cornelia couldn't help but clench her fists tightly.
Her brother's enemy was right in front of her, yet she could do nothing...
But ZERO was right—compared to the already deceased Clovis, the living Euphemia was far more important.
Just as ZERO and his group slowly crossed the bridge, the situation inside the hotel began to change as well.
The change was triggered when the terrorists, while patrolling among the hostages, frightened Nina, who was terrified of ELEVENs, causing her to mutter "ELEVEN" under her breath.
"What did you just say?! How dare you call us ELEVEN—we are Japanese!"
As if striking a nerve, the man directly aimed his gun at Nina who was shrinking in Milly's embrace.
"It seems we need to teach you Britannian woman a lesson! Let us properly educate you!"
Ignoring Nina's terrified screams, the man reached for the girl's arm.
However, just as he was about to grab and pull her up, a hand caught his wrist.
"Sorry about this, but she's just a student. If you have any issues, why not take it up with me instead."
"And who are you?!"
The man turned his head and froze momentarily upon seeing the person who caught his wrist—because that person also had Asian features.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Yotsuba Mahiro, this child's teacher."
"Teacher..."
Seeing her teacher standing up for her, Nina's eyes welled up with tears.
The teacher is really protecting me, he really wasn't lying...
Nina was deeply moved. Mahiro's presence was like a beam of light shining into her dark heart, dispelling the lingering gloom.
Unfortunately, moved as she was, there was nothing she could currently do to help her teacher.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Euphemia, hidden among the crowd, was startled upon hearing the name Yotsuba Mahiro.
"Mahiro-sensei?"
She abruptly looked up, and seeing that familiar figure, Euphemia felt utterly astonished.
Why would the teacher appear here?
When the terrorist heard the name Yotsuba Mahiro and examined his clothing and relationship with the Britannian students, his expression immediately turned vicious.
"So you're Britannia's dog! Traitors like you are even more despicable than those people!"
He immediately raised his rifle butt, aiming to smash it against Mahiro's head.
"Please stop!"
Ignoring her attendants' attempts to restrain her, Euphemia stood up from the crowd.
"I am Euphemia li Britannia, the Third Princess of the Britannian Empire! I demand that you treat the hostages properly and let me speak with your leader!"
Everyone stared in shock at the pink-haired girl, Euphemia.
Even the terrorists were stunned.
There was such a surprise hidden among the crowd???
However, paying no mind to their astonishment and shock, Euphemia smiled gently at the panicked Nina: "Don't worry, I'm here. Nothing will happen to you."
Euphemia's smile seemed to grant Nina salvation, leaving her frozen in place.
It became the second beam of light to enter her heart.
Then, Euphemia looked up and softly asked Mahiro:
"Teacher, are you unharmed?"
Teacher?!
The hostages and terrorists alike looked in surprise at Yotsuba Mahiro standing there.
If this girl really is the Third Princess, then her teacher would be...
Hearing this, Mahiro couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"I'm fine, but someone's about to be in trouble soon."
"..."
Euphemia hunched her shoulders apologetically, showing a very sorry smile.
After all, she couldn't just stand by and watch her teacher get beaten by those guys!
Though it seemed she had misunderstood one thing.
"Why are you apologizing? It's not like you're the one who's going to suffer."
"Huh?"
Euphy blinked blankly at these words.
As their eyes met, Mahiro's pupils suddenly glowed with an eerie red light, and a sapphire-blue pentagram magic circle expanded from the center of his irises.
Immediately, the person beside them clutched their stomach in agony, while other terrorists fell to their knees clutching their chests, their eyes bloodshot as if about to burst.
The next second, under Euphy's bewildered gaze, these individuals exploded into dust, with a wisp of sapphire-blue flame dissipating into the air.
It was like magic.
In an instant, all armed militants in the room were eradicated, leaving only scattered ashes and firearms lying in the dust.
"I said something would happen to them, after all."
"Will the Japan Liberation Front welcome me as a comrade or treat me as an obstacle? Either way, they won't be able to resist the temptation of meeting ZERO. With that said, all prerequisites for the operation have been fulfilled!"
Watching the Japan Liberation Front resistance members open the hotel doors to welcome them, Lelouch smiled triumphantly beneath his mask.
Through prior contact with Britannia, Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe, who had seized the hotel, had unhesitatingly chosen to receive them.
But the moment ZERO's group stepped out of the broadcast van and entered the hotel, they discovered the situation was completely different from what they had anticipated.
"What in the world happened here..."