Ch 247: A master schemer exposed

"Welcome. This way, please." said one of the two female bodyguards Akeno had met before, and Akeno, Leila and Roze entered the luxurious residence.

"Thank you." smiled Akeno.

The trio followed the bodyguard into a windowless room where Kaguya, Ohgi and Kallen waited. They stood to greet their guests.

"Thank you for coming, Akeno, Lieutenant-colonel, and…"

"…Roze." said Sakuya in her Roze disguise. Her voice was choking, as it was the first time in seven long, stressful years that she could meet one of her relatives.

"I brought Roze to this meeting for a very important reason, Kaguya-sama. Do you trust your bodyguards with critical information?"

"I trust my bodyguards with my life, but I still maintain a need-to-know policy. You will assume responsibility for his actions, right?" frowned Kaguya.

"Of course." smiled Akeno.

"Then it is fine." nodded Kaguya as she made a hand gesture, and the two bodyguards left the room.

"We saw some footage of what you did on that highway. If you wanted me dead, no one would have been able to stop you anyway." shrugged Kaguya.

"True." admitted Akeno, before she nodded to Roze.

Sakuya touched her choker and revealed her true appearance.

Even Leila had to admit that she too liked seeing other people's reactions to that reveal. it made her feel less lonely.

"S-Sakuya?" gasped Kaguya, paying particular attention to the blueish rings in Sakuya's pupils.

"Hi, Kaguya. It has been a long time." smiled Sakuya.

Kaguya forgot about decorum and hugged Sakuya tightly.

"H-How. Did you already escape Britannia's captivity?"

"No. I was a fugitive all this time. It is Sakura that the Britannians are holding hostage."

"And we are going to Japan to free her." said Akeno on the side. "Once Sakura is freed, Sakuya will be able to make public appearances once again."

Kaguya nodded.

"Is this really the Imperial Princess?" wondered Kallen with a soft voice.

"It seems so?" muttered Ohgi.

Akeno nodded to them. After taking custody of the three wannabe terrorists and arranging for their delivery to the castle, Akeno and Leila had returned to their hotel room. Akeno had called Noah and told him about the situation, and requested as much information as he could give her about Zero's interactions with the black knights and students of Ashford Academy.

She wanted to use that information to force Zero into a corner.

After resting for a bit, she had called Kaguya and requested she set up a remote conference with Zero under maximum security, promising she would give Zero highly valuable information.

After this conference, Leila would return to the castle, while Akeno and Roze would follow Kaguya to Japan, and then would part ways for a while.

For a few minutes, Sakuya and her cousin talked about what happened to them during the last seven years, then Kaguya glanced at the time and flinched.

"Everyone, please take your seat quickly. We are almost late, and Zero-sama won't wait too long."

Akeno nodded, and they took their assigned seats around the tables disposed in a U shape. Akeno sat at the center, flanked by Leila on her left and Sakuya on her right. Sakuya had temporarily reactivated her Roze disguise, just in case. Kaguya was on Sakuya's right, and Kallen and Ohgi on Leila's left.

Facing the tables were a camera and a large screen.

"Before we start, I will ask you to mentally prepare yourselves." sighed Akeno. "A lot of what I have to say will not be pleasant to hear, especially for Kallen and Ohgi. I will reveal a side of Zero that will likely disappoint you."

"Just like what you said last night?" asked Kallen with a tightly controlled voice.

"Yes, just like that." nodded Akeno with sympathy.

Kaguya manipulated a remote, and after a minute, the connection was established.

The screen displayed a figure sitting relaxedly on a sofa. His body was wrapped in a black, red-lined cape with an exaggerated, impractical stand-up collar that must be hiding most of his peripheral vision. His head was covered by a black helmet with a blue one-way visor allowing him to see, but keeping his face hidden. A wide white silk tie that was common wear to aristocrats covered his throat.

On his right was sitting CC, an attractive woman with long green hair and golden eyes, wearing a sleeveless black vest lined with gold, and black pants.

"Zero-sama, thank you for being willing to devote some of your time to us on such short notice. And hello, CC." smiled Kaguya.

"Hello, Kaguya-sama." replied CC with an aloof voice.

"It is only fair, Kaguya. You said it was important, and I trust your judgement. Kallen, Ohgi… Is something wrong? Do you need reinforcements?"

Before they could answer, Akeno cleared her throat.

"Greetings, Zero and CC. I am Akeno Himejima, the pilot of that new Knightmare that has ignited such interest from various parties. Before I say more, I would like your confirmation that this communication is truly secure on your side. A lot of what I am going to say would be catastrophic if it landed onto the wrong ears. I will mention Geass a lot, for example."

Akeno could feel the slight change in Zero's posture as he seemed to lean forward a little, and CC's face became even more of a mask than before.

"Kallen, Ohgi, Kaguya, and you two members of the URE, I would appreciate if you could leave the room." said Zero.

"No. they need to know, and I will make sure they will." retorted Akeno. "You would be foolish to believe that you can keep those things secret forever, and it is better that they learn about it here, in a place where you can present your own point of view, rather than from someone like, say, Schneizel, who would use half-truths to turn the Black Knights against you. So, can we get started?"

"…The communication is as secure as it can be."

Akeno nodded and turned to Roze, who deactivated her disguise once again. Akeno could see the recognition in CC's eyes.

"Proper introductions this time. To my left is Lieutenant-Colonel Leila Malcal, of the URE army, who agreed to leave the URE and join my faction in the near future. To my right is the Imperial Princess Sakuya Sumeragi. The 'Princess' that Britannia is holding hostage is her childhood friend and body double. I am Akeno Himejima, coming from a parallel world and here only for a few months before I depart to another. It is a pleasure to meet you, Zero, also known as Lelouch vi Brittania or Lelouch Lamperouge, the 11th prince of the Holy Empire, exiled to Japan after what happened to your mother. I know who is behind this, by the way."

Kallen had violently flinched when Akeno mentioned his name. She was staring at Zero's image with wide eyes, her mouth opening and closing.

It was only natural since they were classmates, and both were members of the student council at Ashford Academy. Kaguya's and Ohgi's reactions were more muted, as they didn't know him personally, but they were still alarmed by him being a royal.

"A prince of Britannia?" exclaimed Ohgi, half standing from his chair. "Have we been used as tools for a struggle between members of Britannia's royal family?"

"No, Ohgi." said Akeno with a firm voice. "Lelouch is disgusted by the actions of Britannia. He wants to build a world where his little sister Nunnally, who is blind and in a wheelchair, and has been exiled as well, will not be oppressed by those who hold power. His intentions are pure, regardless of the family he belongs to. Too bad his methods are a lot more objectionable."

"Oh… If this is true, I can live with him being a Britannian prince, I guess." frowned Ohgi as he sat down.

Kallen looked like she would need more time to digest this information.

For a few seconds, no one spoke. Then Zero moved his hands from under his cape, taking his helmet, and slowly removed it. He glared at Akeno.

"What is your goal? What do you gain by revealing my identity?"

"I'll be coming to that. Now, I have mentioned that incident with your mother, and I know you have been long searching for an answer to that question."

Akeno used light magic to display the image of a young-looking man with delicate features and long blonde hair, looking almost like a child.

"This is VV, someone who possess abilities similar to CC, and also the elder brother of Emperor Charles zi Britannia. He is the one who sent those gunmen after your mother. His motive? Jealousy. He was jealous that his little brother was spending more time with his wife than with him. Charles knows that he is the culprit, but to this day, hasn't taken any action to punish VV."

"His older brother, you say? But he looks much younger." said Sakuya, frowning at the light construct.

"VV and CC are both well into the second stage of that Geass power I mentioned. It makes them immortal, for better or worse." shrugged Akeno before turning her attention back to the screen.

"Now, let's speak about Geass. Lelouch, has CC told you that the number of times you can use it safely is limited? That it will eventually start activating out of your control and cause disasters around you?"

Lelouch turned his hard toward CC, who looked peeved.

"Is it true, CC?" demanded Lelouch.

"…It is." admitted CC. "I warned you before, that this power would isolate you".

"…We will speak about that after we're done here, at length." warned Lelouch.

"What is Geass?" asked Ohgi, worried.

"A supernatural power that comes into two stages." said Akeno. "Also nicknamed the Power of Kings. It is bestowed from one person to another. The first stage takes various forms depending on the individual, but is almost always an ability to interfere with the minds of others. In Lelouch's case, he can give orders to other people, up to and including the order to commit suicide, and they will obey."

"He needs direct eye contact as a condition to trigger it, which is why I asked Kaguya-sama to do this conference remotely. After the order is executed, the affected person will have no memories of having done so, or of having received the order in the first place."

Akeno deliberately didn't mention that it could only be done once per person. She was trying to pull her own version of what Schneizel had done in the original fiction.

"The second stage, that comes after the Geass user transmitted his power to another, gives the user immortality, at the cost of losing the ability they previously possessed."

"So that is how you obtained all those things?" asked Ohgi, aghast. "You said you were just 'asking nicely'. Is that how you convinced Lord Jeremiah to help you escape back then, when you saved Suzaku Kururugi from being executed?"

"Yes." replied Lelouch.

"And us? Did you manipulate us like puppets on your strings?" insisted Ohgi.

"He only did it with Kallen once." shrugged Akeno before Lelouch could reply.

"Lelouch!" gasped Kallen, furious.

"Akeno! Are you trying to turn them against me?" shouted Lelouch, glaring at the camera.

"Not quite. I am only cornering you, so that you will have no choice but to go along my plan to liberate Japan. By destroying the JLF without good cause, by causing that landslide that killed many civilians, by using the Saitama resistance groups like disposable pawns and many other things, you proved that you can't be trusted for the role of overall leader, but it also would be a waste not to use your talents as a tactician. Do not worry, you will also benefit massively from it. We both want to see Japan become a place where the weak won't be oppressed. And CC, I will give you an artifact that will neutralize your immortality. If you wish to die so badly, I will make it possible."

"…Such an artifact doesn't exist. I would know if it did."

Akeno lifted her hands to create in front of everyone a silver bangle engraved with Stop runes.

"It does now. The source of my abilities is far beyond the power of your Geass. For that matter, I wouldn't even need this to seal your immortality. I could simply touch your hand or shoulder and forcibly purge the Geass out of your body."

"Now, I didn't reveal the existence of Geass simply to make Kaguya-sama, Kallen and Ohgi aware of your tricks. Here is the outline of what is going to happen, Lelouch."

"You will first have Kallen transfer to the wZERO squadron that Leila leads for a few weeks, and I will give her immunity against all kinds of Geass, as well as some other supernatural abilities that will further increase her combat skills. When she returns to Japan, she will be able to break the speed of sound or stop bullets with her bare hands, and she will have with her one of the newest Haken variants, specifically designed for her fighting style."

"I will provide Kaguya-sama with the design of a Knightmare that, while not as potent as the Haken or those used by the Knights of Rounds, will still be better than anything Britannia has given to its rank-and-file knights. Those will be meant to be mass produced and equip the bulk of the Black Knights."

"I am currently accompanying Kaguya-sama back to Japan to save the Imperial Princess's body double, and I will also do something about that white Knightmare that has been such a thorn in your side before I return to the Europian frontline."

"While the Black Knights keep acting as vigilantes and grow their influence and numbers, the wZERO squadron will become fully equipped with Haken variants and launch a large-scale offensive against Britannia on the Europian Eastern front, then relocate to Japan under the leadership of Imperial Princess Sakuya."

"You will then publicly declare your full support and will become a tactical officer under Lieutenant-Colonel Malcal's command, who will be in charge of the liberation campaign. You will not use your Geass anymore without her approval, and I will give you a tool to seal your ability when you start losing control of it. Or remove it entirely, if you prefer."

"If you agree to that plan and show no signs of reneging on your word later on, I will give you highly valuable information over time. Like information about that Geass user who is already messing with your friend Shirley to make her kill you."

Lelouch's poker face twitched at that, but he soon had himself back under control, at least outwardly. Akeno would feel that he was boiling inside.

Kallen too was barely containing herself. She hadn't known Shirley for long, but was very fond of her.

"…What do you gain in all this?" asked Zero.

"I am not motivated by personal gain, and you could not give me anything I cannot obtain easily anyway. I already told you what I am after. Britannia's defeat on the Europia's Eastern Front, and Japan's Liberation."

…

Nearly half a world away, Lelouch was carefully considering his options, evaluating dozens of plans and their probable outcomes. All of them resulted in unacceptable gambles, as he simply didn't know enough to formulate a strategy against this Akeno, who on the other hand had proved she knew far too much about him.

With just a few words, she could ruin all of his plans and put a crosshair on Nunnally's back, and he needed to do something to neutralize her before it happened.

And if what she was saying was true, if another Geass user was targeting him using Shirley, he really needed to know.

In the end, the path he needed to take was clear. Cooperate with Akeno, find out about her weak points, and then get rid of her.

"Fine." said Lelouch. "I will cooperate with you. Now tell me about this Geass User."

"His name is Mao, and he is completely obsessed with CC. He wants to cut off CC's limbs to easily carry her around in a suitcase and keep her with him permanently. Yes, he is that much of a nutcase. But a very dangerous nutcase. His Geass power is mind reading, and he can't deactivate it. He hates being around crowds for that reason. Oh, and Shirley already knows that you are Zero. Mao made sure she was on the dock last week, and she picked up your gun. You almost died that night."

Lelouch glanced at CC, and for the first time since he had met her, saw actual fear in her face. He supposed that hearing someone intended to keep you as an immortal, limbless prize would be enough to scare even someone who was tired of life and wished for death.

"Do you know this Mao?" asked Lelouch.

"Yes." admitted CC. "I am the one who gave him his Geass. He was an orphan, and I took pity on him. I acted as his big sister for a while, but when he started becoming unstable, I left him."

"I will deal with that guy." nodded Lelouch. Dealing with someone who could read minds would be very tricky, but doable.

"Very well." nodded Akeno. "I obtained that agreement I was after, and I think everyone got enough revelations for the day. I suggest we bring this meeting to a close. We will have many occasions to meet later."

Lelouch agreed. He needed time to think about how to handle things. He looked at Kallen, who was visibly angry at him.

"Kallen, I will not try to force you, but please cooperate with them."

"You can bet I will." replied Kallen, not trying to hide her anger. "I am not going anywhere close to you without that immunity. Make sure to protect Shirley. I won't forgive you if you fail, Lelouch."

"I will." promised Lelouch, ending the communication.

He might have pointed out that she was already immune to his Geass, since he could only be used once on someone, but if her fear could motivate her to accept Akeno's offer and become immune to other Geass, that was good for him.

He then turned to CC, his eyes cold.

"You have many things to tell me about."

…

"Akeno, you said he used his Geass on me once. What did he make me do? Did I hurt anyone?" anxiously asked Kallen.

"Nothing of the sort. He only asked you a few questions to confirm that you were involved in the Shinjuku incident. Do you remember standing on the grass at school, with him ordering you not to say anything about what happened in Shinjuku? His Geass had just stopped affecting you."

"…Ah!" gasped Kallen. She indeed remembered him suddenly standing in front of her and commanding her not to say anything, and when she insisted on knowing why he was asking her that, he gave her some excuse that, in retrospect, didn't make much sense. And there was a blank in her memories just before it.

She was glad that he hadn't made her anything significant. Or laid his hands on her body. Still, it was terrifying. She needed to protect herself from further manipulation on his part, and Akeno had made clear Lelouch wasn't the only Geass user out there.

That meant going along with Akeno's plan, at least until she got that immunity.

"He didn't use it on me, right?" asked Ohgi, worried.

"He didn't, as far as I am aware. Not on Kaguya-sama either." said Akeno.

"How can you make me immune to Geass?" asked Kallen.

"The process is confidential, and I will have you sign a magically-enforced NDA before I reveal the details. It takes on average a few days per person, but will also come with the enhanced strength, speed and so on." smiled Akeno.

"Or, I can create another bangle or ring that would protect you from mental manipulation, but in that case, you won't be upgraded. It would be a waste of an opportunity."

Kallen nodded. Whatever it was, if it lasted only a few days, she would be fine with it. And as someone who risked her life regularly in battle, she would be a fool to turn down any opportunity to become stronger.

…

A few hours later, Akeno was comfortably sitting in Kaguya's private jet, with Kaguya, 'Roze', Ohgi, and Kaguya's bodyguards. After a while, Kaguya had asked her to drop the "-sama", since she had already done her a great service, and they were enjoying each other's company, mostly listening to Akeno as she related her adventures in other timelines.

Leila was flying on another plane with Kallen, on their way back to the Eastern frontline, and Akeno had informed Da Vinci about the multiple negotiations she had done.

Da Vinci had started designing new Knightmares that would be exceeding the Sutherlands by almost any metric, with modular weapon pods like dorsal automated turrets and missile launchers. They would not, however, have the super armor or the shields, and their rifles wouldn't have quite as much punch as those used by the Haken series.

General Smilas had transmitted Akeno's trade offer slash ultimatum, as well as footage of the highway incident, to the military leadership and the political elites. Akeno expected to hear their answer soon. Added to the naked Jean incident, she suspected that she was quite hated by them, but as long as they treated the refugees decently, she didn't care.

…

"God, I'm bored." loudly complained Ashley Ashra, leader of the Ashura Strike Force belonging to the Order of Michael. "Bored, bored, bored… How long are we going to stay cooped up in that musty dump?!"

He pressed his foot on the head of lion pelt in the floor repeatedly, as if wanting bury it into the castle's stone.

He got an idea and drew his gun, a revolver, and emptied it of its bullets. But then he inserted one back, closed it, and slapped the side of the cylinder, making it do several complete rotations before it stopped.

He pointed the gun at one of his seven subordinates, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

One might even say they were sweating bullets.

"Let's play a game! Johanes! What is the most crucial skill of a soldier on the battlefield?"

"T-The skill to emerge victorious!" replied Johanes.

"What a lame answer!" exclaimed Ashley, and Johanes gulped as she saw Ashley's index slowly move, gradually increasing the pression on the trigger.

"It's luck! Luck is the most important thing on the battlefield! Do you think you are lucky, Johanes?"

"M-Master Ahsley…" trembled Johanes.

Suddenly, Ashley pointed his gun at his own temple and pulled the trigger. The gun's hammer made a sharp sound, but no bullet was fired.

"I am lucky! And that is why you guys can follow me without doubts or hesitation!"

"Yes, Master Ahsley!" exclaimed the members of the Ashura force with evident relieved.

"As usual, you are acting like a mad dog, Ahsley Ashra." declared Jean Rowe with a flat tone as she entered. She was the second-in-command of the Order of Michael. The young woman with short, wavy red hair and purple eyes barely squinted her eyes when Ashley pointed the gun at her.

"How about it? feeling confident?"

"If you are done playing, we have an urgent mission. We leave in three minutes." replied Jean with a fed-up tone.

"Finally!" cheered Ahsley, immediately holstering the gun. "Are we taking on that new model?"

"We received information that Akeno Himejima was in Paris today and has taken a flight to Japan. We are taking this opportunity to try to capture it. The Order is going to set up artillery batteries in Narva. They will be forced to make a sortie to stop their base from being bombed. They will likely send it with a small escort of Alexanders, controlled by a less talented pilot."

"Your Strike Force as well as my own squadron will ambush them in Narva before they can reach the batteries. We will do our best to capture the new model with minimal damage, for example by severing its limbs if the pilot refuses to surrender. If capture is impossible, destroying it and retrieving the remains is acceptable, but our achievements will be lowered. Now get ready."

"Let's go, everyone!" exclaimed Ashley with an eager smile.

At last, he was going to have a good fight.

…

The alarm sounded through the castle.

"Just when we're having lunch! This better not be a drill." growled Masaki as they stood and left the mess.

"I hope it is one." said Kasumi with a low voice, and Izumi nodded quietly.

The pilots quickly assembled in the briefing room just one floor under the command center, and Claus Warwick looked at them with a grave expression. The large screen on the wall behind his console displayed an aerial view of a column of military vehicles escorted by a half-dozen Knightmares.

"Britannia is moving twenty-four Self-Propelled Guns on the road between St-Petersburg and Narva. They will have just enough range to reach our castle if they deploy in Narva, which seem to be their intent. Unfortunately, our own fixed artillery pieces have a range three kilometers shorter, and we do not have any mobile ones."

"This has to be a trap." said Akito. "They wouldn't move so much artillery with so few Knightmares to escort them. There has to be a second force somewhere to ambush whoever will come to destroy them. And the timing is suspicious."

"My thoughts exactly." nodded Claus. "They must know that Leila is away. The list of guests for the gala has been spread far and wide among the military and civilian channels. And they probably know by now that Akeno is the pilot for the Haken as well."

"How much time do we have before they start raining shells upon our heads?"

"At their current rate, about thirty-five minutes before they open fire, and the shells will land ten minutes later."

"Are we using the drones?" asked Da Vinci. "I have an idea."

"Telle us about it, please." nodded Warwick.

Da Vinci did, and Akito, who had command during Leila's absence, approved.

…

Da Vinci was riding a bike at high speed, only slowing a little when she reached Narva, She kept to the main roads as she crossed the city, expecting an attack coming from any direction, but it seemed the ambushers she suspected might be hiding didn't want to reveal their presence to a single woman who could only be a scout.

It was smart of them, but it would also cost them.

She reached the eastern border of the city, parked her motorcycle under a bridge, and dematerialized, then continued east and north along the road. She could see the convoy in the distance, a few kilometers away, and she chose a wooden area left of the road.

Da Vinci moved deep within the trees, put on the headset, then spoke into the mike.

"DV ready."

Then she waited. It wouldn't take long. After about three minutes, she received a message.

"Point Alpha in twenty seconds."

Da Vinci smiled as she touched her special ring, packed full of Knightmares. A white Alexander with a ring-shaped antenna protruding from its back, and nine orange Alexander-type drones. She couldn't take more into the spatial ring, but it would be enough.

Da Vinci quickly climbed into the white Alexander and gave the start-up command to the drones. Tne seconds later, she was directing them to charge out of the trees, prioritizing the six Sutherlands escorting the mobile artillery.

The escorts were caught flat-footed, not expecting an attack coming from an area that already had been swept, and so close to their own ambush forces. Two Sutherlands were destroyed outright by the sudden fire from the nine drones erupting from the woods.

The other four Sutherlands performed evasion maneuvers in time and evaded the first few shots.

But the drones, using Da Vinci's updated targeting and constantly exchanging information with each other using a crude electronic hive mind, worked as a team to spread their fire not only to the current positions of the enemy Knightmares, but also to any possible position resulting from the pilot evading. They simply could not avoid being hit by one drone or another, and they fell in seconds, but not without destroying two drones and crippling a third one in the process.

The drones then turned their attention to the self-propelled guns who were dispersing in a hurry, some soldiers, smarter than the rest, got out of their vehicles, threw their weapons and ran. The drones ignored the fleeing soldiers, and the slow vehicles were soon turned into burning wrecks.

"Good job." said Claus's voice in Da Vinci's headset, and she nodded to herself, recalling the six drones who could still move into the woods and sending a self-destruct command to the crippled one. She wouldn't give the enemy a chance to retrieve their software. The memory chips were deliberately placed close to the Sakuradite fuel tank for this very reason.

She put the intact drones as well as the command unit back into her spatial ring, then dematerialized, heading toward Narva.

With the baiting force ambushed and the artillery pieces destroyed, they didn't really need to engage the force likely hiding in the city.

But they wanted to.

Izumi and Kasumi, controlling the two Hakens, were both apprehensive to participate in their first real battle and kill enemy soldiers, and determined to prove their worth.

…

(A few minutes earlier)

"Jean-sama, Lord Ashley, we have high-altitude imagery of the target and four Alexanders heading toward Narva. ETA fifteen minutes before they enter the city." said the Order's tactical officer through the coms.

"I want to be the first to engage it." exclaimed Ashley.

"I do not care who's the first. Just remember that we want it as undamaged as possible." replied Jean.

"Yeah, Yeah."

A few tense minutes passed before

"Jean-sama, there is a motorcycle approaching the city via the western highway, ETA three minutes." reported the tactical officer.

"So close? How did you miss it?" frowned Jean.

"My apologies, Jean-sama. We kept the observation camera of our balloon on the target most of the time."

"That's… understandable, but still not a good habit. Pay more attention to the overall situation from now on, and keep an eye on the motorcycle. Alert the SPG's escort just in case."

"Yes, Jean-sama!"

"Do we deal with that motorcycle?" asked Ashley.

"…Only if its driver spots us. We do not want a smoke column to alert them."

"Good point."

A few minutes later, the tactical officer spoke again.

"Jean-sama, the motorcycle crossed the city to its eastern border then stopped under a bridge. We lost visual contact."

"Tell the escort and SPGs to watch out for mines or explosives when they enter the city. Better yet, tell them to detour and enter the city from the north. ETA on the target?"

"…Six minutes until they enter the city, Jean-sama."

"Good."

Three more minutes passed as the members of her unit and Ahsley's team prepared themselves mentally.

The Alexanders wouldn't be hard to deal with. Their own Knightmares, customized Gloucesters, were significantly more powerful than Sutherlands and specialized in melee combat, each of them having two swords sheathed on their backs in addition to their rifles. And their pilots were all elites. Their capture target, whose official name was apparently a Japanese translation of the word 'Supremacy', would be trickier to deal with, but with proper teamwork and just a bit of luck, they would manage to disable it without suffering any losses.

They were going to put that name to the test.

"Jean-sama! The artillery convoy is under attack!" shouted the tactical officer.

"What?" gasped Jean with an uncharacteristic lack of professionalism.

"Ten Alexanders coming from the woods two kilometers north-east of Narva. The escort is already gone and they're opening fire on the SPGs… They're all destroyed, Jean-sama!"

"How the hell did we miss them?" growled Ashley.

Jean very much wanted to know as well. She knew the whole area had been swept by scouts hours before the artillery convoy set off.

"I do not know at this time, Ashley-sama." replied the tactical officer with the voice of a man who knew he was about to be court-martialed. "Three Alexanders have been destroyed, the remaining seven have retreated into the woods… And they just stopped appearing on the thermal sensor. They must have some kind of camouflage."

"And the target? Are they going back?"

"Negative, Jean-sama. They are still heading toward Narva."

"Oh, the overconfident bastards!"  Ahsley with a cheerful voice. "They must know we're here, but they're still coming!"

Jean agreed with him. With the artillery gone, there was no reason for the Europians to want to enter Narva, unless they assumed there had to be more than six Sutherlands to protect those SPGs and wanted to do a clean sweep.

Maybe this day would be salvageable after all, despite the setback they had just experienced.

"We continue with the plan. Tactical, you better find those Alexanders before they enter the city. Everyone else, be vigilant for more Alexanders than we've seen so far.

"Yes, Jean-sama." replied both the tactical officer and her own Knights.

…

Izumi, her body harnessed to the control saddle of Haken-Mk2, was rapidly advancing through the woods, taking care not to collide with any tree trunk. She had left quite a few broken branches in her trail, due to the Haken being so big for a Knightmare, but managed to keep up with the rest of her squadron two kilometers north, her own route parallel to them.

She felt relatively confident that she had escaped detection so far. She left the castle using another road, minutes after Izumi and the other had made themselves ostentatious targets for the enemy observation balloons, and she had been under the cover of the trees since then. The Haken also ran a lot cooler than the Alexanders, thanks to Da Vinci being so strict with herself about efficiency and energy losses.

…

Kasumi activated Augment when they entered the city to increase her reaction speed further, and took the lead, pointing her rifle at every side street as they slowly advanced toward the city's central plaza.

"Remind me to ask Da Vinci to make deployable small drones for aerial reconnaissance." said Kasumi with a tense voice.

"Duly noted." replied Da Vinci. "I am back inside the city, heading toward the central plaza."

"Understood." said Akito.

"Red Knightmare on the church's roof, two hundred meters south." suddenly said Toru.

Kasumi saw it as well. It had been hiding just before when she had scanned the area, but now seemed to be challenging them, as it wasn't pointing its rifle in their direction.

Kasumi wasn't the kind to play fair with enemies. She aimed her own rifle at it and fired.

The red Knightmare, however, had started to move the instant Kasumi moved, using the roof's slope as a ramp to quickly descend, and the bullet only shattered some of its shoulder armor.

The red Knightmare disappeared from view behind other buildings before Kasumi could take another shot at it.

Then attacks came from several sides, and the situation turned into chaos.

…

Haruka used her Insect Mode to perform agile jumps, using both the ground and the surrounding buildings as springboards as her black Alexander evaded the stream of bullets coming from a white Knightmare suddenly emerging from an alley.

The enemy was charging as he fired, clearly intending to engage her in close combat. This suited Haruka just fine as it was her specialty. Most Alexanders used tonfas or what looked like ice axes for melee combat, but hers was equipped with a sword. She would have preferred a spear, but the small frame of the Alexander wouldn't have been able to carry it properly in Insect Mode. She was quite decent with a sword anyway.

As the Gloucester closed the distance to only thirty meters, he set aside his rifle to draw his two swords, and they started fighting with their blades.

Haruka had a little less reach, but she was more agile, constantly darting in and out of range. She frowned as she fought. She was more skilled than the enemy, but he had two swords, and he knew how to use them, sequencing his attacks to force her too far for her to try to exploit his openings. She still felt that she would defeat him, but it would take some time, and they were currently outnumbered. They couldn't afford to take too much time per opponent.

…

Jean gritted her teeth as she saw the blade of the giant Knightmare not only block the sword of one of her knight, but cut through it entirely.

This was a nasty surprise, and something the survivors of the first battle against it hadn't mentioned. And it was costing them dearly.

Ahsley had been the first to engage the Haken in close combat, confident in his skills, and also the first (and only one so far) to have his Knightmare eviscerated after his attempt to block an overhead blow from this enormous Knightmare resulted in his sword being cut alongside it. The attack had severed something critical, and Ashley's red Gloucester exploded before he could eject.

It seemed his luck had run out at last.

She and her five Knights had focused on the Haken, harassing him by being close enough to interfere if it tried to pick up its heavy rifle on the ground, while being far enough to avoid the attacks from its blades.

They had first tried to target its joints with their rifles, but the damnable Knightmare was incredibly agile for its size, making them miss most of the time, and was covered by a shield to boot! By the time they overcame the shield, they were almost out of ammunition, and their remaining bullets proved to be extremely ineffective, barely even denting its armor.

What was this damned thing made of?

It pained her to admit it, but its pilot was also excellent, reacting instantly to any attempt to take its back, resulting in more swords being severed.

Still, the battle was inching in their favor. All the Alexanders were engaged by at least one of Ahsley's subordinates. Two had been destroyed, their pilots ejecting. The remaining two wouldn't be able to hold much longer, and then they would be able to harass the Haken with more rifles. That armor wouldn't hold forever, and it had to be thinner on its back than on its front. It had to!

"Jean-sama! Another Knightmare has entered the city from the south! Its type seem to be… it's another Haken! It is headed straight toward you!" shouted the tactical officer.

Jean paled, realizing what two of those monsters meant.

"Everyone retreat!" ordered Jean.

Her knights obeyed instantly. Ashley's subordinates were slower, reluctant to abandon an opportunity to avenge their leader, and it cost them when the remaining white Alexander found an opening and drove the sharpened end of one of his tonfas into Johanes's cockpit.

Jean was also retreating as fast as she could when her Knightmare suddenly collapsed and crashed into a building.

"Jean-sama!" cried the knights under her command, stopping on their tracks.

The closest Gloucester extended an arm toward her, only for it to blow off at the elbow.

"Keep retreating! That's an order!" shouted Jean.

"…Damn it!" half-cried, half-sobbed the knight as he resumed his retreat, the others following.

Blood oozed from her forehead as she turned her Knightmare over with difficulty, seeing the Haken glide toward her, rifle aimed at her retreating subordinates. The reason for her earlier collapse, a shattered Knightmare's right leg, was lying on the plaza's pavement.

"You are their commander, right?" asked a youthful and feminine voice coming from the Haken. "Surrender, please. I don't want to have to kill more people today."

Another Knightmare burst from the side street and slowed down as it came closer, and Jean saw that it was indeed another Haken. This one was painted green and gold and had swords sheathed on its back rather than blades attached to its wrists, but the rest was the same.

With a defeated sigh, Jean opened her cockpit and got out, her hands lifted in surrender.

They would likely hold her for ransom. It was extremely humiliating, and she would lose a lot of her achievements and be demoted, but she would at least survive, and after a few years of hard work, she would recover her position.