The wind howled through the Narita foothills, carrying with it the scent of gunpowder and smoke. The impending violence that was about to occur, nobody was prepared for in the slightest.
In the shadows of the cliffs, the Black Knights waited.
Camouflaged trucks were positioned between the trees. Knightmare Frames that were outdated, patched together, and salvaged with genius-level modifications stood in tight formation, their engines humming low. At the very center of it all, a crimson sleek Knightmare stood silently.
The Guren Mk-II.
Kallen sat inside it, fingers twitching over the controls. Her heart raced, her mind sharp. The silence before a battle was always the hardest. It was the moment when doubt tried to sneak in.
However, they had no reason to worry.
Tonight, they had Zero.
In the mobile command unit, Lelouch, who was masked, cloaked, and focused on the mission, stood before a tactical display surrounded by his lieutenants. Satellite feeds flickered across the screen, showing the Britannian Refrain depot: six armored vehicles, over a dozen ground troops, two Sutherland Knightmares, and a cluster of chemical tanks waiting to be moved to Tokyo.
Refrain.
The drug that enslaved memory.
That robbed the Japanese of their pain… and their future.
Lelouch's voice was calm and calculated. "We go in fast. Silent breach through the west wall. Tamaki's team distracts the guards. Kallen, you're our hammer. When I give the signal, crush the convoy before it moves."
"What about civilians?" Kallen asked through comms.
"There are none in the compound," he replied. "But the facility has a detonation failsafe. If they realize what we're doing…"
"They'll blow the depot," Ohgi finished grimly.
"Then we don't give them time to think."
Zero stepped onto the makeshift command platform and raised his hand.
"For the ones who lost their names! For those who live without a voice! For Japan!"
"For Japan!" they echoed.
The attack began shortly after the mini battle cry.
The first explosion came from Tamaki's team.
A flash bomb that lit up the eastern fence and drew out the guards. Confusion broke across the comms as Britannian soldiers scrambled, barking orders, splitting ranks.
And then the Guren moved.
Kallen surged forward, her frame a red blur streaking across the moonlit terrain. She smashed through the weakened outer wall with a single blast from the Guren's Radiant Wave Arm. The left-side Sutherland turned to fire at Kallen.
The Sutherland was too slow.
The Guren's arm latched on.
The Britannian Knightmare screamed as it overloaded and disintegrated in a flash of molten light.
Kallen's breathing was ragged, adrenaline flooding her veins. "One down!"
On the command platform, Lelouch called out, "Team Beta, hit the fuel tanks now!"
A thunderous explosion rocked the compound. Flames roared skyward, turning night into day. Debris rained down like meteors. The Refrain storage pods cracked and hissed, leaking steam and pressure.
Then the enemy adjusted.
The second Sutherland opened fire, pinning Tamaki's team. One Black Knight was hit — a younger recruit, his scream echoing through the comms before his radio went dead.
"Damn it!" Ohgi shouted. "We're taking casualties!"
Lelouch's voice cut through the panic. "Tamaki, retreat back to the secondary perimeter! Kallen, engage now!"
The Guren flew forward like a deadly red dragon.
Kallen pushed the frame harder than she ever had, weaving through debris, dodging bullets, twisting through the open center of the depot. She grabbed the second Sutherland mid-movement and crushed its cockpit in a single, clean motion.
"Target neutralized," she said, panting.
"Status of the main depot?" Lelouch asked.
Smoke rose thick and black in the distance.
"Burning," Kallen said. "It's done."
He closed his eyes behind the mask and let out a breath.
"Mission complete. All units withdraw."
Thirty minutes later, in the aftermath of smoke and silence, Zero stood alone on the ruined battlefield.
The air stank of scorched metal and chemicals. Ash floated like snowflakes across the ruined buildings. Bodies were being recovered from the area. Both enemies and allies were hurt in the battle. Only three Black Knights had fallen, but it felt like a dozen.
Kallen approached him in the dark, her Guren now still and steaming behind her.
She removed her helmet, red hair damp with sweat, cheeks streaked with soot.
"Why do victories always feel like this?" she asked quietly.
Zero turned to her. "Because you're human."
She gave him a tired smile. "Sometimes I forget."
They stood in silence, just the two of them, framed by destruction.
"You saved lives tonight," he said.
"So did you."
She hesitated, then stepped closer.
Her voice was soft now. "You never show it, but I can tell… this wears on you too."
Lelouch didn't answer right away. Instead, he removed his glove and reached out, gently brushing a streak of soot from her cheek with his bare fingers.
Kallen's breath caught.
It was the most human thing he'd done all night.
"You don't have to carry all of it alone," she whispered.
"I do," he said. "But thank you… for reminding me what it's like to feel something."
Her eyes flicked to his mask. "I wish I could see your face right now."
"You're seeing the part of me that matters."
She stepped back, nodded once, and turned toward her Guren.
"See you at the next battle, Zero."
And with that, she walked away, vanishing into the distance.
Lelouch stood for a moment watching as the flames lick the ground as a result of their destruction. The scene a horrifying sight. His days as just Lelouch at Ashford Academy is like another world entirely.
He walks around the area, making sure no evidence of the Black Knights was left anywhere. Lelouch wanted to make sure they couldn't be traced back to their hideout. If that happened, it would spell disaster. He already lost three Black Knights in this one fight.
Losing more would just be a disadvantage to him.
Lelouch chuckled slightly as he imagined burning the entire Britannian royal family to the ground. They are going to pay, and the retribution isn't going to be instant. He is going to enjoy his time with them.
Lelouch leaves the battlefield before backup arrives from the Britannian forces.
The next stop is back to Ashford Academy.