Chapter 263: To Fight? Or to Retreat?
Two Knights of Rounds were captured.
Just like king against king, general against general, akin to ancient warriors dueling one-on-one or knights jousting where no one else could interfere.
But Cornelia's advisors ultimately couldn't hold back and boldly offered their counsel.
"Your Highness, should we launch a rescue operation now... Your Highness?"
Cornelia showed no reaction, her delicate lips trembling slightly while her shaking pupils seemed to behold something unbelievable.
Reflected in her eyes was that towering Knightmare standing motionless on the bridge.
The mere presence of that Knightmare created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The silver-white and dark green color scheme, the frame taller than ordinary Knightmares, and the lifelike scales covering its surface made it appear not like intentionally crafted metal armor, but genuine dragon scales!
"..."
This can't be real, how is this possible?!
That Knightmare should be our teacher's personal unit, why would it appear here?
If that's the case, then that man must be...!
"Ahahaha, we're really seeing something incredible here~"
Lloyd let out his characteristic laugh, his eyes fixed on the screen showing the Knightmare that had just sent the Third Knight Gino flying.
"Mr. Lloyd, do you recognize that Knightmare?"
Cécile leaned in to look as well, then asked curiously.
"Well, I was fortunate enough to see it once before... but not in reality, Cécile-kun. It was in the archives' footage. That Knightmare is the prototype for all Knightmares."
"...?"
Cécile found this hard to believe after hearing it.
If it's truly the prototype, how did it end up in the hands of terrorists?
"Now the princess will have quite the headache, but I'm more looking forward to the matchup between Lancelot and the prototype. To obtain the latest combat data, ahahahaha~"
Lloyd remained as carefree as ever.
Or rather, nothing except matters related to Knightmares deserved his attention.
Meanwhile.
After driving away the annoying flies, Mahiro's gaze fell once again upon the immobilized Knight of Rounds lying in the cockpit.
Then he mercilessly stepped on it.
"K...!"
Blood sprayed from Luciano's mouth.
The once high-and-mighty Knight of Rounds now lay trampled underfoot like a dead dog, crushed like garbage.
At the same time, Mahiro asked in an unnaturally cheerful tone:
"Question, Mr. Imperial Vampire, what do you hold most precious? Is it your life?"
"Heh... hehe... You're truly a monster."
The overwhelming, bone-chilling murderous intent made Luciano realize the other's true nature.
This was a beast that preyed on humans!
Now opening its abyssal maw toward him...
"Unfortunately, that's the wrong answer."
Mahiro said coldly, the red light flashing brighter in his pupils.
"Mist Dispersion"
From skin to muscle, then to blood and bones, even the nutrients stored in the body and waste products—in that single moment, everything was broken down to the elemental level.
That is to say, molecules or ions composed of a single element.
In other words, Luciano Bradley as a biological entity was completely erased, and as an organic being, he had vanished entirely.
The only thing that could still prove his existence was the minuscule remnants of memory.
However, at that very moment, a furious roar erupted once again from the bridge.
"Stop this slaughter!!!!"
The silver-white Knightmare, Lancelot, charged from the shore onto the bridge, its auxiliary wheels scraping against the ground, leaving trails of blue smoke.
The core Sakuradite in its internal energy reactor was spinning at high speed, unleashing one hundred and twenty percent of its performance!
The immense power overloaded Suzaku's body, causing blood to spill from his mouth and nose.
But Suzaku paid no heed, driving Lancelot relentlessly toward the end of the bridge.
"I'll provide support."
Anya piloted Mordred, standing like a fortress in front of the Britannian army.
As a Knightmare equipped with long-range heavy firepower, it was only natural to fully utilize its ranged advantage!
After locking onto all the black Knightmares on the bridge in a short time, Anya immediately pulled the trigger.
Boom!!!
The roar of the launch echoed, and in an instant, like ten thousand arrows fired at once, hundreds of rockets trailing flames bombarded the bridge in a frenzy.
"Don't even think about it!"
At that moment, Beta maneuvered her Knightmare into a leap, drawing the mechanical longbow in her hands into a full moon shape. Gathered magical energy transformed into an arrow, suspended on the string.
Whoosh!
The arrow shot forth.
One split into two, two into four, and in the blink of an eye, a barrage of laser arrows continuously multiplied, crashing into the incoming rockets like a torrential downpour.
Boom, boom, boom—
Brilliant fireworks bloomed in the sky, and the thick smoke that billowed up completely blocked each other's line of sight.
"Tch."
Anya clicked her tongue softly.
She never expected that one day she would be outmatched in firepower.
Yet, from within the swirling smoke and dust, an impassioned roar echoed.
"Raaaaaaah————!!!"
Lancelot burst out at extreme speed.
"Foolish, do you think we would let you pass?"
Blocking the way was a relatively slender black Knightmare, with a circular ring weapon strapped to its back.
It was clearly an agile type.
For some reason, the Knightmare's head also seemed to have a pair of cat ears as identifiers.
"Move!!!"
Suzaku no longer cared, charging forward and engaging it in close combat.
"How foolish."
The two Knightmares began exchanging blows in close combat, much like humans.
Their sensitive and exaggerated movements were difficult even for humans on foot to perform.
It was unclear how the pilots managed it.
However, Zeta, piloting the black cat-eared Knightmare, slightly furrowed her brow.
As expected, it still wasn't quite working.
This was her first time piloting a Knightmare. Although she had read the manual on how to operate it, her synchronization was still very low.
Not to mention her opponent was in a desperate state.
"Troublesome fellow."
Lancelot drew its crimson-stained longsword, clashing with Zeta's ring and sending sparks flying.
Yet the next second, Zeta suddenly sensed a massive surge of magical energy gathering in the distance.
The sheer scale of it sent a chilling shiver down her spine.
"Zeta, move aside! Let my ultimate secret technique handle this enemy!!!"
Such a call reached her.
Under normal circumstances, she would never have paid it any heed, but given her current low synchronization with the Knightmare, she decisively chose to evade.
Feinting a slash toward Lancelot, she retreated several steps while hurling her ring with full force.
Clang!
A metallic impact rang out as the ring collided with the energy shield Lancelot raised, erupting in a shower of sparks.
Suzaku, shaken by the violent impact, let out a pained cry.
"Why... why are you doing this?!"
He forced out the question with a roar.
Unfortunately, no matter how loudly he shouted, no one paid him any mind—at the very least, Zeta completely ignored him, directly controlling her Knightmare to leap upward like a gymnast, landing on the opposite side of the bridge.
But behind her, Gamma charged toward Lancelot in her dark Knightmare.
Of course, an ordinary charge alone wouldn't be anything special.
The key was the weapon in the Knightmare's hand.
Judging by the hilt, it appeared to be a tachi, yet neither blade nor body was visible—from the tsuba upward, everything was shrouded in pure white radiance!
"Perish... Oof!"
Gamma declared her killing intent but stumbled.
Just as she herself was prone to tripping on flat ground, the Knightmare she controlled also fell with a thud on the smooth bridge surface.
The longsword in its hand slipped free, flying out in an arc.
Whoosh!
The torrent of magical energy that should have surged forth instead transformed into a crescent wave, slicing through the bridge like a moonbeam and grazing Lancelot's right arm.
Continuing unabated, it shot toward the Britannian forces.
"Your Highness, dodge!"
Snapping back to her senses, Cornelia swiftly sidestepped as the light arc narrowly skimmed past her, severing a lock of her hair.
Her Knightmare instantly lost a quarter of its mass.
The entire Britannian encirclement was torn open by a massive breach.
A bottomless fissure scarred the ground, radiating scorching heat.
A terrifying strike...
They had no idea what kind of weapon had unleashed it, but one thing was clear: had it struck them, there would have been no chance of survival.
Even Suzaku broke out in a cold sweat.
How close had death just been to him?
It felt as though the scythe of the Grim Reaper had brushed past his neck, enveloping him completely in the shadow of death.
Beep!
Suddenly, red alarm lights flashed inside the cockpit, and the system interface displayed that Lancelot had lost its left arm.
It had been torn off at the shoulder joint, caught and wrenched away by Zeta's ring.
Simultaneously, a sharp sickle blade hooked around Lancelot's neck, a long-handled Ōdachi-shaped weapon pinned its left ankle, and sharp claws seized its right ankle.
"My master once said, trash should know its place. Why can't you understand that!"
Thud!
Lancelot was kicked hard in the back, then violently pulled apart.
Riiip—
The Lancelot Z-01 was once again torn to shreds.
Trapped in the cockpit, Suzaku was completely immobilized like a limbless torso, with the hatch firmly jammed shut.
"Damn it!!!"
Suzaku slammed the screen in helpless rage.
But when Lloyd saw the scene through the monitor, he felt even more heartbroken over Lancelot than Suzaku did.
Was his meticulously crafted masterpiece really this fragile?
To be honest, Lloyd was starting to question his life's work at this moment.
Lancelot hadn't even come close to touching the prototype machine, yet it was already being completely outperformed by another Knightmare.
Could the opponent also be a seventh-generation Knightmare?
"So, Cornelia, will you lead your entire army in a fight to the end? Or will you step aside and let us leave safely?"
The long-haired Mahiro sat perched on the shoulder of the Guardian Deity Knightmare, staring across at Cornelia who was also in her own Knightmare.
Though no one could recognize him under the Parade disguise, the moment he summoned the Guardian Deity Knightmare, he knew he'd been exposed to Cornelia.
Not that it mattered—he'd done it on purpose anyway.
If he wanted to keep hiding, he wouldn't have brought out his personal Knightmare.
And indeed, even from this distance, Mahiro could clearly feel the mixture of resentment and confusion in Cornelia's gaze.
It was as if she was demanding "Why?"
But after a brief standoff, Cornelia swept her cloak and ordered:
"All forces, stand down." Cornelia seemed to lose all her strength as she spoke these words.
"Your Highness?!"
Her royal guards and staff looked at Cornelia in disbelief.
The iron-willed princess who never compromised with terrorists, who showed no mercy to enemies—was she really going to let two terrorist organizations go today?!
"Princess Cornelia, please allow me to lead the royal guard! I will capture the terrorist leaders and bring them before you!"
"Enough, Guilford."
Cornelia closed her eyes and whispered, "You're no match for them. Continuing would only lead to more casualties..."
Not to mention that was her teacher, and now four Knights of Rounds had already been defeated, leaving only Anya as effective combat power.
The others either had their Knightmares destroyed, were killed on the spot, or captured...
How could she be foolish enough to send her own knights to their deaths?
"But—"
"Enough, Guilford! Are you going to disobey my order?!"
"I wouldn't dare."
Guilford bowed his head in silence as Cornelia explained:
"Our objective has been achieved. All hostages have been rescued, Euphy is safe too, so let them go this time.
And remember, Lord Guilford, a temporary setback doesn't mean defeat."
"I shall keep that in mind, Your Highness."
Thus, under Cornelia's command, Britannia's military cleared a path for Shadow Garden and the Black Knights to depart.
Even when they saw the unconscious Twelfth Knight Monica being taken away as a captured trophy, they could only tremble with suppressed fury, powerless to do anything but watch them leave.
After leaving Lake Kawaguchi, Mahiro didn't follow Shadow Garden but instead visited Lelouch's base for a while.
"Didn't expect your place to be this nice."
Mahiro sat on the sofa, glancing around. The room's decor could be described as extremely luxurious.
Though the space might be a bit cramped.
But it was still quite good.
After all, this was a civilian RV. Even if it was exceptionally luxurious, resembling a small mobile villa, the space was ultimately limited.
What was puzzling was that although Lelouch had invited him over, he now sat silently in the swivel chair opposite the sofa, not even bothering to remove the suffocating helmet covering his head.
"Hey, did you specifically call me here just to admire your stolen RV and have a staring contest with you?"
"The nobles voluntarily gave it to me," Lelouch corrected.
"Fine, gifts obtained through Geass still count as gifts," Mahiro shrugged indifferently. "Let's get to the main point. What did you want from me?"
"..."
Lelouch seemed to be organizing his thoughts, pausing briefly in contemplation.
"Cornelia... that woman has discovered you, hasn't she?"
"Oh? Not calling her 'big sister' anymore?"
"Shut up! What if someone hears you!"
Hearing Mahiro casually utter "big sister" here, Lelouch immediately panicked.
After all, there were other people in the vehicle. Even with a wall between them, who knew if someone might be outside the door!
"Relax, there's nobody outside. Your Black Knights are all waiting downstairs—no one's coming up."
Mahiro waved his hand. "But it's truly ironic that terrorists would call themselves Knights."
"Stop joking around!"
"Alright, alright, back to business. Cornelia definitely knows. Unless she's suffered severe brain damage or had her memory wiped by Geass, she recognized me the moment I deployed the Knightmare."
"Otherwise, with her explosive temper, do you think she'd have let either of us leave?"
Lelouch fell silent.
Given Cornelia's stubborn nature, that possibility was indeed very slim.
"If you're worried about being exposed, don't be. At worst, it would just reveal that you and Nunnally are at Ashford Academy. Nothing else would be affected."
"Besides, it was bound to happen eventually. Euphy's known for a long time anyway."
Lelouch: "..."
He had been about to tell Mahiro not to involve Nunnally, but upon hearing that Euphy already knew, Lelouch had to swallow his words.
Instead, he changed the subject:
"What about Monica Krushevsky? That Knight of Rounds—what do you plan to do with her?"
"Since when did you start caring about this?"
Mahiro chuckled lightly, glancing at Lelouch who was sitting with crossed legs like an old man. "She's my trophy. Don't expect me to return her. But for you to be so concerned... don't tell me..."
"You know she's the illegitimate daughter of the Schneizel?"
"I was worried that with today's big commotion—one Knight of Rounds captured and another killed—what might happen next... Wait, what did you say?! She's that man's illegitimate daughter?!"
Belatedly realizing it, Lelouch's voice rose an octave. Even through the stifling helmet, one could tell his eyes were surely wide open.
But Mahiro seemed completely unfazed.
"What's so surprising about that? Schneizel has nearly a hundred children. What's surprising about one more illegitimate daughter?"
That's true...
Mahiro wasn't wrong.
Lelouch remembered that the former First Princess, Sherry ME Britannia, had even married Hokkaido's lord, Kōjūgo, and given birth to a daughter.
"As for whether other Knights of Rounds will come, that's not your concern. If they come, they'll be looking for me, not you disguised as ZERO. The Black Knights, at best, are just a small organization hardly worth noticing."
Lelouch knew this too, so he didn't press further.
"Alright, it's getting late. I should head back."
With that, Mahiro stood up and left the room, leaving Lelouch alone to ponder.
Those who were once part of Kallen's group, now members of the Black Knights, seemed to regard him with a hint of awe.
But not long after he left the mobile home and walked down the deserted street, he suddenly stopped.
A slight smile curled at the corner of his lips as he spoke:
"I say, instead of going home at this late hour, what are you following me for, Miss Stadtfeld?"
As the words fell, from the shadows behind the corner, Kallen emerged slowly, her fiery red shoulder-length hair unmistakable.
But unlike at school, she bore none of that listless, fragile demeanor.
The Black Knights uniform accentuated her slim, toned figure.
Her eyes were sharp and intense.
She stared fixedly at the man who called himself Shadow, leader of the Shadow Garden, and spoke gravely:
"I knew it. It really is you, Yotsuba Mahiro-sensei."