"Damn it, everything's gone to hell!"
The man stormed into his room in the trailer—headquarters of the Black Knights' leadership. He flung his cloak onto the sofa in frustration and slammed his mask onto the desk.
Beneath the mask was a sharp-featured man with black hair and violet eyes. His current name: Lelouch Lamperouge. His past: Lelouch vi Britannia, true-born prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, ruler of one-third of the world. Betrayed by his father, left with nothing, he now hid under the protection of the Ashford family, tied to his late mother. And as Zero, he led the Black Knights resistance.
Their assault on Britannia had struck when the empire attacked the Japan Liberation Front—the largest resistance group. Seizing the moment, they ambushed and nearly captured Cornelia li Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11 and the infamous Witch of Britannia. A few more minutes, and he could have used Geass to learn why his mother died.
Then it appeared.
"A flying KMF... that's beyond any miscalculation. We've got enough irregularities with that white helmet already."
Yes, just as Cornelia was within grasp, a single KMF intervened—descending from the sky in a way that defied all reason.
(It wasn't a KMF but an Armored Module, though Lelouch had no way of knowing.)
Thus...
"Probably the flight system couldn't be miniaturized. That must be why the unit itself is so massive."
A natural misconception.
"If it were just size, countermeasures would be possible. But matching Karen blow-for-blow... that's trouble."
In his mind flashed the Guren Mk-II, the Black Knights' strongest KMF, piloted by their ace, Kallen Kozuki. An aberrant flying monstrosity that fought their greatest asset to a standstill—or beyond.
"No, 'standstill' isn't accurate. She was being pushed back."
The enemy's final move: a massive body-slam using its bulk. Guren blocked it, but the Radiant Wave Surger malfunctioned. Without the landslide, she would've lost.
"And the white helmet remains intact."
Backing the flying KMF was the white-helmeted unit—another machine on par with Guren, utterly troublesome. Without C.C.'s intervention, Lelouch would've been captured.
"My, my, you're in quite a mood."
A voice suddenly echoed. He reached for his mask in panic, then recognized it and clicked his tongue.
"Knock before entering, C.C."
The green-haired woman shrugged lightly.
"I did knock. You're the one who didn't notice."
"Guh."
"More importantly, was that flying machine that unexpected?"
"Yes. No intel from our Britannian infiltrators either. Given its uniqueness, it's likely from the same development line as the white helmet."
"Is it? The designs are quite different."
"True, but there can't be that many engineers capable of churning out high-performance units. Probably a proof-of-concept for KMF flight tech."
(Unaware of Axel, Lelouch reasoned within his knowledge. Not far off—Special Division was developing Float Units for KMF flight.)
"Regardless, one machine can only achieve tactical wins. I'm after strategic victory."
He muttered to affirm his own words. But he didn't know—of Axel Almar, an outlier. Or the Growth Savior, a machine that, in its true form, could upend any strategy alone.
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