"Our surveillance drones have picked up a newcomer. A giant human male, or so we assume it to be, has engaged the blue spearman wielding a red spear. From what we can tell, it seems the giant was attracted to the battle zone but remained an observer until the one we suspect is Lancer initiated combat."
'So it begins…' Zero sat back as the report came in. He observed the screens as the intelligence officer briefing him manipulated the images of their new targets. A mountain of a man with a blade seemingly ripped out of stone and a fleet-footed spearman zipping so fast around the giant, the cameras were having difficulty getting a good image of him. Thankfully, there was a clean one when the supposed Lancer's stab was intercepted by the giant's bare skin. Skin that was seemingly run through but otherwise ignored by the behemoth. "Hmm… Any hints to their identity so far?"
"Our specialists are trying to find clues on the giant, but so far our list of candidates are still too varied." The intelligence officer's subordinate offered a response before handing Zero a dossier. "Just the number of potential Heroic Spirits listed as 'larger than life' number in the hundreds alone, Master Zero. Narrowing it down will require more time."
Lelouch didn't bother scolding the man or the lead officer. Though they remain nervous and timid, Zero knew full well that these subordinates of his were still the same fallible human beings they were before being recruited to his cause.
"Continue searching for their identities. I'll give you twenty-four hours to come up with a list of their top ten most likely historical counterparts. You're dismissed. Lieutenant, please stay behind."
"Sir, yes, sir!" The officer and his subordinate both saluted but it was the latter who took his quick leave first. While he could sympathize with being told to stay behind by a commanding officer, the man he ordered to have a private chat with need not be so nervous.
Clad in top quality gear to rival and perhaps even supersede the best military officer corps of this era, the man stood in attention was wasting the intimidating visage a red visor and sleek uniform gave him by nervously sweating.
Then again, it was likely because he was wearing such a thick coat. As his dear wife said 'rule of cool', was meant to be their army's go-to, second only to 'secrecy' and third to 'absolute victory'. That being said, Lelouch mentally debated whether he should've left Nobu full reign to design the gaudy outfit for their secret army. Not that they could do much wearing said outfit when grunt work still revolved around secrecy until they could enact total and instant world domination.
Well… whatever the case, he didn't voice any complaints so long as he could secure every condition to victory before allowing his wife to go all out. It was tiring, being a husband to a warmonger, being a corporate leader, and also secretly a lead designer for machines of war, but what can he do when it was all for the one goal he had in mind. Speaking of his Knightmares…
"Command Type Akatsuki, P1. Do you read me?" he spoke aloud but got a quick and instantaneous reply via telepathy as his pawn responded to his command. Smiling that its response time was faster than ever, he gave the simple order for it to stand by.
As it stands, P1 was not needed for direct combat at the moment. But it was armed with a giant six-tube missile launcher, aimed at the general direction of the fight. Its rockets were unlikely to kill any Servants worth their salt, but its payload was enough to interfere with whatever projectile the Servants might send flying in its direction should they notice his gaze on them through the machine. The anti-magic chaff within the missile should be capable enough to handle a simple spell or arrow from an Archer Servant. The test against Faker back in London proved that such an arsenal is capable of damaging magical forms. Even if the bullet versions could only weaken and disturb, not entirely negate or drain a Servant's mana supply.
"Continue your report." He returned his attention to the man standing by. "Of the four currently engaged, the pair on the rooftop had been ranked lower in terms of danger levels. Explain."
"Sir. The drones detected the pair first. From what we can glean from their appearance, one of them appears to be a Saber Servant. The one with the katana, to be exact. As for her current opponent armed with two blades, we suspect he might be an Assassin Servant. Presently, we could assume that Lancer is engaged with what could be Berserker, but until we get more data as to how the giant fights, Assassin, Lancer, and Saber are the only two we have a clearer read on based on weaponry alone."
"That may be the case, but until we have full confirmation on their identities and capabilities, rule them as tentative labels except for Lancer." Lelouch waved his hand to the aid and the man handed him the remote to change the screen. Changing the slides, he switched it to the overhead image of a silver-haired man engaging a blonde samurai in battle, both images being the most unclear in regards to the speed of their engagement. "Even if they wield a sword, it does not mean they are entirely a Saber. The same can be said for Assassin if that really is his class. Keep an eye on them and track their movements should the drones pick them up. Even if they flee the battlefield and enter spirit form, use every single security and traffic camera we installed through Sumeragi Industries to plot their traces until we can track down and profile their Masters."
"Understood, Master Zero." The man saluted.
"One more thing, Lieutenant." But before he was dismissed, Lelouch stood and faced the man with the sternness of a real commander. "Once you've profiled the Servants and their Masters, I demand you contact me about it immediately through our most secure channels. Should your investigations bear fruit while my wife and I are acting independently, I will deal with the matter in the way I see fit."
"It will be done, milord!" the pawn wholeheartedly saluted before leaving swiftly. Cowed as he was by the mask of Zero, he was at least loyal enough to do his best on his job.
Lelouch made sure that he fostered a loyal following amongst his secret staff and spies.
The decade wasn't spent on nothing. Now, a pair of incarnated Servant-class beings possessed a powerful and clandestine army filled with personnel devoted to their cause. While world domination seemed morbid and eccentric to many, he and Nobu spent ten years ingraining into them what a future under their rule could do. And he was right to take his time.
In the long time of preparation, they succeeded in forming a secret society of pawns far more capable than the Black Knights and even his Geass-enslaved sleeper agents of Britannia could ever be. And he hardly had to use his powers as a Demi-Servant to do so. Why, the world was very much partly under his control already. His faction was devoted completely to him and Nobunaga could handle anything the mundane and moonlit world could throw at them.
'Well, almost anything.'
Leaving the office, Lelouch made his way to the rooftop. One of many skyscrapers the Sumeragi Industries controlled had a great vantage point over the whole city of Fuyuki and its adjacent Miyama. Turning to the direction of the school, he tapped the controls for his mask, enabling the built-in screen to connect to one of the many spy drones flying overhead.
The surveillance network, codenamed the 'Eyes of Zero' by his subordinates, was a masterful mix of technological innovation and magecraft enhancements. Pulling from the tech advancements of his investment in the Confederation contributed and a large number of magi talents that either defected or had their work confiscated by his counter organization to the Clock Tower, the birth of a specialized surveillance system was inevitable. From mapping the full view of an entire city's infrastructure to zooming into and picking out a specific ant above ground, many would say he had the most all-seeing spy network that lacked the need to launch an actual rocket to space. Though that was an overstatement, its capability to observe what he wanted to in detail without being spotted in return was, as a side project, a boon. It yielded the wonderful means of tracking any and every enemy not scurrying away underground.
Even now, he used it to observe the exchange between the suspected Lancer and the behemoth of a giant.
'Strange.' That the mountain man held his ground but did not attack back, only warding the spearman off, had Lelouch suspicious and muttering aloud. "For what reason would a giant like that choose to announce their presence but not actively beat back their attackers? A foolish Master… likely not. Then… are they acting as bait?"
"Overthinking again, Lulu?" Appearing from behind him, a sultry redhead looped her arm around his neck as she leaned her ample bosom against his back. Unmasking himself, Lelouch leaned into her hug and let her see the mini-display in the interior of his black helmet. She studied it for a good second before humming. "Hmmm. Looks like a capable fighter, that giant. Though, playing only defence against a fast one like blue spandex there makes him out to be a bore."
"What do you make of them, Nobu?"
The Demon King fell quiet as she watched the battle play out on the screen before her. After a moment, she huffed. "I could take 'em."
"There is no doubt in my mind you could, darling." Lelouch playfully pinched her cheeks before turning his gaze back to the screen on his helmet and leaning against the nearest railing. "I was asking what you would make of their class, considering their fighting style."
"Lancer doesn't seem like the type to hide anything. Judging by how he's engaging that muscle mountain, his fighting style is too forward. He craves battle almost as much as I do." Lelouch took note of that and would forward the analysis to his intelligence officers later. "As for the ugly titan… Seems to me that someone could be using Command Seals to suppress a Berserker's innate desire for wanton carnage." Nobunaga leaned against him, taking her place shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "If that defensive wall of meat is managing to hold off the relentless stabs of a Noble Phantasm lance is truly a suppressed Berserker, that is. He could be a bulky Saber for all we know."
"That and the two others who bear swords as well. So many blades, yet so very few options in terms of class." Lelouch chuckled as he bumped his knee against Nobu's, pushing up against her katana's own scabbard. "Truly, the Saber class is filled with sword masters. We even have a samurai that looks almost like our last war's Saber."
"Oh? Is the prissy knight back once more? We never did manage to finish the score."
"A shame, but no. This one seems to be a different Servant entirely. Appearance-wise, it's close to Artoria. But the fact she wields a katana and not a wind-coated Excalibur leads me to think that they share only a youthful face. Nothing more."
Nobu deflated at that, sad that her chances of a rematch would be dashed. "Tch. Well, maybe I'll just slice up her face when it's my turn to put her down. Just for putting my hopes up."
It was Lelouch's turn to pull his pouty darling of a wife in an embrace that had her calming down in his chest almost immediately. "You'll have your chance. Just relax for the meantime." She did. In fact, she started cuddling up against his neck, slowly yet audibly inhaling his scent as she spoiled herself in the head pats he gave her. "Still… for that Berserker to come but just stand around… Whoever their Master is must be planning something."
"They definitely are. I can tell from a glance, that thing is a real warrior. He's just holding back." True to her word, as Lelouch studied the fight between Lancer and Berserker at a distance, the latter was still keeping the spearman at bay. Not once having moved from his spot, but also leaving gouged earth around his wake due to swinging a stone slab of a sword to parry and swipe away Lancer's attacks. "Same for that blue spandex idiot. He may be poking and prodding, but he isn't really going for a real fight. It's like both sides' Masters just want to test the other, but…"
"But neither achieve much by holding back to the point of stalemate… hm. You believe it could have something to do with the pair that was already present on the rooftop?" Lelouch took it as food for thought as he asked. Having been the one to inform Nobu about the clashing sword-wielders as soon as his surveillance network detected a spike in mana levels in the area, and also being a far more experienced Servant than he, Nobu had been eyeing their fight from a distance, feeling out the flow of combat and bloodlust by simply observing the fight through the lens of an experienced warrior herself.
"Who knows… Berserker could've been sent to observe. Lancer might've hopped in to make it a three-way battle royale before he was distracted." Her sadistic smirk was accompanied by the licking of her lips. "It's definitely what I would have done, hehe~…"
And it definitely would force him to change his plans had she opted to engage on sight instead of wait for a bit. Thankfully, bloodthirsty and battle-hungry she may be, Nobu wasn't an idiot and waited for him to decide on their next action. Still, returning to what the cameras picked up before the spike in mana energies signalling the presence of multiple Servants, Lelouch hummed at the notable pictures he cycled through.
"Hm? Found something of note, love?"
"I have. Some of the cameras have sights on bystanders who have seemingly noticed the noise of combat. Though, judging by the read of the area's energy levels, someone is interfering by placing a ward to distract non-magi." He slowly broke away from the hug and kissed Nobu on the forehead before taking a seat nearby. Nobu slumped by his side, content at just resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to observe the data the spy drones were sending him. "Seems like we have a reasonable Master keeping a close watch on the situation if they're going so far as to keep the normal folk out of harm's way."
"Heh. How kind of them. A shame they won't gallantly show themselves too. I could've cut down the number of hassles on the first night of the war."
Indeed, it was a missed opportunity. But if there was ever a foe just that willing to do his job for him, they weren't worth the effort. Lelouch contemplated deploying his secrecy committee in charge of securing the area so no non-magi folk would be caught up in it, but if his foes were this considerate enough to ensure the safety of the populace, perhaps just letting the committee issue an announcement to the city council that a gas leak was reported near Homurahara Academy's area would be enough.
All the cops and politicians that were part of their secret web would take the steps necessary to cover it up without his input, leaving him free to do as he pleased.
"Four Servants oddly present at a school. One of which, I have a suspicion of who could be the Master."
Nobu perked up at that. "Already? Which one?"
"Our little white-haired princess." He cycled through the images and showed the one where the girl was spotted by the cameras entering the woods close to the gate, apparent that one of those present is hers, likely Berserker or Lancer. It was intriguing, but he won't intervene or question it for now. "As for our guests from the Clock Tower, the one accompanying the Church's pawn should still be in Fuyuki though very far from the fight as they're located across town. Still, the identity of their Servant, if they summoned any, is in question. Safe to say that the one we met in London still hasn't made their presence known."
"That chariot-riding bitch, huh? Hiding like roaches, the lot of them…" Nobu grumbled but did little else but sigh at the lack of action. He couldn't fault her as he was well aware of her want for a good fight.
With the awareness of three Master candidates and sights on four of the seven total Servants called to this war, they could very well be on the way to eliminating half the competition if he sent Nobu at them right now… That is, if they didn't band together to take her out first.
Best to stay back and watch. They had all the cards in hand and all the time to play them.
"Hey, I'm bored. Wanna make a bet?" After a good while of just sitting on the rooftop and watching the fight occurring in the distance, Nobu chimed in. "Watching these noobs get it on is making me jealous, but since we're not gonna take a crack at them until later, how about a quick bet? My money is on the pink-haired one with a katana."
"Gambling, are we? I was sure that was my hobby." Lelouch was surprised by the sudden suggestion, but he had a good idea of where his wife was leading him on with this idea.
"Hush it, Lelouch. I'm so bored and you won't get down on me so at least let me have some entertainment."
"So you say, but you didn't ask me to get down on you yet." Lelouch laughed softly until he realized his mistake and had to shush Nobu from demanding it outright this very instant. Her lips pressing on his finger pursed with a cheeky smirk as she was about to do something he might regret until he followed it up. "Stop. And don't lick my finger. Very well. The usual bet."
"The loser gets the same punishment as usual. Chained to the bed until morning, got it?"
She smiled ferally as she said it with an innocent tone. Zero just rolled his eyes, not even shaken by the lewd promise. A decade of being married to each other was enough to kill a huge part of the shame both of them had. He wouldn't admit that the gap of attitudes was charming as it was seemingly deranged.
"Ok, in that case, I bet that the white-haired one pushes her back. Satisfactory? Or do you want to up the ante and make specific bets to spice up the deal?"
Avenger hungrily smirked. "You're on. Let's see if you can outmatch me in reading a battle down to a samurai's sword stroke, love."
No, he couldn't. But he'd likely be able to lead her long enough to ensure he escaped the worst of her bets.