Chapter 313: The Demon Lord Who Destroys the World and the Immortal Witch
Boom—
The vast, boundless sea churned with towering waves as an island slowly ascended into the sky.
Yes, ascended.
Like a fortress of steel, the island rose beneath the heavens at a pace slower than a rocket, propelled by its levitation system, transforming completely into an aerial stronghold.
This was Penglai Island, modified through the combined efforts of the Shadow Garden, now serving as the central command base for this war.
The siege of Britannia was divided into five forces.
The first was the Chinese Federation, led by Li Xingke.
The second was the newly liberated Area Eleven, now the Japanese Administrative Zone, led by Kallen.
The third was the EU forces commanded by Leila.
The fourth consisted of the Shadow Garden's Numbers, led by the war enthusiast Delta, with Beatrix and Victoria assisting on either side.
The fifth was the technological unit commanded by Epsilon, with Eta providing logistical support.
In addition, there was a covert unit led by Zeta, with Beta and Gamma serving as strategists.
The headquarters was firmly held by Alpha and Kaguya, ensuring nothing went awry.
This could be said to be the first time the entire Shadow Garden mobilized for a war vast enough to reshape the world's order. Both the Numbers and the Seven Shadows felt a subtle thrill in their hearts.
They were peaceful, yet also warlike. At a single command from Mahiro, they would carry it out unconditionally and unreservedly, even if it meant death.
Because their lives were given to them by Mahiro.
"They've set off."
On the metal platform of Penglai Island, Euphemia stood, watching the gradually dispersing forces move away.
"Sister, have you still not forgiven Mahiro-sensei?" Euphy softly asked the person beside her.
That person was Cornelia.
But unlike a year ago, she no longer carried the arrogance and heroic spirit from the Black Rebellion.
Her entire being exuded calm, a tranquility as still as water.
Perhaps it was the change in hairstyle, or perhaps the once-purple cherry lips had faded to a plain color, stripping her of the demonic charm of the past and instead lending her the gentle warmth of a wife.
It also gave the impression of someone recovering from a serious illness.
Yet, faced with her sister's question, Cornelia pursed her lips and murmured softly:
"FRS..."
Honestly, she didn't know what she truly felt in her heart.
Whether she forgave him or not, even she wasn't sure, but her hatred had long since vanished, because the only one she cared about was Euphemia.
After learning from Alpha that Euphemia's feigned death was to escape Schneizel's schemes, her heart had already found peace.
As one of the heirs with real authority, and having studied under Mahiro, how could she not know the petty tricks in Schneizel's heart?
In fact, her current life felt more stable and comfortable.
Not to mention, she also knew that she was originally supposed to be one of the combatants in this operation, even one of the leaders.
But when Alpha proposed it, her teacher Mahiro vetoed it.
His reason was that he didn't want her to raise arms against her former homeland, her former comrades, or even her siblings—it would be too cruel.
This made Cornelia even more moved. Having been on the battlefield for so long, it was the first time she experienced the feeling of being cherished and protected.
Because of this, she became even more unsure of how to face the teacher she had once deeply loved.
She simply didn't know how to face the teacher she had once deeply loved...
As her younger sister, Euphemia naturally understood what was going through her sister's mind at that moment, so she remained silent, quietly keeping her company.
The strong wind tousled the beautiful hair of the two sisters and lifted the hems of their skirts.
It was like a stunningly beautiful scene.
It wasn't until Nina came running over to inform them that Penglai Island was about to relocate that they returned indoors.
Meanwhile, in the headquarters' operations command room.
"Huh? Where is my husband? Why isn't he here?"
Kaguya sat in the deputy commander's seat, looking around curiously. She even glanced toward the rear passageway several times. Only after confirming that Mahiro was truly not there did she turn to the woman beside her to ask.
On the other side of the woman was Nunnally, with her long, wavy brown hair.
"He has other important matters to attend to. These trivial affairs are entirely under my management."
A cool, detached voice slowly emerged from Alpha's lips.
Today, she wore a black gown that exposed her fragrant shoulders. Seated upright in the commander's chair, she looked like a noble and magnificent queen.
However, when faced with Kaguya's inquiry, she merely glanced briefly with her narrow eyes before returning her gaze to the floating screen in front of her.
She answered the question without even turning her head.
Kaguya felt somewhat disheartened. After all, this was the day marking the beginning of Britannia's defeat. How wonderful it would have been to witness this moment alongside the one she loved.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder: What could be more important than defeating Britannia?
Naturally, it was about Geass.
Through investigation, Mahiro had learned that besides Japan's Kamine Island, there were also ruins related to the Gate of Ragnarok within the territory of the Chinese Federation.
Thus, his absence this time was because he had taken C.C. to resolve this final issue.
"It's been a long time, V.V."
Deep underground in a ruin, C.C., who had been missing for a long time, wore a black qipao. She strode forward with her long legs through the chaotic depths of the cave. Directly ahead of her stood a massive stone gate—the 'Gate of Ragnarok,' the only passage to enter the Akasha system.
However, C.C.'s steps did not lead toward the Gate of Ragnarok. Instead, she made her way to a corner of the underground cavern.
There, a young man with long golden hair leaned weakly against a rock, smiling as he watched C.C. approach.
"How long has it been since we last met face to face like this? I never imagined I would ultimately fail to escape my fate…"
"Fate… I will accept it… the fate of immortality…"
V.V. sat there leaning against the rock, his lifeblood slowly draining away. His face was already pale, yet he spoke answers that seemed unrelated to the questions.
C.C.'s gaze remained fixed on V.V. the entire time, unwavering for even a moment. There was no pity in her eyes, only a calm observation of the life gradually fading away.
This frail, dying youth was the older brother of Britannia's Emperor Charles. C.C. knew this well, but she also knew clearly that the CODE on his body had been taken away, and he was about to fulfill her extravagant wish—death!
Yet C.C.'s emotions remained utterly placid.
She herself did not know why she felt this way. Perhaps the long passage of time had long since worn away all her feelings.
But V.V. seemed to still have some unfinished business. Even covered in blood, he used all his strength to tremulously extend a hand toward C.C.
As if trying to grasp an elusive future.
"Why... Charles... clearly... I am your brother... I would never... harm you...
"We promised... we... would create... a world... without lies..."
Thud!
Just as V.V. was about to touch the hem of C.C.'s skirt, suddenly his hand was kicked away, sending his body rolling far across the ground until it collided with the steps of the 'Gate of Twilight' and came to a stop.
In pain, V.V. barely managed to prop himself up and finally saw who had arrived.
It was a young man who had stepped out from behind C.C., one he was extremely familiar with.
"It's you... you again... Mahiro... you meddler again... cough!"
It seemed that seeing him provoked such intense rage that his originally weak, pale face instantly twisted into a ferocious expression. Overwhelmed by fury, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Yep, it's me again. But you're really hard to kill, aren't you? Last time Delta didn't finish you off, and now even a bomb couldn't blow you to pieces."
He was naturally referring to the Black Rebellion a year ago, when he had specifically arranged for many people to protect Nunnally, with the goal of dealing with V.V.
Who would have thought that even an antimatter bomb made from Sakuradite and uranium, which blasted his ashes to nothing, still couldn't kill him.
Then again.
The function of CODE is to pull a spare body from C's World for use. Mere physical destruction simply isn't enough.
Truly worthy of being called the legendary King of Survival.
"Never mind. Weren't you just asking why the 'Eggroll Head' turned on you? That's a question I can help answer a bit."
Mahiro stepped forward, looking down at V.V. from above with an air of condescension, his eyes filled with pity.
Naturally, V.V. couldn't stand such a look from him, but now he was completely spent, like a flickering candle in the wind, utterly unable to speak.
So, Mahiro took this opportunity to continue on his own:
"Actually, the reason is very simple. It's because you lied to the 'Eggroll Head.'"
To explain this matter, we have to trace it back to Marianne. Back then, Marianne was of common birth, but due to her outstanding military talent, she was given the title [Flash] and earned her knighthood at just 17 years old.
It was precisely because of this talent and her unwavering loyalty that she became Charles's empress, and aside from V.V., she was the person closest to Charles.
This also became the starting point of the rift between Charles and his older brother, V.V.
Because V.V. loved his younger brother most of all, but seeing Marianne become Charles's imperial consort, witnessing the love that was divided, and many of Charles's matters no longer confided in him, a hint of jealousy and resentment sprouted in V.V.'s heart.
It was also this resentment that made V.V. realize that Marianne was not a good person, like Pandora's box, only bringing calamity and sowing discord between their brotherly bond.
Thus, on a dark and windy night, V.V. lured Marianne out alone under the pretext of discussing "Ragnarök" and killed her, then fabricated the scene as a terrorist attack, which led to Nunnally's leg disability.
V.V. thought he had covered his tracks perfectly, but he never expected Marianne to possess a Geass, to be C.C.'s contractor, and because of this, Charles learned the truth.
After enduring this hatred for over a decade, now vengeance was finally achieved.
"So... that's how it was..."
After hearing his story, V.V. did not show the anger he had anticipated; instead, his expression seemed somewhat relieved.
Even upon learning that Charles resented him, his older brother, V.V. merely smiled shyly and said:
"It's alright, because... I'm the older brother."
Mahiro: "..."
"..."
Seeing V.V.'s demeanor, Mahiro just coldly sighed and said:
"What touching brotherly love.
「Clouds Disperse, Dew Vanishes」"
With a flash in his eyes, V.V.'s corpse instantly dissipated into smoke, turning to dust floating in the air. The only proof of his existence was the Geass Order's ceremonial robe.
"Let's go."
Mahiro turned around, extending his hand to C.C., who stood not far away, offering an invitation: "Cross this door, and everything will end."
C.C.: "...…"
No response.
No hesitation.
Her expression showed no sorrow, nor any joy or anger; she simply stepped calmly over V.V.'s ashes, stirring up a cloud of dust.
She gently placed her hand in Mahiro's palm.
The two held hands, as if performing some kind of ritual, ascending the staircase of fate, arriving before the door of twilight.
However, before they could push it open, suddenly, water-like ripples seeped from beneath the door crack, instantly engulfing them both.
"What is this?"
"This is... a defense mechanism against intruders? Charles actually activated this!"
For the first time, a panicked expression appeared on C.C.'s face.
The next second, their minds were pulled into a void of pure white space, countless memories flashing before Mahiro's eyes.
Still C.C.'s memories, but this time different.
There were more than last time!
It was C.C. after receiving the CODE, having experienced witch hunts, being sentenced to death by burning at the stake as a witch. On the burning pyre, C.C. struggled desperately but to no avail, feeling the agony of flames consuming her body bit by bit.
That pain, though only a memory, he could empathize with, feeling C.C.'s despair.
Having lived through World War I and World War II, being shot through by bullets.
It felt as if walking from ancient times to the modern era, having crossed the boundary between life and death countless times.
Impalement, crucifixion, the guillotine, the iron maiden—almost every form of suffering and punishment in the world, C.C. had experienced them all.
Similarly, Mahiro relived these memories, experiencing the same sensations.
He witnessed firsthand how C.C.'s spirit gradually crumbled and how she became the Witch despised by all.
"...You've had a hard journey."
At some point, the memories playing before him had ended, and he returned once more to that pure white space, with C.C.'s figure reappearing before him.
He didn't know how to comfort her and could only utter these words.
But C.C. smiled indifferently, her clear and calm voice quietly ringing out.
"It's fine. I've long forgotten these memories. All that remains are my memories as the Witch in the present. I've even forgotten whether I was originally human."
Though her voice was calm, it couldn't conceal the sorrow.
Just as the saying goes, "Snow is white because it has forgotten its original color." C.C. was that pure white snowflake, having willingly abandoned all of her past.
She was merely a walking corpse living in the present.
"Those who hated me, those who were kind to me—they will all vanish with the passage of time. In the endless flow of time, I am alone. Even you are no exception..."
"Why are you so certain?"
Mahiro's voice was calm, but his question made C.C. pause for a moment in surprise.
"Does it really matter whether you're human or not?"
Mahiro continued, "Indeed, time is endless. You've walked through part of it alone, but I will accompany you through the rest."
"The suffering of the past is long gone. Since you call yourself a Witch, why can't I be the Demon King who destroyed the world? I believe you've seen it—my memories."
C.C. fell silent, staring blankly at the person before her.
Indeed, she had glimpsed Mahiro's memories once again. This time, she witnessed a world of apocalypse and saw firsthand how Mahiro destroyed that world.
He cleansed the surface of the earth and brought about the extinction of humanity.
Like a demon from hell, yet also like a god looking down from above, passing judgment upon all living beings.
"I understand, C.C. Your true wish was never death, but to receive genuine love—not love with ulterior motives, nor love manipulated by Geass, but love that comes from the heart."
"But love can change, just like Charles and V.V."
Even if it was an unacknowledged love, it was still undoubtedly love.
"But I won't change. I can give you this love. Will you come with me?"
C.C. remained silent once more, still gazing at him.
But this time, C.C. couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
Her smiling face was beautiful, like a snow lotus blooming atop a high peak, and her laughter held none of the usual mockery—it was a genuinely joyful laugh.
"Only a fickle little brat like you could say such confident yet cheesy words, huh?"
Though C.C. spoke with disdain, her hand gently settled into his palm.
"But I like it."
"Even though there's no contract binding us, from now on we are accomplices, Mr. World-Destroying Great Demon King."
"I don't care for the word 'accomplices.' I prefer 'partners,' my ageless and immortal Witch."
Beneath the twilight sky stood a palace floating in the air, as if on the battlefield of Ragnarök or atop the peak of Olympus.
This was the very place of Ragnarök, a site that could even be called the Hall of the Gods.
And at this moment, Charles stood on the platform here, allowing the lingering glow of the sunset to fall upon him, casting his already broad back into a slender, elongated shadow.
His gaze remained fixed on the spiral-like object before him.
It seemed as if it were cast from human remains, with countless figures of struggling humans emerging from its surface.
"The foundation of power lies in fear and love. People obey out of fear and remain loyal out of love."