Chapter 262: The Black Knights, Shadow Garden, and the Knights of the Round
"What in the world happened here..."
Beneath his mask, Lelouch's pupils trembled, his voice trembling with panic for the first time.
Those with weaker mental fortitude among the others had already vomited on the spot.
Even Kallen covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to retch.
What lay before their eyes was nothing short of a scene from hell.
Blood…
Blood was everywhere!
The marble floor tiles were stained a dark crimson with blood. The surrounding walls were splattered haphazardly, like a child's graffiti, with scattered dismembered limbs stuck to them, punctuated by jagged white bones.
A half-severed arm dangled precariously from a swaying chandelier.
It was just like a bloody slaughterhouse!
At first, Lelouch thought it was a brutal massacre carried out by the Japan Liberation Front, but upon closer inspection, that wasn't the case. The remnants of uniforms, now darkened, were faintly visible on the dismembered limbs.
The heads scattered in the corners still bore expressions of terror, as if they had witnessed something horrifying before death.
"Hey, what exactly is this place..."
Kaname Ohgi turned to ask the terrorist guiding them about the situation.
But then he saw a black shadow flash by, and the terrorist beside him stiffened before silently collapsing into pieces on the ground under his gaze.
It wasn't just this one.
All eight accompanying terrorists were swiftly killed without even having a chance to cry out.
It was done so stealthily, no one noticed.
And in the center of the hall, three figures gradually emerged.
The slash just now was unleashed by the black-clad woman on the left, who had aqua-colored twin tails.
She wielded something that trailed like a whip.
On the right was a girl with silver shoulder-length hair, but her face was completely obscured by her mask.
As for the one in the middle, she appeared to be the leader, with golden hair flowing down to her waist, swaying gently in the air currents swirling through the hall.
Just standing there, she exuded an overwhelming presence.
Though all wore masks, their figures suggested they were undoubtedly beautiful girls. And weren't these the same individuals who had appeared on the Shinjuku battlefield?!
Many had already recognized them.
But when Lelouch saw the one in the middle, he frowned.
Because he knew her.
It was Alpha, who accompanied Yotsuba Mahiro.
If she was here, did that mean Mahiro-sensei had already begun to act?
"Hey, who the hell are you people?!"
"Tamaki, shut up!"
Unlike the others, Tamaki showed no fear and stepped forward to confront them.
Kaname Ohgi hurriedly pulled back this reckless fool.
Suddenly, Alpha took a step forward.
Though it was just a single step, it frightened everyone, and they quickly shoved the idiot Tamaki behind them.
"S-sorry… Tamaki didn't mean it…"
"…"
Alpha paid them no mind and instead turned her gaze to ZERO.
"Go upstairs. He's waiting for you."
With that, Alpha disappeared along with Beta and Epsilon behind her.
"ZERO, who exactly are they..."
"Someone who may become our future comrade."
To Kallen's question, ZERO simply replied.
"Let's go."
With a swish of his cape, he led them directly into the elevator.
As the elevator rumbled, everyone standing on the platform felt uneasy, cold sweat even seeping down their backs.
This was a scene they had never witnessed in all their time as resistance fighters.
It was like stepping into a dragon's den or a tiger's lair—an unknown demonic cave.
They had no idea what they would face next...
Ding!
The elevator reached its floor, and the doors slowly opened.
Strangely, this level wasn't as terrifying as the lobby downstairs. Instead, it was quite clean.
Yet for some reason, the air carried a bit of dust and a faint burnt smell, as if something had been scorched.
Following the scent instinctively, the group noticed increasing amounts of drifting dust and numerous weapons scattered on the ground.
They eventually arrived at a room.
Inside was very clean, without the choking dust from outside. The only person present was a white-haired man sitting at a round table, toying with a military knife.
Crack!
The knife shattered into several pieces in his hand.
That man was none other than the mysterious white-haired figure who had once joined Lelouch in the prison break!
Slowly swiveling his chair around, he smiled at the group and said:
"Yo, sorry, you're late. The terrorists in the hotel have already been cleared out by me."
Meanwhile, as Lelouch and Mahiro were meeting, Cornelia outside the hotel was taking action.
It could be said that Lelouch's acceptance by the Japan Liberation Front had tipped the scales of the current situation.
Cornelia was no longer holding back.
She planned to mobilize the power of the Knights of Rounds and contacted Lloyd from the Special Division, preparing to use Lancelot as bait for a feint attack in the underground transport tunnel and destroy the linear cannon.
This was to storm the hotel, eliminate the terrorists, rescue Euphy, and capture ZERO alive!
"Received, thank you for the designation!"
After ending the communication, Lloyd burst into bizarre, almost manic laughter.
"Hahaha... Did you hear that! Lancelot is finally being deployed!"
Thrilled at the opportunity to obtain combat data, Lloyd was practically dancing with joy.
Having been on standby for an entire day, he had grown extremely impatient. Moreover, with the Knights of Rounds present, he feared missing out on collecting such precious real combat experience data.
But whether it was extreme joy leading to sorrow or something else, the next moment, a powerful tremor shook the ground.
"What's happening? What's happening?!"
"An earthquake?!"
"No, look over there!"
All eyes converged on Lake Kawaguchi, where the epicenter of the tremor was—this artificial lake!
Violent ripples surged across the lake's surface, gradually turning into waves crashing against the shore. Under their gaze, the towering hotel standing on the artificial lake began to slowly sink!
"Euphy!!!"
"Everyone!!! No!!!"
Witnessing this, Cornelia's pupils contracted sharply as she cried out in despair.
Suzaku, piloting the Lancelot, leaped directly from the underground passage without heeding Lloyd's command of "Warrant Officer Kururugi" from behind, charging straight toward the collapsing building.
Clearly, this was a sign that the foundation's load-bearing columns had been destroyed.
But who exactly was responsible remained unknown.
The Britannian military hadn't even completed organizing rescue operations yet!
Click!
A photograph.
Anya, positioned at the prime spot by Lake Ashino, sat in her exclusive Knightmare with a melancholic aura, opened the cockpit hatch, and aimed her phone to capture a picture of the sinking grand hotel.
This was her habit.
Due to her lack of childhood memories and frequent memory confusion, Anya had developed the habits of keeping a diary and taking photographs from an early age.
However, this time, after taking the photo, she noticed something unusual in the image.
Amidst the dust, a white figure appeared before the half-collapsed, tilting building, standing there alone with an incredibly desolate silhouette.
Was it because the operator was too grief-stricken by the failed rescue to move?
No—it was because something seemed to emerge from the darkness, pressing against the Lancelot.
Boom!!!
At that moment, an explosive roar erupted from the hotel ruins, and the Lancelot was sent flying as if struck by a battering ram.
It skipped across the water's surface, creating several splashes before crashing into the shore.
Under normal circumstances, the Britannian forces would have been shocked, but they had no time for astonishment now.
Because a yacht was slowly emerging from beneath the hotel ruins, carrying all the hostages who had been kidnapped inside the hotel, including Euphemia and the students of Ashford Academy.
"People of Britannia, do not panic, nor grieve. The hostages trapped in the hotel have all been rescued and will now return to their families."
Lelouch—no, ZERO—stood at the bow of the ship, delivering a speech broadcasted worldwide through camera equipment.
"However, this rescue operation was not carried out by me, but by someone else!"
ZERO's voice clearly reached everyone's ears, causing Cornelia to swallow back the words "shameless" she had been about to utter.
Not ZERO?
Then who could it be?
"Allow me to introduce to you now, my other companion!"
Following the direction ZERO gestured, a figure appeared at the end of the main bridge connecting to the hotel.
Like a shadow emerging from stealth.
When the searchlights swept over, the person's appearance became clear.
Silver hair, red pupils, clad in a form-fitting black coat— unmistakably the other individual besides ZERO from the previous ORANGE incident!
"My name is Shadow."
A deep voice quietly resonated, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"We are the Shadow Garden."
Another voice took over, enchanting enough to captivate anyone.
Beside that person appeared one figure—no, to be precise, nine figures. Judging by their silhouettes, all were female, each wearing a mask that concealed their faces.
"We know all."
"We lurk beneath the shadows."
"We bring the blade of judgment upon all evildoers."
Their voices rang clear and resonant, like a proclamation.
However...
Shadow?
Shadow Garden?!
Cornelia furrowed her brow.
For some reason, the leader and the woman serving by his side both gave her a sense of familiarity.
"..."
Euphy, having been pushed into the hostage boat and brought ashore, gazed anxiously at the figure at the end of the bridge.
"That's right, those with power, fear us! Those without power, yearn for us! This world shall be judged by us, the Black Knights and Shadow Garden!"
After Shadow Garden concluded their proclamation to the world, ZERO seized the opportunity presented by the hostage crisis that shook Area 11 and, with the help of a certain media figure, declared his own manifesto, deciding to step onto this grand stage!
This marked the Black Knights' first full public appearance!
Ugh...
So cringey.
Thankfully, he had learned a trick from Cid and simply borrowed his name to use. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to pull off such an embarrassing, chuunibyou-style self-introduction in front of so many people.
It felt like the kind of thing that made you want to destroy the world out of sheer embarrassment.
But Cid probably wouldn't cross worlds just to chase him down for copyright fees, right?
That seemed unlikely.
As Mahiro was lost in these thoughts, just as ZERO finished his speech, a sudden roar erupted from the other end of the bridge.
"Aha! I don't care about your Shadow Garden or your Black Knights! If you're terrorists, then come and let me have some fun!!"
"Stop, Lord Brandley!"
However, Luciano completely ignored Cornelia's order and immediately charged onto the bridge in his Knightmare, breaking away from the Britannian forces.
He moved so fast that he reached Mahiro in mere seconds, the Knightmare's massive metal hand slamming down.
Boom...
The force was so great that the bridge trembled slightly.
The nine girls serving Shadow leaped away to evade the strike, leaving only him pinned beneath the hand, with just his head exposed, staring directly at the Knightmare.
"Hahaha, look at that! Your subordinates have all abandoned you and run away."
As he spoke, Luciano tightened his grip as if to crush him, yet carefully controlled the pressure, like holding an insect, as if he could snuff him out at any moment.
Mahiro said nothing, silently watching his opponent.
"How foolish."
Alpha, who had leaped into the air, gazed down at the scene below and spoke coldly.
"Lady Alpha, why won't you let us assist Lord Mahiro?"
The question came from Beta. She couldn't bear to stand by and watch Lord Mahiro being pinned down by such a filthy thing!
In response, Alpha merely sighed and said:
"Don't you understand, Beta? It's because he wants to play with that toy..."
Even so, in this situation, it was hard to tell who was playing with whom.
Luciano slowly raised the Knightmare's other arm, the embedded claws unfolding and gradually rotating like a drill bit.
A crystalline green energy shield-like layer covered its surface.
Carefully controlling the mechanism, Luciano brought the drill's tip closer to Shadow's forehead.
"Haha, no struggle like an insect? No matter. Let me tell you what your most precious possession is—it's your life!"
As a vampire of the empire, Luciano was well-versed in various methods of torture, specializing in making victims die amid sorrow and screams.
His goal now was to force this terrorist leader called Shadow to let out piercing shrieks of agony.
To crush him gradually—starting from the limbs, moving to the torso, and finally crushing his skull to squeeze out his brains.
Let his subordinates witness firsthand how miserably he would die!
Yet the next moment—
Sparks erupted violently as the descending drill tip met a barrier that halted its high-speed advance.
"Oh? No wonder you're so confident—you've got a little toy for protection... But how long can it last? An hour? Ten minutes? Or just ten seconds?"
A gleeful Luciano increased the pressure, forcing the drill downward again.
Sparks flew more intensely from the collision, like the strongest spear striking the toughest shield!
"Hahaha! Struggle, struggle! Watch as I slowly drill through your shield and crush your bones and organs!!"
"Hoh... So this is a Knight of Rounds? Not all that impressive."
It was then that Mahiro, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Reshaping the energy shield into a weapon—not a bad idea. You've learned something... but that's about it."
"What?!"
Luciano heard him clearly, his gleeful expression twisting at the remark.
"Still bluffing? Useless, useless! Let me slowly destroy what you hold most important and precious!"
A sharp, piercing, morbidly frenzied laughter echoed incessantly.
The grating noise made Mahiro frown in displeasure.
"Annoying as a fly. Disintegrate."
As he spoke, a faint red glow flickered in his pupils.
—"Mist Dispersion"—
In an instant, the high-speed rotating drill—along with both arms—turned to dust.
Immediately, Luciano's Knightmare lurched uncontrollably forward.
Rising from the ground, Mahiro reached upward—crack!—his fingers digging deep into the chest armor of the Knightmare.
Then, leaping into the air, he slammed it violently toward the ground!
Boom!
The ground shook.
A ripple exploded through the air as the 4.5-meter-tall Knightmare crashed into the bridge structure.
Scattered parts clattered to the ground—the impact nearly dismantling the Knight of Rounds' machine into components!
Luciano was thrown about in the cockpit, dizzy and seeing stars, unable to believe what had just happened.
What in the world was going on?
The system interface suddenly displayed a warning about losing both arms, and then his Knightmare was lifted by this insect and slammed to the ground?
How was that possible?!
Was this guy even human?!
An inexplicable fear sprouted in Luciano's heart—the fear of the unknown.
Rip!
Mahiro stood on the chest of the Knightmare, one foot planted on the side of the armor while his other hand grabbed the plating and tore it off effortlessly.
It was as easy as tearing paper—casually ripping open the armor and then shredding the final protective layer of the cockpit.
Looking down at Luciano, who lay inside unable to move, Mahiro's lips curled into a mocking smile as he said softly:
"Well, kid, having fun just now?"
"Release Lord Luciano!!!"
At that moment, four Knightmares from Luciano's War Goddess squad charged out from the Britannian army.
They sped across the bridge.
"Take them out."
Mahiro spoke without even looking up.
"Got it, boss! They're Delta's prey—no one else touches them!!!"
The water beneath the bridge suddenly rippled, and then a silver-white Knightmare burst through the surface—a beast-like machine on all fours.
Delta leaped directly into the cockpit, her slime combat suit writhing and instantly covering the Knightmare's surface, dyeing all the armor pure black.
But it wasn't just her. Eight more Knightmares appeared, and the remaining eight girls also entered their machines. Like the beast-like Knightmare, all of them transformed from silver-white to ink-black.
Even the weapons in each Knightmare's hands were completely different.
Delta's were sharp claws, their slender tips dyed crimson with particle lasers, mercilessly slashing toward the four oncoming War Goddess Knightmares.
Swish—swish—
A flash of red light, and the four Knightmares were instantly severed.
"Lord Luciano...…"
The War Goddess pilots inside uttered their final words before being engulfed in explosive flames.
The flames from the explosion on the bridge left the Britannian troops horrified.
Although they held little regard for Luciano, the skill of his War Goddess squad was undeniable—their refined cooperative tactics made them unbeatable for most.
They could even hold their own against the Knights of Rounds.
But now, they had been eliminated so easily?!
Screech—
A roar echoed from within the flames.
Suddenly, a blade of light flashed, cleaving through the curtain of fire, and a distinctly different Knightmare charged out at incredible speed.
It was a green-painted model, incredibly complex in design, draped in a wide cloak—far more refined than the War Goddess squad's Knightmares, almost on par with Luciano's.
But the longsword in its hand, shimmering with a crimson glow, was even more eye-catching.
Because that longsword had actually blocked the claw strike from the Knightmare piloted by Delta.
"I may despise Lord Brandley as well, but I will never allow you to act recklessly and tarnish the honor of the Knights of the Rounds!"
Monica, the golden-haired twelfth knight in the cockpit, made this declaration as she swiftly charged toward Luciano's position to provide assistance.
"That's right, Monica is correct. So I'll have to ask you to release that guy, Shadow."
The roar of engines echoed from the sky above as well.
A fighter jet dove toward the bridge, transforming mid-flight.
The Tristan, piloted by the Third Knight Gino Weinberg, descended from the sky. Its launched Swallow Claws anchored onto both sides of Luciano's mech, while the blades of the drawn double-headed scythe began to coil with crimson particles.
"Seems quite a few people have come out to save you, Mr. Vampire."
Mahiro sneered mockingly at the man in the cockpit, then raised his head to gaze at the Tristan mech that was now at close quarters.
"But if you think you can take this bastard back, then come and try!"
Mahiro raised his arm, clenched his fist, slowly assumed a stance, and then suddenly threw a powerful punch toward the sky.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening roar instantly erupted, as if the very atmosphere trembled, all things shook, and everything bowed to a monarch.
Behind Mahiro, a giant mech materialized out of thin air, mirroring his punching posture, and directly confronted the descending assault mech.
Faced with the incoming iron fist, the Tristan, piloted by Gino, had no time to evade and collided head-on with the punch.
Instantly on the verge of shattering, it was sent flying backward.
Meanwhile, Monica, who was in the midst of charging, felt her heart suddenly pound, and all her muscles tensed up.
She hastily pulled the brake mechanism, halting her mech, and then leaped backward.
Whoosh—
A crimson-black giant scythe slashed into the spot she had just occupied, sinking deep into the bridge surface.
She was blocked by the same black mech as before.
"Hoh, not bad. You actually managed to dodge that strike, but that's all you can do."
Epsilon calmly pulled out the scythe, a faint tone of mockery in his voice.
"And you're far inferior to that Bismarck fellow."
"Bastard, how dare you insult the First Knight... Don't underestimate the Knights of Rounds!!!"
Monica readjusted her stance, raised her longsword, and charged toward the black mech ahead as if launching a desperate assault.
But unfortunately, her longsword struck empty air.
The black mech seemed to vanish into thin air, and the next moment, Monica felt a tremor in her cockpit.
"Huh? Was I hit?"
Before she could even process it, her mech had already been sliced in half.
Epsilon, piloting the black mech, wielded a giant scythe enveloped in an eerie blue magical glow. With a swift swing, he dismembered the mech into fragments and casually fished out the unconscious Monica from the wreckage.
In just a brief moment, three Knights of the Rounds had been rendered combat-ineffective.
And two of them had already been captured.